A/N: Huge thanks to my friend Ld for helping me on this chap. It's important that you pay attention to Itachi's dialogue, we made him talk like that for a reason.
Anyways, when I was busy writing this chapter, a song started playing on my play list and made me stop everything to listen. The song actually sets the mood for the chapter. Listen to it, Pantera – Cemetery Gates.
Crying in the Dark
By: drag-eart
Chapter 1: The Coldness of Truth and Warmth of Ignorance
-The War against Sound/Flashback-
Screams resonated across the battleground, the stench of decay clung into the evening air, blood streaked along the once evergreen field, marred of its beauty. The sound of metal clashing, bodies colliding, cries for comrades lost in ever growing sorrow and pain under the gleaming crimson sun over the horizon.
Two men were on the mountain's ledge facing away from the carnage that ensued below them. One stared at the other, deep hatred belying his crimson eyes, the other merely sat on a stone, several feet away, staring at the stones at his feet, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
A long black cloak trailed along the evening air, held down only by the body that sat within it, with blood red cloud shaped inlays embedded along the ends of it.
The young man had long jet-black hair pulled back in a simple knot behind him, the ponytail trailing melodiously against the wind. His stray strands of hairs, unfastened, covered his aristocratic features, but through the dark bangs, crimson tome eyes slowly trailed themselves upwards, to the figure that stood before him.
"I've been waiting..." He drawled slowly. "Is that what you want to hear little brother?"
The other young man, standing on the other side of the clearing, looked on with a restrained calmness. Belying the true intentions of his state, underneath this façade his blood was boiling, rising, like a calm before a storm, coming to the point, it seemed to radiate of his frame. His gloved hands were clenched tightly, subconsciously, a hand ascended and rested upon the Katana on his side.
He was wearing the elite sound-nin attire of the infamous Snake Sannin of Sound, complete with the white shirt, black pants, and a purple rope that was tied around his waist finishing the ensemble in the style of a samurai.
The younger Uchiha's eyes closed for a moment, but he opened and captured his brother's gaze once again. He knew it was a bad decision to make such a bold action but his hate, anger, and frustration building inside, boiling, didn't allow him to look away.
He remained stock still in front of this older brother and both stared at one another with their Sharingan eyes, their predecessors cursed legacy. They burned with the past and future that was undoubtedly passed on to them.
A past, in which, their whole clan was obliterated, one by his own hands and the other left to bare witness to the horrifying event. Sasuke let the mark of the snake trickle throughout his body, through his veins; he trained every day for this moment. This was the day when it would be decided. Their future.
"Itachi," Sasuke said in a calm tone, the venom dripping into every word. "You don't have the right to call me that."
The elder Uchiha tilted his head slightly trying to read his younger siblings frame; it didn't reveal a hint of hesitation in his reply and his manner of expressing it, a small smirk holding an unidentifiable emotion slipped from his calm facade, but reverted back within seconds.
"You will pay for what you have done," for the first time between their battle of wits, the calm state of the younger Uchiha was broken, their mind wars had ended, and Sasuke's hatred burned intensely through his eyes. "Itachi…"
Itachi simply stared, before he replied. "Pay." He stated simply. "Will I pay Sasuke, perhaps you will...perhaps I have..." the older Uchiha spoke slowly, his head lolling from one side to the other, his covered left hand clutching the cloak to keep it closed around his frame. "I have not called you here." He continued. "For a battle...I summoned you here to speak of what is to come...of what you must do...what you will help me do."
Sasuke unheeded his older brother's words and slowly drew the blade from it's sheathe, but with a different train of thought, pulled the Katana with the whole casing itself and stabbed it upon the ground. The sword protruded the rocky expanse, like a monument of a dead warrior's salute. It tilted in the direction of the wind.
"You will die here….." sentence wasn't finished being cut-off by the older sibling.
"You will not strike" he said in a calm collected tone absolutely sure of himself. "Like a moth to a flame…you came and you will listen...as I wanted you to."
