Warning: Pretty graphic violence in this one.

- XXVII -

The Crossroads of Destiny II

Itachi Uchiha was blind.

Though he had expected—no, known—that this would happen for a while, now that the darkness finally set in, he realized he was nowhere near as prepared for it as he thought he would be.

It didn't help that the one person he wanted to see more than anything in the world stood in front of him now, as if teasing his loss of light.

"Tell me," Sasuke's voice growled through the pouring rain. "Tell me truth, Danzo!" His eyes were the colour of blood but shone under the dark sky.

The Hokage stood still for a moment as his eyes, one black and one red, fixed themselves on his subordinate. "Sasuke…what do you think you're doing? Has that fool behind you put ideas into your head?"

Sasuke's breaths shook with rage. "Shut up! Just tell me the truth! Were you the one who killed my clan!?"

Behind him, Itachi slowly managed to get to his feet. The elder Uchiha could feel his brother's presence in front of him and even Danzo's across opposite of them. Even without his vision, he could see the look on his brother's face.

"Sasuke, I—"

"Shut up!" his brother yelled. "I don't want to hear it! All I want is the truth!"

Danzo's cold glare was immovable. "You sadden me, Sasuke. Did you forget? I'm the one who molded you. I'm the one who gave a path, a purpose in this world. Why would I lie to you?"

Sasuke tensed. It didn't take long for the anger in eyes to slowly be replaced by confusion.

Itachi's eyes, the darkness of their whirlpool now faded into a dull sea of nothingness, tried to turn towards his brother.

"No, Sasuke…don't believe him…"

"Shut up…" The words teemed with rage as they slipped through Sasuke's gritted teeth.

Danzo saw his chance. "Didn't I tell you, Sasuke? There is only one path for you in this world. Turn your eyes to the darkness. Let the hatred consume you. The shadows will bring you your power, your revenge."

Sasuke's face filled with pain as the chaos swirled in his mind. Danzo or Itachi? Memories of both filled him and clash with each other: his master, the Fourth Hokage, who showed him the way to power, who threw him into the darkness? Or his older brother, once so loving, so warm, who betrayed him?

There was no answer.

Only pain.

No…

No more…

No more pain…

No more pain…

No more pain…no more pain…no more pain…

No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more. No more.

No more…

No more…

Itachi heard the feet in front of him shift, and the little warmth that was left in him evaporated.

"Yes, Sasuke," Danzo slithered. "Do your duty…"

The sound of the falling rain filled Itachi's ears; but in between the drops was the sound of a sword raising, cutting through the air. The metal shook towards him.

Itachi needed no eyes to know his brother was crying.

"Alright, Sasuke…do it."

Sasuke froze, the tears stopping immediately.

"Do it," Itachi continued, "and then let it go. Let go of the darkness…the hatred…the pain…"

"Do not hesitate, Sasuke," Danzo said from across the mountaintop. The red of his stolen Sharingan pierced through the rain. "Fall into the hatred…fall into the darkness…!"

The ANBU uniform that Sasuke wore had never felt so heavy, his eyes had never felt so cold; but ever so slowly, the sword lifted.

Pain grabbed his heart and took him over. He could only watch as his brother smiled at him.

"Please, Sasuke…"

The rain lightened, and the air was still as the sword began to fall.

FWWWOOOOSSSHH!

As if time itself had slowed, both Danzo and Sasuke turned their heads to see a man with a bright orange aura suspended in the air above the Hokage Rock. Slowly, the red eyes of a demon turned towards the Hokage.

"Ha ha ha! There you are!"

Hidan shot towards Danzo, scythe hanging above him, ready to fall. The Hokage barely had time to raise his sword before Hidan swung down with the force of a mountain, shattering the blade of wind cleanly in two. Danzo was sent reeling, and Hidan followed.

Wild swings came from the jinchuriki as the chakra seeping out of him burned through the falling rain. Danzo just barely avoided them, knowing that all it would take was one strike to take him out; but Hidan's speed was too much. He caught Danzo on a dodge and with one motion, placed a hand on the side of Danzo's head and brought him to the ground with a heavy boom, cratering the rock beneath him.

