Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. I want everyone to know I have no plans to abandon this project. My graduate classes and field placement and work take up almost all of my time, and this chapter needed a lot of work so I could properly show Itachi's inner growth during his fight with Kabuto once more. Soon we'll be out of the Great Ninja war and then I can show you what future lies in store for the Uchiha and Senju. Just know I'm doing the best I can to get these out! Thank you for those who are sticking with me through the completion of this story. Your reads, reviews and messages mean a lot.
Water dripped from the tops of the cave as precious minutes passed and the battle raged on.
Itachi jumped at Kabuto, who pierced him with his own sword. Entirely numb to physical pain, Itachi took the brief window to concentrate his chakra into his eyes. The colors of the cave became more vivid as he concentrated, eye turning white for only a moment. Just as soon as the jutsu was cast, Kabuto countered.
The battle wore on for a time, but Itachi could still feel no drain on his chakra. If the object of the battle were to kill Kabuto, it would have been easier. But to ensnare him in his multisensory jutsu without ending his life was more of a challenge. With another foolish attempt to turn the tide with words, Kabuto continued droning on regarding their respective motivations. Itachi took the opportunity to listen to Sasuke's response.
"I want the truth," his younger brother explained, with determined eyes. It was a determination Itachi would not betray him, no matter what half-lies the snake man came up with. Kabuto was not like Sasuke in the least bit.
Yet when Kabuto began to tell his story, it was his own ears it reached. Kabuto, two years older than himself, had also grown up in war. He too became who he was on the battlefield, far too young. And over time he became a spy as well, erasing the little sense of himself he had. Even more compelling, he too had risked everything he had to serve the village, only to be betrayed and stripped of all his closest bonds. In a sense, Kabuto truly did understand a similar pain to his own. Then why had he turned to fight against his former home?
It was because while they had been dealt similar hands, their morals were different. To Kabuto, a village that allowed his individual needs to be unmet in the crossfire of war was did not deserve to be called home. In contrast, he himself had decided to sacrifice his own needs until the end, if only to bring justice to his brother. For him, the less suffering caused by war took precedence over any self enforced sense of fairness. Kabuto might have come from similar roots, but he chose to wage a war much larger than the one that caused him pain to begin with. Kabuto's accusations were not baseless, and from the look on Sasuke's face, they resonated with him.
"Sasuke don't listen to him… no matter what darkness and contradictions lie within the village, I am still Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf. It's my fault you're like this right now." His heart hurt to say the words. It became more certain that the only way to ease the confusion in his brother's mind was to tell him the truth. How much truth he still did not know. "I know I have no right to advise you in any way, but I sincerely hope you'll hear me out because I have to tell you something."
"Sage Art, Inorganic Animation!" Kabuto yelled, and before anything could be done, Itachi found himself pierced by several large stalactites.
In her cottage, Hikari scarfed down a third bowl of rice, eyes peeled on the purple orb before her. As the sun fully set, so too did the future of the allied shinobi nations, or so it seemed.
Madara had the five Kage beat. Even with her super human strength, Tsunade had been stabbed in the stomach and forced to use her forehead seal. Astonishingly, Madara had infused the cells of his former rival onto his chest above his heart, enabling him to use wood style clones. Behind her, three Zetsu clones watch, also fascinated.
"It seems that Madara will win this fight without a problem," one remarks. "I wonder, Senju, if you were not confined to this cottage, which side would you fight on?" The woman sighed, rolling her head to the side.
"I don't know... Madara might be strong, but I don't see how he could actually take control of every single person on Earth. Even if he did, it would be wrong. What good would a world of peace be if the population could not wake up to share it with future generations?"
"So you side with the allied shinobi forces, then?" Another Zetsu asked. Hikari's expression grew dark and contemplative.
"The allied shinobi forces came into being out of necessity. If Madara is defeated, there will be no need for an alliance. The shared war will bring nations closer, but aside from the past week, what has changed? One week of wartime cannot undo centuries of cultural trauma. No; for nations to come together much more work must be done. Until then, the Five Great Nations will not be my home." Her eyes trailed back to the purple orb, and she proceeded to serve herself another helping of vegetables. The three men eyed her, amused. When she returned to her seat, Madara had begun to summon a toxic jungle. Hikari let out several vulgar curses at the new development.
"What's gotten into you? You've been acting quite unlike yourself lately," the first white creature said.
"You've been eating a lot too!" the third observed. Hikari laughed at the remarks, and at the bizarre turn her life had taken overall. To have been in the Akatsuki a mere few months ago, and now being held hostage by these strange pale naked creatures who would not give her a moment's peace. She let out an exasperated sigh.
"Do you really want to know why? I'll trade you secret for secret. Who is the master of wood style you keep hinting at? Why are you so interested in my kekkei genkai?" Her tone of voice was almost demanding. The men looked to each other, and nodded.
