Wooh! That was difficult!

Alright, here's the next chapter!

A new POV! I know, MORE OCs? But I really am trying to keep them to a minimum, but these were necessary!

Hope you all enjoy!

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 10

The air was filled with the smell of sea-salt, and I stood, silent, before the opening of the cave Madara had taken me and Hikari to after my defeat of Itachi. The smell was thick and clean, and I breathed it in deeply, staring into the suffocating darkness as I branched out my other senses. I had no way of knowing if Madara had taken Itachi's body, or had instead left it to rot after I refused to join Akatsuki. Either way, I needed to know.

"No one's here, Sasuke."

Kakashi spoke clearly, but I did not acknowledge the jounin's assessment, instead making several familiar hand signs and sucking in a shallow breath. A small stream of flame coated the sides of the cave, lighting all of the torches that were attached to the walls. The fire shed light on the murky passageway, and I strode down it without a second thought. My footsteps echoed mutely, and I heard Naruto babbling about something or another behind me. I was so accustomed to tuning the blonde out that all sound became a mere hum in the background, a light buzz that was easily and effectively ignored.

There was a sickly dampness to the air that immediately put me on edge, and my head jerked up when I began seeing small entryways to individual rooms. Their dark openings flickered ominously in the firelight, and of course I didn't express any unease, because I was an Uchiha, and we as a clan did not show such petty emotions in the face of a mere cave. I began peering into each room, ignoring Naruto's loud question of what exactly I was looking for. The idiot would find out soon enough.

Finally…I found him.

I froze by the door, my eyes staring blankly into the small room that was cold as ice. Of course it would have to be cold, to preserve the body. I found that my eyes could not turn away from the body that resided on the top of a metal table. There was no movement from it, and yet the entire room was shaking, vibrating, calling out to whoever may be near.

I felt Kakashi's hand on my shoulder, and the vibrating suddenly ceased, and I realized that I was the one who had been shaking, not the room itself. My eyes were still locked on the body Itachi Uchiha, and I moved forward, into the iciness and out of the solidness of Kakashi's hold on my shoulder. My steps were small and uncertain, and when I reached the table I stared down at my older brother.

In the month or so that I had been gone, there had been an extraordinary lack of decay, which was most likely a result of the coldness of the room. Itachi's skin was ashen and pale, his lips gray and lifeless as a tombstone, and his blind eyes were open and glassy. Naruto gagged behind me, and a flare of fury rose up within me toward Madara. How dare he just leave Itachi here! At the very least, he could have buried him, but of course, once I left, his interest in Itachi's body had also left.

I reached out, and slowly slid Itachi's stiff eyelids over his sightless eyes. I didn't realize that I was speaking until a few moments after I had finished.

"I want to cremate him…it was the Uchiha way," I said, my voice pathetically small and weak, cracking at the word "Uchiha". Kakashi and Naruto were silent for a few moments, and I turned to glare at the two of them. "I don't care if you two help me, I don't need–"

"I'll help you, Sasuke," Naruto suddenly cut in, and moved forward to grip the dead Uchiha around the knees. I blinked, shocked, and Naruto sent me a grim smile. "C'mon, get his shoulders, we'll do it outside."

I moved automatically, and Kakashi helped by supporting Itachi's mid-section, the Copy-nin staring at the sallow face of Itachi with a strange sort of regret to his expression. I forced myself to focus on my footing, and felt a strange sense of déjà vu as we walked slowly down the passageway. With a jolt, I realized that this was the same passageway that Hikari had helped him traverse after meeting with Madara.

I forced my thoughts away from the memory, and blinked as we re-entered the bright sunshine. Kakashi left quickly to gather wood for a pyre while and Naruto I and placed the body on the ground as carefully as possible. I hated the stiffness to Itachi's body, and stared down at it as if to force it back to life. There was so much I wanted to ask him, so many things I wanted to apologize for.

