I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Family Feud
Ryuu landed on a roof a short distance from the Uchiha Hideout where Sasuke, a girl with blood red hair, a fairly revealing purple shirt, and blue pants, a tall man with bright orange hair and a purple cloak, and a man slightly shorter than Sasuke with a purple shirt, white hair, white pants, and a large metal cleaver with a hole near the ned of the blade were standing across from an Akatsuki member with blue hair, blue skin, gills below his eyes, pointed teeth, and a massive sword with the blade wrapped in bandages and with a tiny skull on the pommel. Ryuu had learned to retract the wood spikes from his shoulder then learned to generate them from his arm and leg at will and wherever on them he wanted.
"Sasuke," Ryuu spoke up landing behind him.
"You're late," Sasuke stated. "I almost went ahead without you."
"Glad you didn't," Ryuu grinned glancing at the others. "New team?"
"Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin," Sasuke introduced starting with he one with the sword, the tall man, and then the girl. "And that's Kisame Hoshigaki. Itachi's partner."
Ryuu nodded and looked back to Sasuke. Sasuke had grown a fair amount while away, now standing a bit taller than Ryuu. He wore black pants, black sandals, a sleeveless black shirt open down the front, a light purple cloth around his waist, hanging down in the back and tied on with a thick purple rope that also held a black chokuto. He also had a pair of wrist bands that had seals on them that would allow him to store weapons, not unlike the pair Ryuu had gotten on the day Itachi had killed his brother. He still had his left one but the seal was empty and his right one had been destroyed along with his arm.
"What happened to your arm?" Sasuke asked.
"Long story," Ryuu stated. "I'll fill you in after we kill Itachi."
"Why not," Sasuke nodded.
They both headed to the hideout, Kisame keeping the others there. When they reached the hideout, they headed inside and found Itachi sitting in a throne on the opposite end of the room. Behind the throne was a poster with the kanji for "fox" with eight red spirals around it.
"Itachi," Sasuke snarled.
"Sasuke, Ryuu," Itachi greeted. "Welcome. Tell me Sasuke, how much can you see with those Sharingan of yours?"
"How much can I see?" Sasuke snorted. "I see you dead at my feet."
"You see me dead do you?" Itachi mused. "Then go ahead and try it."
Itachi was suddenly standing behind Sasuke. Sasuke spun, at the same time as Itachi, blocking Itachi's arm as Itachi tried to stab him with a kunai. Itachi flipped the kunai around, driving it toward Sasuke but Sasuke drew his sword, blocking it. Itachi caught Sasuke's right arm and jumped, kicking Sasuke's sword then kicking it aside, flipping and kicking Sasuke in the face. Sasuke slid backward, finishing drawing his sword before moving to stab Itachi. Itachi caught him by the back of his shirt and flipped over the blade, throwing Sasuke across the room, Sasuke's sword stabbing itself into the ground. Sasuke landed on his feet, forming a Chidori. Itachi watched him carefully as Sasuke sprinted forward.
"Chidori Stream!" Sasuke shouted, slamming his Chidori into the ground and sending electricity across the ground at Itachi.
Itachi leapt into the air and saw that Sasuke was suddenly beside his sword. He pulled it free, leaping at Itachi and stabbing him before pinning him to the ground.
"You have, gotten strong," Itachi admitted.
"Listen close Itachi," Sasuke began, voice cold. "I have one final thing to ask of you."
Itachi held up a hand, extending two fingers and then pointed toward the throne. Sasuke looked and saw the real Itachi sitting in it, the version he fought having only been a genjutsu and crow clone.
"The exact same words as before and your clones as well," Sasuke noted. "Starting with your favorite Genjutsu farce huh?"
"So what is it you want to know?" Itachi asked. "It won't be the last thing but I'll hear what you have to say."
"Let me try this again," Sasuke growled, appearing behind Itachi and stabbing him through the throne, the version beside Ryuu turning to snakes.
"Genjutsu," Itachi stated.
"I have one last thing to ask," Sasuke stated as Ryuu walked over to them. "You hear me you bastard?!"
Sasuke tilted his sword, tearing the wound open more.
"Answer my question," Sasuke ordered. "The pain in your chest won't stop until you do."
"You deliberately avoided a vital spot," Itachi noted.
"Remember what you said," Sasuke growled. "You said I'd be the third person to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Fourth now," Ryuu spoke up activating his own briefly before deactivating them again, remaining with normal Sharingan.
