Title: Compromised

Summary: Now and then, everything can go perfectly. Even if you have no idea why.

I'm finding it very ironic that, despite my dislike for Uchihas and Sharingans, I seem to find motivation in writing stories related to that clan.

Once more I'd say this is influenced by Silver Queen's "Reincarnation Roulette" as well as SilverShine's "The Girl From Whirlpool", both phenomenal writers with brilliant ideas rolling through their heads.

As well as my thanks to marmaroth for proof reading this story, despite her busy schedule.

In the Uchiha clan's opinion, far too many people were aware of one of their more…eccentric clan members.

Uchiha Ayumu was not a man to be ashamed of—far from it.

From his sudden appearance in the Second Ninja War as a teenager, skillfully dancing his way through the marshes of Kirigakure and homing in on the head of one of the seven swordsmen; to his unrelenting tenacity in holding a wavering line during the Third Ninja War, a stubbornness rewarded when he and his remaining forces were rescued by a cavalry of nearly two dozen Uchiha, his battlefield expertise and seemingly inhuman intuition had long ago gotten him renown throughout the elemental nations.

For Iwa, the latter incident was the most devastating loss they had endured in the war, outside of those where the Yellow Flash himself had gotten involved.

Ayamu had ensured that the once diminishing name of the Uchiha would rise again. The world had discovered that Uchiha blood still flowed strong.

No, the clan was quite proud of Ayumu's achievements. However, it would take a gift from the Gods above to get the clan, particularly the clan elders, to praise the man's personality.

He was simply too…happy. He openly rejected the typical stoic façade that the clan portrayed. He was quick to laugh and even quicker to wrap you in a hug, though he was silent towards strangers, which he made up for by being fiercely loyal to friend and family. A rather interesting contrast to his ruthless actions on the battlefield.

.

The child had been born under difficult circumstances. He was born to two civilian clan members; restaurant owners who had never had any interest in joining the Ninja forces, and who had never awakened their bloodline. There had been complications during his birth, complications that had led to the death of his mother and the near loss of the newborn infant's life.

The child's survival had been uncertain over those first few months, the stress of it nearly taking a lethal toll on his father.

However, one morning the nursing staff, and his nearly comatose father, were awoken by a child's shriek. The child appeared inconsolable for that first week of true consciousness, but eventually, with the help of his clan, his father had managed to calm the child down.

After that, the child grew at a healthy rate, as parents tend to hope for. It seemed as if the child's difficult birth had affected him better than anyone could have imagined. The child simply loved life, bouncing around all over the clan compound, and his shrieks of laughter giving away his joy.

Despite what was expected of him, Ayumu's father didn't have the heart to reign in the child's emotions, something which his son seemed to have caught onto and repaid by helping out his father with little complaint and doing little to hide his adoration for the older man.

The clan members, admittedly, found it adorable, as so very few children seemed to openly show affection for their fathers these days. Some assumed that without a proper mother figure, it was only natural for Ayumu to focus his childish attention on his only parent. Oddly enough, he never once asked about his mother. In fact, he seemed to avoid the topic, sometimes without even noticing.

It quickly came to the clan's attention that despite the child's natural chirpiness and his infernal tendency to speak his mind, he was also quite natural on his feet and had exceptional observational skills, often pointing out personality traits of people he had just met.

Much against his father's wishes, Ayumu was eventually brought to meet the clan head of the time. Uchiha Kaito, father of Uchiha Fugaku was a strict man and his tendency to keep his emotions hidden behind a stoic façade led the young child to point out his dislike for the man rather quickly.

Rather than being insulted, Kaito had arched an eyebrow in, what some had considered amusement. When he asked young Ayumu why he thought that, the child shrugged and expressed his belief that angry looking people couldn't be that nice anyway.

The meeting went on like that, Kaito remaining stoic and patient with Ayumu while the child bounced all over the meeting room, refusing to sit still even under threat of discipline. He never stopped smiling.

Despite his father's better judgment, Ayumu eventually found out about the clan's desire for him to join the academy. Neither of them wanted him to attend, but the clan was putting pressure on his father and it was affecting the man's business. So, in order to ease the pressure on his parent, Ayumu approached Uchiha Kaito and asked, while remaining in a still kneeling position, to be allowed into the Academy.

Kaito gave his blessing before turning back to focus on his scroll, silently dismissing the child. He didn't bother looking up as he deflected the thrown water balloon.

.

When asked how his Academy days treated him, Ayumu would simply smile in a nostalgic way before grabbing hold of the person who asked him and dragging them into a restaurant, eagerly recalling the shenanigans he and his classmates had gotten into with an enthusiasm only possible in someone who had had the time of his life.

Upon his first week at the academy, Ayumu had eagerly introduced himself to every one of his classmates. He never bragged about his name—simply introduced himself in a way that betrayed his genuine curiosity over who his latest target was.