But I suppose that's the curse of the living. We're still here, and so we can't express our goodbyes and regrets to the people who need them most…those who are dead and gone.

The minutes stretched into hours, and Naruto remained silent the entire time, something that I was eternally grateful for. I needed time to think, I needed time to grieve anew for the body of my only brother. I had already said goodbye in my mind, on that day with Hikari on the beach, and so I expected the cremation of his body to be simple. But now, when faced with Itachi's peaceful face…I found that the raw feeling of desolation welled up in my chest with the force of a typhoon just waiting to be unleashed.

I could not cry, but I grieved with every movement of my hands, with every intake of air, and with every flash of memory that swam before my eyes. Memories of Itachi and I running through the streets of Konoha, of him teaching me to hold a kunai and poking my forehead in that affectionate way of his, of him promising to be at my Graduation Ceremony, the pride on his face as he ruffled my hair.

Itachi was the last person. With him, he would take all of the memories of the Uchiha Clan of Konohagakure. Madara was Uchiha in blood, but he was not an Uchiha in spirit. He did not fight for what was right; he did not sacrifice his life and his dignity for the sake of those both below and above him. He was not an Uchiha, he was a traitor.

Just like me.

I was no longer an Uchiha of Konohagakure. I had betrayed my village for petty dreams of power and vengeance; I had blindly pushed aside all my reasons for being honorable and true. I had redeemed myself in the smallest sense, yes, but that was not enough. My bond with the Uchiha was endangered the moment I stepped outside those village walls three years ago. The moment my hand touched Sakura's neck to knock her unconscious, the connection splintered. The instant in which I shoved my lightning infused hand through my best friend's chest…the connection was dangling by the barest thread.

And when my Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan collided in the Valley of the End…the bond between me and my clan was broken, utterly and completely.

I watched silently as Kakashi built a sturdy pyre, and with a heave, Naruto and I placed Itachi atop the two-foot structure of thick branches and twigs. The roar of the waves was almost deafening now, and I stared at the body of my brother, my hair whipping around in the wind. Kakashi seemed to sense my reluctance to speak, because he stepped forward silently.

"Today marks the day that we send one of our own on his final journey. To his own village, he was known as the ruthless murderer of an entire clan, a traitor," his eye lifted to lock onto my strangely numb face. "But now, in the face of death, we finally recognize him for who he truly was. A martyr, a caring brother, and a loyal shinobi of Konohagakure. He placed the stability of his own conscience in harms way in order to preserve the lives of thousands, and he has withstood the barbs of his own fellow shinobi and remaining family, he has sacrificed his own happiness in hopes of achieving peace."

Kakashi's words seemed to echo in my mind as I stared listlessly into the face of my brother, and nothing – not even the sound of the pounding surf – was able to usurp the poignant pause in Kakashi's eulogy.

"Today marks the day that we honor this man for all of his mistakes and his achievements. We praise him for all that he was, and mourn for all that he had the potential to be."

The rasping of the water against the rocks tugged at something in my chest, and I looked up at the sky, ignoring the strange ache to my eyes and ignoring the tightness of my throat as Kakashi finished his speech with six final words.

"You will be remembered, Itachi Uchiha."

We all remained silent for a few moments, and Kakashi then raised his head and looked each of us in turn. "Is there anything you would like to say before we begin the cremation?"

Naruto glanced at me – I was still staring up at the sky, so I saw this through my peripheral vision – before slowly nodding. I heard him step forward, and my eyes were automatically drawn to the blonde. Naruto was bending down, and when he straightened once more, he held a single coastal flower, one of the delicate star-petal ones that struggled to survive in the rocky terrain.

"Hey, Itachi," Naruto seemed to stumble into speaking, his brow furrowing deeply as he stared down at the body on the pyre. "I've hated you for most of my life. I mean, what else did you expect? You took Sasuke's family away from him; you made him believe that you did it just to get power, and have captured and murdered countless innocent Jinchuuriki. There hasn't been a time in fighting you where I haven't wished you dead, and now that you finally are…I should be happy, right?" Naruto's eyes lowered to the flower in his hands. "But now that I know the truth, now that I know what you went through to get here, what you were forced to do…I can't hate you anymore. So, I just want you to know, when I become Hokage…I'll do everything and anything I can to make sure that no one ever has to go through that again. It's a promise."

