Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
Hey, I just want everyone reading this to know that I have an almost obsession with character death. And just because I kill someone, doesn't mean I hate them or anything. Thank you. Note: this fic takes place about eight or nine years in the future.
Sasuke sat, his face in his hands, deep in thought. He didn't even get up when the tea kettle started to whistle. He just sat, staring at the table through his fingers. How did everything go so wrong? It started with some weird epidemic. During that epidemic, many people died and Tsunade, some how, could do nothing to stop it. Until she died her self. Then the sickness stopped. Without explanation, it merely disappeared, leaving behind countless bodies that, for nearly a month, no one dared to touch for fear of catching the disease. Sasuke shuddered with memory. Sakura's body was among those corpses.
Then the new Hokage came into control. More like a tyrant than anything. But no one could do anything to stop him. No one with enough power to rival his. Shortly after his claim to power, the Hokage put the village under a state of martial law. Then he had Jiraiya arrested, and publicly executed. Without trial. Many of the villagers, including some shinobi, rioted, protesting their new leader's action. They too were arrested and put to death. His sensei, Kakashi, was an inmate, he was scheduled for execution one week from now.
There was a knock on the door. Sasuke didn't answer. The person knocked again, this time a little more persistently.
"It's open." Sasuke finally said, talking into his hands.
The door opened, it was Neji. He made a face at the whistling tea kettle and walked over to the stove and turned it off. He poured Sasuke and himself a cup of the tea and sat down at the table.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Neji looked at Sasuke, and sighed at his sorry state. His friends usual flawless face was blotchy with tears and there were dark circles around his eyes. "This may sound cruel," Neji told him, "but it's true. You can't keep on going like this. Sakura isn't coming back. No one is."
"But what's the point of living in a dictatorship? None. There's no freedom what so ever, I amazed Naruto hasn't been killed yet! That Hokage bastard is killing anyone who opposes him! And Naruto was planning on doing daily revolts!"
"I think Hinata is helping with that. She's good for Naruto. Anyway, you need to get out more, or you would have noticed that no revolt has taken place. By Naruto or anyone else." Neji let out a laugh that was very unlike himself. "They're all scared."
"Yeah..."
Sasuke was happy for Naruto, married just last spring to Hinata, a month before the sickness hit. But he couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. They seemed almost immune to the disease and Sakura died from it. Neji was talking, jerking Sasuke out of his thoughts.
"Got a bit news for you." he was saying with a grim smile.
"What?"
"They caught the Akatsuki."
Sasuke stared at him. He wasn't expecting that.
"Yup. All fifteen members. There'll be a public execution of all of them tonight. It's apparently mandatory."
"WHAT!? All fifteen?" Sasuke's head was spinning. That meant Itachi was caught. It had been eight years since Sasuke had ended his obsession to avenge his clan. But even so, he still hated his older brother with a passion. If anyone was going to end that man's life, it would be him, not some crackpot dictator. God, I am such a hypocrite. Thought Sasuke, pulling at his raven black hair in frustration.
Neji leaned back in his chair. "Well it would be a good time to get a good look at this guy."
"Who?" Sasuke asked wildly. He knew who his own brother was thank you!
"The Hokage!" said Neji impatiently. "Last time I saw him, you weren't there, I noticed that he's using a genjutsu to hide his true appearance."
Sasuke stared at Neji.
"Yup. But I didn't recognize him, so I thought perhaps you would." Neji yawned. "Well, see you seven o'clock." And he rose and left.
Seven o'clock came. Sasuke went down to the center of the village and met up with Naruto, Hinata, and Neji. Hinata was almost in tears.
"I just hate it when another person dies, especially when that horrible man wants them dead." Naruto put his arm around her in a comforting manner. Sasuke, feeling a wave of memories come over him looked away.