His enthusiasm and jolly attitude did grate on many a child's nerves, but Ayumu was never malicious. Sometimes he calmed down, sometimes he didn't, but no matter what, he applied himself to his studies with the diligence expected from a child of the Uchiha.

Of course, he always took those serious moments as an excuse to let loose on the training field. Against his classmates, he lost as often as he won, preferring to practice a more unorthodox approach rather than his family's traditional Taijutsu style.

He seemed to take particular enjoyment out of trying to get a reaction out of the class genius, Namikaze Minato, a child who—according to Ayumu—was in serious danger of being emotionally disconnected from everything. Much to his frustration, the group nicknamed "InoShikaCho" seemed to have much better success getting Minato involved then Ayumu did.

So he focused his attention in trying to calm down the class Rage Case, Uzumaki Kushina. The first day he tried to cheer her up, he discovered that she was surprisingly quick and had a mean right hook. He immediately classified her as one of the best students in his class, which ticked off many of his peers. Not that he cared. They'd get over it. Or throw a conniption fit. He didn't particularly care which, he told them with a far too happy smile.

And that's how their education progressed. Train day in and day out whilst making time to be, or grow out of, the kids they were. Much to the Uchiha clan's chagrin, Ayumu had gained a reputation for his tendency to 'sneak hug' his peers. The teachers let it slide as he meant no harm and it did cause the students to focus more on their surroundings.

Graduation came and went, teams were formed and none were held back due to the ongoing war. Upon successfully passing his test, Ayumu attempted to celebrate with his teammates in the form of a group hug. The resulting fiasco led to a riot in Konoha's red light district, Akimichi Choza swearing off meat for a week, and Uchiha Kaito getting his first ulcer.

.

A year passed and soon Ayumu and his Genin comrades were participating in the Chuunin exam. Ayumu lost handily to Minato in the first round, which made him livid—not due to his loss, but the way he lost. He never fully forgave Minato for using the Rasengan, though a weaker version of it, to finish him off.

Of course whatever spite he held was lost when, upon winning the tournament, Minato was nearly assassinated by a ninja from Amegakure.

The war had suddenly taken a sharp turn and the troops were swiftly deployed, including those who had passed the exam.

Ayumu, along with nearly a dozen of his peers from the Academy, were sent out to the marshes of Kiri to join the forces under the command of Shimura Danzo, a man who—for whatever reason—Ayumu took an instant dislike to. When asked about it, Ayumu would simply get confused before muttering about getting a bad feeling from the man. Still, he followed orders to the letter. That was until General Akebino, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, entered the fray.

Their forces were nearly overrun. Akebino was a monster of a man, effortlessly slaughtering any who stood in his way. It was in one horrifying moment, that Akebino came down on a squad of Chuunin trying to retreat with some of their wounded.

Ayumu barely had the time to register the danger before he was greeted to the sight of his two comrades—his teammates since his Genin days—torn apart by Kabutowari, the General's weapon.

He would have swiftly joined them had the General not been intercepted by several Jounin, forcing the man to pull back. Ayumu, however, would have none of it. With a strangled cry, he launched himself after the man, eyes morphing red.

He never did catch up to the General, but his fury did cause him to carve a hole in Kiri's defenses, turning the battle in Konoha's favor. Afterwards, they found the Uchiha lying face down in a pool of his own blood and Marsh water. He was stabilized and promptly evacuated back to Konoha.

He woke a month later to the news of Minato having killed the general with the use of a new technique, something called Hiraishin. He incredulously listened to people referring to his peer as the Yellow Flash and eventually guffawed upon discovering that Kushina referred to him as the Yellow Flasher.

.

The war ended and the years went by. Minato moved in with Kushina after his father died and Kushina's roommate, Uchiha Mikoto, moved out to marry Uchiha Fugaku—a rather interesting situation as Kushina eventually started dating Sarutobi Ren, the Third Hokage's eldest son.

Ayumu, having swiftly been promoted to Jounin, spent most of his time outside the village, in charge of outposts along the border into the Land of Lightning.

Then Minato came along to take over, got involved in some incident involving a man named A from Kumo and war was once again on the horizon.

.

The Third Ninja War was nothing like the second. While the Second one consisted of a cold war, spread out over years with the occasional battle, the Third was an all-out, winner take all, brawl among the Elemental Countries.

Iwa, which had the strongest military, had opted to attack Konoha on several fronts. One year into the war, and Konoha was on its last legs.

On his front, Ayumu was stationed with a force charged with holding a pass that would lead directly into the heart of Fire Country.

On this day, it was proven that Iwa could be pushed back, that you could break its will. On one end of the country, Minato unleashed the full might of the Hiraishin, while on the other, Ayumu, who had been forced to take command when his superior was taken out, held a stubborn wall against the invaders.

The news came of his plight shortly after the Yellow Flash's slaughter. Minato had disappeared to help his old Genin team upon sensing his special kunai being thrown. They would get no sudden help from him. News was quickly sent out to Konoha and throughout their reserve lines.

