Memories that aren't his flow into Sasuke's mind and the Chibi gasps from the sudden onslaught.

He sees a giant red fox, far larger than anything he's ever seen, towering over a damaged Konoha with its tails thrashing against the night sky and roar ringing his eardrums.

Sasuke realizes this must be when the Nine-Tails attacked the Village right as Tobi says, "The Uchiha clan's demise began the night of the Kyuubi Attack nearly sixteen years ago."

The Chibi rears back. What? But the clan was only killed eight years ago and it was Itachi who slaughtered them. What did the Nine-Tails have to do with anything?

"Let me explain," Tobi says as if Sasuke has any choice but to listen. "The Kyuubi Attack was the event that spurred distrust between Konoha and the Uchiha clan since the Sharingan is the only dōjutsu capable of controlling the Kyuubi."

Sasuke stiffens, aware this is true, but it would have been ridiculous for the Village to blame the Oki Uchiha on that fact alone. Tobi must be making this up, though Sasuke doesn't understand why he's lying.

"Of course, the Kyuubi rampaging was merely a natural disaster that the Uchiha had no connection to, but suspicion fell on them anyway."

The scene of the Nine-Tails Attack dissolves and is replaced by the image of a tall tower in a forest. Inside the building shinobi wearing white masks gaze through telescopes while a couple of them sit on a bench and watch live video feed of the Uchiha compound.

"The Uchiha were put under the surveillance of ANBU and were forced to relocate to the outskirts of the Village."

Sasuke shakes his head because the Uchiha were one of the most honored clans of Konoha, the Village never would have shown them such disrespect. And though the Uchiha district is quite a walk from the Village's center, that doesn't prove the Village was suspicious of the Oki Uchiha.

"What I'm telling you is the truth," Tobi insists. "I saw with my own eyes how the Village's distrust bred hatred within the Uchiha clan until their suspicions became reality."

The Chibi's eyes widen as Tobi says, "The Uchiha clan plotted a coup d'état to take over the Village."

Nonesense! Sasuke has to swallow the word before he verbally shouts it. Tobi is lying, Sasuke is certain now because the great Oki Uchiha betraying Konoha is even more unbelievable than Konoha thinking the Uchiha had caused the Nine-Tails Attack.

"Uchiha Shisui knew what his clan was planning and decided to stop it. However, the Village killed him before he could put his plan into motion."

Sasuke scowls. How stupid does Tobi think he is? Everyone knows Oki-Itachi killed Shisui's human counterpart, they all saw or heard about Oki-Itachi attacking three Police Force members when the trio attempted to question him about Oki-Shisui's death. His actions were clearly an admission of guilt.

"Danzo, a man on the Konoha council, didn't trust Shisui's plan, so he ambushed him and stole Shisui's right eye."

The Chibi is scoffing when it hits him that Shisui lost his Sharingan in one eye the day his human counterpart perished...his right eye.

Sasuke pauses. It had been strange when that happened because normally one's Oki counterpart dying caused a Chibi to lose most of their chakra, but Shisui had just suddenly lost the Sharingan in his right eye and later lost most of his chakra.

A frown slides onto Sasuke's face. If Oki-Shisui's Sharingan was stolen that would explain why Shisui lost his Sharingan in one eye...and it wouldn't have made sense for Oki-Itachi to steal Shisui's eye when he already had the Sharingan—

No! Sasuke's eyes squeeze shut and he clamps his hands over his ears. The Village couldn't have killed Oki-Shisui. It has to be another one of Tobi's lies!

"Once Shisui's plan failed, Itachi was devastated, for like Shisui, Itachi was against the Uchiha coup."

Sasuke shakes his head. Lies! Every word out of Tobi's mouth is a lie!

"You must think Itachi is too cold-hearted to have cared about the Uchiha coup, but tell me, is Itachi truly as cold-hearted as you think?"

Of course he is! Sasuke glares while a new image unravels around him showing a preteen Oki-Itachi standing in a field of tall grass under the golden twilight. He's smiling while he ruffles his little brother's hair.

Sasuke jerks away from the image because it's not real! Oki-Itachi himself admitted he was only pretending to be a caring older brother when really he's always been a monster!

"Think," Tobi's voice ripples across his head as a genjutsu order, and Sasuke cries out when his own memories are yanked to the forefront of his mind. "How has Itachi treated you since the Akatsuki took you in?"

