Strike of Lightning (Naruto fanfic)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Slaughter..?

"Do we really have to settle things this way, Hokage-sama?"

A heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. Danzo, the council-everyone has agreed."

"Even you?"

"No... I was forced to."

"Hokage-sama..."

"Yes?"

"I have plan. It needs a lot of work, but if it will work..."

Moment of silence.

"Tell it to me."

                                                                                    ***

"Big brother, is something wrong?" Itachi looked up. Shuurai was peering concernedly at him. Itachi smiled.

"I'm fine." He was on a day off. "Did you want to ask me something?"

"No... I wanted to talk to you."

Itachi blinked. The normally sweet-tempered kid appeared to be very affected by something. (btw, is 'sweet-tempered' even a word?)

"Shuurai? What is it?"

"Big brother, what does it feel like to kill?" Shuurai whispered.

The question caught him off-guard. So off-guard, in fact, that he took a step backward and found himself falling into the Uchiha compound lake. Wow, she must be really upset, thought Itachi. Normally, this scene would have gotten a large laugh out of Shuurai, but today... nothing.

He sat back on land.

"To kill, huh?" Itachi said thoughtfully, trying to figure out exactly why the generally peaceful seven-year-old would suddenly ask such a question. He better not mislead her by not answering properly.

"Well, let's see. The first time you kill, it feels like you've done the most despicable deed in the world. It feels like you've robbed yourself of your innocence. The look a person gives you when they know they're about to die and are powerless to stop it; that look haunts you forever. In short, it feels really bad."

He was trying to put into easier words so he wouldn't scare Shuurai. He wasn't too sure whether or not he was doing a very good job.

"But after a while, you realise that to kill and to be killed, well it's a part of lfe. One that no-one likes or wants to admit, but it's a part, nonetheless. The best thing you can do, if you absolutely have to kill someone, is to make it quick and painless for them. Of course, if you can avoid killing, yet the enemy still needs to be stopped, go for incapacitation. That's what I do."

Shuurai nodded quietly. "Thank you, big brother." She turned to walk away but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Little sister," Itachi kneeled so he was eye-to-eye with Shuurai. "Why... did you need to ask me?"

Shuurai swung her shoulder-length black hair forward so it covered her face.

"Um... well I sorta had a weird dream last night. It felt so real... there was a man wearing an orange mask in it. He told me... to slaughter."