Chapter 21: The Price Of Vengeance
(Ladies & gents, I give you Itachi Vs. Sasuke. Btw, just be warned that there are some slightly graphic scenes in this chapter ok?)
The relative peacefulness of the forest is shattered as 2 figures burst through the bushes fighting. Both Itachi & Sasuke were moving so fast that they were just a blur. After a furious exchange, both combatants break off as Itachi tests the waters first by throwing a few kunais at Sasuke who simply bats it away with his wings. Sasuke retaliates by throwing a few kunais of his own at Itachi who blocks it with his own kunai. Sasuke then forms a few seals then & takes a deep breath. "RYUKA NO JUTSU!! (Fire Dragon Technique)." He blows a dragon shaped stream of fire towards Itachi & engulfs the missing nin in it's flames.
Sasuke scowls as the flames die down & he sees that Itachi was not the one he charred with the flame jutsu but a log. Looking around, he manages to avoid another brace of kunai coming at him only to find Itachi behind him as he was avoiding the projectiles.
"Still too slow little brother." Itachi whispers as he stabs Sasuke in the back with a kunai. But 'Sasuke' poofs away & reveals that the only thing that Itachi stabbed was a log as well. Itachi raises an eyebrow at this, suitably impressed at his brother's ability to avoid his attack.
"You've improved Ototo, but..." Itachi said as he deftly avoids an attack by Sasuke from above, grabs his ankle in midair & uses Sasuke's own momentum to throw him down to the ground. "...So have I. Give it up little brother, you couldn't beat me before & you have even less chances of beating me now even if you use that cursed seal that Orochimaru gave you."
"Shut up!!" Sasuke snarled. "Do you have ANY idea of all the pain & suffering you've put me through? DO YOU?!?" Images of his life thus far flashed in his mind ... His agonizing times alone in the Uchiha estate after Itachi had murdered his entire clan... His jealous looks at other children who still had the love of their parents while he himself was left with nothing... His hatred driven training sessions which, more often then not, had left his body & soul battered & bruised... His equally grueling sessions with Kakashi... His duel with Naruto at the Valley Of The End which almost resulted in the death of the one person he could consider a 'best friend' (he had always regretted that conflict withi his friend & teammate)... His painful treatments with Orochimaru & Kaubuto... Everything was for this one opportunity at taking his revenge against his brother, Itachi.
"Yes I do little brother. I can very well imagine it. An intriguing sensation, isn't it?" Itachi answers almost noncholantly.
"YOU SICK BASTARD!!!" Sasuke roars out in anger & charges at Itachi, fully intending to rip his brother's heart out. Itachi was hard pressed to avoid Sasuke's furious flurry of blows. With his wild attack, Sasuke manages to rip into Itachi's Akatsuki cloak. But unfortunately, he wasn't able to injure Itachi who takes one look at his cloak, shrugs & throws it off where it lands behind him with a dull thud.
"You'll regret doing that little brother." Itachi said, moving his head & shoulder from side to side. "It's been quite a long while since I've had that cloak off & my shoulders are feeling a little stiff." Itachi then disappears from sight & reappears as he drives a fist deep into Sasuke's gut & follows it up by lifting him up by the hair & driving his face into the ground.
"Damn! He's gotten much faster." Sasuke thought to himself as he flips back just in time to avoid Itachi's heel which smashes the ground where Sasuke's head had been lying a few moments earlier.
But as soon as he landed back on his feet, Sasuke felt his feet swept from under him from behind & lands hard on his back. And as he tried to get back on his feet, he could feel himself being assaulted from various directions simultaneously. "Dammit! Even after acquring all this power & the use of my Sharingan, I still can't keep up with Itachi. I can't let myself get beaten by him. Not after all the crap I've been through these past few years." Sasuke thought to himself as he struggled to protect himself from Itachi's relentless attacks with the wings of his level 2 cursed seal form.
Sasuke suddenly flies up & prepares to fire off another jutsu at Itachi even though he wasn't sure if he would succeed in slowing his older brother down.
But Itachi was quicker.
