I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.

Family

Itachi stared at them from the hideout's throne. "At last, all of the surviving Uchiha have gathered. Now, let us talk. We have much to discuss."

"I agree," Ryuu said. "You're going to explain exactly why you slaughtered our clan. Once you do, we'll decide what to do about you."

"And if I lie?" Itachi asked.

"I solidly recommend that you don't," Ryuu said. "You may be powerful, and you're a genius that rivals even Sasuke in intellect, but even you can't defeat us both."

"I wonder about that," Itachi mused calmly. "Do you also wish to hear my story Sasuke? Or would you prefer to simply kill me and be done with it?"

"I don't want to kill you," Sasuke said. "Not unless you force me to. Tell us why you did what you did. Then we'll see."

"Very well," Itachi nodded. "Allow me to begin my story with a brief history lesson."

The Akatsuki member screamed as Naruto shoved the Rasengan at him, only to suddenly find himself on the wrong side of him. He turned, looking back. There was no way. He was certain he'd hit him.

"Just kidding," the Akatsuki member said cheerfully.

Naruto spun, letting his Rasengan fade and his clone shot past him, a Vacuum Blade coating his kunai as he slashed at the Akatsuki member, Naruto watching closely. However, the Akatsuki member was surprisingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he'd flipped over Naruto's blade and slammed a kick into the side of his head, destroying the clone. Naruto narrowed his eyes. As expected of an Akatsuki member, he was good.

"Naruto, be careful!" Hinata said worriedly.

"I know," Naruto said calmly.

"Are you guys analyzing my strength?" the man asked. "Is that what's going on right now? boy, you guys from the Hidden Leaf sure are clever. But tell the truth. For a newbie, I sure am good, aren't I?"

"Not that good," Naruto said.

Sudeenly, a pair of clones appeared on either side of Naruto, both holding a Rasengan the size of Naruto's torso. Meanwhile, a third fell from above with Repulsion Seals on his fists. The Akatsuki member's demeanor changed, suddenly. One moment he was a flippant, cheerful person, and the next, he was radiating an aura of power and danger. He flipped, one hand knocking one Naruto's arm downward as the other kicked the other Naruto's arm upward. The higher Rasengan hit the falling clone at the same time as the other exploded against the tree branch. Both Rasengans exploding caused a massive cloud of dust, the concussion from the blast flashing outward, only for the same Akatsuki member to suddenly burst out of the ground in front of Naruto before the concussion reached them, throwing a punch just in time for the concussion to send it exploding into Naruto's face at triple the normal force, sending him exploding into a tree, cratering it badly before he collapsed to the ground, groaning.

He's so fast! Naruto thought as the Akatsuki member was suddenly his cheery self again. Who is this guy?

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted worriedly, moving to help him up, only for the Akatsuki member to burst out of the ground again, swiping a twig at her.

At the last second, Naruto appeared between them, eyes glowing crimson with slit pupils as he caught the Akatsuki member's arm in his left hand, his right held out to the side, stopping Hinata.

"Got you," Naruto growled, then twisted, slamming a Repulsion Seal-enhanced punch into the Akatsuki member, sending him exploding completely through the tree Naruto had damaged. "Hinata, stay back."

"Well, it would seem you're quite fast also," the Akatsuki member said, suddenly standing on a branch up and to the left, completely unscathed. "Ryuu trained you well. And I see he taut you Repulsion Seals. I wonder what other nasty tricks you picked up from him."

"Plenty," Naruto said. "I may not have been his best student, but he still taught me plenty."

The Akatsuki member nodded. "Good. Then maybe this will be entertaining after all."

Ryuu glared at Itachi. There was no way. He had to be lying. The Uchiha weren't planning to overthrow anyone. They weren't planning a coup d'état. Shisui never would have done that.

"You're a liar!" Ryuu said, hands trembling. "You expect me to believe...You expect me to believe Big Brother Shisui was a traitor!?"

"No," Itachi said. "Your brother was a good man. One of the best I've ever met. He tried to stop the coup, but before he could, Danzo Shimura stole his right eye. Seeing he was weakened, I killed him and stole his left eye."

