Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Summary: Sasuke is taken away by Itachi and Itachi explains everything that truly happened that fateful night… There is a bit of different language in this chapter that would probably still make this fanfic rated T but I thought I should warn you ahead of time. I just wanted to convey Sasuke's true feelings at the time.
I made this chapter longer, Yay.
Chapter 2: Path of Forgiveness
Sasuke looked up hazed and disoriented. He groaned as he tried to wipe the tear from his eyes. He only remembered Kakashi being there for him and how much he had actually cared. Unfortunately, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't. Sasuke then looked upwards and noticed the chains holding him to the wall. The stone, cold wall was dusty and dark and Sasuke had even felt the wall's pain and age as he brushed past it.
"Nani? What…happened?" said Sasuke hoarsely.
"Uchiha Sasuke," said a voice.
He tried to move away, but the chains around his hands had held him back. Sasuke stared silently towards the figure slowly walking towards him. Something must have happened to Kakashi… Kakashi would never have left Sasuke like this. Unfortunately, Sasuke was helpless at the moment and could barely move an inch.
"Itachi…" said Sasuke slowly.
"You can leave us now," said Itachi and motioned to the guards.
The murderous intent and rage filled Sasuke's eyes once more as he tried as hard as he could to break free. It was no use, it seemed as though there were an invincible seal around the chains. Sasuke had been waiting for the moment to kill Itachi, his brother. Although the chance was right there in front of him, taunting him…
"What do you want?" demanded Sasuke.
"To talk…" said Itachi and sat down in front of Sasuke.
"I don't want to talk with a bastard like you!" shouted Sasuke angrily.
"Calm down, Sasuke. I only wanted to talk…to discuss what really happened four years ago… "The truth…just the truth," said Itachi.
"Ye...be...te! Stop it! Stop it! I don't want to hear your damn lies! I know enough!" said Sasuke.
Itachi stared long and hard at his little brother. Sasuke's anger had never ceased and Itachi had never became weaker. Itachi was now feeling more depressed with his life, for he had mastered almost every powerful Jutsu known in the ninja world. He knew secrets and arts that people have never even dreamed of, and yet he was saddened. Sasuke was his little brother and he was still suffering because of Itachi.
Sasuke shook his head trying anyway of shutting his brother out of his senses. Even then, tears came back to his eyes and then fell all over the stone floor.
Flashback
"Oniisan! Don't show me this!" shouted Sasuke as he clutched his head.
Then Sasuke fell onto the floor with a giant thud and the Sharingan in Itachi's eyes slowly faded away. Sasuke tried to get back up, but the pain of loss would haunt him forever. He was breathing heavily and his eyesight was vague.
"Oniisan, why did you do this?" asked Sasuke.
"To…see what I was capable of…" said Itachi a bit sadly.
"You killed everyone for that reason?" asked Sasuke.
"It is important…" said Itachi.
"What the hell…" said Sasuke.
Then Sasuke ran towards Itachi with the same murderous intent that had always filled his eyes. Unfortunately, Sasuke felt the pain from his brother, as Itachi rammed his fist into Sasuke. With a flash, Sasuke fell onto the floor gasping for breath. Then, he got back up and ran away. Sasuke was scared, more scared then he had ever been in his whole life. The first time he had set tears out from heavy and painful losses that no one can comprehend.
"Don't kill me!" shouted Sasuke. "Don't kill me…"
"You are not worth to kill," said Itachi. "If you wish to kill me, hate me, curse me, and detest me, survive. Survive in an insightly way. Run. Run and cling to life…"
End Flashback
"Sasuke, that is the second time I have seen you cry…" said Itachi sadly. "You don't do that often, do you?"
"Why would you care? You caused me to…twice…" said Sasuke through his tears.
"I'm sorry…" said Itachi sadly.
"What! What did you say?" asked Sasuke.
"I'm…sorry… Gomen nasai," repeated Itachi more heavily.
Sasuke looked up expectantly at Itachi. Itachi didn't look really sad, but in his voice, Sasuke knew he had meant it. Still, an apology wouldn't erase what he had done to his life, to their family. Nothing would bring back Otoosan….Okaasan…even Auntie Shizu…
"Sorry? For what! For destroying our family? Killing our entire Uchiha clan! You expect my forgiveness from that those two words!" shouted Sasuke.
