Paths of Divergence

Blood Clash Pt. 1

Chapter 38
-Blood Clash Pt. 1

     "I wonder... just how my experiment will turn out."

     Those words rang over and over again in Shizake's mind like a record player on repeat. As the Uchiha hideout came into view, the words grew louder and louder in his head. A deafening silence overtook the group of ninja traveling through the forest but to Shizake all he can hear are Itachi's perplexing words and his own raging heartbeat. Shizake and Sasuke walk side by side, step for step, almost as if their movements were already in sync for the upcoming battle.

     There was no battle plan, no strategy, no back up or anything that would assure their victory or even their escape. The two were forged in blood and in blood they remained. A bond that could never be severed... only strained.

     At this point there was nothing that could be said or done. Azumi could only stare at the two Uchiha's backs, easily sensing their bloodlust. To her, Sasuke was a mystery but she had never sensed this sort of aura from Shizake. Empathy stretches through her heart as she stares at the dirt beneath her feet.

     After trudging along for hours upon hours the group comes to the main path leading to the Uchiha hideout. Up ahead stands a blue skinned man dressed in an Akatsuki robe with a massive sword on his back and a smirk across his face revealing a row of shark like teeth.

     "I see the two young Uchiha have made it here. Go ahead, enter as you please," the man snarkily says.

     Both of them nod before walking forward. Shizake however stops for a moment, turning on his heel towards Azumi. "I wouldn't linger here much longer. Things will get ugly. Go back to the village and get patched up," he says.

     Azumi nods her head slowly before turning away and looking back. "Just be careful Shizake," she says before starting to turn on her heel.

     The boy turns back around, muttering, "I will. And Azumi?" he asks before pausing. "Thank you."

     Azumi nods her head before leaping back into the forest and heading back towards the Leaf village. Shizake then catches up to Sasuke as they travel down the singular path side by side. Quiet consumes them both as their thoughts run amiss. They utter not a single word yet the same emotions run through their very veins.

     Finally they come to the entrance to the massive hideout. The monolith sits abandoned and alone, nestled deep into the forest towering over the land below. Dense vegetation and moss covers a vast majority of the hideout as years of abandonment left it to the mercy of the elements.

     "I remember coming here once as a child. I barely remember what it was even for," Shizake muses. "Father said something about change coming but the rest escapes my memory."

     "Like it matters anymore. Anything that was once important or held any meaning has rotted into the earth. It's all dust now," Sasuke answers.

     "You know... I still tend to our family's graves in the village. Maybe once all this is over we can revisit them... together," Shizake says.

     Sasuke grips the hilt of his blade tightly before walking through the entrance. "Hn. Maybe," he mutters.

     Shizake follows suit as they begin walking through the hideout. The cold walls surround them on all sides, Shizake running his fingers along the etched out carvings. Flashes of old memories beam through his mind with every blink of his eyes. For the time being, he pushes them away in favor of pure hatred.

     At last. The two step into the quiet chamber. A figure cloaked in the shadows sits upon the lone throne at the back of the hideout. The figure opens their eyes to reveal two crimson red Sharingan, spinning into place. This time there are no tricks, no henges, no gags or ploys. This- this is the real Itachi Uchiha.