He reappears behind Sasuke in midair & with a quick motion & a cruel smile, tears off Sasuke's 'wings'.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!" Sasuke screamed in pain as he plumettted to the ground, clawing at his bloody back where his wings were a few moments earlier. He lands hard & just as he struggled to recover, Itachi places a foot on his chest, preventing him from getting back on his feet. He stares at his younger brother as Sasuke reverts back to his normal form.
"So weak. Even at a higher stage of evolution, you are still unable to overcome me, Ototo." Itachi said emotionlessly.
"Dammit!!!" Sasuke cursed, coughing out blood from his injuries. Even though he had reverted back to his normal form to prevent himself from succumbing to the injuries incurred while on his cursed form, it still took a toll on his body. "Is this all I'm capable of achieving?"
"Perhaps it is time I ended this once & for all. But not before I give you a glimpse of your worst nightmare as punishment for meddling in my affairs." Itachi said as he lifted Sasuke's head by his hair & looks into his younger brother's eyes. Sasuke could already see that Itachi eyes had already taken the pinwheel form of Mangekyo Sharingan. "TSUKUYOMI (Moon Reader)." Itachi whispered as Sasuke's vision grew dark.
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When Sasuke opened his eyes once again, he didn't know where he was & how he got there. He also felt like something was oddly out of place though he had no idea what is was.
"Otosan otosan!!" A small voice calls out to him. The weight of a small body lands on his chest made him realize he was lying in bed in a modestly furnished yet tastefully designed bedroom which he recognized as the Uchiha estate. "Now how did I get here?" Sasuke wondered as he looks at who had landed on his chest. Much to his shock, it was a small, black haired boy who seemed like a carbon copy of himself while he was young except that he had the greenest eyes he's ever seen. And what was even more shocking was he actually knew the boy's name.
"What is it Sano? You're up pretty early today." Sasuke felt himself say. It was then that Sasuke also realized that he had no control whatsoever of his words or actions. He wanted to ask the boy who he was but it seemed that he already knew the answer. And even if he didn't know, he couldn't control himself anyways. It was an eerie feeling, watching himself go through his actions.
"Kaasan asked me to wake you up. Today is a big day you know." The boy answered.
"Kaasan?" Sasuke wondered. His question was answered when a familiar pregnant looking, pink haired kunoichi (albeit a little older looking) wearing an apron walks into the room. "Sakura?" Sasuke thought.
"Sano! Have you woken your Otosan up yet?" She asks & sees that Sasuke was already up. "Good morning Anata. Sleep well?" She asks with a smile.
"As well as could be expected til our little shinobi here decided to use me as a trampouline." Sasuke still had no control over his words or actions no matter how hard he tried.
"Well get up already. You'll be late for your appointment as ANBU head." Sakura stated with a smile as she turns to leave.
Sasuke felt himself get up from the bed & approach Sakura from behind & embrace her. "Can't we stay in bed a little longer? I miss you there." Sasuke whispers in Sakura's ears. "Hey! I was NEVER this clingy..." Sasuke mentally protested. "...But this isn't so bad. i could get use to this."
Sakura playfully slaps Sasuke's arms & states. "Not in front of Sano you idiot." She said gesturing towards their son who was looking at them with wide curious eyes.
"Well we DO have to teach the boy about the birds & the bees one of these days." Sasuke said mischievously. "Might as well start now." Sasuke felt both himself & Sakura tumble back to the bed giggling as he motioned Sano to leave them alone for a little while as the 2 spent some much needed quality time together.
Much later, Sasuke went through the unusual out of body experience in amazement. He was back in Konoha for some reason & along the way to the Hokage's Tower, he met older versions of the rookie 9 & Team Gai. But the biggest surprise was when he got to the Hokage Tower.
"Sasuke Teme! It's about time you got here." A familiar voice booms out. It was Naruto. Or at least an older version with longer hair & wearing the traditional robes of a Hokage.
"Ermm... Sorry, I got sidetracked by the wife." Sasuke said sheepishly.
"Yeah, I'll bet. I was beginning to think you didn't want the promotion." Naruto mutters & brings out a snake-like mask & a katana sword, giving it to Sasuke. "Here you go Teme. You are now officially the head of ANBU. Congratulations." Naruto said hugging his friend.
Sasuke felt himself move towards Naruto as well but was horrified to see his hand drawing the katana that was earlier given to him. Before he knew it, he had stabbed Naruto with the katana through the stomach.