"Shut the fuck up," the younger Uchiha gritted through his teeth, a dark purple aura began to surround his frame. "Who the hell are you to be making those demands?"
Itachi smirked in response and lowered his head slightly in contemplation. He knew the state of mind his younger brother was at the moment, but he had no such time to wait for his stubborn sibling to understand, coming to this area was threading on an already poised blade. It was unwise at best…but he didn't intend to fight…not yet anyways.
"Foolish little brother…" the Uchiha continued on unfazed. "It concerns the Village of Konoha, it concerns the Kyuubi no Yoko…."
A twitch was caught in the movement of Sasuke's right hand, shaking slightly; it reverted back to its immobile state. But his eyes betrayed him. Itachi caught the reaction.
"What does it…"
"You remain ignorant I see..." Itachi said boredly, slowly standing up from his seated position his tone of voice growing deeper, coming to the realization. "Ignorant to everything around you, the shadows, the eyes...you do not pierce the veil, do not covet the knowledge held from you, you remain blinded like the rest, sheep, mere sheep is all you are."
"What are you talkin…."
"He kept everyone in the dark," the older Uchiha for the first time showed a reaction when his eyes widened. He retained a faraway look on his visage staring at his younger sibling, yet, he wasn't at the same time. "He never planned on telling anyone…the two families…clans…war…the sacrifices...the last remaining members…no...no he would not would he."
Watching the inner battle taking place in front of him, Sasuke reached for the handle of the sheathed blade and kept his palm in place. He followed every movement his sibling was doing, but he soon realized, that Itachi didn't seem to care about anyone around him, and certainly did not give a damn that his own younger brother stood before him in just a mere meters radius. He remained rigid and alert waiting. He didn't plan to be fooled.
"He took it too his grave…,"the younger Uchiha heard the whispered sentence of the older brother. "He kept his promise…but Sasuke failed."
"Join me," the flippant request was so unexpected, the usually cool headed Sasuke stumbled for words, and tried quickly to make a response to the simple admission of his brother. "Help me fight the child, the one who remains beyond you…the last…the Fourth Hokage's Isan. Only then will I give you the battle you desire."
Sasuke analyzed this request thoroughly, the offer was tempting, yet, he wasn't a fool to take it. He wasn't the kind of person to make a deal with his clan's murderer of all people.
He slowly began to realize this flippant request was a petty attempt into getting him to side with his older sibling; he didn't plan on doing that…ever…but, still the request was so unexpected. Sasuke knew something was going on; Itachi's confusing behavior accentuated the very problem at hand.
"I have no intention in joining you; you are the cause for this vendetta, and the very same person, who left me in this hell I live in. I will succeed were my fallen family had failed and kill you, only then... will I fight…Naruto…with my own hands. Not by the rules placed by you."
The Older Uchiha heard the hesitation in Sasuke's tone towards the Uzumaki child and it confirmed his suspicions. He looked away and gazed at the gravel on the expanse mountain top, he disregarded any potential danger around him letting his thoughts be taken into the depths of his mind.
He reviewed the events that unfolded before him. Finally knowing the hatred he intended to be left in his younger sibling wasn't strong enough to override his psyche, to fulfill a deed long meant to be done in his plans, to kill his own friend, the last….
He realized that this meeting was a futile attempt for an alliance in his plans…Sasuke needed to go back to the village and see…with his own eyes, the scrolls he left…the answers, his reasons. Only then…
"You...little brother are naive...I realize the mistake I made that day. But you will see soon enough..."Itachi said cryptically, turning away from his younger sibling and heading on the opposite direction away from Sasuke. Itachi tilted his head up to the sky, his head rolling lazily from one side to the other as he looked at the cluster of dark clouds form.
"You will all see."
"Return Sasuke...return to where your path began, question why it is there...not where it leads." His deep voice carried along the evening air, like an entrancing haunting melody, it hypnotized. He looked over his shoulder. "Once you do little brother you will seek me out."
