The Rise of a Warrior: Naruto: Shippuden

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Three years have come and gone, and while Tatsu and the ninja of the Hidden Leaf have grown stronger, they'll have a whole new group of enemies to face. The era of Team Dragon has arrived, but can they rise to the challenge? Sequel to the Rise of a Warrior: Naruto, second story in my Naruto trilogy. Please read each chapter until the end and check for notes.

13. The Rise and the Fall of Itachi Uchiha

"I wonder if Sasuke is okay." Suigetsu commented.

"What's that mean?" asked Karin.

"What do you think? What if the first Akatsuki hideout we try is a bullseye?"

"Wait a minute, are you saying that Itachi is in this hideout?" asked Hotaru.

"I don't know, I only said what if. This Itachi is supposed to be pretty strong isn't he?"

"No, there's no way that Sasuke could lose to him." Karin insisted "No way…"

"Well I hope not, but maybe we should be planning for the worst case scenario here."

'Sasuke… Alright, I'm going to check inside. If anything happens then we're going in."

"We're what? And more importantly, why the hell are you taking over all of a sudden? Boy when it comes to Sasuke you always go overboard."

"No I don't, that just isn't true at all! Fine I won't go you idiot!"

"Then I'll ask the birds, I'll have them scour the entire area and keep an eye out for the approach of any enemies." Jugo told them.

Suigetsu let out a sigh 'Damn, look at those two. They're so diligent, at this point I'm pretty sure Hotaru and I are the only normal ones.'

Hotaru looked at him "Did you say something?"

"...Nope."

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Naruto stopped the group "Guys, hold up."

"What's wrong?" asked Ino.

"My clones just disappeared, all of the scents in the south forest were false leads."

"Hey don't look so down Naruto." Kiba told him "I thought you never give up no matter what, isn't that your ninja way?"

"That's Bushy Brow's, my is to never give up and never go back on my word. Anyway, now I'll use the chakra I restored and increase the number of Shadow Clones." he summoned several dozen clones "I'm counting on you." and he sent them on their way.

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Sasuke made his way to the bottom of the Akatsuki hideout 'Itachi… I'll show you all of my rage…'

"So you've come." a voice noted.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks "Who's there? Show yourself."

"It's me… Sasuke." the figure revealed himself as Itachi.

Almost instantly, Sasuke's Sharingan flared into life.

"You've gotten a bit taller."

"And you haven't changed even a little, you still have those cold eyes."

"You're not going to just pass me by with some big speech are you Sasuke?"

"Don't be a fool Itachi, you know absolutely nothing about me." Sasuke suddenly managed to blitz behind Itachi and run him through with his Raijin sword "You have no idea what I carry for you in my heart, rage and despair, but above all resolve, and you don't know just how strong I've become because of that resolve. You don't know me at all, to me you are nothing more than a stranger now." he channeled the sword's power, causing Itachi to cough up blood as he removed his sword.

Itachi fell back and looked up at Sasuke "You've… gotten stronger…" then he suddenly dissolved into a flock of crows "Meet me at the Uchiha Hideout. Alone. We'll settle things there."

'The Uchiha Hideout, a fitting place to end all of this so I can finally return to my home and begin my life anew.'

"Sasuke!" then Hotaru and the rest showed up.

"I thought I told you guys to wait until I gave you the signal."

"Karin sensed another chakra in here, we got worried so we thought we'd better come in and check on you."

"It was a clone, nothing to worry about." he started walking away "Let's go."

"Where to?"

"To the place where I will end this, the Uchiha Hideout."

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Sasuke continued on with his group, only to notice Karin looking disturbed "What is it?"

"I sense the same chakra all over the place." Karin told him.

"That's probably one of the Leaf ninja using his Shadow Clones to search for us. Where's the nearest one?"

"Right ahead of us and closing in."

"Good, there's something I have to do." he stopped the group a little ways ahead "We'll wait here and wait for him to come to us."

Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him "Sasuke."

"I didn't think you'd come to see me off."

"Let me just start by saying that by no means do I like anything about this, especially the part where you guys are so okay with hurting Kin over it."

"Believe me, I hate having to hurt her like this."

"I know, but that's not why I'm here." Naruto held something out "I figured you'd want this if you were gonna go through with it."

"You really kept that thing all this time?"

"It's a symbol of who you are, and who your brother isn't. And above all, don't come back without kicking his ass."

Sasuke accepted what Naruto was holding: Sasuke's old Leaf headband "I'll hang onto it, at least for now."

"And Sasuke? Good luck."

"Thanks." Sasuke continued on.

Suigetsu and the rest followed him "So that was your old teammate huh?"

"Yeah, he never liked the idea of me going to Orochimaru even though it was an order from the Hokage herself."

"I see."

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Tsunade looked at the man in front of her, then looked at Tatsu, her voice low "You're sure about this?"

Tatsu nodded, his voice just ass low "Positive, it's always best to keep these sorts of things on our radar instead of letting them run loose in the shadows. He also understands that things can't all be his way, there has to be compromise in a delicate situation like this."

"Fine, I'll go along with your plan at least for now."

"So what can I do for you, Princess Tsunade?" asked the man.

Tsunade let out a long frustrated sigh "Danzo, after receiving some sound advice and planning from a certain source, I've decided to reinstate the Foundation."

Danzo actually leaned forward in his chair in shock "What?"

"We're well aware that you firmly believe that what you do is helping the Leaf, but the way you go about it is all wrong. I prefer to have the Foundation legal rather than go through every day knowing that you're acting behind my back. I'm not like Sarutobi-sensei. He never did anything because you were his friend, however I am not. I would go and dismantle everything you've worked as hard as you have for these past years, but that would be a waste of talent and shinobi forces we can't afford to lose, especially not right now with the Akatsuki on the rise."

Danzo was still shocked and remained silent.

"So the Foundation will become the specialist unit of the ANBU, like how tokubetsu is for jonin. We'll be removing all Curse Marks since there's no secret to be kept."

"But how would you-?"

"I've been experimenting with my genryu chakra." Tatsu informed him "Thanks to that I've discovered that it can purify seals, thereby erasing them."

"...Proceed."

"I'll let Tatsu handle the Curse Marks." Tsunade continued "The training will be changed, they will no longer employ the same exercises as the old Bloody Mist graduation exam. It's barbaric and I refuse to lose possible soldiers all for the sake of passing someone else. There will be more than just orphans invited, all jonin who wish to join ANBU may enter the Foundation first and train until they are prepared for the exams."

Danzo stayed silent and didn't move.

"I know where the headquarters for the Foundation is." Tatsu pointed out "We both have sources that got us info on the other, but my source is a lot better than yours. I know everything about you and what you've been doing these past few years, yet you're still in the dark about a large part of me for these past three years and that's driving you crazy. If you refuse to cooperate with us on this then I will personally go and dismantle everything you've worked for hesitation, so you can either be a part of this or not. Each member of Team Dragon has gotten the Leaf alliances with other nations and villages, including smaller ones that are good for trading, and we won't have your mistakes ruining that."

