Chapter 13

Sacrifice

A cold fury burned in his heart – blunted by years of strictest apathy. The man who had escaped him would suffer. But first he had an insidious Organisation to wipe off the face of the Earth. Also, there was a certain ninja whose loyalties needed evaluating. And if it became clear that he had betrayed them, his life would be terminated as well. The martial shinobi led his group on, each step bringing them nearer to their goal. From here on out, failure was no longer an option. He would crush anyone who stood in his way. After that, his rule would finally be unquestioned.

Genma was abruptly roused from a fitful slumber by the door to his cell clanging open. He started upright and quickly rose to his feet. But as soon as he had, he realised that it'd only given him further to fall. Because on the threshold stood Itachi, his Sharingan activated. And for all he knew, Genma could've been under the influence of the Uchiha's genjutsu already.

The taciturn kid had grown in stature since the last time Genma had properly laid eyes on him. However, Itachi's emotionless voice was exactly the same. "There are two options, Genma Shiranui. We can do this the easy way. Or we can do this the hard way."

Genma smirked but his eyes remained cold. "I think I'll take the hard way, thanks."

Itachi sighed, and before Genma had even registered his movements, the Uchiha had appeared directly in front of him. Their eyes locked and almost instantly the room began to spin out from under him.

The next thing Genma was aware of was his body landing hard against the cold stone floor. For a moment he thought he was still in his cell, but this thought vanished as soon as he raised his head. He was now in some kind of chamber, it was of cavernous proportions and the only light was provided by a few sconces affixed to the walls. But what unnerved the Tokubetsu Jonin most were the eight cloaked figures looming in the doorway.

He had never seen such an unbelievable bunch of freaks in his life. In other circumstances Genma might have made a cutting remark about their subhuman appearance. But something was telling him not to underestimate this particular group of shinobi. Among the eight of them, seven were at least relatively identifiable as male and one was a woman. The only members that Genma recognised were Itachi and Kisame.

Steadily he stood, all the while glaring defiantly at the Akatsuki. He'd be damned if he was going to take this lying down! The Tokubetsu Jonin moved a hand to his right thigh and confirmed that his weapons pouch was still firmly attached. This was fortunate as he had a sinking feeling that he was about to need it.

After a few minutes of Genma's silent face-off with what he'd thought was the entire Organisation, another figure entered the room. The way that the members parted to let him through made it pretty clear that this flame-headed ninja was in charge. An Akatsuki member wearing a bright orange mask even gave a sycophantic bow in the new arrival's direction. And the rest of the group turned expectantly towards their seeming Leader.

Even from across the room Genma could see the traces of a smirk curling this Leader's lips as he spoke. "My Brothers, allow me to present to you the former Kakashi Hatake, once universally feared as the infamous Copy-Ninja. Behold! Our new Weapon."

Genma's breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide. On the threshold stood a tall, powerfully built ninja with a haphazard shock of silver hair. He was instantly recognisable, but still this was Kakashi as Genma had never seen him before. His bare, muscular torso was pierced by well over a dozen black rod-like objects. But despite all this, he was standing impassively in front of the Leader, as if awaiting instruction. What the hell had these bastards done to him?

After a moment, the Leader raised his hands in an obscure sign. And Genma could see that the red-head's arms were riddled with similar objects to the ones projecting from Kakashi's body. Then finally Genma met the eyes of his most loyal comrade. Kakashi's gaze was vague and muted. But a steely resolve still simmered deep below the surface, showing that – whatever had happened to his friend – he had not been beaten yet. Genma knew that somewhere in the Jonin's mind, he was fighting this process with every single modicum of his remaining strength.

The Leader's face then became a mask of deepest concentration and Genma could sense the almost physical vibration of his chakra throughout the room. In response, Kakashi's body jerked upright and the distant look in his eyes intensified, as all remnants of the man Genma knew fell from his friend's gaze. Kakashi then opened his Sharingan eye as one would unsheathe a sword.

