Chapter 4: Truth
"F-father?"
"..."
"W-why? H-h-how?"
"Are you sure you are ready to know this information, brat? This information will break you, you know."
Tsunade shook his head. This clan, no more like this boy in front of her is cursed. It seems like all the tragedy of the Uchiha clan is forced for this young shinobi to bear. Uchiha Sasuke was really an unfortunate being; Living his entire life in a lie.
She was so entrapped in her thoughts that she forgot the raven teen in front of her begging for answers. Only a sob brought her back to reality, no more like slammed her into reality. A sob... coming from the human ice block.
She found it difficult to focus. To see a young man, albeit tainted with a touch of evil, broken is like seeing her deceased brother and lover. All of them sharing one look: defeated.
Naruto, being a natural person, put a hand on his former teammate's shoulder. No words needed; just a comforting hand to show him that he's not alone anymore. Sasuke leaned at his best friend's touch silently saying thank you.
"Oi gaki, do you want to know now or what?"
"...n-now"
"Uchiha throughout history have killed their closest friends or family members in order to have the Mangekyou," the slug Sannin gazed piercely at the young raven.
"Your father will never have a Mangekyou Sharingan," Tsunade muttered who suddenly captivated by the azure sky. She stood up and went to the balcony. "He knew it right from the start."
"A mangekyou sharingan," she continued." one must feel the emotion of losing a friend, the act of killing them or watching them die alone will not activate it."
She turned to look at her listeners. All of them confused, even Naruto and Kakashi who already knew the truth. All thoughts weaved into single question: Why is she telling the secret now?
The Godaime forced her eyes to the Uchiha survivor. His demeanor now calmed yet eyes pleading, quivering, almost begging out loud for truth.
"You father... he had lost all types of emotions. No love, no sadness, no anguish... nothing at all. Your father is the embodiment of a body without a soul," she stated.
Those words slash Sasuke deeply. His father didn't have any feelings at all? Even he, the human ice block have those human feelings; he only buries it but the fact it's still alive is there. His father's laugh, smile, love... all of them are fraud?
Naruto stared at his wide-eyed comrade. He had never seen Sasuke so shocked before. Even when impending snake bastard gave Sasuke the 'love hickey of doom' Sasuke never gaveaway a full-blown distress. (A/N: can't help it... I found it in a comic LOL) All thoughts are cut in by the busty Hokage when she started to speak again.
"Uchiha Madara used that weakness and fooled your dad to kill everyone in your clan. He used your father to conspired a coup d'etat when they were accused that the Uchiha clan orchestrated the attack of Kyuubi. Uchiha Madara wants to obtain his revenge to your clan when they opposed him decades ago and used the coup d'etat your dad enforced to start a civil war in Konoha. However, one of his subordinates betrayed him," Tsunade stopped for a moment to breathe.
"That caused Madara to trick your father to kill all of your family promising a Mangekyou Sharingan in return. But to no avail, his emptiness didn't affect him much and he didn't get the Kaleidoscope eye to Madara's amusement."
"I-isn't he dead? You know, Uchiha Madara?"
"He supposed to be... I don't know how he did it but he keeps swearing he's an immortal," Tsunade responded.
"What about Itachi?! I saw him!! He casted Tsukuyomi on me!!" Sasuke yelled obviously perplexed and spiraling into the new truth given to him.
"Itachi was outside the village at that moment. I recently discovered it, too. That old geezer of a Hokage seemed to have schemed something out of the situation," Tsunade walked into her desk and opened a drawer that contains an old mission report. "Here," Tsunade hold out the scroll to the Uchiha which raised the eyebrow of the latter.
It is indeed a mission report of his brother that night and a letter sworn into secrecy. It also contains another mission scroll that was given to his aniki the next day after the massacre. The mission was to infiltrate the Akatsuki and provide Konoha about information about their activities.
"And for your information, what you experienced isn't Tsukuyomi. As I have said, your father can't acquire that freaky eye technique and he used an S-classed kinjutsu that is almost similar to Tsukuyomi. He infused a powerful genjutsu so it might fool anyone aside from a Mangekyou user."
"B-but I saw Itachi!!"
"Oh please Uchiha, don't tell me you are senile yet. Have you forgotten the Henge no Jutsu, an 'academy level' jutsu?" Tsunade chuckled smugly, stressing academy level in her response. The young Uchiha glared almost embarrassed that he hadn't thought of that.
"Then, where is he now?"
"Dead"
"Itachi killed your father out of hatred." Sasuke paled. "Itachi then acquired his Mangekyou after that," the medical Hokage continued. (A/N: Let's assume Itachi didn't kill Shisui)
Sasuke felt his knees weaken and he fell. Living a life out of a lie... then finding the truth after ruining his life. He had betrayed everyone he loved, broke their bonds and took the devil's fruit just because he's an avenger.
Naruto upon sensing his friend's misery hugged his almost brother. He sighed in relief when he felt tears fell on the eyes of the human ice block. He's free now... free from the path of revenge.
TBC