The Chibi gasps while he recalls Oki-Itachi rewrapping the bandages over his chest, his expression blank yet his eyes focused intently on his injuries.

Sasuke stills, having not noticed how careful the Oki had been while healing him until now.

"Has he hurt you? Taunted you? Been cruel or mean?"

The memory of Oki-Itachi switches to an older one of the Uchiha hooking his fingers around Sasuke's waist and helping him walk to the water bowl, the human's brow furrowing with worry as Sasuke stumbles.

Sasuke's forehead scrunches up because Oki-Itachi's expression looks genuine. But, no. The human was just pretending to be nice to bond with him...wasn't he?

"Itachi loves Konoha." Tobi's voice makes Sasuke jump, the Chibi having forgotten about him. "And he had nothing against his clan, but a civil war started by the likes of the Uchiha would shake the very foundations of Konohagakure and the Land of Fire."

An image of Konoha burning with buildings shuddering and groaning as they fall apart plays around Sasuke. "Once other nations heard about it, they would waste no time in seizing the opportunity to attack. It could even trigger a Fourth Shinobi War."

Sasuke frowns because he's familiar enough with shinobi history to know that is exactly what would happen if a clan as powerful as the Uchiha caused a civil war. But the Oki Uchiha couldn't have planned a coup... They couldn't be traitors...

"Konoha's higher-ups recognized the threat the Uchiha clan posed and though the Third Hokage tried to approach the Uchiha for a compromise, time ran out and the Konoha council decided to give Itachi a mission."

Trepidation sprouts in Sasuke's heart as Tobi says, "The total annihilation of the Uchiha clan."

The Chibi gasps, and though he knows he's in a genjutsu and his actual body is fine, he thinks he's suffocating. It...can't be... The Village couldn't have...

Sasuke's teeth clench and he grips his hair. It's a lie! It has to be a lie!

"It was a mission that forced Itachi to make a terrible choice."

Liar! Sasuke mentally shouts loud as he can, yet Tobi's voice is unaffected while he continues. "The impossible choice of killing one's own brethren. But if he didn't go through with it, the Uchiha clan's coup would involve innocent people who had nothing to do with the ninja world, and countless lives would have been lost."

It can't be true. It can't.

"It was a mission to be the sole perpetrator of his clan's slaughter and become a missing-nin with his reputation in tatters."

Sasuke shakes his head, but his heart is racing because Tobi must be lying and yet—

"What I did in the past...I have no intention of ever carrying out again."

Sasuke remembers how serious Oki-Itachi looked when he said that during their Kiri mission and he can't ignore how much his words coincide with what Tobi is saying. But if Tobi is telling the truth that means Konoha betrayed his clan, the Oki Uchiha betrayed the Village, and Oki-Itachi is...innocent.

The Chibi's breath hitches as Tobi quietly says, "Itachi completely filled his duty...with one exception..." Sasuke starts trembling, knowing what's coming. "He could not bring himself to kill his younger brother."

Sasuke's eyes grow wide as moons and a cold sweat breaks out across his forehead. The world blinks in and out and he can't tell if it's the genjutsu or his own mind making him see things. No...no... It can't be true...

"Yet Itachi couldn't tell his younger brother the truth. Not only because the truth would have ruined his brother's image of his clan, but it would have likely turned him against Konoha and endangered his life there."

Sasuke slowly sinks to the floor, arms dropping uselessly while he stares at the ground. There's no proof... Tobi is lying.

The teen tries telling himself that, but he remembers Shisui losing the Sharingan in his right eye and how strange that had been. He remembers how before Oki-Shisui's death, Oki-Itachi and Oki-Shisui seemed as close as brothers. Finally, as much as he's tried to forget, Sasuke remembers the way Oki-Itachi used to smile at his younger brother with eyes full of adoration, and he can't deny that lately Oki-Itachi has been staring him the same way.

"Itachi had no choice but to say the things he did that night. Though even now his only thoughts are of his brother and the Village he hopes his brother will one day return to." Sasuke feels numb while Tobi explains. "Itachi even infiltrated the Akatsuki for the sole purpose of protecting his Village."

Sasuke closes his eyes, but the world just spins faster and faster. Nothing makes sense... He can't even tell what's real anymore!

"Do you understand what all of this means?"