As if taking this for some unspoken cue the Akatsuki members slowly dispersed and lined the walls of the chamber. Itachi was the closest to Genma and considering how easily he'd been restrained by the Uchiha's genjutsu twice before, he doubted that this placement was a coincidence.

The Leader then stepped to one side and Kakashi was left standing directly opposite Genma. He searched desperately for even a trace of recognition in his friend's vacant stare, but saw none. Genma swallowed hard and tried to mentally prepare himself for what was about to come.

The Leader's whispered words carried easily to his ears. "Kill him."

Kakashi took a step forward, his blank expression hardening. Genma inhaled deeply. He had to stay calm and somehow convince himself that this was all part of the plan. He couldn't freeze up right now. Finally the time had come to fulfil his role. And Genma could barely believe what he was about to do.

He didn't have to try very hard to make his voice sound utterly terrified. "Kakashi! What are you doing? What's happened to you? Answer me!"

The Akatsuki's newest Weapon took another step forward.

Genma's next words disgusted him, but not as much as what he was about to do. "I'm so sorry Kakashi, but you said that if you ever turned against your comrades I should no longer treat you as a friend. You've become my enemy. That means one of us will die here!"

Then, sighing internally Genma withdrew three shuriken. He closed his eyes for a moment, before throwing the jagged projectiles straight at his one time friend.

Genma had to work hard to hide his relief as Kakashi dodged the weapons with ease. It seemed that somehow the rods were not affecting his movement. The Jonin then raised a hand to his lips and a moment later a wall of water came crashing towards Genma. He channelled chakra into his feet and leapt upwards to avoid the wave. From the air he threw more shuriken with an aim so erratic that the Akatsuki would have no choice but to buy into his crazed performance.

And sure enough, every member of the Organisation was fixated on his and Kakashi's battle and seemed appropriately scornful of Genma's panic. Of course the Tokubetsu Jonin knew that Kakashi could have easily killed him quicker than he would've been able to register. But it seemed that the Jonin was sizing him up first, as he did with all his enemies before planning the surest way to dispatch them. What worried Genma the most about this was that Kakashi was acting as if he'd never seen him fight before. As soon as the Jonin was through analysing him, it would likely be too late to save either of them. That meant Genma had to wrap up his side of the plan before things went any further. After running through the necessary signs with a speed born from experience, the Tokubetsu Jonin caused a vicious torrent of air to rip through the cavernous chamber.

As the localised hurricane passed them, each of the Akatsuki members shielded their eyes and channelled chakra into the soles of their feet in order to keep from being thrown across the room. Amid the chaos, no one saw Genma release his final shuriken. Not one of them noticed it graze the arm of someone other than the target – including the one affected. And not a single member detected that there was a gossamer-thin thread attached to this shuriken, which enabled Genma to pull it back, palm it and disengage the string before the wind died down.

But he couldn't prevent the Akatsuki from noticing him suddenly regain his composure and make his first completely accurate shot, anticipating the direction in which the Copy-Ninja would dodge. The shuriken struck Kakashi just below the ribcage on his left side. Only Itachi might have acknowledged the significance of him being wounded in that spot – again. But the Uchiha showed no sign of it. Not that it would have mattered now. Because Genma could see the blank look in Kakashi's eyes slowly clearing, as if he were waking up from a dream.

As soon as it had faded completely, Kakashi met Genma's uncertain gaze. In his friend's eyes the Tokubetsu Jonin observed an intense, perplexing sorrow. Then for a moment there was something else, something deeper, in Kakashi's striking gaze. He winked. And it was gone. The Copy-Ninja's blank, submissive expression fell flawlessly back into place. But now that vacant stare seemed to hold an undercurrent of defiance, so subtle that Genma thought perhaps he was imagining it. For a few moments the entire room was perfectly still.

Then a sullen faced Akatsuki member holding a giant three-bladed scythe broke the silence. Saying in a bored, sardonic voice, "It looks like our Tool's been wounded."

