Difficult Engagements

Chapter 19

The Sound

Itachi POV

Yesterday was interesting to say the least. I have not learned a single thing since rescuing my brother. Only more questions make their way on my list.

"Are we going to talk about last night?"

Sasuke just shook his head, no.

"You know we're going to have to, right? You almost killed three people last night." I inform him of the importance of his potential actions from the night before.

"It's not like you haven't killed anyone." he is back on the defensive.

"The people I've killed, I had a very good reason for doing so."

"Like killing someone you loved?"

"Exactly. I love my family very much, Sasuke. You're the only family I have left, and I'll do anything to keep you safe. Even if it means I have to kill." I want him to realize we are on the same side, despite everything he is my brother, my kin.

"Oh." he seemed to understand that at the very least.

"But I need to make sure you're not going to do something like that again. You are lucky I realized it was you before I attacked back. You could have died. Your baby could have died."

"Oh… I wont do anything like that again." his hand protectively holding his stomach.

"I hope you don't." I am not convinced of his promise, however it is a start in the right direction. "I am going to go hunting to give you some time alone so you can reflect on your actions. I will be back in a few hours. Be ready to make lunch when I return."

"... Okay." I can tell he is biting his tongue.

Good.

My little brother needs structure and order, especially if he hopes to recover from anything the snake did to him. Some semblance of a routine with proper guidance and guidelines should help him under what is expected of him. I will provide those things for him.

I still have not the faintest clue what would make him change from an Alpha to an Omega. He was on the precipice of receiving everything he ever wanted. He was going to become Clan Leader, father was giving all of the attention he coveted. He was on track to become one of the most powerful people in Konoha.

Could it have been too much too late?

Orochimaru said it was daddy issues that made him so playable, living under Fukaku was difficult, but not unbearable. I made sure it was even easier for Sauske, taking the brunt of the expectations. I rose up the ladder of ranks to the top of the military to keep our father happy. With my help in the Lightning Country, it became a territory. I became an Akasuki Member. I showed all of the attributes of the Wolf of Konoha, so my little brother would not have to bear such a burden.

Sasuke likes to believe I casted a big shadow.

It very well could be I left shoes too big to fill, and he was expected to take over the legacy I made to protect him. I should have prepared him better, but I could not foresee that there would be a situation I could not keep him safe from.

I will fix this.

I can not leave him alone for too long, he very easily could hurt himself or others again. Sasuke might even try to leave, and in his current position, it would be quite dangerous. We are still in the sound territories, they are no place for an Omega.

Now that I have a few rabbits from one of the traps I set up earlier, I think it's best I return to Sasuke. He should have had some time to settle down and think about what he has done. I hope he's ready to talk, and confirm or deny any of my suspensions.

It will be a long arduous process to get anywhere with my younger brother. First, I need to get a base level of trust built.

Entering my den, Sasuke patiently waited at the small table. I did not tell him exactly when I would return, so he could have been there for at least an hour. He blinks his onix eyes a few times to focus them on me, then a soft smile makes its way to the corner of his lips.

"Itachi!" My little brother used his time alone to regress to a much younger state of himself. Almost feeling more like when he was a child than the adult body sitting in front of me.

"Sasuke, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course I am."

He is obviously not, but I'll take it, "Are you ready to start talking?"

"There's not much to say."

"I think you can find something." I pause to take a seat at the table with him, then say, "Let's start off easy, can you tell me what attracted you to Orochimaru?"

"I don't know…" he does not wish to speak the truth.

"Well how did you meet him?" Hopefully asking things that did not deal directly with feelings will give me a place to start.

"I don't know." he had an over all annoyed tone.

I just gave him a little look, as if to say 'I do not believe you.''

"Fine. I was training on the water, to improve my fire technique. Lord Orochimaru helped him out with it. He was really nice to me. Okay?" his voice was still annoyed that he had to explain this at all.

"What happened after that?"

