AN: Sorry about the long wait!


TWENTY NINE


Kisame is looking at him again.

Not just looking at him, but looking at him, because there is an important distinction between the two. Looking is a quick glance, casual and unmeaningful. But looking—that sort of gaze holds intent.

It's the way Kisame has been eyeing him since he returned. Itachi doesn't know why he's doing it, but it puts him on edge.

"Orochimaru has reemerged near the Land of Rivers," Pain says. "As you all are aware, it has been nearly five years now since he deserted the organization."

Itachi forces himself to ignore the weight of his partner's gaze, staring impassively at the shadowy figure of their leader. Around him, the other members of the Akatsuki are also assembled.

"Orochimaru," Deidara says with a huff. "That damn snake again?"

His personal dislike for Orochimaru is amusing—considering he's one of the only Akatsuki members who wasn't a part of the organization when Orochimaru betrayed them. When he failed to steal Itachi's eyes and then ran with his tail between his legs.

Itachi finds himself paying closer attention, though it doesn't show on his face. The Land of Rivers is near Konoha—near Sasuke.

"He's still so close to Konoha?" Kisame wonders. "After his failed invasion, I thought he would be long gone by now. What's causing him to stick around?"

Itachi thinks of that wretched mark on his brother's shoulder. He doesn't blink. "Are we going to go after him, then?"

"My spy has confirmed his current whereabouts," Sasori says. "He has also relayed to me that the man is weakened from his battle with the Third Hokage. Now is an opportune time to eliminate him."

"We might not get this chance again soon," Pain tells them. "Orochimaru is not only a traitor to our organization, he is also in possession of our secrets. His knowledge of the Akatsuki is a threat that has plagued us for too long."

"Great!" Deidara says, and even as only a shadowy projection, Itachi can tell that he's grinning widely. "Send me after that damn bastard! I've been itching for a chance to kill him—"

"You already got the chance to kill him. You blew a bunch of shit up and he escaped, remember?"

Deidara hisses at Hidan. "Shut up! That's why I want to be the one to kill him! No one escapes from my art—"

"He did."

"Shut up!"

"Deidara, calm down," Pain says mildly. Deidara huffs, his annoyance perfectly communicated in that one sound. "You're not going after Orochimaru. Hidan is right, you had your chance."

"Ha! Get wrecked!"

"Fuck off, asshole! What does that even mean?"

"Kakuzu and I will go after Orochimaru. He'll be a beautiful sacrifice for Jashin-sama—"

"Oh, not this again—"

Itachi feels a headache coming on.

"Enough," Pain says, and the bickering stops. He turns his head, purple eyes locking with Itachi's. "Kisame and Itachi will go after Orochimaru. They're already known members of the Akatsuki. If they're spotted, Konoha still won't gain any new intel."

Itachi doesn't let his surprise show. He wants to be the one to go after Orochimaru. The snake is after his little brother, after all. But for him to request it when he's already being watched so closely would have given away too much about his priorities. He's surprised Pain would choose to send him.

"Sure thing," Kisame says with a shark-like grin. "I've been itching for a good fight. What do you say, Itachi-san?"

"What?!" Deidara yells. "No way, un! Why him—"

Deidara continues to kick up a fuss. The projections around them begin to fade, and Itachi fades with them after Pain relays to him Orochimaru's suspected location.

Kisame is still watching him. Itachi doesn't turn his back to him.


Surprisingly, Team Seven completes their mission easily, without any bumps in the road. They reach the Land of Rivers by late morning of the next day, and by the afternoon, they've delivered the scroll to the daimyo and are on their way back home.

"We did it," Naruto says. "A C-Rank mission, and we didn't even get attacked or anything."

A few paces ahead of them, Kakashi hears the familiar sound of Sakura hitting her teammate. "Idiot! We still have over a day's travel back to Konoha! Don't jinx it! There's still time for us to get attacked."

"I almost hope we will be," Naruto says with a sigh. "This mission's been so boring. What do you think, Sasuke?"

"I agree with Sakura. You're an idiot."

"Hey!"

Kakashi feels his lips twitch beneath his mask as he listens to them bicker. A wave of nostalgia washes over him, and he forces the warmth in his chest down.

"Sakura is right," he tells them. "We aren't home yet. It isn't likely we'll be attacked, but it's still a possibility. Don't drop your guard."

