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Shinobi no hashi = Shinobi bridge
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And finally... Lucy meets Sasuke... Enjoy!
Chapter 20
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"So, what's the plan?" Sakura asked.
We were crouched in the bushes near the gorge where the bridge began, waiting for Madara/Obito to disappear and leave Sasuke alone with Karin.
"Well first I guess we stop him from killing his teammate," I answered, pointing to a red dot on the bridge. "The redhead over there next to the giant tree, see her? Then I guess we try talking to Sasuke until Itachi arrives. And if he doesn't listen, we fight?"
Sakura nodded and pulled out a kunai from behind her travel cloak. "Ok, I'm ready."
I blinked at the blade in her hand. "The hell is that?"
Her green eyes flicked between her weapon and the incredulous look on my face. "A kunai. I dipped it in poison."
"In poison?" I echoed, trying not to laugh.
We were about to go and confront Sasuke, who had spent the last three years with Orochimaru, had just held his own against Itachi and the Five Kage, and Sakura had brought a poisoned kunai?
It was mind-boggling, but then again I guess Sakura didn't know half of what Sasuke was truly capable of.
Ok, time for a reality check.
"Sakura," I began, hoping I would find the right words. "Remember when you fought Sasori, the Akatsuki puppet guy?"
She nodded.
"Well Sasuke is stronger than him and a poisoned kunai is not going to cut it, no pun intended. You need to face reality, Sasuke can hold his own against the Five Kage and he's just killed Danzou. That was the big explosion we heard."
I watched as my words hit her, her expression changing to utter shock.
"I'm sorry but the boy out there is not the Sasuke you know. He's gotten incredibly strong and has some very, very dark thoughts. Especially concerning anything or anyone related to Konoha. So, let's put the kunai away and use our secret weapon instead."
She took a moment to absorb all the information I had thrown at her and to her credit, she didn't cry or argue, but merely stared at the distant figures on the bridge.
"Secret weapon?" she asked in a subdued voice. "I guess you have a special jutsu?"
She looked crestfallen as if she were once again being reminded that she was useless and weak. Her role in the manga had always been quite limited and her character development had been the cause of many frustrations, but those rules didn't apply anymore.
This is the real world now.
"A special jutsu?" I gave a small chuckle. "Who, me? I have genjutsu that Sasuke's Sharingan will see through right away and some sword skills, but no sword. I'm pretty much rubbish. You, on the other hand, have super strength and I don't think Sasuke knows about it. So, the minute you see an opening, you pound your fist in his face or anywhere else you can reach. Got it?"
Sakura stared back in surprise, before her eyes lit up with determination. Putting the kunai away, she hit her palm with her fist.
"All right, let's do this."
As soon as Obito's chakra disappeared, we made our move. She slipped through the bushes and headed straight for the stone bridge. Up ahead I could see Karin's bright red hair from where she lay injured and a dark figure walking towards her.
Sasuke.
I was finally going to meet the last member of Team 7.
The thought was both exciting and frightening. I was excited to see what he looked like in person but the dark chakra I was feeling, cold and murderous, wasn't exactly comforting. And it felt nothing at all like Itachi's.
We reached the edge of a big hole in the bridge where Danzou had detonated himself. It was circular and smooth as if someone had used a giant ice cream scoop.
A piercing sound like the chirping of a thousand birds reached our ears and I froze as a blue lightning blade appeared in Sasuke's hand.
"Sasuke-kun!"
He turned to face us, standing beneath the shade of the tree I vaguely remembered had sprouted from Danzou's body. My breath hitched. He looked just like what I expected from Sasuke, dark, raven hair, bangs framing his face, but his smooth features were ruined by his unbalanced, manic look. One of his cheeks was covered in blood that had leaked from his eye and his dark chakra was bubbling just beneath the surface in anger.
Even Sakura looked shocked.
"Sakura?" The chidori died in his hand and suddenly I could breathe again. "What are you doing here?"
Good question. I prayed Sakura would find the right words.
"We've come to talk," the kunoichi answered before launching herself across the gap in the bridge and landing right before Sasuke.
Damn it, Sakura! Why are you getting so close?
I looked over the edge and estimated the distance to jump. I didn't particularly want to attempt such a big jump and fall flat on my face in front of Sasuke or worse fall short and get stuck in the hole, but I couldn't leave Sakura alone.
If you mess this up, Luce, you will never live it down.
Exhaling a deep breath, I pooled chakra to my feet and jumped. Fate was on my side because I landed next to Sakura with enough grace that didn't immediately warn Sasuke just how weak I really was.
"Who are you?" Dark, unforgiving eyes looked right at me. I couldn't help but stare at his interesting choice of clothes… some sort of dark blue skirt over dark pants and a purple rope to hold it all up.
It was one thing to see it in a drawing, it was quite another to see it in real life.
"Oh um… I'm Lucy," I answered, feeling incredibly self-conscious. "I'm here for... err... moral support."
Sasuke looked unamused. He looked more than unamused, he looked downright unhinged and the withering glare he gave us made me want to grab Sakura and sprint all the way back to Konoha.
He turned to her, his voice like ice. "What are you plotting?"
"We're not plotting anything," she persisted and I had to give the girl props for pushing through. "I told you we came to talk. We want to help you."
My stomach clenched when I saw his lips lift into a twisted smile. Bloody hell, Itachi, where are you?
"Help me? How can you help me when you don't even know what I want."
Uh oh.
Sakura took a step closer. "Whatever it is we can talk about -"
"I'm going to destroy Konoha!" he exclaimed, his sharp eyes drinking in her reaction. Sakura looked speechless and turned to me for confirmation. I gave a small nod.