Danzo looked Tatsu in the eye 'No hesitation or nervousness in his gaze, it seems even more firm than his brothers. He's telling the truth, and unlike Sarutobi he'll follow through. At this point, my options are to either help with the process of this new Foundation or watch as he single-handedly destroys everything I've worked for. At least if I help then I could give my opinion and he'll at least listen to it. As for removing the seals, there is logic behind that. There is no point for them with the Foundation being reinstated. He's also correct about changing the exam, using that method is just sacrificing potential shinobi. The Kamikaze clan has always been intelligent, but his intellect may even surpass that of Kazuma.'

"Lady Hokage has agreed to forget everything illegal act you may or may not have committed if you assist us in restructuring the Foundation, you won't be in trouble so long as we have your full cooperation."

Danzo knew his only option was to accept the offer "Very well, I will cooperate."

"Alright, good. Now then, onto our next order of business." he pulled out a scroll and summoned some sketches "We're redesigning the Leaf's flak jackets, making them slimmer and easier to move in." then he noticed another file sticking out "What's this?"

"Oh that? That's an old file from a few years ago." Tsunade told him nonchalantly.

"Leaf Village's Maximum Security Prison? Was there a jailbreak or something?"

"Well… not exactly. See, during Orochimaru's invasion, it was reported that one of the inmates just disappeared."

"What, there was a breakout?"

"No, that's the strange part. The prison was oddly untouched during the invasion, but one of the inmates just up and vanished without a trace. No signs of being captured, no signs of a breakout, nothing."

"Who was it? Aizen? Those idiot brothers that could sumo slam Kakashi?"

"No, here's the prisoner's ID."

Tatsu looked at the ID and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head "You've gotta be kidding me."

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Sasuke led his group onwards "Come on, the Uchiha Hideout isn't much further."

Then Karin noticed something "What is this?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's a humongous chakra, and it's fast too."

"Does it feel similar to me?"

"No."

"Then I have a fairly good idea of who it might be."

"Is that so?" a figure appeared in front of them.

"I shouldn't be surprised you're here as well, Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Only Sasuke alone may go beyond this point, Itachi's orders so that's how it's going to be. The rest of you are welcome to wait right here with me."

"Fair enough. Besides, the only reason I brought a team with me was to make sure nobody would intervene." he looked back "Kisame is here to make sure you guys don't help me, I want you to make sure that goes both ways. This vendetta is mine and mine alone." and he went on, leaving the rest behind.

Suigetsu stepped forward "Kisame Hoshigaki and his sword Samehada."

Kisame blinked "How do you know that?"

"Did you forget me? I'm Suigetsu Hozuki, the younger brother of Mangetsu."

"Oh is that right, I didn't even recognize you. My you sure have grown Suigetsu."

"It would be boring just to wait around for Sasuke don't you think? So what do you say we play around and have ourselves a little bit of fun Master Kisame?"

"Unlike your brother you're quite impetuous aren't you Suigetsu?" Kisame drew Samehada from his back "So maybe I should cut you down to size."

"Just come and try it."

"Listen, shouldn't we just obey Sasuke's orders? Jugo suggested.

Karin was mentally fuming 'Don't be stupid blockhead, you're such a dunce!'

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Naruto led the group onwards "Come on guys, this way!"

"Wait, Naruto!" Hinata noticed something 'What's that chakra?'

"We don't have time to wait!"

Then Tobi popped up, still in his idiot persona "Howdy!"

"What the-?" Naruto fell back 'Great, I always get the weird ones.'

"Well now, how's it going there, there and there? Imagine running into Hidden Leaf folks in a place like this, and it's 2, 4, 6, 8 against 1! What bad luck!"

"Judging by those robes, you're a member of the Akatsuki too." Shikamaru guessed "Though you weren't on that roster Kabuto gave us."

"Well I'm kinda new here, nice to meet you."

Kiba smirked "Think you're funny huh? Look buddy, don't waste our time."

"Don't be rash." Kakashi warned "We need to wait and see, study the situation first. We do have an advantage in numbers."

"Oh dear, am I being underestimated by you guys?" Tobi mocked.

"Get out of our way!" Naruto suddenly appeared and attempted to slam him with a Wind Style: Rasengan from behind.

"A Shadow Clone?"

Naruto ended up phasing right through him.

"Just kidding."

'Dammit, what the hell is with this guy?'

"Naruto." Shikamaru spoke up "Do you remember the tactic we used back when Sasuke was taken by Orochimaru's thugs?"

"Yeah, you left one man behind every time you ran into an enemy and that ended up botching the whole mission."

"Don't remind me. Anyway, this time we're trying something different. I'm sending you and Kin on ahead alone to find Sasuke."

"Shikamaru…"

"Climbing Silver, you sacrifice a pawn to infiltrate the enemy's line. We're all the pawns in this move, you're the bishop, now go protect your king."

"...Alright, I'm counting on you Shikamaru." and he went on ahead, with Kin following.

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Sasuke slowly made his way to the Uchiha Hideout, his Sharingan flaring into life 'Not much longer now. Get ready Itachi, I'm coming for you.' he looked at his headband and slowly removed the bandages on his head, then strapped the headband on 'But I'm not doing this as an Uchiha, or as a shinobi of the Leaf, I'm doing this as Sasuke Uchiha the Thunderclap, one who will harden his heart to protect the ones he loves.'

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Naruto continued on with Kin when he noticed something "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" asked Kin.

"Something's coming."

Sure enough, a figure with pink hair appeared wearing a crimson mask and Akatsuki robe appeared before them "So you actually made it this far, Naruto Uzumaki."

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"The one who's come to kill you and obtain my revenge for what you and your friends have done to me?"

Naruto motioned for Kin to get behind him "I don't know who the hell you are or what the hell you're going on about, but I'm not gonna let you stop us from getting to Sasuke! Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he fired a barrage of multiplying shuriken.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the figure fired off her own barrage, cancelling out Naruto's attack.

"Wind Style: Air Dragon Jutsu!" Naruto fired a wind dragon.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" the figure fired a water dragon to cancel out the wind dragon.

'She keeps countering my attacks, at this rate I'm not gonna get anywhere.

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Itachi sat on the throne in the Uchiha hideout 'My foolish little brother…' he thought back to his past with Sasuke and the assassination he carried out after joining the ANBU, and being under close watch for suspicious activities. He was snapped out of his thoughts and opened his eyes, activating his Sharingan for the one in front of him "How much can you see with that Sharingan of yours?"

Sasuke slowly walked forward "You want to know how much I can see with these? Well Itachi, what I'm seeing right now is you lying dead at my feet."

"You see me dead do you? Well then…" in the next instant, Itachi was behind Sasuke, back to back with him "Come on then Sasuke, make my death a reality."

"If that's what you want then fine, I will." Sasuke drew a kunai to clash with Itachi's attack.

Itachi thrusted a kunai forward.

Sasuke blocked it with his sword, as well as an attempted kick.

Itachi then used his Early Sacrifice technique to jump on Sasuke's shoulder to avoid the attack, then spun Sasuke around before slamming him into a wall, edging his sword into the ceiling.

Sasuke quickly regained his footing "Chidori!" a Chidori flared into life in his hand as he charged forward "Chidori Stream!" he slammed the Chidori into the ground.