"Please don't raise your voice, Sasuke. You are at the Akatsuki headquarters. You could be killed…" said Itachi.
"Then why…why are apologizing?" asked Sasuke.
"Let me explain before you start to assume the obvious," said Itachi calmly.
Sasuke then looked at his older brother with his Sharingan. Itachi also stared back into Sasuke's eyes with compassion. Then Itachi closed his eyes and Sasuke was sent some of his memories…
"Itachi! You have to do this!" shouted Itachi's Sensei.
"But they are my family!" shouted Itachi with rage. "How can you even suggest that? And worst of all, to me!"
"That is the only way you can gain true power. By destroying the ones closest to you. Kill Shuisui-san and gain the Mangekyou Sharingan. It is powerful and feared. Obtain it! Also, you must make sure the one that you have the strongest bond with, survives… That would be, Uchiha Sasuke!"
"No…" said Itachi softly.
"I know what you are thinking. I also know what lies even deeper within your heart. You detest the clan. You are only doing weak missions, and it is annoying being acknowledged by your father. You want power."
"There must be another road…another path…" said Itachi.
Itachi was left standing in the middle of the road staring down at himself. He had wanted to become stronger, but he couldn't destroy the whole clan. Most of all, was Sasuke. Itachi could not bare to keep him alive while the other family members were gone! This was an outrage, but Itachi had seen the wisdom within this test. If you have weaknesses, like your family and friends, there will always be someone above you who has lost everything.
"But he's my little brother…" said Itachi.
"I don't give a crap about you and Sasuke…If you want me to teach you true power, you'll do that," said the Sensei.
"That's it?" shouted Sasuke. "For fucking power! You're apologizing for that? You don't deserve anything! Shut up! I don't need to know anymore!"
"Keep your voice down, Sasuke. I'm not finished. Continue to look through my mind with the Sharingan."
"I don't need to find out anymore! You could be just creating an illusion! This could just be a high level of Genjutsu! I don't want to see this! Itachi! Stop!" shouted Sasuke.
"Sasuke, I swear with my life, this is what had happened. I seriously didn't want it to happen like this. I was just getting more anxious over father the next few days… The enrollment for the ANBU… He knew why, he knew that I would someday kill him. We all got a bit edgy over when it would happen."
Sasuke thought he was going to find his brother killing everyone next. That would just bring more sorrow and anguish to him. But Itachi looked sincerely sorry, but for what…he didn't say. If he was willing to destroy many lives for power, there must have been a cause and a reason…a good reason…
"You made…me kill everyone…" breathed Itachi to his Sensei. "Even I died tonight…"
"Yes, you did. You have achieved your potential…for now. You have died tonight, and were born as a higher form of life. Did you leave Uchiha Sasuke standing?"
"No…I left him crying…" said Itachi with melancholy.
"Oh, too bad. I thought more of an Uchiha. Pieces of shit…" said the Sensei.
"Don't go that far…" said Itachi.
"Listen Itachi. You can never obtain the power that you desire. Even with killing every clan member…You can never gain power anymore now. I used you Itachi."
Itachi couldn't stand this and ran up to his Sensei with his samurai sword in one hand. The Sensei did not expect this and could barely hold Itachi off him. Then with a mighty swipe of Itachi's sword, Sensei died. His throat was cut and there was a mass of blood everywhere. Only faint breaths remained.
"Never…insult…an Uchiha! Not even Sasuke!" shouted Itachi. "Yes, the clan might be all weaker than me, and worthless, but not lower than what you are thinking…"
"You weakling… you cannot kill me… I'm your sensei…"
"Shut up…I will be powerful in my own way. In my own desire. Without everyone's shadows behind me. I will be myself in a new light. Killing the clan did make me stronger. But that doesn't excuse my crimes. I am sorry for my whole clan. I wish…that I wasn't born in that clan. If there really is someone who could help me…who would that be?"
