Nyoko
"I'm sure you have taken in a lot of information already, but who knows when I would have another chance to explain everything to you." Itachi says. Though his words imply urgency, his expression remains at ease.
"I d-don't understand… why do you even w-want to tell me anything?" I reply.
"Well, that is rather simple," he says. "By going against your brother, by betraying Madara, you proved that your allegiance lies with what you believe to be right and wrong. Not with Madara's ideals. Not only this, you do not belong to any of the Five Great Nations, nor any other shinobi village for that matter. Because of this, I know that you can be trusted with what I am going to tell you with minimal risk of exposing myself to the ninja world."
"M-Madara's ideals…? Exposing yourself…? What are you talking about?" My head is spinning more violently than a hurricane.
"Just listen, all of your questions will be answered."
With that, I close my mouth and open my ears. I knew there was more to Itachi from the day Ryuji and I met him, and now I finally get to know the truth about the clan killer.
"The Itachi Uchiha that you met several months ago with your brother, is not who I really am. That was merely a facade that I maintain. Much of what I told you and Ryuji was nothing short of falsehoods. Lies upon lies in order to exact my plans."
Though he told me to not talk, I can't help but ask another question. "Does that mean you didn't really kill your clan."
His facial expression doesn't change, but his eyes do. They fill with pain and sorrow as soon as the question leaves my mouth.
"No… I did. However, the circumstances were not what I told you previously. You see, much of the clan, including the clan's head, my—our father, Fugaku, wished to execute a coup d'etat in the Hidden Leaf Village. While it is true, the Uchiha had been mistreated by the village in the past, the ninja world was, and still is far too volatile for a coup to be anything short of a disaster. One other member of the clan, Shisui, helped me in trying to resolve the issue peacefully. We worked within both the clan and the village leadership to prevent insurrection, but it was to no avail. It finally reached a boiling point, including Shisui, my best friend… ending his own life. This prompted an integral figure in the Hidden Leaf's government, Danzo, to approach me with an idea. While it was a horrific idea, it would certainly prove effective."
He paused. For the first time since I met him, his face changed from one of calmness and disinterest to one of pain and anguish.
"His idea was for me to slaughter every last Uchiha. It seemed unthinkable to me, but in time, I came to the realization that it was the only way to prevent the destruction of the entire Hidden Leaf Village. So, I made a deal with Madara. You see, Madara had a gripe with the Uchiha clan, except he intended to do harm to the Leaf Village as a whole. My deal with him was that if I helped him exact his vengeance on the Uchiha, he would not pursue further action against the Leaf. Thankfully, Madara agreed."
With this, along with all of the other information I've been fed today, I feel like my brain is due to explode.
"It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. However, after all of the other failed attempts, the loss of Shisui, and the threat against my home… I had no choice. There was but one final issue… I could not bring myself to kill Sasuke, my younger brother.
"I told you before how I spared him so that I could one day test myself against him, and take his eyes… that is not true. Not in the slightest. I spared him because I know that I could never bring myself to kill him. So, I devised a plan so that even after all the damage I do, I can help him somehow. I would make him hate me, make killing me a goal for him to achieve. His work ethic is unmatched, he was guaranteed to work day and night to grow stronger. Then, one day, he will meet me in battle. I will give him a good fight, and purge any of the darkness that lies within him. And then, at the end of our battle… I will die for him.
"He will feel fulfilled in his goal of ridding the world of the evil that was Itachi Uchiha, and the Great Nations will view him as a hero for doing so. Sasuke will never have to know the truth about our clan's downfall. He will never have to know of what I went through. He will solely be the hero who avenged his clan.
"After Madara and I finished killing them, I reported the mission's success to the Hokage, and asked that he look after Sasuke in my absence. I would join Madara's organization, the Akatsuki, and spy on them from the inside. To this day, I do my best to protect the Hidden Leaf from the shadows, and I work towards achieving my goal for Sasuke.
"I understand if you do not believe me, but I promise you, everything that I have told you here is the unadulterated truth.
I'm stuck in a stunned silence. I can hardly even comprehend everything that I have been told. It feels like time stands still as I stare at my half brother. How does someone who goes through so many horrors not go completely insane.
After what feels like an eternity passes, I finally am able to bring myself to ask a question. "Even if that is all true, w-why are you here to tell it to me…? How d-did you even know I was here?"
"That is a different story altogether."
Itachi
Six weeks earlier
As he had requested, I arrive at Madara's hideout to meet with him. What does he want from me now? As I walk through the main hall, Madara's shadowy figure emerges from the darkness.
