Daze
Chapter Thirteen: Brothers
A/N: Here's chapter thirteen folks, hope you enjoy.
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Naruto and Kisame arrived at the hideout both worse for wear Naruto the more so.
Much to his frustration the blue man seemed to have limitless energy.
He brushed that aside the target was caught and he would finally be anointed in full.
As they entered the cave he felt a sense of nervousness overtake him.
He had felt it before but now it was unexpected he thought he was ready for this but now he wasn't sure.
Kisame kicked him in the ankle.
"Gaki you've been standing there brooding for three minutes now they're starting to stare."
Naruto blushed embarrassed and followed the man into the chamber.
He could hear Deidara and Hidan cracking up and the other's just stared impassively.
Naruto looked annoyed at the cold gazes.
"You're all so emo Sasuke would fit right in."
Pain looked slightly annoyed at the comment.
"You haven't felt pain child what would you know."
Naruto smirked.
"Gotcha to crack I knew you were human."
Konan looked down cautiously.
"Did you just say Sasuke? Who's Sasuke."
Naruto paled realizing he had just given away that his memories had returned.
"Oh er- Itachi's brother, he told me about him once."
Pain sighed.
"Kisame do you have the vessel?"
He nodded, tossing the boy onto the ground.
"He went easier than expected."
Kisame turned to his blonde accomplice who was checking his nails.
"Karasu proved invaluable in combat and retrieved the vessel from the wreckage,"
The man adjusted his Sharkskin lackadaisically.
"-He has my recommendation."
Pain nodded.
"Itachi?"
The man nodded in agreement.
Sasori, Deidara, and Kakuzu agreed.
"Very well, Karasu Otsutsuki step forward."
Naruto stepped forward, locking eyes with the man.
"You have proven your loyalty and dedication to the cause I hereby welcome you to the Akatsuki."
Naruto smirked.
"It's about damn time."
Pain's eye twitched.
"Don't push your luck."
He turned to face Itachi.
"Itachi, take him to retrieve his uniform. Kisame return to the Tenchi outpost."
They both nodded.
"Hai Pain-Sama."
"Meeting adjourned."
The holograms faded and Kisame gave Naruto a boisterous smack on the back.
"Welcome to the crew gaki be seeing you shortly."
He vanished in a swirl of water and Itachi hopped down from the statue.
"Follow me Naruto we need to talk."
Naruto paled.
'He knows?!'
Three Hours Later...
"Itachi!"
Sasuke rushed forward with a massive chidori aimed for his brother's heart.
When he struck him he faded into a murder of crows.
"That won't work Sasuke-kun I'm not here to fight you I just want to talk."
Sasuke growled.
"We're past the point of words brother all I want to hear from you is your death rattles as I pierce your heart."
Itachi sighed.
"Impulsive as always you and Naruto are more alike than you know!"
Sasuke turned red with rage spitting as he screamed.
"Don't you dare speak his name!"
Itachi stared at him with an unknown emotion.
Sasuke began to tear up as his chidori powered down.
"He- he was my best friend and you killed him."
Sasuke glared at the man.
"He was a better brother than you ever were!"
Itachi cracked a weak smile.
"I'm glad you feel that way that makes this easier."
Sasuke looked at him in cautious confusion.
"What are you talking about?!"
Itachi sighed.
"Look at my eyes Sasuke."
Sasuke scoffed.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Itachi growled in annoyance and yelled.
"I don't have much time Sasuke, just look at them!"
Sasuke was taken aback by the uncharacteristic emotion in his brother's voice.
He looked up and saw two black voids where his brother's eyes should've been.
"I-Itachi your eyes?!"
He nodded.
"They're gone."
Sasuke nodded in a confused stupor.
"H-how why?"
Itachi smiled.
"I've given them to Naruto."
Sasuke's mind broke in confusion.
"What!?"
Itachi nodded.
"It's a lot to take in, I know, Naruto's alive and he will be at these coordinates in ten days, meet him there."
Itachi tossed a map with black symbols over an area with coordinates written on the corner.
"Goodbye Sasuke."
Sasuke looked at him confused and annoyed.
"Goodbye what?!"
Sasuke chased after his brother who was floating away amid a cloud of crows.
"Itachi wait!"
Itachi looked at him with a pained smile as he began to dissipate into crows.
"Go alone bring anyone with you and he will not show himself, I'm sorry Sasuke but this is it... goodbye."
Sasuke fell to his knees lost and confused.
His brother was gone and somehow he knew for good.
Despite everything he thought he wanted his tears fell hot all the same.
Naruto sat on the bed crimson tears streaming from beneath his bandaged eyes as he remembered the conversation he'd had.
Naruto followed Itachi into the room they'd shared for the past two years.
