Chapter 34 – Uchiha VS Uchiha

Author's Note – First of all, let me say that I was quite pleasantly surprised at the number of reviews my last chapter got. It was way above the average. Also, thanks to all those who reviewed it, especially the detailed reviews which help me see where I am falling short.

Cheers

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Uzumaki Naruto and Hoshikage Kisame stared at each other for a few seconds, each trying to get the measure of the other. Naruto knew virtually nothing of Kisame, but the same was also true for his opponent. Mentally, he bit of a curse as Akira faced of against Itachi, but he also knew how important it was for him.

"Hey squirt!" Kisame barked. "How 'bout we take our fight a little further away? I for one don't want to spoil Itachi's family reunion"

Naruto smiled. Perfect! By isolating Kisame from his partner, he would have a better chance of neutralizing him without the fear of Itachi coming to his aid. By this time, Jiraya had recovered his chakra and was standing next to him.

"Fine by me!"

With that, the three vanished in a swirl of leaves.

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"I am surprised that you are alive" Itachi said. His face was expressionless but his eyes seemed to bore holes into Akira.

"Crazy coots make mistakes" Akira replied with a shrug.

Itachi simply stared at him for a few seconds.

"So, you intend to kill me for vengeance. Do you truly believe that you can even touch me?"

Akira laughed. "No vengeance business, old chap. I came back for something far more important. It was pure luck that we stumbled on to you."

He shook his head. "No, I simply want some answers"

Itachi's lips curved into a sneer. "I don't owe you any explanation"

A hail of shuriken flew towards Akira and simply passed though him. The image wavered like the reflection on a disturbed water surface, then steadied again.

Itachi stood stock still. A genjutsu! But this was impossible! He whirled towards his left and let loose another volley. This time, a few were batted aside as Akira jumped out of the foliage, his sharingan spinning slowly.

Itachi lunged forward, whipping out his sword with incredible speed. Akira stepped back to avoid it but …

Itachi felt the sword pass through Akira without any resistance. Just then, his sixth sense honed by years of training and combat kicked in and he jumped to his right as a crackling bolt of power slammed into the spot where he had been a second ago. But even as he landed, Itachi flew into a series of hand seals and let loose a barrage of fireballs at the direction of the attack.

Itachi stood up and looked around. The place was now silent. He could not detect any movement or any chakra signs around him. Twice he had been tricked into attacking a clone. This was puzzling and also a little worrying for him. One of the key strengths of the sharingan lay in detecting genjutsu. With his Mangekyo form, no genjutsu in the world would work against him.

A fresh wave of power coming at him snapped him out of his thoughts as he lunged to his right and simultaneously lunched a volley of shuriken. That proved to be a mistake as the shuriken stopped a few feet away from Itachi in mid air, then flew back towards him at even greater speed. Itachi twisted in mid air to avoid a few and batted the rest away with his sword.

But his mid-air twist cost him as bolts of raw power hammered into him. Itachi opened his mouth in surprise before exploding, flattening the area in a ten feet radius around him.

What the hell? That was Akira's thought as he watched Itachi explode. Did I just get him? He stepped out of the bushes cautiously. The damage in that area was real. Plus, it could not have been a genjutsu.

Akira whistled. "Guess I don't know my own strength".

"Sadly, you don't" a voice behind him whispered with the promise of death.

Akira twisted desperately, bringing his power to his defense. Even so, Itachi's sword punched through him, introducing him to a whole new world of excruciating pain. He screamed and lashed out blindly, sending his power winging in all directions. He felt, rather than saw his power hitting someone.

Son of a bitch … He cursed as he forced himself to focus through the pain. His defenses had prevented Itachi from cutting into any vital organs. Even so, his wounds were deep.

"Your skills are impressive, cousin"

Akira frantically tried to pinpoint the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from all directions. Suddenly, playing twenty questions with Itachi did not seem such a good idea any more. He yanked out the sword and brought a glowing hand near the wound, cauterizing it. The resulting pain sent a wave of dizziness through him that threatened to knock him of his feet.

