Chapter Fourteen: How the Heart Taints

As soon as Sakura had feeling in her body once again she looked at where she was. She was in a small cabin. She had barely looked around when she heard someone click their tongue.

"Now this just won't do."

She looked in the direction of the voice. It was the man with the mask.

"Who the hell are you?" Sakura demanded. "You were killed five years ago."

Sasuke suddenly felt very stupid. Why didn't he remember that fact? Oh yeah, he ditched them all after the epic battle between his brother and him.

"Was I? I'm one hell of a ghost then."

"How did you survive?"

"Oh, I've got many tricks up my sleeve."

She looked into the one eyehole it had. Then her vision exploded with a burst of pain. She knew in that instant that he had invaded her mind. Her subconscious instantly came to her defense.

Sasuke noticed that Sakura suddenly tensed up. He saw the other man's Sharingan swirling.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.

Madara Uchiha didn't answer him. He was engaged in a fierce mental battle against a girl half his size and a quarter his age.

Sakura gritted her teeth. "Get out of my head!"

Madara swore violently. "Who the hell are you?"

Sakura didn't answer because she just received the biggest headache she had ever had in her entire life. Blood was dripping from her nose and the veins were popping out of her neck from her intense inner battle. Finally, it became too much and she passed out. Madara shook his head as he swore.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing that I couldn't handle. I didn't expect her to know so much about the Sharingan." Madara took off the mask that made him Tobi, and shook his long, dark hair. "Well, what should we do with her?"

Sasuke shrugged.

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Kill her?"

"No," Sasuke said, a little too quickly.

"Attached to the firecracker, are we?"

"No. Killing her would not benefit us in any way. It would only turn Konoha's wrath upon us."

"I see. Ever the cold shinobi."

Sasuke said nothing, but stared hard at Sakura. He would never admit out loud, but he had been checking to make sure she was still breathing.

"What sort of genjutsu did you put her under?"

"A very special one," Madara said bitterly. "She sort of pissed me off, following us here and then-"

"Enough with this shit already! Just tell me what you know about Itachi and how the hell you're still alive after all these years!" Sasuke hissed. He didn't like Madara already.

Madara sighed. "Very well. Perhaps you should sit down." Sasuke didn't move.

Madara shrugged. "Suit yourself. Before I begin, I would like to ask you something." When Sasuke neglected to respond, he continued. "Have you used the Amaterasu that Itachi implanted within you yet?"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, but instead of the tomoe they took on a different form, resembling a boomerang with three ends.

Madara shook his head. "Itachi, Itachi, Itachi…Even in death he never ceases to amaze me. Even planning for a situation like this."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What…what are you saying?"

"He equipped you with his own jutsu in a last effort to kill me…or perhaps he meant to keep me away from you."

"What are you trying to say? Why would Itachi want to kill you? You were both in Akatsuki together and-"

"You still don't know? It was to protect you."

"Pr-protect me!? Is that supposed to be funny?" Sasuke snarled.

"You knew so much about your brother, Sasuke, yet you knew nothing at all."

"You keep fucking with me, and I will kill you!"

"I see talking with you is going to be difficult. I guess I understand. Some weirdo shows up and takes you to a secret place and starts saying all these shocking things…But I assure you, I speak the truth."

At Sasuke's narrowed look, Madara sighed. "Didn't you ever wonder how Itachi, at thirteen, managed to kill the entire Uchiha clan, excluding yourself?"

Sasuke said nothing, for that was something that had been plaguing him for years.

"Because he had help. There was one other person with him that night."

Sasuke was engrossed now. Of course there had to be another person! No one could have done it alone!

"It was me. Madara Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes widened, but Madara continued before he could be interrupted.

"I know everything there is to know about Itachi Uchiha. Of course, he died without realizing just how much…"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "Stop it! I've had enough of this nonsense! I'm leaving."

"So you're abandoning your…friend? In case you haven't noticed, she's under my genjutsu. One that only I can break. Take her if you will….if you want her to remain like that until she dies."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm threatening her."

"And you think that would stop me from leaving? I already told you…I broke my bond with her long ago. She means absolutely nothing to me."

"Well if she can't make you stay then perhaps my story will. I can tell you why Itachi killed your family…and who ordered him to do it."

At this Sasuke turned.

"Very good, Sasuke. You have to question me. It's your duty…your mission."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Get to the point."

"So do you get it, then? Why Itachi implanted Amaterasu in your eyes? It was because he wanted to make sure you and I would never meet. You'll understand everything once you hear what I have to say. The only people who knew the truth about Itachi were Danzo, the Third Hokage, and two of the Elders: Homura and Hokaru. With the Third dead, however, the only ones that know are those three old people…and there's absolutely no way they will ever speak that abominable truth. The truth about Itachi will disappear into the darkness of eternity…just the way he wanted it. But I know the truth about him, too…and he died without realizing it. But he was cautious…he gave you Amaterasu so you would have a way to seal my mouth permanently…he must have known I'd show you my Sharingan to get you to talk to me."