"Don't give me that shit!" the Uchiha prodigy bellowed, the outburst reverberated across the clearing. Sasuke didn't seem to hear what his older brother was saying only responding to the movements he was pertaining. The deep hatred he kept bottled in throughout the confrontation, flowed from his frame. It came from every pore of his body, stilling the heavy condensed air, signifying the intense killing intent.
Itachi continued on unfazed, "Come when you know the truth. Until then...you are blind, deaf, and dumb."
"Shut your damn mouth you fucking bastard," with a speed so quick, for a split second Itachi lost sight of his younger sibling's signature, but picked it up at the last moment. He turned around in time to see him.
Sasuke let escape a mighty roar with the scabbard clutched in his right hand, and the unsheathed Kusunagi blade with other, he remained suspended in mid-air. Blade poised. It reflected brightly in the crimson sun, almost blinding the older Uchiha. "Die!"
Itachi reflexively fell in synch with the direction of the pointed blade, allowing his body to fall sideways, the blade grazed his side, giving him ample time to clutch the forearm of his younger brother and help skewer the blade deeply into the rough mountain top.
Itachi had one arm clutched tightly on Sasuke's wrist keeping the blade in place, while the other was grasping with a vice grip on the side of the younger sibling's neck. He was unable to get a more direct hold to suffocate his brother. Their eyes blazing crimson all the while, "The fog is thick." The elder spoke, not making any sense to the younger, "And you cannot see beyond your own hand."
The battle of the Sharingan Brothers commenced.
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"Damn it… damn it all!" Naruto couldn't help but cry out. He pounded his fist in frustration against the ground, watching the small debris of dirt and gravel rise along the contours of his hand, and then settled itself once again. Through this action something stirred within his stomach and trailed against his chest, rising to his throat. Until he bent his body abruptly and let a retched cough escape him.
"Gaaaaaaaaaahh!" blood was being vomited from his mouth, mixing with other contents, it continued until he was giving dry retched heaves. He ended up hunched over and remained that way for quite sometime.
"I… I... Damn, how did…they get past…how…" Naruto tried to get a grip on the situation, but coherent thoughts were in short supply. He was still disoriented with fight that happened moments ago.
The bodies of the two attackers in question lay a few feet away, one cut in half by his own hands due to his own specially developed technique, Futon: Kage Ken. A blade created by imbuing his own hands with wind chakra to become sharper, than the incomparable Kusunagi blade.
And the other figure obliterated beyond compare on the far side of the clearing.
He looked at the man that was severed in half and came to realize then, that this man had no relation to Akatsuki. He was too caught up in the heat of battle to notice he was Sound-nin…not that it mattered he had to kill him eventually.
Naruto felt a stinging pain on his side, and reached with a bruised left hand to touch the tender flesh. He felt the shredded skin, the red liquid seeping into his clothing staining it. He knew the person that inflicted this wound was Akatsuki elite. He was powerful with or without the distraction of the sound-nin, if he didn't know any better, it actually helped in defeating the Samehada wielding swordsman.
The person in question was laid sprawled a few feet away from Naruto, next to its owner was the Samehada blade, still clutched in his palm. He was an unrecognizable mess, but before when Naruto faced him. The swordsman of the mist was a menacing figure the distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale blue skin, small white eyes, gill-like facial structures, and sharp triangular teeth, a demon incarnate that went by the name, Kisame.
Naruto limped heavily towards the figure and reached out to grab the Samehada. He watched his own blood trickle along razor edges of the massive blade. He pulled out a random scroll from a hidden shirt pocket and unrolled it on the bloody battleground.
He kneeled before it.
He closed his eyes momentarily and whispered a seal. The blade vanished and was added to his collection of distinct weapons he kept when it was needed. But, really, this time around it was to be assured of this person's death. The reason being Kisame was Itachi's partner, therefore one of his enemies affiliated to the organization that wanted the demon residing in his body. One of the many….
