Chapter 6: Brother


When Itachi arrived at the Truth Stone, elsewhere other events were taking place…


"Are we alone?"

"Yes, Supremacy."

"Truth?"

"But for Zetsu."

"The transplant?"

"A success. You must rest. I've only just completed."

"How long was the process?"

"Some hours. 'Tis not yet dawn. Here."

Madara drank from the cup put to his lips. It was strong tea. Soothing. Their hideout was ever chilled from its location in the bowels of the mountains. He could feel the Rinnegan, and his increased strength from it, but it was faint yet. The dank, musty smell of their hideaway was familiar. It relaxed him further. He let some time pass, comfortable with the silence and in the presence of his faithful children. Love swelled in his breast, easing the disappointment so recently suffered at the loss two precious Vessels. "Zetsu."

"I am here, Supremacy."

"What news?"

"I have not located the citizens of Suna."

"No matter. Do you have aught else to report?"

"Yes, Supremacy. When I found their sanctuary in The Mists, Fugaku and his family had already ceased using it, but I remained. They are there again."

Madara sat up partway. "Who? Not Fugaku and Itachi? We leave at once!" He swung his legs off the pallet.

Kabuto restrained him with a hand to his arm as Zetsu said, "No. Fugaku has likely Passed, though I can find no trace of his remains. Itachi's brother. I've learned his name is Sasuke. He used the Last's chakra to heal all of their injuries. Even His Eminence and the Lasts's alma were made whole. And the alma is alma no more, but become blood brother to Sasuke. They, all of them, are bound for Hyuuga land, where it seems Itachi has gone."

Madara was silent for many minutes. "Are you in Hyuuga land?"

"Never, Supremacy. Not since the last time. 'Tis the one place I am not, the wildlands. However, I can…go there. If you wish it. But only if it is your command."

"Kabuto, I would hear your counsel."

"But of course, Supremacy. The acquisition of the other Vessels is a sound plan. Let us solidify our power beyond what even the Hyuuga can withstand, before we pursue the Last and the First."

"Could you do it? Retrieve all the Vessels?"

"I can. Give the word, and it will be done. I will take whomever I need, but I will personally see your mission completed." He cleared his throat. "Provided I am given leave to do it my way and if you are not particular to the order in which I retrieve them."

"Mm. Yes. I have full faith in you. But Itachi. If he aligns himself with the Hyuuga… I confess doubts. To our success. The Hyuuga are not human in their power."

"And now, neither are you." Kabuto's voice was low with conviction. "You are a god, Supremacy. With the Vessels, you will annihilate all in your path and reshape this world. No one, not even Hyuuga, will be able to stand against you."

"Perhaps." A crease formed between Madara's brows. "I've heard the current High Lord of the Land of Lilies is war general to Her Radiance, The Pure. That he is fearsome in his might. 'Tis said he wields a weapon of hideous power. Hideous. Given to him from the gods themselves. That were it ever unleashed upon the world…"

"Falsehoods," Zetsu said. "Tales created to keep enemies at bay. He was given nothing, I am certain. The gods did not fight with weapons, but with chakra."

Again, Madara was silent. Then, "What of the other clans? The vassals to the Hyuuga?"

"The Inuzuka are but animals. The Akimichi know naught but food, and the Yamanaka are dead, save a few."

"I've heard those few wield insidious power themselves. Of the Hyuuga vassals, the Yamanaka are without doubt to be feared."

"They are lost to their own minds, Supremacy."

"Forgive me, Zetsu, but you are never in the wildlands. Your own words. How can you know this?"

"I am not in the wildlands," Zetsu said carefully. "But I am…near."

"Remain with Uchiha Sasuke. You know what to do, should an opportunity present. Kabuto, you may begin retrieving the Vessels. In any order you wish, by any methods you deem necessary. Do this, and I will reward you beyond your imagining. I will appoint you second only to myself. It is well. Very well. I will rest now. Leave me."


Upon declaring he would meditate, her brother proceeded to try, but as sand, sun, and solitude were absent, she did not have long to wait. "The Demon take me," he swore moments after closing his eyes. "I cannot quiet my thoughts."

"I assumed as much," she said. "It is well. I would speak with you."

"I am not of a mind."

She kept the hurt off her face. "'Tis fortunate I do not require you to be. Nor do I require a response. My words are few: I want the Uchiha for husband. As my brother, it falls to you to negotiate bride price. Do so."

The intention to ignore her was shredded in his shock. "What!" His eyes bulged.

"I am no longer fit to rule. I have been breached. Therefore, I may marry. I want that Uchiha."

"You have gone mad. He is a slave."

"Truth. Yet he and the Last journey to amend that circumstance. I heard it plainly. The slave will be freed. His clan is no more. Uchiha blood is potent, brother. You did not see him battle The Exalted. I did. The Exalted and the Last's essence both, at the same time."

His Eminence put a hand over his mouth. "No…"

"I speak truth. He rescued you, myself, and the alma as well. Healed us. Do you tell me there is a man worthier than that slave?"

He found himself considering it against his will. "Your virtue was given to the Last. Would you not prefer him, that your life may continue in harmony?"

"Harmony? What harmony do you think exists for me? Because I chose to purchase your life with the only coin available to me, you shun me. My people will do the same, hence they are my people no more. The Last is a puling worm not fit to touch my heel. No. The slave, brother. No other. I will be mother to a new generation of Uchiha, my belly filled with sons and daughters." She caressed her abdomen as if she already carried new life.

I will rebuild Suna, His Eminence thought, marking the gleam in her eyes. Were we to affiliate with the new nation of Uchiha she would help found, Suna would be unconquerable. One of the most powerful nations under the sun. "I must speak to the council. Apprise them of my status. I will put the matter before them."

"When?"

"Now."

"What of the slave's warning?"

"I, too, can be stealthy." He pursed his lips. "Sister, why this? Why now?"

"What else is there for me? As you have made known at every opportunity, I have shamed you. Shamed myself. Our people, when they hear, will curse my name. Spit at me. I can no longer be at your side, a position I have occupied since your birth. Did you know our mother was too weak to hold you when you were born? I was the first of your family to do so. Yet now you would rather see me Pass myself than treat with me. Wind and sand, what else can I do? Tell me."

He had no words. Her tears tore his heart from him.

"That slave. The moment he heard my tale, he offered me his protection. Chained, brother. He threw me to safety when the Last's essence appeared. Ever has he shown me compassion."

"The Last-"

"The Last fucked me at his leisure while you lay bleeding. I was naught to him but the hole between my legs. Would that I'd never laid eyes upon him. There is nothing for me. Save marriage. I can be a wife. A mother."

"But the slave is a child, sister."

"He cannot be so much younger or older than you. He has the body and mind of a man grown, and is certainly more powerful than I. He has shown me more care than you or the Last."

"I have never mistreated you. And, as has been brought up, your shame was not witnessed. You may yet be Her Blessing, The Chaste. Shield to a ruler. You cannot marry."

"Would that please you? To thwart me in this? Because, as you said, you cannot suffer the thought of me living? Even if I am declared innocent, you will never let me forget."

"And you will never let me forget words said in anger." He studied the pile of sand before him. It was now the size of his fist. "I will speak to the council."

She watched his clone appear then vanish. Her brother sat with eyes closed. I suppose it would behoove one to find out if the slave is even agreeable to such a thing.

