Like His Brother
Sasuke stood panting in front of Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and another ninja who held a striking resemblance to him. Did they replace me? He wondered.
"I'm going to drag you back to Konoha kicking and screaming if I have to!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke scowled. She should have listened to him, if she had none of this would be happening right now. "I can't go back!" He said.
"You- Is this really what you want? You're turning your back on your village! Your comrades! You're just like your brother!" Sasuke glanced at Orochimaru and Kabuto who had been observing the fight from the start. If they weren't there, maybe he would've told the truth.
Years ago if you had compared Sasuke to Itachi he would've flown off the handle and sent a chidori straight into his opponent's heart, the same cannot be said any longer. "Perhaps I am." He said only loud enough for team seven to hear. "None of you are worth my time." He said louder. He poofed next to the snake sannin and the medic. "Let's go."
They vanished and reappeared in one of Orochimaru's many bases. "Training will commence tomorrow." Orochimaru strolled away to check on his many experiments with Kabuto trailing along behind him like a puppy.
Sasuke returned to his room and sat on his bed. For the first time in years he allowed himself to remember.
Sasuke didn't normally walk through the deserted streets of the Uchiha compound but today was different. He felt so weak. Naruto was moving ahead by leaps and bounds while he was seemingly at a stand still. He paused at the door to his old home. Should he really torture himself here? Yes. Team seven was making him forget. Itachi had to die for his crimes against their family. He was growing too soft, too comfortable. He had to remember to keep himself on track. He entered the home and went straight to his parents room. The bloodstain wouldn't come off, no matter how many times he sat on that floor and scrubbed until his hands blistered and bled, adding to the stain each time. Until he couldn't tell whose blood was which anymore. He moved on to Itachi's room. He hasn't entered it since the night of the massacre, but with his weakening it was time to go in, to see more, to regain his drive. He tentatively stepped into the still tidy room. Itachi always kept his room impeccable, everything had its place. Which is why a half opened scroll on his desk drew Sasuke's eye immediately. Sasuke approached and his eyes widened. A mission scroll.
Mission Rank: S
Time Frame: 6 hours
Mission: Kill every last member of the traitorous Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha clan has been planning a coup d'tat against the Village Hidden In the Leaves. Your objective is to kill every last man, woman, and child to protect the village and to prevent future threats. You are then to leave the village as a missing ninja. You are never to return.
Assigned and Witnessed by: Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado
Sasuke fell to his knees and tears leaked out of his eyes. It was- a mission? Sasuke stood and tightened his hold on the scroll. He scanned the room for anything else of use. THERE! Another scroll peaked out from behind Itachi's futon. Sasuke rolled it open and immediately scanned the words of the page. Another mission scroll.
Mission Rank: S
Time Frame: Unknown
Mission: Upon your defection from the village you are to infiltrate the group known as Akatsuki. You will be a spy within the organization and leave reports at an agreed upon location every week.
Assigned and Witnessed by: Hiruzen Sarutobi
Sasuke glared at the scroll and ran out of the house and to the Hokage tower.
Sasuke leaned against the wall in his room. Itachi still needed to pay for killing his clan but now he would pay in a different way. It made sense now that he knew the truth of it all, why Itachi kept trying to bait him into killing him. The guilt was eating away at him and he wanted to die by Sasuke's hand in an effort to atone for what he'd done. Sasuke had a different idea in mind. He wouldn't kill his aniki. He'd let him live and waste away from guilt. Grudgingly Sasuke admitted he had to admire his brother's commitment to the village. Perhaps that was where he got the idea when weeks after he discovered the truth The Sound Four came to offer him Orochimaru's power.
Sasuke stood before Tsunade, having just reported the Sound Four's intentions. "Ma'am, I propose I go with them undercover. I will spy for the village."
Tsunade considered this before slowly nodding. "A noble offer. You realize you will be branded as a traitor."
"Yes ma'am. But I want to protect my village, no matter the cost to me."
"You truly are just like your brother. That's the same thing he said after Sarutobi assigned him that mission years ago."
Sasuke didn't reply. She waved her hand to dismiss him and he turned to go. He paused at the door and glanced at her over his shoulder. "My teammates will be problematic, they won't rest until I come back. I suggest you tell them the truth of what's going on."
"I'll think about it." She said.
Sasuke glared at the wall. She should have told them like he said. He'd never admit it aloud but it hurt to be called a traitor when everything he was doing was for them and the village. Is this how Itachi felt? Sasuke grimaced. He was understanding his brother more and more as time passed and he hated himself for it, but he found he was beginning to...forgive him.
Sasuke lowered his head. He especially understood how it felt to be looked at with betrayal. Sasuke knew that on the night his parents died he looked at Itachi with a face that screamed betrayal. Sakura looked at him that night when he left the village. He admitted to himself that Sakura had always been his weakness. Aside from constantly asking him for dates. She displayed a level of care and compassion toward him that only made him think of his mother. Everytime she showed concern or defended him he thought of his mother. After a while that is how he though of Sakura. As Team seven's mother. That was why he protected her. If anything ever happened to her then who would ever care for him again. Even in that battle today, she never went for the killing blow...and neither did he.
Sasuke's eyes widened. At the end, when Naruto was yelling at him, Sakura was smiling, and her gaze seemed...knowing.
Sasuke jumped off his bed and did something he hadn't done in many years, he ran, panicked, out of the underground lair. Wind whipped passed as he ran through the trees to the place where he'd battled team seven earlier in the day. They were close the the Sand Village so they might be there. He had to know if Sakura knew. Sasuke skidded to a halt when he came face to face with the original team seven. The guy who looked like him was no where to be seen. Naruto grinned and jumped at him. Sasuke moved to defend himself but stopped when he realized Naruto was hugging him. Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, and Sakura waited until Naruto released him to come give her own hug.
"I don't understand." Sasuke mumbled.
Kakashi smiled. "The hokage took your advice. I think our act has been pretty convincing, don't you think?"
Sasuke blinked. "You-"
"We know everything Sasuke." Sakura said happily.
"Everything?" He asked.
"Yep, we know all about you...and your brother. I wasn't insulting you when I said it. He's a hero, you both are." Naruto said.
"We're heroes huh?" A for the first time since his family died, Sasuke smiled. With his team here, accepting his decision and supporting him. He knew he could do this, he could bear the scorn and hate and mistrust. So long as they were there, he didn't care about anyone else. And one day, he'd return to them.
Mission Rank: S
Time Frame: Unknown
Mission: Join Orochimaru and work as a spy for the village. Train hard and get stronger. You may return to the village when Orochimaru is dead.
Assigned and Witnessed by: Tsunade Senju, Jaraiya