Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters
A/N: I said this chapter would be longer but it looks like it wasn't really. Oh well, I'll just use this comment to increase the word count.
Unexpected
Chapter 5: Fire of the Uchiha
Orochimaru pondered on the letter he recieved from Itachi. He couldn't tell whether the warning was true, or a bluff to temporarily sway his thoughts of betrayl.
"Kabuto, take a look a this," Orochimaru said, throwing the letter to his right hand man. He gave a little time for Kabuto to analyze the letter and procceded to talk. "What do you think?"
"Definitely used to keep alliance," Kabuto responded. "And most likely not a bluff considering Itachi-san's personality."
"Intresting thoughts," Orochimaru acknowledged. "But I think this means Itachi can't afford a betrayl now and is trying to use any method to prevent me from doing so. However, someone who has plotted for years without anyone suspecting wouldn't be one to make such a easily deciphered bluff."
Itachi-san. What are you thinking? thought Kabuto.
At the same day in the afternoon of Konoha. A woman around her early twenties, with long brunette hair and wearing a white robe named Ayame turned to serve her customers.
The customers were two people and both wore a strange cloak decorated with red clouds. One had a hood on and the other's collar completely covered his face up to his eyes.
"A bowl of ramen each," the hooded one said.
Ayame just stood there for a while. She hadn't expected dangerous looking people like them to actually order something. Usually, they would just sit there and drink a bit of tea. Then again, maybe it was the new style of fashion to wear cloaks and hoods. Afterall, in the past few hours, she had already seen around four different people wearing cloaks covered in red clouds. Quickly snapping back to reality as to not keep her customers waiting, Ayame hurried off to prepare the ramen.
After a few minutes, she returned and placed two bowls of ramen infront of the customers. A figure passing caught her notice. It was another cloaked figure. This time, it was just a normal cloak and hood.
I feel so out of style, Ayame thought as she noticed everyone in her view wore cloaks and hoods.
Sasuke, looked towards the ramen stand and saw two people wearing the Akatsuki cloak. His fists clenched, and instinctively, he charged at the two, assuming they were Itachi and his partner, Kisame. The Chidori formed around his hand, and he dashed with blinding speed. Suddenly, his hand was grabbed and seized by someone. Sasuke noticed it was his 'counterpart'.
Itachi who is still disguised as Sasuke spoke. "That is not Itachi. They aren't even the Akatsuki."
"You!" Sasuke exclaimed in recognition.
"Quite down," Itachi replied. "I know where Itachi is. Come with me and we can kill him."
Sasuke who was in confusion slowly calmed down. As he did so, he was able to sense that those two cloaked people weren't even ninjas.
"The Akatsuki are waiting outside of Konoha," Itachi began. "They sent in these people dressed in the Akatsuki cloak to distract the Anbu and such."
"The Akatsuki are planning to invade Konoha?" asked Sasuke.
"Does it matter?" Itachi responded. "As long as we get the chance to kill Itachi."
Sasuke smirked. "You're right."
Itachi faked a smile. Little brother, you are too easy to manipulate.
"One question though," Sasuke began. "How much like me exactly are you?"
"Not alot," Itachi responded. "I split from you somewhere on the day Itachi killed the clan. Anyways, we should talk elsewhere. Follow me."
Sasuke nodded and followed Itachi who ran off in the direction of Konoha's main gate.
Itachi used his Sharingan to find the locate the nearby Anbu who were watching him. They followed in an V shaped formation with the V opening facing him. Testing for a pattern, Itachi quickly turned and ran towards the Konoha memorial far off to the left.
The Anbu also turned and kept the V formation.
Itachi contempted for a while and then thought. Forget the pattern trick. I'll just lose them the traditional way. It's more simple and effective.
The Anbu watched as 'Sasuke' and a cloaked figure entered the nearby clothing store. After a while, 'Sasuke' and the cloaked figure came back out and began heading towards the Konoha main gate once again.
All the Anbu were about to follow when the captain held out a hand to tell them to stop. "That is obviously a trick," he said. "They have genjutsu on them." The Anbu waited even longer and the squad captain pointed towards two people who came out of the building.
The two wore newly bought clothes and headed towards the Konoha memorial.
Itachi and Sasuke continued their run towards the main gates.
Sasuke smirked at how easily they escaped the Anbu's sight.
-Flash Back-
Itachi and Sasuke entered the clothing store.
"Alright," Itachi began. "As you should know, an Anbu squad is currently watching me."
"Yah, and..." Sasuke said to his 'counterpart'.
"To lose them, all you do is use the Henge no jutsu to transform into me and I'll transform into you," Itachi stated. "The Anbu will think we're normal civilians with genjutsu casted on and they will wait until they find the next suspicious people that come out from the building."
"I see," Sasuke replied.
