I do not own Naruto okay? I am working on my multichaptered fics now, but I have a plot bunny in my mind now. After hearing Pop Evil's "Monster You Made" I thought it would be perfect for Itachi. So I got to thinking and I had to write this one-shot. Anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic.
Itachi looked down in the puddle. It had been a while since he saw his reflection. I think the last time I looked at myself was nearly eight years ago… He thought as he stepped in the puddle, distorting his face. "I never wanted this life." Itachi whispered.
"What did you think killing your clan would get you huh?" Kisame said. "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."
"You mock that which you do not understand Kisame." Itachi said and he looked over his shoulder at him, flashing his Sharingan at him.
"Sure, whatever." Kisame said. "You sure you don't want to come over here? It is really starting to pour out.
"I am fine." Itachi said as he looked up into the rain storm.
The rain poured down his face, making it look almost like he was crying. What people like Kisame couldn't see was that he was actually crying. What do these people think I am? A monster? Do they think I wanted to kill my clan? Itachi thought as he wiped some of the mixture of tears and rain from his eyes. Yes they do. No one told anybody about your mission. A nagging voice in Itachi's head said.
He thought back to when he was a child. He was used by both sides. How he wished for the innocence of childhood again, when all he had to worry about was Sasuke getting himself into trouble. Itachi smiled at the thought of baby Sasuke throwing his bear into the river and making Itachi get it. He knew that Sasuke and he were just pawns in an adult's game of power. They used them and left them to fend for themselves when all was said and done. Now, Itachi was trying to set everything up so Sasuke could redeem the Uchiha name. If nothing goes wrong, I will have the resolution I so crave. Itachi thought as the rain continued to pound his face.
Itachi's thoughts now turned to Sasuke. He had hoped he would stay with Konoha and seek revenge that way, but a part of him knew Sasuke would never be able to resist Orochimaru. He wanted the power too much and the desire for revenge was too deep and Itachi knew it. More tears came to his eyes thinking of what Orochimaru was going to do to him. Itachi had always wanted to protect Sasuke, but now he could not. Thinking of what Orochimaru could do to Sasuke in the name of more power made Itachi shudder. Orochimaru already tried to use his body for his Immortality Jutsu and Itachi knew he was going to do the same to Sasuke. It was only a matter of time and Itachi wasn't sure if Sasuke would or could fight him off if he did that to him.
Forgiveness. It was all he wanted. He wanted someone to say, "I understand you." Itachi was getting tired of the fear, the slander, the misunderstanding, which caused him to be the way he was. I only did everything I did for Konoha. "I am only human." Itachi sighed as he walked over to Kisame.
"You sure about that? I'd say you are a demon." Kisame asked.
"I could say the same thing about you." Itachi said under his breath.
"What?" Kisame said.
"Nothing…" Itachi sighed putting his hat over his face. "Do you know when this storm is supposed to pass by?"
"No, it is monsoon season." Kisame said.
"Best make camp here for a little while." Itachi said. "Put up the barrier Kisame."
"Sure Weasel." Kisame said as he got up to place the barriers around their camp site.
Itachi pulled out a handkerchief from his cloak and wiped his face off. He looked into the rag at the mucus that he had coughed into it. "I'm only human. I'm not invincible." He sighed as he put the handkerchief away. He pulled out a folded up picture from a secret pocket in his cloak. He flattened out the creases and looked at it. A few tear drops fell down from his face as he looked at the rare happy family portrait. He had snuck it out just before he killed his parents. He wasn't a monster; he wanted to retain some good memories.
"Please give me mercy; I am only the monster you made…" He said as he folded up the picture and put it back into his cloak.
"Okay!" Kisame yelled as he walked into the camp and brushed some of the rain off of his cloak. "The barrier is set."
Itachi quickly regained his composure and turned to Kisame. "Good. We should keep guards this evening. Who knows who will be out there?"
"Okay." Kisame said as his stomach growled. "You have anything to eat?"
"Not much." Itachi said as he pulled out a bag of 2 fried fish skewers he had stolen from a stand on the way to their camp.
"Two fish skewers…" Kisame said as he grabbed his share and ate it. "I hate being away from the Rain Village."
"I'm posting the first guard." Itachi said with a slight cough.
"You okay?" Kisame said.
"Fine." Itachi said as he got up to post guard.
Walking around the camp as guard was a perfect time for him to let out his feelings he had bottled up for a long time. He pulled out a kunai and threw it into a tree. Walking over to the tree, he noticed it was a good likeness of one of his old superiors, Danzo, the one he knew would be the most threat to Sasuke and the one who sent him along his path he was on now. Itachi took the kunai and carved out Danzo's details into the tree. He pulled out his kunai and began throwing them right into the eye of the Danzo effigy.
"How do you like this now?" Itachi gasped as the kunai made a wooden "THUMP". "I've become a monster all in the name of Konoha like you wanted. I am sure you don't know how it feels to be hated for following orders you were given." Years of his emotionless nature were catching up to him. Knowing he was coming down with a fatal case of tuberculosis was causing strain on his psyche. He was not about to let himself die of illness before Sasuke could get his revenge, but he did not know how long that would take, so the frustration he hid for years was boiling over.
Thank goodness this monsoon is so loud. Itachi thought as he pulled out the kunai to throw at the Danzo effigy again. I am not supposed to have feelings… Itachi threw now a handful of shuriken into the effigy before he gasped for air and sat down near the tree.
"I'm the monster you made." He said as he looked up at the effigy. "Hopefully Sasuke will avenge Uchiha and comes for you." He gasped before he fell asleep.