1

Sasuke stands under the wooden arch layered with dust and cracks so deep its kanji is barely legible, and he already knows he won't find what he's looking for here.

He enters the small town anyway, if only to say he tried. Though mindful of the broken glass littering the dirt road, which glow like embers under the haze of the blood red moon, Sasuke steps lightly while weaving around large pillars of splintered wood that might have once been a billboard or food stand.

A screech in the distance makes him look up at a windmill behind an upcoming house, its rusty blades spinning slowly in the summer night breeze. He activates his Sharingan and approaches the home's front window, peering through the sooty glass to examine its dark interior.

Upturned furniture and grimy clothes strewn about the floor is all he finds. The family that lived there must have left in a hurry, meaning the Shinobi Resistance likely freed the townspeople from the Infinite Tsukuyomi and had already secreted them away in one of their underground bases.

Sasuke has yet to find anybody staring motionlessly at the inert red moon with the Rinnegan in their eyes, which gives credence to his hypothesis as well as proves staying here any longer would be a waste of time.

The seventeen-year old returns to the dirt road and passes an apartment building with a gaping hole in its side, scorched bricks spilling out of it like blood. Yes, Jugo's intel was certainly wrong because there's no sign anybody has been in this town for months.

Sasuke's hands clench. The Resistance is getting stronger, they're freeing more and more people every day and getting bolder in their attacks on Kabuto's Edo Tensei army. What was once an annoyance has officially became a threat he must deal with soon.

Sasuke forces his hands to relax and walks back the way he came. He's just passing the town entrance when one of Jugo's owls lands on his shoulder. He immediately glares at it and snaps, "Tell Jugo there's been no one in that town for months and Kabuto will get my official report tomorrow." He jerks his shoulder and the bird swiftly takes off into the night sky.

Technically Sasuke is supposed to check another nearby town for a Resistance hideout, but he's too pissed to care. It's unlikely the Resistance would have freed one town without freeing the neighboring community anyway, and Kabuto doesn't really care what Sasuke does as long as he shows up to their lab sessions, so he leaves the abandoned town in the dust and heads home.

It takes three hours to reach Amegakure—the capital of Kabuto's Elemental Kingdom.

"Uchiha-sama." The four guards bow as he passes through the towering steel gates, the shinobi stationed on top of the gate quickly moving the searchlight off of him.

Sasuke doesn't acknowledge any of the Ame-nin, but the guards still raise their heads and smile at his back. After all, he's the one who used his Rinnegan with the Tailed-Beasts' power to free them from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Kabuto had never explained why he wanted Sasuke to free the people of Amegakure first, but it was probably because the Village had been vulnerable. Its citizens were lost and the army in disarray after the recent death of their leader Konan, so when Kabuto managed to find some of Konan's DNA in her residence and used it to bring her back through Edo Tensei, they had been eager to pay him back for his good deed.

Now many Ame-nin gladly serve Kabuto and have even helped establish his rule in the other villages where Sasuke freed people. Of course not everyone supported Kabuto, but after getting a glimpse of his Rinnegan, those Ame-nin now happily serve the Elemental Kingdom too.

A steel traditional-styled house appears down the empty road by the lakeshore, and Sasuke sags in relief. His journey hadn't been rigorous, but his earlier anger had drained him so it feels like sandbags are hanging from his hands and anchors weigh down his legs as he reaches his home.

He goes in, slides the door close behind him, takes off his shoes on the mat, and runs a weary hand through his front hair while dropping his satchel by the door. His bed is calling his name when he enters the house's main section, but he stops short at the savory aroma of soy sauce and spices.

Sasuke turns and heads straight to the kitchen, stomach rumbling and suddenly reminding him he hadn't eaten since breakfast. He steps into the dark room, making out the shape of lobster, steamed vegetables, a bowl of sautéed noodles, and onigiri on the low table. Some of his energy returns at the sight of the food and he flicks on the light.

He starts.

"Nii-san," Sasuke cries, eyes wide and on his brother seated at the table. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Itachi, without looking up from a red scarf he's knitting in his lap, asks, "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Sasuke's lips twist into a scowl. "That wasn't funny the first time you said it," he grouses, moving to sit across from his brother.

Itachi raises his head, a small mischievous smile on his lightly tan face. "Sorry, I'll come up with something better next time."

Sasuke rolls his eyes and reaches for the plate of lobster, picking up the knife beside it to cut off a piece. "Or, you can just stop greeting me with jokes because they're never funny."