"Fourth then," Sasuke corrected himself. "The other one with that Sharingan, who in the Uchiha Clan obtained it?"
"But why?" Itachi asked. "Why do you even concern yourself with such a thing?"
"I am going to go kill him after you," Sasuke stated. "That is why."
"You can't touch him," Ryuu stated making both the others stare at him in shock. "It's Madara Uchiha. He gave me this arm and a matching leg when I nearly died. Saved my life. He had intended to recruit me into the Akatsuki but I just went home doesn't take rejection well. When I fought him, my attacks passed through him harmlessly when he wanted them to."
"Yes," Itachi nodded. "That's him. One of the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village. The Man who first awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Madara should be long dead by now," Sasuke stated.
"Madara is still alive," Ryuu stated. "I'm living proof."
"Each of us lives dependent and bount by our individual knowledge, and our awareness," Itachi stated. "All that is what we call reality. However, both knowledge and awareness are equivocal. One's reality might be another's illusion. We all live inside our own fantasy. Don't you think that's true Sasuke?"
"Just what are you trying to say?" Sasuke demanded.
"Um, Sasuke," Ryuu spoke up but both ignored him.
"That thinking Madara is dead is merely an arbitrary assumption that you've made," Itachi continued. "In exactly the same way that you once assumed that I was your kind and gentle older brother. I have acted like the older brother you desired for one reason: Because I wanted to discover how powerful you were."
"Sasuke," Ryuu spoke up again.
"What happened that night, I was so young," Sasuke stated. "I thought it was all merely an illusion. I desperately wanted to believe that I was only trapped in a horrible Genjutsu."
"Didn't we all," Ryuu sighed, knowing they weren't listening to him.
"But there was no mistake," Sasuke shouted spinning. "I was trapped in reality."
He held his hand out, a blade of lightning extending from his hand into the wall over the real Itachi's right shoulder as Ryuu's Flame Sword pierced the wall over Itachi's other shoulder.
"So you did know," Ryuu grinned looking at Sasuke's jutsu. "That's a very interesting variation of the Chidori."
"Thank you," Sasuke smirked. "Itachi, my eyes can see through Genjutsu now."
"You speak with such confidence as you always do," Itachi stated. "Well, for now, I'm willing to take your word for it."
The Itachi Sasuke had stabbed faded and Sasuke stood, lowering his sword.
"I'm done playing with your parlor tricks," Sasuke stated.
"Confidence is fine," Itachi stated. "But Sasuke, it appears you still do not possess the same eyes as I do. So you just couldn't do it. Couldn't kill your best friend. Ryuu did."
"No," Ryuu spoke up. "I arrived in time to see the love of my life stabbed through the stomach by Sasori. You'll probably not remember Fu. The Seven-tails Jinchuriki."
Ryuu could swear he saw sympathy and sorrow in Itachi's eyes for a moment before it was gone.
"You're right," Itachi stated. "I don't remember."
"Hurry up and kill me with your Mangekyo Sharingan, if you think you can," Sasuke interrupted.
"If you insist," Itachi sighed standing. "The Mangekyo Sharingan are very special eyes. The moment they are activated, they progress toward darkness. And the more they are used, the faster they are sealed."
"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked.
"The Mangekyo eventually make the user go blind," Ryuu stated.
"Exactly who and what is Madara?" Sasuke demanded.
"The first man ever to tame the Nine-tails with his eyes," Itachi stated, Mangekyo now active. "An immortal man who is both my comrade and my mentor. And the exceptional man who is the only one to uncover the other secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan. That, is Madara Uchiha."
"Did you say the other secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke asked.
"What other visual power does it possess?" Sasuke asked. "Can it do more than just tame the Nine-tails?"
"Tame the Nine-tails?" Ryuu snorted. "The Mangekyo Sharingan gives the user abilities unique to their Sharingan. These powers are unparalleled by the abilities that can be performed by the normal Sharingan. However they speed up the deterioration of the Mangekyo. I had Madara's servant explain this to me. And the other secret, the one and only thing Madara has learned that no one else has, is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Eternal?" Sasuke asked.