Sasuke's eyes snap open when Tobi's fingers grasp his chin and force him to look up into his lone Sharingan eye. "Itachi killed his friends, his lover, his father and mother, but he could not kill his little brother... Because to Itachi, Sasuke is more precious than the Village...and he feels the same way about you."

The Chibi's eyes burn as Tobi stares him down, saying, "You look and act so much like his little brother, Itachi can't help caring for you like he cares for him."

Sasuke lips tremble while Tobi's eye hardens. "What I've told you is the truth and you'll know it is once you answer this question... If your brother had been in Itachi's position, what would he have done?"

Sasuke's mouth opens and a silent scream erupts from his throat as the Oki lets him go and the floor gives out beneath him.

He falls.

Sasuke falls and falls while memories run through his head at a dizzying speed until Sasuke can't take it anymore and a tidal wave of darkness rushes over him.

.

"What would he have done?"

The question echoes through Sasuke's mind, but it drifts out of his reach as he slowly cracks open his eyes.

"Sasuke?" Itachi, thirteen-years old and standing by a giant, empty can of soup beside the fridge, regards him worriedly.

Sasuke looks down and sees he's sitting at a low table with a bowl of miso soup in front of him. Immediately he realizes he's eight-years old, the massacre happened a month ago, and this is the last bit of food they have in the house.

The Chibi Uchiha had went through every empty home in the district and gathered up all the nonperishable food they could find. However, even with the sizable stock of canned goods they found, the Chibi Uchiha have had to borrow twice as much food from Oki around the village in order to feed everybody.

Though now that the canned foods have run out, Sasuke realizes they'll have to borrow even more. Something that will be a challenge since most of the clan is still adjusting to their reduced chakra reserves.

A hand slides over Sasuke's forehead and he looks up to find his brother pulling his hand back with a frown. "You don't feel warm." He glances at his soup. "Aren't you hungry?"

Sasuke realizes his brother thinks he's sick and shakes his head. "I am hungry, it's just..." He stares down at the soup and a forlorn look comes upon him while he quietly asks, "Why did he do it?"

Itachi stiffens, clearly realizing he's talking about his Oki counterpart, but soon he lowers himself beside Sasuke and gently says, "Humans are the cruelest creatures on this earth." Sasuke's eyes widen, the boy having never heard a Chibi describe humans so harshly.

"Yet," Itachi sighs, "They are also the kindest."

"Huh?" Sasuke blinks and Itachi smiles slightly before his expression dips into pensiveness.

"Perhaps their evil is kinder than we think."

Sasuke is even more confused, but he doesn't want his brother thinking he's stupid, so he just looks back at his bowl of soup. He stares at the greenish-yellow broth and catches a glimmer of his frowning face in the liquid, but frowning won't change the Uchiha clan's situation so he simply picks up his chopsticks and starts to eat.

.

Two weeks later Sasuke is starving. All of the Uchiha are starving.

Mother hands him his bento and he tries not to stare at her face, which is noticeably thinner and a shade too pale. The bento feels light in his grasp—too light—but Sasuke knows better than to check how much is in it as he runs out the front door and steps into the dark space under the Oki house's engawa.

He walks to the borderline of the shade and gazes at a bush in the backyard by the wall before checking both ways. Once he's certain Oki-Sasuke isn't around, he throws back his arms and rushes out towards the grass.

Sasuke ducks as he skids under the bush and bends over to grasp his knees while he pants from the run, refusing to think about how he used to be able to run much farther without breaking a sweat.

Once he catches his breath, Sasuke walks a few inches and crouches next to a wooden hatch in the dirt. He opens it and peers down at the metal ladder lining the side of the dark underground tunnel. Sasuke reaches into his satchel, pulls out a metal headlamp, and straps it under his chin. He clicks on the light and then steps onto the ladder, pulling the hatch closed over him while he starts climbing down.

The Chibi's nose wrinkles from the stagnant air, but he's already used to the scent by the time his feet hit the ground. Sasuke stares ahead at the tunnel, and seeing the festive yellow bulbs hanging from wire in the dirt ceiling are on, he turns off his headlamp and puts it back in his bag. Then he hurries through the underground passage, turning into one tunnel after the next until he reaches his destination.

Sasuke stops at the opening of a large cavern where the Chibi Ninja Academy stands. The usual group of latecomers are entering the school and Sasuke runs to join them.