"That's what I really want," Sasuke continued, cocking his head. "So, there's nothing to talk about… unless you want to join me."
Sakura stiffened. The weight of his words, a strange echo of that fateful night when she had begged him to take her with him, lay between them. It was almost cruel how Sasuke was mocking their past, but I saw through him. He was trying to coax her anger and discover her true motive for coming.
"Sakura, you're a medical ninja, right? You can replace her." He pointed to Karin, lying in a pool of blood beside him who was breathing heavily. "I was just about to finish her off."
Damn.
Sakura stepped even closer, her face set in a grim determination. "We didn't come here to join you. We came here to talk."
His expression darkened and with the blood trailing down his cheek he looked like the stone-cold murderer he was turning into.
This is bad!
"Well in that case." A shrieking noise filled the air as blue lightning erupted from his hand.
His gaze narrowed on Sakura.
She looked taken aback by the sudden turn of events. "Sasuke-kun!"
Oh my God, he's going to kill her!
I leapt forward, holding my hands up. "Stop! Please! We're here because someone from your past wants to talk to you!"
That got his attention.
His eyes snapped to me. "What do you mean?"
I exchanged a look with Sakura. "Someone who you care about is still very much alive," I continued, trying to keep my cool even though his Chidori was still chirping in his hand. "We came to talk to you first and stop you from killing Karin."
Ahh, damn it, Luce. You shouldn't have said her name.
His Chidori vanished at once. "How do you know her name?" he asked. "And who are you talking about? Who wants to talk with me?"
He advanced like a madman towards me, his stance threatening. I held my ground. I had to protect Sakura and trust Itachi to bail us out soon.
Before I could think of an answer, Sasuke shunshin'd before me and grabbed me by the throat. "Who the hell are you?"
Something flashed in the corner of my eye and a loud smack resonated in the air.
The grip around my throat disappeared and Sasuke shot backwards, flying across the bridge. I watched, eyes wide, as he crashed into the torii gate on the other side, right into the "Samurai" engraving.
Holy shit!
I turned to Sakura, incredulous.
She stood beside me, green eyes burning like I'd never seen before. Jaw locked, and fist outstretched where she had just decked Sasuke in the face.
"Sakura..." I looked at her, not quite believing my eyes. "Oh my God... that was… amazing!"
"You said pound my fist in his face," she retorted through grit teeth.
I chuckled. "Oh, you smashed his face all right."
A giant crater had formed in the stone where Sasuke had struck. In the distance, I noticed purple chakra wrapped around his body which seemed to have cushioned the blow.
Susanoo.
"I thought your plan was to talk?"
Sakura cracked her knuckles. "Talking is over."
"Clearly."
The Uchiha fell to the ground, crouching on one knee. Even from far away I could tell his face looked pretty bad. "Well I'd say we have about 30 seconds before he comes back and tears us to shreds."
"Any ideas?"
"None. You?"
"Just the one," Sakura mused, observing the bridge beneath our feet.
I pulled out a kunai and exhaled loudly. "Well he might be off his rocker, but he's still a teenage boy. We could flash him."
She fought back a laugh. "You're crazy."
"Says the girl who just sucker-punched him," I answered with a smirk.
By now Sasuke was on his feet, Chidori glowing in his hand.
"Smash the bridge, then?"
My heart raced inside my chest. "Yep. I'll get Karin."
I lunged forward, grabbing the redhead in my arms and lifted her with chakra before rushing away. Behind me, Sakura smashed her fist into the bridge with a loud cry and a deafening crash followed as the stone structure broke apart and carved stones tumbled down the gorge, plunging into the river below.
In a matter of seconds, the entire stone monument collapsed beneath our feet in a rumble that echoed throughout the valley. I jumped out of the way, leaping from stone to stone and struggling to see through the cloud of dust that Sakura's monstrous punch had lifted. Finally, I reached solid ground just as the last carved blocks of stone tumbled into the waters below.
Sakura was nowhere to be seen but I had no doubt she had stayed among the ruins ready to fight Sasuke.
However, as I lay Karin down on the ground, something cold brushed against my senses.
"Lucy!"
A scream erupted from the river below and I swirled around, heart in my throat. Sasuke stood before me, his dark eyes cold and lifeless. He had seen through Sakura's plan and had come straight for me instead.
Oh God.
His Chidori filled the air between us and I gulped, memorised by the electric blue current about to end my life.
Not even all the training I'd done with Root could save me from this.
I was powerless.
Who knew Sasuke would be the one to end me?
Without warning, a crow flew between us with a loud caw, sharp claws aimed at Sasuke. The avenger froze, dropping his arm while two more crows followed, attacking his head.
"Itachi," I whispered in relief, searching for his chakra.
The crows continued to circle Sasuke, relentless and forcing him to retreat. In the confusion, two strong arms gripped my waist and pulled me away.
I wasn't surprised in the slightest to find Itachi carrying me.
He had saved me. Yet again.
"I'm starting to see a pattern here," I said, as Itachi, impassive as ever, dropped down the crumbled ruins of the bridge before stopping on one of the larger boulders half-buried in the river. "You've saved me again. Also, your brother has gone mental."
Itachi's gaze remained fixed on the cliff above. "Lucy, you need to get out of here. Find Sakura-san. Kakashi will be here soon."
Kakashi? He's on his way?
"So I guess stalling him didn't work then?"
His dark eyes glanced my way, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. "That man is too clever for his own good."
I raised an amused brow. "Says the Uchiha genius."
He made a noncommittal sound, but before I could say a word, a cold chakra appeared before us.
"Nii-san."