"I don't…" Sasuke stopped talking because I just looked at him again letting him know he could not get away with not talking. "I didn't see him for days… but I kept training every day hoping he'd be back. I don't know why. Then one day he showed up. He said he could teach me something that dad wouldn't teach me."

"Then what happened?"

"He took me to the forest of death. He said he could show me a new technique, he was so smart. He showed me how to do it, and then he told me to try it myself." He smiled at what he had to say next, "He said I was a quick learner."

"You've always been good in your studies." I complimented my little brother.

"Lord Orochimaru said so, too! He helped me do so much. After the training he took me to a nice restaurant in this small town on the other side of the forest. It was a great first date. He told me some of his plans for the future. He even asked for help, he wanted my input on it." Sasuke recalled his memories like they happened yesterday. He then began to rub his pregnant belly, I'm not going to get used to that.

"What were his plans?"

"He wanted to change Konoha… the whole world really. He said he was working with powerful people, and he could really do it."

The snake probably just wanted to make everything worse.

"So what did you add to his plans?"

"Well first I told him about our clan's plans to stop Kyuubi. That they planned on using your marriage to his kid as the start of everything. I thought we could help… no one likes Kyuubi anyways."

"Yes, but most people are smart enough to not actively try to make him an enemy. Even our family knew not to attack him. They wanted to use my marriage and future children to help make long term changes. We didn't try to go on the offensive until there was no other choice."

"Duh… and by then it was too late. It's why Lord Orochimaru said it wouldn't work. He said he had a plan that was almost 20 years in the making. It could change the whole world."

"What was it?"

"It doesn't matter he's dead now. I'm sure his plans died with him…" he pauses, "No one else had his vision."

It feels like Sasuke truly did love the man I killed. Orochimaru did not seem to use any jutsu or if he did there are not any traces of it. I still think there has to be a jutsu or seal involved. It bothers me how quickly it was for my brother to forgive me for killing his lov- the snake.

If it's a seal or a jutsu there's a chance I can reverse it. Sasuke can be my little brother again. Not whatever this is.

Naruto had a seal on him, but it was more obvious. It definitely had some Uchiha influence in the outer seals, but it also looked like it was from at least 4 other nations. The Kyuubi definitely did it though, his Chakra Signature was all over the boys stomach, so of course it would have multiple influences. You don't take over half the globe without learning a bunch of new tricks.

That man loves his tricks.

That seal was mostly just to control Naruto's Chakra, it is not uncommon to do that to Omega's with larger reserves. They are much too emotionally unstable with their heats to allow near a large power source. He is The Kyuubi's child, and has immense chakra reserves. He clearly shows no ability to control what little he has access to. I should never have tried to train him, it was dangerous and foolish of me.

If there is a seal on my brother, it would be much more complicated than that one. Orochimaru is known for doing insane experiments, especially on his lovers. He usually waits until the end of the relationship to do the really fucked up shit. The snake found a way to make Sasuke an Omega for fucks sake. Maybe that was it, making him an Omega would make my brother more docile and forgiving.

If he even is an Omega now.

Sasuke's scent has changed to a much sweeter, it used to be a deep green tea, now it's a green tea dripping with honey. So the scent glands have definitely changed. He is pregnant. Somehow the snake did in fact manage to turn an alpha into an omega, if anyone could, it would be him.

It could also just be normal brain washing, taking advantage of a younger man who was just speaking love and acceptance. In that case the only thing that could help would be these conversations. Showing Sasuke a normal life again.

"Itachi, I think… I think I can tell you my part in his plan at least." Sasuke did feel like he was in a more talking mood now. I did not want to push him too much today, just in case it triggered him again. I don't want a repeat of last night.

I like being alive.

"That's great; I would like to hear it, Sasuke."

"Ummm…. I'm not… I'm not pregnant.. with Lord Orochimaru's child." Sasuke tried to explain.

"What?" I started to lose my composure. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I need to get to the end of this.

"Lord Orochimaru isn't the father of my baby…" my brother shyed down, his voice sounded like a lost child himself.

"Then who is?"