Shikamaru and Choji don't even notice Sasuke tailing them while they walk into their homeroom right as the bell rings, the Uchiha slipping in to find most of the seats taken except for one by Naruto. Sasuke doesn't hesitate to sit by the blond and the Namikaze looks startled, but he ignores him as he starts setting his school books on the table. The Uchiha doesn't care who he sits by, just as long as he doesn't have to talk to those girls.

Sasuke glowers, recalling the group of girls who had the audacity to set baked goods on his table a week after the massacre, and loudly proclaim if he ever needed extra food they'd gladly bake for him. Sasuke's face had turned scarlet as a couple of students whispered behind him about how the rumors of the Oki Uchiha being dead were true and the Chibi Uchiha must be starving and poor after spending all their money on food.

Anger burning through his veins, Sasuke had swiped the food off the table and crushed the pastries beneath his feet, roaring, "Do not insult my clan! An Uchiha doesn't need handouts!"

The girls had burst into tears and Sasuke had expected his teacher to reprimand him, but Iruka-sensei merely looked at him a little sadly before grabbing a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess himself.

Sasuke had been coming later to school ever since in order to avoid having the girls try to give him charity food. After all, his father had told him not to speak of clan affairs to non-Uchiha, and if asked about it, he was to tell others the Chibi Uchiha were fine.

"Do not bring shame to the crest on your back," Father had said sternly across the breakfast table, which held merely a cup of coffee for him and tea for the rest of the family.

Sasuke promised he wouldn't bring shame on the clan and his father's face had lightened somewhat, making Sasuke's heart flutter because normally only Itachi made Father look so pleased.

Sasuke's stomach growls, drawing him out of the memory, and he quickly glances at Naruto, worried the boy will make fun of him. However, Naruto is oddly focused on his schoolbook while the teacher describes different shuriken throwing styles.

Sasuke calms down, glad no one noticed while he mentally tells himself to hold on just a couple of hours until first lunch.

Somehow, that's exactly what he does. Though the second the bell rings, Sasuke is grabbing his satchel off the ground and sprinting out the door.

Sasuke runs past the cafeteria and throws open the supply closet in the hallway, going in before anyone can spot him and leaving it open a crack so he can see. Then he sits on an overturned bucket and pulls his bento out of his satchel, setting it on his lap.

The Chibi opens the container to find a hand-sized ball of rice with strips of seaweed and overcooked salmon mixed inside it. No doubt his mother borrowed the food from Oki-Sasuke's packed lunch, and though his Oki counterpart's cooking leaves much to be desired, Sasuke quickly bites into the rice and swallows without chewing. He is biting into the rice ball again when the closet door swings open.

Ino and Sakura freeze, wide-eyed, while Sasuke gazes back at them with equal shock.

For a second, none of them seem to know how to react, but then Sakura stutters. "We just need a washcloth 'cause Ino spilled her juice..." She trails off, eyes falling on Sasuke's bento, which is a fourth the size of a normal bento.

Sasuke swallows the rice in his mouth and stands to leave when Ino, her blue eyes full of pity, says, "Sasuke-kun, you can have some of our lunch if you're starving—"

"Ino!" Sakura shouts admonishingly, and Sasuke's teeth clench as the pink-haired girl turns to apologize.

"She didn't mean—"

Sasuke shoves past both of them and runs through the hallway, ignoring the calls that chase after him while he flees into the boy's bathroom and throws himself into a stall. He drops to the tiled floor, breathing raggedly as his hands curl into fists while humiliation darkens his cheeks.

The Uchiha stays in the stall until the bell rings, but time hasn't soothed away his rage so he returns to class angry, and when he notices Ino and Sakura staring at him, his anger burns even hotter.

Sasuke doesn't even feel his stomach growling because he's so mad, and maybe that's why when Iruka leads them all outside for sparring practice and quietly asks Sasuke if he wants to skip it, Sasuke just glares at him.

His teacher takes the hint and eventually calls his name and Naruto's. Sasuke gets into position across from the blond and flexes his hands, eager to unleash his pent up anger, but he stops as an uncomfortable look flashes upon Naruto's face.

The Namikaze is always eager to fight him, boasting every day how he's better than Sasuke, and the Uchiha doesn't understand why Naruto looks so reluctant until the other boy bites his lip and turns to Iruka. "I quit."

Sasuke's mouth drops because the blond is surrendering without a fight? The Uchiha is questioning if he's under a genjutsu when he notices Naruto's eyes raking over his body, clear pity in his gaze.