Naruto finished with an abrupt cough, and his eyes flickered to Kakashi before his feet shuffled forward and his hand lightly placed the bright blue flower on Itachi's chest. Kakashi's gaze then turned to me, and I felt my hands clenching into fists.

My head moved jerkily back and forth in response, feeling as if someone had forced my head to move that way.

I knew that I had nothing to say that would make amends for all of the blind hate I had bestowed on my older brother. I couldn't speak uselessly to a corpse. I would either speak to my brother face to face, or not at all. And since he was dead…I supposed that this guilt would always follow me.

I deserved it. I almost cherished it.

For as long as I carried this shame, my brother would always remain with me, giving me strength, giving me reason to seek out that need for vengeance – a feeling that seemed to follow me wherever I went.

And after my vengeance?

Hikari's face flashed before my mind, and without another word, I made the hand-seals, and a furiously hot inferno of fire welled out of my mouth and surrounded the pyre. The dry wood was quickly swallowed in the bright red-orange-gold flames, and I watched as the heat engulfed Itachi's form.

It took a few moments, but then the flames took hold, and my older brother's peaceful face was lost to me forever, the flames roaring – almost as loudly as the crashing of the waves – as they rose higher and higher into the sky.

Nineteen-year-old Ashi Inuzuka knew that she shouldn't be feeling so excited. The jounin was being sent on a top-secret and possibly life-endangering mission that would result in a long period of time away from her family and friends. She was being placed on a team with four complete strangers, one of which – it was Tsunade-sama's apprentice, a name that should be common knowledge, but somehow seemed to escape Ashi's memory – looked ready to keel over and puke her brains out. They were waiting for their team leader, an elite jounin by the name of Bou Sejino, and Ashi crossed her ankles and leaned against the wall lazily.

She was just too happy to be out and about again. For days, she had been restricted to the inner areas, and now was her chance to finally stretch her legs and get away from the sorrow that seemed to saturate the very air around what remained of Konohagakure. In taking this mission…she could forget about her troubles, if only for a little while.

Murasaki – Ashi's large wolf companion – was lying at Ashi's feet, and the canine glanced up at Ashi in silent question, her slanted amber eyes brightly contrasting against the dark brown-black color of her fur. Normally, if Ashi was with her usual jounin group, Murasaki would be up and sniffing and talking like she usually did. But since this was a new group, filled with unfamiliar scents and faces, Ashi shook her head softly, kneeling down to ruffle her companion's fur affectionately.

"I'd wait and see what this group's like, Saki. Let me do the talking for now," the young woman murmured, too low for the others to hear. Murasaki let out a huff of breath that could be translated to a human sigh of reluctant acceptance. Ashi smiled, rubbing briefly behind Murasaki's shoulders – a particularly itchy spot for the canine – before straightening once more.

Ashi turned to continue her scrutiny of the temporarily nameless pink-haired chuunin, and smiled when the girl glanced in her direction. The girl was obviously young, looking around the same age as her friend Hana's brother, Kiba. She had a heavy medic-nin pack on her shoulders, and by the ease in which she carried it, Ashi knew that this girl was a highly skilled medic. She had to be, to be qualified for this type of mission in the first place.

Finally, a broad-shouldered man with two short swords strapped to his back appeared in a cloud of smoke, an entrance which never failed to make Ashi's eyes roll in exasperation. Was it really so hard to walk, like a regular human being?

The man fixed his steely gaze on each member in turn, and Ashi took that chance to examine the other shinobi gathered off the side, just outside the gates of Konoha. There were five members in all (not including Murasaki), two female and three male.