"Why don't you come out and face me like a man, coward!" Akira screamed through his pain.

Itachi fought the urge to roll his eyes from where he sat concealed. Did he really think that such tactics would work on him? Plus, he had seen enough to realize that whatever Akira was wielding was not ninjutsu in any sense. Whatever it was, it could cast illusions his sharingan could not detect. The bolts he had sent could not be classified under any known chakra type. In short, he was dangerous. Itachi had no doubt that Akira would fall, but he preferred to do it before he was seriously injured. That last blow had felt like a hammer to his chest.

Akira was growing uneasy. In terms of combat skills, he was years behind Itachi. He had lost his element of surprise when he had stepped out of hiding and was now wounded.

Hurry up Naruto he prayed silently.

Thousands of shuriken filled the air with a keening sound as they sped towards Akira. Akira brought his arms forward and summoned his power. A blinding flash filled the area for a few seconds. When the light cleared, Akira was on his knees, panting with exhaustion, surrounded by heaps of twisted metal lumps.

"So long, cousin" These were the last words he heard as a kunai plunged into his neck.

Itachi bit of an oath as the kunai passed effortlessly through Akira, causing the image to waver and vanish. That sneaky bastard had run off again. He spread his senses to try and catch him, but he found nothing. As he quested further, he felt Kisame's chakra. To his amazement, Kisame was running on only half of his chakra.

Of course, Jiraya is fighting him.

Itachi was a patient man, but he needed to end this quickly. Already four members had gone missing. Madara would be very displeased if he managed to lose Kisame as well. Within those few seconds, Kisame's chakra dipped even further.

I have no choice then

Itachi's Mangekyo sharingan flared to life spinning wildly as the air in front of him began to darken.

Amaterasu

Flames the color of the night burst from his eyes and sped away, intent on devouring everything in its path. The pain drove Itachi to his knees as a small trickle of blood escaped his eye.

Perfect!

Akira materialized behind Itachi, arms outstretched. His feeling of elation quickly vanished as the flames simply reversed their direction and rushed towards him with a speed born with the quickness of thought.

"Shit!" Akira screamed as power burst out of his hands to ward off the attack. But the Amaterasu simply slowed down a little, but still bored inexorably towards him. Step by step, Akira was forced backwards till he found himself with his back against a tree. With a scream of despair, he summoned more power. This time, the Amaterasu wavered and stood still. Beads of perspiration stood out against his skin as Amaterasu and mystic power struggled for dominance. A few feet away, Itachi watched in mute shock as his most powerful attack was halted by his wimp of a cousin.

Akira screamed as he forced more power through, this time dispelling the Amaterasu. The sudden rush of power rocked him back. Itachi was suddenly wracked by immense pain as his technique was dispelled.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where the Mangekyo is being overwhelmed, dispel your technique immediately. For if your opponent manages to do it, the backlash will temporarily cripple you, leaving you wide open for an attack.

With a rush, those words came flooding back to him. So sure he had been in his power that he had forgotten that warning. And now, he was kneeling on the ground, unable to move a muscle. He lifted his eyes to see Akira struggling to stand up.

Move it! He screamed silently, but his body refused to obey. Akira managed to stand up weakly and started to walk towards him slowly.

After a long time, Itachi felt the stirrings of fear. He had horribly underestimated his opponent. He had only used a fourth of his strength in the Amaterasu, wanting to preserve his energy to help his partner. After all, Amaterasu could not be cancelled by any technique other than another Amaterasu. Even then, you had had to have a level of control far superior to his and only Uchiha Madara had that kind of control.

Akira forced his trembling hands to grip the kunai properly. His entire body felt like it was on fire. He had used too much power in too short a time.

This power is not meant to be used lightly by mortals

Knowing it and experiencing it were two entirely different things. He was out of energy, only the sheer force of will keeping him standing. Step by step, he inched closer towards Itachi, the man who had killed his entire family.

He raised his trembling hands to deliver the blow and then the world disappeared in a swirl of black. Akira found himself hanging between two trees, his arms and feet firmly chained. In front of him stood Uchiha Itachi, radiating power.