As the dust settled, the Hokage was nowhere to be found.

"Hello to you, too, Hidan."

Hidan's eyes widened as he whirled himself around to see Danzo standing still as if nothing had happened. The last Sharingan on his right arm closed for good, and for the first time in seven years, he was mortal.

Sasuke let his sword fall to his side, bewildered by the look in Hidan's eyes; it was wild, and it was insane, and it terrified him.

Itachi fell to his knees, exhausted, and could only listen.

A wicked laugh escaped Hidan. "Oooooh, Danzo…you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!"

Danzo's eyes were careful now. "I'd always known you were insane…but to take the fox inside of you…"

"What?" Hidan said, a crooked smile forming on his face. "Jealous? You should be! This power…" His arms opened in front of him, and the chakra around him seemed to burn brighter against the rain. "This power is everything!"

With no sword, all Danzo could do was reach inside of his robe for a kunai. Still, he sent what little chakra he had left through it to reinforce the metal and readied it in his hand.

"Maybe you haven't changed, after all," the Hokage said. "Still a man obsessed with playing God."

"Oh, believe me, Danzo! I'm not playing anymore!"

Hidan charged across the mountaintop at lightning speed and was at Danzo in a flash. All it took was one spin kick to the head for Danzo to fly against the trees that ran down the back side of the mountain, sending them crashing to the ground. Behind the dust that scattered, the Hokage slowly rose to his feet, immediately bloodied and bruised. Hidan gave him no time to collect himself, and at once appeared before him.

With a hand to the neck, the jinchuriki lifted the Hokage into the air and bared his fangs. "So long, Danzo! See you in hell!"

SSSLLLSSSSHHH!

Hidan's scythe went straight through Danzo, slicing the Hokage in two.

But only for a moment.

Only one blink of Hidan's eyes and Danzo vanished. The jinchuriki held onto only the falling rain as his enemy disappeared from in front of him.

"Apologies, Hidan…"

The monk's eyes shot open as Danzo's voice trickled into his ears from behind. The Hokage's right eye, once Shisui's, slowly lost its light and closed forever.

"But I won't be joining you quite yet."

SSSHHHKKK!

Hidan howled as the kunai dug into his eye, his voice ringing out across the village in agony as he fell to the ground. His hand shot to his face and pulled the kunai out; but the blood only flowed quicker.

"MY EYE! MY EYE!"

Danzo heaving breaths slowed as he stood overtop Hidan, enjoying the sight his one remaining eye was showing him.

Slowly, it turned.

Sasuke was frozen stiff. No thoughts ran through his mind as he stood, shocked, watching the heavyweight battle before him; but he was quickly reminded of his existence as Danzo's dark eye fixed itself on him.

Danzo, beaten badly from only one attack, staggered slowly over to his subordinate. "Come here, Sasuke…come to your master…"

Sasuke did not move.

Itachi tried his best to return to his feet; but whatever adrenaline flowed through him against Danzo had quickly vanished. His ears were not good enough to tell him what was happening, but his gut told him it was nothing good.

"Sasuke," he said, voice shaking. "Run…get out of here."

Sasuke did not move.

Nothing worked. His head, his feet, his hands. Everything was either frozen by the cold rain or paralyzed by fear and Hidan's agonizing scream, still echoing out.

Soon, there was only a dozen feet between him and the Hokage, who reached out a hand. "Give them to me, Sasuke…give me your eyes!"

The fear quickened Sasuke's heart, but still his legs wouldn't budge.

"Sasuke!" Itachi said, finally standing. A hand went to his brother's shoulder. "Go, now!"

Sasuke did not move.

And Danzo closed in.

"You Uchiha…you're only good for one thing…I would slaughter your clan over again if I could." Danzo stopped as he pulled out another kunai from his robe and gripped its handle tightly, baring it towards the Sasuke. The rain seemed to slow.