"Well, Lord Orochimaru said it was really important for his plan that I was pregnant. That the baby would be the vessel for something great. It had to be an Uchiha. He said their last option wouldn't work anymore. That he trusted that I was strong enough to do this for him." He tried to explain everything, except for who actually did it.

"Well, who impregnated you?"

"One of the guys who helped Lord Orochimaru kill…the clan." he's trying not to admit it was our clan, "His name is Madara."

"Do you know who that is?" my hands slammed down on the table between us.

Madara is supposed to be dead...

I mean, so was I, but Madara really was supposed to be dead. People saw his body at the Valley of the End. People also saw my body in the Uchiha Compound.

Okay, maybe this isn't impossible, but still. I wanted this to be impossible. I didn't want to have any more elements to this puzzle.

Madara was The Kyuubi's mentor, it was said every evil thing the fox knew came from the Uchiha's guidance. Our clan from the very beginning of Konoha's creation was bonded to the Royal Family. We were their mentors and protectors. It is why Kyuubi chose our family first when he went to dominate the world.

I know the fox hated Madara. The Kyuubi erased him from any official documents or records after his death. The only place his name still exists is in the Uchiha Clan official ledger book.

Which probably burned down in the fire.

Madara is a dangerous man, especially if he's still alive. I wonder what his motives are for getting Sasuke pregnant. Who's womb is even in him? With this type of selective breeding, it gotta be someone else's.

This could also be the reason why there are no signs of Sasuke being affected by a jutsu. If an Uchiha Master messes with someone's head, they usually leave no trace. I might have an easier time figuring it out what happened. It does let me know more of the methodology of what might have happened.

My brother finally speaks up, breaking me from my thoughts, "Not really… He was just there one night… Lord Orochimaru told me the safest way is for me to have his child. It was scary the night that we did it. He looked really strong."

I stay in silence, but sit down. I need to process all of this.

"Did I do anything wrong?" Sasuke asked his scent filling the air with anxiety. He is even behaving just like an Omega now.

"No you didn't do a thing wrong." I need to reassure him so he keeps opening up to me.

Who can I get to help me with this?

My fellow Akatsuki Members. No. They think I'm dead. They probably even helped kill me. At the very least they reported my death to the Royal Family a little too quickly for my liking. I knew I should not have trusted them, the only ones I can trust are my family.

If a fellow Uchiha helped do this to my brother there might be records of techniques at the Uchiha Compound. If it did not all burn away with all the fires. It would be dangerous to go, but it might be worth it. However, it could yield nothing.

I need to help Sasuke.

"Brother?" I think he's uncomfortable with the silence.

I should stop this talk now, but I need to know, "Do you want to tell me any more?"

"Yeah, I can handle it." Sasuke said, wanting to appease me… or maybe just not liking the silence.

"How was being with him scary?" trying to find some place for him to get started.

"Well, instead of… being in a bed, like normal. I was strapped to a table. It hurt a lot. And there was this machine…" Sasuke started to shiver while remembering the past. "There are things… that are meant to hold your… legs up. I don't know what they were called, but they kept my legs up and… spread apart. So that he can get better... access…"

"What happened next?" I already know the answer.

Sasuke paused, as if he was trying to remember.

"I don't know…. I don't know! Brother I don't know… It's just a blank… I should hate that I remember this, but I don't. "

Sasuke started to go into hysterics breathing heavily. He scratched at his arms to the point where it started to draw blood… I should not have asked, but he needs to process this.

"Sasuke! Calm down." I ripped his hands away from his arm. I can't have him hurt himself. Seeing my brother like this is destroying me.

This isn't about me, it's about him.

If he really is an omega now this should work, I released calming pheromones. It seemed to help a bit, he's still agitated though.

I calm my voice, "It's okay. You probably just blocked it all out."

Three knocks can be heard from the door. Using my energy to see who it is, no one I know, but they do not seem hostile. They do not have enough chakra reserves to do anything if they wanted to. I can't ignore Sasuke in this state, but I also can't ignore this intrusion.