-oOo-

Their assumption that she wanted flesh sport was highly amusing. She looked her owner over anew. His hair was so black, his skin so fair. Not kissed by the sun as her hair and skin were. His looks pleased her. He would father beauteous children. His mind was sound, and his morals clad in iron. Yes. She would have him and no other. Would that she could gift him with her virtue. Truth, the boy was not wrong; their speculation did rouse her passions. She grew moist at the thought of the slave's prowess being applied to her body.

The boy was at last silent. She waited to see what her owner would say while the boy retired to the far side of the room and sat.

"Your Blessing. Have no fear that your wants will go unmet as far as food and drink are concerned. But I cannot service your body with sport. I am unlearned in this matter. And Uchiha do not mate with any save our spouses."

He truly is more boy than man. Yet I will have him no matter. "It is understood," she said. "I but wished to convey my thanks to you for saving my brother and healing us." She bowed. "'T'will not be forgotten."

"There is no need to thank me for what was freely done. I would do it again. Eagerly." He belatedly returned her bow, at which point she rose and resumed her stare. "Is there aught else?" he asked.

"Though my brother has reclaimed Suna, I belong to you. Not as your slave. You say you cannot own consort. I would know what your plans are regarding my welfare. Besides food and drink."

"I – " He turned to look at the boy, then back at her. "I do not know."

"Does my person displease you? I've been told I'm too robust and tall to be beautiful, but that has never concerned me. Until this day."

"You are stunning, Your Blessing. Even covered in dirt. Have no fear that I refuse you based on your person. It is simply as I said. But I will not abandon you. Put your mind at ease. You have done nothing shameful in my eyes. Uchiha go to the same lengths for family. My own brother sold me to protect me."

While he hunted in one of the baskets against the far wall, she used the opportunity to dry the moisture gathering in her eyes. He came back holding tunic and trousers she could tell belonged to a woman.

"You are mine," he said. "You are safe, and I will not forsake that duty. But you must excuse me now. There is something I must attend to." He moved past her to the door, but turned back to give her smile. "And you are not taller or more robust than myself." He was gone.

She stood there holding the clothes until the boy came up to her. "Are…you saddened he did not give you sport?" he asked. He put a hand to his mouth. "I…he said I may speak when I wish, but he is not the same as us. If you prefer I be silent to you – "

"He is kind."

"Yes."

"No man has ever treated me with such kindness. Respect and fear, yes. Love from my brother. Simple kindness?" She squeezed the clothes, but her tears fell heavily now. "What must he be like when not at war with a chain? When not hunted or separate from his kin?"

Konohamaru took his time running his eyes up and down her body. She truly was powerfully built.

"These will not fit me," she said, holding the garments up. She went to the baskets and searched until she came up with items sized for a man.


They named her The Witness. All of Suna sat round her five and six deep, eyes trained on her face and movements. Her father, especially, beamed at her with pride stretching his features wide. "And then," she said for the fifth time. "His Eminence and Glory moved his hands like this, and the sand formed rivers on the wind. Soaring and swooping and aiding our soldiers while combating our enemies. And then-"

A disturbance at the back of her audience resolved itself into His Eminence and Glory himself. That quickly did the attention she basked in shift. All bowed before their ruler. His Eminence stood at the center of adoration, answering questions, allaying fears. He saw her, she realized with a lurch of her heart. Others noticed this. Soon, all turned to see what His Eminence stared at. A path opened in their midst that left him free to walk to her. He knelt.

"My apologies, little one. I fear your rescue was late, but I am pleased to see you unharmed. Were you frightened?"

Never had she seen the adored person of His Eminence and Glory up close. Few common folk did. The torchlight made of his eyes priceless emeralds. His hair was dark fire, his skin molten gold. I will marry him. Gods, I cannot breathe! "Yes, Your Eminence and Glory. But I remembered what my father taught me: The sand is safety, the sand is sanctuary, the sand is shelter."

"And ever may it be so." He kissed her small hands, her eyes, then stood and regarded his people. "You will be safe in these caves until Suna is rebuilt. I journey to avenge us. My sister is with me and unharmed. I confess," he added in a strong voice, "I would not be here if not for her actions. She performed her duty as my shield in such exemplary fashion that, because of her, I was brought from the edge of Passing to full health. It is because of her you are not all dead. It is because of her vengeance is possible. Justice will be done. Her Blessing, The Chaste!"

"Her Blessing, The Chaste!" It was a shout roared from every throat, repeated until dust was shaken from the stones around them.

He held up a hand and there was silence. "Be at ease. You will be provided for until all is made right. Councilmen," he said, spotting them to one side. "I would have words with you."

-oOo-

"And she does not wish to take her place at your side?" one councilwoman asked when they were alone with him and had heard the tale.

"Can she?" His Eminence said. "Given the circumstances and the manner in which her virtue was lost?"

"Ruling women are their virtue," one of the elder men said. "Without it, they cannot rule."

"A practice some say is outdated," the councilwoman said. "And one few female rulers today adhere to. Chastity is in name only."

Another councilman harrumphed. "Suna is not so lax with tradition."

"There were no witnesses."

"Her virtue is gone."

"Unwitnessed!"

"She gave Suna away."

"Also unwitnessed."

"Suna is still ours because His Eminence lives, and he lives because of her."

"It was a sacrifice," the original councilwoman said, silencing them. "I know that girl. Duty was a heavy weight she carried without complaint, but her brother was all. He is her life. She did not give up her virtue lightly, yet I feel correct in saying she would do it again. Without hesitation." She glared around at her peers. "Let us speak plainly. We all know her from infancy. Wild does not come close to describing her. She would rule well, and firmly, but she would have been restless. If a man exists that could match her, it would be an Uchiha. This Uchiha, who performed wonders upon our sands. As eldest present, I put forth the following: Her Blessing, The Chaste retains her title. What was given under duress shall remain unspoken. Unwitnessed. No female ruler marries, but such was her sacrifice and triumph that Sunagakure grants her this boon…and gifts the Uchiha with her person. As wife. What say you all?"

The other councilwoman and councilmen looked at each other. Then they bowed their heads. "It is witnessed," they chorused.

The Scroll of History was brought forth. The union was documented beneath Her Blessing's appointment as Suna's next ruler and other previous events of import. A separate contract of marriage was drawn, marked with each councilperson's ring in wax, and finally signed with His Eminence's chakra as witness and guardian to the bride. This was handed to His Eminence, who took it in full knowledge of what he possessed. He placed it in a camel-bone tube worked in gold, then sealed it away with care.

The original councilwoman spoke. "She is a gift of great value. See that she is honored with a suitable bride price."

"It is understood," he said. "And shall be done."


Sasuke found the master in one of the rooms they used to store food in. The sorrow was now so great, so heavy, that he fancied he could see it filling the air. Pressing against the walls. Pushing him out of the room. He went to where the master lay curled on his side and knelt behind him. Raised a hand to place on one massive arm.

"Do not touch me."

"I am sorry."

"You are the Demon's piss, is what you are. Leave me."

The command met the shield he had in place and so dissipated without harm to his mind.

The master turned partway. Looked at him at last. Sat up. "So. That is what happened in the desert. What is that?"

"A shield. Of sorts."

"Remove it."

"No."

"Know this-"

"I am sorry about your alma." He felt the master's grief swell until it was a tightness in his own chest. "If I could undo that, I would. If I could do it without loss of his life. I did not intend to take him from you. I only meant to save him. I am sorry."

He stared at Nameless, feeling his own grief in the boy through the chain. A sensation he little liked. "Leave."

