I was watching an AMV of Sasuke and Itachi and this like totally hit me like a freight train.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Some other Lucky soul does!
X-_X-_X
It was a day that all the peoples of Honoha would remember. It was the day that every shinobi that missed it wished they were there to witness. It was a day many people didn't think would happen, and many thought too hard to believe.
It was the day Uchiha Itachi walked back through the gates of Konoha, stripped of his Akatsuki robes, to give himself up.
The two ANBU that guarded the gates were almost disbelieving when, in a monotonous voice, Konoha's most infamous S-rank criminal said:
"I'm here to turn myself in, take me to the Hokage."
That is what they did precisely, but not only themselves two more ANBU platoons were summoned to escort Itachi and Itachi was bound by both chains and charka.
The first thing they did, however, after chaining him was first ask the Hokage if she would see him, they did not want to be responsible for taking this criminal to see the Hokage. If something unfortunate was to happen to her, and she hadn't specifically requested them there, it would be their heads. The Hokage more than allowed them to bring him to her: she was stunned. She demanded that they bring him.
Uchiha Itachi did not say another thing to anyone until he was bound in a cell deep below ground, and the Hokage had stepped in the room, followed by eight of Konoha's deadliest ANBU members. Itachi had been blindfolded.
The Lady Hokage, Tsunade, looked at him with astonished eyes. Who could be this man in front of her; he looked like Itachi but was certainly not acting like him. Why would such a feared man be willing to give himself over to people he had betrayed and dismayed.
Uchiha Itachi would surely not surrender himself to the village that sought his death, and Uchiha Itachi would not be the disoriented, meek, pile of a man that was sitting in front of her. A man who seemed to shiver in his own shadow.
Tsunade partly didn't know exactly how to act, or what to say when she first walked in the room. So for several minutes they sat in silence, astonished on one part, uncaring on the other.
It was not Tsunade that broke the silence.
"I will be sentenced and killed," Itachi said at Tsunade, mutely surrendering his blinded sight to the same spot he had been since he entered the room.
This shook Tsunade out of the slight stupor she was in, she gave a slight start before staring at him in wonder, but only momentarily, after that moment her brain seemed to react to the fact that she was supposed to be acting like a Hokage.
"Yes. For your crimes you will be sentenced in front of a jury of Konoha's council and clan leaders, and myself. If you are found guilty (Tsunade herself was only saying this out of procedure, he was definitely guilty) you will be executed—,"
"I want my brother to do it."
"—Then at…..What?" Tsunade stared at Itachi, frowning at the words that had just come from his mouth. "Sasuke is the last person that will be allowed anywhere near you."
"My brother is alive to be an avenger of our family; he will be the one to execute me. There is no other option," He continued his blindfolded stare. His limp hair shook with his jaws movements, and then stilled once more.
Tsunade herself was more confused than affronted at being spoken to in such a manner. If Sasuke consented would it even be ethical to have him do such a thing? Though…was the slaughter of one of Konoha's greatest clans ethical?
"He will want to do it," Itachi finally turned his blindfolded sight at Tsunade, to look her directly in the eyes. "It has been his ambition since the day he felt out parents' blood on him."
Tsunade was momentarily stunned (Which seemed to have been happening a lot today, increasing her rancor) the blindfold was chakra enhance, but she felt that eyes now looked at her, eyes that penetrated her very soul, not the eyes of a man, at least the eyes of a living one. If Tsunade didn't know any better she would assume this was someone in a Genjutsu simple pretending to be Itachi.
"This is your wish?" she asked him firmly.
"Yes."
"And you plead guilty?" she asked him, to get it on file.
"Yes."
"Then your trial shall be held in no more than a fortnight. You as I said before will have a jury of those of Konoha's council and those that have earned the role. And when sentenced you will be…executed as you will," Tsunade stood and signaled to the ANBU that she was finished here.
Itachi showed no sign of emotion as the door was closed and barred.
Tsunade however paused outside the door, leaning against it, clutching at her heart. She was the strongest Kunoichi to ever live, but what she had felt in that room was a great and terrible thing.
"Lady Hokage!" exclaimed several ANBU.
"Are you ok, Lady Hokage?" asked another.
"I'm fine," she said, taking a breath and turning to walk up to the corridor. The murderer she had just spoken to was responsible for so much. Konoha would gladly except his weak surrender.
When she looked into Itachi's eyes she saw pain, pain beyond that that a human should endure, even a shinobi. It brought the pain of her past to the front of her mind. And it troubled her, deeply.
X-X-X
Sasuke did not hear of his brother's return to Konoha until the rumors reached him, which was quite late in the day as he tried to avoid traveling into the village unless it was absolutely necessary.