I guess there's only one way to find out who it is. I motioned to my brother to stay sitting down, and be ready to hide if anything happened. I get up and open the door, blocking the entrance with my body. Keeping Sasuke safe behind me.

Three people around Sasuke's age stood on the porch. One female, the other two are male. All betas. The female has dark reddish-pink hair and narrowed brown glasses. One of the males can barely be seen behind his coat, but he is very tall. The last one was a shark demon, just like Kisame.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Karin." The girl spoke first, then pointed with her thumb behind her, "These two idiots behind me are Jugo and Suigetsu."

Karin is a fox with crimson eyes, fair skin, and hair that she styles in an asymmetrical cut. She wears an adjusted lavender sound medic uniform top that exposes her navel, short black shorts, and long black thigh high stockings with black sandals.

"Why are you here?" not caring either way, I just want them to leave.

Sasuke foolishly walked up behind me. The young wolf seemed to recognize the three people immediately when he saw them.

"I think they are here for me…" Sasuke said in a small voice, with his tail starting going between his legs while still hiding behind my larger frame.

"That's where you're wrong, we are here for Lord Uchiha Itachi." The girl said to him.

Sasuke's ears narrowed down at that news. I could tell he did not want them to be here for him, but he really did not want them to be here for me.

"Why do you want me?"

"Hey are ya' going to invite us in, before we play twenty questions?" the man I know as Suigetsu asked, pissed off.

"No, I am not. I want to know your purpose and then let you go on your merry way."

"Prick," He retorted.

"I think what he means is that he wishes that you could trust us. We mean you no harm. We just want to give you what you rightly deserve." Karin covered up her 'friend's' rudeness.

"I am listening."

"Well you killed, Lord Orochimaru..." She started.

"I am aware."

"Ya' could let her finish." The silver haired teen said.

"Shut up, stupid!" After she was done shouting, she spoke respectfully, "Any way, you killed Lord Orochimaru, the former leader of Oto. That makes you the current leader."

Karin, Jogo, and Sugigetsu.

I get a closer look at the three infront of me. I could take each of them if they did anything. They look a little malnourished and worn out from their travels.

"Come in," I just sighed and shook my head.

There is no rest for the wicked.

The three join me and Sasuke at the table. They already know where we live, I should at least figure out how they found us.

For some barbaric reason they believe I am their leader now. Killing the previous leader to gain the role seems so primitive. Maybe that is why Otogakure was so easy for The Kyuubi to take over in the first place. They were stuck in the notion of the past, allowing no room for the future.

"So I'm the leader of a pile of ruble now?" reminding them the state I left what was left of their Terrorist Organization.

Nation.

I decided to correct myself. If it were found out I was still alive, I would probably be considered a terrorist as well. Everything is determined by the victor. That was usually The Kyuubi, and I am well aware of where I stand with him.

"There's a lot more than just one base, we're not that down on our luck." Karin tries to impress me.

"How many?" I want to get straight to the point.

"We have around nine… Well, eight now all around Otogakure. Some smaller hide outs all around the world."

Eight.

It does not sound like a lot, but I know it is all they have. The official Otogakure Nation had to go into hiding after The Kyuubi took over their land for Konoha. Whatever remained became a full terrorist network after it no longer could be a recognized Nation.

"What does this mean for me?"

"It means whatever you want it to. It's yours." Sasuke speaks up this time. I forget he knows the social hierarchical structure of this place as well.

"What resources do we have to help Sasuke?"

"One of our facilities was already set up with him in mind. Some of us were supposed to move with him there to ensure his safety… while." She treads lightly not knowing how I feel about my brother's pregnancy.

I don't know how I feel about my brother's pregnancy.

"How far away?"

"Traveling with a pregnant omega? About two weeks."

It was very dangerous to hear an Omega in the sound. We would have to travel very carefully not to bring any attention to his condition. It is why I chose to stay hidden in the first place.