The Leader narrowed his monochrome eyes. "I can see that, Hidan. It should not make any difference."

Next a strange creature – some hideous crossbreed of human and plant – spoke in low insinuating tones. "The Tool still seems reluctant to complete his task. Perhaps further measures should be taken…"

The Leader eyed Kakashi for a moment, as if weighing up the Jonin's current loyalties, as well as his capabilities. Genma's heart raced as he awaited the Leader's response. Eventually it came. "No… give him time. He has been subdued."

The Leader then made that strange hand sign for a second time. And after an almost imperceptible delay Kakashi's body jerked straight and all expression fell from his face. But before either Genma or Kakashi had made any move to continue their charade of a battle, the Leader spoke again.

"It seems that being under our jutsu has not diminished the Weapon's intelligence. He has allowed his former comrade to exhaust his supply of shuriken. Now I will demonstrate the capacity of the Copy-Ninja, when correctly wielded."

With that, the Leader made a series of signs and the black rods puncturing the Jonin's sculpted chest began to tremble with a red-hot glow. Genma had absolutely no idea how Kakashi was masking the excruciating pain that such a sensation must have been causing him. But fortunately it wouldn't have mattered if Kakashi had shown it, because all of the Akatsuki members were now turning towards Genma instead. Probably not wanting to miss the moment that their Weapon dispatched him.

The Leader's ominous voice rang out once more. "I think it would be fitting for our Weapon to use only his finest array of jutsu in order to bring about the death of his former comrade. So impress us, Tool."

Genma held his breath, completely unaware of what might come next. In order to keep up appearances, Kakashi would have to use an extremely high-level jutsu against him. This prospect filled Genma with unease mainly because during the last stage of their journey, Kakashi had been showing all the signs of severe chakra drain. He had no idea why this had been the case, but all Genma knew was that using powerful ninjutsu while dangerously low on chakra could prove fatal. And of course, if the jutsu hit, then it would undoubtedly prove fatal to himself as well. But the situation had now slipped far beyond his control.

The distant look in Kakashi's eyes didn't falter for a moment, even as his body began to shake with the expense of chakra. He seemed to be channelling that chakra into his palms, ready to make the signs that would turn his energy into action.

Then Itachi spoke for the first time since they'd entered the room. "Leader, I feel that the Tool should not be made to waste all of his chakra at this early stage. For an unknown reason, his reserves appear to be severely depleted."

For the briefest moment Genma saw a look of annoyance flash across Kakashi's face. But before anyone else could register it, the expression had faded. The Akatsuki members now had their gazes turned towards the Leader, waiting for his response to Itachi's comment.

His voice was icy calm. "You seem to be forgetting, Itachi, that it is not only the Uchiha who possess dojutsu. My eyes can see the Weapon's chakra as well as yours can. The jutsu that he is about to use will probably render him immobile. But it may be advantageous for the Tool to be weakened while we plan how best to use him in our wider goals. Nevertheless, after he has killed the Shiranui, I will not have him use any more jutsu until he is sufficiently recovered. And while he is under our control, I will not allow the Tool to die. But if for whatever reason the pest survives our Weapon's attack, I will kill that Tokubetsu Jonin personally. He is no longer needed."

Itachi was silent. But even if he had wanted to respond, the opportunity quickly passed as Kakashi completed his jutsu. There was a sudden explosion of noise into the chamber. The sound of a thousand birds was echoed and magnified to deafening proportions as it reverberated through the room. Genma stared at his friend in awe, this jutsu was nothing like the Chidori he had known. In each palm, Kakashi held a bright blue ball of electrically charged chakra. Steadily they began to expand and merge as the Jonin brought his hands together. The chirping died down as the chakra became concentrated beyond the point of audibility. Then suddenly Kakashi slammed his palms into the floor, pushing the giant lightening sphere through the rough-hewn stone.

The room shook violently and the sconces attached to the walls came crashing down. For a moment Genma feared that the entire hideout would collapse. But no such thing happened. It was now completely black in the chamber. But barely a moment passed before the darkness was shattered by a blinding flare of turquoise light.