"Ah, Itachi, thank you for coming on such short notice."
"What is it that you needed from me?" I ask, not wasting any time.
"Right down to business. That's why I like you, Itachi. You see, I gave your half siblings a mission to eliminate our dear friend Akihiro. However, that was several days ago, and they should have been back here by yesterday at the latest, yet, they are nowhere to be found."
"You wish for me to find them for you?"
"You have always been rather keen, haven't you? Yes, if you wouldn't mind."
"Where was their mission's location?"
"Just east of the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers. They were supposed to intercept him a mere few kilometers away from here. Is that enough information?"
"Plenty. They shall be back here in no time at all."
"I knew I could count on you. Happy hunting, Itachi."
Madara returns to the shadows as I turn around to exit the hideout.
I search throughout the area that I determined most likely for their mission to have led them, however the search area is rather vast. Through several hours of investigation, I am left empty handed, and begin to fear that they may have gone too far to reasonably deduce their approximate location. I eventually find a path that travels throughout the woods of the Land of Rivers, and I decide to follow it. More than likely, Akihiro would need a path to guide him to a certain degree. Following this path is more likely to yield their location than blindly wandering would.
I follow the path before seeing obvious signs of travel suddenly diverge from it. This must be them. I follow the tracks into a clearing in the woods. Situated comfortably in the clearing is a wooden hut. As I look around more and more, it becomes clear that a battle has taken place. I walk throughout the clearing, looking for signs of Nyoko and Ryuji. I pass the hut and look around the corner. There lies the limp, lifeless body of Nyoko, and two figures which stand above her. Is she dead?
I walk towards them in order to find out if she is alive, the taller figure that stood above her reveals himself to be Akihiro, the very man she had been tasked to kill. The second figure is a young boy. Akihiro recognizes me, after having done vast medical work on different members of the Akatsuki. The color drains from his face and his eyes fill with fear. Sweat begins to drip down his face. The boy appears to be terrified as well.
"N-No, don't hurt me, I don't want Madara to—" He rambled, frantically, virtually no space between his words.
"Stop, I assure you, I mean you no harm. Just get her the help she needs, I'll be sure he doesn't interfere."
"W-Why should I trust you?"
"Because if I am lying, you are going to die anyway, and there is not a thing you would be able to do about it. So you better just get to work."
Akihiro picks her up and takes her into the hut. Now, where is Ryuji. What happened here?
I look at the spot where Nyoko had been lying. There are footprints and a trail of blood leading into the woods. I follow the trail. Could this be his?
I travel throughout the woods until I find myself standing above Ryuji's unconscious body. So both Nyoko and Ryuji are beaten down and reduced to an unconscious state, yet they are distanced from one another… curious.
I pick him up on my shoulder and make my way back to Akihiro's hut. Once I get to the door, I walk in and see Akihiro and the young boy working frantically on Nyoko's wounds.
"Is she going to be alright?" I ask.
"She's sustained several potentially fatal injuries and I don't have half of what I need to properly treat her here. I need to take her to a hospital. The one in the Katabami Gold Mine Village is the nearest one that would be sufficient," Akihiro replies.
"Do you think you can get there in time?"
"I think so, I was able to stabilize her, she should be able to hang in there long enough for me to get her there."
"I hope you are right. Something with heavy implications has happened here. For now, I must take this boy back to Madara. As for you, only worry about Nyoko."
"Why are you helping me with this girl? Do you not work for him?" he questions.
"We don't have enough time for me to sit here and explain everything to you. Just make sure she gets the help that she needs. I'll meet you in Katabami in a few days. I promise you, Madara will not interfere with your work. Just trust me."
With that, Akihiro took Nyoko and the child and set off for Katabami, while I turned around and made my way back to Madara's hideout with Ryuji in my grasp.
Nyoko
"Once I met with Akihiro here, he explained to me what had happened. That you went against your brother to save his and his boy's life. I can only assume that the battle with him was the most grueling you have ever endured, given your state at the moment." Itachi concludes.
"So, you were the one who spoke then…" I say, faintly.
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"After I fought R-Ryuji, I went in and out of consciousness a few t-times… I heard a voice th-that I recognized, but I couldn't p-place it at the time. I-It was you…"
He waits a few moments before speaking again. "Nyoko, I would like to propose an alliance between Akihiro, yourself and I. With our combined effort, I think that we can further our individual goals through one mutual goal that we all share." He pauses, possibly hoping that I understand what he means without him saying it. Unfortunately for him, I likely wouldn't be able to catch on, even without head trauma.
"If the three of us work together, we can take down Madara."