- XXIII -
Liar
The grey clouds of the day only seemed to grow darker, and, save for the light that fell on the stone throne, the cave teetered on pure black—but upon closer look, two shadows danced in the darkness. The air of the room was anything but still, and with each step and leap a further disturbance echoed. The frequent clashes of metal rang out, and the sparks that were born from them shone a quick, fragmented light on the faces of the brothers before they died. Everything—every clash, every step, every sound—everything in this cave was impermanent.
Everything, that is, except for the two pairs of red eyes that glowed steadily through the darkness.
Upon the hundredth or perhaps even thousandth small cry of his sword against his brother's, Itachi finally managed to deflect the blow away enough to give himself an opening and sent a knee into Sasuke's stomach, winding him.
The younger Uchiha retreated to catch his breath, and Itachi allowed himself to do the same. Fighting with one arm was nowhere near as simple as he thought it would be, but he was managing.
The trouble was that managing would not be good enough.
Through staggered breaths, Sasuke's voice growled.
"How…? How did that happen?"
Somehow Itachi knew what he spoke of, and the stub where his arm had once been began to ache.
"How did you lose an arm…? You…you were always too good for that…always the strongest one around…so how the hell did you lose an arm!?"
Itachi could tell by the pain in Sasuke's voice that his brother was taking the missing limb personally, as if it were a handicap Itachi imposed upon himself. He had not expected such a deep rage…
But he also hadn't expected Danzo to sink his claws in so deep.
"I lost it…because I was careless."
A scowl formed on his brother's face.
"What could ever cause the great Itachi Uchiha to grow careless?"
Itachi looked at the sword he held in front of him. As he was fighting, he realized that it was not his own, that he must have given his to Naruto by mistake. In a way, it was better for him—the one he had now was sharper; but he couldn't help but worry if his own blade would hold up, whatever Naruto needed it for.
As he realized what was on his mind in this moment, the moment he had been waiting so long for, he couldn't help but smile. The blade fell to his side, and his deep red eyes turned to Sasuke.
"I was with a friend."
Sasuke's eyes widened as the image of his brother he had built up in his mind crumbled into nothing. His lips quivered as his voice, filled with fear, escaped them.
"Who…who are you!? A friend!? Don't make me laugh, Itachi! Who are you to have friends!? Where the hell have you been these last seven years!?"
Itachi's eyes were unwavering in the face of his brother's scorn.
"You're right. I don't deserve him. I'm pathetic, just like you said. I left you here on your own, and I ran. I thought that I was protecting you by staying away, but…perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I was only protecting myself…"
A chaos bubbled within Sasuke. Was that…
An apology…?
Itachi turned away. "I was lost…drifting. I wanted to see you…but I didn't have the strength…and then…"
And then?
"I met him."
A breath escaped the younger Uchiha. He wanted nothing more than to tear his ears off—yet Itachi continued.
"At first, he was helpless; nothing more than a child. He was far more confused than I was, and it seemed like all he could was cry and follow me around. But…before I knew it, I was the one following him. Behind his tears, there was a fire in his eyes; he was determined to reveal the truth, no matter what."
He raised his hand in front of him and a sad look appeared on his face.
"These eyes of mine…have long since gone dark…but now I see. He was the one who showed me the way; he was the one who showed me the path to take."
The Sharingan in Itachi's eyes blared as the finally returned to Sasuke.
"And I followed that path all the way back here so that I could see you again…and tell you that I'm sorry."
Sasuke's heart stopped.
No…
No…
It's not possible…
A rage began to flow through him so primal that he nearly choked on his anger as everything came out at Itachi.
"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't care about your apologies! I don't care about your friends and your epiphanies! Just shut up and let me kill you! I followed you into this darkness because it was the only way I could get my revenge!" His sword raised towards his brother. "So don't you walk in here and start playing with me! Don't treat me like a child, Itachi!"
Itachi felt his own anger rising within him, but it was not towards his brother. Finally, he understood…
"It was Danzo who pushed you down this path, wasn't it?"
Sasuke froze. He hesitated for a moment before exploding once again.