Itachi leapt into the air.

"Gotcha!" Sasuke appeared on the roof, grabbed his sword, and impaled Itachi through the stomach with it.

"You have… gotten strong…"

"Listen close Itachi, I'm only going to say this once. There's one final thing I have to ask of you."

Itachi raised two fingers and pointed them to the right.

Sasuke looked to see Itachi sitting in the throne, then looked down to see the Itachi underneath him dissolve into a flock of clones "The exact same words and your signature crows as well, starting with your favorite genjutsu farce are you?"

"So what exactly do you want to know? It won't be the last thing, but I'll hear what you have to say."

"Well first, let me give this one more shot."

Itachi's eyes widened as he was stabbed from behind by a sword, and looked to see the Sasuke in front of him disappear with a surge "A Thunder Clone…"

"I have one last thing to ask, do you hear me?" he put pressure on the blade "Answer my question, the pain in my chest won't stop until you do."

"You deliberately avoided a vital spot."

"Do you remember what you said that night? You said that I would be the fourth person to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan counting you. Did that include Shisui as well?"

"So you know…"

"Yes, now did you add him?"

"No, I wasn't including him."

"Then what other Uchiha obtained it?"

"But why would you even concern yourself with such a thing?"

"Because after you, I'm going to target him next."

"You'll target him?"

"Back when you slaughtered our entire clan, even going so far as to make the bodies of the students disappear without a trace, you mentioned the existence of another. The other Uchiha you didn't kill, you must've been co-conspiring with him. I don't care how good you were back then, there's no way that even you would've been able to take out the Leaf Police Force single handedly."

"So you figured it out…"

"Who is it? Who helped you that night?" Sasuke pushed his sword further "Tell me!"

"It was… Madara Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes shot wide "Madara… Uchiha?"

"One of the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village, the man who first awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"A founder? That's absurd, Madara should be long dead by now. Do you really see me as that much of a fool?"

"Madara is still alive, whether or not you choose to believe that is entirely up to you."

"Are you out of your mind, or is it that you just think that little of me?"

"Each of us lives dependent and bound by our individual knowledge and our awareness, all of that is what we call reality. However, both knowledge and awareness are equivocal. One's reality might be another's illusion. We all live inside our own fantasies, don't you think that's true Sasuke?"

"Just what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that thinking Madara is dead is merely an arbitrary assumption that you've decided to make, in exactly the same way that you once assumed that I was your kind and gentle older brother. I have acted like the older brother you desired for one reason, because I wanted to discover how powerful you were."

"What happened that night, I was so young. I thought it was all merely an illusion, I desperately wanted to believe I was trapped in a horrible genjutsu. But there was no mistake, I was trapped in reality!" he turned and fired a Chidori Sharp Spear at the real Itachi sitting behind him "My eyes are not the same as they once were, my Sharingan can see through genjutsu."

"You speak with such confidence as you always do, well for now I'm willing to take your word for it."

"I'm done playing along with your parlor tricks." Sasuke retracted his jutsu.

"Confidence is fine Sasuke, but it appears that you still do not possess the same eyes as I do. So you just couldn't do it, you couldn't kill your best friend and yet you still dare to come here to face me with such weak resolve?"

"Lacking the same eyes goes both ways, while I lack the Mangekyo Sharingan you lack the Sanda Sharingan. But if you're so confident in your abilities then go ahead, hurry up and try to kill me with your oh so amazing Mangekyo Sharingan, or is it that I'm just too strong now to test your capabilities against mine?"

Itachi let out a sigh as he stood "Such confidence. The Mangekyo Sharingan are very special eyes, the moment they awaken they progress towards darkness and the more they're used the faster they're sealed."

"And what exactly do you mean by sealed?"

"The Mangekyo eventually lose their light."

"Blindness, so that's the price of obtaining the power to control the Kyuubi is it?"

"So you did as I instructed and read the lithographs in the secret Uchiha meeting place."

"Exactly who and what is Madara?"

"The first man to ever tame the Kyuubi with his eyes, an immortal man who is both my comrade and my mentor and the exceptional man who is the only one to ever uncover the other secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan. That is Madara Uchiha."

"Did you say the other secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan? What other visual power does it possess? Can it do more than just tame the Kyuubi?"

"Yes, another secret, the most important one of all."

"The most important secret of all? Tell me, what is it?"

Itachi paused.

"What is it? Answer me!"

"Let me tell you a little bit about the past, particularly the history of the Uchiha. Back then, Madara had a younger sibling, a brother." he used a genjutsu to show Sasuke the history of Madara and his younger brother "From the time they were children, the two honed their skills by competing with each other. Eventually, they both awakened their Sharingan and they made names for themselves both inside and outside the Uchiha clan. The two continued to push each other, seeking to sharpen and advance their visual prowess, and then the brothers killed off those most precious to them and in doing so they finally awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. It had never before been seen among the Uchiha clan, the brothers used their visual prowess to unite the clan and Madara was named its new leader. However, Madara began suffering strange physical symptoms. As I just told you this eye is special, the more you use it the quicker it becomes sealed with the end result being total darkness. That is the fate of the Mangekyo Sharingan, in exchange for obtaining critical visual prowess that power shuts itself down cutting off the light forever. In order to try to reclaim the light Madara tried all of the methods he could find, but nothing was effective. He became lost in despair and, haunted by the Mangekyo Sharingan, desperately seeking the light, he stole both eyes from his younger brother. And so Madara obtained new light, and after that never again did the light fade from his eyes. An Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It is said that by finding a new host, his younger brother's eyes obtained eternal light and another change emerged, a distinctly new and unique visual jutsu was born from those eyes. However, this exchange can only take place between clan members and not everyone obtains new powers from this method either. These truths were only gradually discovered over time, after countless sacrifices. That is the other secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Madara used his newfound powers to take control of one ninja clan after another. Ultimate he formed an alliance with the most powerful clan, the Senju clan of the forest, and established a new organization. Later, he clashed with the leader of the Senju clan, the future First Hokage, over the course the village would take. He may have lost the battle over leadership, but Madara still lives on with his visual prowess in tact. He's been hiding himself among the shadows, creating a new organization, one you know very well."

Sasuke felt the realization hit him like a ton of bricks "The Akatsuki…"

"Exactly. 16 years ago, when the Kyuubi attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, it was the doing of Madara. But like Madara's bid for power, the Fourth Hokage stopped that too in short. Madara is a bitter defeated loser now, he's not worthy or capable of grasping the true greatness of the Uchiha clan. I am the one, I shall surpass Madara and achieve real greatness! Now I can finally obtain power exceeding that of Madara!" then he turned insane "Sasuke, you are the one who will become my new light! You have my spare eyes! Activating the Mangekyo Sharingan always required an Uchiha to take down a friend, parents and siblings killed each other to obtain eternal visual prowess! We're both from a tainted bloodline, it's advanced in strength this way throughout the ages and from the day you were born into our clan you were unavoidably entwined in this blood soaked fate!" a large monstrous figure appeared from behind Itachi and bound Sasuke with its tails "Now come my little brother, I shall kill you to obtain my true transformation and finally be free from the fate of our clan! I shall break loose from all the restrictions and free myself from all the constraints that bind me! We are each other's spares! THIS IS THE TRUE BOND BETWEEN THE BROTHERS OF THE UCHIHA!"