Sasuke stood perfectly poised before us on the surface of the river. His dark bangs fluttered in the autumn breeze as he took a hesitant step forward, his face, previously hard and cold, was stunned in disbelief.
Itachi's onyx eyes watched him while the rest of his face was obscured behind the tall collar of his dark blue cloak. He had always been hard to read and even in the moments of his fated reunion with Sasuke his face remained a blank slate – and as intimidating as ever.
My heart stopped.
This was it.
Finally, the moment we had all planned for, the moment I had made possible… the Uchiha brothers meeting again.
Yet despite the hint of vulnerability in Sasuke's cold eyes, his stance hadn't relaxed an inch. He was ready for an attack.
"Sasuke," Itachi spoke in a grave voice, just loud enough to be heard over the soft current of the river beneath our feet, "I came to find you and here you are, attacking Konoha nin."
Sasuke frowned. "How? How are you here?"
"I survived our fight."
"Lies!" the younger Uchiha shouted. "I killed you. I saw your body."
Itachi's voice was unforgiving. "You saw what I wanted you to see, little brother. And now you have let Madara distort your truth."
Jeez, this isn't the friendly brotherly reunion I was expecting.
The rage on Sasuke's face made me take a step back on the rock Itachi and I were perched on. With the crumbled carved stones at my back and the high rocky cliffs on either side of the river, I felt trapped. I didn't have enough chakra to climb my way out of the gorge if things went bad.
And the more Sasuke advanced, the more I realised the reunion wasn't going to end well. Far above up on the cliff I could feel Sakura's chakra healing Karin and hoped the pink-haired kunoichi stayed put.
Memories of Sasuke attempting to kill her, twice, flashed in my mind, I hoped this time around she would be spared the pain.
"I killed Danzou for you." Sasuke's voice was clipped and sharp as his eyes bled red. "And I will destroy Konoha to avenge you. And if you don't understand my reasons for doing so, then you are not my brother."
Itachi stiffened at his words. "This is not the peace I wanted."
A cold smile spread across Sasuke's face. "No, this is better."
He lunged forward, the seal at his wrist producing a series of shuriken headed straight for us.
"Shit!" I barely had time to grab a kunai that Itachi had already deflected all the projectiles before flashing out of sight to meet Sasuke head on.
I leapt backwards, trying to get to safety and out of the way of their fight, but with limited chakra, it was useless. My heart thumped in my chest as I tried to follow the clash of the two brothers before me, kunai against shuriken, Sharingan against Sharingan.
"You are not Itachi," Sasuke growled, pulling back before his eyes changed shape and a dark, purple chakra burst forth.
Oh no.
"You are nothing but a trick."
My insides churned as I stared in shock at the giant skeleton appearing above him.
Susanoo.
Strips of flesh whirled around the bones shaping the skeleton into a body and then a warrior. It was absolutely crazy to watch Sasuke's chakra take shape before me and then produce a bow and arrow.
"I will show you the real power of the Uchiha."
He aimed the arrow straight for Itachi, who didn't blink an eye or make any effort to move. My heart stilled and I gripped my kunai in fear. I could barely watch as Susanoo released the arrow.
It shot through the air with a terrible shriek.
"Itachi!"
My scream echoed through the gorge. In an instant, red chakra flared up around him in the shape of a ribcage enveloping him whole. Sasuke's arrow shattered against Itachi's ultimate defense which continued to grow into a red skeletal Susanoo before my eyes.
It was unimaginable.
Both humanoid chakra beings stood face to face, towering above the river.
It was frightening beyond belief and for the first time ever, it hit me – it finally hit me – how much power both Uchiha brothers were capable of wielding.
And soon, if I don't intervene, Madara's invincible ass will be back as well.
I gulped at the thought. Sasuke looked utterly shocked to see Itachi's Susanoo, but after a heartbeat, he clutched his eyes in one hand and his purple chakra unravelled all around him.
"Damn it!"
He cursed under his breath, his jaw locked in pain as he blinked his eyes and wiped at them.
He's going blind.
Itachi's Susanoo followed suit, disappearing into thin air as red leaked from the elder Uchiha's eye and he coughed up blood.
Oh God!
Why? Why was he bleeding? Had he overused the Mangekyou Sharingan? Had his disease returned? A million questions burned through my mind. But before I could rush to Itachi's side, a figure blurred before me revealing a tall shinobi with spiky silver hair and a masked face.
Kakashi.
Shit.
The team 7 sensei didn't even stop to talk and lunged straight for Sasuke. The Uchiha recovered impressively fast and countered Kakashi's punch with his own. They flitted out of sight, throwing shuriken and kunai in all directions along the collapsed slabs of stone, their fight a synchronised dance of punches and kicks.
They stopped atop of a stone pillar, the last one standing after the bridge's destruction and exchanged inaudible words. Ignoring them, I went straight to Itachi.
He remained kneeling on the water, struggling to breathe.
"Itachi, are you okay?" It took all my concentration and chakra control just to walk the small distance that separated us. Water-walking wasn't something I had mastered yet, but there was no way in hell I was going to just leave him there.
He convulsed in a series of coughs and I bit my lip, feeling powerless at his side.
"Damn it, where's your medicine?"
I was ready to check every pocket of his cloak when Sakura abruptly appeared beside me.
"I can help." Her green glowing hands immediately hovered over his shoulder blades. "Itachi-san, try to take slow, shallow breaths. Breathe through the pain, you can do it."
I shot the pink-haired medic a grateful look and knelt down before Itachi.
"Lucy, help me get him up on his feet," Sakura demanded, taking hold of Itachi's shoulder as she continued to heal him. "Let's sit him down on that flat stone."