"Enough rambling and get on to this so-called 'truth.'"

"Remember Itachi. Remember your kind, older brother."

"That man was anything but kind. Ignoring the fact that he slaughtered our entire family, he tried to kill me and my friends…and not in a nice, painless way, either."

"Ah…I see. So that's how this girl knows how to fight our Sharingan so well…Itachi must have realized that I might use her to get to you…Just how important is she really to you, Sasuke?"

"She has nothing to do with this!"

"True, true."

"Itachi is the enemy…"

"It's true that he killed the entire Uchiha clan, and that he left Konoha."

"Then…"

"And he did it all on orders from Konoha. That's the gateway to the truth about Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke looked confused. "On…orders?"

Madara nodded his head. "That's right. He killed his sense of self in order to complete his mission. But in order to talk about Itachi I have to go back to when Konoha was first founded. Itachi was a sacrifice. A sacrifice that had its origins in the past. There was a big problem ever since Konoha was formed. That is what influenced how Itachi lived."

"Sacrifice?" Sasuke echoed.

"That's right. This is a long story, but it's the truth."

"I don't believe you. What proof is there that you're telling the truth?"

"I have no proof. It's up to you whether you want to believe me or not. But just hear me out."

Sasuke closed his eyes in acquiescence.

"It started more than 80 years ago. The world was engulfed in a constant state of war. Countries fought to gain power and expand their territory. In those times, shinobi were nothing but individual clans acting as armed militia. Each clan was hired to fight for a country. Among the numerous clans were two feared as the strongest. They were our own Uchiha clan and a clan called the 'Senju clan of the Forest.' The Uchiha clan had exceptional chakras and the Sharingan. We were known as a warrior clan, well-versed in battle. And even amond the Uchihas my chakras were especially strong. The fact that I've managed to survive this long is proof of that. Back then my life was nothing but one long battle. It was a time when strength was everything. I killed my friend and my own brother in my quest to become stronger."

Sasuke glared. "You bastard…"

"…if I'm not mistaken, you tried to do the same."

Sasuke did not respond, so Madara continued.

"But thanks to that, I gained a perfect Mangekyo and became the leader of the Uchiha clan. I used my powers to fight the Senju clan again and again. It was inevitable that I would fight Hashirama, leader of 

the Senju clan. Hashirama Senju, who would later become the first Hokage. He stood at the top of the shinobi world, and was the man I admired most. All the clans acknowledged his superiorty, and feared him. If Senju made a move, Uchiha made a move. We were the only clan that was a match for them. If one country hired Senju, their enemies would hire Uchiha…we were their rivals. As I fought Hashirama, my name became more well-known."

Sasuke looked down. "For fame. That's why…" He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

"I did. But it was because I wanted to the strength to protect the Uchiha clan. The more famous we grew, the more enemies we made. As the battles raged, sacrifices had to be made to protect Uchiha from Senju and the other clans that opposed us. It wasn't for fame. My brother agreed to everything, and even offered his own eyes. But then the Senju clan asked for a truce with Uchiha, and Uchiha agreed. Both clans were exhausted from the endless fighting. They'd reached their limits. I was the only one to oppose the truce. Where was the hatred we felt for each other? What had my brother sacrificed himself for? After all…Uchiha and Senju were like oil and water. Eventually the Senju clan would exterminate the Uchiha clan…I couldn't help but feel like that."

Madara adopted a rather bitter tone. "But the rest of Uchiha clan wanted to truce. As their leader, I had no choice but to go along with their decision. Soon after, our ninja alliance made a pact with the land of Fire who wanted help controlling their territory. There began the system of one village per country, with Konoha and the land of Fire. Other countries began mimicking the one village per country system. And with that, little by little, the fighting began to lessen. For once there was peace. But soon something happened that threw Konoha into chaos." Madara seemed lost in his thoughts for a few moments.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

Madara shook himself out of his memories. "There was a dispute over the position of leader…of Hokage. As you know, Hashirama gained the position. Everyone in the village and land of Fire chose him. It was clear that Uchiha was was quickly losing its supremacy. In order to protect Uchiha, I chose the path of leadership. I chose to oppose Hashirama…but there was no one amond Uchiha who would follow me. My followers opposed me, thinking I would stir the embers of war. They betrayed me. They said I was moved by my own desire for power. They despised me, saying I was greedy and stole my brother's eyes to save my own life. What man would willingly harm his own little brother? I just…wanted to protect Uchiha, that's all! I left the village…betrayed by everyone."

Sasuke didn't like this story. It was too close to his own.

