A/N: Okay, I know you're angry at me (understatement-no-jutsu) and I did receive some very frightening threats against my life, but I need you guys to bear with me here, okay? You see, I've had this idea for a very long time and I just happened to decide that it would work for Reverence, so I know what I'm doing and I promise that I'll set everything right... eventually. It just won't be in a way that you'll expect, so, like I said, bear with me. n.n;

There was the sound of an explosion and then everything stopped. Literally. Although the wind probably should have come rushing in after the explosion, it seemed to do the opposite, it stopped altogether. Every shinobi paused, wondering what had happened and why the Akatsuki wasn't taking the chance to attack while the confsion was getting the better of everybody.

Speaking of the Akatsuki, they all exchanged knowing nods and then all of the clones disappeared in individual plumes of smoke until only the actual members remained, looking like the cats that got the cream.

The scythe-bearing male smirked haughtily and gave a small wave, saying, "Later, losers!" And then they all jumped back into the forests where they'd come from.

"... Should we follow them?" Anko asked, sounding completely dumbfounded. She wasn't sure whether she should be surprised, angry, happy or disappointed and all of the conflicting emotions were making it hard to come upon a decision.

"Nobody moves until I speak with Tsunade-sama," Kakashi answered, changing the frequency on his headset. "Patch me through to Hokage-sama," he told the operator and waited impatiently for the blond Hokage to answer his call.

"Yes," he heard Tsunade's sleepy voice.

"Something's going on," he told her, "There was an explosion and the Akatsuki just suddenly took off."

"Took off?" the blond repeated.

"Yeah, right after the explosion. Should we follow after them or pull back or what? I'm not very sure what just happened here and I don't know what sort of order to give."

"Just stay put for a while. We don't know if they might return or not."

"Right."

"Radio me in if something else happens, understand?"

"I understand, Ma'am."

"Alright."

And then the connection was broken. Kakashi sighed and turned back to the forests. "We stay here until we're certain of what's happening." And, with that, he initiated the horrid waiting game that could cost them their lives.

"No way..."

Sasuke could only watch in horror as his brother—the man he'd spent over half his life searching for, the man he'd just gotten back—was scooped up by Deidara's bird and then disappeared in the impossibly huge explosion.

"No way," he repeated as his chest began to heave, his knees grew weak, his breath came out in short, ragged gasps and the tears welled in his eyes. He felt the shock and anger and sadness all at once and all he could do was repeat his words over and over again, his voice nothing but a choked sob. "No. No way. No way, no way. No! No! NO!!!" He fell to his knees and tried to look away as the burning remains of the five second battle fell from the sky, but he couldn't manage.

Was it possible that Itachi had actually been killed? How was it that the one man who seemed completely immune to death's tricks could be killed so easily? Wasn't he supposed to be the unstoppable Uchiha? Wasn't he supposed to be stronger than Orochimaru? Wasn't he supposed to get through everything?!

"ITACHI!" Sasuke shouted as the last of his dwindling self-control left him and he ran onto the scene to search for any remains of his fallen brother.

Naruto was so bored! Every time he radioed in the squads to check their status, he heard the sounds of war and he wished he was a part of it. He wanted to be out there, helping to make a difference in the world!

"Stupid Baa-chan," he grumbled bitterly, "Leaving me with all the boring jobs. Doesn't she know this is chuunin work?" He would have continued on with his little rant, but the sounds of rustling caught his attention and his frustration was all but forgotten. He narrowed his eyes to see into the darkness and what he saw would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

The figure was quite obviously Sasuke and that eased his suspicions, but it was the way Sasuke looked that frightened him so much. He had splotches of blood all over him, including on his face, tears were falling from his eyes quicker than they could roll down his cheeks and his shoulders were shaking with his very audible sobs. In his arms he held an arm. Not his arm. And there was no body attached to it.

"Jesus!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping from his post and rushing over to a very distraught Sasuke.

"I just... just... got... him... back!" Sasuke cried between sobs, "I just got him back, Naruto! Now he's gone!"

Naruto looked down at the arm to see that it was completely black, charred from when it was (Naruto could only assume) lit on fire and then left to burn. He had thought it had just been the shadows playing tricks on him. Apparently not.

"Is... that... Itachi's arm?"

Sasuke nodded, going into another fit of sobs as he clutched the arm to him.

Naruto cursed and pressed the Intercom on his headset, "Kakashi, status."

"The Akatsuki just ran off," Kakashi said.

"They ran off?" Naruto had to wince when that question made Sasuke's sobs increase to near-wails.

"There was this huge explosion in the forest and, when they heard it, the clones disappeared and the Akatsuki ran off."

"Shit," Naruto grumbled.

"I spoke to Tsunade-sama already and she said to stay where we are until we figure out what happened and what it means."

"Don't worry, I think I already know."

"What hap—"

Naruto cut him off by adjusting the frequency on his headset and had the operator patch him through to Tsunade. When the blond finally came through, he said, "Baa-chan, we're going to need some medic-nin at the border, pronto."

"Why? What's going on?"

Naruto sighed, took a deep breath in and then started, "Sasuke's a mess, Itachi's dead and apparently armless and Sakura-chan's probably going to go on a murderous rampage when she finds out, now how about that medic?"

Tsunade didn't reply, but there was a team of medics there in a matter of moments; a few of them to take Sasuke away and the rest go out and collect the dead.

"God, everything's going to shit again," Naruto groaned as he watched his friend get hauled away.

When would this ever end?

A/N: Sigh... Sasuke's gone crazy... I think that means it's time for some SasuNaru lovin'! XD ... Bad timing? Yeah...