Chapter Text
Gently opening his eyes Sasuke just breathed. Evening his breaths until the rise and fall of his chest evened out.
Staring into nothing Sasuke fell into a trance. Feeling weightless, feeling that time had stopped in a single moment.
Feeling open
Feeling undone
Feeling life
Feeling free….
A knock interrupts his stillness. Shifting Sasuke finally notices the abnormality of his surroundings. He was in a completely different location than he remembers. The last memory he had was drudging through a deep bed of snow in Snow nation. Completing a mission from Kakashi dispatching a missing-nin with a stolen Konoha headband that has been causing trouble across the nations.
From the messenger hawk sent it was written that seals have been seen in the places they were last located. Reports have also been made of missing civilians in remote villages. In doing so creating political trouble with the civilians in other nations with Konoha. To clean up this mess Kakashi sent Sasuke, knowing he was in the area from the last mission report he wrote to the Hokage office.
Sasuke didn't care about the civilians and their problems. All he wanted was to find an inn, shower the sweat and blood he accumulated from the last three days, and sleep. He already drained most of his chakra after dealing with a bounty that had a bandit hide-out that ranged in the hundreds. While it did pay a hefty sum and he wouldn’t have to worry about money for awhile, he was tired.
After receiving the hawk, he wasted no time in finding the missing-nin. The location from the report said he was near the closest village from Sasuke.
Silently moving through the dense snow, Sasuke followed the path the missing-nin took and retraced their chakra signature.
Sasuke wondered how they lasted this long when they didn't even try to hide their chakra signature.
Moving branches from his vision he came across a clearing. Cleared from the snow he saw a complex seal drawn across the ground. Sensing a presence behing him Sasuke ducked. Removing his blade from his scabbard he took a high strike into the person behind him.
Leaping several feet back he looked at the man holding his bloody arm and clutching a red paint brush that dripped onto the snow, leaving streaks on the ice.
At his feet was woman, clothes bloody and torn, dead from the lack of movement from her chest.
Sasuke could take a guess and say that he red paint on the brush was actually blood.
“Your too late, I’m almost done and your going to help me test it”, the man quickly ran through several hand signs then slammed both of his hands onto the ground.
Sasuke could feel a slight shift in the air and felt his chakra draining. Already weak he decided to end things quickly before it became dangerous. Calling up the Mangekyo Sharingan he transported to the man's side. Caught off guard the man tried to jerk away but Sasuke already sliced his blade into the man diaphragm. Lightening licking up the blade as it destroyed the man from the inside out.
Chakra coils deeply depleted Sasuke felt dizzy as he fell to his knees. Black spots roaming across his vision as he experienced chakra exhaustion. Falling onto his back his heavy pants leaving curls of wisps in the air.
Trying to stay conscious Sasuke faintly noticed the lit up seals around him, too busy trying to stay awake. Not doing anything but simply breathing Sasuke could feel a slight void surround him ever slowly, but growing bigger. He started to drift off as his vision faded, easing into the black.
Feeling imbole
Feeling disconnected
Feeling free….
Coming back to himself Saske noticed not only the room he was in, which brought forth memories long pushed back, but his small hands in front of him, tightly gripping the blankets.
Turning his body he saw a mirror in the corner of the room. Reflected back at him was a younger image of himself around the age of ten or eleven.
Another knock was placed upon the screen door before it was pushed aside. In the doorway was Itachi. Though younger Sasuke could not forget the image of his brother regardless of any age. He stood there looking at Sasuke wearing a slight frown.
“Sasuke “, he said. “ Is everything okay.”
And all Sasuke could see was an image of his brother older, overlapping the younger staring at him with a wrinkled brow but amused eyes saying, ‘Foolish otouto.’
Sasuke just stares at the scene in front of him thinking foolish indeed.