Then he ran out into the pouring rain yelling to himself. Screaming in his mind, the insanity could drive anyone…to death. The rain fell steadily harder on Itachi's face. Itachi cried. He cried, but his tears were hardly noticeable through the rain. He tried to cleanse himself. Cleanse himself from the horrible crimes he committed. Itachi then fell motionless on the muddy ground…
"It wasn't something I was proud of. But I had to gain power. I couldn't…through the way I was living through. It is like you, you will probably leave the village, as I did," said Itachi sadly. "I didn't have anything more than my name. Uchiha Itachi…"
Then Itachi motioned his hands and the chains fell apart. Sasuke's hands fell slowly down onto his lap. Sasuke looked sadly at his older brother. Everyone was gone, this apology wouldn't bring them back…
"That person that helped me…" said Itachi sadly.
"Who is it?' asked Sasuke.
"Sasuke, that person…is you," said Itachi.
"No, for years. I detested you, hated you, and wished to kill you. How does that help you?"
"Sasuke. Listen. You have been helping me recover from the darkness for all those years. Those lines you heard from Kakashi-san. Where do you think he got those from? It was all in a scroll I had written about my life…left in my room, in the Uchiha mansion. Kakashi must've went in there to see if there was anything I had left behind to teach you."
Sasuke thought of how Kakashi had been so caring about him. But now that Itachi had said this. He really wondered. Itachi was always caring for him. Always. Always. In a bond that couldn't be broken. This was a scroll for Sasuke. All those lines. Those comforting lines. Now this…
"Still…what are you apologizing for?" asked Sasuke.
Itachi wiped Sasuke's tears from his eyes and his Sharingan faded away. Then Itachi stared at the ceiling above him. Sasuke was reminded of Neji. Neji was a caged bird…and it looked like Itachi was suffering in the same way. The murderous intent had faded away, to be lost forever.
Then Itachi stood up and helped Sasuke up as well. The deep ink in Itachi's eyes were firm and powerful. But in a way, they were filled with sadness and lonliness.
"I wouldn't be as sorry if I left father standing, instead if you. I love father, as much as you do. But, despite that fact, I loved you more. There was nothing I could do…and I'm sorry," said Itachi.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm not sorry for what I did to the clan…just that you suffered through it. Time and time again…I had no courage to tell you this…" finished Itachi finally.
Then Sasuke remembered how lonely he had been without anyone beside him. His entire clan was gone, and the only thing left for him to do, was become a skilled ninja like Itachi. Sasuke remembered all the times he trained out in the rain, the many times that girls had asked him out and declined more than he could count.
He remembered those cold mornings with Itachi…sitting around the fireplace. Itachi smiled, and so did Sasuke. The fire warmed them and their hearts as well. Sasuke remembered the warm spring times where his brother and he would catch frogs. Sasuke accidentally caught a fish and it splashed him right in the face…
"Nii-san…" said Sasuke softly.
Itachi was ten and Sasuke was six walking down by the creek spotting a man with ice cream. Itachi used his money that he collected from a mission he did. He got two scoops and Sasuke got one. Sasuke toddled along side his brother, but then the scoop of ice cream fell off his cone. Sasuke began to sniffle, and then Itachi came to his rescue. Itachi went behind the man's cart and took two scoops into Sasuke's cone (with his elite ninja skills).
"After all those things I have done. I don't deserve to be forgiven," said Itachi. "Even stealing two scoops from the ice cream man."
"But you are my brother…" said Sasuke.
"Demo…" said Itachi.
"No. You are my brother, Uchiha Itachi. And I forgive you…" said Sasuke. "One more thing, Itachi. I want to be around you more often. I have decided to join the Akatsuki. No matter how low ranked I am here… I forgive you…"
Author's Note: Wasn't too sappy, I hope. I mean, the Itachi saying sorry isn't in his character, so I tried my best to make it fit. I hoped you liked it. Please review! Chapters still to come! (I think, I mean if I don't delete this story…hehe) x
Translations: demo: but, sensei: teacher, nii-san/oniisan: older brother, gomen nasai: I'm sorry, okaasan: mother, otoosan: father, nani: what
