Well, my loyal fans here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it. I'll like to thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited or followed and are even willing to read this fic.
Temari nodded, "yes, but it was years after his deflection. It doesn't really make sense."
Kakashi sighed, "It seems that the Akatsuki are as big a mystery as they have always been."
The surrounding shinobi nodded.
"We must depart and start preparing our villages for the war. Hokage-sama, I will see you once the Raikage sends word."
The sand siblings said their good-byes and ran off.
The Konoha-nin packed up… Kakashi was inwardly pleased, perhaps they will be able to get to Konoha before Itachi's jutsu wore off.
A week passed without any incidents and to Deidara's delight he figured out a way to, more or less, overcome his weakness to lightning. Problem was that it wasn't going to be efficient during an aerial fight.
Itachi stood next to his partner… who had arrived but a few hours prior.
"Itachi, what is it that you wish?" wondered Nagato, not bothering to move from were he sat.
"I desire to go to Konoha, to finish my discussion with my otōto."
"Do you trust that village to not kill you on sight?"
The Uchiha smirked, "we wont be entering the village… but our clones…."
"Shōten no Jutsu (Impersonating Jutsu)," finished Nagato. "You already have the sacrifices."
Neither of the two shinobi answered, just stared at him steadily.
"The clones will require 60% of your chakra… to make the journey and if necessary defeat any opponent without the jutsu releasing."
Itachi and Kisame nodded and knelt behind Nagato… the bodies were already positioned at the border of Amegakure.
As they began their journey, Kisame cracked a smile. "Never thought I would be seeing you again, kid. Especially after that dramatic fight… however if you ask me you did over do it, a bit."
Itachi smirked, "being alive is not something I would have thought possible. I was completely prepared to die… and now I have to fight in a war. The very thing I've been trying to prevent for the pass decade."
"Are you sulking… kid?"
Itachi didn't answer right away and stayed quiet for a few minutes.
"I believe I am," he said softly.
Kisame chuckled, he forgets at times that his partner was still but just a kid in certain aspects of his personality.
"Come on kid, let go beat some sense into your stubborn otōto."
-o-o-o-
It is a two days journey from Amegakure to Konohagakure, yet to Kisame's pride they arrive at the village in a day and a half. Using the same low class genjutsu that they used last time, they snuck passed the guards.
Itachi looked at what use to be a prospering nation… was now almost nothing. He could think that it was Konoha's fate to be destroyed, he had just prevented the inevitable.
"Hey kid, where do you recon you brother is being held? This place is more confusing then last time." The shark-nin remarked.
Itachi nodded, "yes, their emergency plans should still be the same and with Sasuke still being unconscious…"
"Your village did not learn anything from last time, did it?"
"Surprisingly not, Kisame," he tilted his head slightly to the left. "Likewise, it seems that Kakashi-san has come to greet us."
The silver haired ninja jumped out of his hiding spot and smiled sheepishly. "I admit tailing you wasn't my brightest ideas."
Neither of the Akatsuki bothered to answer.
"Itachi, whatever you wish to say to Sasuke is pointless. He has not awaken from your jutsu yet." Kakashi informed his ex-teammate.
Itachi gave no indication that he heard him.
"Then the jutsu has served its purpose." He said matter-of-factly, walking ahead not bothering to explain further. "Inform the Hokage where we will be." He finished, leaving Kakashi alone of the walkway.
The two S-rank shinobi stood next to the young Uchiha, the Kyūbi jinchūriki was deeply asleep. The ANBU outside had been easily incapacitated.
"Itachi-san you scare me at times," murmured the shark.
"Itachi! Was it really necessary for you to beat the hell out of my ninja with such an advance and outdated jutsu!" demanded the Godaime as she entered the room. "Oh, don't you dare ask me to leave! It would seem that Madara paid Naruto a little visit before crashing the summit."
The Uchiha inclined his head in understanding, though he could see that Kisame wasn't at all comfortable. With a series of seals he released the jutsu… Sasuke eyes immediately fluttered open.
"Aniki… what did you do?!" he yelled as he realized where he was, and to his luck Naruto woke up.
"Damn Sasuke, do you have to be so loud?" the blonde complained as he messaged his head.
"Um… kid, why don't you put the baka back to sleep," complained Kisame. "He's louder then Dei."
Itachi didn't even turn as he walked and gaze out the window. "Kisame that would be redundant, it will be faster and easier to deal with the three at once."
