Author's Note: Welcome back! Even though it had been such a long time since I last posted so many of you stuck around and continued to read ABoaL. All of the reviews were great and unexpected, I really appreciate all of you guys.
I know a new chapter every two months kind of sucks, but my goal is to not rush something out that I'm not happy with. If a sudden spark of inspiration hits me and it gets me in a groove of writing, then I might update sooner than that. I'm an accountant and tax season is right around the corner... so that possibility seems unlikely for right now.
If you're ever curious about release dates or my writing progress you can check my profile page or shoot me a PM. I'm always willing to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Also, we passed 2k favs! That's awesome, thank you guys!
Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts as we get into the confrontation between the Uchiha brothers.
Enjoy!
Chapter 43: What Could Have Been
"The… truth…?" Those words ricocheted hollowly within Sasuke's mind, and he began to feel ill. At that moment, time seemed to slow down around him, and each subsequent breath was harder to come by than the last. "What are you trying to say?" He asked defiantly, his vision now blurry from his stress-induced state. "There's only one truth, and it's that you murdered our parents in cold blood! You made me relive what you did hundreds of times, and now you want to talk about truths?!"
"No, that isn't what I'm referring to." Itachi could only look at his brother with a mix of guilt and shame. For the first in a very long time, he could not keep up the stoic mask of indifference that had become a staple of his criminal persona. What was left was Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf, son of Fugaku and Mikoto, and big brother to Sasuke. "Everything that you saw that night was my doing. I killed our mother, father, and a majority of the Uchiha Clan with my own two hands."
"That's the only truth I give a damn about!" Sasuke spat derisively and retightened the grip around his blade. "What else could possibly matter beyond that? That is all that has ever mattered to me!"
Itachi reclaimed a bit of his stoicism and, before he went to speak again, put a hand up in an attempt to dissuade his brother from further action. "Unfortunately, things are not always as black and white as they appear, Sasuke." He said. "Do you remember what I said to you earlier?" When he received no answer, he took that as an opportunity to continue his thought. "If you base your expectations only on what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality."
Once again, no answer.
"It means we as humans are bound by our unique perceptions and experiences of the world around us. The culmination of that is what we refer to as "reality." And yet, no two realities are alike. One's reality could be another's illusion, due to their differences in knowledge and awareness of their surroundings. You are "blinded" by what you see on the surface and, therefore, are ignorant of what could be just beyond your gaze." Itachi closed his eyes. "However, the exact same could be said for me. We all live inside our own fantasies, which only becomes apparent when we are presented with something that shatters our reality."
"Are you going to tell me what exactly this "truth" is, or are you just going to continue to spout your philosophical nonsense?" Sasuke's patience was razor-thin by this point, yet he didn't act. A specific choice of words by his brother had caught his attention. "What really happened on that day?"
Itachi seemed pleased that his brother would at least hear him out to some unknown extent. However, he dreaded what was about to come. "While it is true that I am irredeemably guilty of everything you accuse me of," His eyes flashed to life with an intense gaze. "The reason for why I did it was, in fact, a lie."
"What are you saying?" Sasuke felt a sense of dread fill his chest, though he was unsure why. Something about the way his brother spoke had him entirely on edge. This was not the reunion he expected they would have. "Why did you kill them, then?"
"It was my mission," Itachi responded a bit too calmly. "The Leaf's upper leadership ordered the elimination of the Uchiha Clan, and they assigned that duty to me."
A bomb that would make Deidara gawk in awe had just been dropped.
"N-no…" At the mere utterance of those words, just as Itachi had alluded to, Sasuke's reality shattered around him. The pace of his breaths quickened dramatically, and a sudden tightness made him clutch at his chest. His eyes frantically scanned Itachi's face to pick up on any subtleties that could reveal his lie. "Y-You're lying. There's just no way that's true… Why would the Leaf do such a thing…?" Denial began to set it when his efforts came back fruitless.
Itachi sympathized with his brother; he knew what it was like to have his world crumble around him, and it would only worsen as more information was revealed.
"The relations between the Leaf Village's leadership and our clan had been deteriorating for some time, back as far as the Second Hokage's tenure." Itachi explained. "Eventually, like a pot gradually coming to boil, tensions flared to the point where it was fractured beyond repair, and the clan planned a coup d'état to take over the village. I tried to-"
"Shut up!" Sasuke had heard enough. A crazed look formed in his eyes as he tried to keep his senses intact. He could feel himself slowly slip into madness, and he began to welcome it. "Enough of your lies. You're just trying to deceive me just like you did mother and father! Yes, that's it; you just want me to let my guard down so you can kill me easier!" His demeanor was near frantic by this point. To try and prove that Itachi was pure evil, his mind began to run through every memory the two of them shared together. One, in particular, was stuck on replay inside of his head. "That has to be it…."
'I'm always going to be there for you, even if it's just as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you do hate me.'
Itachi, unaware of the extent of the mental turmoil within Sasuke, stepped forward slightly and continued to speak his piece. "Father was the mastermind behind the clan's looming uprising." Sasuke's eyes snapped wide open at the mention of Fugaku, though Itachi was too distracted with what he was saying to notice. "He and mother-"
"Enough of this!" Sasuke roared. He readied his sword and blitzed his unprepared brother at top speed. Itachi gave little resistance and was driven to the ground with a katana in his gut. At that moment, all he could see was red. Only when he felt something splatter against his cheek did he begin to snap out of his rage-induced trance. He reached up and traced his fingers along the side of his face, then looked to his hand.
Red, stained with crimson blood.
"So..." Itachi's weak voice came from underneath him. A drop of the blood he spat up still dripped from his lips. "Is this the death that you had envisioned for me?"