"Madara once had a brother," Itachi began. "Even from a young age they honed their abilities by competing against each other. They awakened their Sharingan, then they killed the people most precious to them, awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, the first ever. Madara was named the leader of the newly unified clan. However, as he used his Mangekyo Sharingan, his vision began to fail. Lost in despair, Madara became desperate to regain his sight. Eventually, he stole the eyes of his brother. Madara gained a new light. And never again did his light begin to fade. It is said that by finding a new host, his younger brother's eyes gained eternal light. And another change emerged. A distinctly new visual jutsu was born from those eyes. However, this exchange can only take place between clan members, and not everyone obtains new powers from this method either. These truths were only gradually discovered over time. After countless sacrifices. That is the other secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Madara used his newfound powers to take control of one Ninja clan after another. Ultimately, he formed an alliance with the most powerful clan, the Senju Clan of the forest, and established a new organization. Later, he clashed with the leader of the Senju Clan, the future First Hokage, over the course the village would take. He may have lost the battle over leadership, but Madara still lives on, with his visual prowess intact. He formed the Akatsuki, and sixteen years ago, when the Nine-tails attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, it was Madara's doing. But like Madara's bid for power, the Fourth Hokage stopped that too. In short, Madara is a bitter defeated loser now. He's not worthy or capable of grasping the Uchiha's true greatness. I am the one. I shall surpass Madara, and achieve real greatness. And now, I can finally obtain power that exceeds Madara's. Sasuke! You are the one who will become my new light! You have my spare eyes!"
A spectral green head with flaming red hair behind it appeared behind him, reaching out toward Sasuke with its hair. It had two sharingan and two empty eye sockets above them.
"Activating the Mangekyo Sharingan always required and Uchiha to witness the death of a friend. Parents and siblings killed each other to obtain eternal visual prowess. We're both from a tainted bloodline that's progressed its strength this way throughout the ages. And from the day you were born into our clan, You have been unavoidably entwined with this blood-soaked fate."
The hair wrapped around Sasuke, reaching to his left eye.
"Now come my little brother! I shall kill you to obtain my true transformation, and finally be free from our clan's fate! I shall break free from all the restrictions and all the constraints that bind me! We are each other's spares! This is the true bond between the brothers of the Uchiha!"
Ryuu noticed a shift in Sasuke's chakra and bearing as he closed his eyes, slowly reaching up to his eye as the illusion faded. He lowered his hand, taking a slow breath.
"It was all, just for this?" Sasuke asked. "I've finally arrived. The moment to achieve my goal is here at last."
"You said that you see me dead at your feet," Itachi stated. "But you cannot possibly win against me and my Mangekyo Sharingan. Unfortunately your goal will end as mere fantasy, and vanish like a dream upon waking. Because you do not possess my visual prowess."
Sasuke and Itachi both turned sideways to each other, holding their hands in front of them, parallel to each other and over the other wrist. Then, they began summoning and hurling shuriken in a blur. Sparks flew between them rapidly as shuriken rained down between them. Then, it all stopped. Sasuke froze and Ryuu glanced at Itachi to see blood trickling down from his left eye. Just as Ryuu stepped toward Sasuke, Sasuke fell to his knees, and Itachi a moment later.
"You, broke through my Tsukuyomi?" Itachi asked through gritted teeth, revealing that he was in pain.
Sasuke stood, leveling a glare at Itachi.
"Wow," Ryuu whistled. "Your crappy average Sharingan broke through Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan's ability? Man, I'm not making you mad any time soon."
"Like I said," Sasuke growled. "No matter how much you use your eyes, with all of my hatred I'll turn fantasy into reality."
"Turn fantasy into reality huh?" Itachi asked standing. "Some strong words. Then let me throw them right back at you now. Just a few moments ago, you saw your eyes gouged out in the Tsukuyomi. Well, allow me to make that a reality."
"Sasuke," Ryuu spoke up, knowing the brothers were about to begin to fight for real. "Since you're going to kill Itachi during your turn, may I go first? I have a few abilities that I intend to use on him."
"Sure," Sasuke sighed. "Go for it. But no matter how this ends, I get to deal the killing blow."
"No promises," Ryuu grinned drawing his tanto. "Now then, Itachi. Shall we begin with a warm-up?"
Itachi nodded and held up a kunai, sprinting forward. Ryuu met his charge, blocking Itachi's first strike before spinning past Itachi, slashing at him. Itachi blocked it again and Ryuu caught his arm stepping forward, tanto driving itself at Itachi. He couldn't block this one so instead, he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, appearing behind Ryuu.
