Gift of Pein
Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed inevitable death and what are the consequences?
He found him five minutes later, hiding in a dark cave like the snake he is, protected by an ultimately useless barrier that Itachi smashed through with his Susanoo with ease. He'd obviously startled Kabuto with the ease of his entrance, since Orochimaru's little protégé whipped his head around when Itachi punched his way through.
Kabuto smirked at the elder Uchiha brother, not at all surprised that Itachi was alive but a bit more surprised at having been found. ''Ah, Itachi-kun. I'm impressed you were able to pas through my barrier and find this place.''
''When you had Shisui use his eye on me in order to take control of me, you revealed your identity, allowing me to know whom I am to search for. I was able to pinpoint your location here.'' Itachi explained casually, stepping further into the chamber Kabuto was using, spotting Anko, unconscious, behind him. ''And even if you hadn't given me your identity, Nagato-kun could still easily pinpoint your location while you were controlling him. That's another risk of this jutsu.''
''Another?'' Kabuto questioned but the Uchiha didn't reply, so the cloaked form turned around to face his adversary. ''I see. Well, thank's for the tip. I will be sure to use it the next time around.''
''There won't be another time.'' Itachi promised, allowing his eyes to rove over the cavern, making sure no traps were waiting for him should he make another move forwards.
''I thought that Uchiha Shisui's jutsu was unstoppable, that no one can escape its effects.'' Kabuto mumbled to himself, studying the man that Orochimaru had feared for many years of his life. Compared to his partner, or any other Akatsuki member for that matter, Itachi looked very frail and fragile. One would never believe he was the strongest man in that organization. He didn't even look like he belonged in the organization to begin with. Itachi wasn't deformed by some jutsu like Deidara and his three additional mouths. He hadn't turned himself into a mummy or a puppet. He didn't have strangely colored skin or piercings all over his body, nor was his body skeleton like, like Nagato's real body was. And he didn't have stitchings in his neck from where his head had been chopped off one too many times. He wasn't made of thousands upon thousands of slices of paper bombs, either. He was a very handsome man that, by appearances, didn't belong in such a deranged group. Yet here he was, one of the last few of the original group still alive, the strongest and still the only one undefeated among them. ''It never even occurred to me to counter one Kotoamatsukami with another. I thought no one can stop it, so I wasn't worried.''
''Then you have inherited more than Orochimaru's powers. You've inherited his arrogance as well.'' Kabuto glared at this, but paid the comment no mind.
''It is you who is arrogant here, Uchiha Itachi. You've come here with the intent to kill me, but the Edo Tensei won't stop even if you somehow manage to.'' He allowed his smirk to become a little wider, letting the words sink in into the genius' head. ''I am the only one who can stop this jutsu.'' He started laughing like an evil maniac, exasperating Itachi to no end.
''I am well aware of this fact, Kabuto.'' Itachi calmly replied, startling the glasses wearing ninja again. His laughter stopped immediately and he turned to regard Itachi with a stupefied expression on his face. ''I've known of the Edo Tensei since my days in the Academy. I tended to read more than an ordinary grownup did, curious and hungry for knowledge. Let that be your only warning.''
''Books won't do you any good in a fight, Itachi-kun.'' Kabuto hissed in a true snake-like manner, pissed that Itachi was underestimating him. ''I am a lot stronger than even Orochimaru-sama used to be and I am not scared of you.'' The gray haired man said, glaring at the Uchiha. ''Oorchimaru-sama avoided any territory you were in like the plague, scared that you would come to kill him for trying to take over your body. I'm not like that. I don't need your body, Itachi-kun.'' He said, standing and removing his cloak, allowing Itachi to see that the damn snake was a part of his body, coming out of his bellybutton. If you asked Itachi, he looked downright creepy in true Orochimaru fashion. ''I'm going to kill you and then bring you back with the Edo Tensei. I want you to understand this, Itachi. This jutsu has neither risk nor weaknesses.''
''Every jutsu has a risk. And very jutsu has a weakness.'' Itachi stated firmly but Kabuto only laughed at him again.