"What does it matter!? I don't care about him! I don't care about this village! All I care about is killing you!"
Suddenly, Itachi noticed his brother's sword wavering slightly.
"He…he told me…he told me the only way forward was to give into hatred…the only way to get my revenge…"
Itachi, for the first time, saw a look of pain on Sasuke's face.
"So don't you dare come back here and start preaching to me about love and kindness! You're the reason, Itachi! You're the reason I threw those things away!"
The elder Uchiha felt his voice raise.
"Danzo was playing with you, Sasuke. He murdered our clan. He has nothing but hatred for the Uchiha. He wants you to give into the darkness—"
"You're lying, Itachi!"
"No," Itachi said, calmed by the truth. "You're the one who's lying, Sasuke—to me and to yourself. I know there are people who are important to you. Like that girl, Sakura."
Images from the night before flashed through Sasuke's mind like a searing flash of sunlight through a grey sky.
But how did Itachi…?
"It was you…" Sasuke concluded quietly. "You were that woman…" Itachi's silence was enough of an answer. Anger quickly grew over the younger Uchiha's face. "Just shut up! She has nothing to do with this!"
"Doesn't she? You said that you followed the hatred, that you've gotten rid of love; but it's a lie. Don't do it, Sasuke. Don't throw yourself away for the sake of vengeance."
Sasuke's head burned, his mind flooded with emotion: anger, pain, sadness, loneliness. It all too much, Itachi coming back here and messing with him like this; it was all too much, Itachi coming back here and telling him the truth; it was all too much…
Through it all, Sakura's warm smile called to him like a beacon in the night, reminding of the moments when his hatred left him alone, when the darkness was at bay.
When he thought that, perhaps, he cared about her too.
"RRRAAAGGHH!"
A vicious, visceral yell escaped Sasuke and jerked his entire body as the last vestiges of his light left him. His eyes turned back to Itachi; they glowed brighter than before, but they were far more painful. His hands met in front of him and clasped together.
Itachi's own eyes widened. "No, Sasuke," he called. "You don't need to do this."
"Yes, I do…" Sasuke's voice was quiet, but there was a rage about it as if the pain had finally collapsed around his throat. "These bonds…these relationships…all they're doing is holding me back…holding me back from killing you!"
Finally, Itachi understood the gravity of his brother's words, the depths of the sorrow behind them, and his face turned somber as his eyes fixed on Sasuke.
"Look me in the eye, brother," the elder Uchiha said, "and tell me that you don't care about Sakura, or anyone else."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Brother…
A look of anguish flickered onto his face. And though his teeth clenched with a focused anger, Itachi saw even through the narrow eyelids that were turned on him.
His eyes were filled with pain.
"I don't care about anyone."
The hand signs flashed before him one after the other, and in a moment a flame ignited on his fingertips; but even as Sasuke gathered his breath and blew the giant fireball across the cave, Itachi was still…
A look of pity in his eyes.
"Liar."
BBOOOOMM!
The fireball crashed where the elder Uchiha stood, but he had vanished. Sasuke's eyes darted around the cave before finding Itachi above performing hand signs of his own. A flame appeared on Sasuke's fingertips one more time, ready to ignite into another fireball—but he was reminded, at that moment, that he and his brother did not have the world to themselves.
The staggering flash of orange light from the village below pierced the eyes of Danzo's bust on the Hokage Rock and filled the cave. Sasuke, with a yell of pain, was blinded. Just barely jumping out of reach of Itachi's flaming attack, he landed towards the wall with unsteady feet. Itachi landed back on the ground as Sasuke rubbed the sight back into his eyes. The older brother saw his chance.
With a swirl of its tomoe, his Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyo and turned to Sasuke. With a glance and a thought, his brother's blade ignited into black flames.
Sasuke, just opening his eyes to the heat of the Amaterasu, quickly dropped his sword to the ground. That second was all the time it took for Itachi to close the distance between them. As Sasuke turned back to his brother, wondering what kind of eyes he was looking at, a clear, sharp glow appeared in the Mangekyo, and Itachi vanished.