Ryuu stared at the ground in silence for a long while before raising his eyes to Itachi, his Sharingan active. "And what about Izumi?"

Itachi's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Was she a traitor as well?" Ryuu asked. "You loved her, didn't you?"

"You remember that?" Sasuke asked.

"I remember everything" Ryuu said. "My eyes have always been sharper than most, even without Sharingan. And my memory is no different. So, Itachi? Was Izumi a traitor to the Leaf?"

"That's right," Itachi said. "And I killed her with my own hands. Just like I killed Shisui."

"No," Ryuu said. "You're lying again. You didn't kill Shisui. And you don't believe that Izumi was a traitor. My eyes can read you like a book, Itachi. You still love Izumi, even after all these years. And you've been suffering worse than anyone. I know how you feel about killing. I know you can't sleep at night. You have nightmares so bad that you're afraid to close your eyes."

Itachi stared at him.

"You pray for forgiveness, but no matter how much you pray, it never helps, because before you can be forgiven by God, you first have to forgive yourself, but you can't," Ryuu said. "I know how you feel, because Yugao told me. She was the one who helped put you back together whenever you were broken by having to kill, wasn't she? She was the only person besides Izumi that you ever gave your heart to."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Itachi said.

"I do," Ryuu said. "Because you feel the same as I do. I can see in your eyes the same ghosts haunting you as I have haunting me in my dreams. I found someone who helps. I found friends to help me pick up the pieces of my broken soul. But you've been alone. You've been breaking inside a little more every day since long before Danzo Shimura forced you to massacre the village in order to save Sasuke. I didn't come to kill you, Itachi. I came to help you put yourself back together and come home."

Itachi stared at him. "You're mistaken. You weren't here when I told Sasuke why I allowed him to live. You see, I wanted his eyes."

"You wanted to transplant his Mangekyo Sharingan into yours, to restore your sight and create Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan," Ryuu said. "I don't believe you. That's not your true motive in this."

"And why is that?" Itachi asked.

"Because you know that Sasuke doesn't have his Mangekyo Sharingan yet," Ryuu said. "You wouldn't have called him to you until after he acquired them if you truly wanted to transplant his eyes."

Itachi watched him in silence. "What, then, is my goal?"

"You want release," Ryuu said. "You want us to kill you and finally end your suffering. But we're not going to do it. You owe it to my mother and father, to your own mother and father, and to our entire clan. You owe it to them to continue suffering and working to repent. So I'm going to put you back together, and I'm going to bring you back to Yugao like I promised. And then you're going to do whatever it takes to make things right again."

Itachi remained silent for a long while. Finally, he sighed, his Sharingan spiraling slowly, the tomoe growing into three curved arms of a shuriken around his pupil. "You have my condolences, Ryuu. But if you refuse to accept what I am telling you, then I will have to show you. And I'm sorry, but you will have to see it from my point of view."

Images flowed through Ryuu's mind. Memories. Battles. Sins. They weren't his. And yet, they were. For a brief moment in time, he was Itachi. He could see it all. Tending to wounded soldiers during a war. Awakening his Sharingan by fighting against Foundation ANBU to protect one of the Hokage's ANBU. He watched an entire life of growing up with Shisui, and Sasuke, and Ryuu. He fell in love with both Izumi and Yugao. He felt the guilt of being torn between the two, and not being able to place one above the other. He remembered the nights spent alone with Yugao, of regret and pain turning to comfort, and then to intimacy. he remembered the days with Izumi, the guilt weighing down on him, even as she accepted that she wasn't the only person in his heart. he remembered the pain of spying on his clan. The agony of knowing that all options were wrong. It was wrong to betray the Leaf and plot to overthrow the Hokage, but it was also wrong to spy on the Uchiha. It was wrong to love two people equally, and to force them both to accept that. And it was wrong to plan out a massacre of an entire village.

He remembered the hope as Izumi agreed to run away, to escape from the village, and the clan, and its fate, and then wait for him. He remembered the pain of Shisui's sacrifice, and the promise he made to him. He remembered the order being given, and going to Madara in order to get his help, as well as stop him razing the entire Leaf Village. He remembered warning Izumi. Next he remembered the blood. The screams. The cold blade that cut into his soul with every stroke of his own. He remembered his parents. He remembered his father's pride in how strong he had become. He remembered his mother's love of her son, who had chosen a village that hated them over her. He remembered his parents, tall and proud, accepting their fates with honor that even he could never hope to claim.