Itachi laid down in the bed and covered himself up coughing.
"Itachi, I'm confused, you knew?"
Itachi looked weak as he dropped his illusion of health. He turned pale and began to sweat.
"I'm sorry Naruto but I can't talk. We'll have to do it this way."
His eyes flashed red and he coughed up blood.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Naruto saw a tornado of crows surround him and began to fall.
He landed hard on a wet surface and opened his eyes to a red sky.
Floating above him was Itachi.
"W-what is this?"
Itachi raised his hand in a sign one Naruto knew from the past two years meant to shut up and listen.
He obliged.
"I'm sorry Naruto I wish I could've talked to you in person but I needed to use the last of my time to set things in motion."
He let out a tired sigh.
"I'm dying Naruto by the time this genjutsu ends I'll have exhausted the last of my strength."
Naruto tried to interject but Itachi made the sign.
"No, there's nothing you can do I've visited the best medical ninja this world has to offer, even Tsunade while under disguise, this is it Naruto-kun."
"But Itachi-"
"It's okay Naruto I've already accepted it now it's up to you to do the same but before I go there are things you must know,
"-Once I've told you my story then you can decide whether to follow my design or not it's up to you."
Naruto nodded.
"I'm listening."
Itachi proceeded to tell him the story of his troubled childhood, the death of his teammates, his alliance with Madara, the massacre of his clan.
Naruto was shocked to hear that the village could do such a thing but he knew it was true his time as Karasu confirmed it.
Itachi was purer than most ninja alive today.
After his story was finished he told Naruto his plan to destroy the Akatsuki from the inside.
Kisame was his accomplice but the rest of them were in the dark.
Naruto was conflicted in his time; he had grown close to most of them but he wasn't naive to the fact that they were ruthless killers.
He would do what he had to for the sake of his village and for Itachi, his surrogate brother.
"I'll do it."
Itachi smiled.
"Thank you Naruto I must admit I was worried."
"What do I have to do?"
The man grimaced.
"Take my eyes and implant them into your own,"
Itachi traced his mouth unconsciously with his hand.
"-Kisame has a medical contact that will expedite the process with his help. It should only take ten days for them to heal, Normally two sharingan would overwhelm a person but, you're an Uzumaki and a former Bijuu host so I have faith you can handle it."
The man coughed into his arm, still looking down at the boy.
"Once you've recovered you'll be sent on a mission to the land of rice patties to investigate a lead on Orochimaru this is a guise to have you meet up with Sasuke...
From there you'll tell him everything I've told you and bring him into the fold, I've been doing this for years so as long as you aren't discovered they won't suspect you."
"You need to stay in the Akatsuki for at least another year and capture at least one more bijuu, then you can leave by faking your death or capture, Madara should deactivate the Indra seal once he thinks you're dealt with, Then he can't kill you but he'll think he did and that will be a valuable asset."
"When you do leave first you need to kill Orochimaru he won't stop hunting you and Sasuke for your eyes, and he will become a problem once the Akatsuki aren't there to keep him in check."
"When you and Sasuke start to go blind switch your eyes, by then you'll have acclimated enough that with your shared heritage through the Senju you should be able to awaken the Eternal Mangekyou and halt your blindness."
Naruto nodded at the man's thought-out plan.
"But Itachi I'm not nearly as smart or subtle as you, are you sure I'm the right choice for this."
Itachi smiled weakly.
"You're the only choice I've seen the bond you and my brother share with the two of you together there's no task too great besides… I have faith in you Naruto"
Naruto began to tear up and the man stepped forward giving him a hug.
"This is it, Naruto my time's just about up, remember what I told you you can do this."
"Goodbye… Niisan."
Itachi put a hand on his shoulder giving him a pained smile.
"Goodbye Otouto."
He vanished in a cloud of crows as Naruto was ejected from the genjutsu.
He awoke and saw Itachi sleeping peacefully but he wasn't breathing a line of blood leaking from his mouth.
Naruto took his cloak and ring for his own before burying the man with the leaf headband Iruka gave him, a patriot like Itachi deserved to be buried with an unmarked headband.
He laid him in the ground covering everything but his head then took his eyes using his sense of touch to finish the burial by tossing the dirt down.
He placed his old eyes in a jar of preservative liquid in case he ever needed them then sat down to wait for the medic.
The man arrived some odd hours later and helped him back into the cave.
Bandaging his eyes and helping him find a seat.
Naruto wasn't sure if he was crying or if it was the blood leaking down either way he felt hollow.
His brother was dead.
X END X
No A/N today because I'm depressed I'm going to drink whiskey and listen to music see you guys next chapter.
2/2/21: Chapter thirteen revised.