His brother sighs as if he's put out, but his lips are quirked up when he says, "If that will make you happy, I'll stick to knitting and fishing as my primary hobbies."

Sasuke pours some noodles onto his plate. "Please do."

Itachi chuckles, his eyes dropping back to his scarf that looks halfway done, and Sasuke picks up his chopsticks to bring a piece of the lobster to his mouth. He chews it, savoring its rich flavor because his brother probably spent half the day gathering the ingredients and the other half cooking them to perfection.

And Itachi's efforts weren't for naught because everything tastes so good Sasuke is shoveling food in his mouth at top speed. His brother has really improved his culinary skills over the past few months, which is remarkable considering Itachi doesn't eat—

Sasuke stops, and chokes down the onigiri piece in his mouth.

"Sasuke?" Itachi calls as the teen pushes away his empty plate.

"I'm full." Sasuke picks up his plate and stands. "You can have the rest." He goes to the sink and stacks it on the pile there for Itachi to wash since his brother always waves him away when he tries to help clean.

"I can't."

Sasuke turns, mouth opening to respond, but he freezes.

Itachi's pure black eyes bore into him, the outline of his raven irises barely visible against his black sclera. "I can't taste anything, all the food resembles ash—"

"Put your henge back on now!" Sasuke orders, Sharingan flaring though he's too disturbed to use them when Itachi's eyes look so dead—wrong.

Itachi ignores him and stands, his tear troughs stretching with his frown while he approaches Sasuke. "You can't keep pretending I'm alive when—"

"Shut up!" Sasuke screams, hand raising to strike, but he can't bring it down on his brother—could never hurt Nii-san again.

"You know I—"

"Just shut up—"

"I'm dead."

Sasuke punches the wall behind him, roaring with rage, and a piece of cement breaks off the doorway and clatters harshly into the hallway. It skids across the floor, screeching like a nails on a chalkboard while he gets in Itachi's face and forces himself to glare into those soulless eyes. "Put the henge back on right now."

"Make me," Itachi says too softly to be angry. "Kabuto gave you my control talisman, which means you can make me do whatever you want," he says a matter of factly.

Yet Itachi is wrong. Sasuke can't make him do anything because if he uses the talisman to force his will over Itachi's, he would have to accept Itachi is merely a product of Edo Tensei, that his brother is…dead. However, if Itachi doesn't fix his eyes with the henge, Sasuke will have to acknowledge the same truth eventually.

Itachi has him trapped and he knows it, so Sasuke steps back, turns, and strides out the room. Itachi's dead—dark eyes follow him until he reaches his bedroom and closes the door.


"What has the Leaf Village ever done for us?"

Kabuto, bitterness stark in his voice, stares at Sasuke across the dark cavern.

Yet the teen is only listening to him with half an ear, his attention locked on his reanimated brother. Nii-san is alive, they've been fighting side-by-side against Kabuto, and for the first time since Sasuke learned the truth about the massacre, he doesn't feel like madness is screeching against his mind and he's a hairsbreadth away from welcoming it in if only so he no longer has to be alone.

"No one understands you better than I. Thus, I will be your big brother and stick by your side."

Sasuke's eyes narrow and he mentally scoffs, as if Kabuto could ever replace Nii-san.

"Now…join me…" Kabuto smiles like he really thinks Sasuke is interested in his proposal.

"Don't listen to him, Sasuke," Itachi cuts in, and the teen looks to him.

"He was an even better spy than I was, which means, he's even better at lying than me. And…" Itachi's expression firms. "No matter what darkness or contradictions lie within the village, I am still Uchiha Itachi of Konoha."

Sasuke's lips part, surprised by his brother's declaration because Konoha had ruined Itachi, given him hate in exchange for his loyalty and love.

"Sasuke…" Itachi's voice hushes with a bit of sadness, though his expression is calm. "It's my fault you're like this right now. I know I have no right to advise you in any way. But I hope you'll hear me out because I have to tell you something."

Sasuke's eyes widen as his brother regards him, something burning in his Mangekyō Sharingan. "But first," he looks away, "Let's take care of this guy."

Kabuto's gaze sharpens and the snakelike protrusion in his stomach hisses at Itachi. Sasuke reaches back for his sword at the threat, already resolving in his heart to defeat the man swiftly so he can finally get some straight answers from Itachi and hear what his brother wishes to tell him.

"Oh, I see."