Bodies lay across the battleground, massacred, and undistinguishable faces, mixing with different men and women, some from the Sound and some from the Leaf. He couldn't help, but feel remorse and sadness well up in his chest for what had occurred. In the distance he was able to see Neji and Hinata back to back, fending off incoming Sound nin from an unconscious Kiba and Shino. Byakugan's activated and deadly.
Naruto turned his head to look at the other end of the clearing and was able to see Kurenai fighting alongside Mitarashi Anko, thwarting the generals back.
He never was able to confront the snake mistress, but ever since the war began, for some strange reason she was keeping a close eye on him, through subtle hints during combat. He didn't understand it, but now really wasn't the time to be trying to straighten out such issues, so he just shrugged it off.
Gai and Lee were in their taijutsu stances dealing blow after blow, shattering bones and internally injuring enemy nin. The sharingan-wielding ninja, Kakashi, was nowhere to be seen, but soon as the thought occurred, he felt his presence when he came next to him. Naruto looked up at his sensei and felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He left soon after and went off to join Kurenai and Anko.
What surprised him the most was his former teacher of the academy, Umino Iruka. Such a ruthless, clever, warrior he turned out to be once placed in the battlefield. Naruto felt the killing intent and the determination radiate of his frame trying to protect the students, he once taught.
The specially made samurai blade he had cutting into enemy nin as if they were simply butter, and the tactics he was utilizing were unheard of. He was a formidable foe to all shinobi alike. Naruto would never see his former teacher the same way again.
But he knew the reason for the fierce determination. The up and coming seasoned genin and chuunin were being led under his command so he didn't intend to see any of his students' fall. Naruto couldn't help but feel proud watching his teacher head into to the fray tending to see all his students survive this bloody war.
He was shook out of his reverie when he felt the ground shake, he turned towards the cause of the tremor and saw in the far distance huge silhouetted creatures through the fog. When they came into view, he came to realize, it was none other then the masters of the slug, toad, and the snake: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
He sighed in relief seeing his baa-chan and ero-sennin still alive.
Naruto slowly began to lift himself off the ground. Shirt torn and tattered, blood dripped from his lips on to the rough material. He could feel a couple of bones broken in his fingers and ribs. Yet, he still rose from the ground tired, beaten, bloody, and willing to fight.
"God… da… damn… it," the blond shinobi said, his breathing growing uneasy. Every intake of breathe was strained and labored. "I…I…can't….fail now…I…I...can't...not yet."
He felt Sasuke's presence, the moment the Uchiha stepped into the area hours ago, but lost sight of him when he disappeared over the cliff. At the time he was busy fending off enemy-nin to chase him, so following him was impossible. Now with his part done he had leeway to head in the direction Sasuke went off too. But, the torn ligaments and battered body didn't agree with his actions.
"I can help you my child... release me." A voice whispered in the inner sanctum of his mind. Naruto felt his body becoming heavier feeling the chilling oppressing power of its owner consume him.
"No… way," Naruto replied, his breathing getting heavier as time passed. A strangled cough escaped him blood dripping from his lips.
"You need me boy….now…set…me free! Or you will die."
"I'll d.. d.. do it on my own." Naruto retorted, his anger beginning to rise, trying to restrain the influence of the fox.
The Kyuubi's dark ominous chuckle reverberated around the walls of his mind, "You will surely fail."
"Shut your damn mouth, you stupid fox!" the blond shinobi bellowed letting his frustration over the situation get the best of him.
"You're pathetic. You are blinded by a false hope. You can't see that she doesn't care if you live or die. She wants that Uchiha boy!" The Kyuubi taunted, he heard the beast's laugh soon after, and Naruto lowered his head feeling the false truth sink in. "Look at her…Her mind is set on… Sasuke."
"Shut up…please."