"Now…give it to me, Sasuke…"

Danzo charged.

"Give me the power to stand before God!"

Sasuke did not move.

KSSSSHHHKKK!

All Sasuke knew for a second was the splatter on blood on his face. Slowly, as he realized his red eyes could see again, the picture in front of him became clear, and his heart sank.

In front of him was his brother, Itachi, with a kunai sticking through his chest.

"I…Itachi…"

Itachi coughed up blood onto his brother's uniform, and it washed down with the rain, soon to join the rest of it that had pooled on the ground as it dripped heavily from the wound.

Danzo quickly pulled the weapon out, and Itachi's strength evaporated. He fell forward, and Sasuke was able to move again to catch him.

"Itachi…Itachi!"

Danzo watched as the two brothers slumped to the ground, Sasuke taking Itachi in his arms. He spared a glance into the dull eyes of the elder brother, devoid of light.

"A fool…to the very end."

Slowly he raised the kunai to strike Sasuke, but as he did so, he was reminded of the other presence on the mountaintop. Hidan returned to his feet, his yelling now stopped. He glared daggers at Hokage from where he stood, breaths heaving like a wild animal on the hunt.

Danzo wanted, needed those eyes…but he was no fool. If he kept his back turned Hidan for long enough, it was over. He returned to the jinchuriki.

Itachi coughed up another spat of blood.

"Itachi! Itachi!"

Sasuke's shrieks pierced the cold rain but fell on deaf ears…

And blind eyes.

There was no God coming to save his brother; no God coming to allow him another chance, to return to a moment ago or even seven years ago, when he could have done something. When he could have saved Itachi…

But now as the blood spilled below the two of them and into a carpet of red, and Itachi's lightless eyes began to turn even darker, Sasuke realized the truth.

It had always been his brother saving him.

His Sharingan evaporated as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"S…Sasuke…"

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to die.

"Itachi…! Itachi, I…I…"

Itachi could not see his brother's face, but with the last bit of life that coursed through his body, he felt Sasuke near, and slowly, slowly, raised a hand to his cheek. Sasuke's tears stopped at his brother's touch and his voice.

Both of them were warm.

"Sasuke…I…I'm sorry…I…have been a terrible brother…"

Sasuke felt a cold flame take him over from the inside and burn his throat, unable to find the words. The hand on his cheek began to lose its warmth, and Itachi turned pale. Still, his brother's voice carried to his ear like the sun on a rainy day.

"Sasuke…don't cry…all…I wanted…was to see you smile…"

Unfortunately, Sasuke could not respect his brother's wish, and the tears only seemed to flow harder. Regret, shame, anger, sadness, frustration. Everything swirled in the young Uchiha like a hurricane tearing through his heart; and in the end it all boiled down into a single emotion that permeated through him, that gripped him tightly and didn't let go:

Pain.

"Itachi…I…I'm sorry…! I—"

"No…"

Itachi's hand went cold, and his eyes went lifeless, but somehow the words continued to come out—as if was granted an extra moment.

"I'm sorry…Sasuke…"

Itachi, as the life left him, smiled.

"I love you."

The hand fell.

A streak of blood appeared on Sasuke's cheek.

"Itachi…! Itachi! ITACHI!"

The rain began to stop.

The village of Konoha froze as Sasuke's howls echoed through the last tears that fell from the grey sky, and the truth came down from the heavens.

Itachi Uchiha was dead.

- XXVII -

The echo of Sasuke's agonizing yell drifted off into the dying rain as Danzo and Hidan stood opposite each other, both staring at their enemy through only one good eye. Slowly, though, Hidan pulled his hand away from the hole Danzo left with his kunai.

It was gone; the eye was returning.

The Hokage let out a heavy sigh of understanding. "I see…that's quite a power…"

Hidan snarled. "What do you think? Should I show it all to you now?" He took the scythe in both hands and held it ready in front of him. "Or should I kill you slowly?"

