Callous Objectives

MelissaKS Author's Note: This is a fic that I was asked to write alongside another author, Silent. We plan to switch off on the writing on the chapters. I wrote the first chapter here, and the next one will be written by silent.

With that being said, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it, I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own or write Naruto, just enjoy reading and writing fanfiction is all.

Chapter One


Sasuke's POV

"But he couldn't bring himself to kill you," Madara Uchiha's quiet voice relentlessly echoed in my ears as the masked man walked up to me, his red eye shining through the eyehole of the mask. Kneeling next to me, he reached his arm forward, a kunai appearing in his gloved hand. "Why do you think that is?"

My breath caught in my throat as Madara sliced down with the kunai. I blinked in surprise as the binding ropes fell away. My mind was churning with everything Madara had said, of how Itachi had killed the Uchiha clan on the orders of the Sandaime Hokage and the village council. I shied away from the possibility, refusing to believe that there was truth in it. How could that be? I silently screamed. It can't be true!

"For him, your life, weighed more than the village." Madara's voice interrupted his raging thoughts. I stared up at him in astonishment, unable to accept what he was hearing. "Until he died…no…even in death, he was think of you. So that in defeating him, and avenging the Uchiha clan, you would be hailed as a hero in Konoha." My eyes stared blindly, not seeing what was before me, as I mind absorbed words, frantically trying to calm myself as I felt shock sweeping across my being. "Eaten up by disease and feeling his own death approaching, he used medicine to prolong his life. All for the sake of his beloved brother."

"He had to fight you, and die before your eyes." My head snapped up, my dark eyes meeting the visible eye through Madara's mask. "For the sake of Konoha's peace, and more than anything, for you…Sasuke Uchiha. He wanted to die a criminal, a traitor. He accepting dishonor in payment for honor, and hatred in payment for love…even then, Itachi died smiling."

"Entrusting the Uchiha name to you, while deceiving you forever."

My eyes stared blindly ahead of me as time seemed to stand still, the shock of everything I had been told settled around me, encompassing my entire being. Memories of Itachi flashed before my eyes, from the time before the death of our clan. It was a happier time in my life, when I had looked up to the man I called brother, and striven to prove myself in my father's eyes.

My mind turned to the searing memory of that fateful night I had returned to the Uchiha complex, finding my clansmen murdered by Itachi's hand.

'To test my strength,' he had said to me. 'Run, foolish little brother, preserve your pathetic life.' Even now, after all this time, his words echoed in my ears, as though he was still standing right in front of me, staring down at me with his blood red eyes as I cowered before him. 'If you want to kill me, then hate me.'

A tremor shook my body as the memories filled my mind, mixing the words Madara had spoken. My mind couldn't accept it, couldn't accept that Itachi, my hated brother who I had lived my life to kill, had spared my life because he cared for me above all else. That he had not killed our family for his own sake, but on orders; that the council and the Hokage both were the ones truly responsible for the deaths of my family.

My hands fisted at my sides as my mind focused on this train of thought. Itachi had been ordered to kill our family. He was forced to do it. He had done it for the sake of the village, to preserve the peace and prevent a war. It all led back to the actions of the council, how they had unfairly treated the Uchiha in the beginning. If it had not been for them, then the Uchiha clan members would not have planned a coup, and Itachi would not have been ordered to kill the clan. The council had started it all.

"Terrible thing they did," My eyes narrowed as Madara began speaking again. "Forcing your brother to make that decision; to make the choice of killing his own family, the people he cared about most. Just imagine what it must have done to him."

I gritted my teeth as anger began to flow through my body. I had lived my life as an Avenger, fighting to revenge the death of my clan. To kill the one who had killed them. And now, now that I had finally accomplished my goal in life, I discover that it was all a lie. I find the blame truly belonged within Konoha, the place I had once called home. I had killed my last remaining family for nothing.

I slowly pushed myself up from the ground, ignoring the slight soreness from my battle with Itachi. I looked up, meeting the single eye staring at me through Madara's orange mask. An emotion I didn't quite catch flashed through his eye as he watched me.

"So, Sasuke Uchiha, what do you plan to do now?" He whispered.

My thoughts flashed once more to my brother, and the time we had spent together before the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Then, the image of his face, as he lay on the ground, killed by my hand, flashed before my eyes.

My gaze hardened, and I gave Madara a challenging look. "I am going to avenge my clan."

Madara stared silently at me for a moment. "I see. How do you plan to do this? Konoha is a powerful ninja village. You cannot destroy it by yourself, no matter how far your powers have grown so far."

I glared at him, "I will do this. Nothing shall stop me." I began to walk around him, heading towards the opening of the cavern we were in, when his voice stopped me.

"I could help you." His quiet voice rang out. I glanced over my shoulder at him. He hadn't moved from his previous position, his back facing me.

