The room was frozen.
Fugaku's body lay between them. Mikoto hadn't moved. Itachi's katana was still raised, blood dripping from the blade, each drop hitting the wooden floor with a sound too loud for this moment.
I stepped out of the shadows. White mask. Black clothes. A child's frame that looked ridiculous standing in front of an S-rank killer.
Itachi's eyes narrowed. His Sharingan spun.
Then he blinked.
It was... a kid?
"I asked you a question," Itachi said. His voice was quiet. Dangerous. The kind of quiet that comes before someone dies.
I didn't answer. Instead, I formed a single hand sign behind my back.
POOF.
The clone appeared between Itachi and Mikoto. Solid. Real. Standing between a mother and her son.
"Mikoto-san," the clone said, voice urgent but low. "Come with me. Let's go."
She didn't move. Her eyes were wide, darting from the clone to Itachi to her husband's body.
"Wh... Who are you?"
The clone almost groaned. "Why are you asking questions right now? You know Itachi is here to kill you, yeah? I'll answer everything later. First, come with me. The real me will convince Itachi to let you live."
She hesitated. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking.
Then she looked at Itachi. At her son. At the katana still dripping with her husband's blood.
She ran.
The clone grabbed her arm. Pulled her toward the back door. They disappeared into the darkness.
Itachi moved.
Fast. Too fast. He dashed after them, katana raised.
"SHIT."
I deactivated the gravity seal. Activated thought acceleration. The world slowed to a crawl.
My legs pushed off the floor. I appeared in front of Itachi, kunai raised, blocking his katana.
CLANG!!!.
The impact rattled my bones. My arms screamed. But I held.
Itachi's eyes bored into mine. Three tomoe spinning.
"Last chance," he said.
"Who..." His voice was dangerously low. "Are you."
---
Inside Thought Acceleration – 1 Second = 1000 Seconds
«Your muscles are at 43% capacity. Itachi's strength exceeds your current physical limits by approximately 300%. You cannot win a direct confrontation.»
I'm not trying to win. I'm trying to stall.
«Stalling will result in death if he decides to kill you.»
Then I need to make him not want to kill me.
«How do you intend to do that?»
The truth.
«That is a terrible idea.»
Got a better one?
«... Talk no jutsu?.»
Are you sure?.
---
The world snapped back to normal speed.
I reached up. Slowly. Kept my eyes on Itachi's. Pulled off the white mask.
It clattered on the bloody floor.
Itachi's eyes widened. Just a fraction. But I saw it.
"You're... just an Academy kid!?." His katana lowered slightly. "I've seen you around Sasuke."
"Yeah." I dropped the mask. Let it lie there. "My name's Ryū."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't explain how you knew to be here tonight."
«Activating lying mode. Suppressing heart rate. Controlling micro-expressions.»
"Alright, alright." I held up my free hand. Surrendering. "I was at the Hokage's office last week. Heard some stuff. About a coup. About... what was gonna happen."
"You were at the Hokage's office?."
"I'm a nosy kid."
Itachi stared at me. His Sharingan was still active. He was reading my chakra. Looking for lies.
«He is analyzing you. Maintain current parameters.»
"You already know I'm not normal," I said. "Just look at me. Look at what I just did. A normal kid doesn't block your katana. no less from you..."
Itachi was silent.
"You're stalling," he said finally.
"Yes." I didn't deny it. "You can kill me now if you want. But you won't. Because you're not a monster."
The katana trembled. Just a little.
"Why?" Itachi's voice cracked. Just a little. "Why are you helping? This doesn't concern you."
I looked at him. At this broken guy who'd been forced to choose between his village and his family. Who'd chosen the lesser evil and hated himself for it.
"Because I know what it's like to live alone," I said. "To not have parents. To have no one. And if I can stop that from happening to someone else, I will."
Itachi's Sharingan flickered.
"Even if I believe you," he said slowly, "what do you want?"
"Sasuke is my friend." I held his gaze. "I don't want him to suffer. He doesn't need hatred to be strong. He needs someone to care for him. Someone to look up to."
Itachi's eyes went to the floor. To his father's body. To the blood spreading across the wood.
"Your mother," I said. "Let her live. I'll get her out. She'll come back before dawn. She'll be found alive. The village will think she survived the attack. She'll raise Sasuke. You'll never have to see her again if you don't want to."
Itachi looked up. His face was unreadable.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you kill me. And her. And you live with that for the rest of your life." I didn't blink. "But you won't. Because you're not a monster. You're a brother who loves his sibling and a son who loves his mother."
The silence stretched.
A full thirty seconds.
Then Itachi lowered his katana. Completely. He turned his back to me.
"Go." His voice was hollow. "Take her to safety."
He paused. Looked over his shoulder.
"I know I've only met you tonight. But please... look after my mother."
I nodded. Didn't trust myself to speak.