''What are you even doing here, Itachi? One would think that now that you have been revived, you would go off and play peacemaker somewhere else, where people would appreciate your sense of humor for still believing in peace.'' He mocked, studying the long haired man once again, appreciating the power hidden in such a slim body. ''Tobi and I are at war with the Five Great Nations and we are winning, all thanks to Madara wreaking chaos on the battlefield as we speak. We will soon have the last two biju that are missing and his plan will be in motion. You, meanwhile, instead of helping them are here bothering me, thinking you can stop a jutsu that has no weakness or risks! How hilarious!'' He started laughing again, actually managing to tick Itachi off a little. He didn't like to be laughed at. People who laughed at him tended to be left in the dirt to rot as their brains dripped out of their ear. ''Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Even the great Akatsuki no Itachi is reduced to nothing but desperate attempts. Truly pathetic.''
''You won't get away with this.''
''Won't I? Are you even aware of all the people I've reanimated with the Edo Tensei?'' The snake taunted, gliding a bit forwards but stopping when a single kunai embedded itself right between his feet. He stayed where he was, once again startled by the Uchiha. He hadn't even seen him move his arms or hands. ''Your former Akatsuki members, the former Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a few previous Kages and even your cousin, Uchiha Shisui. Pretty impressive, don't you think?'' His snake head wiggled around excitedly and Itachi repressed an expression of disgust from settling on his face. ''And you think you can stop me, on your own?''
''I am usually not one to brag, but all of my Akatsuki members have fought me, at the same time, once, long ago, and they have managed to land a hit. After five hours of battle. All of them except Leader-sama and Konan-san.'' Red eyes roved over his opponent's body and snorted, knowing it would tick Kabuto off. ''I don't think you can measure up to that. You're not even as strong as Orochimaru had been.''
True enough to Itachi's prediction, that not only ticked Kabuto off, it pissed him off and he flew at Itachi in a rage, aiming for his neck in hopes of strangling him. Itachi allowed himself to burst into dozens of crows and reappear behind Kabuto, delivering a swift kick to his ribs and lower back before crouching down and making to sweep the other man's feet from under him but Kabuto jumped up and whirled around to deliver a kick to the genius' head, but Itachi was ready and had raised his arms up, palms outwards, wrists crossed as the kick was blacked by his forearms. Itachi then took a strong grip on the leg and hurled Kabuto over his shoulder as he twisted, the snake hitting a stalagmite, braking it in half and the one that was sticking from the ceiling fell down. Had Kabuto not used the Hozuki clan's Suigetsu's cells on himself and been unable to preform the Suika no Jutsu, he would be dead under the rock right now. He glared at Itachi, forming hand seals at great speed but no faster than Itachi could read.
''Senpō: Hakugeki no Jutsu!'' He yelled before an orb of purple hurled towards Itachi, a red dragon soon following from Kabuto's mouth. As the dragon tightly coiled itself around the orb, it released both blinding light and deafening sound by making the air oscillate. Itachi felt a sharp pain in his head and his eyes were blinded. He covered his ears and closed his eyes, but it wasn't quite enough. Shit. He knew he can't stay like this for long. This is a jutsu only someone who had studied in the Ryūchi Cave and mastered the Sage Transformation can preform, but it would be ridiculous to use, since even the caster of the jutsu would be effected. But not Kabuto, Itachi realized as he remembered how Kabuto had just evaded death by liquefying into water, a secret jutsu of a clan from Kirigakure. Due to his snake characteristics, Kabuto can close the cornea of his eyes to completely block the harmful light, whilst instead relying upon the enhanced perception of his other senses to compensate for his obstructed vision. He can also liquefy the insides of his body in order to negate the effects of the harsh sound vibrations.
This makes the current situation an ideal attack opportunity and Itachi can't see or hear it. But due to his new abilities that Pein has given him ... He can sense him. So Itachi allowed himself to close himself off from his hurting senses and allowed his new sensory ability to pick up on Kabuto's movements. He wished he could have seen Kabuto's startled expression when he formed his Susanoo skeleton and one arm reached out to punch him. Had Kabuto not stopped, he would be a mess of broken bones right about now.
''How can you still sense me?'' Kabuto demanded when his jutsu ended, Itachi having to take a moment to compose himself before allowing his ears to be revealed once again and his eyes to open.
''When I was brought back to life, I received special powers that you would not want me using on you.'' The Uchiha warned seriously, having every intention to use the powers Nagato had gifted him with if it meant saving everyone from the Edo Tensei. Many more lives depended on it.