He remembered finding Ryuu. His chosen brother's younger brother, a younger brother of his own as well. He remembered the abusive father, who apologized for his sins and gave his life for his family. He remembered the mother who forgot her son existed, who wept for the son she thrown away. He remembered his heart sheering in two as his blade tore through his younger brother. But that waver had been all it took, in hindsight. less than a millimeter off target, just enough to be saved. And last, he remembered Madara catching Izumi before she could leave. He remembered moving to interfere. The pain of what followed. He couldn't save her. He hadn't warned her soon enough. And so, he was left with no options. He remembered the agony of casting the Genjutsu. The tears that he held back as he watched, in the span of time it took Madara to realize that he was there, as he chose Izumi. Together, they saved the Uchiha clan from themselves, stopped Madara, married, started a family, and grew old together. A lifetime of happiness and love in less than a tenth of a second. He remembered the Hell of her thanking him for killing her before her soul departed this world.

Ryuu crumpled to the floor, tears flooding from his eyes as they stared, wide and lifeless. His heart struggled to remember who it was, and what sins belonged to him. There had been so much. So much agony that never had the chance to heal. Itachi wasn't broken. He was ruined.

"Your eyes truly are sharp," Itachi said from above Ryuu. "You were not meant to see my memories with such clarity. No matter. You are helpless now."

"Fu," Ryuu breathed, Itachi pausing, a kunai still held above himself. "Forgive me. I'm going to make you cry again."

Then, he was up, his fist exploding into Itachi's chest, hurling him backward. Itachi flipped, landing on his feet and skidding to a stop beside a second Itachi, who was on his knees, clutching his left eye. To Ryuu's left, Sasuke was also on his knees, gasping for breath.

"You alright Sasuke?" Ryuu asked.

"Yes," Sasuke nodded, standing. "I broke through his Tsukuyomi."

Ryuu nodded. "I saw it all Itachi. Your past. Your pain. Your sins. And your goal."

Itachi's eyes widened.

"So, as of now, we've got no choice," Ryuu said. "We'll have to actually go through with this. Let's put those eyes of yours to the test, shall we?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed before he reached out, placing a hand on the clone's shoulder and reabsorbing the chakra. "You saw my goal? Very well. Then I'm afraid you're right. Our hands have been tied."

He dropped, closing his right eye and beginning to form hand seals, only for Sasuke to summon a fuma shuriken from one of the bracers on his wrists, hurling it at Itachi. Ryuu noticed the ground was littered with shuriken now, which definitely weren't there when Itachi caught him in his Tsukuyomi, but he ignored it. Itachi dropped into a crouch to avoid the shuriken, only to see a second in the shadow of the first. he leapt between the two shuriken and Sasuke tugged on a cord, the shuriken breaking apart, ejecting their blades. Of the eight projectiles, one stabbed into Itachi's thigh deeply. As Itachi crashed to the ground, Ryuu shot forward, slamming a palm into Itachi, lifting him into the air. His eyes widened instantly and he vanished a split second before a second Itachi passed through the spot he'd occupied, barely missing him before exploding into smoke as Itachi crashed back into the ground. He reached back, ripping the shuriken blade out of his leg and hurled it away, groaning and collapsing forward again, entire body trembling from the pain. However, after a moment, he began to stand, his leg trembling as he held a hand to his left eye.

"You feeling the backlash from your Tsukuyomi?" Sasuke asked. "Feel free to give up any time."