Sasuke shook his head to rid himself of the mental cobwebs and growled at the deceitful man he pinned to the ground. A quick check of his chakra flow and Itachi's lack of an active Sharingan meant that what was in front of him was not, in fact, a Genjutsu. "Why didn't you dodge that?!" Shouted Sasuke in a mix of rage and confusion. He had to resist every fiber in his being to not twist the blade deeper into his brother's midsection. "I know you could have with ease, so why did you let yourself get hit?!"
"B-Because it makes no difference," Itachi responded, though with great effort. "The outcome would remain the same, regardless of if I moved or not."
"And why is that?" Sasuke challenged. This time, he gave in to his desires and slid the blade deeper into Itachi's stomach until the hilt nearly touched his skin. Even with the immense amount of pain he felt at that moment, Itachi's outward expression barely changed, the only indication being a slight twitch underneath his right eye. "Talk."
"I-I don't have long for this world as it is. I've been ill for quite a while and am running out of time." Itachi's matter-of-fact tone did not align with the words that came out of his mouth. "My only desire right now is to try and undo some of the mistakes I made in the past. If you wish to kill me after that, then I would welcome it."
"Well, I don't believe a damn word of it." Sasuke spat in contempt as he hovered over his brother. "In fact, what's stopping me from just ending you right here and now?"
"...You're the only one here who's hesitating, little brother." Sasuke's eyes widened at that statement. "I can only assume that you haven't killed me yet because a small part of you wants to hear what I have to say."
"After all of this..." Sasuke whispered. "You expect me to believe something like that?! How can I accept this?! You tried to kill me!"
"You will n-never hear me say that I was a good person or that I did the right things in my life. I-I've always lied to you to keep you away from the truth, so I don't expect you to believe what I have to say." Itachi explained with a somber expression, his messy bangs obscuring part of his face. "Just as Naruto said, you have the right to choose the path your life goes on. As you brother, I should have known that from the beginning."
Sasuke, beside himself in a mix of confusion and rage, charged his free hand with Chidori and put it just beneath his brother's neck. A part of him wanted to desperately behead the bastard for all of the atrocities he committed, but he still couldn't bring himself to do it. Meanwhile, the object of his vengeance just looked at him with those dead, onyx eyes. The light from the Chidori allowed Sasuke to see his own reflection in them, and the sight made him feel ill.
"To ignore the past is to doom the future. A person can try and wash away the weight of their transgressions, but it will leave a scar on the Earth that will never be forgotten… The Uchiha Clan's hideout is a monument to my sins."
Itachi's words to Sasori rang in his ears once more. He didn't want to believe it, but there was always something about the Uchiha massacre that didn't sit right with him; it's just that his hate for Itachi and what he did was so intense that it blocked out any chance for rational thought to cross his mind. Even if what Itachi said was lies, there was definitely more underneath the surface that he was unaware of.
"D-Do it…" Itachi muttered weakly with the Jutsu inches away from his jugular vein. It was so close the electric tendrils tingled the surface of his skin. "If you think it's the right thing to do, then kill me."
Sasuke froze; the chakra in his hand faded away, and his vision began to blur once more. Was he… doubting himself? Did a part of him, deep down, believe that Itachi might be telling the truth? The turmoil within his mind was almost too much to bear. He shut his eyes tight and bit down on the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.
"Do you have any ounce of proof that what you're saying is true?" Sasuke finally asked through great strain. He couldn't believe he was even considering this farce, and yet, in the one-tenth of a one-percent chance that Itachi spoke the truth, he would never forgive himself if he acted rashly. "On what grounds am I supposed to believe this absurd story?"
"N-No, I don't have any," Itachi grunted out from the pain in his gut. "With the Third Hokage dead, the only ones who know the truth are me, the elders Homura, Koharu, and a man named Danzo."
"Danzo…?" Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat as the sound of his pulse thundered in his ears. He had not heard good things about the man attached to that name. "Did you just say Danzo?"
"You know of him?" Itachi appeared almost taken aback by his brother's reaction. "You must stay away from that man at all costs," Itachi warned, much to Sasuke's shock. "I-If he learns that I told you the truth, then he will no doubt try to suppress you to keep his skeletons in his closet."
Sasuke was unsure of what to feel at that moment. Not too long ago, Naruto had warned him of Danzo and the shady organization that lurked in the shadows of the Leaf Village. Not only that, but this mystery man also might have played a rather large part in the destruction of the Uchiha Clan. And now, his supposed murderous brother was… looking out for him?
At the mere thought of such a possibility, Sasuke's vision blurred, he began to hyperventilate, and he couldn't muster up a single coherent thought with his mind consumed in chaos.
"Calm down, Sasuke." Itachi reached up to place a hand on his shoulder. "You need to breathe properly."
"Don't touch me!" Sasuke snapped out of his stupor and swatted the hand away before it could make contact with him. His breathing only continued to worsen by the second.
"S-Sorry." That was all Itachi could say in response.
Sasuke's breath hitched, and he looked down at his brother as if the man had two heads. That word seeped out of Itachi's mouth and snaked its way into Sasuke's ears like acidic venom. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect the person he hated the most in the world to apologize to him, so he was completely unprepared when it actually happened.
Was he dreaming? Was he already dead, and this was just some cruel trick the afterlife had played on him? Those were the two possibilities that made a modicum of sense. And yet… Sasuke didn't think either was all that likely.
That thought terrified him more than anything he could possibly imagine.
What in the world was going on?
If not for Naruto's familiarity with Shadow Clone experience transfer, the mental overload of his unlocked memories would have surely overwhelmed him. He felt the strain in his mind as his own experiences were pulled from his subconscious. What felt like an eternity was only just a few seconds for everyone around him. Karin, Suigetsu, and even Kisame chose to watch him silently and wait for everything to unfold.
Once his memories were finally pieced back together, Naruto found himself back in the present, tired and out of breath from the sudden exertion. An instant later, the bird's Mangekyo reverted back to its three-tomoe form and slowly closed entirely, never to open again.