Naruto looks in shock at the sword that was driven through him & looks unbelievingly at Sasuke. "Why?" Was all Naruto could manage to say, blood bubbling from his mouth as Sasuke twisted the katana to cause even more damage & ensure Naruto's death.
"NO!!!! I didn't mean it!! I couldn't control myself!!" Sasuke screamed mentally in anguish as Naruto collapses to the floor, the light fading from his clear blue eyes as he stares accusingly at Sasuke. "Don't die Naruto!! PLEASE!!"
Sasuke then felt himself move towards the window & jump off. "Where are you going now?" Sasuke thought, still in shock over what had transpired. "Oh Kami no!! Not there, please!!" Sasuke had landed within the Uchiha estates still clutching the bloody katana he had used to assasinate Naruto. Sakura was there sweeping the yard when she saw Sasuke.
"Sasuke. You're early. How was the promotion ceremony?" She asked brightly. "No Sakura!! Get away from me!!" Sasuke screamed in his head. "Sasuke? Are you all right?" Sakura asked when Sasuke did not answer. When she noticed the bloody sword, her brow crinkled in concern. "What happened Sasuke?"
"Naruto is dead." Sasuke felt himself say emotionlessly.
Sakura covers her mouth in shock, tears forming in her eyes. "Kami no!! What happened?" She asks numbly.
"I killed him..." Sasuke answered & with a quick step forward, drives the sword through Sakura as well, drawing it out & driving it back in again for good measure. "...Just as I've killed you, Sakura."
"NNNNNOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Sasuke screamed mentally.
Sakura had no chance whatsoever. The sword through the heart had killed her & their unborn child instantly & she died with a pained look at Sasuke on her features.
"Kaasan? Are you there?" A small voice asks. If Sasuke was truly in control, he would've felt his blood run cold.
"SANO!!!! RUN!!!" Sasuke screamed mentally though he knew it was futile. Sasuke had stareted walking towards the voice & just as Sano rounded the corner to see his mother lying dead in a pool of her own blood, Sasuke raises his katana & beheads his son.
It is at this point when Sasuke felt himself regain control of his body. But the damage had already been done & all he could do was stare at the bloody sword in his hand & the grisly remains of his family. He sinks to his knees, tosses his head back & screams out in pain & anguish.
Just then, a voice booms out from the heavens. "One second has passed in Tsukuyomi No Sekai. You have 999 seconds left in this world."
The cycle then began anew.
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Sasuke's eyes were closed. "No doubt he's experiencing his own personal hell. Such is the way of Tsukuyomi No Sekai" Itachi thought as he watches Sasuke twitch & grimace. Tears were freely flowing from his eyes as he rocked back & forth. "Don't worry little brother, you need not suffer much longer." Itachi said, drawing a kunai.
But as Itachi moved to draw the blade across Sasuke's throat, Sasuke disappears from his view. "Impossible... How did he...?" Itachi thought, looking around in alarm. He finally sees Sasuke a few feet away, slowly rising to his feet. "It might just be muscle spasms... A weak attempt to fight back... I commend you for your effort little brother but, I'm finishing this." Itachi said as he concentrated his chakra. "AMERETSU (Shining Heaven)." He whispered staring at Sasuke. The young Uchiha was immediately engulfed in black flames but no sound could be heard from him. "It is finished." Itachi thought.
"Wherever were you aiming at?" Sasuke's voice whispered from behind. As Itachi started to turn around, he was struck with an elbow in the face which sent him flying back against a tree. Coughing out some blood, he looks up with his icy demeanor shattered. "Impossible!! Nobody can escape Tsukuyomi. Nobody except someone else with..." Itachi trails off, suddenly realizing what had happened.
"Someone else with Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke finishes for Itachi as he turns around & shows Itachi his own 3 bladed shuriken shaped variant of his bloodline's ultimate form. "You're right about that Itachi."
"B-But how?" Itachi sputtered. "The only way you can achieve that is if you killed someone very dear to you. You haven't done so & yet you have it."
"Oh but I HAVE killed of those close to me." Sasuke said then taps his head. "Or have you forgotten your what your Tsukuyomi did to me?"