"Deal," the third Zetsu sneered. Hikari's demeanor became quiet and contemplative.
"I'm pregnant," she declared, solemnly. The ordinarily irritated and brutal creatures lightened up in surprise.
"Ah, so that's it. We had always wondered if your friendship with Itachi was more than met the eye. Was your bond really so strong that you risked such a commitment as a rogue ninja?" Hikari reached into a pouch to display her concealed ring. She looked at her captors with certainty.
"I love him even now. I'll take my love for him to the grave. Now spit it out. What about you all? What's your end of the deal?"
"Kaguya is the keeper of the sacred tree. She will return soon. And when she does, this battlefield will become her garden to take back all the chakra that is rightfully hers."
"I don't believe in fairytales, Zetsu. Tell me the truth."
"That is the truth. Very soon, all of you shinobi will be one with the Great Mother." Hikari looked down, distracted now from the fight.
This is bad. Whatever might happen, I have to intervene now before it's too late.
"Itachi!" Sasuke shouted. The elder brother who had always strived to protect him could not help but feel guilty, and not just for being imperfect.
With his greatest threat immobilized, Kabuto attempted to rewrite the jutsu formula to control him once more.
Sasuke, this time I'll let you take the lead. Show me how much you've grown.
Itachi's wish was granted, for his brother cleverly created a ring of black flames around the both of them. Oddly enough, the heat took its toll on the limestone, and the daggers that pierced his torn up body disappeared. Itachi hunched over, waiting for the jutsu to repair his half dead body.
"Sasuke… I'm sorry," he managed, looking down at the ground.
He's more than capable of handling himself now. I trust in his strength. Why then am I filled with shame? Why is my desire to protect him still just as deep and strong as when he was a child?
Kabuto thought of himself far too highly. His hubris would be his downfall; that was clear. Yet when he spoke of himself as if he were the ultimate shinobi, Itachi could not help but think back to several years in his youth before the massacre. It was humiliating to think of it now. If he were honest with himself, it was his illness, not the massacre, that truly killed the hubris within his own mind not so many years ago.
"You think that a name and a place to call home is meaningless? It's not. It does hold meaning for me!"
Itachi thought over the man's words. A memory rose from the far recesses of his mind; from the few years before his massacre. It was there, spying on his family through a telescope that he often struggled with his identity. Had he been more Uchiha or more Leaf Ninja? It was even further back, evading scornful classmates on his way back to the compound that the question first entered his mind. Even on the final days before his downfall, standing on the roof of the Hokage's house, overlooking his entire homeland, that he had dug deep into his core. What bond had clung the tightest to his heart? Family or ideology? Heart or mind? Ultimately, he concluded, there was only one thing that determined who lived and who died. He had to do what he couldn't not do.
But why had he been completely unable to kill his younger brother?
Now, Kabuto transformed the flesh in his abdomen into ninja Itachi presumed he had worked with in the past. Cobwebs lined the back of the cave while large bones protruded from the ground in front of them. It was Sasuke this time who proposed a plan. And it was the correct one. Itachi left his brother's side for a moment while he used Amaterasu to create an opening into the back of the cave. One swipe from the red susanoo and the threat at the front was finished. Catching up to him, the two glowed red and purple in preparation to attack.
"Are you okay Sasuke?" Why was he still so overprotective? Suddenly Itachi heard the sound of a flute, and immediately they became immobilized. To Sasuke's shock and to Itachi's great discomfort, Orochimaru's true form emerged from his former servant's body. It was clear by how the man thanked his brother with a strained voice that Kabuto had actually grieved a great deal at the loss of his former master. But that was not the point.
"Kabuto, you are not Orochimaru. It's fine to imitate someone you respect, but do not transform yourself into them to that extent." Kabuto raised his voice teasingly in reply.
"Do you realize a majority of people end up imitating someone they admire don't you? Just like Sasuke emulated you." The man was right. For years Sasuke strove to model himself after the brother he admired so much. Even though the young boy had no idea who his older brother truly was or anything about the life he had lived.
Why had I never been able to let Sasuke in? Why had I been so terrified to allow him to see what was inside my heart?
"If you attach yourself value to something external to you, even something admirable and praiseworthy, then you gain nothing. I'll say it one last time. Don't mislead yourself with lies." Why did it feel as if his words were a vulnerable self-disclosure? Why did he feel shame? Itachi had never determined his self worth from what other's thought. Yet something deep inside him was being triggered. "Those who cannot acknowledge themselves will invariably fail." His words evidently triggered defensive rage in their opponent, for he unleased the black haired snake creature which charged towards them. Their predicament was not a difficult one. With a mutual genjutsu of their own, they released themselves from illusion. Within moments, the snake figure was immobilized. Kabuto's head sunk, and Itachi knew he was crying. The man fell to the floor, but just before Itachi could unleash the Izanami, Kabuto unleashed one last surprise.