"You okay, blondie?" Suigetsu asked with genuine concern in his voice. "What was that all about?" He asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
Naruto appeared lost in his own world, unaware and oblivious to all things around him. "So that's how it is, Itachi…." He muttered under his breath and looked off in the direction Sasuke had gone. "You really are…." Without saying another word, he pulled a scroll out of his pouch and quickly sealed away Itachi's crow.
"So, my assumption was correct." Kisame finally spoke up after he heard the blond mention his partner's name. "That really was one of Itachi's crows, wasn't it?" It explained why he was hesitant to attack even when his target was at his most vulnerable.
"What does it matter to you?" Naruto asked callously.
Kisame stared at him for a few more seconds, noted the different look in his eyes, then roughly slung Samehada back over his shoulder. Team Hebi exchanged a look of confusion amongst themselves before their opponent spoke once more.
"Go." Kisame said.
Naruto's eyebrow rose in bewilderment. Was he joking; why would an Akatsuki member let their most valuable target walk when there might never be a better time to capture him? No, his expression was far too serious for it to be in jest. Did Kisame specifically know something about Itachi that would make him act in such a way?
"But… why?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.
Kisame sneered. "Just get out of here before I change my mind!"
Team Hebi used their eyes to communicate without words, nodded, and began to make their way towards Sasuke. They were initially wary that Kisame would change his mind and continue his assault, but that feeling quickly passed when he made no move to stop them.
He didn't even watch them go… too busy lost in his own thoughts.
Kisame turned his gaze up to the sky. A single crow soaring above his head let out an aggressive 'caw!' The sight of the familiar bird gave him chills up his spine, a phenomenon he couldn't quite explain.
'Just what are you planning, Itachi?' He wondered to himself.
Meanwhile, Team Hebi already took to the trees to pursue the Uchiha brothers. They put the elephant in the room on hold and remained silent and alert while Karin monitored Kisame's position. Once they were confident they weren't being followed, it was time for answers.
"Can anybody explain to me just what in the hell happened back there?!" Suigetsu asked Naruto hopelessly confused. "Kisame regenerated practically his entire body, a bird flew out of your mouth, and then he just let us go like nothing happened. Did I miss a team meeting or something?"
"For once, I'll second that," Karin said in a similar tone. It didn't help that Naruto had a far-off look in his eyes ever since the crow emerged from his mouth. His chakra felt slightly different from before, as well. "Naruto… what was that all about?" She asked carefully.
Naruto glanced at each of them, landed on another tree branch, and kicked off of it with his chakra-infused legs. "I'll explain what I'm able to right now, but we have to hurry. We must get to Sasuke as quickly as possible. We can talk on the way."
"Fine, let's ramp it up then!" Suigetsu chimed in. "To Sasuke!"
Team Hebi picked up their pace as Naruto relayed all that they needed to know about the situation.
There were still some things he needed to keep close to his chest.
"Who is this Danzo guy, and what does he have to do with you killing the Uchiha Clan?" Sasuke demanded. He only knew what Naruto had previously told him about the infamous man, so there was still much he wasn't privy to. "If that's really true, then I'll have to go after him next." His desire to avenge his clan was as strong as it ever was.
Itachi frowned. To him, Sasuke's obsessive and vengeful mindset is his fault and one of his many failures in life.
"D-Danzo Shimura is a Hidden Leaf Elder who operates within the shadows with his Black Ops faction titled "Root." This organization uses its ruthless tactics and questionable morals to protect the village at all costs." Itachi, once again, winced and groaned from the blade as it moved ever so slightly still in his gut. "When the Third Hokage wanted to negotiate with our clan to reach a peaceful resolution, Danzo escalated things and pushed for our elimination. In the end… he got what he wanted."
"But why?!" Sasuke asked angrily. "Why would someone who cares about the village want the Uchiha Police Force gone?" This tale slowly lost what little sense it already had, making the teen's tempers flare further. "Are you just screwing with me?!"
Itachi gave him a blank look. "Danzo is a wary and cautious man that will snuff out anything he deems a threat, even if it's a valuable internal resource. The clan started to grow arrogant in their positions of power as the peacekeepers and, as a result, were difficult to control. Then…" His eyes glazed over as he recounted the past. "Suspicions and animosity reached an all-time high when the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked sixteen years ago."
"The Nine-Tailed Fox… Naruto..." Sasuke repeated, then it clicked in its head. "Danzo suspected that an Uchiha used their visual prowess to control the Nine-Tails to attack the village?" He had listened to his brother's words from long ago and read what he could of the Uchiha Stone Tablet; on it was inscribed that the Mangekyo Sharingan could control all of the Tailed Beasts, the strongest of which being the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Itachi nodded weakly and resisted the urge to cough up another mouthful of blood. "Shortly after the Nine-Tails incident, Danzo petitioned to push our clan's compound out to the margins of the village to more effectively keep watch over us. He did this under the guise that it was beneficial to us as the Police Force, but father and others within the clan's leadership saw right through it. Of course… neither side was an innocent party."
"Does that mean an Uchiha was behind the Nine-Tails attack?"
…
"Answer me!" Sasuke pushed his blade further into the ground and through his brother's midsection.
"...Yes." That was all Itachi said in response.
"Who was it?!"
"Why does it matter?" Itachi countered. "Such a thing is ancient history at this point."
"If what you're saying is true, then the Uchiha behind the Nine-Tails attack and Danzo are directly responsible for what happened to our clan. I'll make sure neither of them draws another breath!" Sasuke declared with eyes full of rage. "Now… who in the clan did it?!"
"You... plan to kill him?"
"Yes, now who was it?!"
"...Madara Uchiha."
"Madara… Uchiha?" Sasuke blinked. He knew all the Uchiha in the Leaf Village during that time, and that name never crossed his path. "I've never heard of him."