Exhausted and on the verge of being overrun, Ayumu and his remaining soldiers looked up in time to see a tidal wave of rested Uchiha descend upon their foe. Not in generations had anyone seen a united Uchiha strike force in action. Iwa never stood a chance.

The Uchiha clan was celebrated for the glorious victory and for one of their own steadfastly holding the line against all odds. It had been a long time since they truly felt that they belonged in Konoha.

.

The war ended in Konoha's favor, yet they didn't push the war any further; their manpower was far too diminished to truly destroy their enemies.

So the village celebrated. Minato was steadily brought under the Third's wing in preparation for the time when the job would fall to him.

Ayumu stepped down from the front line forces and spent more time with the village seal masters for reasons he never fully explained. However, he had proven his loyalty to the village, so he was allowed to study under them and occasionally alongside Jiraiya and Minato—when he was able to keep up.

It was odd because despite his eagerness, he would never really be much better than the average seal maker. He seemed to view the art as nothing more than a tool to achieve a specific creation, which he admitted to be related to the Sharingan.

.

Minato became the Hokage and it seemed like Konoha would prosper in a Golden Age of which its founders had only ever dreamed of.

Both he and Kushina had done a rather successful job of keeping her pregnancy a secret, yet they were one day surprised when Ayumu, who neither had seen much of in months, had appeared on their doorsteps and nearly squealed in girlish glee upon seeing her. They were forced to drag him inside their home—less he give away the secret in his manic flailing about—and were both congratulated and pouted at for not telling him.

He gave a particularly disgusted look upon finding out that they planned to name their child after a fishcake of all things.

.

The night of October 10th had not been a particularly pleasant one. Sure, it was a warm autumn day and there was barely a cloud in the sky, but a trained ninja could tell that there was an odd tension in the air.

No one ever discovered how, but the man known as Tobi had discovered the location where Minato had arranged for Kushina to give birth. He could sense the Kyuubi's chakra leaking through her seal from miles away.

He easily found the isolated shrine that they had settled in, preparing to sneak in the moment the baby popped out of her. It was surprisingly easy to bypass the few countermeasures that the Fourth had set up. One would have thought that he would have taken greater precautions, considering what was at stake here. Perhaps he simply didn't expect for people to seek them out.

He disposed of Sarutobi Biwako and her aid before they knew what had happened. Proceeding to strap a few exploding tags to the newborn's blanket and throwing him as a distraction, he was quite surprised when the Yondaime vanished in a flash of yellow without setting off the tags.

A question to deal with after he took control of the Kyuubi. Approaching a delirious Uzumaki Kushina, he blinked in surprise as he extended an arm, only to discover a sudden pulse of chakra expanding throughout the area. His Sharingan wavered until finally, the flow of Chakra to his eyes was disrupted and his Sharingan deactivated itself.

He was immediately on the defensive, dodging as rock spears burst out of the floor and walls of rocks surrounded Kushina to pull her underground. Cursing, he dodged a ball of fire, only to feel another pulse of Chakra as the Fourth teleported back into the house, killing intent rolling off of him.

Spinning around to flee, Tobi was greeted by a kunai impaling his shoulder, causing him to release a grunt of pain and double over as a fist holding another kunai, plunged into his abdomen. He glanced up to see a murderous Uchiha Ayumu, whose black eyes had a hint of red fading in and out, betraying his Sharingan's attempts to activate, staring down at him. What Tobi did notice was a trail of chakra practically leaking off of Tobi and into seals inscribed throughout the room.

Somehow the brat had managed to create a seal that disrupted the Sharingan—though not permanently, as he could already feel his bloodline flowing through the seals, acclimating to it. A stalling attempt at best.

A very good attempt considering that his back made the acquaintance of a full powered Rasengan. He cried out as the ball drilled into him, obliterating a few of his internal organs and rupturing his spine. Even then, Tobi could feel the Mokuton cells getting to work to repair the damage.

He could feel the Yondaime recover after unleashing his attack. He needed a bit more time to recover and fight off the effects of the Uchiha's seal. Even now, Ayumu's eyes were gradually turning red, a single Tomoe appearing within his right eye.

"Wait, wait," he drawled out. "I can explain, I'm…" He never got to finish as Ayumu's eyes adjusted first, spinning tomoe locking in on his eyes through his mask. A second later and the gaze was broken, Ayumu starting to tremble. Before Tobi could say a single word, Ayumu thrust a Kunai into the back of his head and, drawing a Tanto, cut it off for good measure.

"You are nothing." He hissed before surprising the Yondaime by unleashing a controlled stream of fire, incinerating the body. Despite the heat and the tearing up of his eyes, Ayumu refused to look away or release the technique until the body was nothing more than ash. Quivering with barely repressed rage, he took out a storage scroll and sealed away the ashes within it before handing it to the Fourth, pleading with him to store the scroll somewhere where none could find it.

Minato had hesitated, torn between demanding answers and granting the man a favor. Finally, he nodded, disappeared and returned a few minutes later to find Kushina in a different room, weakly cradling a newborn Uzumaki Naruto with Ayumu off to the side, keeping an eye on them.