"Why?" I questioned him.

He turned around to face me, his mask making his face unreadable while his eye revealed nothing, "I have my own reasons for hating the village."

I glared at him, mistrusting his motives. In the back of my mind, I knew he was right, that defeating the village would be a near impossible task. But I was determined to succeed in avenging the death of my clan.

Mentally shrugging I turned from him and continued on, knowing he would follow.


Sakura's POV

A frown creased my face as I followed behind Kakashi and Naruto, jumping from tree limbs as we rushed along. After being held up for so long by the man in the orange mask, I felt an increasing need to go faster.

'It is over, Sasuke won,' those were the words of that, that thing that had appeared. 'Itachi Uchiha is dead.'

I felt a small smile replace the frown on my face. He had won, after all this time, and everything he had done, everything he had left behind, in order to beat Itachi, he had done it. Naruto glanced back over his shoulder, catching my eye. A smile briefly replaced the look of determination he wore. My smile widened as we both turned our attention back to what was before us. We're happy for you Sasuke, I whispered in my mind, That you finally achieved what you worked so hard for. But now, you have to come back to us. We need you.

I caught myself on the next branch as Kakashi suddenly stopped, turning to the side and gazing into the distance. "Hinata, use your byakugan, what do you see over there?" We waited while the familiar veins appeared beside Hinata's eyes as she activated the byakugan. She stared out across the canopy of the trees towards the dark cloud that lingered in the distance.

"There's an area about 10km from here, surrounded by very powerful chakra," she burst out. "The forest is burning in black flames!"

My back straightened as new hope filled me, and Kakashi's eye's widened as he said "That's it! Follow me!"

I watched Naruto for a moment as he stood there with his eyes closed, concentrating on his thoughts. I knew he was thinking of Sasuke. We couldn't fail this time, we couldn't.

His eyes snapped open as a new look of determination crossed his face, "Top speed everyone!"

I shot off after Naruto and Kakashi, sensing the chakra of the others as they kept up with us. Not this time, I thought to myself as I pushed myself to my limits, forcing myself to go faster along with Naruto and Kakashi, We won't fail this time Sasuke. We will bring you back.


Sasuke's POV

"Sasuke."

I paused, glancing over my shoulder at the man who had called to me. He was holding out a bundle of clothing to me. I could see the Uchiha fan on the back of the white shirt. Briefly glancing down at the bandages wrapping around my torso, I retraced my steps slightly and took the bundle from him.

Starting with my tightly wound left arm, I began to unwind the bandages, the wounds I'd sustained in the battle with Itachi still marring my skin. I frowned, thinking back to how quickly my body had healed itself after the fight with that Akatsuki member. Deidara, I thought to myself, that was the man's name. After I had rested from that fight, my injuries were gone, healed with the power I took from Orochimaru. That power seems to have disappeared, along with the curse mark.

I glanced down at my shoulder as I continued unwrapping the bandages, knowing that the mark was no longer there. Madara had been right about that, the mark had disappeared after I had used all my chakra in the battle, allowing Orochimaru to escape. Itachi had killed him using the final summons of the sharingan, Susano.

I pulled the white shirt over my head, ignoring the soreness in my limbs as I strained my injuries. The collar of the shirt stood up, loose around my throat as it came to just below my chin, reminiscent of the way I had once dressed, back when I still called Konoha my home. I tied a thick rope around the top of the black pants I had pulled on, sliding my sword into the back loop.

I looked up at Madara and met his single eye. He stared back, not saying anything, and I turned and walked away leaving the cave behind. I paused as I exited the cave, silently judging how much the wounds were going to slow me down until they finished healing. I would have to slow my pace considerably as they continued healing, as I was still weak from the battle with Itachi.

I silently jumped to the trees, flying smoothly from limb to limb with the slightest chakra flow to my feet to keep my balance. Madara stayed close as we moved, his silent presence standing out in my senses. My eyes wandered to the canopy above, checking the position of the sun as we moved.

"Where exactly are we headed Sasuke?" Madara's quiet voice broke into the silence of the forest around us.

"To the members of my team," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you really believe they will be of use in destroying Konoha?" he questioned.

"Yes, I do." I let a warning slip into my voice. I did not want to be questioned by him on my decisions. It was my revenge, and I would accomplish it by the means that I decided upon.

I felt Madara's eye burning into my back as he watched me, but he did not press the issue. I ignored his staring, focusing on the mission at hand. Once I had retrieved the other members of my team, we could start making our way to Konoha.

My eyes narrowed at the thought. Konoha, my once home, a place where I had been happy. And now I would destroy it. No matter what the costs, no matter how long it took, Konoha would fall.