"Heh, I'm not surprised," Itachi commented with a fit of pained coughs. "Though, I'm fairly certain you know of him even if you aren't aware of it. After all, his titanic clash with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, is carved into the very earth at the place called 'The Final Valley.'"
The shock Sasuke felt from the statement was clearly visible across his face. "The First Hokage?! If that's true, then Madara should be long dead by now! How could he possibly be behind the Nine-Tails attack?!"
Itachi would have chuckled humorlessly if he could muster up the strength to do so. "Madara is still alive, and he holds a grudge against the Uchiha and the village to this very day for what happened in his time. The Fourth Hokage may have stopped him sixteen years ago, but he will be back again to finish what he started."
At the mention of Madara and his motives, something that Itachi said earlier clicked in Sasuke's mind.
'I killed our mother, father, and a majority of the Uchiha Clan with my own two hands.'
"You told me that you killed a majority of our clan, not the entirety of it." Sasuke recounted the words spoken directly to him. "That must mean that you weren't the only one there that night. It was this Madara that helped you, wasn't it? The two of you massacred the clan together!" It made perfect sense. The more Sasuke thought about it over the years, the less likely it was that his brother acted alone. As strong as Itachi was, not even he was capable of eliminating the entire Leaf Police Force in a single night.
As much as he hated to admit it, foul play slowly made more sense.
"That is correct," Itachi confirmed his brother's suspicions. "I tracked down Madara and made a deal with him. I would help him exact revenge on our clan under the condition that you and the rest of the village be left alone. He eagerly agreed, and the rest is history."
"But why, Itachi?" Sasuke practically pleaded for an answer. "Why would you align yourself with the enemy? And why would you turn your back on your clan to serve Danzo and the Hidden Leaf?!"
Itachi winced and sweat began to accumulate on his brow. The pain was to the point that even he found it difficult to keep up his stoic mask of indifference. It took him a few minutes to gather himself and answer his brother's question.
"I-I am Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf; I always have been. If the Uchiha would have revolted, the casualties on both sides would have been immense, and there were worries that it would trigger an enemy invasion and start the Fourth Ninja War." His voice grew weaker and weaker by the minute, but he said those words with the most conviction he could muster. "They gave me an ultimatum with no right answer, and I chose what I thought would save the most lives in the end. Who knows if that was the correct choice? Sometimes… I wonder what would have happened if I never even chose at all."
Sasuke felt a pit form in his stomach as his brother spoke. He could tell there was unbelievable pain behind those words. Worst of all, the implications behind what he'd just learned hit him like a punch from the Fifth Hokage. A part of him didn't even want to ask the dreaded question, but his mouth moved on its own before he could stop it.
"Your mission was to kill everyone, wasn't it? If that's true, then why am I still alive!?" Sasuke said as tears tried to force their way out of the corner of his eyes. "Why didn't you kill me that day along with mother and father?! " Itachi remained silent with an empty stare, but he wouldn't allow him to get off so easily. "Why Itachi?!" He yelled in frustration.
"You were a child that didn't know anything!" For the first time, the emotion within Itachi's heart was projected through his voice. "The folly of the Uchiha had nothing to do with you! I did my best to keep you out of it so we wouldn't suffer the same fate as the rest of us!"
"What about the other children?! They had nothing to do with any of this, either!" He shouted back. "You and Madara slaughtered kids and infants, but you allowed me to live?!" Sasuke tried to stare into his brother's eyes to see within his heart, but Itachi refused to meet his gaze. "Does that mean you went against your mission and spared my worthless life?!" Itachi's body stiffened slightly, which was all the answer to his question that he needed. "I didn't ask for this; you should have just killed me with everyone else!"
"You think I did it just for you?" Itachi bit back angrily. Not at Sasuke, but himself and the position he put both of them in. "You were the only one who could judge me. I wanted you to grow up to hate me, to exact revenge on me for what I did to mother, father, and the rest of the Uchiha. The only way for our clan's honor to remain intact was if I was dealt with by another of my kind without the truth being known." Itachi panted heavily from his rapidly decreasing stamina. "Don't you see, Sasuke?" He continued. "I intended to foster and use the hatred in your heart for my own benefit… and I couldn't even commit to my role till the very end. I'm nothing but a pathetic and selfish failure..."
"Ah, dammit!" Sasuke grunted out as a sharp shooting pain ran up his spine and into his head. As his strength rapidly faded from his body, he rolled over and collapsed next to his brother. They looked at one another, both entirely out of breath, then turned their attention to the throne room's ceiling. "Why are you telling me all of this?" Sasuke breathed out with a somber tone. "After everything you've done - all these years - why come out with this now?" It almost sounded like he wished to have never learned about this supposed truth. This would have been so much easier if Itachi had maintained his role as the villain to the bitter end. "What could have possibly made you turn your back on your mission?"
Despite the mental and physical agony he was in, Itachi allowed himself the tiniest of smirks. "It was Naruto." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "When I spoke to him that day… he made me realize something that I had known for a long time but chose to ignore." His voice sounded almost… bittersweet. "I've tried to control your path for your entire life and convinced myself that it was for your benefit. In actuality, my selfish obsession with being judged for my sins by you drove you to go rogue and join Orochimaru." He slowly turned his head until he looked straight into his younger brother's eyes. "All I ever truly wanted was for you to walk the right path, but I never considered your feelings. Instead, I made your choices for you and manipulated you to do what I thought was best. That is why I decided to tell you the truth."
"And if I use this information to destroy the Hidden Leaf?" Sasuke felt anger rise within his chest once again. "What then?"
Itachi, having expected that answer, was quick to give a response. "Then so be it. I must warn you that Naruto will no longer be under my influence. As you saw him admit, if you oppose the Leaf Village, he will attempt to cut you down." He said with genuine sincerity. "I have already manipulated you both for far too long as it is, so the two of you will have to settle things with your own free will."