Sasuke stood. "Can I bring you aught?"

"Do you rub my face in my pain? Now? You would be the slave I wanted now after you've commanded me and cost me all I hold dear? You would mock me because you think yourself safe?"

"No, I-"

The master yanked the chain, bringing Sasuke to his knees. He grabbed the loop around his neck and dragged him until they were nose to nose. "Nameless. When I tell you I am past caring if I live or die, know it for truth. I swore you an oath. But I will shove that oath up your arse if ever I find a way to Pass you should you continue to feign meekness. Do not mock me. Do not pretend care of my wants. And do not come near me after this. Is it understood?"

A fullness in Sasuke's throat and heat in his eyes kept him from answering until the hand slipped fingers between the manacle and his skin, cutting off his breath. "Yes, High One. It is understood." He stared into red-rimmed blue, heart throbbing in his temples, until the master threw him back. He made all haste to his room.


Kabuto walked the underground halls of their hideout with Zetsu at his side. "Speak to me of Sasuke, the First, and the Last. How is their condition?"

"Healed. As I told the Supremacy."

"How healed? Are they at full strength? You said that they were, but I must needs hear it again. In greater detail, if possible."

Zetsu was some moments in answering. Their robes made whispering sounds at their passage. This hall was the longest in their sanctuary. The walls met in darkness in the distance, even with the torches spaced at five-pace intervals. Their light flickered in a manner that made Zetsu's silence raise the hairs on the back of Kabuto's neck. If he's lied to the Supremacy, I will cut out his liver with my own hands. Had he a liver. But no one who valued his life would dare lie to such a man as the Supremacy.

"I believe the First is at full strength, certainly. The Last, I have not enjoyed the presence of before quite as much, so I cannot be certain. He seems so. Sasuke I know intimately, even if only learning his name tonight."

"Go on?"

"Never have I been able to get this close to him or his brother. I've been able to move closer to him since speaking with Supremacy. I believe his link to the Last has altered him in some way. I can see and hear him as plainly as I do you, yet he remains unaware."

Kabuto stopped and grabbed his shoulder so they were face to face. "You lie."

"What need have I to lie? 'Tis truth."

"The chain did not stop him from sensing you in Suna."

"No. But then, he was newly chained. I believe the longer he is chained, the more it taints his natural abilities. At least, where sensing is concerned."

"That is unprecedented." He released Zetsu to smooth a hand over his thudding heart. "The gods favor me. What else do you know?"

Zetsu spoke of all that he'd overheard, then watched the animation on that face with narrowed eyes. "No. We are not ready again so soon."

"Gather the strongest we have. All who remain," he said, resuming his walk with more haste. "The First, the Last, and that Uchiha all in one place, and the Uchiha himself muzzled by a chain! 'Tis too great a boon to let pass." He stopped to look behind himself at discovering Zetsu was not at his side. "What delays you? Relay my orders!"

"Your orders? You are mad."

Torchlight flickered as a draft made its way down the hall, cooling the air. Kabuto placed his hands in his sleeves and tilted his head. "Mad, is it? Who said I was to retrieve the Vessels by any means I deemed necessary?"

Zetsu marked the measured steps Kabuto took toward him, acutely aware of the hands he could no longer see. "Our strength is depleted. We must needs form a plan. Regroup." He dares not touch me. Supremacy considers me his greatest asset.

"The plan, you puling, malformed phel, is as I've stated. They'll not be expecting an attack so soon. Especially if they think themselves hidden, and most especially if Uchiha Sasuke cannot sense your wretched person. He and the Vessels are like plums ripe for the picking."

"One wonders if you were present at the battle or if you slept. That Uchiha, chained, bested the Supremacy and the Last, both. The Last will not be in our control this time should you attack again, therefore he will be against us. We will be slaughtered like insects. We must gain the other Vessels first, that we may have a chance."

The sound of Kabuto's footsteps was small and hollow as he closed the distance between them. "Supremacy has given me command," he hissed into Zetsu's face. "To disobey me is to disobey him. Need I explain this further, I will do so in blood. Convey my orders. Now. Else I Pass you where you stand."

It will give me great pleasure to eat you whole, when the time comes. "Very well."

"Good. Tell our brethren I will see them in the audience chamber."


Morning saw Sasuke's clone return with water he presented to the group. They clustered round him, drinking from gourds he provided. The master drank his apart. When all was done, the master spoke. "We travel now. West. I'll stop for naught but rest when I feel in need of it. Any who object may remain here." He glared at them, jaw tight. "Is it understood?"

"It is," His Eminence said. "However, there is the matter of your slave and my sister."

"What matter is this?" His eyes went to slits at seeing the ornate tube His Eminence produced from within his tunic. A tunic, he noted, that was fresh and crisp and smelling of incense.

"My sister, despite your dishonorable price for assisting her, retains her title and position as Her Blessing, The Chaste – "

Her Blessing gasped.

"-'Tis thanks to her Suna lives." He carefully shook a scroll free of the tube and unrolled it for all to see. "She made of our council a request. The request was granted: she has been given in marriage to your slave." Now he looked at Sasuke's white face. "Make no mistake. This is also my land's gift to you. You saved me. Healed me and my sister both."

Her Blessing wept behind her hands. Konohamaru smiled broadly at his brother, eyes shining with pride. The master looked to be swallowing his tongue.

"Nameless?" His Eminence pressed. "Is aught I've said unclear?"

-oOo-

I must be on the verge of Passing, Sasuke thought. There is no other explanation for what is happening. His heart was beating so hard that dark spots danced in his vision. His lungs would not expand sufficiently to draw in enough breath. In a conspiracy to aid his lungs in depriving him, his throat narrowed to the width of a hair. 'T'won't be long now. He tried to compose a death poem, but all he could think of was Itachi's bloody heart in his fist.

"Nameless." The master's voice was sharp.

His new brother placed a hand on his arm. A forward move for so reticent a lad, yet one made with a wealth of concern in those dark eyes. Right. I am the elder brother now. I must needs set an example. Konohamaru will never learn to be Uchiha if I do not comport myself with the dignity of our clan. Breathe. I cannot breathe.

Yet breathe he must. By the resolve in His Eminence's eyes, the fury humming toward him from the chain, and the number of wax signatures on the scroll illustrating the consent of those who'd granted the gift of his bride, refusal was impossible. 'Twould be an insult worthy of war. Master yourself. She is not unsightly. Under other circumstances you would never have been worthy of such as her. Sister to a ruler. I, the younger son of naught but a war general, have indeed been favored.

"Nameless, are you well?"

He worked moisture into his mouth. "Yes, Your Eminence. And your words were understood."

His Eminence waited.

He knew several moments of keen disappointment that his bride was neither Uchiha, chosen by his family, nor coming to their marriage bed pure to his touch. That dream is lost with all the others, then. Your life will never be what is was. Never. Accustom yourself to this fact, Uchiha Sasuke, or your heart will bleed until the end of your days. Itachi's voice, so loved and hated, did him the courtesy of kindling his fury. Strength replaced his despair. He squared his shoulders. "You have honored me beyond reason." The rage was starting to free his lungs and unlock his throat. "Your sister is a gift I will treasure with my blood and body, both. I accept her as my bride. May the gods prove me worthy of the honor done me this day." He bowed from the waist.

His Eminence relaxed with a smile and nod of acknowledgement. He returned the scroll to its tube. "What give you for bride price?"