Itachi lowered his hand as Sasuke formed several hand seals, then exhaled a Fireball Jutsu at him. Itachi leapt over it and Sasuke leapt at him, a Chidori lighting up his hand, only for Itachi to smirk and explode into smoke, a second Itachi grabbing him from behind and spinning, sending him exploding into the ground. As soon as he hit, Itachi exhaled a massive blast of flame of his own, only for the Jutsu to end early as Ryuu exploded into his gut with another palm strike, sending him exploding into the roof of the throne room. Then, Ryuu leapt backward, exhaling a Dragon Flame Bomb. The flames exploded against the ceiling and obliterated a section of it. Ryuu shot up through the hole after Itachi and Sasuke stood, his Curse Mark Level Two's wing, which had shielded him from Itachi's jutsu, shifting out from above him before Sasuke leapt after them. Just as he cleared the smoke, Itachi's foot exploded into Ryuu, sending him crashing into Sasuke, both crashing to the ground and rolling to a stop. Ryuu pushed himself up, cracking his knuckles as Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, breathing hard already.

"Breaking through his Tsukuyomi took a lot out of you, didn't it?" Ryuu asked.

"Yes," Sasuke nodded. "You want to take point?"

"Sure," Ryuu nodded. "Cover me from a distance."

Sasuke nodded and raised his hand, forming a Chidori before a blade of it extended from his fist like a sword. Ryuu raised an eyebrow before nodding appreciatively.

"Not bad," Ryuu said, forming one of his own. "I like it."

"I'll use ranged Jutsus to cover you," Sasuke said.

Ryuu nodded and shot forward, Itachi narrowing his eyes and copying Sasuke's jutsu as well, meeting Ryuu in the middle with a flurry of slashes, stabs, and parries, their blades clashing constantly, excess electricity flashing out and blasting the ground. Then, Ryuu dropped under Itachi's blade, placing his free hand on the ground as he slammed both feet into Itachi's gut, launching him backward. At the same time, he sent out a Fire Style, Blockbuster.

The roof off to the right exploded, Zetsu spinning into the air just as Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu flashed over Ryuu, crashing into Itachi's. Ryuu vanished, reappearing over Zetsu, who had flipped to look down, and drilled a hardened right fist into Zetsu's back, sending him exploding into the ground. Then, he flipped, landing on his feet beside Sasuke as Itachi's flames turned black, beginning to rapidly overpower Sasuke's. No, that wasn't quite right. They weren't overpowering them, they were consuming them. Burning them. Amaterasu was a horrifying jutsu. Then, just as the flames were about to reach Sasuke, Itachi ended them, the flames dying out in seconds.

"What is his goal?" Sasuke asked.

"His goal is to take your eyes and create Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, then use them to kill Madara Uchiha," Ryuu said. "And then he intends to take over as the leader of the Akatsuki and lead it against the Hidden Leaf for looking down on the Uchiha clan. Even though he slaughtered them, Itachi still views the Uchiha as the superior race."

Sasuke nodded. "Then we'll have to stop him after all."

He turned, sprinting to his left along the edge of the rooftop, Itachi turning to track him just as Amalgam crashed down in front of Ryuu, swiping at him with an arm covered in bone spikes but missing by a hair's breadth.

"Ryuu!" Sasuke shouted.

"Focus on Itachi!" Ryuu shouted, flipping over another swipe from Amalgam, kicking him in the shoulder and sending him exploding down through the roof.

Just as he fell after him, he saw Itachi activate his Amaterasu again. Then, Ryuu was inside and formed the Chidori sword jutsu Sasuke had taught him again, slashing at Amaglam with it, only for Amalgam's bones to block it.

"You are interrupting at the worst possible time," Ryuu growled. "We're dealing with some family business right now!"

Just then, a second Chidori sword stabbed through the roof, cutting a gash into it before Sasuke dropped through, sending it stabbing down at Amalgam as Sasuke's shed skin above the hole burned away with the Amaterasu. Amalgam spun around the blade and Ryuu spun, placing a Repulsion Seal on his left foot before slamming it into Amalgam's side, sending him exploding out of the hideout through the wall.

"Be careful with him," Ryuu said, quickly sending his memories of the last fight to Sasuke with his Sharingan.

"Jesus," Sasuke growled. "How stupidly overpowered can you get?"

"Probably worse," Ryuu said, just as Amalgam exploded back in through the wall with a bone sword in one hand and a Water Sword formed entirely out of blood in the other.