Sasuke's eyes darkened slightly. "You're willing to potentially throw away everything you've done for the village you love so much… just for me?"
"Yes." He responded without hesitation. "In the past, I tried to do everything by myself and failed. No more half-measures. If it is between you and the village, then I will choose you every time."
"Why?"
"Because that's what big brothers are for."
Itachi smiled. The bastard had a sword through his gut, and he still had the energy to smile.
Sasuke, unable to look at the gruesome imagery of his brother dying on the ground any longer, turned and faced the other direction. It was cruelly ironic; in the past - hell, just a few short moments ago - his entire reason for existence was to see Itachi bleeding out on the ground. This was the exact moment he had trained himself into the ground for night after night. It was the very reason why he abandoned his friends in the Leaf and joined up with that snake, Orochimaru. And now… he couldn't even begin to describe what he felt about it all.
Where was he supposed to direct a lifetime's worth of anger and rage? Was it Itachi? The Leaf Village? Danzo? Madara? Was what Itachi told him even the truth to begin with? How could he know with absolute certainty that it happened the way he said it did? In less than a day, his entire perception of the world had been turned upside down. It was all nearly too much for him to handle.
And he had no idea what to do to get it back on track.
After some contemplation, Sasuke rose to his feet with a weak groan. Itachi, who had watched him the entire time, continued to eye his brother closely. Without the utterance of a single word, he stood over Itachi and grabbed the hilt of his katana still embedded in his gut. "Hold still." Was all he said as he began to slowly pull the weapon from the wound. Itachi's eyes twitched in pain as more blood flowed from his mouth, but he proved his tolerance for pain by not making any noise. Once the blade was out, Sasuke put it back into its sheath. "Get up."
Itachi looked confused by the request. "M-Might I ask what for?" Despite his question, he did as instructed and shakily pulled himself up until he was on two feet. His now sweaty bangs fell in front of his eyes and obscured his vision, but he barely noticed.
"I'm taking you back to the Leaf Village to stand before the Hokage," Sasuke said as he turned around to leave. "I need to confirm that what you told me is the truth, and, if it is, I'm going to kill the village Elders for what they did to the Uchiha. I might even burn the whole place to the ground if I feel they deserve it."
Itachi's expression remained the same, but his body tensed slightly. "I told you that I didn't have long for this world. Besides, do you honestly think I will make it back to the village in my current state?" He sounded hesitant of the prospect of going back home, not that anyone could blame him.
"A member of my team will be able to heal your wounds easily," Sasuke responded sternly. "As for your illness, Naruto can convince the Hokage to take a look at you if you're willing to cooperate and share intel on the Akatsuki. You're not going to get out of this by dying, Itachi. Not yet at least, you have far too much you still need to set right before that happens."
Itachi lowered his head and looked at the ground. His eyes were now completely obscured, making it impossible to know what was going on in his head. "Does that mean you aren't going to judge me for what I've done?" He asked.
"I haven't made up my mind yet," Sasuke answered honestly. "What I want right now is the absolute truth and justice with that truth, and I need you for that. That's why we're going back home."
"I see…"
"Now, let's go." Sasuke said aggressively. He knew he wouldn't be able to travel quickly due to Itachi's condition, but Karin and the others weren't that far away. He just hoped that they could at least hold their own against the other Akatsuki.
Sasuke took a few steps but frowned when he did not hear Itachi do the same behind him. He turned around to say something to his brother, but what he saw made those words catch in his now dry throat.
Itachi had pulled a kunai from inside his cloak and slashed through his own neck.
"Stop! Noooooo!"
Sasuke's mind went blank, and he acted on pure instinct. He rushed toward his brother and made it just in time to catch him before he collapsed, carefully lowering his body to the ground. Blood gushed everywhere, and the light in Itachi's eyes began to fade. Sasuke pressed both hands over the gash, but the crimson liquid continued to spurt through the tiny gaps between his fingers. There was so much blood everywhere; it seemed all but hopeless.
"Why, Itachi?! Why!? You can't leave me alone again!" Sasuke shouted in a fit of panic. He looked around wildly as if by some miracle, Team Hebi would magically appear and come to their rescue. "Where the hell is Karin?! She can still-!"
Sudden pressure against his forehead stopped him in his tracks. He looked down; just like the fond memories from their youth, Itachi had reached up and tapped him on the head with two fingers. Even though critically wounded and death was just around the corner, he had a genuine smile on his face.
"S...Sorry, S-Sasuke," Itachi gargled out as some of the blood seeped into his airways. "B...But this is the l-last t...time…."
"I-I don't understand." Sasuke, unwilling to give up, applied even more pressure to the wound. It did little to help, however. "Why would you do this?! You could have lived and avenged the Uchiha! The village used you, so why are you still loyal to them?!" Itachi didn't say anything in response, and his eyes began to slowly shut. "Stay with me!" Sasuke shouted.
Just when it looked as if his eyes would shut - never to open again - Itachi's eyes snapped back open; his Sharingan spun to life and morphed straight into his Mangekyo pattern. Sasuke's eyes widened.
"T-Tsukuyomi…"
Sasuke blinked, and when his eyes reopened, the brothers were no longer in the hideout. He was… staring down at a very familiar sight from atop the cliffside.
"It's a beautiful view from up here, isn't it?" Sasuke looked down to his side. Itachi, now in seemingly perfect health, was sitting with one close to his chest while the other dangled over the edge of the steep drop. "Call me sentimental, but I wanted to see it just one last time." He said fondly.
'His headband isn't scratched out….' Sasuke noticed. 'And this monument-?'
Sasuke only saw it while briefly back on the Leaf Village, but he could immediately tell that something was different about the stone faces of the Hokage. He peeked over the edge, and, sure enough, the head that they stood on did not belong to Tsunade.