I did as I was told, grabbing his other arm and as the cough subsided, he was able to walk with our help to the closest boulder.
"I need to… find Sasuke," he rasped, trying to pull away.
"Sit down, Itachi-san, you're not going anywhere," Sakura said in a no-nonsense voice that strongly reminded me of Tsunade. "You'll be no good to him dead."
He did as he was told, sitting down with our help, although I could tell he was torn between getting healed and going to speak with his brother. There was only a small amount of time before eventually Obito returned. I couldn't remember why he came back to fetch Sasuke but if we wanted to separate them, now was the time.
Itachi confronting Sasuke was our best chance, but seeing the state of his bleeding eyes, it was clear he had already reached his limit with the Mangekyou Sharingan. I looked over my shoulder at the battle that had resumed between Sasuke and Kakashi. Judging by the viciousness of Sasuke's attacks, neither Itachi nor Kakashi's words had helped appease the anger and hatred anchored within him.
"I'll go speak to Sasuke."
I turned to Itachi who furrowed his brows, his onyx eyes shifting between his brother and me. I swallowed hard, struggling to hide my anxiety. "It's okay. Stay with Sakura and let her heal you. Please."
I squeezed his arm before getting to my feet.
Coughs racked his body before he could protest and like a coward, I flickered away before he could stop me. I rushed forward, pooling chakra to my feet and heading straight for Kakashi. I wasn't stupid, I knew the second I tried to get close to Sasuke the younger Uchiha would probably accuse me of setting him up and try to kill me.
God, he's so messed up! How the hell can I get him to calm down?
His mind was so twisted that even seeing Itachi in action hadn't seemed to alleviate his doubts.
I exhaled sharply, both irritated and struggling to climb up the large fallen stones to reach their fight. Reaching the base of the pillar, Kakashi appeared before me, his back turned as he held out a kunai and kept an eye out for Sasuke.
"I believe I found out the hard way about your little secret," he stated in a stiff voice. His headband was lifted, revealing his Sharingan eye that peered over his shoulder.
Internally, I winced. Remembering how Itachi had gone to confront him in the forest. I wondered once again what the Uchiha had done that no doubt had aggravated his illness. "God, Kakashi-san, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. Are you mad?"
He deflected a series of shuriken headed straight for him. "A little warning would have been nice."
I stood close behind him, grateful for the kunai preventing me from wringing my hands. "I know, I'm sorry, but once we rescued Itachi, we couldn't let anyone else know. Tsunade was adamant. We couldn't risk Danzou or Madara finding out."
After a beat, Kakashi dropped his arm and turned slightly, his shoulders returning to their usual slouch. "Is that why you joined Root? To protect Itachi?"
I gave a sigh. "Not really, that's a whole other story."
Before we could get into it, another round of shuriken whizzed through the air. I ducked out of the way as Kakashi deflected most of them. One nicked my shoulder, slicing through my black jacket and mesh shirt underneath.
Kakashi threw his own projectiles in return. "Lucy, you're bleeding. You can't stay here, it's too dangerous."
I pulled at my clothes, catching sight of the damage. "My jacket!"
I had waited weeks to finally wear it and within two days, the little wanker had already damaged it?!
I was fuming and when I caught sight of Sasuke standing with uncaring confidence before us, a cold smirk on his lips; I saw red.
"Oi, dipshit!" I pushed past Kakashi, who grabbed me by the collar. "Will you calm down already? Your brother is alive, why are you even still fighting?"
Sasuke's killing intent soared. "How would you know about Itachi?"
"Because I'm the one who saved him!"
My words gave him pause. Dark, onyx eyes turned to look down at Itachi sitting on the slab of stone.
His expression morphed into cold fury. "What is she doing to him?"
He looked enraged and for a moment, I thought he would attack us again, but instead he disappeared from our sight.
He was nowhere near the stone pillar anymore and I sensed him rush down towards the river.
Oh no!
Kakashi lunged after him. "Stop, Sasuke!"
The urgency and borderline panic in his voice sent a chill down my spine. Sasuke was headed straight for Sakura, who had her back turned, her focus solely on Itachi.
"Sakura!" I screamed.
Terror washed over me as the pink-haired kunoichi turned around and Sasuke's Chidori aimed right for her heart.
No!
A flash of orange blurred between them and a gasp escaped my lips as Naruto's chakra flared.
Oh, thank God!
The black and orange clad shinobi skidded to a halt on the water, holding an unharmed Sakura safely in his arms. He looked furious as he regarded Sasuke, who had retreated, a dry smile on his lips. Kakashi flickered between his former students and the tension in the air grew ten-fold as Team 7 faced each other once more.
I couldn't hear what was being said. Despite the fatigue and my nerves being shot from Sasuke's numerous attempts to kill us all, I had no choice but to begin the slow climb down to the river, knowing there was only so much time left before Tobi/Madara/Obito appeared.
Jesus fucking Christ!
I jumped down the last few boulders and landed beside Itachi struggling to get to his feet. Up ahead, standing on the calm waters, Sasuke was monologuing like an evil madman.
"- I'll help erase Uchiha from your memories! I'm going to kill all of you and destroy Konoha for good!"
Itachi looked appalled by his brother's words. His face was pale and stress lines more prominent as I helped him to his feet. Through his cloak, his whole body was tense as we stepped to the edge of the boulder. I felt so bad for him. Nothing was going as planned and it looked like we weren't going to change Sasuke's mind before Madara/Obito arrived.
"… and that will lead to the Uchiha's true restoration!"