He was always looked at when he would walk by a mass of people, always stared and whispered about, but today seemed different. The atmosphere of the village had changed. The aura everyone put out was frightful. Everyone seemed afraid and disbelieving. The looks he received were of mixed emotions, pity, anguish, hurt and surprisingly, fear.
Sasuke was startled, why would the villagers feel the need to fear him all of a sudden? True after his fight with Naruto and his eventual return to the village he had received sketchy looks, but they went away, albeit slowly.
He simply held his head high and kept his face stoic, as was usual, and walked on. Faintly smiling at what he imagined Naruto's expression to be at doing so ("BASTARD!") it almost made him smirk, almost. He tossed the notions of the villagers aside and continued on.
He had been called by one of the Hokage's henchmen to discuss something of his last mission. It was probably because of the run in with the remnants of Sound. He reflected silently. Sakura and Naruto were both out on missions so he had had a fairly relaxing day. He was, in turn, in a good mood.
Until he passed closely by a group of the gossiping villagers and heard something that made him stop in his tracks.
Something that made his blood run cold.
"I heard--,"
"—is it true?"
"Do you think?"
"Uchiha Itachi--?"
He spun on his heal to face them.
Why would they be talking about him? Why would they be talking about that piece of worthless slime! He was angered beyond belief, why did the matter of his brother have to arise on a day like today?
They went silent, immediately, as they noticed his approach of them. They stared at him in mute horror in fear, the expression he wore on his face. It spread the message of pain to all that looked upon it.
"What about Uchiha Itachi!" Sasuke asked the group, staring at each one of them in turn. They seemed to believe the one that talked to him might be slaughtered, for they all remained quiet, throwing startled looks to one another.
He asked again. "What could you possibly have to talk about concerning my...brother?" he spat the word 'brother' as if it burnt his tongue.
One brave man finally stepped forward, puffing out his chest in an act to look tough. "We were simply discussing ("Ha!" Sasuke thought "Gossiping is more like it.") the matter of what happened this morning."
Sasuke was at a loss. What had happened? Had his brother been sighted near the village?
"What happened this morning?" He asked, directing the question toward the man that had spoken to him before.
The man glanced uncertainly around at his comrades. "You mean you don't—That is to say, you don't know?"
"Know what?" Sasuke was getting frustrated. Couldn't this man just spit it out? What didn't Sasuke know?
"Your brother…he…um…well he….turned himself in this morning to the ANBU."
"What!"
The villagers barely had time to cower under Sasuke's wrath before Sasuke sped off, heading for the Hokage Tower.
X-X-X
Tsunade starred at the young man sitting in front of her, the utterly blank and lost expression on his face nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
"So…it's true?" He croaked out.
"Yes," Tsunade said, knowing better than to reach out and try to comfort the boy as she would Naruto.
"He just—He just gave himself up…just like that?" The boy in front of her was shaking in suppressed emotions. She knew it was he that had wanted to destroy his brother; she knew it was he that wanted to take revenge for his clan.
He would still get the chance to.
"He has one request."
"And what could that BASTARD want?" Sasuke said furiously. He was angered in a way that he had never been angry before. After everything Sasuke had done to try and hunt down and destroy his brother. After all he had sacrificed…Itachi simply handed himself over.
"You, Uchiha Sasuke, he wants you to be his executioner," Tsunade said.
Sasuke's head snapped up. He stared at Tsunade in something akin to confusion, though it could also be horror.
"He wants me to kill him?"
"Yes."
Sasuke's face hardened and he looked up determinedly at the 5th Hokage.
"So be it!"
X-X-X
Many of Konoha's citizens and shinobi had tried to get in the trial of Uchiha Itachi, or be stationed there that day. But none succeeded.
The only people allowed in the courtroom were the jury and Tsunade. Many people, though, were surprised at who exactly made up the jury. It had the usual clan heads, such as Hyuuga Hiashi and Nara Shikaku, but it also had renown shinobi like Jiraiya and Hatake Kakashi, and surprisingly enough it also had Umino Iruka.
For a few days at least people would contemplate why the jury had those members in it, why they were chosen. People would never find out the answer, for they the motley crew of the jury didn't know why they were there themselves.
Everybody was assured of one thing though.
Uchiha Sasuke never turned up at the trial, he never went to help persecute Uchiha Itachi, nor defend him. He simply didn't show up. No one really expected him to. He had been in a slightly crazed state since his brothers conceded captivity.
X-X-X
"Uchiha Itachi you have been found guilty on all charges of treason, murder, and espionage, and are hereby sentenced. You will be executed at sunset tomorrow in front of all Konoha by the hand of Uchiha Sasuke."
X-X-X
Everybody was tense, the square had not been filled by so many people since the 5th Hokage took power, and before that the Third's death.
But everybody had turned up to see Uchiha Itachi executed by his little brother.