"Not bad," Ryuu smirked. "You're pretty good with the Body Flicker Technique."
He stepped forward, the knife Itachi had driven into his back as soon as he stopped slipping out of Ryuu who reached around and healed the wound.
"My brother trained you," Ryuu guessed and earned a nod as Itachi turned toward him. "Well, my brother trained me too."
Ryuu began to flicker, a wicked grin dominating his face before a second one appeared off to Itachi's left. Both were identical and continued to flicker before a third and fourth appeared opposite those two. Itachi raised an eyebrow, looking around before blood sprayed out of his right arm, making him drop the kunai as another wound seemingly opened itself in Itachi's other arm. Itachi's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Suddenly, a gash opened in his back. Another in his left thigh. His chest. A stab wound in his right leg. A slash to his stomach. Itachi spun, extending a leg to trip Ryuu but instead, a deep gash opened in his calf and he fell to his stomach, a dirty footprint appearing on the center of his back as a gash opened itself on his right hip, then his left. He pushed himself up, numerous gashes opening on his back on the way then closed his right eye.
"Amaterasu!" Itachi shouted, spinning and looking in a circle on the floor.
Black flames sprang to life where his eye looked. Ryuu, moving so fast that the world seemed to be moving slowly, turned around, following Itachi's spin. Just as he neared Itachi's line of sight, he leapt into the air, landing on the Itachi's head just as he completed the circle and ended the jutsu. Ryuu spun, his foot spinning Itachi as well, nearly breaking his neck. Ryuu leapt off, landing just inside the circle of black flames and continued his run. The after images of where he had stopped all faded and Itachi noticed.
"So, I was right," Itachi growled, starting to stand only to be sashed back into the ground again, the ground cracking as he hit. "He's running."
Itachi spun again, both legs out with one a bit higher than the last but this time, he didn't get cut, he felt pain explode between his legs before he was again smashed into the ground.
Ryuu landed beside Itachi taking off again but just as he was back to top speed, his new leg suddenly gave out from the strain of moving that fast that long. The jutsu ended instantly and he flew toward the black flames. Before he got then, Itachi spun, kicking him into the air then jumping, kicking him out of the circle of flames where he crashed into a wall and slid to the floor, groaning. Itachi tossed his tanto to him then opened his right eye again, extinguishing the black flames circle.
"I'll admit, you've completely mastered that technique," Itachi stated. "Even your brother was unable to do that. However, your leg, which I take it is the same as your arm, is unable to keep that up for long. It's not use to it. That's a shame."
"Yeah," Ryuu grunted pushing himself up. "Time for the next ability. What a shame. I was enjoying that."
He held his arm out and wooden spikes burst out of the outside of his arm with several on his shoulder.
"Impossible," Itachi gasped. "Then that arm is...Hashirama's Cells?"
Ryuu reached back and broke off a spike, grinning before hurling it. The spike buried itself in Itachi before Ryuu formed the Ram Seal and wooden spikes exploded out of Itachi. A moment later, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"I see," Itachi growled. "You've mastered the Wood Style Cutting Sprigs Jutsu. Impressive."
"Isn't it though," Ryuu smirked creating five shadow clones who all spread around the room, breaking off two spikes each. "Let's get this over with."
Ryuu and his clones began firing the spikes randomly around the room, until it was covered everywhere. Then, they formed the Ram Seal and all of the spikes they threw sprouted spikes of their own, skewering Itachi and leaving no room for the real one to stand. Sure enough, the Itachi they hit exploded into smoke and Sasuke, now standing safely in one of the only two safe zones Ryuu had left, looked around.
"You missed," Sasuke stated.
"I know," Ryuu grinned turning toward Itachi, who was standing with each foot on a different spike. "I'm not done."
Ryuu formed several hand seals, blasting the ceiling and opening a hole for them all to leave the room, which they did. Then, Ryuu began forming hand seals.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Caterwaul!" Ryuu shouted, but instead the blast came from directly behind Itachi.
Itachi spun to defend against that one and Ryuu exhaled several Air Bullets around himself before combining them with a Phoenix Flame Jutsu. Then, he fired them at Itachi.
Just as Itachi finished with the Caterwaul, the Air Bullets began exploding around him, heating the air and leaving Itachi on his knees.
"What...did you...do?" Itachi managed.
"Don't move," Ryuu growled breaking off another spike and hurling it at Itachi.