A couple of hours had passed by the time we reached the members of Team Hebi. They had traveled a short distance from the location where I had left them. Karen had informed the others when she sensed my chakra approaching and they had headed out to meet us. I studiously ignored the passionate gaze Karin directed at me when she saw me. Jugo merely nodded his head in acknowledgement, his gaze instead resting on Madara, the question clear in his eyes. A sadistic grin crossed Suigetsu's face as he glanced at me, shifting the giant sword that he carried on his back.

"How did it go?" He asked, glancing briefly at Madara before turning his gaze back to me.

"Itachi is dead." I said in a neutral voice

His smile widened. He opened his mouth to speak again, only to be interrupted by Karin's squealing voice.

"I knew you could do it Sasuke!" She smiled up at me, her eyes shining with delight. I mentally sighed, outwardly ignoring her.

"Who is he?" Jugo asked suddenly, his eyes still focusing on Madara. Karin and Suigetsu glanced over at him curiously.

"Madara Uchiha." I stated, watching as their eyes all flashed to me for a moment as his last name registered.

"Another one, eh?" Suigetsu said. "I thought you and Itachi were the only ones left."

"Looks like you thought wrong," Jugo said to him, his wary eyes still watching Madara.

A flash of annoyance crossed Suigetsu's face and he started to turn towards Jugo with an obvious intent to start arguing.

"Don't," I warned him.

"We should move away from here," Karin said suddenly. "There are several chakra signatures nearby. They are the ones I sensed before, of the Konoha ninja. They are near to here, where you were fighting Itachi."

My gaze snapped up as I stared at her, glancing in the direction she spoke of. My body tensed at the thought of running into them, more specifically, of the people I was certain would be with them. My thoughts fought between the desire to destroy Konoha, and the memories of the people I had cared about before I left.

Shaking my head, I looked back to the others. "Let's move."

"We'll stop here for tonight," I called a halt, many miles from our previous location, in a small clearing that interrupted the endless trees surrounding us. The others stopped with me, beginning to settle down for the night.

"You are injured Sasuke." Suigetsu and Jugo froze, turning towards me as Karin's voice caught their attention. She had stepped close to me after we stopped, her eyes filled with worry. I sensed her chakra reaching out as she used it to examine the extent of my injuries. "You should let me heal those as well as I can for you."

I nodded slightly and she stepped closer, green healing chakra encircling her hands as she reached out to me. I stood still as her chakra swept over me, seeping into the wounds and causing them to begin sealing. I could see one of the cuts across my chest slowly begin to close, the redness around it disappearing as it began to seal shut, finally leaving behind smooth skin.

The other's waited in silence as she worked. Suigetsu leaned back against a tree, mostly ignoring it, while Jugo split his attention between still watching Madara and watching Karin healing my wounds. I mentally smirked at his wariness of the man. It was quite sensible of him to have wariness of the man. Madara had been silent since we had met up with the rest of Team Hebi. His power was well hidden, though I was sure Karin could sense it with her power of sensing chakra signatures. She would have been able to sense his hidden powers. I was sure they had all noticed, their honed ninja abilities alerting them to the possible threat from the man.

I looked down as I felt Karin's chakra receding. I could feel that most of the wounds were diminished, though my chakra exhaustion was still highly noticeable. I frowned as Karin did not remove her hands from my chest, finally stepping back. A look of disappointment crossed her face as she glanced up at me, sighing as she let her hands fall back down to her sides. I turned my back on her, walking away as I kept my irritation in check, carefully keeping my face blank.

I sat down with my back against a tree, watching as Suigetsu smirked knowingly at Karin and she glared back before stomping over to a tree and plopping herself down, her annoyance clear. I silently sighed, let my eyes drift shut as I thought once again of everything Madara had said to me. My mind turned to the memories I had of my brother as a child, of how happy I had been, and how I had looked up to him. Flashes of his face smiling down at me as he had indulgently played games with me when I asked, him carrying me home when I had overworked myself training.

We are brothers, his voice echoed from all those years before, I will be a hurdle you must overcome. My head fell forward as I felt an unstoppable tear roll down my cheek. Even if you hate me, more tears fell from my eyes as I remembered the look on his face right before he died. That's what being a brother is. I choked back a sob, the view of his dead face wavering in my mind, the small smile on his face even in death.

Itachi died smiling, Madara's words interceded on my thoughts. I looked up from where I was sitting, noticing the others watching me in silence. I silently wiped my tears away, straightening my shoulders as I looked out at the other members of Team Hebi.

"We will no longer be Hebi," my quiet voice reached them all across the clearing. Surprise showed on all three of their faces. To the side, Madara merely stared at me with his one eye, listening carefully to what I said. "We are leaving that behind. From this day forward, we will now be known as Eagle."