Instead, next to Minato Namikaze, none other than Itachi Uchiha's stoic face was carved into the iconic monument.
"I still don't get it," Sasuke said with contempt. "You were used as a pawn to kill our family, thrown away like trash by them, and yet, even in death, you dream about becoming the Hokage and protecting the people that did this to you... What about this place makes you act so foolish?"
"Do you know what a village truly is, Sasuke?" Itachi looked over his shoulder and asked carefully.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke looked confused.
"If you had to assign a definition to it, what would it be?" Itachi rephrased.
Sasuke's eyebrow rose; he had never thought about what a village was. Wasn't it obvious? "Wouldn't a village serve as a sword and shield for the nation and their respective Feudal Lord?" He finally said.
"While that is technically true, you are once again only looking at things at their surface," Itachi said with a shake of the head and turned his attention back to the view of his home. "While imperfect in practice, the Shinobi Village system was created to stop all of the fighting that took place in the Era of Warring States that Hashirama and Madara grew up in. Back in their time, if you were old enough to pick up a sword, you were old enough to die on the battlefield in a never-ending fight between Shinobi Clans propagated by those large states. Tired of the constant fighting and death, those the Senju and Uchiha allied with the Land of Fire to form what is now known as the Hidden Leaf Village." Itachi explained. "A village is essentially formed when a cluster of powerful Shinobi Clans enter into a peace treaty together with a prominent land. The thought behind it was that these militaristic nation-states would disincentivize the nations and clans from warring with one another, thus ushering in an era of peace and prosperity. While it has been partially effective, being that there has been much less conflict since the formation of Ninja Villages, in its current state, it is not the solution to resolve human conflict."
"So… a village is an ideal?" Sasuke responded. "Something one strives towards in hopes that conflicts will eventually cease between people?"
"That is correct." Itachi nodded his head. "And Shinobi are those who endure and strive towards that ideal, even if it costs them their lives."
Sasuke frowned. "Itachi, you-?"
"You said that I was used by the village." Itachi interrupted. "I disagree; I was used by those within the village tasked with protecting that ideal. Not only that, but I made my own questionable choices for the same reasons as those above me. Human folly is the true reason why the First Hokage's dreams have not been actualized. The meaning behind what a village is has been tainted by man and lost its meaning over time."
"But… why do you have to die for such things, Itachi?" Sasuke was still at a loss. He heard and tried to comprehend his brother's logic, but it just didn't compute within his head. "You could have lived and atoned for your sins."
Itachi could only shake his head. "No, I deserved the same fate as the brethren that I slaughtered with my own two hands; it is only right that an Uchiha be the one to spill my blood. It may have been by my own hand, but the clan will have finally been avenged after all this time."
"What utter nonsense." Sasuke commented in an aggravated tone.
"Perhaps you are right," Itachi responded honestly. "It's only fitting that it will be my final act as a selfish failure."
The brothers remained there in silence for what felt like several minutes in their Tsukuyomi world. However, virtually no time had passed during their conversation in the outside world. While Sasuke had a mountain of things on his mind to sort through, Itachi simply chose to admire his old home atop his vantage point with a small yet serene smile on his face.
"What now?" Sasuke finally asked. "We can't just stay here forever."
"I know," Itachi responded quietly. "There is one more stop that I would like to make before I go… would you care to join me?"
"Where?"
Itachi raised up his hand and pressed his thumb and middle finger together. "Home." He said with a snap of the fingers.
Once again, the space around them shifted to a place they both knew very well. It was host to many of his most cherished memories but also the darkest day of his entire life. Sasuke felt a pang deep within his chest.
The two brothers now stood in the kitchen of the home they grew up in.
A familiar smell wafted through the air and made Sasuke's eyes widen. There, standing in front of the stove, was none other than their late mother Mikoto; she was cooking what appeared to be his favorite meal of rice balls with tomato soup. His eyes softened as a rush of childhood memories flooded back to him. It was painful to think of such things he could never experience again, but there was also fleeting beauty in it.
Once all of the food was prepared, she began to bring it into the other room. Itachi and Sasuke didn't have to follow her and, instead, were immediately transported into the dining room. Neither son could keep their eyes off of her smile.
"Mom looks… so happy." Sasuke couldn't help but comment.
"Yeah, she does." Itachi responded in a similar fashion.
"Sasuke!" His mother's voice calling his name appeared to startle him slightly. "Dinner is ready!"
"I'll be right there!" A younger voiced Sasuke responded from the other room. A few seconds later, a Genin Sasuke, Leaf headband and all, walked into his room; his eyes noticeably lit up when he saw what was for dinner.
"What's the occasion?" He asked with a bit of excitement in his voice.
"I told your mother to make it for you." Both Sasuke's looked over to see their father, Fugaku, cross-legged in front of the table with a cup of tea in his hand. "I heard that you performed very well on your last mission."
Sasuke nodded curtly and sat down across from his father. "It was just your standard C-Rank escort mission; nothing special. We ran into a few bandits that had some basic Ninjutsu skills, but we made quick work of them. Kakashi-sensei didn't even have to get involved."
"Speaking of your team, how was your extra training with Naruto today?" His mother asked as she put a bowl of soup and a couple rice balls down in front of him. "Are the two of you getting better with coordinating your attacks?"
Sasuke shrugged and took a sip of his favorite soup before he answered. "Naruto still doesn't have much experience with his Wind Style, so our ratios are still really off. He said he was going to go talk to Asuma-sensei for some help; apparently, the guy is a really skilled Wind User."
"Ah, I see; the two of you are already working on collaboration Ninjutsu, eh?" Fukagu sounded somewhat impressed by that piece of information. "That will be useful with the Chunin Exams right around the corner. I fully expect you both to pass on your first attempt."