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The Battle raged on between the two brothers, the last living descendents of the Uchiha clan name. Fierceness overruled one, while the other remained apathetic, both skilled warriors danced around the battleground, countering and parrying oncoming blows. Craters began to form around the surrounding area and defined the Earth.
Eyes crimson, blades collided in the heat of battle, and prying eyes were upon them to witness the fall of one these exceptional warriors.
"You have become strong brother," Itach said, deflecting a blade about to graze his side. "But not strong enough to seize your destiny with your own two hands."
"We'll see about that." Sasuke replied, "The path of my destiny, ends with your death." his eyes smoldering, entrails of purple steam rose from his frame. With a smirk, the younger Uchiha swept a low kick, trying to kick his older sibling's legs from under him, Itachi reacted at the right moment, and flipped backwards to evade the attack. Stopping a few feet away, his eyes opened marginally, when he saw Sasuke end a seal, and rear back.
"Katon: Ryukon no Jutsu!" an enormous dragon erupted from Sasuke's mouth, encircling Itachi, like a coiled snake, trapping its prey. The head of the flaming dragon watched with hungry red jeweled eyes. Itachi remained composed and collected knowing the heated breathe of the dragon looming over his body, drew nearer.
"But where did it begin?" Itachi questioned raising his eyes towards the heavens above, which were obscured by the circling flames. "Do you follow the path set before you so blindly little brother..."
He paused, as if receiving his answer, "Worthless." Itachi caught Sasuke's simple hand gesture from the corner of his eye and the dragon attacked.
Itachi merely jumped out the way, but was caught by surprise when the dragon of flames, instead of disappearing on impact, back lashed and headed in the general course he was about to take. Regaining some semblance, during mid-fall, he uncovered his left hand hidden in his coat and with quick precision and accuracy, made hand seals to unleash his very own version of the dragon.
"Katon: Ryukon no Jutsu!" the dragon was expelled from his mouth and burst forth with a mighty roar, its size unmistakably larger than the one his younger sibling had created. The Larger dragon overpowered the smaller one and consumed its weaker flames making the inferno even vaster and powerful. Sasuke watched with a bewildered expression watching the dragon instead of attacking revolve itself around his form, trapping him.
The Flames licked against the ends of his pants, he could feel the nearby flames inching ever closer. He was surprised when the dragon reformed itself into a massive wall of fire, trailing around in a fortress like setting. Sasuke was unable to see through the inferno. But, was able to predict at the right time when a fire ball blew from one side. Sasuke retreated by flipping in the air, avoiding the dragon in time, and in the end it merely burned the tips of his clothing.
"Eyes," Itachi commented slowly stepping from the smoke "Eyes that do not see the unseen, ears that do not hear the echoes, hands that cannot touch the phantoms..." He drawled. "You cannot defeat me...little brother." Sasuke was able to see the distorted silhouetted figure outside of the walls, hands raised in a seal, the blade he was using, pierced on the ground.
The younger Uchiha hadn't realized, however, was that he had fallen into a trap. He felt the surge of power radiate off Itachi, with it, several bunshin surrounded him. Sasuke's eyes widened and cursed at his carelessness watching the row of distorted shadows coming into the fire. With no hint of hesitation, he reared back, and stabbed the blade into gravel. He closed his eyes and whispered in one breathe. His whole body crackled.
"Bunshin Daibakuba!" the clones began to detonate one after another, giving the flame more dexterity and range to consume the younger Uchiha. Each figure ran into the inferno, becoming suicidal time bombs, creating a massive explosion. A huge dust cloud and intense fire gave light to the darkening skies. Itachi looking through the haze with apathetic eyes, he reached lazily for the skewered blade. When the fog slowly began to clear, only a crater remained where Sasuke had once been.
"Ignorance...arrogance...foolishness," he smirked and turned from battle, provoking his hidden sibling with his mocking tone. When he felt a huge chakra spike, Itachi looked into the crater once again and looked upon Sasuke. His whole body rippled, as the surge of power flowed through him, glowing with white crackling electricity, coming from the entity within.