At the last second, Sasuke slashed it out of the air and Ryuu sighed, retracting the other spikes.
"Fine," Ryuu sighed. "Your turn."
The brothers turned toward each other, firing massive streams of flame at each other. After several seconds, Sasuke's began to push Itachi's back. Finally, Itachi activated his Amaterasu, imbuing his fire stream with it. His began to burn Sasuke's own flames away and reached toward Sasuke. Sasuke ended his jutsu and the Amaterasu finished with his own flames and went out. Sasuke turned, sprinting around the roof as Itachi turned to follow him with his right eye, firing bursts of Amaterasu at him. Sasuke sprouted a pair of wings, which looked more like hands, and leapt forward, flying around the roof for a ways before landing in a run again. Just as he touched down, Itachi managed to get his brother's wings and lit it. Sasuke staggered and fell, landing hard and shouting in pain as the flames began to spread. After moment, he fell still and Ryuu looked off the building, seeing black flames on the terraces below where Itachi had missed Sasuke.
Ryuu looked back to Sasuke, now completely engulfed in flames, and sprinted at Itachi. Just as he arrived, Itachi extinguished the Amaterasu on Sasuke then caught Ryuu's fist and kicked him. Ryuu flew backward then landed on his feet as Itachi drew a kunai. Ryuu felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek and realized that it was growing hot on the roof, probably from the Amaterasu heating the air. Just as he realized this, Sasuke's body melted into white goo, revealing a crack where Sasuke had escaped his skin, as Ryuu had heard Orochimaru could, and was standing below them.
"Sasuke you genius bastard," Ryuu snorted. "Shall we?"
Itachi suddenly fell to his knees, coughing blood into his hand before holding his hand to his right eye.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted before a massive ball of fire shaped like a dragon's head exploded up from the ceiling under Itachi.
Itachi avoided it, barely, and three more followed suit. The last one managed to burn Itachi's hand on the way up. Ryuu began to clap just as the ceiling began to collapse. Ryuu looked around and saw two tall rectangular spires on one side and a much longer one on the other. He leapt to the top of a shorter one then the top of the other and fell to his knees, tugging at the collar of his shirt. It was hot. Very hot. itachi landed on the remains of the roof, holding his wounded arm.
"That Amaterasu of yours," Sasuke panted looking up at Itachi. "It seems to have taken a lot out of you."
He fell to one knee, grunting as he did.
"Sasuke, you're out of energy," Ryuu reported from above. "Want me to finish up?"
"No!" Sasuke shouted. "I'll kill him."
"How?" Ryuu asked. "You've got no energy."
Thunder rumbled overhead and Ryuu snapped hie head upward. Storm clouds had gathered overhead from the heat of both the Amaterasu and the Dragon Flame Jutsus.
"The Sharingan can assess your chakra level," Itachi stated. "So stop bluffing. I can tell just by looking that you're out of chakra. You used the Orochimaru Style Substitution Jutsu to evade my Amaterasu. It's a good trick to deceive your opponent, but it uses up an enormous amount of chakra."
"Yeah you're right," Sasuke agreed. "I don't have any more chakra left. I used up every bit of it in that last fire style jutsu attack."
Rain began to fall, feeling blessedly cool against Ryuu's skin and Sasuke smirked.
"However," Sasuke continued. "Do you really believe, that I would come here to kill you and be unprepared? It lasts only an instant, and this jutsu cannot be blocked dodged or evaded, jut like the Amaterasu. Now Itachi, you asked for it so here it is at last. I'll make your death a reality."
Itachi suddenly looked up as electricity began to form and fly upward from the Amaterasu as well as the from the clouds, all coming together and forming a cone of lightning. Sasuke formed a Chidori then leapt up to stand beside Ryuu and Ryuu looked up to see lightning filling the skies.
"This jutsu guides the lightning down from the heavens," Sasuke stated. "All I have to do is direct its power right at you. This Jutsu is called Kirin."
Sasuke raised his hand, opening it as a roar echoed from somewhere.
"Come!" Sasuke shouted as the electricity form a lightning dragon from the cone, the dragon roaring and beginning to hover above Sasuke. "Now be gone with the thunder clap!"
He raised his hand, the dragon flying up into the sky, then swung it downward and the dragon reemerged, roaring as it moved forward. Then, it turned into a bolt of lightning, flashing down to the rooftop and exploding, all but decimating the hideout and the mountain itself. Sasuke and Ryuu landed in the rubble unharmed as the pillar they were on collapsed and watched the rubble carefully as the smoke began to thin. Itachi was lying face down a distance away where the rubble had somehow avoided his body.