Sasuke's Sharingan flared into life as he slowly removed his cloak.

'It seems you were able to see my inner self.'

"It was all just for this." Sasuke's voice was soft as he reflected on his life until that point "I've finally arrived, the moment in which I can obtain my goal is here at last."

"You said that you see me dead at your feet, but you cannot possibly win against me and my Mangekyo Sharingan. Unfortunately, your goal will end as mere fantasy and vanish like a dream upon waking because you do not possess my visual prowess." Itachi pushed his arm back into the sleeve.

Sasuke slowly removed the bandages on his arms "It doesn't matter how much you use those eyes of yours, I will use all of my resolve turn my fantasy into reality. And your reality is death by my hand." using the summons on his wrists, he summoned a barrage of shuriken and fired them forward.

Itachi countered by firing his own barrage of shuriken, before he stepped forward and charged.

Sasuke met the charge and caught Itachi's right arm, his own left arm being caught in the process.

Another Itachi leapt up from behind the first one.

'Even during all that, he was able to weave signs for a Shadow Clone?!'

The second Itachi fired a barrage of kunai.

Sasuke forced a snake to burst out of his Curse Mark and used it to shield himself, then leapt backwards as he retracted the snake and fired off a Demon Wind Shuriken.

Itachi blocked it with a kunai.

Sasuke then activated the lightning chakra he infused within the shuriken.

"He ran his Chidori through it?!" Itachi's Shadow Clone dissipated, leaving only the real one remaining as he then appeared in front of Sasuke and kicked him into the wall.

Sasuke attempted to use another Chidori.

Itachi blitzed in front of Sasuke and trapped his arms and feet "Forgive me, Sasuke. This is my reality, give me your light." he then proceeded to seemingly carve Sasuke's right Sharingan out, causing him to scream in pain.

Sasuke clutched the bleeding spot where his right eye had been.

"I told you Sasuke, you don't possess the Mangekyo Sharingan and you'll never be able to win against these eyes of mine. And now I'll take the other one too."

Sasuke partially activated the second level of his Curse Mark, forming a wing, forcing Itachi to retreat back.

'So that's the power of the Curse Mark.' Itachi quickly stuffed Sasuke's right eye into a small capsule from his sleeve "This is the difference in our strengths, and…" another Itachi suddenly grabbed Sasuke from behind "The difference between your eyes and mine." the first then reached forward in order to take the second eye.

Desperate, Sasuke fully activated the second level of his Curse Mark, snake bursting out of his back and stabbing through the second Itachi, and everything turned black and white and begin breaking up 'This is…' panting heavily, Sasuke found himself back in reality and promptly fell to his knees 'That was… Itachi's Tsukuyomi…'

Itachi then promptly fell to his knees, clutching his left eye "You… broke through my Tsukuyomi?"

Slowly, Sasuke got back onto his feet "Like I told you before, no matter what you may use with your eyes or how much you may use it, with all of my resolve I will turn my fantasy into your reality."

"Turn your fantasy into my reality you say?" Itachi got back to his feet "Some strong words, then let me throw them right back at you now. Just a few moments ago you saw your eyes being gouged out during the Tsukuyomi, now allow me to make that a reality as well." he blitzed through several hand seals.

To prevent Itachi from wielding signs, Sasuke fired off a Demon Wind Shuriken, which then formed a second, initiating the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu.

Itachi leapt in between the shuriken, barely avoiding being sliced.

Sasuke then pulled on some wire strings.

'A rigged shuriken?!' Itachi found himself stabbed in the leg by one of the blades, causing him to fall to the ground.

'Perfect, those last shuriken did the trick.'

Itachi staggered to his feet and pulled the blade out of his leg, then clutched his eye, his vision blurring slightly.

"You must be feeling the backlash from your Tsukuyomi right about now, painful as hell for you but absolute heaven for me. The moment I nullified your Tsukuyomi, I seized control of this battle." he formed a hand seal "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he breathed out a fireball.

Itachi leapt out of the way.

"Lightning Style: Purple Thunder!" Sasuke charged a blast of purple lightning in his hand and charged at Itachi, breaking through the roof of the hideout.

Itachi leapt through the hole in the roof and fired a fireball into the smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Sasuke appeared, having used the Curse Mark to protect himself from the attack "These wounds are nothing, they won't even come close to slowing me down." he formed hand seals "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he breathed out another fireball.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi breathed out his own fireball.

Sasuke quickly put more power into his fireball, gaining the upper hand.

Blood poured from Itachi's right eye "Amaterasu!" he unleashed the black flames of the Mangekyo Sharingan and combined them with his fireball, cancelling out Sasuke's fire jutsu before he dispelled the flames.

'Dammit, he put out with fire. I should've expected as much, with the Amaterasu he can turn even flames to ash.' Sasuke then took off running around the rooftop.

"Amaterasu!" Itachi unleashed more black flames, burning part of the forest surrounding the top of the hideout.

Sasuke attempted to outrun the flames, but his wing was hit and the flames spread to the rest of his body, causing him to cry out in pain.

Panting heavily, Itachi slowly made his way towards Sasuke's body and reached forward.

That is, before Sasuke's body suddenly melted through a crack in the floor.

Itachi looked down to see the real Sasuke back inside the hideout.

'Good thing I used Purple Thunder at the last second to make a hole in the roof so I could use an Orochimaru-style Substitution Jutsu. I'm running low on chakra, if I'm going to do this then it has to be now.' Sasuke formed a hand seal "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" he breathed out a large fire dragon.

Itachi leapt back at the last second, causing the fire dragon to fly up into the atmosphere, along with two more fire dragons following that one, though his arm was burnt.

Sasuke fully activated the second level of his Curse Mark, now devoid of any wings "That Amaterasu of yours, looks to me like it took quite a lot out of you." then he fell to one knee and his Curse Mark receded, a smirk tugging at his lips 'This will probably be my last jutsu.'

"The Sharingan can assess your chakra level so just give up on this ridiculous bluff of yours. I can tell with a simple glance that you're out of chakra. You used the Orochimaru-style Substitution Jutsu to evade my Amaterasu, it's a good trick to deceive your opponent but it uses up an enormous amount of chakra."