"Are you telling me that you unlocked your Mangekyo Sharingan by simply viewing the nightmare from my Tsukuyomi? Preposterous!!" Itachi scoffed. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Sasuke asks mockingly. "Tsukuyomi truly is the most powerful genjutsu there is. In the time I spent under it's power, I truly believed that I killed those whom I held dearest." Sasuke turns & glares at his brother. "Your mistake was when you chose to torment me instead of killing me right away. So now, as my thanks to you, let me show you the power of MY Mangekyo Sharingan." The shuriken shapen bloodlimit started spinning as Sasuke whispered. "ONRYOU (Vengeful Spirit)
Instantly, Itachi felt himself being assaulted by what seemed like a hundred attacks simultaneously. And the worst part was, he could not seem to keep up with it.
"This is my ultimate ability with Mangekyo Sharingan." Sasuke said as he attacked. "I can drastically speed up my movements & at the same time, drastically reduce my opponent's movements within a certain area. The Sharingan won't work since this is NOT a genjutsu & it cannot be copied because it has no handseals. You lose Itachi. Today, you die."
"To think he'd actually achieve Mangekyo Sharingan in our fight." Itachi mused absently as he felt the continous blows to his body.
"THIS..." A punch to the jaw.
"...IS FOR..." A kick to the back.
"...ALL THE..." A gut busting elbow deep into Itachi's stomach.
"...LIVES YOU DESTROYED..." A flurry of fists is also piledriven into Itachi's stomach.
"...AND FOR ALL THE HUMILIATION, PAIN & SUFFERING..." A powerful uppercut which launches Itachi into the air.
"...YOU HAVE CAUSED TO KONOHA..." A knee is driven to Itachi's gut in midair.
"...AND TO OUR FAMILY..." Sasuke clasps both hands together & slams it on Itachi's back, sending the missing nin crashing to the forest floor where he layed still.
Sasuke then started forming a long series of familiar seals & grips his right wrist with his left hand. His right hand started crackling with raw & untamed electrical power.
"…..NOW YOU DIE!!!!!! CHIDORI!!!!!" Sasuke had pumped so much charka into his Chidori that a violent wind blows around Sasuke & as he drew near Itachi, dust kicks around both Uchihas & obscures them from view.
But as the dust settled, Sasuke found himself restrained by by Naruto, Kakashi & Sakura with Kakashi grabbing his right wrist, Sakura hooking both arms under his armpits & Naruto blocking his way.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!! I HAVE TO FINISH THIS ONCE & FOR ALL!!!" Sasuke demanded as he struggled against their grip.
"Dammit Sasuke Teme, can't you see it's finished? You've beaten Itachi so now we can take him back to Konoha for his trial." Naruto said.
"Y-You're making a big mistake (cough) Uzumaki Naruto. It will never be (cough) finished as long as I'm still breathing." Itachi stated.
Naruto turns to Itachi angrily, his eyes briefly flashing red. "You shut the hell up traitor. This is between me & your brother. I'll get to you in a moment." Naruto growled then turns back to a struggling Sasuke.
"You heard my brother dope…." Sasuke said, somewhat calmer though the Chidori was still active on his right hand. "I have to finish this one way or another. It will NEVER be over as long as he's still alive."
"Listen to Naruto, Sasuke." Sakura cried. "Don't let your anger consume you. If you DO kill Itachi, then you'll be no better then him. We're here for you & we'll never abandon you."
"Take it from me Sasuke…." Kakashi pipes up. "I know how rage can consume a person. Think very carefully about your actions coz if you don't you'll come to regret it later. It's simply not worth it."
"C,mon Teme, you can't let trash like this…." Naruto gestured towards Itachi. "….Prevent you from living your life. You'd be falling right into his hands. Show him you're the better man Sasuke by looking past revenge. In a way, his capture would be worst punishment for him especially since you had helped capture him."
Sasuke stops struggling as weariness overcame him. The combination his Mangekyo Sharingan's activation, his use of Chidori & his various injuries had drained him. He sank to his knees as his Chidori disappears & looks at Itachi. "My friends are right. Even if I DO kill you, I'd be no better then you. And death would be too easy for you. You'll rot in jail in Konoha for your actions Itachi.