Sakura and Naruto are walking together just a few paces behind him. Sasuke is walking a bit quicker than his two teammates, and is at Kakashi's side. Unlike the other two, he's definitely still on his guard. Kakashi glances at him as they walk. He's been avoiding speaking to his student during this mission because of the secret that he's holding regarding the massacre.

"You and Naruto seem to have worked things out."

His voice is quiet, not carrying far enough behind them for the other two to hear. Sasuke shrugs his shoulders and responds at the same volume.

"I guess."

"I'm glad the two of you were able to come to an understanding. He really was trying to help you, you know. All of us are."

Sasuke's jaw tightens. The sun glints off the metal plate of his hitai-ate. "I know. Everyone wants to help."

The voice isn't sharp, the way Kakashi expected from his expression. Instead it sounds tired—the voice of someone who's been fighting against a current for far too long.

Kakashi doesn't know what to make of Sasuke at this point. He considers himself good at reading people, but he can't say with certainty where his student's mind is at. Sometimes, when Sasuke speaks, he seems fine. He seems better, like he's actually making strives to heal.

But other times, it's like he's not even there.

Kakashi thinks of Sasuke's outburst yesterday—the troubling words he had spoken. He wonders if it's a good idea to bring that up, to talk about it. Or if it's better to let sleeping dogs lie.

Kakashi has never been good about talking about the emotional things. Given the choice between confronting an issue, or ignoring it and hoping it works itself out, he's always chosen the latter. But he's been trying to do better lately, and that means actually talking to his students about things.

He remembers Sasuke's words, torn out of him like a horrible confession. Because I love him!

"It's okay, you know," Kakashi says quietly.

Sasuke frowns, turning to look at him. "What's okay?"

"It's okay for you to love him."

Sasuke goes tense immediately. He stumbles briefly before rebalancing himself. "Don't. That isn't—don't."

There's anger in his voice, but also shame. Disgust at his own feelings for someone he believes to be a heartless monster.

"He's your brother, Sasuke. Of course you love him."

"He killed everyone."

"He did," Kakashi says. "But that doesn't make the first seven years of your life any less real."

"But it wasn't real," Sasuke says harshly. "He never cared. All of it—it was just pretend."

His lips twist as he says the words. A shadow passes through his eyes, as he remembers something Kakashi can't see.

"He was never who I thought he was. I never knew him at all."

Kakashi looks at the betrayal in his student's eyes, and he wants so badly to correct him. He remembers Itachi's hands curled into the collar of his vest as he snarled, My brother is all I think of!

For all Itachi Uchiha's actions, he has always loved his brother. The truth in no way justifies what he put Sasuke through, but it does confirm that one fact.

He has always loved you.

Kakashi wishes he could tell him that now. But he can't. He can't tell Sasuke the reasons behind his brother's actions, the same way he can't tell Naruto who his parents are. He holds that secret behind his teeth every time he looks at the blonde boy, and now he has to hold this one, too.

Sasuke's hand closes around his shoulder as they talk—around his Curse Mark. Kakashi tenses, and he realizes this is the second time he's seen his student do that. With everything going on, he hasn't given it much thought in a while.

"Is the Curse Mark bothering you?" he asks, a furrow between his eyebrows.

Sasuke quickly drops his hand. "It's fine."

"I've noticed that it tends to respond to strong emotions. Be careful. Remember, the seal I placed on it is dependent on—"

"I know."

The two of them are silent for a while, Naruto and Sakura chatting quietly behind them. After a moment, Sasuke speaks up again.

"In the Forest of Death, when Orochimaru showed up… he mentioned Itachi. It sounded like they knew each other. Do you know how?"

Kakashi frowns. No, he doesn't know. It's surprising, considering the information about Itachi he now knows.

"I don't know," he says. "The only connection between them I can think of would be ANBU. They were both members. But that doesn't make sense either, because your brother became a member at eleven. Orochimaru had already left the village by then."

"I think he might have wanted Itachi's body. Before mine."

Kakashi considers the words. "That… is a definite possibility. Orochimaru has always been fascinated by the Sharingan."

Sasuke winces, his hand once again going to his shoulder. He doesn't speak again. They walk under a large tree, the sun disappearing, Kakashi gets a sudden sense of déjà vu.

For a moment, Sasuke isn't wearing his normal clothes, instead he's wearing an ANBU uniform. For a moment, Itachi is the one standing next to him.

The sun comes out from behind the tree. The mirage dissipates. Kakashi is left feeling shaky and uneasy.

Sasuke deserves to know the truth about his family. Naruto deserves to know the truth about his, too.

But unfortunately, that isn't his call to make.