Tsunade came out and did a formal introduction of what was to take place, saying who the condemned was and how he was to be executed and why. She spoke of the things the condemned did in his lifetime, and the horrors he had forced upon the world. She spoke with all the power of the Hokage.
Then Uchiha Itachi was lead out and chained to a wooded cross of sorts, for even the most resolute of men could become upstarts when looking death in the face. These chains may not have been needed for Itachi though, he would stay there and he would accept his fate.
The crowd began getting restless though first at the display of Itachi, showing the contempt they had for him, second the amount of time it took for Sasuke to come out. To them it seemed forever, they wanted to see the blood run out of Itachi, they wanted to see him die for the treasonous things he had done to the village.
In reality though it was only a couple minutes.
In that couple minutes Sasuke had been contemplating inside, a mere five feet below his brother that he would be executing. He wanted to ask him something though. He himself knew that he had a question to ask Itachi, but still was trying to put it into words instead of emotions.
He got up and walked to the stairs, it was time to do something that he had wanted to do for more than half his life. It was time to kill his brother, the brother that had murdered his parents and whole clan. The same brother that had left him alive left him alive to be an…avenger.
During the Chunin exam he had told Sakura that he was an avenger, he told her that he had to fight because of that fact. Now it was time to live for that promise, because at the end of the day he would be an avenger no longer. He would be the avenged.
X-X-X
The crowd quieted immediately.
The ultimate avenger had arrived, Uchiha Sasuke had arrived.
It was the time. The time that many people will remember forever, it was time for Sasuke to execute Itachi. Once and for all. The people in the square did not look at the ramifications of what was happening, they all remembered the massacre of the Uchiha clan like they remembered the attack of Kyuubi.
The Hokage took a step back as Sasuke approached Itachi. He walked determinedly, knowing is mission and knowing his goal. He looked absolute, a picture finally coming together.
Sasuke reached Itachi.
"You, the condemned, have chosen to die through incomplete decapitation by kunai. As you have chosen this by your own free will you are to acknowledge it," Sasuke spoke with a deliberateness, not looking Itachi in the eye. If he looked Itachi in the eye his anger would unleashed, and now was no the time. He had to complete this formally, and tradition inscribes, before he could let his anger run with him. He would only let Itachi know his anger when he could end it.
He would let Itachi know his anger when he could look him in the eye and slit his throat.
"I have…" Itachi acknowledged "…otouto."
Sasuke's head snapped up. He wanted to scream at Itachi. He wanted to yell at him, demand why he felt that he should be allowed to call him 'otouto.'
"Before I watch the blood flow from you I have one question," Sasuke spoke to Itachi, almost too quiet for the Hokage to hear. It was time for Sasuke to ask the question that he had come up with downstairs.
Itachi didn't respond, so Sasuke moved on.
"Why?" Sasuke said, once again shaking from suppressed emotions. "Why would you murder our clan, our family? WHY?"
"Ah...you don't understand little brother? You don't know why you were to watch our parents be gutted?" Itachi leaned forward as far as he could speak directly into Sasuke's face.
Sasuke flinched at Itachi's choice of words, but recovered quickly enough to speak again.
"Do NOT give the lame excuse of 'Avenger!' I won't buy it!" Sasuke spat, raising the kunai in the air to slit Itachi's throat.
"Oh? But little brother don't you see? How strong would you have been if I hadn't slaughtered them all, what kind of ninja would you have turned out o be? You would not be what you are now," he grinned up into Sasuke's face, silently mocking him.
But there was something in Itachi's face that Sasuke couldn't see; the anger was clouding his vision of his brother, seeing him only as the murderer of his family. There was a ferocious intensity in Itachi's face that few have ever seen before.
Sincerity.
Sasuke raised the kunai, as brought it flying to Itachi's throat.
But Sasuke was not fast enough to block out Sasuke's last words.
"For you, otouto. The only one of whom would look at me with love, not fear, unlike our parents. It's for you, otouto. My love for you."
The crowds cheered, the shinobi relaxed, but the young man named Sasuke did not. That youth, that man, he may have finally gotten what he wanted but it made him feel empty. Looking at the sharingans disappear from Uchiha Itachi's eyes, and watching as the smile never faded from his face, it made him feel empty. Emptier than he had ever felt before.
That night was the last time he ever cried over the murder of the Uchiha Clan. That night was the last time he ever cried for his family. The last time he ever cried for the family member he loved.
The last time he cried for his 'aniki.'
X-_X-_X
I know this is totally different from my usual writing style but I hope it's still ok.
Now there's moments of differed emotion in this story, however when examining the characters that I used here I noticed that Itachi and Sasuke in particular have odd moments of attitude change. As well as the fact that many stereotypical things have been compiled for the two.
So thanks for reading and all!
Sayonara
--AnimeSiren