Then, remembering what Neji had said earlier, he looked up to the raised platform. There sat the fifteen members of the Akatsuki. Sure enough, Itachi was among them. Sasuke tried to avoid his piercing eyes as he searched for the Hokage. He was standing at the end of the miniature stage. He gave one glance at him with the Sharingan and stumbled back with fear into Naruto.
"Hey! What's the matter?" Asked Naruto in surprise. But Sasuke couldn't find his voice to answer.
Orochimaru. It made sense now. The sickness that ended only after Tsunade succumbed to it. Why Jiraiya, one of the only people who could possibly stand up to him was killed without reason. And why the Akatsuki was sitting there now. Orochimaru hated them, even though he himself had once been a member.
Sasuke found himself looking back at Itachi. For the slightest moment, he had the urge to scream, but Itachi's gaze held, rooting Sasuke to the ground. Then Sasuke realized, Itachi didn't want Sasuke to interfere. Itachi was perfectly okay with the fact that he was going to die. Sasuke shook his head. No! it wasn't right! Why, Itachi, why?
Orochimaru drew out a katana. Sasuke gulped as he heard sickening thuds as the twisted Hokage moved down the line. Sasuke couldn't turn his head to look, but he knew what was happening. The same thing that happened to Jiraiya and soon to Kakashi.
"No, no." he whispered, but no one around him seemed to hear him. Many were talking in hushed voices to another, some were dead silent, and there was a few who cheering. Happy that finally the Hokage had decided to send these terrorist to hell rather than someone else. Orochimaru was behind Itachi, katana raised. Itachi's face was straight and full of dignity.
"No."
The silvery blade swung down and Sasuke had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. He could have sworn he had seen Itachi's lips form a single word, just as the sword bit into his neck:
"Live."
Sasuke stood there numbly. A decade ago, he would have rejoiced, but he couldn't bring himself to feel any form of joy. He stared at Itachi's severed head, the Sharingan had not faded from his brother's eyes, nor had they from his own.
"In life, you gave me a reason to live. And now in death, you have given me another."
Hey, I just want everyone reading this to know that I have an almost obsession with character death. And just because I kill someone, doesn't mean I hate them or anything. Thank you. Note: this fic takes place about eight or nine years in the future.
Sasuke sat, his face in his hands, deep in thought. He didn't even get up when the tea kettle started to whistle. He just sat, staring at the table through his fingers. How did everything go so wrong? It started with some weird epidemic. During that epidemic, many people died and Tsunade, some how, could do nothing to stop it. Until she died her self. Then the sickness stopped. Without explanation, it merely disappeared, leaving behind countless bodies that, for nearly a month, no one dared to touch for fear of catching the disease. Sasuke shuddered with memory. Sakura's body was among those corpses.
Then the new Hokage came into control. More like a tyrant than anything. But no one could do anything to stop him. No one with enough power to rival his. Shortly after his claim to power, the Hokage put the village under a state of martial law. Then he had Jiraiya arrested, and publicly executed. Without trial. Many of the villagers, including some shinobi, rioted, protesting their new leader's action. They too were arrested and put to death. His sensei, Kakashi, was an inmate, he was scheduled for execution one week from now.
There was a knock on the door. Sasuke didn't answer. The person knocked again, this time a little more persistently.
"It's open." Sasuke finally said, talking into his hands.
The door opened, it was Neji. He made a face at the whistling tea kettle and walked over to the stove and turned it off. He poured Sasuke and himself a cup of the tea and sat down at the table.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Neji looked at Sasuke, and sighed at his sorry state. His friends usual flawless face was blotchy with tears and there were dark circles around his eyes. "This may sound cruel," Neji told him, "but it's true. You can't keep on going like this. Sakura isn't coming back. No one is."
"But what's the point of living in a dictatorship? None. There's no freedom what so ever, I amazed Naruto hasn't been killed yet! That Hokage bastard is killing anyone who opposes him! And Naruto was planning on doing daily revolts!"