Instantly, he launched from the ground right at is ideological attacker, and Itachi found himself sliced completely in two.
Hikari smiled at the scene before her as the two brothers ran around the cave. Her husband had finally gotten to spend some time with his brother, just as he had probably deeply wished for his entire life. And she was proud of him.
If all went well, Itachi would control Kabuto with the Izanami just as he had her. With the jutsu released, Madara and the other reanimations would be liberated from this realm. Yet that notion alone did not ease her new worry.
If what the Zetsu Clones say is right, then the allied shinobi force is still in danger. I don't know what this Sacred Tree could do, but if they plan on turning the battlefield into a garden and stealing chakra, I have to find a way to stop it.
The woman rose from her chair and sighed.
"It's late. I'm turning in for the night. If the war somehow comes to an end, you can alert me. Until then, you can watch me from outside my home." She gestured to the door. The white creatures eyed her suspiciously, but agreed to exit the cabin.
"Don't forget, just because the Allies fought off a majority of us, it doesn't mean you have any more chance of escaping than before. More than two hundred of us still remain and you are two hours away from Madara." Hikari nodded before they closed the door. Alone, a growing nervousness rose in the woman's heart. Her hand fell to her lower abdomen.
I have to find a way of alerting the allied shinobi force of Zetsu's plan. And I haven't enough chakra to create another clone. But how can I intervene without risking the life of my child?
"Sasuke.." Itachi heard his mouth speak as he painlessly fell to the ground. Helpless against the turn of time, Itachi watched his brother fight on his own for a moment. Sasuke shot fire at his attacker who countered with a water wall. The water was more powerful, and Sasuke was put at a disadvantage. Itachi couldn't stand to bear it. He took the advantage of the mist, and ran as fast as he could towards their opponent. He lunged at the man's sword, letting it pierce his abdomen. His eye grew white. He recalled that the only other time he had used this jutsu was not so long ago, to stop his wife's self-righteous suicide.
Sasuke.. it is true that even if I were still made of living flesh and blood, I would have happily died for you….
The ephemeral thought combined with the Izanami brought a memory to the forefront of his mind. It was a memory he had long since repressed...
It was at the age of five, in the days following the end of the Third Great Shinobi War that Itachi had questioned the meaning of his existence. How could he have continued to function through all of the pain and trauma if there was no reason for it? It was none other than Orochimaru that had given him his first answer: Life had no meaning. Filled with emptiness and utter chaos, he had left the mass funeral to stand at the edge of the cliff at the Nakano river. He had jumped and taken a long fall towards the rapids below before his primal survival instinct had taken over. Filled with terror, he had dug kunai into the rock, just barely slowing down enough to land without breaking anything. On the rocky floor by the water, a large crow stood looking at him with black eyes that seemed to peer into his soul. Itachi recalled the black birds surrounding him, and feeling at peace in their presence.
Stay. They seemed to guide him, as if in divine intervention. Not wanting his mother to worry, Itachi had found his way back up by teaching himself how to walk up the cliff, taking his appreciation for the crows in his mind with him. It was in the next couple months that Itachi did his best to prevent himself from spiraling into oblivion.
And then Sasuke was born. It was in those first moments of meeting his younger brother that he had been filled with a warmth he had never known, peering into the face of something so small and so vulnerable and so pure. In the war plagued world they lived in where he had felt so alone, there was now someone who shared the same flesh and blood. He wanted to protect that one life, that one piece of innocence, at all costs.
Now Itachi understood. In a life that had been devoid of meaning, Sasuke had been his salvation. He had been his reason for continuing to exist. And unlike Kabuto whose identity was wrapped up in trying to become others, Itachi's identity had been wrapped up in the role he had been given in his brother's life. All this time, Itachi had deceived himself into believing the reason he had lived and died for the boy standing behind him was simply because he had been innocent and shared the same blood. But that had been his first delusion. Itachi's undead heart burned with the truth of what lied at his core.
The truth was that since that day, he had clung to the idea of Sasuke unhealthily, with a deep intensity that made him deeply ashamed. After all, the eldest Uchiha was supposed to be nearly invincible. Like Orochimaru to Kabuto, Sasuke had given him his very sense of purpose. In fact, Itachi had built his whole world around his brother. He could not show Sasuke all of himself back then because as a young boy he had been too afraid to show Sasuke how much he truly needed him.
But now it was different. Sasuke was older and searching for his own truth. This was the last time they would be together. With a sigh, Itachi looked away from Kabuto, who stood paralyzed under his hand. He had made his decision.
