Dehumanized (Solo)

An explosion echoed throughout the forests surrounding Hoshigakure, the flames erupting forth with the ferocity of an angered deity. The birds that usually tweeted and sang, calling the area their home, had long since evacuated, and the wildlife on the ground had been burnt to a crisp by the one-sided slaughter that was occurring.

A figure, burnt and coughing up blood, slammed into the dirt of a popular clearing, one considered romantic by the civilians in the Village, creating a trench as his body came to a violent halt. Struggling to keep his eyes open, one Karasu Uchiha sat and tried to piece together exactly how this had all come about, how he had come to face the power of a man that could only be described as a god.

Groaning, the last remaining Konoha-nin rolled out of bed, scratching at his chin before walking into the living room of the apartment he had been given by the Village. Noticing a letter sitting on his table, he picked it up, ignoring whatever he had just been about to do. Glancing over the neat, angular script, his eyes widened as he tore it open in a hurry, reading over the contents rapidly before dropping the letter.

The forest, two hours.

He'd get answers.

Once he'd arrived, he found his father standing there, solemn and serious. He'd been told that things were awakening, things that couldn't be ignored, but the Second Sage of Six Paths had taken an oath not to interfere in the matters of mortals. Thus, he needed to train his heir, his successor.

He needed Karasu to become stronger, telling him of a pair of eyes that only his son could attain, a pair that the original Sage had sealed away.

Little did the younger of the two Uchiha know, what was about to happen was nothing short of brutality...

Laying in the ditch made by his own body, Karasu wondered at what his father meant. A different version of the Sharingan, one that wasn't the Rinnegan? When he asked how something like that could exist, all he had gotten was a look that made the legendary Okami Uchiha look every day as old as he actually was. The training, if you could even call it that, was far beyond anything Karasu had ever been through before. Anything he could come up with was crushed. His skill with a blade was nothing compared to his father's, as the older man had taught him everything he knew. Ninjutsu meant nothing compared to the older man's knowledge, and Senjutsu was as easy as breathing to the other man. His Genjutsu were turned against him, and even his Susano'o was tossed aside like it was nothing.

Was that all he was before this absolute monster? Nothing?

A voice echoed from the forest as he heard the crunching of feet approaching him. "Is that really all, Karasu? You put up a better fight when you were a child. What would that friend of yours think? Suzume, was it...?"

Karasu groaned as he felt a hand grab him by the throat and pick him up, idly examining his father. His Rinnegan were active, the rings of purple glowing softly in the light of the sun. A silvery haori of chakra surrounded him, with ten orbs floating behind him, displaying the power of Six Paths Sage Mode on top of whatever normal mode the other man was using. At least, Karasu assumed he was using some sort of ordinary Sage Mode, or maybe the bastard really was just that strong.

After all, he had crushed the Phoenix's Lament like it was nothing more than an annoyance, too.

Thinking about what Okami had said, Karasu's mind wandered back to a friend he had once had. She was older than him by a couple of years, and he was always teased about how she might have been his first girlfriend. She had disappeared when they were younger, though, and no one had known where she went.

Clicking his tongue in disappointment, the godlike being that was his father tossed him backwards, speaking once more. "...That's right. You don't remember what happened, do you? How Kosuke and I found you...? It's time to remember, son. Let's see if you can before you die."

At this, he shot one of the black orbs surrounding him towards the younger Uchiha, the only sign that he regretted doing such a thing to his youngest being a slight shift of the eyes, and a single tear running down his face.

Was he even human, anymore?

As the Truth-Seeking Orb made it's way towards his prone form, Karasu closed his eyes, fading out. His father's words had stirred something in him, something...he'd rather had remained hidden.

Winter in Konoha was always a bit harsh, but this one was especially so, with temperatures reaching twenty below without taking into consideration wind chill. This didn't deter children from being kids and wanting to play, running around in the snowdrifts, and generally making fools of themselves. Two of these children, one being the son of the Uchiha Clan Head and the other being a few years older, decided to take their adventures outside the Village limits.