"I think Hinata is helping with that. She's good for Naruto. Anyway, you need to get out more, or you would have noticed that no revolt has taken place. By Naruto or anyone else." Neji let out a laugh that was very unlike himself. "They're all scared."
"Yeah..."
Sasuke was happy for Naruto, married just last spring to Hinata, a month before the sickness hit. But he couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. They seemed almost immune to the disease and Sakura died from it. Neji was talking, jerking Sasuke out of his thoughts.
"Got a bit news for you." he was saying with a grim smile.
"What?"
"They caught the Akatsuki."
Sasuke stared at him. He wasn't expecting that.
"Yup. All fifteen members. There'll be a public execution of all of them tonight. It's apparently mandatory."
"WHAT!? All fifteen?" Sasuke's head was spinning. That meant Itachi was caught. It had been eight years since Sasuke had ended his obsession to avenge his clan. But even so, he still hated his older brother with a passion. If anyone was going to end that man's life, it would be him, not some crackpot dictator. God, I am such a hypocrite. Thought Sasuke, pulling at his raven black hair in frustration.
Neji leaned back in his chair. "Well it would be a good time to get a good look at this guy."
"Who?" Sasuke asked wildly. He knew who his own brother was thank you!
"The Hokage!" said Neji impatiently. "Last time I saw him, you weren't there, I noticed that he's using a genjutsu to hide his true appearance."
Sasuke stared at Neji.
"Yup. But I didn't recognize him, so I thought perhaps you would." Neji yawned. "Well, see you seven o'clock." And he rose and left.
Seven o'clock came. Sasuke went down to the center of the village and met up with Naruto, Hinata, and Neji. Hinata was almost in tears.
"I just hate it when another person dies, especially when that horrible man wants them dead." Naruto put his arm around her in a comforting manner. Sasuke, feeling a wave of memories come over him looked away.
Then, remembering what Neji had said earlier, he looked up to the raised platform. There sat the fifteen members of the Akatsuki. Sure enough, Itachi was among them. Sasuke tried to avoid his piercing eyes as he searched for the Hokage. He was standing at the end of the miniature stage. He gave one glance at him with the Sharingan and stumbled back with fear into Naruto.
"Hey! What's the matter?" Asked Naruto in surprise. But Sasuke couldn't find his voice to answer.
Orochimaru. It made sense now. The sickness that ended only after Tsunade succumbed to it. Why Jiraiya, one of the only people who could possibly stand up to him was killed without reason. And why the Akatsuki was sitting there now. Orochimaru hated them, even though he himself had once been a member.
Sasuke found himself looking back at Itachi. For the slightest moment, he had the urge to scream, but Itachi's gaze held, rooting Sasuke to the ground. Then Sasuke realized, Itachi didn't want Sasuke to interfere. Itachi was perfectly okay with the fact that he was going to die. Sasuke shook his head. No! it wasn't right! Why, Itachi, why?
Orochimaru drew out a katana. Sasuke gulped as he heard sickening thuds as the twisted Hokage moved down the line. Sasuke couldn't turn his head to look, but he knew what was happening. The same thing that happened to Jiraiya and soon to Kakashi.
"No, no." he whispered, but no one around him seemed to hear him. Many were talking in hushed voices to another, some were dead silent, and there was a few who cheering. Happy that finally the Hokage had decided to send these terrorist to hell rather than someone else. Orochimaru was behind Itachi, katana raised. Itachi's face was straight and full of dignity.
"No."
The silvery blade swung down and Sasuke had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. He could have sworn he had seen Itachi's lips form a single word, just as the sword bit into his neck:
"Live."
Sasuke stood there numbly. A decade ago, he would have rejoiced, but he couldn't bring himself to feel any form of joy. He stared at Itachi's severed head, the Sharingan had not faded from his brother's eyes, nor had they from his own.
"In life, you gave me a reason to live. And now in death, you have given me another."