"Ayumu…I saw you use your eyes on him. Who was he? What did he want?"

Ayumu tensed for a moment before giving a disgusted grunt. "No one. Just a man who had long since given up."

.

The years went by and Konoha thrived. While Minato may not have been as powerful as the First or Second Hokage, his views and ideals did wonders to benefit the village. His son, a rambunctious bundle of energy, could often be seen running around the village, having to be rescued by Kushina more often than not, with the woman releasing a string of words that caught even Jiraiya off guard. Many of the villagers were often torn between being amused by the child and wanting to throttle the brat in his sleep.

Ayumu's relationship with his comrades had been getting more strained. While he had earned Kushina's trust, the Fourth couldn't find it in himself to share that sentiment. Something had changed in the Uchiha that night.

The intuition that he was famed for had grown to a pinpoint accuracy. He had informed the Hokage of acts of treason from Shimura Danzo and his Root division, a division that should have been shut down years earlier. Minato had been willing to go easy on the man, due to his long years of service and adamant devotion to ensuring Konoha's safety.

However upon receiving proof that Danzo had ordered the execution of one of his operatives, a certain Yakushi Kabuto, who had somehow survived, Minato was forced to concede that the elder's life was forfeit. Trying to kill one who knew too much was one thing—frowned upon, but excusable. Knowingly letting a spy for Orochimaru into the village was inexcusable. The man was in charge of village security, nothing ever got past him. The boy hadn't even faked his credentials. Any ninja with passing knowledge of him would have recognized him immediately.

Kabuto was arrested and dragged into torture and interrogation. His unique self-healing abilities had put a delighted smirk on the face of Morino Ibiki, a rising star within the division's ranks, who had been more than happy to test out their limits.

Minato had ordered the man's arrest and spread news of his betrayal. The moment he passed on those words, he teleported into a council meeting Danzo had called and slit the man's throat. No excuses. No second chances. The files had quickly found their way into the horrified council member's hands.

File after file kept finding its way into the Hokage's and Anbu's hands, portraying nine ninjas that Ayumu considered to be a potential threat to not only Konoha, but the Elemental Countries themselves. Some had long been considered dead. Others were either too young to worry about or were still quite loyal to their home village. All had brief explanations of their personalities, but had in depth explanations of their abilities and how to take them out.

There were two exceptions. The first one, code named "Pain", had all the necessary information to allow an efficient assassination squad to take him out when the time came. Yet the recommendation for him was to 'Avoid at all costs.'

The second exception was Uchiha Itachi, who had just been promoted to Chuunin. The limits of his abilities and potential were unknown. Ayumu's recommendations were to keep him loyal to the village and to keep him in mind as a potential Hokage. That is if one could get him to place the village above his brother.

Then, one day, Ayumu entered his office and kneeled down, arms spread to his side in a sign of surrender.

"Hokage-sama," he curtly stated. "Assemble the Anbu, I have been compromised."

.

When one reported themselves as being compromised, it usually meant that they suspected that their minds had been affected by unknown means and they were a potential threat to their village.

To report yourself as compromised meant you submitted yourself to the will of the village. You forfeited your rights as a Ninja of Konohagakure, as well as all other rights that the Fire Nation gave its citizens—limited though those may be.

The moment Ayumu finished those words, Minato had immediately signaled his Guards. Within seconds, four of Konoha's elite had the Uchiha pinned to the floor with chakra suppressing seals forced upon him. His clothes, armor and weapons were torn from his body.

Nude, he was transported to an isolated cell in the deepest depths of Torture and Investigation. The session had been recorded and brought before Uchiha Fugaku who, seeing the proof before him, had to grudgingly admit that, despite his and Minato's differences, the man had always done right by the clan. He allowed the interrogation to proceed as long as an Uchiha was in attendance.

If there was a way to infiltrate the Uchiha, then they had to find it and ensure it never happened again.

.

They had brought in Yamanaka Inoichi to delve into his mind. Morino Ibiki was on standby and the cell had two Anbu within it at all times. The Hokage's old crystal ball had been brought up in a side room, where Minato and an Uchiha clan member were observing. A seal of the Fourth's own making had been put on the ball. A matching one had been put upon Inoichi so that whatever he saw within Ayumu's mind, it could be partially translated into the ball.

.

For the first few days, Inoichi didn't find any signs of Ayumu's mind being tampered with by outside influences. The countless memories and emotions he had waddled through had brought forth nothing incriminating. All of them were to be expected and, other than the expected idle thoughts, there weren't any serious thoughts of treason within him.

From the mind numbing grief the man had felt upon his father's passing, to the man's rather…inappropriate thoughts towards a few of his female comrades, some of which Minato had decided to ensure would never make their way back to Kushina, all were expected of a relatively sane Ninja.

Each memory brought up the emotion linked to it, some causing Ayumu to break out into laughter others forcing him into tears.