Countless towering pillars of pure energy erupted from the floor. Genma gasped as the columns formed into a seemingly solid ring of deepest electric blue. And all of the Akatsuki members were now trapped on the other side of the lightening barrier – completely obscured from view. Then suddenly, Kakashi too disappeared from sight but less than a second later he reappeared directly in front of the awed Tokubetsu Jonin. By this point, the Copy-Ninja seemed close to complete exhaustion. And Genma watched in horror as the Jonin sank to his knees, his head falling against his chest.

Genma had been about to move to his friend's aid, but when Kakashi raised his head once more the Tokubetsu Jonin froze. The Copy-Ninja's Sharingan locked with his own bewildered gaze. But Genma noticed something subtly different about it, something that he'd never seen before and had certainly never dreamed of seeing in his Hatake friend. But he had no time to reflect on this uncalculated occurrence. And as the red and black pinwheel – which he'd only ever heard about in legends – steadily began to rotate, Genma had only one thought. This most certainly had not been part of the plan.

The room then started to spin and dissolve around him. At first slowly, but with ever increasing rapidity until Genma could no longer make out any distinct forms. But the image of Kakashi's face remained with him, burned into his memory. Genma was almost certain that he'd seen a tear fall from his friend's Sharingan eye. And as the swirling palette of colours and shapes faded into blackness, Genma could still hear Kakashi's pained, breathless voice whispering into the darkness.

"I'm sorry."

Asuma paced the campsite restlessly. He could feel disaster closing in on him from all sides. In front of him was the ultimate testament to Kakashi's stubbornness. That damned barrier! How many more rescue attempts were going to be cut short by that idiot's pig-headed attitude? And meanwhile, every second brought the Root army closer. They'd be here in a matter of hours, Asuma was sure of it. In fact, the only reason why they weren't here already was because they'd stopped to analyse the carnage caused by his friends. Time was running out. And yet none of them could go anywhere. Asuma couldn't take this anymore!

Eventually Yamato approached him. The ANBU's face was pale and drawn, as if he hadn't slept in days.

The Operative's raw, weary voice only furthered this impression. "Good morning, Asuma."

The Jonin raised an eyebrow. "It's morning already?"

"Almost." Yamato shrugged.

Asuma's response was monotone. "Time sure does fly when you're having fun."

After a long silence, which neither of them seemed particularly keen to fill, Asuma saw Tsunade crossing over to join them. The silence continued as the ANBU, the Jonin and the Kage stood vigil before the dazzling cerulean barrier.

Then, through the perfectly still early morning air, a subtle noise began to assert itself. It was the increasingly audible crackling of static electricity. Asuma looked over at Yamato and then at Tsunade, trying to see if they too could hear the out-of-place sound. He saw each of their eyes widen, looks of horror crossing their faces. And when he turned back towards the towering wall of lightning, Asuma quickly realised why.

The barrier had begun to emit erratic flashes of bright blue energy. Then bit by bit, it started to fade. Asuma found himself rooted to the spot, suffocated by the feeling of mounting dread. Within moments that wall, which Asuma now desperately regretted cursing, had completely vanished. This could only mean one thing, and the Jonin couldn't even bring himself to think it.

But before any of this had truly sunk in, another strange noise began to fill the growing silence. It was a high pitched whirring sound, unlike anything that Asuma had ever heard before. Then, in the exact spot where the barrier had stood only moments ago, the air began to shimmer and vague shapes in spiralling patterns began to sporadically appear and fade.

As these shapes solidified into one distinct form, Asuma found himself gazing upon the person he'd least expected to see right now. For whatever impossible reason, Genma had somehow ended up sprawled on the ground before them.

But regardless of how it'd happened, and in spite of his friend's sudden appearance, the barrier was gone. And Asuma had a sinking feeling that he was about to hear why.