Having already examined the pink-haired chuunin, Ashi focused her slanted eyes on the men. There was a Hyuuga with long brown hair and a stern face, but something…something was off about the boy's scent. It was, at first, as everything should be…but as Ashi focused, a much more feminine and terrified scent pushed through. The genjutsu was flawless – if it hadn't been for her exponentially heightened sense of smell, Ashi wouldn't have looked twice.

The scent distinctly Hyuuga – the different clans each had a different scent that was a result of kekkei genkai – but obviously female. The scent wasn't prominent enough for ordinary senses of smell, and so Ashi wasn't surprised to see the other shinobi acting as if nothing was amiss. Ashi glanced at Murasaki, who was staring at the Hyuuga boy with her head cocked slightly to the side.

So…the Hyuuga boy was actually a Hyuuga girl in disguise. What an interesting turn of events.

Murasaki gave Ashi another questioning look, this time in relation to whether they should reveal the genjutsu to the rest of the team. Ashi shook her head once more, and Murasaki gave her partner a toothy grin before sitting up to scratch behind her ear with one powerful hind leg.

As long as they had at least one Hyuuga on their team – Ashi couldn't care less if it was male or female – there was no reason to interfere.

Ashi leaned back against the wall, and watched as the leader began with a curt scowl. This guy was already looking like a spot of sunshine. Oh joy.

"Alright, let's quickly introduce ourselves, and get this mission underway," the man said, and then crossed his arms. "My name is Bou Sejino, and I'll be your squad leader for the duration of this mission."

Murasaki was alert now, her nose twitching as she memorized the leader's scent, and Ashi knew that as each introduced themselves, the canine would be focused on memorizing each and every smell that was exuded from the surrounding shinobi. It was customary for ninken to register the scents of their teammates in order to be able to distinguish between possible perpetrators and such. Bou jerked his head at the pink-haired medic, and the nervousness melted away for a moment as she smiled warmly at the group.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, and I'll be your medic. Please don't hesitate to come to me; we need everyone to be at their best for this mission."

Ah, that was the name. Sakura…how fitting. Ashi should have been able to guess…it was really silly for her to have such distinctive hair, but she had to admit, it added to her sweet and innocent charm.

The Hyuuga was next, and Ashi and Murasaki exchanged gleeful looks as the young man (young woman, in reality) cleared her throat.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga," she said curtly, a deep and cultured male voice emitted, and Ashi had to give the girl credit for sounding so at ease when her scent was crawling with panic. Ashi sent the girl a wide grin that the Hyuuga did not return. Oh well, Ashi would corner her soon enough.

The next was a young man who was obviously the oldest of the group, with shoulder-length blonde hair – tied back in a ponytail at the back of his neck – and vibrant blue eyes. He was attractive, Ashi supposed, but that was a common characteristic of the Yamanaka Clan. They were so used to staying in the background and peeking into people's minds that they were often delicate and soft, much too wimpy for Ashi's tastes.

"Hello, my name is Sora Yamanaka."

Ashi was next, and she grinned at them all. "I'm Ashi Inuzuka, and this is my ninken Murasaki! Nice to meet you all!"

Only Sakura smiled back at her. What a bunch of icicles...

Aiko leaned back against the wall as Bou began giving instructions, a small scowl on her face as she narrowed her eyes at everyone in the semi-circle.

Bou pursed his lips. "Alright, let's move out. Our main priority is to retrieve the Jinchuuriki. Eliminating the Uchiha only becomes an option when we get the Jinchuuriki out of harms way. Ashi, Murasaki and I will take lead. Sakura and Sora will take center, and Neji will bring up the rear. Be on the lookout at all times, and alert us immediately if anything looks suspicious. We'll discuss splitting up and scouting once we reach the border, understood?"

The entire team nodded, each adjusting their packs for the most comfortable position. Ashi grinned, her irritation forgotten as she leapt onto the back of Murasaki, gripping tightly with her knees as the ninken took off with an exuberant bark.