Kyuubi likes to snach up Omega's for his armies. While Omega are weak, the children they usually birth are strong, so they make great breeding stock. He never did this on the mainland, but I think he likes to remind his new territories of their place. Introducing his new social structure with the weakest of the secondary genders on the bottom.

That way they do not rebel.

It gives the other two secondary genders some idea of safety. Nothing would happen to them if they gave up people they already deemed inferior. It was an easy decision for them to make.

"Do we still have connections with the Kazekage or Hokage?" I let them know I know who really ordered the attack. I do not dare bring up that I know Madara is involved. I will keep that one close to the chest.

"We worked mostly through Danzo." she speaks again.

That makes sense, he never liked the Uchiha Clan. Anytime he could he would blame us for any potential failure. He was trying to get his new organization to replace our clan as the main military group of Konoha. His belief is that one family shouldn't be in control of that much power, that it should be a shared responsibility of all families.

I suppose he was right. With the Uchiha gone, Konoha had succumbed to an outside invader in the matter of a week. So while the Wolves of Konoha were its greatest strength, our sudden absence became its biggest weakness.

"That makes sense. Is Root the official military yet?"

"Not quite. A lot of the clans are pushing in their bids. He will most likely be the one that gets it though."

"He won't work with us. At least not with me in charge." that tie was out.

"Do we have any other alegences I should know about?"

Sugigetsu speaks up at this, his voice filled with anger "We had some with the Water Country. Until… Until of course, the islands were officially taken over by the Kazekage. It was a few days after the attack on your clan."

I remember.

I knew the Water Islands were on the list of the Kazekage's takeover plans. It was a key part of shutting off trade routes to Konoha. It must have already been under his control before the attack on us, because there is no way he could have taken it over that fast. I did see some Wind Troops on my diplomatic mission a few months ago.

I made sure to put that in my report, we should have investigated it instead of following one of Kisame's whims. Even if those whims gave Naruto some of the best guards he's ever had. They were the only ones that could find him fast enough when he managed to slip away from the palace guards to go on one of his walks. Haku was also teaching him how to be a better Omega. However, if we would have followed the wind troops we would have known this sooner.

I should have caught on sooner, the Mizukage was not easy to work with and held no desire to make anything official. She could have already been aligned with The Wind when I went there. She made sure to ask if I was Naruto's mate, maybe Kisame was right, she did not like that. Maybe I should have given Naruto that scroll, it could have kept him safe from the Kazekage.

If I take what Orochimaru said, for some reason Naruto was the Kazekages end goal… a childhood crush.

None of this makes sense.

This is too much work for a mate, even for someone like Naruto, it is too methodical. The Kazekage had everything planned with such precision detail, that he waited to announce his victory in The Water after he made sure Konoha's Wolves were destroyed.

I was right with my first assumption, he wants to take over Konoha. I never should have listened to that snake.

I am betting he does not want anyone to know he was involved with my clan's destruction. It would ruin the image he's trying to project as Naruto's Mate and savior. He's trying to look like the big hero, when he's actually the reason Konoha is in this mess in the first place.

The Kyuubi would not want it to look like a hostile takeover, that's probably why they were really working together. His pride would never let him look weak. Knowing how the fox likes to work he knew Naruto was one of the Kazekage's goals. He's definitely got some tricks up his sleeve. There has to be many strings attached to this betrothal deal.

The Kazekage probably knew that and wanted to ensure he had an ace in the hole with The Water Islands, in case the fox backed out.

There has got to be a personal motive behind it, too. There is no way he would be this prepared if he did not know how the fox worked. In the meeting he said he used to work with the wind, but they had to stop. Whatever reason they had to stop has to be the Kazekage's motive.

He wants to take down The Kyuubi.

The Kazekage probably just wants Naruto so he can erase the entire linange of The Kyuubi clan. A long term biological take over, leading to a real one if there were no more official heirs.

At least when I was Naruto's mate, my name and titles would be stripped and I would have officially been known as property of the Royal Family. I would technically have a lower rank than Naruto, even if I was the one in charge. All of our children would be known under The Kyuubi's name and blood. They would never be able to be recognized as Uchihas. That part still hurts me, but I could accept that.