They had run off into the forest, making their way to a small hideout they had discovered a little ways up one of the nearby mountains. It was their private space, somewhere where no one would find them. Unfortunately, that's exactly when disaster struck.

An avalanche struck, sealing them within the small cave, tons of snow between them and freedom. Panicking for a brief while, a young Karasu and his friend Suzume decided to take comfort in the fact that the other was there, and wait until they could be rescued.

It was on the third day that they noticed a slight pang in their stomachs. There weren't any rats in the cave, which made it perfect to play in, and bugs were unheard of during the winter. Still, it wouldn't be long until they were saved.

On the seventh day they found that filling their bellies with snow happened to help a little, although it lowered their core body temperatures a bit. A quick application of the Great Fireball Technique on a few rocks around their designated sleeping area, and huddling close to share warmth helped immensely.

It was the eleventh day of their solitude when tensions began to come to a head. Lack of proper sleep and food was beginning to get to them, and Suzume lashed out at Karasu, slamming him into the wall and causing a slight concussion on top of their other problems. She apologized profusely, but the damage had already been done.

On the sixteenth day Suzume became sullen and withdrawn. That night, she charged at Karasu with a kunai, screaming that it was all his fault they were trapped. There was a short scuffle, both of them weakened from more than two weeks without food. In the end, Karasu won, and she ended up with the knife stuck in her torso. He'd never forgotten the look of betrayal in her eyes.

It was the twenty-sixth day when Karasu prayed to any god that would listen, begging for forgiveness. He could feel his life fading away. He was dying. Worse...

He was so hungry.

It was on the forty-third day that Okami and Kosuke Uchiha managed to break through the ice and snow separating them from Karasu. What they found shook them to the core. The youngest member of the Main Family was covered in blood, an almost dead look in his eye as he sucked on the end of a broken bone, attempting to get the marrow out. Suzume...What was left of her was almost unrecognizable.

Looking up, Karasu dropped what looked to be a rib and looked his father in the eye, tears welling up. He hadn't meant to.

He was just hungry...

As he came back to the preset, Karasu felt hot tears streaming down his face. It was never supposed to go like that, and now...now he'd get the death he deserved, all because he was too weak. The pain behind his eyes increased drastically, as his tears began to burn. Something was wrong...

Opening his eyes, he saw the world in a new light. Not even the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could equate to this. A surge of chakra, some last gift from a childhood friend, revitalized him as natural energy flooded his system, his Sage Mode activating almost instinctively as he batted the Truth-Seeking Orb aside, his father allowing him to do so easily. Standing up and allowing his Senjutsu Chakra to fade, Karasu examined his hands, looking at the finer detail. "...What is this? Is this what you meant?"

Hearing a relieved sigh, and seeing his father deactivate his own Sage Mode, Okami's rich bass would fill the area as he spoke. "Yes. Those are the Eyes of Perdition, the true form of the Sharingan. They were sealed away by Hagoromo Otsutsuki when he discovered the truth behind them. They are only able to manifest in those that have tasted another Uchiha's flesh. It is said that they are just as strong as the Rinnegan, but the difference is like night and day. If the Rinnegan are the eyes of God, then the Eyes of Perdition belong solely to the Devil. I never wanted this for you, Karasu, but to face what is to come...This was the only way."

A serious expression came over the younger Uchiha's face, the strange eyes perceiving every last detail of his father's visage. "...Dad, it's not your fault. You did your best trying to raise us alone. You never gave up looking for me, that winter..."

Turning around, Okami discreetly wiped tears away from his eyes, his voice choked as he began to walk away. "Train those new eyes of yours. I'll find you once you're strong enough, and we can continue where we left off. I...I'll see you later, Karasu."

With that, he was gone.

[Thread End]
[Claiming Eyes of Perdition, Using Free Coupon]