When Itachi woke up, he had been moved into a cell. He was lying on a bed. Next to him was a glass of water and several pills. There was a note from the Hokage, instructing him to take them. He inspected them carefully before taking them and drinking the water. He curled up on the bed again and hold his head in his hands. He had a huge headache from the earlier interrogation, but he knew that just a headache was bliss compared to other interrogation techniques.

Itachi heard footsteps approaching, so he made himself sit up. His heart stopped when he heard a cane along with the footsteps. He was panicking on the inside and felt the childish desire to hide under the bed to escape this wrathful man's wrath. Danzo had a cold expression in his eyes. He unlocked the door with a key and instructed the two root members beside him to hold Itachi down.

The two root members removed his shirt and pants before holding him down on his back, each holding an arm with a hand on each shoulder. Danzo stepped forward and removed the younger man's briefs. He bunched them up and stuffed them in Itachi's mouth to quiet his pleadings. "You must be retaught the basics it seems," he said, sneering.

Itachi desperately kicked out his legs, trying to escape their grasp. Danzo reached down and squeezed his penis, causing Itachi to cry a muffled cry of pain. He slapped one of Itachi's thighs. "Either spread your legs, or I will break them both," he said. Itachi knew he wasn't joking so he opened his legs for the man. He tensed as he heard the shuffling of clothing and wasn't prepared for when Danzo pushed in him.

Itachi could feel himself tearing. The pain was unbearable, and he let out a muffled scream as tears dripped down his face. "At least you've always been a very beautiful specimen," Danzo said, groaning. "You won't be after I'm done with you. I'm going to snatch those eyes right out of your head!" Itachi let out a terrified whimper; this man had always scared him.

"I have to go into hiding because you got caught. I'm going to pluck your eyeballs out of that pretty head of your's and take you with me to retrain. You won't even know your own name when I'm done with you!" Danzo said. He started chocking Itachi, causing him to buck up and thrash. "Hold still, slut!" He released his throat and slapped him.

So, this was how he was going to die. Itachi stared off into space, trying to separate himself from the pain and humiliation. He wished more than anything his lover would barge in and save him, but he knew that would never happen. Itachi allowed himself to fall unconscious.

All the sudden, he heard yelling and felt the weight fall off of him. Itachi opened his eyes and witnessed Kakashi and his brother fighting Danzo and the root ninja. Danzo knew he was outdone, and with one last scornful look at Itachi, he retreated.

Itachi curled into himself, crying and hyperventilating. Why had it been his brother who came with Kakashi? He was so ashamed that he was so weak. He wished the root members and Danzo had just finished him off to spare the humiliation.

Sasuke didn't know what to think. He hated his brother, but at the same time, he never wanted to see him humiliated like this. In battle, perhaps. But rape was a whole different thing and was unspeakable.

Kakashi took a sheet and put over Itachi before shutting the cell door. "Sasuke, go inform Tsunade of what happened. She'll want to take care of this herself to keep this quiet," he said. Sasuke took one last look at his brother before obeying his sensei's command.

Itachi slowly moved to pick up his discarded clothing. Under the sheet, he slipped his briefs on, wincing as he had to sit up. He did the same with his pants, which were luckily loose. He desperately avoids eye contact with Kakashi as he slipped his shirt back on. He didn't care if he looked vulnerable anymore; he pressed his back against the wall and held his knees to his chest.

"Itachi, why did you not tell anyone about Danzo?" Kakashi asked.

Itachi huffed, wiping away what was left of his tears. "Even if I had, what could have been done? I killed my clan to stop an oncoming uprising. If I had told what was happening to me, Danzo would have made a play for power rather than accepting exile. I would have started something that I was trying so desperately to stop," he said. "I just wanted Sasuke to grow up in a time of peace. That's all I wanted."

Kakashi didn't ask anything else. Itachi relished the silence but felt the need to add something. "You have guided him well. Please continue looking after him. He is who I love the most," he whispered, meeting the copy ninja's eyes. Kakashi could tell Itachi was being sincere, and he scratched the side of his mask to hide his embarrassment.

Both Kakashi and Itachi sat in silence for the rest of the time. Tsunade came storming in with Sasuke. Itachi couldn't bear to even look at his younger brother; he felt so ashamed of himself for not being strong enough to fend them off. "What happened?! I assigned a guard after the earlier report!" Tsunade said, angrily.

"We've been betrayed, Lady Tsunade. Danzo was given a key to open the cell," Kakashi said. He looked expectantly at Itachi. "I believe his goal was to kill Uchiha-san."

Itachi gritted his teeth. Kakashi was wrong. Danzo had always wanted to completely break him and add him to his collection of Root Members. Tsunade huffed and opened the cell door. Itachi instinctively backed away from her, not wanting to be touched. "Don't touch me," he said, giving her a cold look.

"Look, kid, I need to check your lungs anyway. Take off your shirt and let me check out the damage," Tsunade said. He glowered at her before obliging and taking off his muscle shirt.

Itachi's ribs were protruding and his upper body was covered in bruises from where his lover had marked him two days ago. His shoulders and forearms where the root ninjas held him down were beginning to bruise. Other than the bruises, his abdomen was mostly unmarred. It was only when he turned that you could see the barest of scars down his back from Danzo's punishments that had since then faded into his milky colored skin.

Tsunade healed the bruising on his abdomen before anything else. He bared through it even though he wanted to just be left alone. She knew that Itachi would rather be tortured than for her to heal the tearing in his rectum. She pressed a hand on his upper back and his front chest. Her hands glowed green as she focused on healing him. After a few minutes, she sighed and pulled her hands away. "Listen up, kid. Chances are that if you ever use your eyes again that your lungs will deteriorate to a point that no medical ninjutsu will be able to help you. Your lungs are ruined; I don't even know how you're breathing!" Tsunade said. "Considering that you'll never leave this cell, I suppose I shouldn't worry you too much about it. Your chakra will be permanently sealed tomorrow, so you won't be able to anyway."

Itachi pressed his lips together in a thin line as he pulled his shirt back on. He could feel his brother staring him down, but he didn't have the courage to even look at him. The raven-haired man knew he needed to escape before tonight. He briefly wondered if Kisame had reached Pein yet.

Tsunade fixed her eyes on him before standing and stepping out of the cell. "Which lover should I be looking out for?" she said with a smirk.

Itachi looked up at her and frowned. "Wouldn't you like to know," he said icily.

The blonde Hokage narrowed her eyes at him. "I would, actually. I have my suspicions. Inoichi hasn't given me his full report yet, so I suppose I will find out for myself. In any case, I'm assigning a team of ANBU to watch you."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh. "Kisame Hoshigaki," he said. "He will always come for me."

Sasuke snorted. "Didn't he abandon you on the battle field?"

Itachi finally pulled the courage to look his younger brother in the eyes. "Not abandoned, otouto. I told him to leave. If you had been paying any attention, you would have realized our jutsus were a diversion," he said. Sasuke stiffened and scowled at him.

"Aniki," Sasuke spat out the word bitterly, "You-"

Kakashi clapped a hand on his student's shoulder. "Sasuke, that's enough. Don't let him get under your skin like that," he said. "It's time for us to depart."

As Sasuke turned and left with his sensei, Itachi's eyes softened considerably. Tsunade clicked her tongue as she relocked the cell. She turned on her heels and left Itachi alone to his misery. He was still in significant pain. He curled up on the bed and hid under the sheet.