Sasuke's stream of hateful words baffled Naruto and Sakura, who stared back at him with a mix of shock, confusion, and sadness. Kakashi bore a grim expression, looking resigned to put an end to his former student's madness.
I had always known the plan to reunite Itachi with Sasuke would be a gamble. But to witness Sasuke refute his own brother and continue down his sick path of revenge was disheartening.
Why can't he wake the hell up?
I slipped down onto the surface of the river with wobbly legs.
"Sasuke, for goodness sake, Itachi is still alive!" I exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.
"Lucy," Itachi warned in a low voice.
"Yes, I know, but we don't have much time. Madara could return any second now," I argued, a certain desperation in my voice. Fear and adrenaline were the only two things keeping me going at this point.
Sasuke's bleeding eyes narrowed in distaste. "I won't hear anymore of your lies."
"Are you blind? We're not lying, goddamn it, he's your brother!" I shouted, unable to hold back. "You know it's the truth. You saw his shadow clone every day since your fight with him and just now you saw him use Susanoo. How on earth could we trick that?"
Sasuke shook his head in return, as if refusing to hear a word I said. His eyes, however, betrayed his inner turmoil. "I saw… I saw his corpse. He died before my eyes!"
"The corpse you saw was fake," Itachi admitted beside me. "During our fight, while you attacked my Susanoo I switched places with a clone. A forbidden technique meant to trick even a Sharingan user. I'm sorry, little brother."
His words had an even greater effect than mine and I could tell Sasuke was about to cave. The truth was finally sinking in.
Again, he shook his head, wiping the blood from his eyes. "No… you're lying!"
The lost expression on his face was similar to Itachi's when I had first confronted him with the truth weeks ago. Despite what he'd done, I felt some pity for the younger Uchiha. After wading through a sea of lies all his life, it was so hard for him to spot the truth even when faced with it.
"Lucy, that's enough," Kakashi ordered, kunai still in hand. "He's beyond reasoning."
The jonin stepped closer, but Naruto held him back, his blue eyes looking right at me. I steeled my nerves and before Itachi could stop me, I headed towards Sasuke.
"Whether you believe us or not, are you really going to risk it, Sasuke?" I asked in earnest, looking him straight in the eye. "Are you really going to risk killing your brother, your only family, for good this time?"
His eyes regarded me for a moment, searching for a hint of deceit before they peered behind me, at Itachi.
A deadly silence hung between us as the brothers looked at one another. Sasuke's high collar flapped in the breeze whistling through the gorge and after a moment, he took the first step, his expression a mix of confusion and fear.
I moved aside and watched as the younger brother stepped closer, almost hesitantly, as he let himself believe that maybe, just maybe, we weren't lying, and Itachi, his dearest brother, was well and truly alive.
"Nii-san?"
A whistle echoed through the gorge interrupting any further words and a dark, twisted chakra inundated my senses.
My stomach clenched.
Oh no.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!
A vortex distorted the air on the other side of the river and a masked man in a black cloak with red clouds appeared accompanied by White Zetsu. The powerful dark aura surrounding them made my hair stand on end.
Oh, fuck.
I looked at the orange mask in shock and was glad for Kakashi's reassuring presence as he immediately stood before me.
"Ah, I understand now why you were delayed, Sasuke," Obito announced, his spiral mask looking over our group. "Hello again, Itachi. I had a feeling you would approach your brother the moment I left him alone."
"You knew?" Sasuke exclaimed. "All this time you knew he was alive?"
"I had a feeling when I salvaged his eyes from his body," Obito admitted. "Anyone else wouldn't have noticed the difference. Lucky for me, l am familiar with the Hokage's forbidden technique although I'm impressed. None of my clones ever lasted more than three days."
There was something foreboding about the way he had admitted to knowing Tsunade's jutsu. I fell silent in fear. It was one thing confronting Sasuke even in his unhinged state to reunite him with Itachi, it was quite another coming face to face with Obito and the weird-looking white body beside him.
The sight of the two Akatsuki made my skin crawl and I wanted nothing more than to drop the chakra on the soles of my feet and sink into the river below. Nothing good could come out of this meeting if I caught Obito's interest. It was best to remain quiet and try not to let my presence be known.
The less Obito knew about me, the better.
"I see your former team also tracked you down, including the Kyuubi," Obito noted and I kept a blank look on my face, staring absentmindedly at the ripples in the water. "You two just can't seem to stay away from each other."
Naruto's anger spiked to the side and I hoped he wouldn't do anything rash. Obito didn't have the Rinnegan yet and hopefully, he would retreat rather than risk a fight.
"And who is that hiding behind Kakashi?" Obito's deep voice added and my blood ran very, very cold. "My, my, it's been a long time, Lucy."
I looked up, staring at the others in utter confusion before turning to the orange mask. "How... h-how do you know my name?"
As soon as I asked the question, I tensed thinking of Kisame. He must have relayed the information I had given all those months ago, or maybe… No. I refused to believe that Itachi had possibly betrayed me.
Obito's answer took me completely by surprise. "Oh, that's right, you don't remember our little encounter – or rather trip I should say. You sure have changed from that drunk girl I left behind in the Land of Rivers."
I blinked once.
Twice.
And then his words hit me, and my eyes bulged from my head.
"You...!" I was at a complete loss for words. "How...? No, I..."
This isn't possible.
"You're the one who kidnapped Lucy from her home?" Naruto bellowed, stepping forward.
White Zetsu preened next to his leader. "Exactly."
"How come she doesn't remember anything? What did you do to her?" Naruto persisted.
A million questions rushed through my mind as I half-listened to the back and forth.
Obito.
Obito is the one who brought me here?
This isn't possible.
How?
Obito came to my world? He came to Wales?