"Not going to lie, you've got me there." Sasuke got back to his feet "I don't have even a scrap of chakra left, I used up every last scrap of it in that last fire style jutsu." then a smirk tugged at his lips as rain began pouring down, lightning flashing overhead "However, do you really believe that I'd come here to kill you without being prepared? I've really gotta thank Dosu for this later. Like a comrade of mine once said, it's wise to always have an ace in the hole. It lasts only for an instant, and this is a jutsu that can't be blocked or dodged, just like the Amaterasu. Now then Itachi, you asked for it so here it is at last. The time has come, the time for me to make your death a reality! I've steeled my resolve and gained my power, and now I'm here to settle this. The time has come Itachi, you will die here and now by my hand! My real target was never Itachi to begin with, I shot those fire dragons into the sky to cause the ambient temperature in the atmosphere to rapidly increase and create an ascending air current to form a cumulonimbus cloud, otherwise known as a thundercloud. Now I don't have to use my own chakra, now I can take advantage of the enormous energy in the atmosphere to create an extremely powerful lightning style jutsu that will be on a totally different scale from whatever anyone could create using change in chakra nature alone.' he leapt onto the highest point on the hideout and held up his hand 'I deliberately lured Itachi outside so I could use the heat generated by the Amaterasu. This jutsu guides the lightning down from the heavens, all I have to do is merely direct its power right at you. That's why this jutsu can't be evaded. Lightning flashes at 1/1000th of a second, even faster than sound. I refer to this jutsu as Kirin. Now I've tamed lightning itself. Come!" he summoned the lightning in the form of a lightning dragon. Now be gone, with the sound of the thunderclap!" and with that, he guided the technique down, engulfing Itachi and obliterated the entire Uchiha Hideout in the process.

When the blast subsided, Itachi lay face down amongst the ruins of the Uchiha Hideout, his Akatsuki robe obliterated.

The lightning in Sasuke's palm subsided, his Sharingan deactivated, and he fell to his knees in exhaustion "It's done… it's finally over…" he looked around at the carnage.

"Is this… the death you had imagined for me?"

Sasuke froze.

Slowly, Itachi climbed back to his feet.

Furious over the fact that Itachi survived, Sasuke entered his second level "DAMN YOU! How?! How are you still alive?!" he got his answer.

Itachi was suddenly surrounded by crimson chakra taking the form of a skeleton "If I hadn't had this then I would've been obliterated. You really have gotten stronger… Sasuke…"

'What the hell is that thing?'

"Now it's my turn, I'm going to reveal to you my final trump card: the Susanoo."

"The Susanoo?"

"Yes, the one other jutsu. Once the Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu are awakened, it also took route in these eyes of mine. Like you said yourself Sasuke, always have an ace in the hole."

Sasuke got into a stance.

"Sasuke, is that it for your jutsu then? If you have anything else up your sleeve then now's your last chance to play it." light began shining through the clouds "The real battle is only just beginning." chakra skin began wrapping around the skeleton until Itachi's Susanoo was fully armored, complete with a sword and shield "What's the matter? Have you used up all of your chakra and run out of options?"

"What?" then Sasuke flinched.

"I can give it to you." a voice hissed.

Sasuke clutched his shoulder in pain.

"I can lend you the power that you need."

"Dammit!"

"You need me, don't you dear Sasuke?"

Then Sasuke fell to his knees.

"I thought you wanted to take revenge on Itachi. Now release me, release my power and you can fulfill your dream at last!" eight massive snakes burst from Sasuke's shoulder against his will, causing him to scream in pain.

Itachi was quick to recognize the jutsu "That feels like Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu."

The snakes moved forward.

Itachi inched forward and used his sword, the Totsuka Blade, to decapitate seven of the eight snakes.

The last remaining snake opened its mouth, and out from it climbed none other that Orochimaru, completely naked "At last…"

"And now it finally emerges!"

Orochimaru promptly regurgitated his Sword of Kusanagi "This is it, this is what I've been waiting for! Thanks to you the repressive chakra is gone, and now at last I have the chance to take over this child's body for good!"

Itachi's eyes snapped open.

"And so…"

Itachi stabbed Orochimaru through the chest using the Totsuka Blade.

"Did you truly believe that a puny attack like that could take down the likes of me?" then he froze.

"Well Sasuke, what will you do next then?"

"This sword, it can't be! The Totsuka Blade?! Itachi, it was hidden in you all along!" then he suddenly disappeared into the sword, along with the Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu.

'The Totsuka Blade is a sword of sealing, it traps and seals those it pierces in a genjutsu world of drunken stupor for all eternity. The blade itself is imbued with sealing jutsu and is a variant of the Kusanagi Blade. Orochimaru, you've long searched for that sword.' he finished sealing away Orochimaru, leaving only a single white snake behind "This is it… Sasuke…"

Now free of Orochimaru, Sasuke gripped his shoulder 'He ripped Orochimaru straight out of me, and he even removed the Curse Mark in the process.'

Itachi began hacking and coughing up blood.

'Using that Susanoo appears to be awfully risky, he's been coughing up a lot blood.'

"And now… your eyes are mine… I'll take my time retrieving them…" then he began coughing up even more blood.

Sasuke slowly staggered to his feet "Itachi… your power is something I alone could never hope to match up to… I can't win…" then he smirked "At least, that's what you'd expect me to say, right?"

'What?'

"Haven't you noticed? Throughout this entire battle, I haven't tried to activate my Sanda Sharingan even once."

'Does he…?'

"Like Shino said, while having an ace in the hole is good, having two aces is better. You think I didn't know about the Susanoo? Shisui had it too, and since then I've been coming up with all sorts of plans to counter its power. I've been letting Raijin's power build up all this time as a last resort, my plan being to finish it with one massive blast if need be." his Sanda Sharingan flared into life as he drew his sword "And now, after building up for this entire battle, it's ready!" his sword was coated with lightning "Do you see this Itachi? The Thunder Spirit himself has lent me it's power to end this battle!"

Itachi's Susanoo slashed.

Sasuke leapt into the air, a massive avatar made of pure lightning appearing behind him "This sword of mine burns with an awesome power!" a massive lightning sword appeared for the lightning avatar to wield "It's burning blade tells me to defeat you!" he formed a hand seal, and two Thunder Clones appeared, creating identical copies of the lightning avatar "Take this! My love, my pain, AND ALL OF MY SORROW! THUNDER STYLE: CRESCENT MOON DANCE!" all three charged forward.

Itachi's Susanoo slashed through two of the clones, dissipating them, the surge of lightning pushing him back.

"FINAL STRIKE!" Sasuke himself cut the Susanoo down with a diagonal slash down across the chest, the surge of lightning sending both brothers flying.

When it was over, Itachi was face down in the dirt.

Sasuke slowly limped over to him and knelt down 'It's over… I really hope it is, that one really was my last attack. Now I'm completely spent.'

Then Itachi struggled to get to his knees "Sasuke…"

"You're not going to take my eyes Itachi, unlike you I've learned what it means to fight for someone other than myself."

Itachi just mumbled something and reached out with his blood covered hand, then suddenly poked Sasuke on the forehead like he used to do when they were younger, before he finally collapsed to the ground, dead.

Sasuke stared down at Itachi's body, not bothering to notice the rain overhead 'It's over… I've truly won…' he managed a slight smile 'Father… mother… my clansmen… you can rest in peace… Naruto… Tatsu… Kin… I'll be home soon…' the last thing he saw before passing out was a blurry green figure approaching him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was losing his patience with the figure in front of him 'Dammit, this is going nowhere! Wind, fire water, she counters every attack I throw at her!'

"Now die!" the figure drew a tanto and charged.

'Gonna have to use a Rasengan.'

"Earth Style: Planet Splitter!"