"Bent on revenge, I challenged Konoha. I was defeated by Hashirama in the place now called 'The Valley of the End.' I died there…or so they assumed. Even Hashirama thought so. I was forgotten by everyone, even history. Wanting to make sure another traitor like myself never arose, Hashirama's younger brother, the second Hokage, gave Uchiha a special position as a sign of trust. The Konoha military police were formed. But its true purpose was to distance Uchiha from governing the village, and to keep the entire clan under surveillance. Some of the Uchiha realized what was going on. Some rebels began to follow in my footsteps…but it was already too late. Time passed, and Senju retained supremacy. The proud Uchiha clan was nothing more than Senju's dogs. It was just as I'd feared. Something happened to completely destroy Uchiha. That's right. The nine-tailed fox spirit's attack 16 years ago."

Sasuke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Uchiha's powers are the only thing that can control the Kyuubi…the Konoha elders suspected that an Uchiha was behind the incident. It was a natural disaster. Not the Uchiha. But they were suspicious. They thought Uchiha were plotting a rebellion. After that, the Uchiha were closely guarded by black ops. They were forced to live in a corner of the village and were basically segregated from the rest of the population. The third Hokage was the only one that voiced any dissent. But his advisors and Danzo of the black ops refused to listen to him. After all, the Uchiha clan had never been trusted. The discrimination began. Their mistrust birthed ill-will, and eventually their suspicions became reality. The Uchiha clan plotted a coup d'etat to take over the village. So the Konoha higher ups planted a spy amond the Uchiha. That spy was your brother, Itachi Uchiha. And that's where Itachi's hell began."

Sasuke shook his head in shock. "Uchiha planned a coup d'etat? And my brother was a spy?"

"Though you were part of Uchiha, you were kept in the dark. You were too young. But this is the truth. Your father, Fugaku, was the ringleader behind the coup d'etat. Itachi entered the black ops as a spy on your father's orders. But the opposite happened. Itachi gave the village information on Uchiha. He was what they call a 'double agent.' You probably can't even imagine how hard that was on him."

"Why?" Sasuke seethed. "Why did Itachi betray Uchiha?"

"You haven't seen war, so you can't understand. During the third shinobi war, Itachi had already seen many people die at the tender age of four. He was too young to experience war. War is hell. That trauma made him a peaceful man who hated conflict. He put the stability of the village first and worked towards peace…that's what kind of man he was. He loved the village, not wrapped up in clan differences. The village elders used that to their advantage. They gave him a secret mission. An eye for an eye…only someone with the Sharingan would be a match for Uchiha."

At the anguish on Sasuke's face, Madara nodded. "That's right. His mission…was the annihilation of the entire Uchiha clan. I can't even begin to imagine his mental state then. He was forced with a horrible choice. The betrayel of his family should have been an inconceivable choice. But if a clan like Uchiha started a civil war, it would shake the foundations of both Konoha and the entire land of fire. Other countries would surely use that as an opportunity to attack. No doubt it would trigger a fourth shinobi war. Many would die, including those with no ties to the shinobi world, all for the sake of the Uchiha clan's self-interest."

Madara looked at Sasuke. "What would you have done if you were Itachi?"

Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked away the tears. This was too much…

"So Itachi made his decision. He would close the book on the clan's history with his own hand. He didn't betray them out of hatred…he had no choice. The village's prejudice…and the fruits of that antagonism. He took it all on himself. No one can blame him for the sacrifice he made. At the time, I myself was looking for an opportunity for war. I was bitter towards both Uchiha and Senju. But Itachi realized that. He was the only one who'd figured out I was still alive. He approached me and made me an offer. In return for allowing me to get revenge on Uchiha, he asked me not to harm the rest of the village. I said I would help annihilate my family…However, the third Hokage had other plans. He tried to reach a truce with Uchiha. But time pressed on, and he failed…It all led up to that night. It was his duty. Killing his own clan and leaving the village in dishonor…it was all a part of his duty."

Sasuke's eyes were swimming with tears so he closed them. He would not cry in front of this man who had seen so much.

"…And Itachi fulfilled it. Except for one mistake. He was unable…to kill his own brother. Afterwards, Itachi pleaded with the third Hokage to protect you from Danzo and the others. Then, after threatening Danzo, he left the village. 'If you lay a hand on Sasuke,' he said, 'I'll leak everything I know about the village to enemy countries.' He was so worried about you. But he couldn't tell you the truth, so this is all he could say.

'I played the role of the brother you wanted to test your 'mettle.' Now you will be the one to test mine. You have the potential hidden within you. Even as you've hated me, you've longed to surpass me. That's why I let you live…for my own ends. My foolish brother…if you want to kill me, then curse me! Hate me! Live your ugly life…and run, run! Cling to life. Then when you have the same eyes as I do, come to me.'

He gave you revenge as your goal, in order to make you stronger. He wanted you to believe that the Uchiha was a clan Konoha could be proud of. He begged the Hokage not to tell you the truth. Since the day he left the village, he planned to fight you and die by your hand. So that you would gain a new power…this is the truth about Itachi."

"Lie…lies…" Tears were now freely flowing down Sasuke's cheeks. He didn't even bother to hide them in shame anymore. "You have to be lying…"

Unknown to both of them, tears were freely flowing down Sakura's cheeks as well.