The sudden thought of a man in an Akatsuki cloak and an orange mask in our world was just so preposterous, so far-fetched, that a small chuckle escaped my lips catching everyone's attention.
"Wait." I stepped forward giving the one-eyed orange mask a strange look; half-shock, half-disbelief. "This can't be right. You? You are saying you're the one who brought me here?"
"Bingo!" White Zetsu exclaimed.
I furrowed my brows expecting one of them to suddenly admit it was all a joke, but no one said a word.
"What? No!" I argued, my voice coming out strong. "You're lying! There's no way, that's a load of crap!"
"Lucy," Kakashi warned.
Obito took a step closer. "You don't believe me?"
I let out a small, incredulous laugh. "Oh please. You...? You came to Wales...? You just somehow found me camping in the mountains? Are you serious? How on earth would you even get there?"
And then a thought occurred to me.
"But please, go ahead. Enlighten us all as to how you came to my country and then brought me here."
"Nice try," his deep voice rang out.
Damn, it was worth a shot.
But I wasn't quite done. Unless Obito gave me substantial proof I wasn't going to believe a word of his ridiculous claim.
I turned to team 7 standing on one side. "See? He's lying." My voice was slightly strangled from all the emotions running through me, but I refused to believe him. "There's no way. No way you came to Wales of all places and somehow found me in the mountains while I was out camping with my friends-"
"- and playing drinking games around a campfire in the middle of the wilderness. That wasn't exactly wise, especially for civilians, Lucia Rivero Ashmore."
I was stunned into silence.
No. This isn't possible.
How the hell does he know my real name?
White Zetsu gave a shrill laugh, dangling a bright green plastic card from his fingers. My student ID card.
My jaw dropped. "Oh my God."
Blood drained from my face as reality hit me over the head. How? How was this possible?
"I'm confused," Naruto chimed in.
"So am I," Kakashi added. "Why kidnap Lucy from her home only to leave her behind in a forest?"
My head turned to the jonin who remained as cool and collected as ever. Good question.
"Simple, without any chakra she was useless to me. I had to bide my time, wait for her chakra to develop, and for her gift to grow with it."
Gift? What gift?
"I had hoped Orochimaru would find you first and help accelerate the process but Itachi thwarted that plan."
I turned to look at Itachi. The tension around his eyes told me that Obito's words were news to him too.
"Why kidnap Lucy at all?" the Uchiha asked, speaking for the first time. "What do you want with her?"
"I've already told you. She has a gift that I need. Something I have been searching for a long time."
Kakashi shifted ever so slightly closer to me, no doubt anticipating an attack.
"Do you mean her kekkai genkai?" Naruto asked and I almost groaned.
Don't feed the enemy information, you idiot! That was one of the main shinobi rules after all. I could tell Kakashi was equally annoyed and a long pregnant silence followed.
Finally, Obito tilted his head and despite his orange mask, I could tell he was mocking me. "Oh, Lucy. Did you tell them you had a kekkai genkai?"
Dang it.
I noticed both Naruto and Sakura look at me, perplexed. Kakashi's face, however, was stern and downright terrifying, as his Sharingan eye demanded an explanation for the blatant lie I had been telling them for months.
I threw them a nervous look. "Ok, yes I lied, I'm sorry. But it wasn't my idea to lie, I was just following Tsunade's orders. Ask Itachi, I told him all about it."
"It's true," his voice rang out behind me.
I gave him a grateful look.
"We'll discuss this later," Kakashi said in a low voice before turning to Obito. "What do you mean by Lucy having a gift?"
"An ancient weapon if you will," Obito said, rather vaguely. "A well-kept secret among the Uchiha clan that has been passed down for generations engraved on a stone tablet. Once awakened, the shinobi nations won't stand a chance."
An ancient weapon? The Uchiha clan? Now he was just being silly.
"I think you got your stone tablets mixed up," I exclaimed with a smirk. "An ancient weapon? Me? I barely made genin and I'm struggling to stand on this damn river as we speak."
In an instant, Obito's chakra spiked, filling the air with dread. Not a sound resonated from the surrounding forest and even the water beneath our feet grew quiet.
I gulped, struggling against his oppressive chakra.
No one said a word.
"I think I preferred you when you were locked up in T&I for interrogation," Obito said in a dark voice. "Or better yet, when you were under Danzou's thumb, your mind tortured for information."
I froze realising he'd been keeping tabs on me. All that time I had tried to remain hidden within Konoha believing I was somewhat safe, but Obito had known about me all along.
"What – what are you talking about?" Naruto exclaimed. His blue eyes then looked to me for confirmation. "Lucy?"
Since I was at a loss for words, Kakashi took over. "How long have you been watching her?"
"Long enough," Obito declared, as White Zetsu sneered beside him. "She is my weapon after all. Her power grows the more she experiences anger and pain. When Itachi sent her to Konoha, I knew the process would accelerate. This world knows only despair, brings only pain, and Konoha is no different."
"No!" I argued. "That's not true -"
Obito's Sharingan eye was fixed on me. "Isn't it? You trusted them to save you and they threw you in prison. They tortured you, humiliated you. And then you were forced to join Danzou. Tell me, when did you first start feeling hate course through your veins?"
I thought back to Pein's invasion and the anger I had carried around with me since then. The voice inside my head after Ryo's death in the jungle and the dark chakra that seemed to leak from within my chest.
Oh God. It wasn't all in my head. There's something inside of me and Obito knows all about it!
I swallowed hard unable to look away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Was it the day Root beat you to an inch of your life? Or perhaps when you found out about your teammate spying on you for Danzou?"