Genma met each of their gazes in turn, and the grief and panic that Asuma saw in his friend's eyes filled his heart with fear. Genma held one hand to his head for a moment before clenching his fist and punching it into the ground with uncontained fury.

Then the Tokubetsu Jonin spoke in a voice that started off soft but rose in a desperate crescendo.

"Shit…Shit. Shit. Shit! SHIT!"

Then Genma's voice fell again, broken and barely audible. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him. I think…"

He broke off. Asuma knelt beside his friend. His own voice shook. "Tell me…" He couldn't say it. This couldn't be happening. Yet somehow, it was.

Genma closed his eyes and seemed not to care about the tears that had began to flow freely down his face. With each passing moment, it became more and more impossible to deny the reality of the situation. And soon Asuma found himself in the exact same state as the Tokubetsu Jonin.

Genma managed only one more word, but it was all he really needed to say. "Mangekyo…"

Asuma heard Yamato gasp as realisation seemed to finally hit him. Then the ANBU sank to the ground beside them.

As Asuma grew increasingly numb, he heard a soft yet firm voice pulling him back to reality. "Didn't anyone ever tell the three of you that shinobi don't cry?"

Asuma looked up at the Fifth Hokage, her hazel eyes were filled with unshed tears but her voice held an indomitable edge of determination. "I wouldn't write the kid off just yet."

Yamato was the first to pull himself together enough to speak. "Lady Tsunade, the barrier's gone. There's only one explanation."

Asuma glanced back at the camp only to see Yugao Uzuki walking slowly towards them. Her eyes were unfocused and her pale face was streaked with tears. Clearly she'd already taken in the situation. She seemed even more out of it than she had when Hayate… Asuma left that thought hanging as he watched Yamato get steadily to his feet.

The ANBU then wiped his eyes and crossed over to where Yugao now stood, placing one hand gently on her shoulder. She made no response, standing there motionless, save for the tears sliding over her cheeks. Then with a constricted sob she threw her arms around Yamato's neck and began to cry into his chest. Hesitantly Yamato returned her embrace and they stood there in silence, sharing each other's pain.

Shakily, Asuma rose. He looked down at Genma. The Tokubetsu Jonin had raised his head but otherwise seemed completely detached from the world around him. After a while Asuma held out a firm hand to his friend. Genma grasped it, and Asuma pulled him to his feet. Gradually, Yugao and Yamato broke apart before walking over to join them. Yamato's arm was still wrapped protectively around Yugao's shoulders.

The four of them then turned to Tsunade, waiting for her to exercise her authority and tell them what the hell they were supposed to do now. For a moment, the Hokage seemed at a loss for words. Asuma had no idea what was passing through her head, but she looked a thousand miles away. Eventually the rest of the ANBU began to gather around her as well. Not one of them seemed unshaken. Because, after all, Kakashi had once been their Captain.

Finally, Tsunade acknowledged that the entire camp was awaiting her instruction. She took a deep breath before hardening her gaze. "We will proceed into the valley immediately. That barrier was the only thing preventing us from being detected. We need to move before the Akatsuki have time to prepare for our arrival, and before Root manage to catch up with us."

Asuma and those surrounding him nodded firmly and immediately everybody set about clearing the campsite. A heavy silence hung in the air as they all wondered what unspeakable truths awaited them at their destination.

Asuma gritted his teeth, trying to keep his eyes dry as he thought about the man who would have been the godfather of his unborn child. Damn it! He hadn't even told Kakashi that Kurenai was pregnant. He knew that his best friend would have made a far better role model for his kid than he could ever be. And Asuma couldn't help wishing with all his heart that their places had been exchanged.

But he would not let that idiot lay down his life so easily. Asuma had half a mind to go and beat an apology out of the Jonin for being such a foolish, self-righteous asshole. How dare Kakashi try and sacrifice himself for the very people who would die to protect him!

Still, he was not going to believe anything until he saw it with his own eyes. After all, the Copy-Ninja was renowned world over for being a master of deception. So until there was no choice left to him, Asuma would refuse to accept that he'd never again bear the brunt of his best friend's twisted sense of humour.