Anger bursts in Sasuke's heart as he realizes the blond is refusing to fight because he thinks Sasuke can't handle it, he thinks he's too weak!

Enraged, Sasuke rushes at Naruto and brings his foot down on the startled blond's head.

Quickly Naruto throws himself back onto his hands and pushes off them to land on his feet, saying, "H-hey! I don't want to fight—"

"But I do!" Sasuke's hands fly through six signs and his throat burns with chakra as he spews out a fireball.

Naruto gawks and doesn't move, but Iruka grabs the back of his orange sweatshirt and yanks him away from the fireball, which crashes into the cavern wall.

Some of the other kids scream as the cavern shakes and dirt falls from the ceiling onto their heads while Iruka shouts, "Sasuke, stop!"

The Uchiha ignores him and though his lungs are on fire, he balls his hand into a fist and runs at Naruto. Yet he only makes it halfway to the blond before he trips over his own feet and he's already unconscious as he starts to fall.

.

Sasuke wakes up on a bed in the nurse's office. His vision swims when he sits up and the medic-nin on duty swivels towards him with a scowl, quickly breaking into a rant about the dangers of chakra exhaustion. The Uchiha is too tired and hungry to care about what she's saying so mostly tunes her out until the woman says, "Your guardian has been informed of your injury and will be here to pick you up soon."

Sasuke's heart wrenches and his nails dig into the bed because if the school contacted his father then he knows Sasuke fainted and that he showed himself to be weak. The eight-year old is already imagining his father's disappointed glare and his head is bowing in shame as someone knocks on the office door.

The nurse turns to the doorway. "Oh, you're here, Uchiha-san. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"It was no problem."

Sasuke's head whips up at hearing that voice and he sees Itachi standing in the doorway with his ANBU uniform on. He waves him forward. "Come on, Sasuke."

The younger Uchiha is in shock for a second, but soon he slides off the bed, wobbling on his first step, though he quickly regains his balance and goes to his brother's side.

"Thank you for taking care of him," Itachi nods to the nurse before grabbing Sasuke's hand and walking out into the hall.

Sasuke peeks up at his brother's face as they exit the school, wondering if Itachi is upset like Father would be. Yet his brother's expression is as inscrutable as ever so Sasuke looks away to the tunnel ahead.

The child blinks at seeing they're going to the right tunnel instead of the left one, and he's going to tell his brother they're going the wrong way, but Itachi notices his confusion and says, "I'm making a stop before we go home."

Sasuke makes an understanding sound, yet the noise is overshadowed by his stomach growling. His face heats up and he clutches his cramping abdomen, begging it to quiet.

"Don't worry," Itachi smiles gently at him, "I'm picking up some food."

Sasuke blinks. "But I thought the clan spent all our money on seeds."

The young Uchiha distinctly remembers a couple of adults in his clan complaining about how they'll be dead before the plant seeds sprout anything edible.

Itachi shakes his head. "I'm not buying food." He stops beside the ladder that leads to the Nara district and pulls out a flashlight from his pouch, turning it on and sticking it in his vest pocket. "Wait here and don't move, I'll be back in ten minutes."

Sasuke is confused, but trusts his brother, so does what he tells him to. While he waits, three Nara chunin pass him and shoot him almost concerned looks. However, Sasuke pretends not to notice until they disappear up the ladder.

His brother comes back down a few minutes later, a bag of steamed vegetables and packed meat in his hand. Sasuke's jaw drops while he salivates from the spicy aroma coming from the bag.

"Eat up," Itachi says, handing him a box of stir fried vegetables and chicken.

Immediately Sasuke tears off the top and barely remembers to use the chopsticks inside the box as he dives into the meal. His brother hands him more food while they walk down the tunnel and it's not till they run out that Sasuke realizes his brother didn't eat anything.

Guilt stabs into Sasuke's heart, but when he tries to apologize, Itachi shakes his head and says, "I already ate some food pills during my mission."

Sasuke is reassured, and nearly jumps for joy when Itachi says he'll get him food like this again the next time he picks him up.

After that, he and Itachi follow the same routine whenever Itachi picks him up from school—which has been happening more often than usual lately. His brother always stops by a clan district, leaves Sasuke in the tunnel, and comes back minutes later with food.