The masked figure suddenly leapt away as the ground beneath her began splitting "Dammit! I suppose we'll have to finish this another time." and she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked around "What the-?"

"Relax." Dragon appeared in front of them, Sasuke slung over his shoulder.

"Sasuke!"

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. I'm taking him back to my hideout to be treated, the two of you are welcome to come if you wish." and he kept walking.

Naruto and Kin shared a look, but followed nonetheless.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru's mind was racing 'Dammit, no matter what we do none of our attacks have any effect on him. He's just toying with us now, none of our formations have any effect. Kakashi."

"I know, I noticed too." Kakashi confirmed "Our timing has been dead on for all of our formations up until now, but all of our attacks have been passing right through his body."

"Thought so, and what exactly do you think about it?"

"No doubt about it, it's some special jutsu that's unique to him which makes it a real bother to us."

Then Zetsu showed up "I'm back."

"Well? How did it go?" asked Tobi.

"It's over."

'That one was on the Akatsuki roster Kabuto left us.' Shikamaru noted.

"Sasuke has triumphed in the battle, Itachi Uchiha is now dead."

Kakashi and the rest froze 'No way…'

Tobi appeared just as surprised "What? I don't believe it! Kidding." then his voice changed, much lower "It's just as I expected."

"Sasuke really defeated Itachi?"

"Sasuke is down right now too." Zetsu told them "So what's next? I think he's in pretty bad shape."

Then Kakashi froze when he noticed something.

Tobi had a Sharingan hidden behind his mask "We're just going to have to finish this some other time."

'That's a Sharingan… just who in the world is he?'

"Later." then Tobi disappeared.

'How? Who was that?'

"Kakashi." a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Kakashi looked to see a female figure in a purple kimono standing in front of him "You're…"

"Don't worry, Sasuke will be fine. Dragon is collecting him as we speak. Come with me, I will take you to him." and she leapt off.

"Kakashi, what do you think?" asked Shikamaru.

"She's helped us before, let's proceed with caution." and Kakashi went on, with the rest following.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zetsu arrived to find a bored looking Kisame standing in front of an injured and unconscious Jugo, Karin and Suigetsu "Well at least you didn't waste time."

"It wasn't even me, some girl with an Akatsuki cloak showed up and pummeled all three of them and took the Executioner's Blade, while that blonde girl just disappeared." Kisame told her "She must've been reversed summoned by contact or something."

"I see."

"So it's all over then is it?"

"Yes, it's finally settled. Sasuke has won, and Itachi is dead. So what will you now Kisame?"

"Well if Itachi isn't around anymore then I think I'll spread my wings and see where fate takes me."

"I see, well do what you please." and Zetsu left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke slowly regained consciousness to see a spiky roof above him 'Where… Where am I?'

"I treated your wounds."

Sasuke sat up and winced.

"Itachi is dead, you won. But you sustained a great deal of damage and you've yet to completely recover, try not to move around too much." a figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to be Izumi "I brought you here to tell you something."

Sasuke looked down.

"And you don't care in the slightest, maybe you'll want to listen if I put it another way. It's about your brother, Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke slowly looked at him "What?"

"You think you know everything about your brother, but you actually don't. First…" she formed a hand seal, and a passage appeared "Remember, only two of you in here at once."

Then Naruto rushed in, with Kakashi right behind him "Sasuke!"

"And lower your voice, remember that he's injured."

"Why did you bring us here?" asked Kakashi.

"Because there's something the three of you need to know about Itachi Uchiha."

Kakashi's eye narrowed, along with Naruto.

"You three think you know everything about Itachi, but in reality you know nothing. Let me start by introducing myself. Like Sasuke I happen to be an Uchiha survivor, as well as one of the few who knows the truth about Itachi Uchiha. But first, Kakashi I need you to form a Shadow Clone."

"...Alright." Kakashi did so.

"Now I need the clone to activate its Sharingan."

Kakashi's clone hesitantly.

"Alright, now everyone step back if you don't want to get caught."

Then Sasuke's left eye suddenly took the form of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan, causing black flames to appear and emerge and dissipate the clone, and he held his eye in pain "What… What was that… just now?"

"That was the Amaterasu, which Itachi had implanted in you." Izumi knelt down beside him.

"What are you talking about?"

"To put it simply, Itachi placed a certain jutsu inside you in order to kill a certain someone, or more like keep that someone away from you. I theorized that he set up this trap in order to activate you saw a certain Sharingan."

"And again I ask, just what are you talking about?"

"Itachi did something to you before he died."

"Wait, you mean-?"

"That's right, at the very end for your sake Itachi transferred his visual prowess to you."

"What are you saying?" asked Naruto "Why would Itachi of all people do something like that?"

"The answer is quite simple." then Dragon appeared in the room "He did that to Sasuke because, he was trying to protect him."

Sasuke's head snapped towards Dragon, unable to process this, with Naruto and Kakashi not being much better "Protect… to protect me… you can't be serious."

"As Izumi said before, you think you know everything about your older brother but you know nothing, none of you three do."

"...Keep spouting nonsense like this and I will kill you."

"You're making this much more difficult than has to be, but then again I suppose it's only natural when you're hearing this from a complete stranger. So let's try something else." he removed his mask.

Kakashi's jaw literally dropped through his mask "It can't be… you're… Kazuma?"

"It's been a long time hasn't it Kakashi, Sasuke?"

"Wait a minute, then what about her?"

"I suppose I should reveal myself as well." Izumi removed her mask as well.

Sasuke's jaw dropped "You're my brother's girlfriend."

Izumi didn't look amused, but she did blush "We're not going into that right now."

"Hold on, you said Itachi set this up to keep him away from a certain person." Kakashi pointed out "Who was it?"

"Itachi mentioned it didn't he Sasuke? That he wasn't alone that night." Kazuma noted.

Sasuke nodded slowly "So you're saying…"

"The Akatsuki you fought, the one with the mask, was Madara Uchiha."

"No way!" Naruto blurted out suddenly "Madara is a women?!"

"...What?"

"That Akatsuki with the mask I fought!"

"No that was someone else, I'm talking about the one going by Tobi."

"Shut up!" Sasuke exploded "None of that matters anymore, just get out of my sight you imposter!"

"You need to hear this Sasuke, you have a right too. It's about the life of your brother who risked everything for the sake of the shinobi world, the Hidden Leaf Village, and most of all for you, his younger brother. You, all three of you, must know how Itachi Uchiha lived. Itachi implanted the Amaterasu into your eye because he wanted to make sure Madara never told you. What I'm about to tell you, the only ones who knew were myself, Izumi, advisors Koharu and Homura, Danzo and the Third Hokage. With the Third Hokage dead, there are only three elders left who know this and they most likely will never reveal this. The truth about Itachi would fade with time, just as Itachi himself wished."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because you have a right to know."

"What exactly are you saying Kazuma? What are you trying to tell us here? Itachi tried to protect me? Tell me the truth about Itachi?"

"Remember Sasuke, think back carefully and remember your brother, the kind and gentle older brother that he truly was."