"It's finally over," Ryuu sighed. "Guess you did get to do the honors after all."
"Is this, the death you had imagined for me then?" Itachi's voice spoke and both of their heads snapped around to look at Itachi as he began to push himself up.
He was badly wounded and his robe was gone, but he was alive, all the same. Sasuke growled in frustration and anger and his seal turned red, spreading over his body and leaving the skin a dark grey. His hair turned a dull blue and grey longer and he gained a black cross on his face, over his cheek bones and between his eyes. His sclerae turned black and his Sharingan reactivated.
"Damn you!" Sasuke raged just as a purple pigmentation appeared around his left eye.
"Sasuke," Ryuu spoke up. "I can handle Itachi from here. He's got nothing left."
"No!" Sasuke shouted. "He's mine!"
Just as he said this, red chakra appeared over Itachi before a spectral skeleton's upper body formed.
"If I hadn't had this, I'd have been dead," Itachi stated. "You really have gotten stronger, Sasuke."
"What is that?" Ryuu gaped.
"Now it's my turn," Itachi stated. "I'm going to reveal to you my final trump card: the Susanoo."
"Susanoo?" Sasuke repeated quietly, not understanding.
"Yes, the one other jutsu," Itachi stated. "Once the Tsukuyomi and the Amaterasu were awakened it also took root in these eyes of mine. Sasuke, is that it for your jutsu then? If you have anything else up your sleeve now's your last chance to play it. The real battle's just beginning."
The storm clouds overhead began to fade, the sun spilling through again.
"Sasuke, if you have nothing, I'm going," Ryuu warned.
The spectral skeleton around Itachi began to form muscle and then flesh. When it was done, the thing looked something like a giant, red, flaming samurai holding a shield in its left hand that was also made out of flames.
"What's the matter," Itachi asked. "You use up all your chakra and run out of options?"
"What?" Sasuke spat, more surprised than anything.
Ryuu glanced at him and saw that his left iris was now yellow with a slit pupil rather than his Sharingan.
Just as he noticed this, Sasuke shouted in pain, hunching over and clutching his left shoulder.
"Fine," Ryuu sighed turning back around and forming hand seals. "Wood Style, Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
He held out his right hand and shot out of the wrist spinning together into a massive wooden dragon that flew at Itachi. Just as it reached him, Itachi's silhouette smashed the shield into it, destroying the dragon in one hit.
"Fuck!" Ryuu swore looking back at Sasuke, who was on his knees.
Just as he did, eight massive white things began to grow out of Sasuke's shoulder from the seal, reaching up into the air and growing into snake heads. A body grew from Sasuke's shoulder, enveloping him as eight massive stone-like tails grew behind the heads.
"No way," Ryuu breathed backing away. "Sasuke!"
"That feels like, Orochimaru's Eight-headed Serpent Jutsu," Itachi muttered.
The snake began to move forward, grinding the rubble below it into dust as it did. Itachi began to walk forward and Ryuu was content to watch, considering that he doubted he could fight both the massive snake and Itachi. Finally both stopped and Itachi's silhouette raised its right arm, which had a second one growing out of it at the elbow, which held what looked like a Sake jar. Just as one of the snake's heads lunged forward, a massive flaming blade extended from the jar, the top hand grabbing it and swinging upward, removing the head. The head sailed into the air, crashing down in the distance as the other heads all hissed and reared back. Three of them lunged and Itachi's Susanoo blocked them with the shield before slicing them off, as he had done the last. Two more wrapped around the Susanoo but it almost instantly sliced them, and the next nearest one, off, sending all three sailing into the air. The last head reached upward, opening its mouth, and something began to grow from its throat. A head of long, slimy black hair appeared first, followed by an equally slimy man with pale white skin and purple pigmentations around each eye, both of which had yellow irises and slit pupils.
"And now it finally emerges," Itachi mused.
Orochimaru laughed for a moment before leaning forward, gagging. He straightened back up and began to regurgitate a sword hilt. After a moment, he took a hold of it, pulling it the rest of the way out and grinned at Itachi.