Danzo's smug look betrayed his nerves. From behind him he felt the presence of Sasuke's eyes, still refusing to leave his brother's body. If he could only get them…

Hidan let out a wild laugh. "I don't know what kind of power you're using, Danzo, but it doesn't matter! I'll kill you a thousand times over if I have to! You don't leave here alive!"

All Danzo needed was a distraction, an opportunity to lose Hidan for a moment; but nothing came, and soon the monk dug his foot into the ground.

"You're mine!"

But before he took off, both of them froze. A presence announced itself as it closed in on the mountaintop. Slowly they turned their heads to see God ascending from the village below, an angel at his side.

The ringed eyes of heaven found the both of them in shock.

"Lord Pain…" Danzo turned completely, and as if Hidan didn't even exist, quickly dropped to one knee. The Hokage bowed his head. "You have arrived…"

Pain, the remnants of dried blood on his face, slowly made his way over to Danzo with Konan following behind him. All the while, Hidan's wide fox eyes continued to stare in disbelief.

"You…"

The eyes did not even turn his way. As Pain stood over the Hokage, his deep voice cut through the wet air, finally devoid of rain.

"Danzo…you have done well."

"No, Lord Pain." Danzo's voice was lower and quicker than before, immediately rattled by the presence of Pain. "I have failed you. I did not take the presence of the invaders into account, and now—"

"Quiet."

Danzo was quiet.

"I told you've done well, and you have. Now rise."

The Hokage stood, all the while keeping his eye away from Pain. Soon, the orange-haired man held his hand out.

"Give me your kunai."

A second of hesitation appeared in Danzo's shoulders, but he soon offered up the weapon. Pain took it cautiously into his hand. All the while, Danzo was mindful of Sasuke Uchiha, who still knelt over the body of his brother, the shock of Itachi's death leaving him frozen. Just a distraction…that's all he needed.

"Lord Pain, if I may, I—"

"Thank you, Danzo. You have delivered Konoha to me, as promised. Your work is finished."

Danzo slowly lifted his head. "L-lord Pain…? I don't quite—"

SWCK!

A second of stillness passed before Pain let the kunai fall out of his hands. Upon its clang on the ground, a line of blood opened across Danzo's neck. It soon spurted out as the Hokage's face went numb and his lone dark eye turned to the heavens before he collapsed to the ground.

The blood pooled below him, and though he could not move, saw Pain standing over him, the eyes of God shining down from below the grey sky.

Danzo's voice was no more, his throat slashed cleanly open; but his final breaths came out in the form of words.

"P-Pain…why…?"

Pain said nothing, but continued to stare at Danzo as his life slipped away. Danzo, his last eye closing forever, saw the light of the heavens fall on him…and then he lost it as the darkness set in.

Cold, alone, and surrounded by the shadows, Danzo Shimura was no more.

"You…what do you think you're doing!?"

Pain and Konan both turned to Hidan. Neither of them was surprised by the rage in the monk's voice.

"You son of a bitch! He was mine!"

The chakra spilling from Hidan was close to turning red as his anger took him over. Still, Pain was stoic.

"You're the one who destroyed Konoha…aren't you, Hidan?"

A smile crept onto the jinchuriki face. "Ha ha…that's right! You got a problem with that, Pain!?"

"Well…as you've just heard…"

Suddenly, the look in Pain's eyes changed, and their weight returned to them. Hidan nearly buckled under the pressure.

"This is my village you've ruined."

The monk's own red eyes widened and deepened, and slowly his teeth grit over his open mouth. He snarled.

"You bastard! You kick me out of your little group and now you try and take my conquest from me!? You really want me to kill you, don't you!?"

Konan felt the bloodlust ready to burst out of Hidan; but as she looked at Pain, the orange-haired man did nothing that showed even a hint of concern.

"This is why, Hidan," said Pain calmly. "This is why we could not work together. You never were able to understand your place. I believe I told you before, didn't I? You're out of your league…"

Rage flooded Hidan's face, and his chakra threatened to explode. He swung his scythe in front of him and gripped it tightly with both hands.

"Shut your damn mouth, Pain! I'll show you my power! I'll show you…!"