"I haven't begun to show you the extent of my power," The younger Uchiha retorted, Itachi watched his eyes close for a second and read the lips Sasuke whispered. "Chidori Nagashi."
Sasuke's whole body was consumed in a white light, before settling itself, electricity crackling around his body. Giving no time to evaluate the power surge, Itachi barely parried a punch headed in his direction. Sasuke's speed increased dramatically and Itachi tried to adjust to the speed of his younger sibling who sprung from the bottom of the crevice to his direction. Sasuke threw a crippling first punch, and quickly followed with another.
Every blow taken numbed his arms, he felt the electrically charged punches, being delivered blow after blow, but Itachi adjusted himself to the fight quickly. He blocked incoming punches with relative ease and canceling its numbing effect. Itachi finally seeing an exposed side struck back with a powerful swift punch, knocking Sasuke back. Becoming frustrated, Sasuke unleashed the Cursed Seal of Heaven: Level one unknowingly.
"What's this?" Itachi spoke as he stepped back, seeing the black ritual marks trailing over the body of his younger brother. When Itachi looked into the eyes of his sibling, he no longer was watching two sharingan eyes; he gripped the blade tightly seeing the golden hue of the left eye overpower the Sharingan. "A snakes venom courses through your veins does it not brother."
Sasuke relished the new power boost and smirked in response. The younger Uchiha lunged forward, blade gripped tightly in his hand, intending to pierce the older sibling.
An estranged look came over Itachi's face; and quickly made a sequence of seals stopping on one. He reared back and puffed his chest out in the process. He concentrated and filled his lungs with chakra condensed air. Waiting, for his sibling to be in range, he expelled it at the oncoming shinobi.
"Katon: Gokayu no jutsu!" Itachi cried out, a small bubble of flame came forth, but with the condensed chakra accumulated within his chest being expelled in excess. It gave the ball an even larger range, making it expand, becoming completely massive in size.
Sasuke looked at the incoming fireball, realizing he had no time to evade it; he headed headstrong into the burning inferno. Hand outstretched, blade leading in direction to strike, he sliced through it, electricity expelling from the katana.
But, he was unable to clear a path fully, and in the process his clothes started to disintegrate, his shirt being completely burned off, and welts began to rise on his skin.
Yet, Sasuke burst forth through the blazing fire, catching Itachi by surprised. Sasuke embedded his sword into the chest of his surprised brother. His satisfied stare quickly turned to panic though, as the body burst into flames. "Bunshin Daibakuba," when the time bomb was almost set, he tried with all his might to force himself away by launching his body backwards. His arms came in front of his face in an X shaped defense.
He left his kusanagi still skewered in Itachi's chest, but he had no time to return for it, because in the next instant the bunshin blew up. Sasuke was hurled even further than he intended to be thrown at, and was burned by the lick of the flames. He landed painfully on his side. He heard his blade rattle on the gravel above him. Sasuke lifted himself off the ground shakily, trying to gain some semblance from his disoriented state.
But he had no time to regain himself, when Itachi appeared before him, with a punch already heading in his direction. Sasuke tilted his head and used his left hand to push the punch away, only grazing his head by a hair's length. But, with the momentum Itachi was going, Sasuke powered up his right hand up with the Chidori Nagashi and connected his fist with Itachi's face, sending his older brother back away from him.
Itachi, a bit dazed, regained his wit in mid-step when he used a roundhouse kick as a warning, but Sasuke blocked the kick in time. The younger Uchiha was stunned; he thought he would've had a slight advantage with the infused electrifying punch he landed, but Itachi stood standing before him unaffected.
"If faith in your destiny is what prevents you from fearing death" Itachi spoke, the bangs shadowing his eyes from view before he raised his eyes to meet Sasuke's, sharingan spinning slowly. "Then I shall sever that faith...from your body."