I paused, looking at them all as they thought about what I had said. Their eyes widened as they met mine, seeing a change I had felt come over my sharingan. "From this day forward, we will have only one mission…"

"We will destroy Konoha."


Sakura's POV

I landed lightly on the ground, right behind Naruto and Kakashi as I sensed the others landing behind me. Silence covered the group as we all looked around. A frown creased my face as I surveyed the destruction surrounding me. The ground was torn apart, shattered from the raging battle that had taken place. Black flames were burning through the trees, raging despite the rain that was pouring down, soaking through my hood and making me shiver underneath the cloak I wore. Naruto was standing close to me, his eyes also taking in the damage. I glanced over, meeting his deep blue eyes, my own worry reflected in them.

We watched in silence as Kakashi pulled a blank scroll out of his jounin vest. He wrote on it quickly, using his body to protect it from getting wet as best he could. Once he was finished, he approached the tree line, the black flames of Amaterasu having spread in the mere few minutes they had been standing there. He slammed the scroll into the ground, speaking the words of the sealing jutsu as the flames were drawn into the scroll. He quickly rolled the scroll back up, glancing up at the trees above him as smoke poured from their charred limbs.

He turned back, surveying the damage on the surrounding area. His gaze moved to Naruto and me for a moment, before he glanced at the others of the team.

"We need to split up into groups, and search for any clues we can find as to where Sasuke might have headed after this." He said, looking between us all. Yamato nodded in agreement, glancing around the group. "Groups of two then: Kiba and Shino; Hinata and Yamato; Sai, you're with me. Naruto, you and Sakura are going to stick together. Everyone got that?" We all nodded.

I glanced over at Naruto, meeting his eyes for a moment before we both moved at the same time, moving further into the destruction littering the area around us. The other four groups took off as well, carefully searching the ground for tracks leading away from the fight. I concentrated on the shattered earth before me, studying the cracks spreading out in all directions. The amount of power that had been concentrated in this small area had been massive, completely changing the entire landscape by the time Sasuke and his brother had determined the victor.

Naruto stepped forward beside me, his eyes traveling up towards the obvious center of the destruction, where the fighting had been concentrated. He glanced over at me again, worry clouding his blue eyes, and he nodded in that direction, expressing his desire to head that way. I nodded, and we began to make our way through the debris, watching the ground for any helpful clues as we went.

Reaching the center of where the fight had occurred, we both dropped down in the crater that had formed where the ground had collapsed, our eyes taking in the devastation of the area around us. The cave in had fallen in on what had obviously once been a cavern of some sort. Most likely a building stood here, I thought to myself.

"It was some fight," Naruto's voice, unusually quiet, broke into my thoughts and I met his gaze.

"Yeah," I whispered. "Let's see what we can find."

He nodded and we both jumped back up out of the crater, staying close together as we walked around, constantly searching for anything that would lead us to Sasuke. I surveyed our surrounds, noticing a piece of wall that was still standing not far away from us. I stared at it for a minute, before tapping Naruto on the shoulder and gesturing towards it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at it, and we stepped forwards together.

I froze as I saw the body lying on the ground. Itachi, my mind growled. Naruto had stopped beside me, his eyes lock on the body before us. A strange look was on his face as he stared down at the battered body before us. I shrugged it off, ignoring the look as I stepped closer to the body, studying the pool of blood Itachi was lying in. I extended my chakra slightly, searching for the extent of damage and what had finally caused his death.

I gasped, the blood draining from my face as I stared down at Itachi, shock clear on my face.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, worry clear in his voice.

I licked my lips, hesitating, "He's…he's not dead Naruto."

Naruto gasped as his eyes darted back to Itachi. We both stood there for another moment staring down at him, before both moving forward, cautious of an attack from the Akatsuki member. I kneeled down next to him, cautiously extending a hand over his chest as I extended my chakra and studied his injuries.

"What do you think Naruto?" I asked, looking back up at him as I drew my hand back. Naruto looked down and met my eyes, a cautious expression on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but froze, both of our bodies stiffening as we heard Itachi's voice.

"Heal me," he whispered, the effort of speaking clearly paining him. His face was marred with blood, his hair lying limp on the ground next to him. He slowly opened his eyes, black eyes that resembled Sasuke's so well. He slowly looked over at me, before moving his gaze to Naruto and staring at him for a moment. Naruto blinked, staring back at him with the same expression as before.

"Why the hell would I do that?" I growled out. Itachi's gaze snapped back to me, meeting my eyes as he lay in silence for a few moments. Every instinct in me told me to finish him off. Kill him, my mind raged at me, he deserves to die! He ruined Sasuke's life. It's because of him that Sasuke left us, that he left me!

"Because," he said, his gaze not wavering from mine. "I will tell you where you can find Sasuke."


To be continued…