Sasuke rose. Blinked. Bride price. Of course. And me not in possession of so much as the hair on my cock. "My shame is endless, but as I am currently a slave, I have nothing to offer."

"Perhaps your owner can provide a loan."

The master grunted. "My chest was lost in the battle. Not that I'd lend this nameless swine so much as the dung from my arse."

"'Tis unfortunate." His Eminence frowned. "However, as guardian to my sister, I cannot let her be so disgraced. There must be bride price. Of a value equal to her station."

Then why marry her to a slave, you ill-grown bastard. Sasuke was contrite at once. His Eminence and Glory had never done him harm, and the man certainly had no control over his height. But he could scarcely hold in his temper now. Especially not with the master's anger amplifying his own. Think. The sooner this is settled, the sooner you may leave for Hyuuga land, at which point Itachi can undo this chain and you can then murder Itachi as he so richly deserves. Itachi's innards on a platter. That is the goal, the reason for which I am living. Think! Bride price… "There is something I can give, but 'tis something only Uchiha are allowed knowledge of."

His Eminence brandished the scroll. "It must be approved and documented."


Kabuto gave a discreet glance down the front of his robes; his erection wasn't visible. Good. Straightening to his full height, he strove to calm his breathing. The power of being Leader was a potent drug, one he must take care did not cloud his mind. He addressed his brethren in somber tones the chamber's design amplified. "The Uchiha dog and his master the Last have been reacquired." He held up a hand at the murmuring that greeted this. "Further, the First has been healed of all injury. The Uchiha is unaware of Zetsu in his presence. Supremacy has bestowed upon me the honor and task of retrieving the Vessels. We do so now, beginning with these two who have escaped us. I-"

A fist crept upward from the sea of faces.

"You dare interrupt me?" Kabuto's voice was reduced to a hiss in his shock.

"I little like the idea of an attack so soon after the last," Kisame said, putting his hand down. "We are weakened. Surprise affords us no advantage if we cannot perform at capacity. This mission is a death march. You lead us to ruin."

There were mutters of agreement. Kabuto's lips thinned. "To disobey me is to-"

"I do disobey you," Kisame said. He stepped to the fore of the crowd, then turned to face them and raised his voice. "Let the Supremacy tell us himself to engage in such madness. Should he Pass me for my insolence, I will go gladly. But water will turn to stone ere I follow this senseless phel on such a mission." He turned as the mutters became a rumble, and met Kabuto's stare.

Within his sleeves, Kabuto dug his nails into his forearms until he drew blood. To acknowledge Kisame's challenge was to lose face and all respect before he'd even begun to prove himself worthy of leadership. Yet there were far too many dissenting voices to ignore it. The worst thing imaginable would be if he were to embark on the mission with half the individuals present. They must all follow him, or he would be better served by opening his veins.

Kisame, of course, would have to meet with an accident.

"Your concerns are understood," he said in a manner striving for kindness. "We are not at full power. Either in ourselves, or in our diminished numbers. I only ask you to think. There are those here who know me. Who know I do not act impulsively. That I have never lost against another. That my skills are not replicated by another soul in all of Akatsuki. We are weakened. But this chance will not repeat itself. The Uchiha will not be bested with might, but with mind." Kabuto put a note of humility in his voice. "I serve the Supremacy and his vision. I will bring him the Uchiha. I will bring him not one, but two Vessels. If any here oppose my plan, let him make it known by leaving the chamber."

No one moved.

"All those in agreement with the mission?"

No one raised a hand or spoke. Kabuto's budding triumph wilted anew. Kisame said, "The idea has merit, I will give you that. The Uchiha may be unaware, the Vessels unsuspecting…but they may also be awaiting just such folly. Unaware or no, the Uchiha proved both cunning and mighty. And you have not mentioned what I have waited to hear about: the chain. I have never seen a practitioner of the Arts chained, much less a Vessel or an Uchiha. I witnessed a disturbing connection between them on that rooftop. I feel this connection must be observed. Explored. Understood. Before we attack again."

Kabuto could not be more shocked. "'Tis bald defiance you speak. Supremacy named me Leader."

"Truth," Kisame said. "But you have not been with us long enough to know that Supremacy is not an active participant to his appointments. He is rarely seen. The Leader does not lead us on Supremacy's word; he earns our obedience with his choices. His actions and decisions in service to Supremacy's vision are what make him Leader. Nagato was not the first. You will not be the last."

"If what you say is truth, why did not Supremacy name someone with more years in Akatsuki as Leader?" Kabuto said. "Why not yourself?"

Kisame hefted his sword to his shoulder. "I? I know my place in this world. I am but a tool." He turned and made his way through the silent crowd, heading for the exit.

And with that, everyone else left the audience chamber as well. Kabuto stood alone with the torchlight and Zetsu's soft chuckles.


Upon Akatsuki's attack a year previous, the Uchiha treasury had been moved from its home in the depository buildings, to a designation known only to the ruling Uchiha, their council, and the clan's war general. It was coin and riches belonging to all members of the clan, guarded by treasure wardens who'd kept track of every ounce. But his clan was no more.

Sasuke stood gazing down at the small, shallow valley now housing this wealth. His Eminence, Konohamaru, the master, and his betrothed ranged to either side of him, eyes agog. "My brother and I are the last of our clan. A year has gone since the true owners of this wealth Passed, therefore… well, according to the practices of my clan, I suppose my brother and I may now lawfully lay claim to it." It seems I am not the pauper I thought. He turned to Her Blessing and His Eminence. "Half is mine. I name a third portion of that half as bride price to my betrothed. A third I name to our children. The last third I keep. I do also name her voice second to mine in matters of rule, should the Uchiha be reestablished. And a section of land beyond that mountain there." He pointed south. "That is Uchiha farmland my father bequeathed to me and my brother in the event of his Passing. I would have to consult my brother on the precise measurements, but I name half of my half as property to my betrothed. Is this adequate, Your Eminence?"

His Eminence struggled to hide his shock as he fumbled the scroll from his robes. "It is," he said hoarsely. He moistened his lips. "Adequate and more. Sister?"

She kept her eyes lowered, as was becoming in the face of such respect being given to her, a woman breached. "I find no fault in aught my betrothed has given me. It is accepted. With grace and much gratitude."

His Eminence produced ink and brush, and made haste to mark the honor done his sister in legible wording ere the slave could rethink his generosity. "Then it is witnessed," he said.

The master's lips barely moved. "It is witnessed. Can we be done at last, or must we wait until she drops an heir in my slave's hands?"

"No, we are not done, by the Demon's arse." His Eminence held up the tube containing the scroll. The gold filigree worked on its ivory surface caught the sunlight. "This is a sacred document containing the future of Suna and the Uchiha. It must be delivered to my people and kept safe. Nor can it be consigned to the uncertain care of a clone," he added when the master growled a protest. "I must go myself. I'll not be gone the half part of an hour. We may leave when I return. The wedding rites will be performed upon our arrival in Hyuuga land, that the other remaining Uchiha may bear witness, as well as Her Radiance, The Pure." He produced a copy of the scroll, handed it to Sasuke, then stowed the original away. He adjusted his robes. "Await my return."

He was gone in a swirl of wind.

Sasuke gave his copy of the scroll into Konohamaru's safe-keeping. While his brother performed a hand seal that hid it away, he turned to repair the Genjutsu hiding the valley from view.