"You certainly look pretty well for a man just about to die".

Itachi simply looked at him emotionlessly.

"This is the world of Tsukiyomi, my world. My physical condition means nothing here."

Akira started laughing. "I beat your technique a few seconds ago. What makes you think I won't do it again?"

"Because I used only a fraction of my power"

Akira's laughter died away.

Itachi sighed as a blade materialized in his hands. He walked towards Akira till he was a foot away from him.

"I must say that I am intrigued. You are the first person to have neutralized the Mangekyo sharingan." He said as he raised the blade high. "Any last words?"

Akira looked at him and just uttered one word. "Why?"

Itachi's hand stopped, then lowered.

"Why? WHY?" The normally calm Itachi's voice grew louder and louder as his face twisted into a mask of pain and loathing. His hand flashed down and stopped a millimeter away from Akira's neck.

"If you really want to know why, then listen and listen well, about the clan you idolize so much"

"About a hundred years ago, the Uchiha and the Senju met in a battle that was meant to be titanic, but ended in a whimper because of one man, Hashirama Senju. He was skilled beyond belief. After he had single handedly defeated our two commanders, the Uchiha clan sued for peace, not because they were tired of fighting but because they knew they could not win. Together, they laid down the foundation for the 'Hidden Village in the Leaves', Konoha."

"Only Uchiha Madara refused to take this defeat lying down. He was obsessed with the idea of the Uchiha supremacy and tried to stir up the clan, but to no avail. The elders had seen the strength of Hashirama and knew they would be annihilated in the face of it. Feeling betrayed, he left the village vowing revenge. Five years later, he arrived again, but this time with a monstrosity in tow."

"The Kyuubi" Akira whispered.

"Yes, the Kyuubi" Itachi said. "But even with such a power at his disposal, Uchiha Madara was forced to flee for his life; such was the strength of Hashirama Senju."

"But this event gave the elders a new line of thought. Uchiha Madara had nearly overcome Hashirama with the aid of a demon. Could they not do the same? So began the research for creating the 'ultimate Uchiha', the one who would eradicate the Senju and place the Uchiha once again as the most powerful clan in the entire world. They did this slowly and in great secret, for they were under watch for a long time after the battle between Madara and Hashirama."

"Twenty years ago, they finally discovered an ancient text describing a ritual for demonic binding. For the vessel, they chose the most talented Uchiha at that time"

"You" Akira said, his heart sinking at the look of rage in Itachi's eyes.

"Yes, lucky me!" Itachi spat in rage. "Twelve Uchiha newborns were selected for the sacrifice, newborns who were given away willingly by their mothers, all for the glory of the clan. I was made to lie naked in the middle of a stone altar, scared and confused, my body covered in various seals, surrounded by twelve elders and twelve wailing infants."

Itachi's whole body was now trembling as he recalled the night of horrors he had been forced to experience.

"At midnight, the elders plunged their knives into the chests of the babes and tore out their still beating hearts as an offering. The demon answered and the power flowed into me through the seals painted on me."

"Pain greater than anyone in this world can imagine ripped through me. I screamed and screamed till my throat was raw. At one point, I saw my father standing to one side, a proud smile adorning his face. I wanted to escape the pain, I longed for the bliss of unconsciousness or even death, but the ritual denied that to me. I had to endure it for over an hour"

The calm and cold Uchiha was gone, in its place stood a man driven by hatred for what had been done to him. Akira wished he could block out his words, but he could not. Tears ran down his eyes as Itachi continued his grisly tale.

"Years passed, but I did not exhibit any superhuman traits. No matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough. I was young and confused. I was jounin by the age of ten, ANBU captain by the age of fourteen, something no one in the history of Konoha had done. I was sure my family would be proud, but my achievements were met with indifference. The only people who admired me were the kids"

"It was only one day that I found a hidden entrance in the shrine by pure accident. Intrigued, I went down a long and flight of stone steps. At the end of the stone steps was the altar where the sacrifice had taken place all those years ago, an event I had blocked from my mind. But looking at the place brought all those memories forth in a torrent. Lying on a table nearby were some scrolls and their translations. As I read it, I realized the cold treatment I was receiving."