"No, this will just be one bigger headache… you enjoy torturing me, kid!" accused the blue skin-nin.
To the surprise of all the Konoha shinobi, Itachi chuckled. "… I'll admit… it is entertaining."
Naruto scouted closer to his best friend, "hey teme… I didn't know your brother had a sense of humor."
Sasuke nodded subconsciously, he was just as freaked out as the others.
"Enough time wasted," Itachi interrupted their thoughts. "Ask away."
The room filled with a tense silence and to Itachi's inward amusement Naruto was the one who broke it.
"Is it true?"
To the Hokage's frustration, Itachi nodded… Naruto burst a casket.
"No, no, no… it can't be! The Sandaime would have never let such a thing happen!" the denial was thick in his voice.
Kisame snorted, "baka, when will you get it through that thick skull of yours that the Hidden Villages aren't as honest and honorable as you make them out to be. I mean…"
"Enough Kisame," commanded Itachi in an icy tone.
"Why are you here, Aniki?" asked Sasuke, finding his voice.
"To answer any questions you may have and to stop this idiotic plan of revenge. The whole of Konoha isn't to blame and neither is the late Hokage."
Tsunade cleared her throat, "then who gave the order."
The older Uchiha exhaled, "the council, but more specifically… Danzō, he has wish for the power of the Uchiha for many years now. His right eye is proof of this." He turned and gave his brother a cold look. "Shisui's, in an attempt to stop Danzō's madness… he ended up being attack. Unfortunately, for Shisui he underestimated Danzō and barely got away… though not without losing his eye first."
Itachi turned to Naruto and to the teen's disgust he began to chuck-up a black mass, which swiftly took the form of a bigger then average crow. As it got free, it flew over to Itachi and sat on his shoulder.
"Damn, I thought I was never going to see that freaking bird ever again!" exclaimed Naruto gagging to clear his mouth.
The bird turned and let the others see the sharingan… they all flinched imagining what could have happen between the two cousins.
"Shisui gave me his other eye before he ended his life at Naka River, forcing the Mangekyō sharingan to awaken. It was his final wish to protect the village and to prevent a civil war."
"Why? Itachi, why does our family always have to sacrifice everything for this damn village?" Sasuke stubbornly asked.
"Because it is our family that has been the cause for all the pain this village has suffer!"
Kisame took a step back, not used to seeing his partner loose his temper.
"It was Uchiha Madara that unleashed the Kyūbi on the village almost seventeen years ago, which ended up killing Minato-san and Kushina-san."
Both Naruto and Tsunade caught the sadness in his voice when mentioning the village's heroes.
"I-Itachi-san, you knew my Oto-san (Dad) and Haha (Mother)?" asked Naruto nervously. Not used to speaking about his parents.
Itachi nodded, "yes, Naruto-kun. Minato-san never approved of how my family was always pushing me to improve."
Tsunade inclined his head, "so you've known of the truth since the start."
"Hn," was Itachi's only responds and closed the subject. "Sasuke forget the past and learn on how to live in the present, learn from Naruto-kun. He knows the worst loneliness that a person could ever experience… however he has managed to come out from it a better person."
Sasuke shook with anger, "that Baka doesn't know anything about the pain you put me through."
"Damasu (Fool)," hissed Itachi.
Kisame was wishing that he hadn't accompany his partner, in that second he was scarier then even Nagato-sama.
Naruto visibly flinched back. Sasuke's brother was terrifying, but managed to find his voice to speak his thoughts.
"Then why would you join Akatsuki if you were so loyal to Konoha and if your were friends with my parents?"
It was obvious that the blonde was also trying to change the subject.
Itachi shrugged one shoulder an inch, "during the time after the massacre… I could see the logic in Leader-sama's plans. After all, I started to care only about the end results," he turned to Kisame. " None of us care about the means necessary to reach our goal." The shark-nin grunted his agreement, "the lives of nine unfortunate individuals and the thousands of others that would follow, is a price that I was willing to pay… as long as I didn't have to fight in another war."
Tsunade scoffed, "that's some twisted logic if I've ever heard any."
"Perhaps Hokage, but tell me… do your shinobi truly have a choice when being assigned a mission?" asked Itachi as he noticed that the jinchūriki was about to start protesting.
"Naruto, silence!" ordered Tsunade. "Uchiha what are you getting at?"