Ryuu shot forward, forming a Wind Rapier in his free hand and he and Amalgam began to strike at each other rapidly with their weapons, meanwhile Sasuke fired several Great Dragon Flame Jutsus up at Itachi. Ryuu's eyes flicked to Sasuke, but in that moment, Amalgam struck perfectly, his Blood Sword stabbing Ryuu through the abdomen. Ryuu coughed up blood before Amalgam leapt back, his Blood Sword falling apart. Suddenly, Ryuu couldn't move and Amalgam's Ketsuryugan was glowing.

"Now die!" Amalgam grinned, snapping his fingers.

And suddenly, Ryuu's head was spinning into the air on a column of blood. However, just as it did, a second Ryuu appeared behind Amalgam, the one he'd just killed fading from existence before Ryuu's tanto split Amalgam down the back. Amalgam staggered forward, his back sealing almost instantly, then spun just in time froe Ryuu's hardened, Repulsion-Seal-strengthened right fist to explode into his fist, sending him flying, only for a second Ryuu to appear over him, slamming both fists down into his back, Amalgam shattering the ground through the entire room before three dozen layers of paralysis seals and Gravity Seals at ten times gravity all formed over Amalgam's body, the ground below him cratering further and leaving Amalgam immobile. Ryuu sighed, looking up through the hole above him just in time for rain to hit him in the eye. He groaned in annoyance and wiped his eye before leaping out of the hole, landing behind Itachi, streaking forward and grabbing him by the throat, pressing his other hand to his back.

"You look like you're in pretty rough shape, Big Brother Itachi," Ryuu said. "Is your little brother giving you a hard time?"

"Ryuu," Itachi said, looking back at him. "Did you kill the other one?"

"Not yet," Ryuu said. "I have a greater priority. You."

Itachi spun, swiping a kunai at Ryuu, who ducked under it and slashed upward with his trench knife, only for Itachi to deflect it with a kunai. Ryuu spun, slashing with his tanto before swinging a windmill kick at Itachi, only for Itachi to duck under it, then step forward, slamming a knee into Ryuu's gut. Ryuu grunted, dropping his tanto before lunging and slamming a palm strike into Itachi's gut again, then spun, slamming his heel into the side of Itachi's jaw, launching him into the base of one of the large, flat walls that rose from the hideout, cratering it before picking up his tanto just as lightning flashed above them. They both look up, seeing Sasuke standing atop the tallest wall. Before he could do anything, Itachi appeared behind Ryuu, grabbing him by the throat and holding a kunai to his throat, Ryuu being forced to lean back, off balance, one of his hands instinctively reaching back and grabbing Itachi by the shirt to keep from falling.

"Now what will you do, Sasuke?" Itachi asked. "How will you attack me with Ryuu in harm's way?"

Sasuke watched them both silently for a long moment.

"Sasuke," Ryuu said. "Whatever you're going to do, just do it. I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked.

"Positive," Ryuu said.

"Very well," Sasuke said. "I trust you. Itachi. This will be my last jutsu. As I'm sure you've figured out, I'm completely out of chakra. That substitution jutsu earlier used it all at once. Not the most efficient substitution. However, this final jutsu cannot be blocked or evaded. It lasts only an instant. I'm not certain Even Ryuu can evade it, and he has Shisui's speed."

"Interesting," Itachi said. "Show me it. Blast both me and Ryuu into oblivion together. Show me your hatred."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I don't hate you. I wanted to save you. But you chose your own fate. As for Ryuu, he believes he can survive, or evade this jutsu, and he has proven himself capable of surviving in situations that even I wouldn't be able to. If he's hit by this jutsu, he'll probably survive anyway."

Sasuke formed a Chidori and suddenly the sky came alive with lightning, bolts of it swarming and writhing through the clouds like a giant spiderweb, some bolts of lightning even striking the ground, forming it into a kind of cage. But there, directly above them, was a growing mass of lightning, shaped a bit like a cone.

"This jutsu guides the lightning down from the heavens!" Sasuke called out over the lightning. "All I have to do is merely direct its power right at you." He raised his hand. "This jutsu is called Kirin."

A roar rang out above them as the lightning directly over them, where there had been a cone before, grew into a massive dragon of pure lightning. It flew down to hover behind Sasuke, roaring again as it glared at Itachi.

"Jesus," Ryuu breathed. "I don't think even Lord Fourth Hokage was that fast."