Sasuke's hand stops on the sword handle, and he looks up to find Kabuto staring seriously at him.

"Would you prefer if I simply gave you back your brother?" The man waves at Itachi and Sasuke's heart stutters. "I can give you control over Itachi's Edo Tensei and you'll be able to keep him around for as long as you wish…perhaps forever."

"Don't listen to him, Sasuke," Itachi turns sharply to him, and Sasuke knows he noticed the desire in his eyes. "We have to end the Edo Tensei to help the Shinobi Alliance."

Sasuke frowns. "But if we do that," he slides out of his battle stance to send his brother an imploring look, "You'll…die again, won't you?"

Itachi shakes his head, sounding almost frustrated. "I'm already a dead man, I can't die twice."

Sasuke bites his lip because Itachi is technically correct, but despite his pale, cracked skin and the black sclera of his eyes, all Sasuke sees is brother back from the dead—a miracle he's never even dared to dream of. However, if the Edo Tensei is cancelled, he'll have to tell Itachi goodbye. Sasuke never got to say goodbye the first time Itachi died and he isn't sure he can—no, he knows he won't be able to handle letting his brother go when they've only just reunited.

"Well, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto smiles, his expression as trustworthy as the serpent he resembles. Sasuke doesn't want to put faith in Kabuto, a highly-trained liar who is clearly unhinged considering the experiments he'd performed on himself.

However, the thought of saying goodbye to Itachi—to Nii-san—when he and Itachi had gotten such little time together, and much of that time was shrouded by lies and deceit… Sasuke wants his brother back, wants to make up for the years they lost more than anything, and if Kabuto can give him that…

Itachi is suddenly in his face, grabbing his chin gently yet firmly and tilting it up. Sasuke inwardly flinches at the flaky cracks moving around Itachi's mouth while his brother says, "I've already lived my life, and even if I have to go soon, I promise we will meet again."

Sasuke's face twists with a wretched sadness. "But that could take decades."Itachi smiles a little sadly, and Sasuke's teeth clench. "I…I can't. I need you."

Itachi's smile drops right before Sasuke tears out his sword and holds it against Itachi's throat.

His brother's face goes blank, but his eyes are pained. "Sasuke…?"

The teen gazes past his brother to the smirking Kabuto, and his expression turns to ice as he says, "It's a deal."

Itachi jumps back when Sasuke slices his sword at his neck, but before he can land, Kabuto is already lunging at him. Yet Itachi twists around, kunai he stole from Sasuke—probably when he had his sword against his throat—raised to block the talisman kunai Kabuto tries stabbing into his back.

Itachi lands in a skid, Mangekyō Sharingan about to rain Amaterasu upon Kabuto when Sasuke rushes between them. His brother's Sharingan stops spiraling and Sasuke already knows Itachi is going to lose. It's obvious from how his brother pulls back his fists and swinging legs the second Sasuke gets in range of them, his jutsu becoming less deadly and bypassing Sasuke by miles.

That's why it takes less than five minutes for Kabuto to trap Itachi in stalagmites that wrap around Itachi's limbs like rubber. His brother watches expressionlessly while Kabuto hands him the kunai with the talisman and Sasuke walks up to him.

He leans down and reaches over Itachi's shoulder, whispering, "I'm sorry, Nii-san."

Itachi closes his eyes as the kunai sinks into his skin, shaking his head. "No, you're not."


Sasuke touches down on the battlefield and plays the role he must very well. Naruto, Sakura, and the rest of his old classmates are wary of him, and he would think less of them if they weren't, but they don't try to attack him once he makes it clear he's the one who cancelled the Edo Tensei. It's a lie, but Kabuto recalled all of his reanimated shinobi to make it a convincing one, so it isn't long before nearly everyone's distrust morphs into appreciation.

After that, everything goes according to plan until Madara stabs him with his own sword. Gaining the Rinnegan from the Sage of the Six Paths while in limbo is another shock. Though when he wakes up on the ground with Kabuto beside him, things quickly get back on track as the snakelike man covertly hands him a paralyzing seal on a small sheet of paper, so powerful Sasuke's hip goes numb once he stuffs it in his weapon pouch.

Kabuto soon disappears from the battlefield afterwards, slinking off to add the finishing touches to his plan, while Sasuke is again surprised when he's thrown into a battle against Kaguya alongside his old teammates. The fear and desperation that occasionally breaks through his calm facade are genuine, Itachi's fate if he fails weighing on his mind. However, Kaguya is eventually defeated, and now that he's back in his proper dimension, Sasuke calms, realizing the plan has gone perfectly despite all the setbacks.