Sasuke refused to show how much the praise from his father meant to him. Instead, he gave another nod of acknowledgment. "Kakashi-sensei asked us a few days ago if we wanted to participate in the Chunin Exams. We're still waiting on Sakura's decision, but I'm pretty sure she's going to say yes."
"That's good to hear," Fugaku said in his typical stern, fatherly tone. "We'll have to put aside time to attend the finals when they come around."
Mikoto went around to the other side of the table and placed food down in front of her husband. "Be sure to prepare, Sasuke." She giggled. "This is the perfect opportunity for you to show off your abilities in front of Lord Fifth."
"Hmph." Fugaku let out an amused grunt upon seeing the eye roll from his youngest son.
"Mommm, do you really have to call him that?" He asked in annoyance. "Nothing about him has changed; actually, he's around even less than he was before. And he's not even here to hear it!"
"Are you sure about that, Sasuke?" His mother gave him a knowing look, then glanced at the doorway.
Sasuke's head darted in that direction, and, sure enough, there he was standing in the doorway. "Itachi!" He said with excitement evident in his voice.
"You know, Sasuke, I am the Hokage." Itachi teased. "I would love nothing more than to be around as much as possible, but I have a village to run. Everything will fall behind if I'm not working. I thought we talked about this already?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sasuke said dismissively and took an aggressive bite out of his rice ball through maintained eye contact with his older brother. "Sounds like a convenient excuse to me."
Itachi could only laugh nervously at his brother's antics.
"Come, sit." Mikoto ushered her eldest son into the dining room, a plate already placed at his usual spot at the table. Based on her lack of surprise, she had expected him to show up for dinner that day. "It's not every day we can have Lord Hokage as our honored guest." She continued to joke.
"Mother…" Itachi said gently, clearly not comfortable with being referred to in a formal manner by one of his parents. Despite that, he did as he was asked and sat down next to Sasuke. "I told you that you didn't have to call me that."
"Sorry," She wasn't really. "We're just so proud of what you're doing for the village. I never thought I'd see the day that someone from our clan would wear those robes, but Lord Third trusts you completely."
"Yeah… thank you."
The conversation devolved into idle familial chit-chat about the goings-on within the village, missions, and complaints about the sheer volumes of paperwork required by the Fire Shadow on a daily basis. The real Sasuke and Itachi merely watched their happy little family eat and spend quality time with one another. They did that for what felt like several minutes.
"What could have been…." Sasuke couldn't hide the heartbreak, bitterness, and even sadness in his tone.
"This is what I'd like to think would have happened if Shisui was able to cast his Kotoamatsukami on father, the same Jutsu you saw me use on Naruto." Itachi lamented. "In this timeline, Shisui's Genjutsu delays the Uchiha's plans for a coup d'état just long enough for the Third Hokage to work out a peace agreement with them behind closed doors. As a sign of trust and respect for the clan, it was decided that I would be appointed the Fifth Hokage when I reached the age of 18." His smile fell slightly. "It's not how I would have wanted to become Hokage, but it was a conclusion that both sides were relatively happy with. In this scenario, the Uchiha felt that their voices would be heard, and the Elders, barring Danzo, were still able to appoint someone that they knew only wanted what is best for the Leaf."
"It seems like you've thought about this a lot." Sasuke surmised.
"Everyday." He conceded. "One must always look to the past to better prepare themselves for the future."
"Why didn't that happen?" Sasuke needed to know. "And how exactly were you able to obtain one of Shisui's eyes to use his Jutsu on Naruto?"
Itachi did his best to not scowl in frustration, but some of what he felt poked through his facade. "Danzo didn't trust Shisui and wanted to protect the village in his own way. Before he could use the Kotoamatsukami on father, Danzo stole his right eye." Sasuke's eyes narrowed considerably. "Knowing that he'd be hunted down for the power held within his left eye, Shisui left it with me and then took his own life."
"Danzo…" Sasuke practically seethed. "That bastard is going to get what's coming to him. Just you wait, brother."
Itachi's face remained utterly neutral and refused to comment on his brother's declaration. He would stay true to his word and allow Sasuke to make his own decisions moving forward. After all, his time in this world has all but run out. "Well… I suppose that my time has finally come; I have seen everything I wanted to. I fear that if I stay any longer, I will take even more regrets to my grave."
Sasuke appeared shocked by the news, almost as if he thought they would stay in this Genjutsu world for all eternity. "Itachi… I..."
Itachi looked to his brother, his lips curved upward into a small smile. "I don't have any right to tell you what you should do with your life, but can I make one last request?"
Sasuke pushed the sadness and pain he felt down in his chest and managed a nod. "What is it?"
"I want you to have my eyes."
"What?!" Sasuke spoke like he hadn't heard correctly. "What did you say?"
Itachi squinted to focus his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his brother's face clearly. In his Tsukuyomi world, he temporarily restored his own vision to see his family together one last time. "From the very moment one unlocks the Mangekyo, their eyes slowly lose their light and progress towards darkness. Once that process is complete, the eye will close… never to open again."
Sasuke somehow hadn't noticed before, but it was clear as day to him now. "You're nearly blind, aren't you?"
"Yes," Itachi admitted. "But there is a way to gain a Mangekyo Sharingan with infinite light; you must implant yourself with the eyes of a close relative - a sibling. My eyes will no doubt be coveted by Danzo and Madara. If that is the case, just like Shisui did for me, I would like to entrust them to you. You must keep them out of the wrong hands."
"I will keep them safe, but I don't think I can use them as my own," Sasuke admitted. "Our eyes do not perceive reality in the same way. My path will be much different than the one you tried to walk." Sasuke warned. "Besides, deep in my heart, I'm not sure I can ever forgive you for what you did." Much to his surprise, Itachi's grin from earlier reappeared.