His wild eyes searched the entire cave in only a few seconds; left, right, up down—but nothing. No sign of his brother, no afterglow of those odd red eyes, not even a single sound apart from his heavy breathing and the crackling of his sword on the ground, incinerated to nothingness by the black flames that grew on it.
SHNG.
Before he even knew what had happened, Itachi's sword raised quietly to the small of his back. His eyes widened in fear and awe as his brother's low voice came softly into his ears.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke."
KKSSHHNNNGGG!
Sasuke felt warmth as the sword pierced him. The splatter of blood on the ground echoed through the cave, and he toppled over as his strength left him. As he lay on the ground, dying, he looked up through the darkness to see Itachi looking down on him.
"Damn you…Itachi…"
Sasuke's eyes closed.
A moment later, Itachi emerged from the shadows of the cave, his right eye, returned to its normal black, dripping blood. His sword was clean as he sheathed it. His hand reached up to his face, and the red liquid gathered on his fingertips.
Though the cave, apart from that orange light, was dim under the greying clouds, Itachi could feel his eyes darkening as he looked at Sasuke passed out on the floor, no blood or wound to be found on or about him.
But even though his eyes were closing and were so, so tired, Itachi spared them a moment to linger on his brother's face.
And they were sad.
- XXIII -
Kakuzu, normally so stoic and unshakeable, was for once grateful that he wore a mask, for behind it, his mouth hung agape at the sight of his partner draped in an orange glow of chakra.
The wicked smile would not leave Hidan's face as he watched the boy in the white cloak fly across the village. His red, demonic eyes lingered in the direction of his kick for a moment before turning back to his partner and releasing a terrifying laugh.
"This…this is incredible! Unbelievable!"
Kakuzu took slow steps towards him, and with a forced calmness in his voice, the green-eyed man spoke.
"Hidan…we have business with Danzo."
The monk did not hear him, far too preoccupied with the chaos swirling through his mind. Negative emotion took him over—rage, pain, bloodlust, all like a fire spreading through him, burning up his chakra and his energy.
"More…" His low, growling voice came out angrily. "I need more…I need more people to kill!"
In the blink of an eye, Hidan had moved to the closest member of the Order and put a hand behind their head. In one motion he pushed them down face-first, smashing the fox mask and their head in a pool of blood and crushed ground.
All the other orange cloaks could do was stare.
"Hidan…" The name dripped out of Kakuzu's mouth. He wasn't even sure if he was correct; this was not the same person as a moment ago.
The fox's power was overwhelming.
All of a sudden another laugh escaped Hidan as his eyes went to the mountain that overlooked the village. The solitary figure in white stood tall, and though it was too far away to see for sure, Hidan knew that dark eye was glaring at him.
"O-ho…just you watch, Danzo…just you watch!"
Hidan turned to his side and lifted his scythe high into the air. It quickly gathered the chakra that was escaping from him until it, too, gave off an orange glow. With a swing and yell, the weapon fell to the ground, sending a fissure through the ground that travelled across the next dozen streets. Through the crack came an orange glow that, as the earth parted slightly, destroyed everything it touched. All that was left afterwards was rubble in the direction Hidan swung.
Once more Hidan looked above.
"I'm coming…I'm coming, Danzo!"
The jinchuriki leapt to the top of the nearest building and swung his chakra-filled scythe at random, destroying more of the village. Hopping over rooftops, Kakuzu could only watch as Danzo became Hidan's secondary focus, and the joy of destruction took him over.
With a slight shake of his head, he sighed.
"Fool…"
"W-what…what do we do, sir…?"
Kakuzu turned back to the Order. Behind the masks, they all stared at him with wide eyes.
Hidan was no longer in control (though whether he ever really was was up for debate). They had lost a number of their forces fighting the Konoha ninja and corralling Kurama. Still, Kakuzu looked out over a good number of people ready and willing to fight.
And now they had a jinchuriki on their side.
"We keep going," Kakuzu declared. "We fight until we can't anymore. The Hokage will not see the sunset this evening."