The master gave a glance at the sun to orient himself, surveyed the surrounding mountains, and spat. "It sits ill with me that I must travel in daylight, but as I do not travel to Ascension, custom must be set aside in favor of speed. I pray His Eminence and Twice-Cursed Glory knows the meaning of time. I yearn to be gone." He looked at the three attentive faces staring at him. "Does he not return swiftly, we go. Delay me, any of you, and that one will bleed."

"It is understood," Sasuke said. "I gather I will be the one to lead our travel?"

"Only until we are out of The Mists. Then I lead. I'll not be caught by some horror that will rip the mind from me."

Sasuke watched the master turn his back, arms folded, but sight and sound were once again distant. The chain bubbled with a stew of emotions, none overtaking another for more than a moment. Anger. Despair. Jealousy. Impatience. Curiosity. Resentment. Anger again. The coolness of that emotion chilled a route down his spine –

Brother!

-But then the chill turned hot and painful. It parted his flesh, was withdrawn, rammed into his side, withdrawn again –

Husband, move!

-And rammed hilt deep at the base of his neck. His arms and legs became lifeless. The chain was fire around his throat, the master's outrage like glass in his mind. He fell to the ground, yet did not feel the impact. There, sight and sound returned in a storm of screams, wind, and growls that shook the very air. A white creature he belatedly realized was Zetsu leaned over his face, mouth stretched wide in a grin.


Last night, his new brother came back to the room as if under attack. Eyes wide, nostrils flared, sweat on his brow. Her Blessing was gone. He watched his brother move to his bed and sit.

"Brother?"

"Yes, K…yes."

"I may speak?"

"Always."

"Did your master beat you?"

"What?"

He gestured at the bruise he could see forming on his neck. His brother—he could not even say his name to himself—placed a hand on it.

"No."

"Oh. Will you give Her Blessing sport?"

"No."

"Why?"

"For the reasons I said."

"But she expects it."

"And my decision stands." His eyes narrowed. "Why is this of concern to you?"

"I… find myself keen to know what your sport methods are. Especially given your might. And hers. I wish to see who will be the victor. Are you not curious?"

"Clearly not as much as you. Gods. Would that you could see your face. Is flesh sport a thing you spend much thought on?"

"Well…yes, I suppose. Do you never think of it?"

"I cannot say that I do. How old are you?"

"Four and ten."

"What? Your power is quite refined for such tender years. Do you… do you know the master's age?"

"He is a score, as of the start of his journey."

"So young. I'd have named him twice that on his arrogance alone."

His brother was lost in thought until he ventured a question. "Why is this land called The Mists? I overheard many of your master's lessons in years past. I believe his handler said The Mists hold terrors no man can survive."

The sight and sound of…Sasuke. There, he could think his name. The sound of Sasuke laughing put an answering smile on his face.

"Not quite, and yet not far wrong," Sasuke wheezed when the fit passed. "Were we outside you would see that, first and foremost, we are in mountains. Not high, where our villages were; your lungs are not bred for the thin air I grew up on. But much of our mountains are hidden by cloud cover. More are hidden with mists that are in fact Genjutsu. Cloud and mist are indistinguishable to most, a fact many who are not Uchiha fear greatly. My father tailored many of those mists himself. My brother even more. I, son to the general, was brought into the war council only recently and begun my training. I'd yet to officially mist an area, but I know how. Any traveler passing through a mist, any not Uchiha or guided by one, does indeed find himself facing terrors. What is done to their minds often cannot be undone."

"Did these mists not save your people when Akatsuki attacked?"

"No. We were attacked whilst our people were at a seasonal prayer. A place and time wherein the Arts are forbidden. Many of my clan were slaughtered like sheep."

"Oh."

"You are Uchiha now, brother. The secret of the mists is one you must learn. Once learned, you will guard that secret with your life. Even unto your death."

"It is understood." Excitement, a thing he felt seldom, had his skin pebbled with gooseflesh and his spine straight.

"We will begin now, whilst sleep escapes me. Are you ready?"

"I am, brother."

"That is well. So, then. First…"

-oOo-

Earlier this morning, after His Eminence and Glory announced the betrothal, his brother's eyes had been red with Sharingan. They all felt his chakra pulse. His Eminence and the master stared at him, tensed and ready to restrain him, he sensed. When Sharingan became a pattern he had no name for, he risked putting a hand on his arm, actually touching a person other than the master for the first time in his life. Aside from the handshake that made him brother the previous night, that is. His brother responded to the hand on his arm, gods be thanked, and everyone relaxed.

It was his brother who transported them to a location surrounded by white. "Be still," he instructed them. No one moved as he placed two fingers beneath his chin and closed his eyes. "The mist surrounding this spot is some of the deadliest of my brother's devising."

The vapor surrounding them edged backward, rolling upon itself like fleece, to reveal lush green carpeting beneath their feet. The grass was wet with dew. Bursts of flowers grew between rocks, and an irregular pathway before them led down to the valley. Trees grew in abundance, shading the pathway at measured intervals.

The bone sheath housing the scroll was heavier than it looked. Ancient. He sealed it away, proud to bursting at the trust his brother had in him.

He, too, was looking at the master as he declared his yen to be gone, and so did not hear anything amiss. But movement from the edge of his vision caused him to turn. He was in time to see a man, white from head to heel, draw a blade down his brother's spine. He shouted a warning, but another shout had him spinning to see white protrusions growing upon the master's body, hindering his movements. His essence's chakra bloomed between the white, burning the substance, but more of the substance grew. Her Blessing shouted for his brother to move, swinging her fan. Then he saw a score of the white men. Half were around the master, whose wrath was full and blazing.

His brother was down, surrounded by those white men, and he thought: the mist. The terrors have come to life.

He'd seen the master do it a thousand times: fade from existence to leave a clone in his place, no one the wiser. Done in less time than it took to blink. An ability taught him almost before he could walk, and one that saved his life the instant he saw one of the white creatures ram a blade through the center of his brother's forehead. In the same instant, the master fell down as if slain.

Her Blessing fought an assailant that was her twin, down to the fan it wielded, but then another white attacker came from the ground behind her to thrust a hand clean through her back, where it exited her stomach.

And then all was quiet.

-oOo-

"One wonders why you did not partake in the battle to capture the First."

The speaker was grey of hair, but young of face and movement. He stood looking down at the master.

"I do not participate unless Supremacy wishes me to," one of the white men by his brother said. "I merely came this time to see if your theory regarding the chain was correct."

"Clearly it is. I am glad I gave Kisame's words regarding it the consideration they deserved. Gods. Do you see what I am seeing? This great brute cannot so much as blink so long as the Uchiha chained to him cannot. I confess myself intrigued."

"I did not know chains could do such things."

"Most assuredly they do not. Unless some oath is involved. One must never swear an oath by a chain. The veriest child knows this. A body could find themselves Passed for something as trivial as pissing without permission."

He watched Grey Hair shake his head at the master. Then he squatted and placed a chakra-covered hand on his brow.

"Zetsu. Stab that Uchiha again, let me see what happens."

"We must not harm the Last."

"Nor will we. But I must needs know the extent of this chain's effect."

In all his life, he had never seen such uncaring butchery. Not even when the handler had to brutally maul the master in order to force contact with the sacred essence. He watched three of the white men stab and rip at his brother until he closed his streaming eyes, both hands holding in his screams. And still the sound of blade meeting flesh came to him, until he thought he would go mad.

"He does not die," a white one said.