"This is it!" Orochimaru hissed. "This is what I've been waiting for. Thanks to you the boy's repressive chakra is gone. And no, at last, I have the chance to take over this child's body for good! And soon-"
He was cut off by Itachi's Susanoo stabbing him. Then, Orochimaru straightened up and laughed.
"Did you truly believe that a puny attack like that could take down the likes of me?" Orochimaru scoffed before his eyes widened and he gasped.
"Well Sasuke, what will you do next then?" Itachi asked.
"This sword, it can't be!" Orochimaru hissed as Itachi's Susanoo pulled the blade free. "Totsuka Blade?"
Orochimaru's body, and the snake attached to him, began to run down along the blade like they were melting.
"Itachi, it was hidden in you all along?" Orochimaru spat.
Then, he fell silent as the blade dragged the rest of him and the snake in while leaving Sasuke behind. Just before it was gone, however, a single small white snake fell free. It began to slither away but Ryuu's Flame Sword pierced it, burning it away to nothing.
"This is it, Sasuke," Itachi stated as the sword finished sealing Orochimaru.
The severed heads all exploded into smoke, disappearing, and Itachi began to cough up blood again. Ryuu watched him cautiously for a moment then hurried over to Sasuke, checking to make sure he was breathing. He noticed that Sasuke's Curse Mark was gone as well, leaving Sasuke exhausted and unable to continue fighting.
"And now...your eyes...are mine," Itachi panted. "I'll take my time retrieving them."
No sooner had he finished talking did he vomit blood into his hand, coughing hard as he did. He fell to his knees, choking up blood and the Susanoo disassembled to a skeleton. Sasuke grabbed a shuriken and paper bomb, hurling it as Ryuu fired a Fireball Jutsu but when the explosions cleared, the Susanoo had reconstructed enough to form the shield and had blocked them. Itachi stood, looking toward Sasuke and Ryuu and began to stumble forward. Every step seemed an effort but as he moved forward, Sasuke stumbled away.
"Wood Style, Wood Dragon Jutsu!" Ryuu shouted, the dragon shooting from his hand as the last had and this time wrapping around Itachi. Then, the Susanoo moved its shield outward and the dragon all but exploded off. The moment it did, Sasuke hurled a string of paper bombs at the Susanoo and they exploded against the mirror, doing no damage whatsoever.
"We can't hurt him," Ryuu breathed backing away.
"They're my eyes," Itachi mumbled. "They're mine."
Sasuke drew his sword, leaping at the Susanoo and driving his sword into the shield but it deflected it, the sword spinning away as Sasuke was hurled backward and to a wall that was still standing.
Ryuu leapt back to Sasuke, reaching out to heal him but before he could, he made the mistake of glancing at Itachi. Suddenly, he was chained to a wall and Itachi was before him, fully restored.
"I have only a few seconds to talk so be silent," Itachi commanded. "I mean no harm. I killed the Uchiha to protect the Hidden Leaf and I did not kill Shisui. Shisui took his own life long before the night you thought he died by my hand. He had been planning to use Kotoamatsukami to stop the Uchiha from rebelling, as they were planning to do, but a Leaf Village Elder by the name of Danzo Shimura, stole Shisui's right eye. Shisui managed to escape, and entrusted his remaining eye to me before taking his life. I placed the eye in one of my crows, which now resides within Naruto. Here is the summoning contract for my crows."
A scroll appeared before Ryuu and Ryuu's body slit its own fingertips with a kunai then wrote his name and put bloody fingerprints below that. The scroll vanished and the knowledge of how to perform the jutsu and all the techniques Itachi knew with it flowed into his mind through Itachi's Genjutsu.
"There," Itachi stated, looking pale. "My time is almost up. I'll explain the rest quickly. Danzo keeps Shisui's other eye under the bandages covering half his face, you'll know him when you see him. I was contacted by Madara first when Shisui died and agreed to kill the Uchiha and join him in the Akatsuki so long as you and Sasuke were allowed to live. His subordinate, Zetsu, created a special clone that was able to copy a person perfectly, including abilities and personality, by making contact with that person's DNA, in this case Shisui's eye. That was who you saw me kill, not your brother. I had the clone there so that I could shield you from the pain of your brother's death as long as I could, and so that you might awaken your Sharingan when you saw me kill him, as well as strive to be better than me so that you would grow strong enough to kill Madara. The same is true for why I acted as if I had never cared for Sasuke. I must go. Do not intervene."