"And you still call me arrogant?" Kabuto hissed, circling the Uchiha, knowing he won't land a single hit with the Susanoo active. He also knew that this fight won't be nearly as easy as he would have hoped. Every time he had been near the Uchiha, he had sensed that he had rather shallow chakra reserves and that meant he would be the first to tire out in a battle. But he could now sense a great amount of chakra in him, and for someone who has Itachi's chakra control, that was dangerous. As he was now, healthy and with such amounts of chakra, Itachi was possibly the most dangerous man in this war, almost on par with Uchiha Madara. Kabuto wondered who would win in such a fight.
"It is not arrogance if one can back up their words with their actions." Came to confident reply from the prodigy, studying Kabuto's body with his eyes and with his crow's eye from the other side of the cave, effectively hidden by a well placed genjutsu. He could see every move the man made. If he tried hiding, his crow will tell him where he was without Kabuto knowing. That is, if he can trick Itachi's new sensory abilities.
"Why do you even care this much about a village that would rather see you dead?" The gray haired shinobi asked, genuinely confused. To him, it really didn't make any sense. He had never been particularly loyal to any of his previous groups, not even to Orochimaru and he had stayed by that man's side and cared for him for years. "Why would you go to such lengths for people who you mostly never even saw, let alone spoke with or were friends with?"
"Because, despite the village having its dark side, despite it hunting me and trying to kill me and hating me," Itachi replied, swiftly making hand seals behind his cloak so Kabuto wouldn't notice until his chakra responded and the other sensed it. "I am still Konoha no Uchiha Itachi." He suddenly brought a hand up to his mouth and Kabuto's eyes widened when he felt such quick rise of chakra. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" He fired fireball after fireball at Kabuto, some being distractions for the shuriken or kunai he'd hide a few degrees to the right or left, objects that Kabuto would have difficulty to sense when he was avoiding a barrage of chakra induced attacks. Seeing that his opponent was sufficiently distracted, Itachi rushed in, pulling out the katana he had been hiding beneath the cloak he was wearing. He got in close enough to cut off one of the horns Kabuto now sported, but the man avoided looking into his eyes and instead used his snake to encircle Itachi's waist, trying the squeeze the life out of him while covering his eyes with one hand.
"So rash, Itachi-kun." He hissed in the raven's ear, letting his abnormally ling tongue slip out and running it over his ear, causing Itachi to shudder in disgust. "How unlike you. Do I make even you nervous?" He grabbed painfully at the hand still clutching the katana when Itachi tried to stab him with it, twisting the hand behind Itachi's back and making the Uchiha arch his back. "It's over for you. But don't worry. Your death will be brief. You will soon come back as my pawn. No," Kabuto smirked as he observed his captive. "Your the most powerful piece in the game. You're the queen." He started pushing the blade upwards, towards Itachi's side and vital organs, despite the resistance Itachi put up. He leaned in to breathe in the younger man's scent before death could take him, running his lips over the tantalizing pale skin of that long, elegant neck. "Any last words?"
"Just two," Itachi replied, a smirk coming over his features. "Shinra Tensei." He was freed as Kabuto suddenly found himself flung across the cavern with enough force to go through three stalagmite and two walls, ending up buried under all the rubble. Itachi fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his torso and abdomen hurting from where Kabuto's snake-bellybutton had been squeezing him. He coughed a bit, trying to get lungs back into his air, glaring as he was reminded of the ache his sickness used to cause. He rightened himself and summoned up his Susanoo, walking cautiously over to where Kabuto had landed, jumping over rocks and boulders the other's little trip through the cave had made.
He was prepared for the attack seconds before Kabuto lunged from beneath the rubble, catching the man with two Susanoo arms and holding him tight and secure, despite the trashing that followed. He ignored Kabuto's curses as they echoed throughout the cave and he ignored the attempted bites at his fingers when he took a hold of his hair. The snake sage tried to shake his hold of his head off but Itachi was having none of that and he tugged, forcing Kabuto's to still and tilt upwards so they would be at proper eye level. He still clenched his eyes shut stubbornly, refusing to meet Itachi's eyes, knowing it would be the end if he did so. But Itachi was not patient today and he signaled for his crow to fly over, land on Kabuto's exposed shoulder ... and dig in its claws into his scaly skin.