Sasuke froze, recalling a conversation with Itachi about why the crest of the Leaf Police Force bore the symbol of the Uchiha clan "No, it's impossible… he didn't want to protect me… he just tried to kill me… he tried to steal my eyes…"

"Calm down Sasuke." Kazuma grabbed him by the shoulders "Deep breaths or you'll end up passing out. I'm not letting go of you until you do."

Sasuke took several deep breaths, but he was still in denial "He… Itachi was my enemy… he killed our mother and father… he slaughtered our entire clan… he was a rogue ninja… a member of the Akatsuki… he was despicable… he was my main goal…"

"That fateful night, it is true that he slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan and fled the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Then…"

"However, it was his mission to do so. He was ordered by the elders of the Hidden Leaf."

Sasuke froze, along with Naruto and Kakashi.

"Shocking isn't it? That's just the beginning."

"You said it was his mission?"

"Yes, that night Itachi set aside his personal feelings and fulfilled his mission."

"I still don't understand." Kakashi spoke "You two were reported dead that night, how are you both here?"

"We'll get to that in a moment. This is a long story, but I assure you that every word of it is the truth. Anyway, Itachi ended up being a sacrificial pawn in a longstanding power struggle."

"A sacrificial pawn…" Sasuke murmured.

"But first, I must begin with a history lesson, the history of our village. The Hidden Leaf Village is large now, but waves of history churn at its base. In particular, discrimination towards the Uchiha clan."

"Discrimination towards the Uchiha…?"

"Originally, the Hidden Leaf Village was formed by a group of ninja that had previously been in conflict, with the Uchiha clan being among them, as well as what remained of my clan, though most of it had previously died out. When the Hidden Leaf Village was founded, your clan held central power with the other clans. But after they failed to take the seat of the First Hokage, the Uchiha gradually began falling from power. Madara grew particularly bitter over this, and he attempted to convince the Uchiha clan to protest the government of the Senju but was shunned by his own clan for wanting to start another conflict. To make matters worse in that regard, his own clansmen believe he stole his younger brother's eyes after killing him when he had done so willingly. In an attempt to get revenge on the Leaf, Madara left the village and fought with the First Hokage using the Kyuubi in what would be known as the Final Valley. It's said that Madara died during that conflict."

"But that was so long ago, if he didn't die then sure he died of old age." Kakashi protested.

"I don't know the specifics, but what I do know is that there's a psychopath out there claiming to be Madara Uchiha. Anyway, in order to prevent the rise of another traitor Hashirama Senju's younger brother Tobirama became the Second Hokage and bestowed a special responsibility upon the Uchiha clan as proof of his trust. This was how the Leaf Police Force came to be. The truth is that it actually removed the Uchiha from the governing body of the village and placed the entire clan under suspicion in one fell swoop. In time there came to be some Uchiha who recognized Madara's true motives, and they grew an anti-establishment faction that inherited Madara's will. Time passed and the leadership stayed in the hands of the Senju, and the Uchiha began to bitterly see themselves as lackeys to the Senju. What Madara feared came to pass, and one more incident sealed the demise of the Uchiha."

"The attack of the Kyuubi…"

"Exactly Kakashi. Only the visual prowess of the Uchiha can tame and control the Kyuubi, unless you're a jinchuuriki but as far as I know there has never been one who could control the Kyuubi, so the elders surmised that an Uchiha was behind the attack. But it's seen as a natural spontaneous disaster and people believe the Uchiha had nothing to do with it. It's true, the clan itself didn't. But one man did have a hand."

"Madara…" Naruto growled.

"Right. Despite that, unjust suspicions persisted saying that the Uchiha had tried to stage an insurrection and take power to claim leadership over the Leaf. As a result, the Uchiha were put under strict surveillance by the ANBU Black Ops and forced to relocate to the outskirts of the village, resulting in them becoming completely isolated. The Third Hokage was the only one who voiced opposition to the retreatment, but it was unfortunately in vain. In the end the Uchiha clan was simply not trusted, resulting in the discrimination against your clan. Distrust gave birth to hatred, and eventually their suspicions became reality. The Uchiha clan started plotting a Coup d'etat to take over the Hidden Leaf Village, resulting in the Hidden Leaf's leaders planting a spy within the clan. Can you guess who that spy was?"

"No way…"

"You guessed it, that spy was none other than Itachi Uchiha. That was the beginning of Itachi's suffering."

"Wait a minute." Sasuke stopped him "This is a lot to take in. You're saying my clan was being discriminated? They formed a coup d'e tat? Itachi was a spy?"

"Despite being an Uchiha you were told nothing because you were so young, none of the students were told about this, but I promise that every word I speak is the truth. Your father, clan head Fugaku Uchiha, was the reluctant leader, while Itachi was a spy who entered the ANBU Black Ops. However, in reality it was actually the opposite. Itachi was supplying the village with information on the Uchiha. In other words, he was acting as a double agent. I can't even imagine what a heavy burden that was. You may never understand his reasons because you've never lived through the horrors of war like Itachi has, and like I have."

"I think I do." Kakashi murmured "Kazuma, you and Itachi were always pacifists, with kind and gentle hearts. You hated conflict in any way shape or form, and you always sought peace."

"You're exactly right Kakashi. During the Third Great Ninja War, when Itachi was only 4 and I was 5, we both saw many people die. We hated it, and we decided to do something about it."

"Something you should never have to experience at that age."

"War is hell, that's what turned us into pacifists to begin with. Itachi especially always had the welfare and peace of the village foremost in his mind. Instead of being bound by obligation to his clan, he was a shinobi devoted to his village. He voluntarily accepted a top secret mission, an eye for an eye, for they would need the Sharingan to face the Uchiha. The mission was to annihilate everyone who knew about the coup, Danzo specifically pointed that part out, claiming that while it was vulgar, letting anyone who knew about the coup survive was a risk that could not be taken. I despise the idea, but I knew he was right."

"But where does Madara come into this?" asked Naruto.

"Madara returned to the village to take advantage of the clan's hatred and planned to take advantage of the conflict, but Itachi and I discovered him. Itachi asked for his help in wiping out those involved with the coup and offered revenge against them for his treatment years before."

"And Madara agreed." Sasuke guessed.

"Exactly. Now this is where Izumi and I come into the picture. I brought Itachi and Izumi together and we made a plan: Itachi would act as an inside agent in the Akatsuki, working against Madara to keep him from directly harming the Leaf, while Izumi and I would act as outside agents against the Akatsuki, foiling any plots or schemes that would indirectly harm the Leaf. The night of the massacre, Izumi faked her death using a Sharingan jutsu known as Izanagi, a jutsu that allows you to return to life at the cost of sight in one eye. I faked my death using a blood clone, mainly so Madara wouldn't go after Tatsu and I could protect him from the shadows."

"So that's why Tatsu thought Itachi killed you."

"Yes. When the night came, Itachi killed Izumi, making sure she had activated Izanagi, and then killed those involved in the coup. This is where Madara botched the deal, he went against the plan and killed every single Uchiha he came across."

"But what about the other students?"

"Itachi and Danzo made an agreement, the students and younger Uchiha ninja would be kept underground and trained as part of the Foundation until the day came that Madara would be brought to justice. After all, wiping out an entire clan would severely weaken the Leaf's military power."