"The elders had translated the scroll incorrectly the first time. There were two marts to the ritual. What I had gone through was only the first. I was simply a 'vessel'. My rage knew no bounds as I kept reading. 'And on his fifteenth birthday shall the vessel be ripe with power. On that day, exactly at the stroke of midnight, his throat shall be cut and the chosen one shall drink that sweet blood bursting with power'"

"And guess who the 'chosen one was'" Itachi leered. "It was Sasuke, my own brother. He would drink my blood and become the Uchiha everyone was praying for. My own parents had set me up for a barbaric ritual and all for what" He screamed. "Power?"

Akira watched in horror as Itachi's face twisted into a mask of insanity. His eyes shone with barely controlled madness, a madness born from the twisted desires of his own clan.

"I killed them all that night" Itachi laughed. "I showed them what my power was, power without the aid of mystical mumbo jumbo"

"But why leave Sasuke alive?" Akira asked in puzzlement.

Itachi rubbed hi hands in glee. "He was destined to be the super Uchiha. I wanted to turn him into the most pathetic Uchiha ever to walk the face of the earth. I wanted him to live, forever lonely, his heart consumed by hatred, never knowing a single day's peace. That is my revenge against the 'chosen one'.

Akira closed his eyes as Itachi continued to laugh like a madman. Of all the reasons he had imagined, none had even come close to the truth, if indeed Itachi was telling the truth. But then again, Itachi had no reason to lie to him and the pain and anger and hatred was all too real.

"So cousin, did that answer all your questions?" Akira opened his eyes to see Itachi looking at him calmly.

Akira looked at him sadly. "Yes, it does"

"You will now die over and over again for the next seventy two hours." Itachi intoned as he swung his blade down, only to have Akira disappear in a swirl of Sakura petals.

The landscape changed into a beautiful field, filled with flowers and grass, with butterflies the hue of rainbows fluttering around.

"Much better, don't you think?"

Itachi turned around to see Akira calmly standing some distance away, clothed in a robe of pristine white.

"Impossible!"

"Not really" Akira shrugged. "Your Tsukiyomi technique simply pulls you and your victim into Shul'Monagh, or the 'World of Dreams'. Your sharingan gives you some level of mastery over it, but it is still very low."

Itachi's sharingan spun faster and faster as he tried to bring back the world to his control, but to his horror, nothing happened, not even a ripple.

Akira shook his head. "If I were to compare your mastery level to the shuriken throwing skills of an average first year academy student, then my mastery could be compared to the shuriken skills of an average chuunin."

Itachi tried to teleport in front of him and hack him to pieces, but his body would not move. Slowly, the reality began to seep in. Uchiha Itachi had been bested.

"So will you now kill me to avenge the clan? Will you resurrect the Uchiha and their power hungry ways?"

Akira stood silently for a few moments, his hand tugging at a lock of hair.

"I don't want to avenge the clan, cousin" He finally said. "But I cannot let the death of Shiro go unpunished"

Itachi closed his eyes at that name. Shiro. The only non-Uchiha to live inside the clan compounds. That kid had hero worshipped him, going as far as to call his father, the clan head, a 'cross-eyed-baboon' for 'not knowing how awesome Itachi ni-san is'. That night, he had attacked his 'Itachi ni-san', to protect the family that had cared for him through all those years. That memory had been so painful that he had locked it away.

"So be it" he whispered softly. He looked at Akira and smiled for the first time in years. "You have grown powerful, Akira. Use it wisely"

"I am sorry, Itachi ni-san" With that, Akira stepped out of Shul'Monagh and into the real world, while leaving Itachi trapped in there.

He opened his eyes and found himself back in his battered body. He gripped his kunai and placed it against Itachi's throat.

"Rest in peace, cousin" With that, he slashed open his jugular and watched as the life blood seeped out of Itachi's body.