(A/N: Just as a notice, I haven't kept up with the Naruto series. It's been a very, very long time since I've watched the show and all that I know about it are the updates I get to see through common media. I don't want to receive complaints about how something isn't logical or how so-and-so wouldn't have done that. It's a fanfiction. Enjoy.)
"What will you do now that you are free? You aren't safe. They'll hunt you down. They'll send dogs and assassins after you. They want your blood. They want your eyes. Do you hear that noise? Is that a hunter waiting for you to step into his trap? Is it your brother waiting to hear song your bones sing as they snap asunder? You have no walls to protect you. You have no allies to watch you as you sleep. You have no friends to call upon, no family to seek shelter with. You are alone."
The moment that Sasuke had cleared the walls of Kohona and made it a safe distance away, the voices began to scratch at his skull again, trying to burrow a hole right out of his head. It felt like a jagged claw scraping against the thin bone, peeling off layer by layer. Keeping his arms close to his chest the young Uchiha bounded expertly through the trees, barely leaving a trace as he made his way to the north. The voices were right, yet again. They would send search parties after him, but these wouldn't be simple rescuers. No, they would slaughter him on the spot. They would kill him and then dispose of his body. Why? For his blood? The blood he never asked for? His mother would never see her child again, nor would his father see his failure. The wind hissed by as the young raven hit the ground, opting to run to save his energy. Where would he go? What village would want a crippled defector? A village that would take what they wanted from him and discard the carcass, that's who. He was destined to live and die alone.
He'd use what survivalist skills he had been trained in over the years to extend his life as far as he could in the wilds. He'd avoid civilization, shun humanity, and disown his upbringing if need be. Not that any of these feats would pain the young Uchiha with any loss. What had civilization done for him? It had created a hierarchy of power that sent young men and women to their graves like livestock to the slaughter for the sake of petty disagreements and contracts. What of the humanity? The same humanity that suspected him of murders and atrocities that he did not commit? And his upbringing? His incapacitated wrists were a reminder of what his 'upbringing' did for him. A life without the toils of being a ninja, a man, or an Uchiha was the only solution for what ailed young Sasuke.
"Yes. Escape the clutches of their greed and blindness. Cast off the yoke that they've burdened your shoulders with. Live among the wild beasts and untamed spirits of the vast forests. The ones your parents and grandparents always warded you from. They called them dangerous and dark. They wanted to keep you from paradise. They wanted to keep you in that cage forever so that they could reap a profit off of you. Be free." The voices hissed in unison as his eyes darted around to absorb his surroundings as he made his way through the deep woods.
The rain poured down, whatever made it through the limbs and leaves of the trees trickling down to the forest floor. Sasuke's pace had slowed to a jog, just enough that his feet barely became caught by the muddy ground with each step, excreting a light hissing sound with every footfall. He could hear the menacing growls of beasts angered by his intrusion into their territory. He could feel the ground shake with thunder and footfalls of his pursuers. He had to keep moving. He'd run until his feet bled if he had to.
X.x.x.x.x.x.x.X
Itachi Uchiha pinched the bridge of his nose, warding away the spastic pain that was creeping it's way into his head. Another meeting. Another series of accusations that suggest that his own flesh and blood was the culprit. Another missed opportunity to rip out the tongues of those making such remarks about his little brother. Though the realistic portion of Itachi's mind knew that they couldn't be blamed. These murders were strange. His brother, as of late, was strange. No one else in the village had attracted such attention to themselves since the beginning of the exams and the festivities. Maybe, just maybe, they were right and his dearest otouto was a sadistic killer and rapist.
No. What was he thinking? Itachi KNEW killers and rapists. He had chased them, fought them, brought justice upon them, worked alongside them, taken orders from them, swoer loyalty to them, and shared blood in his veins with them. Sasuke was no such abomination. There was only so much he could do to keep the police force from ordering Sasuke's apprehension and containment. He was not well, the last thing he needed was to be imprisoned in a cell. The clan's inability to admit that any carrier of their precious bloodline could be at fault and Itachi's own manipulative lingual abilities had kept his raven-haired brother in his own bed, at least for tonight.
He was ordered to go out on patrol, to protect the villagers as the moon shone over Kohona. The police force was going to make an attractive show of having more officers out on the streets to keep the civilians 'safe'. Or at least to give them the illusion of safety. Happy little fattened livestock, living their meaningless little happy lives, growing up to be happy little workers. Maybe the killer was doing the village a favor by purging a few of them here and there, reminding them that not all is perfect and well inside of their tall walls. The ANBU officer shook his head as he strolled lazily across the rooftops, a thin but deadly blade sheathed across his shoulders. The colorful lanterns and lights reflected off of those dark eyes as he watched the crowds below. Vendors haggling, men drinking, children scampering about holding their new toys or their half-eaten foods. These were the things he would sacrifice his life to protect. But would he sacrifice his otouto?
That noise still haunted his thoughts and his dreams. The pleas of mercy, the tearing of ligaments and tendons, the sounds of the bones snapping into pieces as nearby bystanders gasped and squealed. The cries of his brother...he'd never made Sasuke to cry before. He'd never brought harm upon him. How had he let the pressure of a village that cared little to nothing for him do such a thing? He'd apologize. He'd make amends with his little brother. He'd give him what he wanted: his time and attention. Itachi slid the white and red mask over his face, slipping away into the shadows without any of the villagers being nonethewiser. He'd find the true culprit of the murders. He'd catch the slaughterer of defenseless sheep. He'd snap every bone in their hands in the name of justice for his otouto before dumping their bloody carcass off at the precinct. He'd clear his little brother's name of any suspicion.
This would end tonight.
X.x.x.x.x.x.x.X
The air playfully ruffled the longer blades of grass as the ANBU officer dashed along the edge of the walls, purposefully seeking out the darkest nooks and crannies of the village. The moonlight shining brightly in the clear dark sky worked to his advantage. He looked for any sign of distress, for any shady figures that were lurking, hunting for their next victim. He found none. It would be daybreak soon. The moon slowly faded into the light purple and orange sky as the sun prepared to take it's place to shine over the glorious, bloody exams. A fruitless search. A night wasted. Itachi regretted neither of these as he stepped through the threshold of the Uchiha compound, banners and lanterns displaying the family insignia scattered around in a similar fashion as a pestilence. No creatures stirred, save the occasional bird that chattered and sung for it's mate. He'd take a well-deserved rest and continue his vigil, after checking up on his 'captive' of course.
Standing in front of the door to the young teen's room, he paused for a moment. He was tired and slightly fatigued, yes, but he couldn't be wrong about what he was sensing. Itachi didn't need to see inside of the enclosure to know the secret that it held. Sasuke was gone. He'd been foolish to believe that he'd stay put. If resources had allowed it he should have put a guard of some sort at the door, not that it would have stopped his otouto, that much he knew. He needed to return to the station. If there had been another murder...he wouldn't know what to believe.
X.x.x.x.x.x.x.X
"You will perish out here, Sasuke. You are walking into your own grave." They hissed as the young ninja walked across the troublesome forest floor. The rain poured, the dogs growled, the snakes hissed, and the raven-haired boy cried. He couldn't do anything right.
Leaning back against a tree he slid down into a crouching position, sobbing with fatigue as the shrill voices screamed at him, demanding that he keep moving despite his pain, that he drag himself until his fingers bled the hole he'd call home. Leaning his head back he looked up at the trees, feeling raindrops that weren't there and listening to the sounds of vicious beasts that didn't exist.