Finally, after weeks of searching, Inoichi found something amiss. Ayumu's mind hadn't been tempered with per say, not from outside forces anyway. But there were signs of severe mental trauma buried deeply in his subconscious. These signs were also linked to memory repression, one of the most severe cases he had ever seen.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that whatever Ayumu had been repressing had been trying to make its way out, which could have been affecting his behavior for years. The closest analogy to its representation on the crystal ball would have been a poorly sewn up wound that was releasing a steady trickle of blood. Something wanted out and Ayumu was fighting it.

.

Inoichi's analysis had proven accurate as the further he went into the tangled mess of caged memories, the more uncomfortable Ayumu got and, oddly enough, the brighter his mindscape became. Seeing as he was deep enough, Inoichi considered the nearest portion of memories, represented by countless strands of grass. This was the most unprotected layer, expendable memories meant to protect the others. The ones Ayumu's subconscious decided it could afford to let resurface.

Inoichi was currently in an empty field, a tree line barely noticeable in the distance. Glancing down, he could see wind gently unsettling the grass. Generally, this was viewed as a basic stage that one had chosen to rest their memories in. Their long term memories. There were far too many represented here to make sense for a man of Ayuu's age.

Considering his environment, Inoichi bent down and swiftly plucked a blade of grass, letting the memory come forth.

He was in a prone position, crawling up to glance over the fortifications, some loose snow being jostled loose and falling on his face. Biting back a grumble, he irritatedly rubbed the snow off and glanced across the field.

The enemy was moving. So it was finally their turn. The last remnants of what was once a free land. And…yes they seemed to have more troops this time around.

A scout came running up and he slid down to follow said scout to their superior. It was as they feared. He recruited them. This would be harder than they thoughts.

"Pass the word," the General ordered. "Prepare to fire. Make them work for it."

He nodded and ran to his squad, ordering them to the front line defenses and to ready their weapons. The troops continued to approach in formation, trying to intimidate them into surrendering.

Hearing the whistle, he ordered his men to open fire. No effect. The enemy flinched but they kept coming. They wouldn't go down.

They continued firing until they ran out of ammunition. Some had fallen, some had retreated. Far too many remained.

He heard the whistle again, two sharp blows. Time was up. Sucking in a deep breath, he stood up and roared "Charge!"

En masse, several squads rose up and charged the enemy, he himself stumbling back as he got hit several times by enemy artillery. Still, the charge proved effective as the front line recruits broke rank and retreated.

The final battle of, what would later be known as, the First School Wide Winter War had begun.

Grumbling, he wiped the snow off his pants, trying to get his bearings, only to mutter his despair as two of the new foes the enemy had recruited charged him. Those no one wanted to fight.

The ten year old grunted as two seven year olds tackled him and pinned him into the snow.

Recruiting second graders to do a fifth graders job. Those monsters!

Inoichi blinked as he pulled out of the memory. That…was unexpected. A children's schoolyard fight? A game? And none of those kids looked like any of the children in Konoha.

Moving onwards, he continued his job, passing dozens of caged memories before ripping off the bars to another one, letting them wash through him and Ayumu.

The sky, he decided, was quite blue. The breeze was nice as well. Maybe there was something to just lying back and enjoying the moment.

Until he heard the loud crack of a steel object hitting something. Did something finally happen?

"Marcus, incoming!"

Wait, what? Glancing up, he saw the ball flying through the sky. Huh, someone actually hit the ball…into the outfield…wait that's his job!

Scrambling to his feet, the left fielder frantically ran after the ball, it having already overtaken him. Panting, he managed to get to it and turned around, only to wince. Wow, second and third base were far. And…yes, that was probably going to be a home run.

Groaning, the eight year old judged the distance and tried to throw the ball to the short stop, sighing as it landed far too short of the other kid.

God, he hated baseball.

On and on the memories went, mainly trivial thoughts from childhood to adulthood, until Inoichi decided to study one of the memories that were leaking. Closing his eyes, he could feel that many of them were interconnected to one massive, pulsing catalyst.

Setting his gaze on the distance, he stepped forward and jumped countless miles ahead, landing in a wooded forest. A few odd ferns grew out of the ground, brushing his knees and, looking around, he could make out a few houses a few hundred meters away, in different directions. A small community?

Some of those leaves stood out. Rather than the bright summer green that colored all of them, some leaves had a bright, golden hue to them. Recognizing a sign when he saw one, he leant down and brushed his hand against one.

He had a spare period and nothing to do. He probably could have done some math homework but couldn't be bothered. Instead, he chose to explore the school library. Browsing through the French section, he fingered the worn spines of a few Asterix books, trying to remember how long it'd been since he read them.

Moving on, he paused as he noticed a few Japanese comics. Odd, he didn't think schools would allow those. He picked up the nearest one in confusion. It was actually published in the Japanese style. Not many bothered with that.

Flipping it over, he glanced at the name. Naruto…odd name.

.