With a kick, Hidan flew threw the air, red aura like a flame across the mountaintop.

"Why you don't mess with God!"

Pain's hand rose.

A battle cry escaped the monk as he brought the scythe down; but just before he reached his target, an invisible forced erupted from Pain's hands, bursting out towards Hidan.

Yet the jinchuriki's chakra was too heavy, too strong to be pushed back immediately. Suspended in the air, Hidan put everything into the scythe to get it through to Pain; but Pain, who looked as though he were dealing with an ant, merely kept the force going.

The sky threatened to split open as the air grew heavy around them, and Konan had to step back from Pain's side as the pressure from the clash began to pulse outwards. Bursts of red chakra flew between the two of them as Hidan struggled with all his might.

"PAIN!"

Suddenly, the force vanished, and Hidan was allowed to land. The scythe fell heavy on the ground, splitting and crashing the rock; but Pain was nowhere to be found. Quickly, the jinchuriki looked around for a sign of him, but the lavender eyes escaped him.

"You are no God, Hidan."

SSSHHHWWCCKKK!

Hidan's energy left him as Pain's hand went through his chest. Blood rose in his throat and gurled up and out of his mouth. Through his wide eyes that slowly began to lose their red hue, he saw Konan watching with a heavy look. Slowly he turned his eyes down to see Pain's hand stuck out from a hole in his chest.

Gripped tightly between his fingers was Hidan's heart, hanging on by threads to the rest of his body.

"Pain…you bastard…go to hell…!"

Though he could not see them, Hidan felt the light coming from Pain's eyes behind him.

SKKWRRT!

A clutch of his fist, and Pain's crushed Hidan's heart. The monk fell lifeless immediately as the aura that surrounded him dissipated and his eyes reverted to their regular purple before they rolled back into his head. Pain removed his bloody arm, and Hidan collapsed to the ground in a thud.

The air was still. Konan waited a moment before breaking the silence.

"What about the fox?"

Pain turned his eyes to Hidan. The chakra that spilled from him was no more, having dispersed into the air.

"It will be back."

Pain walked slowly over to the edge of the cliff, his deep lavender eyes looking over the village—his village. Fires burned throughout. The battle was ending, but hundreds, maybe thousands of bodies littered the streets and the rooftops. The buildings were wrecked, their debris strewn about like dirt.

But that's not what he was here for.

"Finally…"

The dark clouds above slowly began to give way to the sky. A day had passed since the sun had gone behind them; now, as it was about to set over the ruins of the village, Pain felt its warmth. He didn't much like it.

A hint of light began to fall on the village below.

Konan's eyes went to the sky. "It's sunny…"

"Yes…"

The ringed eyes remained on Konoha.

"But soon enough it will be dark again…"

It was another moment before Pain finally turned back to the mountaintop, painted red at three different spots. The smell of blood permeated the air, and the chaos of only a moment before was replaced by a solemn calmness.

Slowly, his eyes shifted to the boy who stared at him from his knees, frozen in shock with the body of his brother in his arms. Pain went towards him, and Konan followed, but further behind than usual.

Sasuke's hands tightened around Itachi as Pain approached, but his dark eyes held no anger in them; only confusion…and chaos…

And…

"Your eyes, boy…"

Sasuke finally looked up, and the light of the heavens fell upon him.

"They're filled with so much pain."

A/N

Welp. That was an absolute bloodbath.

I'm sad Itachi had to die, but honestly, I've been planning it since I decided he would be the one to save Naruto from Konoha. Hopefully you don't hate me for it, but hey what can I do? That's the story.

Danzo and Hidan were both really big enemies of this second part, but I hope it's clear now, especially after Chapter 25, that it's been about Pain all along. As for how Hidan actually died, if you recall his fight with Naruto, Naruto pointed out that he was no longer immortal. So that was true actually haha!

Things are pretty bleak right now, but there's still a ways to go, so please stay tuned to see what happens.

If you like, please leave a review, and as always, thanks for reading!