"...That makes sense, I guess."

"I can't begin to imagine what emotional trauma Itachi must have gone through during all of this when he learned of what had to be done, he was faced with a terrible choice. The choice to raise his hand against his fellow brethren must have destroyed him, but if ninja as formidable as the Uchiha clan would revolt then both the Leaf and the Land of Fire would be shaken tremendously. Other nations would take advantage of the situation and invade, and it could easily have become the trigger for the Fourth Great Ninja War. The selfish desires of the Uchiha clan would end up sacrificing the lives of hundreds of innocent people that have nothing to do with the shinobi world and countless innocents would die once again. Tell me, if you were in Itachi's shoes then what would you have done?" he left it at that for a moment.

"I don't get something though." Naruto spoke up "How come she has both eyes then?"

"She transplanted her mother's eyes into her own to gain an Eternal Mangekyo. Back to the main story, Itachi made up his mind. He himself would drop the curtain on the history of his own clan. Of course he held no hatred for the Uchiha, except for the ones who accused him of killing Shisui. He simply did what had to be done. The discrimination by the village and the object of their antagonism, he willingly shouldered all of the blame himself. No one should ever question the decisions and sacrifices Itachi made. The Third Hokage tried to resolve the situation through other means, with Danzo supporting him to an extent, and attempted to do open negotiations with the Uchiha to reach a compromise. But time ran out, and Danzo knew that there was no other option. Shisui also knew about Madara, he tried to use his Mangekyo Sharingan to stop Madara from ever harming the village, but he failed, and Madara ripped out one of his eyes, though Shisui retrieved it and retreated. He gave that eye to Danzo, claiming that he'd rather have him have it than Madara. He then entrusted his remaining eye to Itachi and killed himself, awakening Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan."

Sasuke and the rest took a minute to process that "You mean…"

"The night drew near, Itachi knew his fate to become known as a criminal who knew his own clan and drive the Kamikaze clan even further to extinction, to bear the burden of disgrace and become a rogue ninja, with all of that being part of the mission. Itachi completely fulfilled his duty, except for that one condition with Danzo. He could not bring himself to let the Foundation, which had used the exams used by the Blood Mist Village, get ahold of his younger brother. Afterwards, Itachi and I both appealed to the Third Hokage, pleading for him to protect both you and Tatsu. After that, he threatened Danzo and then all three of us left the village. If anything were to happen to you or him, we would leak all of the intel on the Leaf he had to enemy nations. We worried about the two of you above all else, and yet we couldn't tell you the full truth. So Itachi told you as much as he could. He gave you a reason to seek revenge against him and hoped it would make you stronger. I also knew that Tatsu's influence would make sure you had other things to live for. Itachi wanted you to believe the Uchiha was a proud clan from the Hidden Leaf Village, he begged the Hokage to make sure you wouldn't learn the truth until he thought you were ready, and from the moment he left the village he resigned himself to battling you to the death in order to bestow new powers upon you. That is the truth behind Itachi."

"It's a lie… it has to be… he's repeatedly tried to kill me…"

"Think about this, if Itachi wanted to kill you then you wouldn't be here right now."

"He's even used the Mangekyo Sharingan against me, there was no question he was trying to kill me."

"Even your contingency plans were factored into his calculations, he had to pressure you as hard as he could during that battle. Surely he figured out why, you understand don't you? He wanted to free you of the Curse Mark and Orochimaru, and the death of the one closest to you. It was a battle to awaken your Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi carefully set up everything in that battle, diverting your attention from the truth by pretending to the very end that he was trying to steal your eyes. Are you starting to see the truth now?"

"You're lying, I know it."

"Itachi wanted to make sure there was absolutely no chance of you discovering the truth, he fed you lies to make sure you wouldn't trust Madara. He even implanted Amaterasu in your eyes."

"Do you really expect me to believe this? Itachi was pure evil, he was a criminal who slaughtered our clan and became an Akatsuki!"

"Just because someone is an Akatsuki doesn't necessarily make him evil." he held up a hand to shut Naruto up "Remember Sasori of the Red Sand?"

Sasuke's comeback died in his throat.

"Itachi took the burden of all of this on himself and fled the village of his birth, and he joined the Akatsuki as a spy from the inside like I told you before, against the organization that threatened his village. He always had the welfare of the Hidden Leaf in his mind, just as he always thought of yours as well Sasuke. Itachi appeared in the Leaf after the Third Hokage was killed by Orochimaru, after the death of the man who had promised to protect you. He wanted to remind those who may wish to harm you that he was still alive and still a threat. And if you're still doubting me, let me say this. You're still alive, aren't you?"

Sasuke shut up abruptly.

"Those eyes of yours did not perceive a single truth about Itachi, you weren't able to pierce through any of the illusions he created. Itachi killed his friends, his superiors, his father, his mother, but he couldn't kill his little brother. He killed every shred of feeling in his heart in order to slaughter his own kin for the sake of the Leaf. But he just couldn't bring himself to kill you. Do you understand what that means? To him, your life was even more precious than the Leaf itself. Until the moment of his death, even after he died, it was all for you, to confer on you new powers by allowing you to defeat him. He had avenged the Uchiha clan, he made you the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village. Ravaged by illness and painfully aware of his impending death, he forcefully prolonged his life with medication all for your sake because he had to fight you and die in your presence. For the peace of the Hidden Leaf, but most of all for you Sasuke, he wanted to die being known as a criminal and a traitor. He accepted disgrace in the place of honor and hatred in the place of love, and yet Itachi still died with a smile on his face. He bequeathed to you the name of the Uchiha name, still fooling you to the very end." he opened up the secret passageway "Do you want some time to think about this?"

Sasuke said nothing, he just got up and walked out of the room without a word.

Naruto and Kakashi shared a look, one thought on their minds 'Woah…'

Then Shikamaru and the rest came in "What happened? What did they tell you?"

"Oh for the love of, we should've done it like this." Izumi promptly put Shikamaru in a genjutsu, letting him hear the whole story in mere seconds.

"Woah…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke stared out at the sea, tears freely streaming down his face 'Itachi… after everything I've been through… all these years… it was all a lie…'

Kakashi came up behind him "Sasuke."

"Kakashi, after everything you've heard, how do you see my brother now?"

Kakashi let out a sigh "In all honesty, I feel that he's the sort of man we should all strive to be like."

"I see."

"So will you come back?"

"...I will. But on one condition."

"What?"

Sasuke turned to face him, revealing his new Mangekyo Sharingan "I want my brother to be seen as the hero he was. He of all people deserves a better fate than being seen as a traitor."

"...Come on, let's go."

A/N:

Yes that was a G Gundam reference when Sasuke hit Itachi with his Thunder Style: Crescent Moon Dance, expect a lot of those.

The new flak jackets are based on the ones worn by the Leaf after the war, in case any of you were wondering.

Yes, Sasuke is returning to the Leaf. No, he will not be fighting Pain, and neither will Tatsu. Naruto will have help in that fight, just not from them.

Take a wild guess if you can figure out who that figure is that fought Naruto.