With the Kazekage as the mate, Naruto would fully belong to the other kingdom. All of Naruto's children would be the Kazekage's. They would not be Children of Konoha. They would not be children of The Kyuubi. It would be the end of his legacy.

Minato can not seem to have any more children. The Kyuubi would have to take another mate. It would be his only option to continue his bloodline. I do not know if he would though, he would have done it already, but he has no choice now.

They all noticed my silence as I was thinking. No one seemed to want to speak next. They all were on edge waiting for my next words.

I need to confirm my suspicions, "What about the Kazekage?"

"The Kazekage made a point to let us know it was a one time deal… He stopped contact with us ever since the announcement of the engagement." she almost seems hesitant to add the last part.

"So no luck on that front either."

"Unfortunately, no."

She seems shocked at my ability to compartmentalize everything. It was no secret that I was the previous suitor of Naruto. It was the most public affair in Konoha that our two Clans were finally mixing blood.

I did ask the question while distancing myself more from the reality of what's going on, "What news have you heard of The Kyuubi's child?"

"Ohhhh! I heard the blonde slut is in the Wind Country. He's apparently already marked up and getting his back blown out by the Kazekage. When the fox boy gives birth only 6 months after the official wedding will know for sure."

Why are sharks all like that?

Naruto is virtuous, there is no way he would let someone he just met mark him… Unless it was not consensual. The Kazekage has a reputation of taking what he wants. If he did all of this for Naruto it would make sense that he would want to take his prize.

Did I make the wrong choice?

I glanced over at my brother - broken and pregnant. No.

I am needed here.

Karin seems to notice my displeasure at that news, "The official report is that the two will leave in a few days for the Kazekages home nation. They want to keep their son safe until their official union. Our attack on your former nation did a lot of damage to their entire military structure."

"I'm very aware of how much damage your attack did." I glance at my brother.

"I'm sorry, Lord Uchiha, we were just following orders of the last leader." She's right… Everyone is just following orders.

"We have a lot to plan. Sasuke, make our guests something to eat." I gesture to my younger brother. The three infront of me seem happy at the mention of the possibility of food.

Naruto has already met the Kazekage.

I wonder how that went… How like The Kyuubi could the other redhead actually be like. There are not any official reports of his demeanor outside of battle. You can not trust how someone is in battle to be anything like how they are normally.

If people were the same on the battlefield as off, I would be considered almost as bad as The Kyuubi. So maybe the Kazekage would not hurt Naruto.

Naruto is stronger than he looks. He survived 19 years with The Kyuubi while remaining cheerful. He could survive anything.

Still, I want to see Naruto.

I'm needed here though. I don't think I can trust these three around my brother just yet.

Should I trust them with my brother?

What's up demons? It's ya' boi.

So I think, besides one more Itachi scene where he goes back to the castle, we are fully caught up with the other story. Everything from here on out will be fully original content. I think I added enough and changed enough from the original story to make it feel like newish content. At least I hope.

I'm trying to leave hints and clues on how I'm planning on ending this, but I'm not sure if I'm too heavy handed sometimes. I also don't want you to be like this came out of left field. Even though I'll do pov shifts of the same scene, my goal with each chapter is to reveal new info, instead of just telling you the same info twice. It's also hard trying to keep something mysterious, and where you don't know the depth of what is going on until more of it is revealed. But I also don't want you to be like, what the fuck is going on? Idk writing is hard.

This chapter was originally going to be split up into two to segment the next Gaara Naruto area, but it didn't feel like either of these had enough substance to stand alone. I wanted to show just how much is on Itachi's plate right now and how overwhelming it all is. I also felt like it messed with the flow to have two chapters. I try to keep these story's flow together nicely, and that each one will add to the overarching plot.

I am planning on writing an entire Sasuke flashback chapter, to give more depth on his character. So if there's any suggestions of what you want to see from that let me know.

Look forward to the next Gaara Naruto area, things are gonna get hot and heavy over there.