Inoichi hesitated as he stepped out of the memory. That cover had a picture of what looked like an older version of the Fourth's son. One with a particularly atrocious taste in color schemes, but the resemblance was uncanny.

You don't belong here.

Inoichi had been through his fair share of mental interrogations, so the sudden whisper that tickled his ear did little to faze him. Good, this was a reaction he was looking for. He was on the right track.

He stepped out of Ayumu's mind, and saw confusion in Ayumu's eyes, unsure what to make of the sudden influx of memories he had no recollection of an hour earlier.

After consultating with an uneasy Hokage, Inoichi was ordered to further explore those memories.

What he discovered was…odd: a world where the Fourth had died and his child was the Kyuubi's jailer.

Ayumu didn't have the gift of prophecy—that would have made itself known in clear ways. This was something else.

.

"You know, when you get down to it, it's a miracle that Naruto's still alive."

The teen, Marcus, looked up at his friend as his character was once more effortlessly beaten into submission. Damn Gaara and his sand's reach.

"Yes, we realized that after the tenth chapter," he pointed out.

His friend, Prav, gave him that 'stop playing dumb' look. "He's been using the shadow clones for how long now? And he never figured out the memory thing in all that time?"

"Blame Kishimoto, he seems to be dragging things out of his ass these days."

.

On and on the memories went, each and every one of them portraying a future that continued to deteriorate, a future caused by the death of the Fourth Hokage.

No, not his death, came the whisper, as an odd corkscrewing breeze made its way around Inoichi. A tragedy caused by a man who should've died long ago.

Countless memories flashed through the mind walker, each one of them matching the description and the memories provided by the Fourth and Ayumu. While there were other threats, clearly, in Ayumu's…mind, this man was viewed as the catalyst.

"Who is he?" He spoke up. The sky above him shifted and the sun was blocked out by stormclouds, a storm soaking the mindscape, with gusts of wind buffeting him and cracks of thunder echoing around him. He ignored all of these. An emotional response that was also leaking off of Ayumu.

All his fault! The reason for all this. No mercy. No forgiveness.

"The man is dead."

No one ever stays dead here. He deserves a thousand deaths. He was…

.

"…the best of us!" roared Ayumu. He didn't know why he did it, but he ignored his screaming instincts and activated his Sharingan on the defeated man.

He had spent years developing this particular seal with Minato. A seal designed to target an Uchiha. Countless amount of hours studying blood samples to create a contingency should any Sharingan user go rogue and prove to be too strong to take out by conventional means. As much as he hated to admit it, Ayumu was aware that the Uchiha relied too much on their eyes, their skills lessening considerably without them. An Uchiha was only as good as his eyes. So they sought to use that weakness to their advantage, which led to this little creation.

The problem was that their bloodline adapted to the seal, and if it was an area effect seal, that adaption increased tenfold. At most they'd only have another minute in real time before this masked man threw off its effects. He had tested the seal so often on himself that he had grown nearly immune to this particular one.

So in the end, he had to know why he had such a bad feeling about this day. Why he insisted on Minato setting up the seals, why he followed them here, disobeying orders to leave. Why was it, when he looked at this cloaked figure, that he wanted to kill this man so badly?

So he invaded his mindscape, forcing the answers out of him. For all the abilities that this man's eyes gave him, he really was just a one trick pony.

Now, he nearly collapsed to his knees as he looked into the cold eyes of Uchiha Obito. "You were the best of us…you were the hope I had for the clan's future. You had family and friends who loved you! And you threw it away for what? A girl that you liked when you were twelve!"

Obito snorted. "Her death showed me that the world was full of trash, she…"

"Was a traitor to this village! She betrayed the Leaf for the Mist. It was our duty to protect our secrets and punish her. You know the law, I've seen you and your team hunt down missing-nins in the past. This? All this, everything you planned has nothing to do with peace. This is all about a child who refused to grow up because he couldn't…cope…"

Suddenly he felt as if he would be overwhelmed. His chest hurt, his breathing was becoming shorter and his eyes stung. He snarled and escaped the mindscape, immediately thrusting his Kunai into the traitor's head. No, no second chances. He knew what Minato would do. What they would all try to do. Obito…no, Tobi was too much of a liability. They could never know. Let them keep their untarnished memories.

.

Minato wasn't sure if he should be outraged or not. Weeks had passed and they continued to tear open Ayumu's mind. The man had been brought back in and strapped into the interrogation chair. His head hung low and he occasionally shivered, a side effect as all these memories coursed through him.

Memories of a life long since passed, a death long forgotten. A world where they wrote stories about a possible future for his son, one that had long since been erased.

All in all, he was handling it surprisingly well, according to what Ibiki told him. Then again, Inoichi did prove to have difficulties accessing the crucial memory blocking Ayumu from fully…well, remembering. The emotional connection that was keeping all of it in check.