Naruto grins as he & Sakura helps Sasuke get back on his feet. "Welcome back Teme." Naruto said with a grin as he removes something from his pouch which was Sasuke's old hiate. "I think you dropped this."
Sasuke looks at his old hiate for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, keep it for me dope. Until such time that I earn back everyone's trust, I don't think I deserve to wear that hiate."
Kakashi shrugs & says. "Up to you Sasuke. Ok, now that that piece of business is out of the way…." Kakashi turns to where Itachi was lying & found that the missing nin had disappeared. "What the…. Where'd that little…."
"SASUKE!!!!!!"
Naruto, Sasuke & Sakura turns to see Itachi charging towards them. Despite being seriously injured, Itachi had managed to muster enough energy for one last attack & was rapidly charging towards them with his own version of Chidori.
Sasuke felt too weak to launch a counterattack of his own & Sakura was frozen in place by fear. Kakashi was too far away to be able to reach them in time.
Sasuke & Sakura then felt themselves being pushed away by Naruto as he blocks Itachi's attack with his own body.
"Aaaarrrggghhh!!!" Naruto screamed out in pain as he felt Itachi attack penetrate his body through his stomach & disrupting part of the seal which held Kyubi inside.
"NARUTO!!!!" Kakashi, Sakura & Sasuke cried helplessly as they looked on.
"KIT!!!!! DAMN YOU TO THE NINE HELLS AKATSUKI SCUM!!!" Kyubi growled, allowing more of his power to possess Naruto in order to accelerate healing & for him to launch a counterattack of his own despite the danger it posed. "FINISH HIM KIT!!!!"
Naruto grabbed on to the wrist of the hand which was still in his body & with his free hand & a quick Kage Bunshin, formed a Rasengan & drove it into Itachi's heart. Itachi flies back dead, with the energy from the Rasengan having burst his heart & killing him. Kakashi, Sakura & Sasuke wasted no time running to the aid of Naruto who sank to his knees clutching the terrible wound on his stomach.
"Naruto!!! Are you alright? Let me see that wound." Sakura said & blanched at the sight. "This is bad. The seal's been disturbed so there's no telling how contained Kyubi is right now."
"(COUGH) DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME." Kyubi's voice said. All 3 turns in surprise at Naruto who spoke with Kyubi's voice. "I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE SINCE IF I DO, IT'LL MEAN THE END OF ME. YOU JUST CONCENTRATE ON GETTING THE KIT BACK TO KONOHA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WHILE I TRY TO KEEP HIM ALIVE TILL THEN. YOU'RE RIGHT THOUGH SAKURA, THE SEAL WAS DISTURBED SO I WON'T BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN HIM FOR VERY LONG SO YOU HAVE TO HURRY."
"It's decided then. Sasuke…" Kakashi turns & looks for the raven haired nin. "Did he escape as well?" Kakashi then sees Sasuke staring at his brother's corpse with an unreadable expression in his face.
Staring at his dead brother, Sasuke realized how much of a waste his life had been in pursuit of his vengeance. He was glad that he had true friends who stopped him before he did carry out his revenge on Itachi. He feels a hand on his shoulder & looks up at Kakashi. "We have to go now Sasuke. Kyubi can keep Naruto alive but not for very long so we have to hurry."
Sasuke nods. "Ok, but we have to dispose of Itachi's body as we can't carry him with us so the Sharingan's secret would stay safe. I don't have much charka left so I was wondering…."
Kakashi nods in understanding at what Sasuke wanted. "I understand Sasuke." After stripping Itachi of his scratched hiate & Akatsuki ring as proof that he was truly dead, both Kakashi & Sasuke uses a fire jutsu to cremate Itachi's corpse.
With one last look at the burning pyre that used to be his brother, Sasuke picks Naruto up & together with Kakashi & Sakura, departed for Konoha.
(Akatsuki Lair)
The leader stares as a candle in front of him flickers out. "So Itachi has failed & gotten himself killed." He mutters. "But no matter. We WILL have Kyubi's power, one way or another. It's just a matter of time." He continues with a chuckle as the room went dark.
Author's Notes: Ahh…. Finally finished one of the hardest chapters I've ever had to write. But I sincerely hope it's worth it the wait guys. So what do you guys think? Lemme know ok? Peace out