The Sage of the Six Paths explains how Naruto and him merely need to make the rat seal and Sasuke's Rinnegan will mix with the Tailed-Beasts' power inside Naruto to free everyone from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Sasuke is mulling over this information when the Sage, levitating in a seated position nearby, glances down at him. "The rest is up to you, Sasuke," he says.

The Uchiha doesn't reply immediately, yet soon nods. "Yes, but first…" He looks to Naruto who is watching him, tears still caught on his lashes after speaking to his father, though his expression is neutral and edged by wariness under Sasuke's gaze.

Sasuke frowns. "I told you I want to be Hokage." Naruto's brow rises in remembrance and Sakura makes a surprised noise behind them. "But you desire the same position," he holds up two fingers in the confrontation seal, "So fight me, and whoever wins can be Hokage."

Naruto's mouth drops, Kakashi's eyes widen and Sakura screeches. "You were being serious!?"

Determination hardens Sasuke's face and he keeps his gaze on Naruto. "Let's fight without trying to kill each other…isn't that what you want?" Real uncertainty flickers in his eyes because that was what Naruto wanted four years ago, he might have changed his mind.

Yet the Uzumaki's face swiftly loses its wary edge and swaps it for tentative hope. "Sasuke…" He glances back to the Tailed-Beasts circling them and beyond to the enormous tree holding the Shinobi Alliance captive. "We should free everybody first—"

"They'll hunt me down and lock me away before we can ever battle." Naruto starts yet Sasuke glares at him. "I just need to know before that happens…which of us is stronger." His hand shifts into the friendship seal and Naruto's eyes widen while he forces himself to say, "Please, Naruto."

Slowly the reluctance vanishes from Naruto's expression and he grins, hand rising with his own friendship seal. "Okay, we can fight." He smirks, reaching to lock his two fingers over Sasuke's. "For real this t—ugh!"

Naruto cries out as the paralysis seal in Sasuke's palm shoots up his arm and sinks into his veins, washing over Naruto's whole body in seconds. Sasuke takes back his hand, expression going blank while Naruto watches frozen, mouth still parted in a shout and eyes big.

"Naruto?" Kakashi calls, concerned, and Sasuke drops the seal to grab ninja wire and shuriken from his weapons pouch. "Sasuke, what did you do to him!?"

The Uchiha turns to Kakashi and Sakura, whisking out three shuriken from his hand. Kakashi gasps, but is too exhausted to move before his shuriken spiral around him, the wire binding his arms to his torso and shuriken sinking into the earth and yanking the man to his knees.

"Sasuke-kun, stop!" Sakura cries, reaching for her sensei, but Sasuke looks at her and she freezes.

For a moment, her shimmering eyes are all he sees, fear and determination brightening their green shade into something radiant and deadly as fire.

Sasuke smirks, though it pains him. "You're…really annoying." His Rinnegan gleams and his genjutsu rushes into Sakura.

The flame instantly dies in her irises, leaving the Uchiha cold as she wavers and falls to her knees. "Sasu…ke…" Her voice fades when she collapses, rolling onto her back, and Kakashi twists to her in alarm.

"Sakura?" The jonin turns to Sasuke, scowling under his mask. "Sakura…she just wanted to help you, all this time."

"So you're suggesting I enjoy a little romance?" Sasuke scoffs despite it burning his throat. "I don't have time for that, and no reason to love her or be loved by her."

Kakashi glares. "No, she just wanted to help you! Despite everything you did to her and Naruto, they both wanted to help you!"

Sasuke glowers. "I never asked for their help." Before Kakashi can reply a large furry paw swings at Sasuke and he quickly raises his head, capturing the Kyuubi in a genjutsu and forcing the creature to pull back his hand.

"Oh, I'm also putting all of you Tailed-Beasts under my control."

He swiftly captures the other chakra creatures with his Rinnegan, and once they're all under his control, he hisses. "Catastrophic Planetary Destruction!"

The ground breaks apart around him and Sasuke grabs Naruto's arm, pulling the paralyzed boy close so he isn't caught in the gravitation pull. Kakashi shouts behind him, but his shuriken keep the man pinned to the ground while large chunks of rock rise into the sky and mould around the Tailed-Beasts until they're hidden inside spheres of earth.

