Vaguely ItaSasu. Dark and introspective. Slightly AU.

I don't own Naruto.

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-In Your Eyes I See Absolution-

This is the destruction of all that we hold dear; for we are but sheep to the rhythm of war drums.

Listen to me and listen to me well, little brother. It is time for you to pull the layered, scarred and bloodied wool from over your eyes, to dispel those illusions that you have been exposed to and that I, too, have contributed to in my own way.

But it was all to protect you, dearest brother, until it was deemed that you were ready to face this blighted landscape of our own reality, our own precious existence. You are ready.

And now I will help you once again.

Open your eyes to me, my brother, my sibling. Gaze at me, catch me with your reborn stare, your knowing glance, and understand. None are so precious as you are to me, to us. You will be the one whose blood-and-iron stare will make the final judgment, casting us into the abyss or clasping us gently to you, to your ivory body, your perfection.

You are the penultimate weapon that our forefathers were striving for in all their ambition and bloody-grinned declarations of war. Do you see that now, dear brother?

You are that weapon, that instrument, that perfect tool. Not I.

Do you understand now that my every endeavor was for the sharpening of your skills and the growth of your perception? Always, for the betterment of you.

So grit your teeth and gaze upon the world around you, newly-revealed and exposed for the decaying ruin that it is, rife with disease and the corrupting caress of serpents' intimately whispered secrets.

See, now, the fate of those who foolishly deem themselves god enough to order the deaths of legacies and the erasure of legends. Observe the role that you play in their eradication, for you will be wielded in the manner you were destined to be wielded. I, little brother, will be your guiding hand in their reckoning, assisting in whatever endeavors you see fit. Always, for you.

Anything, for you.

For in your eyes, I see absolution.

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I really hope I didn't mangle Itachi's character too horribly, especially after such a break from writing.

Please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed.