Naruto: I Am Itachi Uchiha!

Itachi Uchiha cradled his infant brother, Sasuke, in his arms, his sharp Sharingan eyes fixed on the enormous fox rampaging through Konoha. The Nine-Tails fox was a force of nature, and its raw power made the ground quake beneath him. Itachi didn't need much time to piece things together.

The Fourth Hokage's newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki, had likely just been born. And the masked man—Obito Uchiha—had unleashed the Nine-Tails after forcibly extracting it from Kushina Uzumaki. Now, the village was caught in chaos and destruction.

Itachi's chest tightened as realization struck.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. Izumi's parents… they're probably...

Without wasting another second, he secured Sasuke tightly to his chest with a sling, sprang out of the Uchiha compound, and sprinted toward Izumi's house. He clung to a thread of hope—maybe he could still make it in time.

As he ran, a massive Tailed Beast Bomb lit up the night sky. It arced toward the Hokage Monument, but instead of detonating on impact, the explosion seemed to vanish, as though it had been swallowed by some unseen force. The brilliant flash of light, however, illuminated the entire village, casting the devastation into stark relief.

Itachi froze momentarily, stunned. Seeing the Fourth Hokage teleport the Nine-Tails' attacks in the anime had seemed effortless, almost flashy. But witnessing it in person? The sheer power left him trembling.

The explosive aftershock rattled the village, and Sasuke woke, crying loudly in fear. Itachi shook himself out of his daze, gently patting his brother's back to comfort him.

"I don't even like kids," he muttered, exasperated. "But what can I do? I can't just leave you behind."

Determined, he pressed forward, his path marked by the destruction left in the Nine-Tails' wake. The sight of collapsed buildings and injured villagers made it painfully clear how serious the situation was. Farther from the village's political center, however, most residents would likely never understand what truly happened that night.

---

Boom!

Another Tailed Beast Bomb roared toward Konoha, but this time it wasn't intercepted by the Flying Thunder God Technique. Instead, a massive toad appeared, slamming into the Nine-Tails mid-attack and causing the bomb to veer off course. It struck a section of the village, shattering nearby structures and raining debris over the panicked streets.

Itachi's heart raced. "Why is this so different from the anime? There should've been just one Tailed Beast Bomb, and then Minato was supposed to teleport the Nine-Tails out of the village!"

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you?!"

Itachi turned sharply, spotting a little girl standing amidst the chaos. She was sobbing, her nose running as she cried out for her parents.

He sighed. So, I didn't make it in time after all.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a massive piece of falling debris. It was heading straight for Uchiha Izumi, who was standing frozen in fear.

"Get out of the way, Izumi!" he shouted, his voice strained. "Move!"

But she didn't budge. When her tear-filled eyes locked onto him, she started crying even harder.

"Damn it!" Itachi cursed. "Stupid girl!"

Drawing a kunai, he focused his chakra. Flames danced along the blade as he performed a familiar technique.

"Uchiha Style: Flame Crescent Slash!"

A wave of crescent-shaped flames shot forward, slicing through the debris. Itachi didn't stop there—he launched fifteen more crescents in quick succession, clearing the area of falling rubble.

Panting heavily, he rushed to Izumi's side, his chakra reserves already feeling the strain. For a brief moment, he allowed himself a small smirk. "Shisui's going to have to admit I've improved after this."

"Itachi…" Izumi whimpered.

"Why didn't you move?" he scolded, his tone sharp.

But instead of answering, Izumi threw her arms around him and sobbed uncontrollably. As her tears fell, Itachi noticed the shift in her eyes—her Sharingan had awakened, a single tomoe spinning in her blood-red irises.

Caught between them, Sasuke let out a wail of protest. Izumi quickly pulled away, embarrassed, and offered a tearful, apologetic smile. "Sorry… my legs just wouldn't move."

Itachi groaned and held his forehead. "You really are a troublesome woman."

Glancing back toward the Nine-Tails, which was still rampaging in the distance, he grabbed Izumi's hand and started pulling her along. "It's too dangerous here. Come with me—we'll head back to my house."

Izumi flushed at the contact but hesitated. "No… I need to find my parents!"

Itachi froze for a moment, then turned to face her, his expression grim. "Izumi… don't lie to yourself. Your Sharingan wouldn't have awakened if you hadn't already seen…"

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Tears streamed down her face as the reality sank in. Itachi stayed silent, letting her grieve. He understood all too well the pain of loss and the cruel separation of life and death.

---

The sound of a massive crash brought Itachi back to the present. A red blur slammed into the ground in front of them—a massive clawed paw belonging to the Nine-Tails. Its feral eyes locked onto them, and Itachi immediately realized there was no way they could escape together.

Without a second thought, he handed Sasuke to Izumi. "Take him and run. Now!"

"But—"

"No time!" he snapped. "Go!"

Before she could argue further, Itachi shoved her away with a firm kick, sending her tumbling to safety.

The Nine-Tails' attack landed squarely on Itachi, launching him ten meters into the air. He crashed to the ground, rolling like a ragdoll. As his vision blurred and consciousness began to slip away, one thought lingered in his mind:

At least I got them out of danger.

---

Itachi's body lay still amidst the rubble as the chaos of the night raged on.

###

Btw, I've updated up to chapter 15 of this fic and am planning to release 5 - 10 more in my Patreon, so be sure to check it out;

👉 Patreon.com/Tyrouge