"Sasuke! Is this what your current dream is?" Kakashi asks accusingly from between the jagged pieces of the torn ground. "Are you still seeking vengeance?" he demands.

"No, not vengeance." Sasuke shakes his head as Kabuto rises from the earth beside him like a shadow coming to life, startling Kakashi. "Revolution."

The masked jonin is taken aback, but Sasuke focuses on Naruto whose eyes are twitching, gaze full of too many emotions that funnel into terror as Chidori sparks in Sasuke's hand.

"I'll make this quick…you won't feel a thing." Sasuke doesn't know why he assures the Uzumaki, yet it's not like he wants Naruto to suffer.

This isn't about killing Naruto anymore, so Sasuke allows himself to whisper. "My one and only friend."

Naruto's eyes glisten and a strangled hiss escapes his throat.

Sasuke can tell he's distressed, but there's nothing he can do except toss a pleasant genjutsu over Naruto, the blond's eyes flashing with the Rinnegan right as Sasuke plunges Chidori towards his heart.

"You managed to divert it with your left hand…"

Sasuke almost expects to repeat his words from four years ago. However, Naruto is paralyzed and under a genjutsu this time, so Sasuke's hand punches through his flesh unhindered.

Blood splatters the air and the smell of burning skin fans out around him while Kakashi yells more anguished than he's ever heard as Sasuke pulls his hand out Naruto's chest, and the blond drops to the ground on his side. The Rinnegan quickly vanishes from Naruto's gaze, revealing blank, unseeing blue eyes.

Sasuke stares at Naruto in the yellow light of the dawning sun, observing the jagged hole where his heart should be. His jumpsuit is shredded and soaked with blood around the wound while the red liquid rivers down his skin and darkens the soil under him. Naruto looks younger curled up on the ground, and could easily be mistaken for a sleeping child if not for his dull, unblinking eyes.

"Shouldn't we kill—"

"Leave Sakura," Sasuke says, hand stained with Naruto's blood slicing through the air definitively. "Take Kakashi."

The Uchiha says no more because he can hardly breathe as his eyes burn from what must be the Rinnegan draining his energy. He shuts his left eye to preserve chakra, but the burn remains. Still Sasuke walks away from Naruto's corpse, barely noticing Kabuto taunting Kakashi when he drags the jonin up while Sasuke heads towards Sakura's prone body where Itachi is crouched.

"Nii-san," Sasuke manages to choke, voice quivering though he doesn't know why. Itachi gives Sakura one last worried look and stands.

He regards Sasuke and the teen's breath hitches at seeing his skin has some coloring, cracks no longer marring his flesh—Kabuto's doing undoubtedly. However, Itachi's eyes are pitch-black without the glow of his Sharingan, but even still, his brother looks so alive now. And Sasuke can make sure he stays that way. Forever.

Itachi waits for him to speak, expressionless, yet Sasuke has nothing to say. Therefore, he grabs Itachi's wrist and simply leads him off the battlefield. Itachi doesn't fight his pull, maybe because he notices Sasuke's fragile state or he knows there's no point, but Sasuke is grateful regardless because he's tired of fighting the brother he loves.

And perhaps Itachi is tired too because he never pulls away and Sasuke never lets him go.


Sasuke finds Itachi clothed in a green kimono and sitting on the engawa that hangs right behind the lake, the red moon stark against the starless black sky and the village lights faint behind their home. Sasuke hesitates in the doorway, but eventually he steps up beside Itachi, lays down, and settles his head on his brother's lap.

He's too scared to check if Itachi's eyes are still dead wrong, so stares out at the moon's reflection in the lake's rippling surface. It should be unnerving to see the moon colored like blood, but Sasuke has gotten used to it. He's gotten used to many terrible things lately.

Itachi is silent, but Sasuke senses him staring down at him. Sasuke wonders what his brother is thinking, but he forgets all about his wondering when Itachi's hand finds his head. Gently, his fingers start threading through Sasuke's hair, and the teen closes his eyes while exhaling all his tension away.

It doesn't matter if the moon is red or the Shinobi Resistance is breathing down their necks. Sasuke doesn't care about anyof that.

Just as long as he never has to let Itachi's hand slip from his and the sayonara never comes.


Well, this is officially the darkest thing I've ever written 😯 But I'm happy with it, and I hope you readers are too!

Expect slow, sporadic updates, and know the number of chapters will be around five.

Until next time, have a great day 😉