The fact that both Ayumu's past and current memories proved that Obito would have caused all of this nearly broke Minato's heart. It was only after in depth analysis of as many memories of those stories that he could get his hands upon, that he agreed that Ayumu's actions were perhaps understandable. Ayumu himself had been far too influenced by the trickle of warnings to give it much thought. While it was true that the man became what he was due to subconscious influence, there was no ill will found towards the village in either personalities.

Yet this was taking too much time. Inoichi had been ordered to step down. Delicacy could only go so far. They needed to rip open those memories, even if it destroyed Ayumu's mind.

.

Ibiki glanced around the ruined country home. The storm outside had destroyed the mindscape weeks ago, the house steadily falling apart. The only untouched part left was the room at the far end of this hallway, which was blocked off by a simply wooden door. One that Inoichi had proven reluctant to open.

Grinning, he cracked his knuckled and stepped forward.

You don't belong here.

He ignored it.

Stay back, you have access to everything else, just stay away from there, please, give me this.

Ah, incentive.

Ibiki, don't!

He paused at that. Finaly, a reaction from Ayumu himself. The closer he got to it, the more on edge and panicky the man became. He was practically hyperventilating at this point.

Please don't.

I don't want to remember.

We did this to ourselves.

Can't cope.

Strength is nothing…

Upon that last thought, Ayumu lunged at Ibiki, seemingly fazing through the wall to get to him. Ibiki didn't he even glance at him, grabbing him by the face and slamming him down, dispersing the mental image.

A loud stomp caught his attention and he turned to see this odd…childlike pink mass. Its eyes were black, the irises red. A pink antenna stretched out above its head and angled back somewhat;its arms and neck were covered with small holes, steam coming out of them as it flexed. It was shirtless but wore white pants with a belt with an M on the buckle.

It howled and flew at him, a sadistic grin on its face. Ibiki sidestepped its punch and clotheslined it, watching in amusement as its torso separated from its body. Instead of collapsing, the legs spun around and moved towards its upper body, reattaching itself. Ibiki paid no mind, continuing to move forward. He reached out to the side and, with a grin, grabbed the manifestation of this guardian and tore it out of Ayumu's defenses, driving a cry of pain from the Uchiha. The mindscape trembling as Ayumu convulsed.

The Guardian was replaced by a dark skinned girl, wearing what appeared to be a blue kimono of some sort. The sky shifted and suddenly it was night with a full moon. She stepped forward and made some odd gestures and for a brief moment, Ibiki was unable to move at all.

Then he remembered he was in charge, stepped out of this mental trap and snapped her neck.

Finally, the last line of defense, when he was about to lay a hand on the door, appeared in the form of Senju Hashirama.

You'd be surprised how many people used that image to try to intimidate their interrogators.

"Intimidation will not work on me," He passed through the Mokuton attack and dispelled the 'threat' with a backhanded slap. "I'm in charge here."

With that done, he kicked open the door.

…will is everything.

.

On the Fourth's orders, the Anbu jumped to hold a thrashing Ayumu still. His wrists and ankles were bloodied from his constant thrashing, yet a flare of chakra had managed to dislodge some of the chakra suppression seals, causing him to break out of his bonds.

The Hokage stared wordlessly through the two way mirror, watching as his ally quivered on the ground, pleading for them all to get out of his head, completely unaware that he had activated his Sharingan.

.

Ibiki had expected many things to be inside this room, but was rather underwhelmed. Sure the pictures of specific people helped, but there were very few actual memories.

Before him was a child, no more than 6 years old, lying in bed, giggling madly as he wrestled with his mother, the older woman clearly winning and proclaiming her victory by pretending her hand was a creature about to gobble his nose.

It flashed to a slightly older child unsteadily trying to ride an object balanced horizontally on two wheels, an older man keeping an eye on him, ready to move forward and help.

He was free, falling through the air, ten thousand feet up. Oddly enough, it felt more like a very violent gust of wind was pressing against him rather than him falling. He looked up and could manage to see his companion. She glanced up and he believed he could see a grin as she waved at him.

Affection, happiness, the feeling of belonging, knowing you have a place to come back to.

Ibiki frowned. Sure there was a bit more emotion that that but…

No…nononononononono. Getoutofmyhead, getoutgetoutgetout.

What was happening? He couldn't breathe…it was too tight…he was right with them, he just closed his eyes for a nap…Get out, have to get out… Light! Blessed light!

Sudden realization.

Wrong. This was wrong!

Where are they? Why is he here? He didn't do anything wrong.

Hopelessness.

Lost. Lost them all.

No way home.

They're all gone.

Never see them again.

With a strangled cry, Ayumu stood up, Ibiki being violently expelled from his mind with a surprised grunt.

The man threw off the Anbu attacking him and took a step forward before collapsing on his knees, holding on to his abdomen as he bent over himself, a choked sob escaping him before releasing a low whine that escalated into a several wheezes.

He threw his head back, tears streaming down his face. The Anbu took a step back and the Uchiha that was present as a witness released a curse and disappeared, off to inform his clan, for Ayumu's eyes had morphed before their eyes.

Where was once three tomoe, were two thick black lines, from the top of the eyes, slithering down like a serpent into the iris and out the other end.