As soon as those lightning columns shot up from the ground, Itachi knew that Kakashi no longer intended to kill his comrade. And his surprise only grew when those pillars joined together into a barrier that Madara himself would have struggled to teleport through. And that not even the Leader's Rinnegan could have visually penetrated. Just as Pain had ordered, the Copy-Ninja had used one of his finest jutsu. And the Uchiha suspected that this was Kakashi's own original creation, as he'd never seen a technique like it before. Itachi couldn't help smirking at the Hatake's unpredictability. Some things never changed.

It was clear that rather than being used offensively, the purpose of this jutsu was to keep them from interfering with Kakashi's next move. Moments later however, the barrier started to crackle and spark, before fading as suddenly as it had formed. Not one member of the Akatsuki moved, they all stared in astonishment at the motionless figure lying facedown in the middle of the chamber. Genma Shiranui was nowhere to be seen, and even after activating his Sharingan, Itachi could sense no trace of chakra residing in Kakashi's lifeless form. One word flashed through his mind. Kamui. The Might of the Gods. It was the only Mangekyo technique that could be invoked by rigorous training alone; a jutsu that even he did not possess.

But clearly they'd been correct in their assessment of Kakashi's depleted chakra supplies. Creating that ring of solid lightning had brought him to the very limit of his stamina, and using Mangekyo Sharingan had pushed him over the edge. It was no surprise therefore that the Hatake clearly wasn't breathing.

Deidara's rueful voice broke the silence. "So it seems that the Copy-Ninja has tricked us again, hmm? Although apparently for the last time."

The Leader made no response but instead knelt beside Kakashi's unmoving body. Itachi crossed to join him, but as he did so he began to feel a vague stinging sensation radiating through his left arm. He looked over and found a small tear in his robe just below the shoulder. There was blood fringing the ripped material from a shallow cut running across his upper arm. The Leader turned to face him and his eyes widened as he saw Itachi inspecting his wound.

The Uchiha then gave utterance to the statement that he knew was passing through Pain's mind. "Kakashi Hatake was cured."

Pain's tone betrayed more anger than Itachi had ever heard from the stoic ninja. "How could you have allowed this to happen?"

Itachi's voice remained calm. "The strength of the Tokubetsu Jonin's wind jutsu caused the sensation of the shuriken to remain unnoticed. And closing my eyes for a moment as the technique passed, meant that I did not see it. Although it seems, Leader, that neither did you."

"Are you attempting to undermine me?" Pain hissed ominously.

"I'm merely pointing out the facts," Itachi replied impassively. "This had obviously been a part of their plan from the beginning."

The Leader then seemed to regain his composure, although annoyance still coloured his every word. "Unfortunately, we have lost an invaluable asset to our Organisation. However, Konoha will also suffer greatly from this loss. Without Kakashi Hatake they will be severely weakened."

"They still have two out of the three Sannin on their side," Tobi unhelpfully pointed out in his usual carefree tone.

Pain's expression darkened, "When the time comes, I will take care of Jiraiya. And Tsunade does not pose much of a threat to us. She is a medic-nin by nature which means that she will not engage us directly in anything other than a last resort. Because if the Fifth Hokage dies, who will heal Konoha's citizens when we launch our final attack?"

Kisame then spoke in an uncharacteristically urgent voice. "Leader, my Samehada is sensing a very powerful chakra as well as over twenty distinct chakra signatures heading this way. It seems that Konoha is making a belated attempt to retrieve their Jonin."

Itachi was surprised by this. It was reckless of Konoha to launch a frontal assault against the Akatsuki. Tsunade would certainly have known about Kakashi's mission, and he didn't doubt that the powerful chakra Kisame had sensed belonged to her. But why would she desert her post in order to lead a futile rescue attempt for someone that she'd sent out in the first place?