"One one-thousandth of a second," Itachi said. "That's your window for escape."

Then, Sasuke straightened his fingers, the dragon rising back into the air before Sasuke swiped his hand downward. As he did, Ryuu's eyes spiraled and opened into his Mangekyo Sharingan. Then, the lightning bolt struck, obliterating the entirety of the hideout.

Naruto spun around the Akatsuki member, hurling a kunai after him and he dropped, barely getting under it before slamming a hand into the ground, a massive pillar of stone exploding out of the ground and into Naruto's torso before the Akatsuki member dropped into a hole. He reappeared in front of Kakashi, slamming an aerial windmill kick into his chest, sending him blasting into Yamato, then dropping into the hole again before reappearing in time to catch Sakura and Sai and slam them together before hurling them both into Kiba and Akamaru as the pair attacked him. Tayuya raised her flute to her lips, but the Akatsuki member burst out of the ground, drilling a fist into her gut before taking the mouthpiece of the flute and stabbing the rest down into Tayuya's back before kicking her away, Tayuya screaming in agony as she flew, only for a Naruto clone to catch her and sprint toward Sakura. At the same time, the Akatsuki member burst out of the ground in front of Hinata, shoving a kunai at her, only for Hinata to duck past it, drilling a palm strike into the Akatsuki member's side, a bolt of lightning exploding out of her hand directly into him and sending him flying backward into Naruto, who slammed a Lariat into his back, smashing him into the ground before punching him, sending him exploding down into it with his Repulsion Seal.

"Great job, Hinata!" Naruto grinned.

Then, the Akatsuki Member burst up from the ground behind Naruto, katana flashing downward, only for Kakashi and Yamato both to slam a kick in his side, sending him blasting along the ground.

"He's vulnerable only when he strikes," Kakashi said. "You have to anticipate his next attack and strike then."

"Right!" Naruto and Hinata nodded.

Ryuu sighed, dusting himself off as he stepped up beside Sasuke, who was on his knees, completely spent.

"How'd you pull it off?" Sasuke asked.

"One part a Mangekyo Sharingan power, one part Body Flicker Technique," Ryuu said.

"Call it what it is, it's a Teleportation Jutsu," Amalgam said, staggering out from behind some rubble, blood running down his face and one arm hanging useless with a pipe stabbed through his bicep, but otherwise unscathed.

"You sure that jutsu was as deadly as you claim?" Ryuu asked.

"I gotta give credit where credit is due," Amalgam grinned. "Without a dozen layers of bone and crystal shields over me, I'd be as toast as Itachi is."

"Such a shame you're as resourceful as your creator, then," Itachi said, pushing himself up.

"No way!" Sasuke gaped, staggering back to his feet. "They both survived!?"

"I'll take over," Ryuu said, forming a Wind Rapier in his right hand and a Chidori sword in the other.

"You can't fight them both," Sasuke said, shifting into his Curse Mark Level Two form.

As he did, Ryuu noticed the same purple marking as around Orochimaru's eyes formed around Sasuke's left one. It was almost time. Before them, ethereal orange chakra raged around Itachi, growing upward as a translucent reddish-orange skeleton began to form, the ribs just above the ground, wrapped around Itachi protectively.

"If I hadn't had this, I'd have been dead," Itachi said. "You really have...gotten stronger...Sasuke. And you as well, Ryuu. I never imagined...you'd actually...be able to dodge that."

Just then, Amalgam spun, a bone drill forming around his arm like Kimimaro had nearly killed Gaara with so long ago, before he leapt at Itachi, smashing the drill into a rib, cracking it, but failing to break through, the drill shattering. Itachi fell to his knees, coughing up blood, and the skeleton's arm flashed down, batting Amalgam aside, sending him exploding into a massive boulder a hundred meters away from Itachi.

"Dammit," Ryuu growled. "I don't know which to go after first."

"Go after Amalgam," Sasuke said. "Kill him this time. I know you hate to do it but-"

"No, you're right," Ryuu said. "It has to be done."