Grief.

.

Smiling, Kushina looked down at her son, his small hand grasped gently within her own. The boy wouldn't stop babbling out questions and exclamations, seemingly in awe of everything that surrounded him.

She led him through the market, nodding politely at everyone who greeted her, yet never pausing from her trek. Eventually, she found herself at an old bridge just outside one of the numerous training grounds, where Uchiha Mikoto was waiting for her along with her sons.

After a few pleasantries, Kushina smiled fondly down at her son, dragging the back of her fingers along his cheek, which her son leaned into with a grin. Sliding her hand up, she combed her fingers through his unruly hair, an act that made him giggle before he rushed away with Mikoto's youngest son, ten year old Itachi lingering for a moment to give Kushina and his mother a polite nod before rushing out to follow the younger children.

"You don't have to keep doing this, you know," Mikoto told her as they started walking away from the training field.

Kushina offered her a half smile and rested a hand on her friend's arm before sucking in a deep breath. "I know, but I owe him too much to turn my back on him…" She paused, about to say more before shaking her head and falling silent.

They made their way in silence across the village, eventually parting ways as they arrived at the hospital. Mikoto never went any further with her, never having been comfortable with the entire situation; also, the elders had explicitly ordered her to stay away from him.

Having checked in, Kushina found herself escorted once more by an ANBU, leading her into a side building. She released a weary sigh when she noticed the doctor on staff coming to greet her. After three years, she could tell that those frown lines were never a good sign.

"I take it it's not a good day for him?" she asked him, tucking a stray strand of red hair behind her ear, willing a small amount of chakra to spread throughout her long locks to keep them in place.

"It's been a bad week in general," the man sighed, browsing through a few pages on his clipboard. "We were hoping that the cherry blossoms would help calm him down, they usually have in the past, but… well, at least his temper is under control today."

She nodded and steeled herself. "Bring me to him," she curtly told him. Continuing their trek through the winding halls of the building reserved for the more permanent patients, she soon found herself in front of a familiar room, two more ANBU standing on guard outside of it.

Not acknowledging them, Kushina let herself in. For the most part, it was a barren room. A bed in the far corner, a small washroom put aside in a side room. A few books were scattered throughout it, most with their pages torn out. There was a single solitary window with chakra reinforced bars laid out in front of it.

In the corner closest to the window, trapped in a straightjacket covered with chakra supressing seals, squatting and mumbling to himself in that foreign language he tended to speak, was the body of Uchiha Ayumu.

"Ayumu…Ayumu, it's Kushina," she gently told him as she sat down on her knees, close enough to ensure that he became aware of her presence, but far enough so that he didn't start to feel threatened. "Ayumu, are you here today? Or am I speaking to Marcus?"

The figure jolted and turned his head to face her. His hair was long, greasy and disarrayed, his unshaved face all patchy as the Uchiha had never been known for growing a decent amount of facial hair. Where there were once eyes the color of the blackest onyx, were a pair of light brown eyes. After the sudden evolution of his Sharingan, the Uchiha Elders came storming in, demanding to see their prodigy for themselves. It had been such a long time that anyone had activated the Mangekyou and they simply couldn't let them be put to waste on a prisoner.

It took weeks of vicious arguments, but eventually Minato managed to make them agree to a compromise. He had Ayumu's eyes surgically removed and put in storage for a special occasion when one worthy of having those eyes would come about. It had come to Kushina to convince everyone else to give Ayumu a pair of substitute eyes. Though he would never be able to use the Sharingan again, at least her old friend wouldn't spend the rest of his days in darkness.

Despite the fact that many ninja were organ donors, it had used up most of the favors and goodwill she had left in order to get this done for her old friend. A waste of eyes, they had said. None of them, and Minato was sometimes included in this, seemed to understand how much she owed him. How much they all owed him.

Her son would have a childhood. A proper childhood surrounded by people who loved him. A pair of eyes was the very least they could do for him, even should he be executed the next day.

"The talks with Suna have begun," she conversationally started. "Thanks to your memories, Minato was able to catch the Kazekage's attention by mentioning how he'd be willing to stabilise his son's seal, though he wasn't too happy that we somehow got a hold of that information."

For the next hour she sat before him, telling him about life in the village and what was going on, even going as far as to mention that they managed to hunt down the man known as Kakuzu—at the cost of a few lives, but it would have gone far worse if they weren't prepared for him.

Eventually she trailed off and sighed. Ayumu hadn't moved much and whenever he looked at her, his eyes were unfocused. She sighed and slowly got up. "Not everyone has given up on you, Ayumu. Please, come back. We'll help you through this if you'll let us," Getting no real response from him, she flared her chakra, signaling the guards to open the door. "I'll see you at the same time next week."

With that, she was gone and the man in the cell continued to huddle in the corner, mumbling to himself. Those monitoring him, having managed to translate some of his native language over the years, recorded the same sentence he kept repeating.

I want to go home.