Then I ran.
«Talk-no Jutsu successfully worked.»
Shut up.
«That was genuine admiration.»
I said shut up and let me work
---
= At The Shed =
The clone had already led Mikoto to the storage shed I'd found. She was sitting on the broken chair, clutching her yukata closed. Her hands were shaking. Her face was pale.
The clone was standing by the door, watching the compound.
I arrived. Out of breath.
Mikoto looked up. Her eyes were red. She'd been crying.
"Who..." Her voice was hoarse. "Who are you? You still haven't told me."
Gosh Do I really have to tell everyone who I am tonight?
«It would seem so.»
I reached up. Pulled off my mask. Again...
"Ma'am. My name is Ryū. I'm Sasuke's friend."
Her eyes widened. "You're... you're just a child."
"Yeah. I know."
"Why are you doing this?" She stood up. Grabbed my shoulders. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "Why would a child risk his life for strangers?"
I looked at her. At this woman who was supposed to die tonight. Who was going to live because I couldn't stand by and do nothing.
"Because I know what it's like to have no one," I said. "And I didn't want Sasuke to go through that."
Her face crumpled. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Can you please do me a favor?" I asked. "Don't tell anyone about me. Not Sasuke. Not the Hokage. No one."
She stared at me. "But... you saved my life."
"And if anyone finds out, I'm dead. Or worse. A council member named Danzo will come for me."
She went quiet at that name. Every adult in Konoha knew what Danzo was.
She nodded slowly. "I won't tell anyone."
"Mikoto-san. Listen carefully." I knelt down so I was at eye level with her. "In about half an hour, you're going to walk back to your house. You're going to sit in the corner of the living room. You're going to make yourself look like you've been unconscious. When they find you, you'll say you don't remember anything after Fugaku told you to hide."
"Fugaku..." Her voice broke.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't save him. He was already gone when I got there."
I lied...
She closed her eyes. Took a breath. When she opened them, something had hardened behind the tears.
"I understand."
I stood up. Walked to the door.
"Ryū-kun."
I looked back.
"Thank you." Her voice was steady. "For saving me. For saving my son."
I nodded. Put my mask back on.
Then I disappeared into the night.
---
= At around Dawn – The Uchiha Compound =
The ANBU found Sasuke first.
He was in his bed, still unconscious. Unharmed. His face was peaceful, like he was having a good dream.
One of the ANBU checked his pulse. "He's alive. Uninjured."
"Search the rest of the house."
They found Fugaku in the main room. His body was still warm. The wound was clean. Professional.
"Fugaku Uchiha. Confirmed dead."
Then one of them noticed movement. In the corner. Slumped against the wall.
"Over here!"
Mikoto was sitting in the corner, eyes closed, breathing shallow. Blood on her clothes. Not hers. She looked like she'd been thrown against the wall and left for dead.
"Medic! She's alive!"
They carried her out. Put her on a stretcher. Rushed her to the hospital.
The sun rose over a compound that would never be the same.
---
= The Hospital – Later That Day =
Hiruzen sat by Mikoto's bed. She was awake now, staring at the ceiling.
"Mikoto-san." His voice was gentle. "I am so sorry."
She didn't look at him. "My son. Where is he?"
"He's safe. He's asking for you."
"Let me see him."
"Of course." Hiruzen paused. "Mikoto-san... is there anything you want to tell me? About how you survived?"
She turned her head. Met his eyes.
"I... hid. In the closet. I passed out. I don't remember anything else."
Hiruzen studied her for a long moment. Her face was blank. Her eyes were empty. She looked like a woman who had lost everything.
He didn't believe her. He'd been a shinobi too long to believe in convenient memory loss.
But he also didn't push.
"Very well. Rest now."
He stood up. Walked to the door.
---
= At The Orphanage – Same Morning =
I lay in my futon, staring at the water stain on the ceiling.
My clothes were hidden under the floorboard. My mask was in my bag. My weapons were buried in the training ground.
There was no evidence. Nothing linking me to last night.
«You did it.»
Yep and successfully without dying.
«Mikoto Uchiha is alive. Sasuke still has a mother.»
«You changed the timeline.»
I know.
I closed my eyes.
JARVIS...
«Yes?»
Did I do the right thing?
A long pause.
«I do not know. The future is uncertain now. Sasuke's path will be different. Naruto's path may be different. Yours certainly will be.»
That's not an answer.
«It is the only answer I have currently.»
I opened my eyes. The water stain was still there.
I guess we'll find out.
«I suppose we will.»
Outside, the birds were singing. The sun was rising. The village was waking up to a new day.
---
END CHAPTER 18
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A/N: Leave some power stones and if you don't... Nvm I am not going threaten y'all... Just give me sum, it motivate me to make more chapters for you guys.
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Btw if you want to read some advance chapters then check out my P@treøn, links in the synopsis.