"Nor will he. Unless the Last does."

"Will not the Last linger so long as the Uchiha breathes?"

"Yes. A puzzle." A frown marred Grey Hair's face as he snapped his head up and looked around.

"What is it? The First? Let us be gone. I've no wish to treat with him."

"Nor I. It took the Supremacy to subdue him last time. You and I alone would not last a heartbeat. No. There is something wrong. Where is the boy?"

The clearing was crowded with white men. He stood not two paces from Her Blessing's body, concealed by a technique that kept his chakra hidden as well. He dared not move farther lest he find himself inside a mist. He stared at his brother. The hilt of a blade still protruded from between his eyes. His own eyes ran so that he was nearly blind. Their attackers turned their heads this way and that, but were also mindful of the mists a few scant yards away; they did not leave the clearing to search.

Grey Hair said, "No matter. He was but an alma. Bred to meekness, obedience, and silence. He'll not trouble us. Were you linked with him?"

"No. Only the First and the Last."

"It is well. Come. I would see the Supremacy's joy when I hand him this Uchiha."

-oOo-

It was Gray Hair who performed the jutsu that vanished them from the clearing. All that remained was Her Blessing. Unmasking himself, he fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands.

But only for a moment.

Moving to Her Blessing's side, he turned her body over in preparation to searching it for her name. Unspoken save for birth, death, or the union of lovers, one's name was nevertheless hidden on their body. Usually in a place that would never be exposed, like the crease under one's arm, or between toes.

"My name…is Temari."

He almost screamed. Almost. Long years as an alma helped him retain his wits. Her eyes were cloudy with imminent Passing, but focused on his face.

"…My husband."

He was bent to the gaping wound in her stomach. "My brother is gone. You are not." He stared at the white billowing around them.


"So, then. First, when finding yourself in our mountains, do not become panicked. Use your eyes. Clouds are usually thicker than mist, which is not truly mist, but fog. Clouds will move with the wind. Our mist will not. If you see mist moving, know an Uchiha is nearby, directing it. Second, your nose. Clouds smell sweet, like rain. Mist has no scent. In the event you witness the mixing of cloud and mist your sight and smell will not avail you. Chakra. Expose it without using it. Mist will react swiftly and adversely to chakra in use, as it will to a complete absence of chakra. However, if you were to simply keep it exposed, and move slowly, the mist will pass over you. But you must move slowly, brother. Slower than would be of benefit to you, should you find yourself in our mountains without me."

"What if I am without you but must move quickly?"

"Hn. Then listen well. And know that I only tell you this because we are now blood. No one save a born and bred Uchiha may possess this knowledge. So, too, are you forbidden to utter what I will tell you now."

"Never, brother."

Sasuke waited several moments, chewing the inside of his cheek. "Have you a sound memory?"


"This will hurt, Your Blessing." He put both hands over her wound. "I am sorry."

Saying a prayer, he released fire from his hands, cauterizing the wound back and front. Her shriek echoed around the mountains. He inspected her anew. She was unconscious. Her wound leaked no more, but she was nearly as white as the mist around them. Not an ideal solution, but she yet breathed.


"Sound? I do not know."

"Well, we shall see. I will say fifty words and numbers. Repeat them perfectly."

Never had he been given instruction in aught save the Arts and coin. He listened now with the utmost attention. When his brother was done, he scrubbed his palms down his thighs and wiped the sweat from his lip. "Leather…moonlight…seven…"


The full growth of his manhood was several years away; Her Blessing outweighed him by a fair margin. She was taller than him and in no condition to hold to him in any way. Therefore, the only way he could carry her was over one shoulder, but that put her wound at risk. It had to be done. He got to his feet with her carried thus, and turned.

"You are a strong one, are you not?"

There, face somehow merged with the flowers between two rocks, was one of those white men. He rose from the earth, nude, and regarded him with yellow eyes.

"I had to wait until you showed yourself. Then too, I'd planned to leave a clone here to mark the site of the Uchiha riches. 'Tis certain Itachi will return here at some point. I will see that Supremacy is here to meet him." He smiled. "You look like a tasty morsel. Would you like to recite your death poem? I will wait."


"Excellent. You missed but a single word. Now, then. Our mountains are thus." He created a replica of The Mist's mountain range with chakra. "There are points scattered throughout, devoid of mist. We call these points kade-quotosari. Origin points. Or simply sari."

"But brother, sari means navel."

"By itself, yes. In many lands. 'Tis why we tend to refer to the origin points this way, lest an ear overhear. My brother once told me the word sari originated with the Uchiha. At any rate, attend. There are three hundred seventeen origin points in The Mists. Each has a name. You must learn them. If a jump consists of one moving between two origin points, that gives over fifty thousand different jump paths one can take. You must learn them. For now, I will teach you twenty-five. Those that will take you to safety or to the points just outside our mountains, of which there are only two."

"Yes, brother. Do you know all fifty thousand?"

"Without doubt. My brother saw to that. Though, only those who bear Sharingan are capable of retaining the sequences…no matter. Konohamaru… you must heed this next part closely. Origin points are dangerous if you enter them with your chakra. No chakra can enter an origin point. You can use your chakra to leave one, but you must seal that chakra away the instant you leave, else you arrive at the next point with it exposed. 'Tis why no mist can enter an origin point. Mist is full of its creator's chakra."

"What would happen if I entered one with my chakra?"

"You would be torn apart. 'Tis not easy, to exit and enter sari. It takes many years of study, of control, to use them. Some fear them more than mist. At least the mist leaves you alive, if mad. Sari are deadly. You must arrive at one precisely on its center, or you will Pass from this life. Land on its edge, and you will Pass. Land on it partially, and you will Pass. You must be perfect when using the origin points. Or you will Pass."


If I put her down, he will Pass her for certain. Wife to my new brother. My sister. He heard more clones rising from the ground behind him. I cannot move slowly.

"If you've no death poem, then we may end this."

The clones moved closer. The one who'd spoken split in twain before his eyes, each one grinning like a jackal.

The nearest origin point is three leagues from here. 'Twill not require much from me. He called up the precise coordinates his brother had made him learn, along with the names. Jump with chakra, land without. Control. Gods be good, I do not even know what the origin point looks like. He tightened his hold on Her Blessing as the clones continued to close the distance. The nearer of the two origin points outside The Mists is almost forty leagues from my first jump. He was not the most experienced traveler by this method. Gods, gods, gods! He called up his chakra.

The clones leapt at him.


"Healer?"

Sakura finished her prayer before rising from the shrine, bowing, then turning to face the intrusion. "Yes, daughter."

"We are ready."

She followed her out of the communion tent, taking care to draw her hood and hide her face. The wildflowers blanketing their community did little to bring her joy today. Today marked the sixteenth year of her birth; she would be indoctrinated to full Mother status, making her only the second one since Mother Tsunade herself. She gripped her hands hard inside her sleeves, repeating the oaths to herself.

"Are you frightened?" the daughter asked.

"Of course, I am. The test for Motherhood lasts days. What if I forget something?"

"You have never forgotten a thing in all the years I've known you. Unlike me."

"Oh hush. You are the keenest daughter to come along in decades. Mother said so."

"You were the keenest. Mother said that."

"Well…you are the keenest after me. I expect you'll take your Healer's test before the year is done."

"Perhaps." She was silent, head bowed. "It happened again last night."

"The dream?"

"That…and when the daughter beside me tried to wake me, she said I…forced her to choke herself. With her own hands."