Pain sighed even as he showed that his line of thinking had been unsettlingly similar to Itachi's own. "It is likely that the Fifth Hokage is among them. If we allow them to reach us and they intend to engage us in battle, then we will have no choice but to destroy them. But if we do that then their allies amongst the other Great Nations will hear of it. They may become encouraged to actively counter the threat that we pose. And we are not yet ready to become the target of an allied shinobi army."

Konan's clipped tone addressed Pain directly. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Itachi knew what the Leader's response would be. And for a moment the Uchiha wondered how Kakashi Hatake could possibly have planned this far.

Pain's firm voice held an undercurrent of regret. "For now, we retreat. I would have been tempted to use the Hatake's body in my Rikudo technique. But it is impossible to directly control more than six paths."

"So that's it? We're just going to leave?" Hidan sounded incredulous.

Kakuzu answered his partner. "We no longer have anything to gain from this, other than to be engaged in a conflict that we are currently unprepared for. It may have been a pyrrhic victory, but for the moment, Konoha has won."

The Leader nodded. "Kakuzu is right. We will retreat and let Konoha collect their dead. But the next time we go up against the Will of Fire, I will make sure that no one survives to even bury the fallen."

Hidan seemed satisfied by this and one by one Itachi's Brothers began to teleport from the room. Eventually only he and Kakuzu were left. The masked ninja was standing over Kakashi's body, exuding a sense of wistful longing.

"It's a shame that I currently have no room for another heart. Kakashi Hatake's essence would have been well worth absorbing."

Itachi gave a non-committal sound of concurrence, meeting the near-immortal shinobi's eyes as he did so. The Uchiha didn't allow for even a moment of delay, lest the ancient ninja realise what he was doing.

After a few seconds, Kakuzu put one hand into his cloak and pulled out the recipe that he'd been strictly ordered to guard with his life, before letting it drift slowly to the ground. Then he too teleported from the hideout. Itachi deactivated his Sharingan as he stooped to pick up the sheet of parchment, which was covered with Sasori's elegant cursive.

He then made the necessary signs for a localised water jutsu. He watched in satisfaction as the ink bled across the sodden page and all traces of what it had once said were gone. Only Sasori himself had been able to learn the complex recipe by heart, as he was the only one skilled enough to invent such a compound. And of course producing copies of the recipe would have merely increased the chances of it finding its way into enemy hands. Confident that the compound could not be recreated, Itachi began rehearsing what his story to the Leader would be. At some point during the battle it must have fallen from Kakuzu's pocket and got caught up in Kakashi's water jutsu. Kakuzu himself would of course support this story, maybe the genjutsu Itachi'd cast on him would even cause the five-hearted shinobi to recall a direct memory of such a thing happening.

He'd bring it to the Leader to see if they could decipher it, knowing that it would be a wasted effort. Thus Itachi would remain blameless. And no one else would ever be forced by that cruel poison to try and kill the ones they cared about – just as he had been forced to kill his friends and loved-ones all those years ago.

It was then that Itachi turned his attention to Kakashi once more. Looking down at the Hatake's lifeless body, the Uchiha felt paralyzed. And before he could stop them, flashbacks began to assault his mind. He saw images of all the times that he'd been in almost this exact situation. Every ANBU mission where Kakashi had been left unconscious after expending nearly all of his chakra in order to save his comrades, passed before Itachi's eyes. A lifetime ago, he'd been one of those comrades, owing his life to the Copy-Ninja. And more than once it'd been he who'd carried the Hatake's unconscious often wounded body back to the village. But on all of those occasions, Itachi's Sharingan had told him that the stubborn, reckless ANBU whom he'd somehow come to respect, was still alive. This time however, it was different. All of Kakashi's chakra had been spent in order to save his friend. There was no doubt about it. The infamous Copy-Ninja, his former Captain, and the closest thing he'd ever had to an older brother lay dead at his feet. And Itachi could not deny that he was to blame. He sighed, knowing that this meant it was up to him to set things right. But Itachi also knew that if Pain ever found out what he was about to do, death would be by far the least of his concerns.