Slowly, one by one, the spirits of the Order lifted, and in a moment there a hum of life about them.
"Now," Kakuzu said, returning his gaze to the north. "Let's go." A battle cry erupted from his warriors as they leapt beyond their leader to finish the job against Konoha. Finally, they would have their revenge. Finally, they would—!
A barrage of sounds hit Kakuzu's ears. Kunai whipping through the air, the elements crashing down on the village and on each other. A tilt of his head upward revealed the origin of these sounds. He tilted his head up and watched as the ANBU and the green vests returned to life, reigniting the battle that had broken off. The orange and the black and green uniforms slowly became engrossed with each other.
"Sorry," a voice came from behind him, "but I can't let you do that."
Kakuzu turned to see a man in a green vest and a black facemask with silver hair, lighter than the grey clouds above, walking towards him. His small black eyes were piercing in the dull daylight.
A thin chuckle escaped Kakuzu. "Well…what do we have here? They said that you had retired…"
His green eyes fixed themselves narrowly on his opponent.
"Kakashi Hatake."
Kakashi's demeanor was unchanging as he spoke. "Well…I'd like to…" His hands clenched into fists as he raised them in a fighting stance. His eyes turned fierce.
"But people like you never seem to go away."
- XXIII -
There was nothing but a light in the distance.
Naruto found himself awake in a never-ending sea of nothingness, an ever-expanding void. Am I dead? he wondered. It was possible. He had drowned, hadn't he?
Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the distance. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was drawn to it. There was something warm about it, something that felt right.
Slowly his feet began to move in the direction of the glow, and though the world around him was devoid of everything, he almost didn't mind; it was the light that told him to onward.
But as he got closer, the light became dimmer. Dark clouds began to roll in front of it, and soon, like a wall, they guarded it from him.
Naruto came to a stop as he watched the heavy, impenetrable clouds form, blocking off the light. He recalled that he had seen the shadows of these clouds before—though perhaps it was more accurate to say that he had been living in them for so long that he had forgotten what it was like without them.
This was the darkness of Naruto's mind.
That was the light so obscured by clouds.
Naruto stilled. The warmth around him vanished, leaving him empty and cold, and in shadow. Suddenly a feeling kicked in: it was fear—fear of the darkness, fear of being alone, fear of the past, and of the future.
But all at once, memories of his past flooded him: his parents' faces as they welcomed him home; the scenes of his bright childhood in Uzushio; the people and the village he once belonged to. All of it lived on inside of him.
Naruto stared at the darkness with his eyes, trying desperately to see the light beyond, to no avail. All this time, all these years he had been chasing after the past to find the truth, to clear the shadows from his mind—but the past was alive and well within him…
And yet the clouds remained.
Finally, he understood…
The light that he was searching was not the memories of the past…
But the hope of the future.
A future uncertain, a future blocked off from him. Did he dare walk towards it? All it took, after all, was a single step, and then another, and then another…
Pain gripped him.
No…
Better to remain in the darkness…
His parents, his home, his people…
Itachi's lost arm…
Ino's tears…
Go away…
Go away…
Go away. Go away. Go away.
Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away.
"Don't run away from yourself."
Yes…
Promises to keep…
But Kurama is gone…one failed already…
And another…another behind him…
Another inside…
Another beyond the clouds…
Yes.
Better to stay in the darkness…
…
"Naruto…"
Naruto lifted his head. That voice…
"Naruto…"
From behind the clouds a single ray of light shone through. A flickering golden glow, only a raindrop in the distance, moved towards him.
"Naruto…"
That voice…that voice…
The light came closer, and as it approached began to take on a different shape, and Naruto recognized it and the voice together.
Ino.
"Naruto…"
Ino, glowing a golden light, flew towards him through the darkness with her arms open, waiting for him.
No.
Too bright.
Too bright, look away…
Look away…
Go away!
"Naruto, look at me."
His eyes, filling with tears, turned to her. Her glow lit up the darkness as she finally wrapped her arms around him. Her big eyes staring deeply into his own, her very presence pushing away his tears, she spoke through a soft smile.