At first, Sasuke is simply grateful for the tasty meals because the only time his stomach isn't cramped with hunger these days is when Itachi picks him up. However, after the sixth time they do this, Sasuke grows curious about where exactly Itachi is getting the food since he says he isn't buying it.

Sasuke tries tamping down his curiosity when his brother climbs up the ladder to the Hyuga district, but two minutes later he ends up pulling out his headlamp, turning on the light and hurrying up the ladder himself.

He's only planning to take a quick peek when he pushes up the wooden hatch and sticks out his head. Yet Sasuke spots his brother in the shade of a small tree talking to the Hyuga clan head and becomes concerned when he notices the man's deep frown. Worried the Hyuga is upset with Itachi, Sasuke is debating going to his brother right as Itachi drops to his knees.

Sasuke's eyes grow big and round while Itachi lowers his head to the dirt and the Hyuga's face tightens. Sasuke gapes as the man walks off to a hole in a nearby wooden fence and Itachi doesn't move until he returns with a basket of food.

Itachi rises and the Hyuga hands him the basket, nodding solemnly to his brother before turning to disappear into the grass.

Sasuke closes the hatch over himself and hurries down the ladder, breathing unevenly. The boy rips off his headlamp, flicking off the light and stuffing it into his satchel right as the hatch opens and Itachi starts climbing down.

His brother touches the floor and turns with a smile. "Look, Sasuke, this dish has tomatoes—"

"You've been begging!?" Sasuke snarls, his chest heaving, and Itachi's smile drops while his face goes blank.

"Sasuke," Itachi sighs, expression pained. "You followed me."

"Why would you do that!?" Sasuke screams, eyes burning and hands fisted.

Itachi's lips press together and he bends down to stare deep into Sasuke's eyes, calmly saying, "Because my otouto was starving to death."

Sasuke throws his arms up violently. "So what!? We're all starving!" His voice echoes through the tunnel as tears sting his eyes because how dare he, how dare Nii-san bring himself so low! Uchiha aren't supposed to do that!

Itachi reaches for him and Sasuke is expecting his head to be poked, but his brother's arm curls around the back of his neck and he yanks him into a fierce hug.

Stunned, all the anger drains out of Sasuke as Itachi asks, "Don't you get it, Sasuke?" His voice is fragile and shaky, and when he pulls back, there are tears in his eyes while he says, "I'd do anything for you. Anything."

Sasuke is mute with shock as Itachi pulls him into an even fiercer hug. "Anything," Itachi whispers as his arms tremble around him and slowly Sasuke's fists drop and tears start rolling down his face.

"Nii-san..."

"Anything," Itachi repeats and Sasuke never forgets how desperate and scared he sounds as he says it.

Even eight years later and miles away from home, Itachi's words reverberate across Sasuke's mind like ripples in a lake.

"I'd do anything..."

"Anything."

Sasuke gradually awakens on something soft and warm and blinks up at a familiar ceiling. He doesn't move for a few minutes while he waits for his head to stop pounding. Though once it does, Sasuke pushes himself up on the pillow and freezes as he finds Oki-Itachi's head cushioned on his arms upon the table beside him.

The Chibi feels strangely empty while he stares at the slumbering Oki, uncertain what he's supposed to be feeling. Yet Sasuke's pondering is interrupted as a piece of cloth slides down his face and he instinctively catches it.

The cloth is damp and Sasuke's forehead is wet, which means he must have had a fever. The teen glances at the Oki, knowing he was the one who put the wet cloth on his head and had probably been worried sick when he found Sasuke feverish.

Sasuke forces himself up and walks off the pillow towards the giant. He stops by the Oki's slumbering face, taking in the strain around his eyes and slight frown slanting his lips. Even in his sleep Oki-Itachi is stressed and who wouldn't be after having to murder his clan to save his Village? To constantly have to pretend to be evil when his heart is pure?

The Chibi stumbles over to Oki-Itachi's arm and pulls himself on top of the limb, wrapping his arms as far as he can around his wrist.

"I'm sorry, Oki-Nii-san," Sasuke whispers as exhaustion drags his eyelids close and he drifts to sleep with Itachi's words lulling him.

I'd do anything for you.

Anything.


Thank you for all the kind comments. I hope this chapter lived up to the hype!

Next time: Little Sasuke decides to make some changes while Itachi struggles to understand the min-nin's odd behavior...

Stay healthy and happy, everyone!