Itachi's remark struck a cord within Sasuke. All the anger and frustration soon gave out, like a crack in a dam, it poured out of him. He exploded chakra. He felt his chakra reserves increase, his muscles growing, and felt the surge of power flow throughout his frame. An explosion erupted and covered them in a haze of dust and debris.
Itachi had his eyes closed but his other senses alert, awaiting the arrival of Sasuke. A dark figure began to form itself in the fog. Rising from the dust and enormous release of chakra emerged Sasuke. Itachi made no reaction to the transformation.
His skin started to turn dark gray and his hair grew much longer falling past his shoulders. He started to grow hand shaped wings from his back and they expanded even further in width. His body crackled with electricity flowing throughout his body. The Cursed Seal of Heaven: Level Two had been activated.
Every second, Sasuke seemed to grow more powerful. Itachi started to feel the oppressing power of the cursed seal and Sasuke's own strength. He was surprised by the speed of his younger brother; and was barely able to block a punch coming his way. His eyes widened at the force of its impact, but catching the follow up coming his way, he had no chance to adjust himself in time to take the blow. He whispered a jutsu under his breath.
"Shunsin no jutsu," Itachi flickered from his original position and appeared at another place, Sasuke following suit soon after. Once, Sasuke reached the destination, Itachi would disappear again. Sasuke's golden eyes scowled at this game, he became frustrated.
Going through every technique in his arsenal, he improvised one on the fly, "Karyu: Endan," he bellowed, a dragon of flames was expelled from his mouth soon after and grew larger, than Itachi's own. It was beyond enormous, the incoming inferno engulfed Itachi, Sasuke heard the agonizing screams from within, and the smell of burnt flesh begin to rise in the evening air.
In the fire, it was stopped abruptly, and Itachi stood in the eye of the inferno. He was far worn than what he looked moments ago; his clothes were burnt of his skin.
Sasuke kept a wary eye on his older sibling waiting for him to strike, but what he didn't expect was the form in front of him to collapse…give a painful sigh, and disappear in a puff of smoke. His eyes widened in panic, when he felt the ground beneath him open up and felt a figure appear behind him.
The Figure with a quick motion wrapped an arm around his neck keeping him in a place, tightening his hold every so often. Sasuke tried to free himself, but his breathe was leaving him, his vision becoming blurry with each passing moment. "This is all you are." Sasuke's eyes widened, recognizing the voice, cursing his own misfortune unable to pick up on his older brother's bunshin, when he created it. "Now..."
Itachi turned Sasuke abruptly to face one another, Sasuke looking right into the red burning inferno called Mangekyo. "Learn your place," the older Uchiha finished. He watched Sasuke's face turn deathly pale, dull onyx eyes stared from them.
Sasuke careened into the inner sanctum of his mind, and tried to block out the haunting memories of his past, the piercing pain in his chest cutting deeper into an unhealed wound.
He fell deeper into darkness, until he came to a sudden, bone crushing stop, and was left strapped to a crucifix. Disoriented and in pain he looked around him. He knew he was once here before…but, this time he knew it was different somehow. It was chaotic, and through the hell, Sasuke stared into the materialized form of his brother's eyes.
Itachi, meanwhile, kept his eyes locked with his younger sibling's own. He watched his brother writhe in pain and controlled the amount being inflicted upon Sasuke's fragile mind. He'd planned to leave him unconscious, but when he felt a spike of chakra in the air about a mile a way. He had a feeling he would need the help of his sibling after all. A ray of hope, to a certain extent…
He knew his plans would be set in motion after this…
A tremor shook the very earth, rock slides were started, and trees were overturned in the distance. Shinobi on the battlefield felt the oppressing foul chakra flowing, all fighting was stopped momentarily, watching the red inferno, light the skies. A terrifying roar reverberated across the warriors and chilled the bone of every shinobi fighting in battle.
The Kyuubi no Yoko had awakened.
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A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Review please
Isan - Legacy