"Promise me, okay? Promise me you're going to come back."
Naruto felt the need to cry again, but no tears came.
Ino moved closer to him, and closer, and closer, until the light enveloped him. The warmth returned; it began in his chest and spread until every inch of his body was alive again.
At last it reached his lips…
And the words finally came.
"I promise."
- XXIII -
That first thing Naruto noticed was that his lips were warm. As his eyes flickered open, he also realized there was something in front of him. Something pink.
And then the water came up.
With heavy coughs and a heave, Naruto ignored whatever it was that was above him and turned to his side, spewing the liquid from his lungs. It was a moment before he calmed down enough to turn back to see a pink-haired girl in an ANBU uniform looking at him, panting, and with heavy eyes.
"Naruto…"
"S-Sakura…"
Suddenly the world clicked back in. The two of them were on a small pier along the side of the Konoha River, with stairs that led up to the bottom level of the village. The sounds of battle, a little more distant than before but still present, rang out. The clouds above were turning a dark grey, and the air was turning heavy.
The last thing Naruto noticed was the blood on Sakura's face.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah…you saved me."
Sakura was exhausted, and her face showed it.
"I saw you fall in, so…I had to…"
"Thank you."
Despite his shock from nearly drowning, Naruto spoke confidently, and his tone caught Sakura off-guard.
"D-don't mention it," she finally said.
"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah. I got thrown by that blast at the front gates. Somehow, I'm alright…" The two of them helped each other to their feet and they began up the steps cautiously. "The battle's still going on, so we need to…"
She stopped, and as she reached the top of the stairs, turned back to him.
"What are you doing here…?"
Naruto couldn't help himself from a small smile.
"It's a really long story."
The two of them ducked up against the wall that lifted the northern half of the village above the southern half. The battle was clearly happening on the upper level, but they couldn't be too careful.
As they crouched there for a moment, Naruto finally allowed the events to process. Hidan had taken Kurama inside of himself—he had become a jinchuriki. Itachi had left him to see Danzo. Had he made it? Naruto didn't know.
He saw Ino. He told her he'd be back…
Was he going to make it…?
That dream…
…
Naruto didn't know…
But he promised.
And he would try.
"Sakura," he said firmly. She turned to him, his blue eyes filled with a determination she had not seen the last time he was here.
"I have to get to the bunker."
Sakura's own eyes widened at his statement, but something within her, a distant memory of a friend, told her that she knew what he was talking about.
"Okay."
The two of them stood to move, but as they headed to the nearest set of stairs, a pair of familiar faces stopped as they Naruto. One of them, he knew immediately: he would recognize Shikamaru's high ponytail anywhere—but the boy on his arm took a moment to recall.
When he finally did, Naruto had the thought that aside from Hidan or Danzo, there was no one person he wanted to see less.
Kiba stared at him with furious eyes.
"You…"
- XXIII -
"It's going to rain."
The two strangers walked slowly through the forest, as if in no real rush. The woman who spoke had short purple hair with a flower placed in front. She and the man in front of her both wore black cloaks with red clouds on them.
"Yes, it is," the man said. His orange hair was spiky, and his face and ears were covered with tiny black rods that pierced his skin.
"But…"
The two of them came to a stop as they reached the edge of the forest. Before them lay the ruined front gates of Konoha. Under the dark clouds, the man's ringed lavender eyes shone their light upon their destination.
"Rain isn't so bad."
First thing's first, I used to be so good with updates. I remember one week where I got four chapters out. What a time. Alas, life happens, and with school and some other stuff keeping me busy (as well as me being distracted by some other ideas), I haven't been focusing on this as much.
No longer! School is done for the year, and I am free as a bird, so expect more frequent updates until I reach the end of this story. As for when that will be, you'll have to wait and see.
In terms of the chapter, as always, the word count came out of nowhere. I was expecting 2500 words, max. Oh well. We're hitting a good part now.
And in case I didn't make it crystal clear, Sasuke is not dead. Thank you.
As always, thanks for reading, and leave a review to let me know your thoughts.