I remembered the rage that had threatened to overwhelm me after I had confronted Ryo and found out the truth. How I had threatened Karui and then argued with Naruto…
"Or perhaps it was during Root's final test, the mission in the jungle -"
No!
"Stop," I warned, my hands balling into fists.
He couldn't talk about that. Not in front of Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi.
"- after the same teammate died saving your life -"
"Don't you dare!"
Anger rose within me like a tidal wave ready to drown out every other thought. White Zetsu giggled, looking more excited than ever.
"- you felt it then, didn't you? The foreign chakra mixing with your own, the power it brought you, the urge to kill-"
"Shut the hell up!"
A sharp pain tore through my chest and I cried out, falling to my knees. White, hot chakra swirled inside, spreading through my limbs. I doubled over in pain.
"Lucy!" Naruto was by my side in an instant, gripping my arm.
Muffled voices called out to me, but I couldn't hear a thing as I fought against the pain, panting for breath. I struggled to maintain control over my own chakra and water splashed around my ankles and hands.
When I opened my eyes again an eerie black glow surrounded me. Naruto's eyes went wide, but he didn't let go. Behind him, Obito stood perfectly still, his Sharingan eye staring right at me.
My killing intent soared. I wanted nothing more than to rip the orange mask off his face.
"Lucy, calm down!" Kakashi called out.
Let me out, the voice echoed in my mind. Let me kill them!
"Soon you will be ready for the battlefield," Obito announced, stepping closer with Zetsu at his side, "and with your power at my side, nothing will stop me from putting my plan into motion."
Naruto tensed.
I grit my teeth. "Big words from someone who hides behind a mask."
He paused, before he turned his attention to the Uchiha. "Sasuke, I told you to go back and rest. Now your sight is almost gone, and your brother is no better. Do as you wish, I have no more use for you."
His eye fixed me again and a chill ran down my spine. The air shifted all around him and the vortex reappeared.
Obito and Zetsu swirled before my eyes but not before the masked Uchiha added, in perfect English, "See you soon."
..~**~..
..~**~..
Uchiha Itachi was rarely surprised.
It was the nature of shinobi. Always be prepared. Never show emotion.
It was well-known: the best shinobi in the world were never be caught off-guard.
Over the course of Itachi's life only a handful of events had ever truly surprised him. And that included his years among Akatsuki when he worked with and traveled among a volatile mix of rogue ninja.
But ever since Kisame and he had crossed paths with Lucy, it seemed his life had turned into a series of unpredictable events surprising him at every turn. Nothing had caught him off guard more than meeting Lucy in the forest weeks after their first encounter and listening to her admit she knew his deepest, darkest secret. And yet as he stood on the river below the bridge watching her interact with Madara, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of dark chakra pouring out of her body and surround her like a cocoon.
The black energy had felt malicious.
Dangerous. Like a Tailed Beast.
And yet Lucy wasn't a Jinchuuriki. She didn't have a seal. Itachi had never felt any malicious chakra within her before unlike with Naruto whose presence was always shadowed by the Kyuubi's demonic presence.
Lucy hadn't even possessed any chakra when they had first met.
But clearly, something had grown within her as Madara had explained. Something dark and sinister… and somehow linked to the Uchiha clan.
"Itachi, what the hell is going on?"
Sasuke interrupted his thoughts, his voice betraying his impatience. Itachi peeled his eyes away from the waters flowing beneath his feet. Since Obito had left the river, the forest-covered mountains up above seemed to have come back to life. Silver fish flicked beneath him and the sun bounced off the water's clear surface illuminating the area.
A single remaining stone pillar connected to the Land of Iron still remained. Itachi spotted the back of Naruto's orange and black jumpsuit where he had brought Lucy to calm down out of sight.
Across the river, Kakashi stood in a casual slouch, speaking in low tones with Sakura. He doubted the jonin would continue to fight Sasuke, but Itachi refused to take any chances. He may be a Konoha shinobi at heart, but his brother came first.
Always.
"Not here. I'll explain later."
Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously. "Whatever you have planned, I will not return to Konoha."
Itachi regarded him calmly and noticed a dark bruise around his eye. His nose also seemed broken. Had Kakashi landed a hit? "I know," he tried to placate him. "We will retreat for now and I will tell you everything you wish to know then. Can you still fight?"
Sasuke glanced at the Konoha nin ahead before his steely jet-black eyes focused on Naruto up above.
He nodded.
"Good, be ready for anything. Before we leave, I must speak with Kakashi."
Sasuke scowled but said nothing.
Itachi advanced on the water and Kakashi mirrored him, Sakura trailing behind.
"Kakashi."
The silver-haired shinobi's masked face looked grim, his Sharingan eye still apparent. "Itachi. You are lucky Sakura vouched for you especially after your ambush in the forest."
Itachi thought back to their short, tense fight previous to reaching the bridge. Kakashi had done well fighting while avoiding Itachi's eyes, and after a particularly vicious attack, Itachi had switched with a shadow clone and rushed for the bridge.
The Copy Ninja, however, had dispelled the clone much too early for his liking.
"Sasuke and I will not be returning to Konoha," Itachi announced. Sakura looked surprised while her sensei slipped his hands in his pockets, a deceptive move to make him appear falsely relaxed.
"I didn't expect you to," he conceded, "And until I can confirm all the facts with Tsunade-sama, Genma, and Lucy, you will remain our enemy."
The word "enemy" had the same effect as a drop of blood falling into a tank full of sharks. The tension that had reigned among the group before Obito's interruption returned at once.
Itachi stared at the jounin for a long, agonising moment. "Do as you wish."