Kisame answered that before Itachi, reminding them that he was also there. "Itachi and I have declined a number of missions which we deemed not worth our time."
Kakashi stepped forward out of the shadows followed by Yamato.
Itachi smirked… he had been wondering when those two would make their appearance.
"How do things work within your organization?"
The blue-skin shinobi glanced unsurely at his dark hair partner… to the annoyance of all Konoha's high rank shinobi in the room, there appeared to be some sort of silent communication passing between the Akatsuki.
"The request would go through Sasori's spy network and if it seemed as though it would benefit the organization, Konan-san would get in contact with the client and later Leader would inform the rest of us of the mission that were available." Itachi explained in a bore voice.
Yamato tilted his head, "and what reassurance is there that the mission will be completed."
Kisame chuckled, "all of us get bore easily and doing nothing is the worst possible thing for a few of us… sooner or later the mission would get done. Plus the pay is a good initiative, our services aren't cheap."
"Tenzo spit it out, your staring and glares will accomplish nothing." Itachi said, leaning against the wall next to the window.
Kakashi snickered at Yamato's frustrated expression.
"You prodigal geniuses are all the same… frustrating arrogant bastards," the wood user complained. Though no one paid him any attention.
"Kisame…."
"Yes, kid," beady eyes turned to the door. "We'll be going now… please get rid of these two for us"
"Also be informed that your shinobi have been released and should be here in a few days… Leader-sama was not please with how Ame's shinobi were treated."
The Godaime narrowed her eyes, though she couldn't really blame the rinnegan wielder.
"Aniki, I will not stay here!"
"Brat, you really don't have a choice… we are not even here!" answered Kisame, laughing at the Hokage expression. "Yeah… we haven't forgotten that we are S-ranked criminals."
"Sasuke do not use your Mangekyō sharingan… unless you wish to loss you sight. The amount of chakra necessary will burn your optic nerves. Oh and Hokage make sure that you keep the truth of the Uchiha massacre under wraps, this isn't time for the citizens to loss faith in their government." Itachi added as an after thought.
It was with those last words that they dropped dead.
"I'm really starting to hate that jutsu," growled Tsunade as she kicked on of the bodies.
-o-o-o-
In the days that followed, in Konoha, there was a mixture of tranquility and chaos. Tsunade would kill for a couple of sake, but because of her goody-two-shoe apprentice she wasn't enjoying the comforting liquid warmth.
"Milady, the last of our shinobi have been checked out… they're all okay. The worst one only has a mild case of hyperthermia. If you think about what they've been through… it should have been worse." The pinkette reported.
"Yes, plus the Daimyōs have given their approval on the alliance though they know nothing regarding the Akatsuki's involvement." Shizune added.
"Good… has word from the Raikage…?"
Both of her students shook their heads.
"Though we have receive word that he and Killer B are together." Sakura said.
Tsunade nodded, "alright then you may go."
Shizune left swiftly, however Sakura lingered.
"What is it, Sakura?" asked the Hokage not looking up from her files.
"M-Milady… are you sure this is a good idea… I mean working with the Akatsuki?" she asked hesitantly.
Her shishou sighed, "no Sakura… just having Sasuke in the village is a gamble. However they are an asset that all of the other Kages are will to take the risk to use."
Sakura nodded and began to turn to leave. She had promised Naruto to meet up with him for lunch and that ultimately meant that she was going to have to see Sasuke. Poor Naruto, had gotten the task of keeping an eye on their genin teammate and luckily them… the Uchiha had stopped attempting to leave after Itachi and Kisame's visit. What was weirder was that the elders upright retired and Danzō was now nowhere to be found. All in all things were much simpler for the Godaime.
"Sakura!" Tsunade called her into attention, "this does not mean that we trust them. If anything will do everything in our power to keep them in line, as well as figuring out what they are planning."
Her student inclined her head, her small smile was filed with reassurance and Sakura sprinted out of her office.
So there you go and I hope you enjoyed it, if you did tell me and if you didn't more reason to tell me. So I realize that this is a small type of filler, but at the same time it starts to answer many questions.
Plus, if any of you are interested I hate to say this but the pole as ended and the pairing has been decided. However since I feel like being a little cruel so I won't tell you… if you can guess go a head and if you guess correctly… you get cookies! Little hint it was a close one, until the last day it was a three-way tie… I was actually worried for a little bit.
So please, review and see you next week.
