*During the time Steve was fighting against Hydra*
Pov: General
Somewhere in the world, you could see a normal house in the distance.
Inside lived a normal family with normal lives, a husband, a wife, an older son, and three younger daughters.
What wasn't normal, though, was the conversation happening at their dinner table.
"...I'm telling you, darling, we have to destroy the Pentagon first before going after the White House,"
Said the husband, taking a bite of meat as if he hadn't just been talking about a terrorist attack.
"I know what you mean, love,"
The wife replied, sipping a drink, of mango juice, if you want to know (Translator: that last detail wasn't necessary 🤣).
"But don't forget, this is America, their symbol of pride is the White House."
"Why don't just try hitting military installations instead?"
Suggested the youngest daughter, who was no older than four.
"That plan's already been chosen by your uncle, sweetie, and besides, you have to eat your vegetables,"
The father said with a smile, making an airplane with a spoon to feed his little girl.
"No matter what we do, I hope you'll take me with you, Dad.
Don't forget you promised once I turned ten,"
Said the son, eating with excitement since this was the happiest moment of his short life.
"At last, my little champion, don't worry, I remember. I planned to take you with me, I'll keep my word. Relax,"
The father said, stroking his son's head with a mix of pride and joy on his face.
"By the way, Nina, how are you doing at school?"
The mother asked, abruptly changing the subject and carrying on like any ordinary family dinner.
*Meanwhile in some military stronghold in the United States*
*BOOM!*
The protective wall of the military base is obliterated in a blinding flash.
The ground quakes, debris rains down, and the surviving soldiers erupt in chaos.
"We're under attack!"
"Sound the damn alarm, NOW!"
"To arms! Move, move, MOVE!"
Amid the panic, the harsh voices of commanders cut through the noise, barking desperate orders, until suddenly
"For the Holy Shepherd!"
*BOOM!*
A deafening implosion rips through the vehicle bay, one soldier vanishes in a burst of fire, triggering a chain of explosions that consume the entire sector.
"Goddamn it! It's the cult fanatics again!"
A commander roars, eyes widening as flames engulf the horizon.
"Commander! Over there!"
A soldier shouts, pointing toward the distant ridge, where figures cloaked in crimson and black march through the smoke like demons rising from hell itself.
"Shit… The bastards are back,"
Another commander mutters, his voice low and grim, too familiar with the nightmare unfolding before him.
"There's no time to waste! Weapons up! Cut those maniacs down where they stand!"
He seizes the rifle from a soldier's trembling hands, chambering a round with steely resolve.
"May The Sun have mercy on these men,"
He whispers, his final prayer before the thunder of gunfire drowns out all else.
The battle for survival had begun.
*Returning with the family*
Surprisingly, this really was a real family, the mother had given birth to the son and daughters, and the father was their biological dad.
Why were they talking about terrorist attacks then? Simply, because the whole family was part of "Protective Sheep"
So what are "Protective Sheep"? Simply, the cult formed in Itachi's name.
Yep, that's the name they gave themselves, and you could say it was pure coincidence.
To know how it ends like this, let's begin talking about the past.
When Itachi arrived in this universe, he already understood his task, to save it by bearing the weight of their sins, to atone for transgressions from his previous life.
What sins? ...Well, haven't you watched Naruto? Doesn't slaughtering an entire clan of innocents just to obey a bunch of power-obsessed fools sound like a sin?
Yes, this Itachi is the same as in Naruto, with one small but crucial difference: in his past life he also killed his little brother, Sasuke.
That act practically condemned the whole world because it ruined a prophecy by obeying a worthless "Will of Fire."
After the Infinity Tsukuyomi was completed and almost all life on the planet vanished, his soul was forced to carry the pain and torment of all who had fallen.
That broke him completely He wanted, with all his being, to save everyone.
As if by one last mercy, his prayer was answered, he was given a chance to seek redemption.
But this second chance wouldn't be in his native universe, it would be in another, and it came with a single question "Would you give everything for a bunch of strangers?"
That's Itachi's background, but the story of the cult that formed in his name it's another matter, one that didn't go so well.
How did it start? Even Itachi didn't know, he had simply appeared and begun talking with people, helping the needy, rescuing the missing, healing the wounded, etc, and before he knew it, a crowd followed him everywhere.
At that point he officially began to tell his story, about his powers (at that time), about hidden truths behind the universe, and about his life's purpose.
The problem? The followers already and long ago saw him as sacred.
So whether he spoke humbly or not, they exaggerated his words.
When Itachi spoke of his old life, they heard "the divine realm, where betrayal of the Governors condemned the paradise."
When he spoke about his powers, they heard "the divinity he represented."
When he spoke of truths behind the universe… well, that drove many of them nearly insane.
And when he spoke of his purpose in life, the people went completely mad, they believed he sought to save his universe by dying for it.
But they refused to accept that outcome, in their minds, "someone like him didn't deserve to die, not again, and definitely not for them"
They literally turned him into a Jesus 2.0 in their minds, and this time they wouldn't let him die simply because they were selfish.
Itachi expected that, over time, they'd tire of worshipping, but of course they didn't, instead, they recruited more people to the cause.
While Itachi found that adoration unnecessary, he had to admit that leading an organization could be useful.
But he didn't actually run anything, in the eyes of his followers, he was "too pure to understand how humanity works."
So the cult worshipped him, and worked in the figure of Itachi, but ignored what he actually wanted.
Itachi didn't mind much, in fact, he preferred it because it gave him space to pursue his pathway.
The real problem started when he learned they'd declared war on everything with consciousness.
When he discovered that, he stormed into the hideouts of "Protective Sheep's" leaders demanding an explanation.
Their reply? "It's natural that someone so pure wouldn't understand." That was it.
They told him nothing, not the reasons, not how many had already died, not even whether the war had begun.
Worse, they weren't arrogant in the way you'd expect, they genuinely believed Itachi was that pure.
Not just some of them but everyone in the sect, some more fervent than others, but never less, and never doubting
That last detail took Itachi the longest to accept, and once he realized that, whether he intervened or not they would act anyway, he chose to help them.
Yes, he helped because he had no real alternative, the sect was on the brink of extinction for his bad reputation
How did he help? Simple, he used his powers to heal those at death's door and those suffering from incurable illnesses.
That earned him even more devotees, after all, they owed their new lives to him.
And once they learned why the sect existed, it's no surprise how fanatic they became.
Everything might have stayed contained… if only Itachi hadn't reached "Sequence 5".
Everything got worse the moment he reached "Sequence 5" all because of Shepherd's main ability.
When everyone in the sect discovered he could preserve souls, chaos ensued.
Not because it split them, no, because everyone suddenly wanted to commit mass suicide.
If Itachi hadn't been clear that he could preserve at most five souls, they would have done it.
Even so, that didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm. Instead, they reorganized so that the person deemed most worthy would have their soul preserved at death.
And that's a day in the life for Itachi, too free if you ask him, but to his followers, it's simply how he shoulders the weight of responsibility.
Oh, and why didn't Itachi question why he couldn't progress further? He accepted it as part of his penance, believing that it helped him in understanding something
Honestly, at this point even Itachi have become mad, but he didn't understand it yet
(Translator: seriously, you should stop naming secret organizations, you won't remember them all 😑
Writer: okay, okay, I won't do it anymore 😁)