Sasuke nodded and Ryuu rocketed off of the ground, speeding across the debris field to Amalgam, slashing both of his blades down at Amalgam, only for a massive bone axe blade to sprout from each forearm, blocking the blades before Amalgam flipped, slamming a kick into his torso, launching him into the air. Ryuu flipped and stopped as Amalgam's arm stretched up at him, now sporting the same bone blade as the first time they fought. Ryuu spun out of the way, slashing it aside with his Chidori sword before flashing down at Amalgam, drilling his right fist into Amalgam's other bone blade, fracturing it but failing to break through, despite his fist being hardened and having a Repulsion Seal. Ryuu flipped, his right leg sweeping around and exploding into Amalgam's side, sending him skidding three feet before his rear foot met a piece of debris. Amalgam exploded forward, only for Fu to suddenly arrive, spinning around Ryuu with a massive boulder held in her hands, swinging the boulder around and smashing it against Amalgam, sending him bouncing away.

"I'll deal with this," Fu said. "Do what you need to do with Itachi."

"Be careful," Ryuu said. "I'll be back soon."

Fu nodded and Ryuu turned back to Itachi and Sasuke, seeing Itachi's shroud, a Mangekyo Sharingan Power called the Susanoo, according to Tobi, fully formed above the waist, wearing a suit of red armor, the helmet being a head with the Susanoo's eyes glowing from inside the open mouth, massive flames reaching up from the Susanoo's back, the Susanoo's left arm bearing a shield formed from a spiral of flames, and the right arm split into two forearms and hands at the elbow, the lower one holding a sake jar. However, just as Ryuu was facing them, enormous white snakes suddenly exploded out of Sasuke's body as Sasuke screamed, growing rapidly as they shot upward, absorbing Sasuke in the process. It was time. Itachi had done it.

"It's time," Ryuu said. "Fu, I'll be back once I save my brothers."

"Right," Fu nodded, exploding forward as her Tailed Beast Cloak formed into Version Two with her six wings present.

Ryuu exploded off of the ground as well as Itachi's Susanoo formed a glowing orange blade from the sake jar, removing one of the snake's heads as it lunged at him. Then, lime green chakra exploded off of Ryuu, every cell in his body erupting into pure agony as his own Susanoo formed. It was different from Itachi's. His had form-fitting armor with splints running sideways from the back to the front and seeming bolted in place, making a sort of ribcage-like appearance, round pauldrons with a pair of fins on the top of each running front to back, six fin-like blades on his forearms, all of them ending in a point, a skull-shaped head with its face set into a permanent grin, a pair of Sharingan glowing in its eye sockets, two short wing-like protrusions on the sides of its head, each with a pair of small fins running front to back on the top and bottom of them, and four fin-like blades running backward over the top of its head. Ryuu's Susanoo grabbed one of the snake's heads as it lunged at Itachi, then reached back to the massive, ethereal tanto on the Susanoo's back, drawing its shining, whitish-green blade made out of shaped flames and slashed downward, removing one of the snake's heads before Ryuu spun, his Susanoo turning with him and slashing back upward the other way, removing the head he was holding before swinging the piece he was still holding, smashing the segment of neck into another head, knocking it to the side.

Itachi's blade flashed out instantly, removing that head just as two of the heads shot out, wrapping around Ryuu's Susanoo, only for its free hand to suddenly create a trench knife shaped the same as Ryuu's, the entire thing formed of the same flame-like appearance as his tanto. Then, it raised its arms, forcing the snake's necks upward before slashing with both blades, each removing a head before he caught one of the pieces as they fell and spun, whipping it off to the side, the neck crashing down on Amalgam before he could hurl a bone spear at Fu. As Ryuu hurled the head away, Amalgam pushed himself up, the bone spear broken. Then, Fu crashed into him once again, continuing to beat him bloody.

Ryuu turned back to Orochimaru's head, Itachi having removed one of the last two, as the last head reached straight up, saliva splashing from inside its throat for a moment before Orochimaru began to grow out of it. Then, he began to gag before regurgitating his sword, pulling it free of his throat.

"This is it!" Orochimaru hissed. "This is the chance I have been waiting for! Thanks to you, that repressive chakra is gone, and now I have the chance to take over this child's body for good! And soon-"

Itachi stabbed Orochimaru, the blade being so wide it reached from Orochimaru's collarbones to his waist. Orochimaru laughed, straightening up.