As they transformed and headed out, Sasuke heard his 'counterpart' sigh in tiredness and mutter. "I really need practice on speaking long sentences."
-End Flash Back-
As they were running, Sasuke remembered the question he was about to ask back at the ramen stand. "Why did you choose to show yourself to me now?"
Itachi thought shortly and responded. "I believe it is easier to gain power alone but yet better to take revenge together."
"So you believe we're able to kill Itachi now?" Sasuke asked.
"Definetly," Itachi replied.
"I don't know how many times I thought that and became disappointed," Sasuke replied.
"But this time," Itachi began, "we control both sides of the coin instead of one."
"I guess," Sasuke replied. He inwardly smiled as he began taking a friendly liking to this 'counterpart'. His personality reminded him of the nice Itachi of the past. Sasuke's eyes grew colder again. Itachi, I WILL kill you TODAY!
As the two Uchiha brothers came to the main gate, they saw many recently killed leaf ninjas and a few still alive fighting two Akatsuki members.
"You think we should attack them," Itachi asked, referring to the Akatsuki.
"Sure," Sasuke with still angry eyes from his previous thoughts. "I want to use them to measure my highest capacity. I didn't get a chance to do much with our battle."
Itachi smiled inwardly. At least Orochimaru did a better job teaching than I originally thought. But then that could mean he has already planned to get Sasuke back.
"I can't believe I actually had to use that much chakra against these trash," one of the Akatsuki said after all the leaf ninjas were wiped out.
"Yah, too bad," Sasuke said catching their attention. "You would have needed it to survive against us."
"Itachi's brother?" the other Akatsuki asked. "And two of him?"
"That's right," Sasuke responded, not adding something like 'the one and only' because that wouldn't have been necessarily true.
"Why don't you shoo away before you get hurt kid?" the first Akatsuki said, waving his hand in a shooing motion.
Sasuke didn't respond but only whispered to Itachi. "Copy my movements."
Itachi nodded in curious reply.
Without further conversation, Sasuke began forming seals for his 360 seal fire jutsu, Makyou Ryuuka Umi.
Itachi used his Sharingan and copied the seals along with the strange method of molding chakra that Sasuke was using.
The method was basically, to relax and perform special hand seals so that the body absorbs nearby energy. Just like skin can absorb nutrients, chakra pores can absorb scattered energy which is always around due to massive use of jutsus everywhere.
The two Akatsuki decided it was enough time watching the Sasukes perform complex chains of seals and was ready to beat them only to the brink of death. That was because they figured that the Sasukes would make the perfect hostages to use against Itachi somehow.
"How much longer?" Itachi asked his little brother. "They're coming."
"Still some time," Sasuke replied. "Can't you copy my seals any faster?"
"Actually," Itachi replied as his third level Sharingan became the Mangekyou Sharigan. "I can."
Sasuke was at first shocked to see the Mangekyou Sharingan but realized he needed to be serious. "Alright." Sasuke said and quickly began forming his seals at an almost unparalleled rate.
Even with the Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi was having a little difficulty copying the movements. Though it was mainly because his hands couldn't keep up with his eyes.
Suddenly, the two Akatsuki members came right infront of the Uchiha brothers. "Flashy chains of seals there, but it won't get you out of anything."
Sasuke looked at Itachi who prepared to counter an attack. "Don't move," Sasuke said to Itachi. "You will break the energy flow."
"Hehe," one of the Akatsuki members grinned and punched Sasuke in the stomach.
Sasuke continued to stand firmly on the ground as he skidded back from the impact. "Strike one," Sasuke commented. "And in this game, there's only one strike. Katon: Makyou Ryuuka Umi!"
Itachi did the exact same thing and a storm of fire established around the the Akatsuki members.
The two cloaked partners were quickly seared by the columns of flames which stretched to the skies. Unlike the time Sasuke used this same jutsu on Orochimaru, this one was far larger in size and since there was two, it was unescapable.
The screams of pain could not be heard for the roaring flames faded them out. Konoha, luckily, was not being incinerated because everything around was made of stone and the flames did not spread. However, melted rock was starting ooze from everywhere.
The flames subsided not long after since a jutsu of that magnitude couldn't be kept for long.
Itachi was impressed. So it seems Sasuke was really the one who caused that great light at Sound Contry, he thought. Looks like this must be the attack which is meant for me.
"Looks like quite a mess," Itachi said, referring to the mess of liquid rock everywhere.
"At least Konoha wasn't destroyed. It would be embarrassing if Fire Coutry's military village was destroyed by fire," Sasuke almost said aloud. He wanted to, but it would seem wierd and it would contrast something that an avenger like him would say.
A/N: I'm writing myself into something completely different than I planned. I wanted to have Itachi and Sasuke somehow become true brothers again but it looks like when Sasuke realizes his 'counterpart' is Itachi, he would become enraged more than ever.