Hikari rose from where she sat, having made her own decision as well.
"Just because it's imperfect doesn't mean it's not worth protecting." The words echoed through her mind one last time.
"This is the only way, my darling," she mumbled to the life in her womb. "I already know you're going to be so strong. We'll be alright," The woman crept silently to the corner, where she slipped all of the remaining chi patches she had onto different points on her body. If Itachi had been around, he would have been livid. Just like the seal used by her aunt, the tools of her creation increased her chakra, but not without costs to her health and lifespan.
But she had to do what she couldn't not do. She donned her equipment, swords, and bow.
Even if she exited through the window silently, invisibly, with all traces of her presence erased, she would have fifteen minutes at best before they realized she was gone. Then she would have to fight. Summoning her energy, the woman projected her thoughts towards the man she had once known as Madara.
"The Zetsus plan to summon a great tree to siphon away everyone's chakra! You might have lied about who you really are, but I know that is not the peace that you want. Hold the plan off as long as you can. I'm going back on my promise."
Leaving behind a meditating clone with a small portion of her chakra, the woman slipped into the wood of her home and out the back as ether.
Sasuke still had too many questions rattling through his mind.
"I understand the Izanagi and the Izanami. But why? Why did you even bother casting this jutsu on Kabuto?" Itachi would give him only the truth.
"He reminds me of the old me… I stopped listening to what anyone else said. And I stopped letting myself trust anybody." It felt as if he was his thirteen year old self talking to the younger Sasuke. "I understand him too well. He can't forgive himself or accept himself for who he truly is… my chance has passed me by. But he can still forgive himself." The pain and remorse that used to come with that realization was no longer there. In death, Itachi had made peace with his failures. Somehow, after death in the short hours of his reanimation, his perfectionism had faded away. For what was the point in striving for perfection when the end result was only failure? If he had simply come forth to his brother or any of his family, he wouldn't have been so easily manipulated by Danzo.
"He is not like you! No, you were perfect-" It was a view Itachi knew his brother still held. The idealism of the past had returned full force after learning what he could of his brother's truth. It was this distorted reality he hoped to correct.
"I was unable to trust your strength. I thought you needed my protection." Itachi looked up and thought of the bold woman who had taught him to trust and have faith once more. "It may be that a perfect being does not exist at all in the world. Sometimes two people that appear to be complete opposites are actually two sides of the same coin and can only succeed when they work together." As if it was yesterday, he thought of his long-haired wife laying beside him in the grass after their last battle, having succeeded in becoming the strongest fighters they could ever be. "Look inside yourself and find what I could never find in me. However, do not ever say that I was perfect." The shame he had become aware of still stung, but less so now. "First off, I should have appreciated and acknowledged the person I was. Then I wouldn't have had to lie to anyone."
Sasuke looked at him speculatively, and Itachi could still see the doubt in his eyes. Itachi had faith that Sasuke would find his own answers, and that Naruto would lead him back to the light. Itachi's time on Earth had almost come to an end.
"Now, I will stop the reainimation."
"But brother, you'll go too?" For a moment, Itachi thought of how wonderful it would have been to spend years and years becoming closer with his younger brother and giving him the time he deserved. It had once been his deepest wish. But life had not been fair to either of them, and the longer he waited the weaker the allied shinobi would become. After the war was over, this would no longer be Itachi's world. It was time he passed on his will of fire to his brother with new eyes, and to the future of the Uchiha.
"But I will have protected my village. I am Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf once again." His voice grew quiet as he felt a new inner peace rise within his chest. There was one last thing he had left to do.
Hikari rushed as silently as she could towards the battlefield. The man she had once known as Madara was completely preoccupied. He had not sent a signal to any white Zetsu yet. The real Madara, however, was towering above the Five Kage in the same perfect Susanoo she had seen drawn in the story books of her youth.
I have to get there in time! I'm the only one who can stop this now. And yet they're all so far away.
The woman crazily scanned the terrain with her sensory abilities in search for potential threats, while remote viewing the scene up ahead.
Itachi… if only you were able to stay just an hour longer. The two of us together could put Madara's onslaught to an end.
The Kage's death's would turn the tide of battle, but if Madara were defeated, each village leader could be easily replaced. It was for this reason that escaping without resulting in a full scale battle was of the utmost importance. If Madara had any idea of her wood style jutsu, there would be no way for her to gain the upper hand in the offensive.
Unfortunately, life was never that simple. Halfway through the forest, the woman heard a loud chorus of frustrated shrieks coming from behind her. The clones had discovered her ploy. Cursing underneath her breath, the woman began to move silently through the forest, running as fast as she could, erasing as much of her presence as she could muster.
Seven minutes later, the clones would be upon her and the battle would begin.