Kabuto gasped in pain and surprise, an opportunity which Itachi seized upon, trapping the glasses wearing man in Tsukuyomi. Kabuto looked around frantically, not really understanding what was happening. He tried to release himself from the genjutsu, but no one had escaped Tsukuyomi yet. To this day, it remained a doujutsu not even another Uchiha could escape if Itachi were to truly intend to keep them there. Kabuto wasn't aware of that, however, and so he futilely tried to free himself time and time again, with no results. Not even the Natural Energy he could now absorb as a sage could help him come out of the illusionary world Itachi dominated. He was just wasting his chakra, unable to escape no matter what he did.
And then they came, the screams. Kabuto flinched and put his hands over his ears, desperately trying to block out the screams that seemed to be coming from every direction. Screams of all of his and Orochimaru's victims, screams of all of their test subjects, of the allies they betrayed and killed. Grotesque figures started crawling out of the ground, reaching and clawing towards him, their screams still echoing throughout to black and white space, the bloody moon illuminating all the blood that was coating his hands. Kabuto's screams joined the screams of his victims as they started dragging him towards the ground, overwhelming them with their numbers. All the jutsus he's ever learned, all the power that he had gained, all gone ... Lost to the wind that didn't even blow in the world of illusion Itachi had created to torture his victims in.
And in order to find the memory of the Edo Tensei he needed and to prolong Kabuto's punishment, Itachi made the man carefully relive his while life, not at all bothered by the screams that echoed around in his Tsukuyomi. He watched with impassive eyes as he tore Kabuto apart and rebuilt him how he saw fit, feeling no remorse for his actions. This man had made him relive the pain of losing both Shisui and Nagato. He had taken a forbidden jutsu and used it carelessly, uncaring of the pain he will cause to both the living and the dead when he forced them to fight each other. The grief he had never gotten over of losing Shisui and the still all too fresh pain of losing the only genuine father figure he'd ever had - twice, already - slapped back into his face ... Itachi could not forgive that. He was not a saint and he was not perfect, no matter what others say. He was still only human and even he was allowed some petty revenge.
Besides, this will come out good for Kabuto, too. He's been running from himself for years, having forgotten what it even means to really be Yakushi Kabuto in the first place because Danzo had wanted a spy. Another life ruined by that man ... At least he was dead at last. His intentions were good but his methods were horrifying. You cannot achieve peace with such actions, only tyranny.
Itachi shook his head of such thoughts and instead focused on the task at hand. He searched through Kabuto's memories until he found what he was looking for and he extracted himself from the Tsukuyomi. He then activated the hypnotic properties of his eyes and forced Kabuto to make the proper hand seals before releasing the gray haired shinobi so he can watch the rest of his memories in peace until he saw what he was, accepted it and forgave himself. It will only make him stronger.
But the Uchiha prodigy had no interest in observing that happen. Instead, he formed his full Susanoo and took out the gourd, uncorking it and letting Shisui and Nagato out. Shisui was now awake and both men were smiling at him, content to finally be at peace. After all, Shisui had always just wanted a more peaceful goodbye with the man he considered his little brother.
"I'll see you again, one day, Itachi." The dead Uchiha said with a smile as he and Nagato - and all the other Edo Tensei summoned ninja - glowed an ethereal glow, free from the jutsu to stop fighting and make their final goodbyes. "But not too soon."
"Yes," Itachi replied, not at all bothering to stop the tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. "One day."
"You did good," Shisui said before his spirit was released from the reanimated body as it fell apart and lost all semblance of shape before vanishing to the winds. "I'm proud of you, otouto." Were his departing words that echoed around Itachi like but a whisper and Itachi started shaking as the tears came on harder. But he refused to rub them away. He could count on one hand the number of times he had cried in his whole life. He was allowed to cry now.
"You did good." Nagato's voice echoed Shisui's words and Itachi looked up when he felt a hand petting his hair. He met Nagato's smiling face and more tears rolled down his cheeks but both men ignored them. "Thank you for fulfilling my wish and continuing this fight, Itachi. Thank you for fighting for peace, still. I am very proud of the man you have become." Itachi flung himself into the arms of his surrogate father, letting himself be a child one last time. "Sh, Itachi. We shall see one another again. This is not a goodbye, but a see you later." He murmured into Itachi's hair. "I am so proud of you, musuko."
Itachi's breath hitched but a smile spread across his lips and he tightened his hold on Nagato even as the redhead disintegrated as his soul left the reanimated body. "Thank you for everything, Tou-san." And with one final smile at Itachi, in a blinding wave of light, Shisui and Nagato left the world of the living.
Their parting gift were two tears that finally managed to hit the cave's floor.