A/N: Happy birthday, Sasuke!! Because today, July 23, is Sasuke's birthday! So here's my tribute to him, that evil bastard that I can't help but love.
Valiant Poison: -gags-
Amarxlen: Hush! -swats- And now, without further ado, Destroyed!
Destroyed
Amarxlen
It was the village. It was their orders. The ultimatum they presented. Kill... or be killed. It's a standard code in the way of the shinobi, always fluttering in the background, lingering at the edges of my conscious. The village gave him that ultimatum, and he obeyed them. He chose to kill.
But it wasn't his fault. It was the village, only the village. That staggeringly pathetic village that he would give his life to protect. They took advantage of that, bending him to their will. He shouldn't have been forced like that. Not someone like him, someone unbelievably strong. It wasn't Itachi's fault.
...
He was like a god to me, and somehow, faintly, he still is. I'm obsessed with him. I always have been. Trying to make him proud, trying to surpass him. When we reunited for the first time, when I was twelve, and undeniably stupid, he didn't even acknowledge me. He only cared about Naruto. That infuriated me, and blindly I attacked. But I've always been blind. These eyes, the Sharingan, the eyes that are supposed to see through deception, they fell before it, and there are times when I'd forsake these eyes for normal eyes. They blind me more than they allow me to see.
I boast confidence in eyes that can see through deception, see truth, and overcome lies. Every word of praise, every assured boast about these wonderful eyes, they were the lies, trying to convince myself of their infallibility. Yet, despite their fallibility now I can see at least one thing perfectly clear. It wasn't Itachi's fault.
I tell myself this over and over again as I look down at the village, my Sharingan activated. On the surface I can believe this, I do believe this, that it wasn't his fault. But there's an instinct I can't suffocate, because it's been with me for ten years. It's habit now to look over my shoulder expecting a long dark shadow. So I need something to occupy me, a new purpose to carry me through gloomy days.
The village sits below, peaceful, unsuspecting. It sickens me that they think they are so safe, that they think they are so flawless after the known traitors have been wiped out. Traitors. The word dances on the tip of my tongue, burning it. The word weighs heavily in my mind, mercilessly leaving me under a constant pressure. I can't wait to see the shocked looks on their faces as they fall one by one. I can't wait to take this, my final revenge, to destroy the true reason the Uchiha broke. They'll fall, and their blood will be on my hands, and if Fate has any sense it won't wash away his blood. If Fate has any sagacity, it will force me to suffer and I won't be forgiven. I can't be forgiven.
I look to my left, then the right, where I know Suigetsu and Karin are standing, waiting for my signal. I want to take in a deep breath to empty my head – It wasn't his fault, it was the village, all the village – but I know they will perceive it as hesitation. I glare at the village, more than ready to take my final revenge, ready to make it fall for destroying the Uchiha, for destroying Itachi, disempowering my god. My hands rest on the two katana I wield, one hand on mine, one hand on Itachi's before I speak to the darkness.
"Destroy it."