"You can awaken these same eyes as me. But there is a toll that must first be paid. You must kill the person most important to you." Red eyes with a shuriken design stared into black, terrified ones.
"Come to me then, when you have unlocked these eyes. Show me the limits of your capacity." Tears fell freely from dark eyes as the speaker walked away, leaving nothing behind in the street but a young boy, grieving for his family.
"Uwaah!" Sasuke flinched at the noise. 'That's Kenji-san's house...' he thought as he pushed himself to his feet. Pushing open the front door and crossing the hall, he found himself in a nursery, staring at the bawling infant in front of him. 'A baby?'
Awkwardly picking the child out of the crib, Sasuke sat, cross-legged, trying to hold on to her. Rocking her slowly like he'd seen mothers do around Konoha, he sat for some time as her sobs grew quieter as she fell back to sleep. He never even noticed the ANBU entering the house until a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Sasuke, correct? I need you to come with me..." came the voice as the dog-masked ninja bent down to his level."... and who's this?" he asked, gesturing to the sleeping baby.
"...Megumi. Her name is Megumi." muttered Sasuke hoarsely, still blankly staring at her.
"Okay, Sasuke, why don't you give Megumi-chan to me and I.."
The boy flinched and held the girl tighter to his chest. "...no problem. You just hold on to her for now. I need you to come with me. Hokage-sama needs to talk to you..."
OoOoO
"Sasuke, are you certain that it was Itachi who did this?" asked the Hokage's advisor - the woman, Sasuke had never learnt their names - for at least the third time.
"...yes. It was Itachi. Just like it was Itachi the last time you asked." he hissed through gritted teeth, no longer giving a damn about respecting her.
"Why you little-"
"Koharu!" barked the Hokage from behind the desk. "That's enough. This is a tragedy for all Konoha, losing so many in a single night. Inu, take the children to ANBU headquarters for now, until we can find someone to take them in." The dog-masked ninja bowed deeply and began steering Sasuke from the room.
"H-Hokage-sama," interjected the boy. "Please... don't split us up. I-I need..." he trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence.
"I know, my boy. Please, follow Inu-san and try to get some rest." As the boy was led out and the door closed behind him, he could have sworn he heard the Hokage whisper "I'm so sorry." He shook his head and focused on Megumi.
OoOoO
That morning, the Uchiha compound had dozens, maybe even a couple hundred residents. Now there were ten, all of them younger than Sasuke. He blinked back the tears as much as he could. He had to be strong. He was, technically, the most senior member of the clan. It was his responsibility to protect them. Staring at the black-haired little girl in his arms, Sasuke made a promise. He would become the strongest ninja in the world, so that as long as he was alive, nobody would come after his family again. He would get strong enough to kill That Man, and anyone else who wanted to hurt them.
In another world, he would become an avenger.
In this world, Uchiha Sasuke became a guardian