Sakura stopped to face her. They were passing the flat hexagonal stone that sat between their community and the base of The Mists, where they rose two leagues away. "Daughter…Ino…that is the third time this month. I must tell Mother."

"No. Please. This is the only place I belong, you cannot send me away!"

"Calm yourself. No one mentioned sending you away, only – "

"Mother will. She will, you know the rules of this community. No Arts. We serve the Great Mother, and…and…please do not say anything."

"All right. But Ino…what if your people are Arts wielders? By blood? What if you have a bloodline limit? It could be worsening with the recent onset of your moon cycle."

Ino forcefully scrubbed her face of tears. "I am no one. A daughter of the Great Mother."

Recognizing the steel in those eyes, Sakura resumed walking. "Very well. But once I am a Mother, I do not know if I can protect you. Mothers hide nothing."

"It will not happen again."

"You've no control over it."

"It will not happen again."

-oOo-

The Great Tent housed all forty-five souls of the community, where they knelt around a shallow, man made pool. As the pool represented the Great Mother, and nothing could be hidden from her, Sakura let her robe slide off her shoulders. Nude as her sisters now, she walked to the obsidian stone sitting in the center of the pool. It was just large enough for her to kneel on. Head bowed, she waited and hoped her tremors weren't visible.

Mother Tsunade raised her hands to the heavens from her place in the circle. "Mother of seasons and storms, life and love, creatures and stars. Mother of all, we come to you bare of any worldly possession. Bare of hatred, bare of vice, bare of violence. We are selfless unto you. Witness the birth of a new Mother here, in this holiest of rituals, as she is sworn to heal any and all. She will serve you, as I serve you. Teach, as all Mothers teach. Live, as - "

A blast of sound cut off the rest of the prayer. The arrival of two bloody bodies crashing through the tent to land in the pool had them all screaming and scattering.

A boy. Holding a woman.

The daughters sat cringing along the tent walls, far from the arrivals. Mother Tsunade stood glaring between the arrivals and the hole in the tent they'd caused. Sakura crawled to the pool and leaned over the boy and woman. Both carried grave injuries. She looked at Mother Tsunade as her sisters slowly calmed and drew closer. "I think they are –"

"Ooooh. What's this? A hoard of helpless females? And a few with impressive chakra. Quite impressive. Perhaps not helpless at all."

Sakura looked behind her; male voices were not heard in their community. The speaker was a curiously featureless man of white flesh. He stood in the tent's doorway. And then he became three men.


"Great Mother, where are we?"

"Safe, I think. Put her down, this child is bleeding again."

He felt himself set on grass. Something soft and wet brushed his side. Pain shrieked through him. He brushed at the thing, whatever it was, but a hand grabbed his.

"Sh, be still. There is something in your side. I must remove it." More probing. His whole body felt aflame. "Ino, give me light. Brighter."

"The woman is fading; I cannot anchor her. Her liver is severely compromised."

"Take this one, let me tend her. He just needs the object removed and the rest of his wounds stitched. The woman needs to be opened."

"Opened? But we are without anything!"

"I have my hands."

"That man may find us."

"Let him."

"You are sworn to do no harm."

"And look where that has brought us! Every daughter dead! Mother Tsunade herself-"

He heard nothing for a moment.

"The ritual did not take place. I am Healer still. Should that creature show his face, I will heal him of life itself. Tend him!"

He felt chakra coat his wound with warmth.


Kabuto remained silent for as long as he was able. When an hour and more had gone, he felt he could stand the suspense no more. "Well? What news?"

A long sigh left Zetsu before he opened his eyes. "Most of my clones were destroyed chasing him out of The Mists. One managed to follow him to a group of women. Most of the women allowed themselves to Pass, but two took Her Blessing and the boy and fled. One of the women, their leader… I have never met a stronger woman. But she did not fight me."

"Have you no sense of the boy? Could you not link with him or Her Blessing?"

"No. He was too quick. I could not even land a true blow."

Kabuto made a sound with his teeth.

"Be at ease. The boy will likely Pass. Her Blessing certainly will. And if they do not, well, they cannot find us here."

"Truth." He considered Zetsu's averted gaze. "That woman did fight you, didn't she. Bested you. Kept you from pursuing Her Blessing and the boy."

"Let us show Supremacy his gifts."

"Hmph. He is resting just now. We have time." He turned to where Sasuke and the Last hung by hooks through their torsos on opposite walls. He walked to Sasuke, whose staring eyes still sported a blade between them. "I would very much like to see what happens when I begin removing body parts. Bring the torch closer, if you will."

"May I eat the parts?"

"I shall be generous."

"Should we remove the chain?"

"Ah, Zetsu. I would not touch that thing if my life depended upon it. I am neither the owner nor the one who uttered the oaths."

"Was not the boy handed the Last's end of the chain just before the Supremacy battled him?"

"The Last is the owner. He may put it in another's hand, but one may not touch it."

"Why? What happens? I want to touch it."

"Silence. I think I will begin with the Uchiha's cock. But first, I will heal the injury to his spine, that he may feel all the delights I have planned."


His Eminence stood for many long minutes surveying the scene.

The caves ran red. The scent of blood heavy. Gore dripped from the ceiling, the walls. The bodies were still warm. Every citizen. All of Suna. The Witness, that child in whose eyes he'd seen such bald adoration, had been nailed to the cave wall by a spike through her neck, her eyes removed. Steepling his hands over his nose and mouth, eyes dry but burning, he folded himself to a seated position. Right there in his people's blood, legs crossed, elbows on his knees. He stared at her small body.

So. One of Akatsuki must have been in the caves with us in The Mists. Likely the very one Nameless spoke of. That one followed my clone here, waited until I was gone, then slaughtered every man, woman, and child I am sworn to protect. All the proof he needed lay in that child's small body. She'd been named The Witness, so her eyes had been removed. Not only had he been followed, his discussions with his people had been overheard. The child could not have been older than seven years.

Likely the one responsible is in The Mists still. My sister is in danger…but Nameless is with her. The Last. The Exalted is not present to usurp control of his essence again. 'Tis likely the murderer is weak, else he would not have waited until I'd gone before committing this treachery. He would have butchered Nameless, my sister, and the boy while we slept, taken the Last and myself for Akatsuki's Hell-spawned schemes. As if he could. No. The murderer fears us. And he is right to, by the Demon's Eye. This is a wrong that cannot be righted. Ten Tails, I have failed. Utterly. My sister shall be Uchiha; I am all that remains of Suna. And I am the unworthiest of phels, the Demon curse my name. An entire nation. Gone like sand on the wind.

He sat for hours, moving his chakra through the sands, using clones to search the bodies for their names, speak them, then bury his dead. His eyes ran until he thought they must be bleeding. His body shook with a grief too large to voice.


He woke to an absence of injuries and a stomach wrapped round his spine with hunger. When he sat up, he found himself beneath a night sky. Grass cushioned his body, a gentle breeze blew across his skin, and two naked women sat to either side of him.

The one on his right put a chakra-coated hand on his chest. He took careful note of her body: She was actually closer to his age than he thought. Small breasts, hairless sex, a head sporting pink hair so short it was naught but fuzz on her scalp. There was a star of some kind on her forehead. Never had he seen a female like her. "Who…are you."

"I am Healer Sakura. Your attacker has slain my people. Ino and I were only just able to get away with you and your companion." She sat back, hands now in her lap.