And then, he was sitting against the wall, Sasuke standing beside him and leaning back against the wall with Itachi just before him. Itachi reached out toward Sasuke who looked around in panic for a moment before looking back to Itachi.
"Sorry Sasuke, there won't be a next time," Itachi said, smiling slightly, but Sasuke seemed to scared to hear him, or he'd have known what Itachi was actually doing.
Ryuu remembered a time when he and Sasuke were young when Sasuke would ask Itachi to train him and Sasuke would simply poke him in the forehead with two fingers and say, "maybe next time", but this time, when Itachi's fingers reached Sasuke's forehead, they stayed for a moment before sliding down Sasuke's face, leaving a trail of blood. Then, Itachi collapsed, Susanoo vanishing as he did. Ryuu caught him, setting him down on the ground and looked back at Sasuke, who was deaf to the world, unable to understand what had happened. It began to rain as they stood there, Ryuu looking up, using a hand to keep the rain from his eyes, then held his hand out, creating a lean-to out of wood over the three of them to keep them dry. The blood on Sasuke's forehead began to run, running into Sasuke's left eye and then back out like tears. Then, Sasuke also collapsed, Ryuu catching him as well.
"Damn Sasuke," Ryuu sighed. "You're beat. I'll have to get you back to the Hidden Leaf before Madara shows up."
He created a clone who picked up Itachi's body and the two of them left the ruins with the Body Flicker Technique, stopping at the building where Suigetsu and Kisame were fighting.
"Hey," Ryuu shouted and they spun toward him then stopped, seeing who he was carrying.
"Sasuke!" Karin shouted rushing over.
"Is he dead?" Suigetsu asked, almost sounding hopeful but looking at Karin, not Ryuu.
"No," Ryuu stated. "He just used up all of his chakra. Itachi did the same, but to the point of dying. Kisame, this is the only time I'll extend an offer to walk away to an Akatsuki member. If you stay, you die."
Kisame stared at him for a moment before bowing and vanishing.
"Damn," Suigetsu sighed. "There goes my sword."
"Next time Suigetsu," Ryuu smirked. "Now, I'm taking Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf. I suggest you all come with me before Madara Uchiha finds us."
"Wait," Karin said pulling her sleeve up. "I can heal Sasuke if he bites me."
"Do it," Ryuu nodded, setting Sasuke down.
Karin moved his mouth to her arm and forced him to bite her, gritting her teeth and arching her back as he did. Suigetsu rolled his eyes but after a moment, she released Sasuke and he groaned, opening his eyes. He looked around then stood and turned to Ryuu.
"It's over then?" Sasuke asked.
"Not yet," Ryuu stated. "But we'll have to go back to the Leaf before I can explain."
"Alright," Sasuke nodded. "What about the Hebi?"
"Hebi?" Ryuu asked looking at the others. "They can come too, I suppose. So long as none of them owe allegiance to Orochimaru."
"Fuck that," Suigetsu snorted. "I'd rather die."
"My allegiance is to Sasuke," Karin stated, Ryuu noticing Suigetsu wince, almost imperceptibly, thanks to his Sharingan.
"I follow Sasuke," Jugo stated. "Though, I don't think it's a good idea for me to be in a large village."
"You'll be fine," Sasuke promised. "Let's go."
Ryuu nodded and Sasuke left, taking the lead while Ryuu hung back a bit, allowing Suigetsu to catch him watching him. Sure enough, Suigetsu fell back to run beside him and looked over at him.
"What?" Suigetsu asked.
"You care about her don't you?" Ryuu smirked.
"What!?" Suigetsu nearly shrieked, barely managing to keep his voice down. "No! Hell no! I'd sooner die!"
"Sure," Ryuu chuckled. "That's why you were hurt when she said she was loyal to Sasuke, and why you were partially hoping Sasuke hadn't survived. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be unintentionally standing in your way."
"I don't...I never...fuck," Suigetsu growled. "Is it obvious?"
"A bit," Ryuu nodded. "Jugo seems like the type to have noticed, but Sasuke was probably to busy focussing on his brother to care. Karin wouldn't have noticed, if she's anything like the fangirls he had while he lived in the village."
"So it's always been like that huh?" Suigetsu grumbled.
"They claimed it was his skill but they ignored me, despite me being as good as him," Ryuu laughed. "Come on. Let's catch up."
Suigetsu nodded and they sped up, catching the others quickly, Ryuu moving to run beside Sasuke.
Read and review.