"Where will you go?" Sakura spoke up, her voice betraying her concern. "Itachi-san, you need medical attention."
Her light green eyes flicked briefly to Sasuke. "Both of you."
The pink-haired medic had a good heart, and he could tell she cared deeply for his brother.
"We will find a place to rest and recover until we receive word from Hokage-sama or Lucy."
Kakashi's brows furrowed. "You trust her?"
It was clear he was referring to Lucy rather than Tsunade. Sakura gave her sensei an incredulous look.
"With my life," Itachi said without any hesitation. "She's the reason why I'm alive today."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he pondered his answer. Before he could question it, Naruto appeared at his side, a solemn look on his whiskered face.
"How is she?" the jonin asked, without taking his eyes off Itachi.
Naruto cast an anxious glance between the two. "She's calmed down, but she – she hasn't said a word."
"She's probably in shock," Sakura supplied, exhaling a sharp breath. "She's gone months without any information on what happened to her or how to get home. I don't think she ever expected to find out Uchiha Madara was behind it all…"
"And he plans to use her as a weapon," Kakashi added in a grave tone. "We need to find out more about this chakra inside of her before the war begins."
He ran a hand over his tired face, pulling down his headband to cover up his eye. "All right, Itachi. You're free to leave with Sasuke. We'll head back to Konoha and send word in three days."
Itachi nodded, relaxing his stance. Despite any hard feelings between them, Kakashi was not his enemy. And if they had any chance of winning the war against Madara then he and Sasuke would have to work with Konoha.
"I will send a summon," he agreed. "We will no doubt require assistance. Madara was right. In the state we are in now, Sasuke and I are useless until we find a medic who can operate on our eyes. Perhaps Konoha can help."
Sakura shifted, eager to speak, but Kakashi gripped her shoulder, holding her back. "Perhaps."
Naruto, who had remained unusually quiet during the exchange, spoke up. "So Sasuke isn't coming back to Konoha then?"
He stared ahead at the younger Uchiha, who remained afar keeping a sharp watch despite the indifferent look on his face.
Itachi recognised the pain reflected in Naruto's blue eyes. "Sasuke needs time and answers. I will go with him for now and help him as I can."
They said their goodbyes and Itachi headed back, ignoring the dull pain within his chest.
Seeing his brother return, Sasuke relaxed his stance.
"We can leave then?" he demanded.
"Yes."
"And they won't come after us?"
"No."
Sasuke's eyes looked preoccupied. "I want answers, Itachi. Why are you still alive? Why does Konoha trust you? Who is that girl?"
"Later," Itachi promised him. "Let's go."
They turned their backs on the Konoha nin, jumping up the broken slabs of stone until they reached the pillar where the bridge still held.
The sight at the top made him stop in his tracks.
Lucy sat alone in the shadows her back to the bridge's remaining handrail. Her teal skirt pooled around her feet as she sat with her knees to her chest, hands clutching her head.
She stared blankly across the bridge and looked… broken.
"Wait here," Itachi told Sasuke before going to her.
She didn't acknowledge his presence as he approached.
"Lucy."
She started but made no other movement.
"I'm leaving with Sasuke," Itachi informed her. "I'll send news in three days. You need to stay with Konoha in the meantime, they will protect you."
She said nothing for a moment until a small voice answered, "Okay."
Seeing the shattered look on her face, he hesitated.
It seemed cruel to leave her like this after she had fulfilled her promise to him to save Sasuke. They might not have saved his brother from his hatred for Konoha yet, but at least he had escaped Madara's influence – for now. Thanks to Lucy, Itachi had a chance to make things right with Sasuke again.
Was it fate that had brought the two of them together? After all, Madara had admitted that Lucy was somehow linked to the Uchiha clan. Information about the weapon she carried had been recorded on their stone tablet. Perhaps he had been destined to save her from Orochimaru's thugs when they first met…
He felt the heat of Sasuke's gaze at his back as he lingered.
He had said what he needed to say; it was time to leave. Naruto and Sakura would take care of her. But despite his better judgment, his feet refused to move. The feeling of despair that filled her was familiar to him, one he had battled with ever since the Massacre. Her bleak appearance stirred something with him and before he knew it, he crouched down in front of her and tugged her hands away from her hair, holding her wrists in his hands.
Finally, she looked up, dark green eyes briefly meeting onyx orbs before dropping again.
"Itachi." Her voice was soft like a whisper. "I – I don't understand. None of this was supposed to happen. He – he brought me here -"
Her breath choked in her throat.
She was scared.
"We'll find answers," he reassured her.
He brushed his thumb lightly across the palm of her hand hoping to soothe her as his other hand lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Lucy, don't lose heart. You are not his weapon no matter what Madara says. You are strong. And you are not alone. When we meet again, I promise I will help you find the answers you need."
Her gaze widened. The truth of his words sunk in and her forest green eyes shone with trust in return. An unwavering belief that he would not let her down.
And for some reason that was beyond him, the thought of disappointing her was unfathomable.
"Nii-san," Sasuke called out.
It was time to go.
She held his gaze as his hand dropped before he got to his feet again.
"Stay safe," she whispered.
He paused, nodding over his shoulder, before he followed Sasuke, disappearing into the forest.
..~**~..
Wow, it's strange to think I have finally reached this point of the story. Itachi and Sasuke are finally reunited, but Itachi has left again. There were lots and lots of revelations this chapter... Of course, the mystery surrounding Lucy is not over yet, but at least now you know. Obito was behind it all.
Are you surprised? Or had you figured it out? We won't find out the whole truth until much later, but more information will gradually be revealed.
Let me know what you thought in a REVIEW! Reviews are love xxx