"Did you truly believe that a puny attack like that could take down the likes of me?" Orochimaru laughed, only for his eyes to suddenly widen.

"I think that's enough from you," Itachi said, his Susanoo pulling its sword back as the flames making up the blade suddenly began to roll back on themselves, Orochimaru's body seeming to melt and begin to be pulled along the blade, toward the sake jar.

"This sword!" Orochimaru seethed. "It can't be! The Totsuka Blade!? Itachi! It was hidden in you all along!?"

Orochimaru and his entire snake form were rapidly sucked into the sake jar, however, at the last second, a single white snake dropped out of the mass of melting white flesh, landing on the ground. Ryuu's Susanoo stabbed down at it, careful not to hit Sasuke, who was on his knees beside the snake, but the snake managed to escape into the rubble. Then, Amalgam crashed down where the snake had fled and Ryuu's gut dropped. A moment later, Amalgam began to laugh, pushing himself up as Fu landed beside Sasuke, beginning to heal him. Amalgam raised the snake, his laugh turning hysterical rapidly.

"The time has come, Lord Orochimaru!" Amalgam cried out, his voice and expression both deranged and psychotic.

Then, he shoved the snake into his mouth, the snake rapidly writhing and squirming down his throat. Ryuu stabbed his Susanoo's tanto at him, only for Amalgam to flip to the side. Then, the snake was gone. He landed, bent forward at the waist and crouching and remained motionless before beginning to laugh, starting quiet before quickly growing louder, his voice shifting into Orochimaru's part way through. As he raised his head, his eyes bore Orochimaru's purple pigmentation, but he retained his Dojutsu.

"I must thank you, Ryuu," Orochimaru grinned. "Thanks to you tipping me off about Mhao, I was able to create the perfect vessel, one even more powerful than Itachi."

"Would you like to test that?" Itachi asked.

"No," Orochimaru said. "Not now. This form has lost too much chakra facing Ryuu and Fu, as well as from Sasuke's Kirin. No, for now, I'll fall back. But I'll see you all again. Soon."

Then, he seemed to transform into smoke slowly, dispersing. Ryuu groaned, letting his Susanoo form, turning back to the other two Uchiha. Sasuke was watching Itachi warily, a Chidori sword in his right hand, his left holding his chokuto.

"It's alright, Sasuke," Ryuu said as Itachi's Susanoo faded and he coughed up blood, falling to his knees, only for Ryuu to catch him, setting him down and beginning to heal him.

"What...I don't..." Sasuke trailed off, staring at them.

"Itachi's true goal was to pull Orochimaru out of you and seal him away," Ryuu said. "He never intended to take your eyes, hurt the Hidden Leaf village, or kill either of us. He was trying to save you. But at the same time, he had to do it now because he's run out of time. He's got a virus that's killing him. Fortunately, thanks to memorizing the Nara Clan's Medical Encyclopedia and combining it with my experience in Orochimaru's prison, I should be able to save him."

"So...you knew?" Sasuke asked.

"When he used Tsukuyomi on me to try and break me mentally, my own Sharingan were able to reverse his intentions, so instead of illusions of him being a horrible person, I watched his true memories instead. I saw everything he's done, and I saw what he was trying to do. That's why I was healing him throughout the battle to try and keep him going. That first palm strike, right after you got him with a shuriken blade, I placed a Medical Water Style, Water Jellyfish on his chest, under his cloak, then once he'd removed the blade, I activated it to heal him and extend his life. Once we got outside and we were blocked from your sight, I healed him more until you got out of the building, when he kicked me away."

"I see," Sasuke nodded. "Why didn't you just tell me to use up all of my chakra?"

"Because you needed to be...mentally vulnerable...not just...physically," Itachi said.

"Shut up Itachi," Ryuu said. "Fu, be careful, Zetsu was watching the fight."

Fu nodded, looking around carefully, picking up Sasuke and moving closer to Ryuu, as he was the only one capable of using Sharingan to resist Zetsu's nerve toxin and keep his body functioning and still having the strength to keep fighting. Once they were beside Ryuu, they settled in to wait in tense silence as Ryuu worked to save Itachi.

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