"That's okay; I don't deserve your forgiveness, nor do I expect it." This was the first time in Itachi's life that he felt like he could speak openly and freely about his thoughts and feelings. It made him feel vulnerable, but it also lifted a proverbial weight off of his shoulders. No more lies; there was no need to wear a stoic mask anymore. He walked over to Sasuke, looked him straight in the eyes, and pressed his forehead against his. Sasuke could only stand still, eyes wide in a mixture of shock and surprise. "Just know that no matter what you decide to do, I will always love you."
Even though he was merely 21 years old, Sasuke could see a lifetime of pain behind his older brother's eyes. That, coupled with the visual reminder of what his life could have been with a happy family, made him feel more conflicted than ever. What did he feel at that moment? What was he supposed to feel? He honestly did not know.
With the conclusion of Itachi's final goodbye, the Genjutsu world around them began to fade to black. One moment Itachi stood there in perfect health with a smile on his face; in the next, he was laid out on the cold ground as blood spewed from his neck.
They were back.
In an instant, Sasuke doubled down on his efforts and applied more pressure to his throat. He knew it to be futile, but his body moved on its own. A certain blond appeared in his mind, but he pushed that thought to the side in lieu of more pressing matters.
"N-No…" Itachi barely managed to gurgle out. "I-It's al-alright. L-Let… m-me… go..."
Sasuke's eyes started to burn, and several years' worth of pent-up emotions were released like the floodgates of a dam. The tears that streamed down his face rolled off his chin and landed in Itachi's eyes just below him. They pooled in the corners of his eyes until the reservoirs couldn't hold anymore.
The brothers cried together through shared tears.
Sasuke could feel Itachi's pulse progressively weaken over time. His eyes went glassy and slowly began to shut. Sasuke felt his breath hitch, but there was nothing more that he could do; this was the end that his brother chose for himself. Would it not be cruel to force him to stay around longer than he wanted to?
Sasuke took his hands off Itachi's throat. There wasn't much blood left to gush out at this point, so it was pointless to continue to battle against the inevitable.
"Goodbye, Itachi..." He barely managed to choke out. "You can finally rest and join mother and father again…."
"S...as...u...ke…." His chest lowered, but it did not rise back up.
Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf drew his last breath. In a cruel twist of irony, the one to avenge the Uchiha Clan was none other than the very same person who brought it to the verge of extinction. The "Hero" of the Leaf was also one of its most notorious villains.
Sasuke looked down at his brother with somber eyes. Despite all he had been through in his short life, Itachi had passed to the next world with a smile on his face. Just then, a realization struck the remaining brother; he had no family left, and it was all because of the cruel world that they were forced to live in. Besides Naruto, he was completely and utterly alone. The only bond he had left was one he had already tried to sever. At that moment, something deep within him changed. The burn behind his eyes that was thought to be just tears intensified tenfold. Sasuke pressed his palms to his eyes and let out a wince of pain, though he was quick to notice something.
It felt wet.
He lowered his hands, only to see that they were coated with his blood.
His typical three-tomoe Sharingan pattern morphed into something completely new. His eye faded to black, and three red, intersecting ellipses took shape in their center. Sasuke had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, proven by the crimson tears that streaked down his cheeks.
Now, the question remained; what would he do with this newfound power?
Author's Note: The conclusion of the fated brothers took a drastic turn from how it played out in canon. The changes to our main protagonist altered the path Itachi decided to take, thus potentially altering Sasuke's motives and desires. What did you think? Was it good, bad, surprising, shocking, or predictable? Please let me know!
The battle between Kisame and the remainder of Team Hebi has concluded. Now that they are free to continue toward the Uchiha Hideout, what will happen when the Hawk and Fox meet once again? Sasuke now knows the truth and Naruto is no longer being controlled...
Find out next time in Chapter 43: Friend or Foe?
Leave a review if you feel so inclined, and I'll see you next time!
Adventreader221 - There won't be a harem and pairings are currently not being decided on because we are in the thick of the plot.
Namikaze7 - Thank you so much! I'm glad you're still enjoying it!
ThousandDaysOfLaziness - Glad you liked it! I will say that Naruto was not for the status quo at all. He wanted to bring peace to the world through understanding one another like Jiraiya wanted.
Ky111 - In this chapter Itachi owned up to his mistakes and failures as a brother. What'd you think about Itachi and Sasuke's conclusion?
And yes, everyone always expects so much from Naruto to the point where he feels like he can't just live how he wants and make his own choices. It's had an effect on him for sure.
SmashUltimateBro - Great thought and I totally agree. Naruto has different people pulling him every which way. Now it's time for Sasuke and Naruto, for the first time in their lives, to make their own choices. I wonder what will happen.
zpedro200 - I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Your English is good don't worry!
Ninja124 - Battles are important to the enjoyment of a story so I try my best to make them flow well. Sorry about ending the Kisame fight though. It had to be done.
Itachi is very divisive. Idk if it's poor writing. Itachi is very open about his failures and mistakes in canon, it's his fans that make him out to be a perfect human being. As for my story, he has left the final decision up to Naruto and Sasuke. No more manipulation.
DictatorPerpetuo - Naruto created the Fire Seal and has never done it, so he's not quite sure how to use it. You see in his fight with Sasori later when he uses the lightning he got from Kakuzu on Sasori, and he doesn't use any hand signs. He learned how to actually use it properly over time. Jiraiya isn't in an actual fight, so he has no reason to go through his seals at breakneck speeds. It's also a Jutsu that doesn't require many seals, making it easy for Naruto to follow along.
sageUchiha - Nice catch! Even though you're perceptive I'm happy I can still surprise you!
Lilthug - Hope the wait wasn't too bad.
Finance, nice! I'm an accountant but a few of my friends are in Finance. You'll find something.
I'm in a similar boat as you. I enjoy accounting but I love to write (even though my grammar is awful). Keep voice acting as your hobby and then maybe somewhere down the line you'll get more opportunity to pursue it. Good luck with the job search!