Companion? Her Blessing. He surged to his feet, but was confronted with the other girl/woman, the one who must be Ino. She was speaking, but he heard nothing. His mouth was dry and his face afire at seeing her body.

Breasts considerably larger than Sakura's; hair long, glossy, and of a lighter shade than the master's; eyes of a dark color he could not determine in the starlight, but lashes that were long and thick; a sex also hairless. "I –" He could not even speak. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever beheld. "Where is she," he managed with an effort that left him hoarse. "My companion."

"There." Ino pointed a few yards away, where Her Blessing lay sleeping. "She, too, is healed, but recovering her energy." She looked down at his groin, then looked away, face red.

His cock was stiff as stone, but he ignored this to run to Her Blessing. He dropped to his knees beside her and inspected her for himself. "Your Blessing?"

"She is deeply asleep," one of them spoke from behind him. He thought it might be Sakura. Ino's voice was softer. "It was necessary for the amount of healing she required. She will not wake for many hours."

He stood and faced them. "Where are we?"

"I do not know," Sakura said. "We only fled. Why were you attacked? Is your attacker likely to pursue you? I witnessed how hard he was to kill…he could be following you. We are not warriors."

And yet, by the feel of their chakra, they were likely as strong as he was. Probably stronger, in the case of Healer Sakura. Memory was returning to him. Sasuke, his brother, was captured. His Eminence could well be searching for them all, and the master was incapacitated by the chain. "I must find my brother. He is in danger."

They stared at him.

"I…am sorry about your people. And I thank you for healing me and my sister. I was trying to use the origin point outside The Mists, but I mishandled it- "

"That stone has only ever been used by Uchiha," Sakura said. "And infrequently at that. The Uchiha are no more." The night grew bright as she began to glow. "Who are you?"

"Until yesterday, I was but an alma. Then an Uchiha saved my life. One of the last Uchiha alive. He named me blood brother to himself, and now the ones who struck me down, who've Passed your people, have him. I must save him."

Sakura retained her glow, but Ino came forward, hands clasped at her throat. "Where is he?"

"I do not know."

"Can you learn? From someone?"

"Who? There is no one."

Ino's face was sorrowful. "Then what will you do? How will you save him?"

"I do not know." He looked around. They were surrounded by trees unfamiliar to him. Large and devoid of leaves. Wind swept around them, making him shiver. The girls responded not at all. But the Sakura one retained her glow. "I am no threat to you."

"I will judge that." Sakura stared at him a moment more, before releasing her chakra with a sigh. "Come. Sit." She went to Her Blessing. "Tell us of your sister and brother."

There is naught else I can do. He sat beside them and told of entering Suna ahead of a sandstorm.


The merchant watched the small redhead with a tight jaw. "My hair will turn white ere you find the wits to shop my wares and have done. Week upon week, the same madness. Is there aught else?"

Eri huddled around the scrap of paper, shielding it from the rain with her slight body. "No, I…I believe that is all. You did give me the squid? And the eels?" She peered up at him.

The merchant slapped the paper-wrapped parcels sitting on his cart, where they grew soggier by the second. "Henceforth, have your masters send a goat to do their marketing. 'Twould be an improvement over your cringing incompetence."

"And... and you said there is no shrimp or crab this week?"

"Need I repeat myself again, I will do so with steel," he said. He stroked the short sword strapped across his chest. She nodded, fumbled payment from her pouch, and held them out on a trembling hand. He clawed the coins from her and spat when she ran away with the parcels clutched to her chest.

Ko met her halfway back with his own parcels. He relieved her of hers, and held half his cloak over her head. Eri burst into tears. "Was he wroth again?" Ko said.

"'Tis ever the same!"

"I cannot say I blame him. You have been more fearful of late. You jump at every shadow. What ails you?"

Such were the clouds over their heads that the day appeared night, but every day was thus in this region. They left the tiny village behind to ascend the path on the mountain that was home. "I cannot fathom why you do not feel it," she said, hugging her elbows. "A Vessel. In our very midst. And Uchiha Itachi's brother. Does it not turn your stomach?"

Ko considered this, tightening his arm around her when she slipped on a patch of mud. "I cannot say that it does. 'Tis thrilling. Supremacy's plan at last bears fruit. What care give I for an Uchiha? Brother to Itachi or no?"

"Uchiha Itachi is the filthy phel that Passed so many of us in The Mists. I hear this brother is even worse. He…" Her voice lowered with insult and rage. "He bested Supremacy himself."

"And now hangs from our walls absent cock, nose, hands, or feet, with a blade between his eyes. Tonight is the Extraction. The Uchiha will breathe his last."

"Not soon enough. He taints our halls. Would that I could end his life myself."

He gave her a squeeze as they neared the sentries guarding the entrance. "Do not trouble your head with such matters. Concern yourself only with the knowledge that soon this world will be made clean and whole."


Kisame looked at his servants, then at their dripping parcels. "To the kitchens. Ready my rooms when done. I will need rest after the Extraction, and would do so in comfort." They scurried away, but he gave a command. "Eri."

She turned to him, face pale.

"You do not look at me," he said. "Meet my eyes." He studied the shine in them, the purse of her lips. The way her fingers dug into the parcels. Her shoulders hovered just beneath her ears. "What has happened?"

When she remained silent, Ko bowed and spoke for her. "Forgive us, senpai. The fishmonger was as delightful as ever."

"Hn." He stared a moment more. "I will see to him when next I am in the village."

-oOo-

Later, their duties carried them to the wash room. 'Twas not actually a room, but a lake in the lowest bowels of the mountain. Other servants gathered at its edge with soap and basins of soiled clothing.

Eri scrubbed her share of their master's bedding on the washboard with particular violence. "The Uchiha has been here a month," Ko remarked, noting the way she tore the sheet. "Why such hatred now?"

She threw the sheet in the rinse water, splashing other servants. "What if he lives? What if the Extraction does not Pass him as he deserves?"

He fed a sheet into the wringer. Turned the handle slowly, thus giving himself time to think. "And? What if it does not? Whether he lives or dies is of no matter to us. We are servants. Not practitioners. We serve."

"Yet-"

"Nor do we aught but what we've been commanded," he said with low caution in his tone."

Eri trembled, but lowered her tone as well. "I will not suffer that bastard to live one heartbeat, should the Extraction fail its intended task."

"Its intended task is to free the essence from its prison of flesh. Supremacy is Uchiha, how can you hate them so?"

"Supremacy is a god who has long since freed himself of the stain his clan brought to this world. As was Obito-senpai."

It came to him then. He went to her and folded her against his chest. "Your parents were body servants to Obito-senpai, were they not?"

She nodded, muffling her sobs in his tunic.

"And Obito-senpai was Leader before Nagato. He led the initial charge against The Mists; he had coveted knowledge of the sari."

"Precious little the knowledge did him." She pulled back. "Uchiha Itachi slew him like a dog."

He rubbed a tear away with one thumb. "I have never seen such passion in you. You never voiced your grief in all the time he's been here. Had I but known the Uchiha's presence tore at you so, I would have…"

"What? You are as helpless as I."

"Truth. Come. Let us finish. If we hurry, we may be able to secrete ourselves somewhere close enough to witness the Extraction."


Madara raised his hands. The murmur of excited whispers ceased. The Extraction chamber was vast. Before him, the Last lay on a stone altar, pierced through with his chakra rods lest he be surprised by some errant display of strength. Perhaps this was excessive, yet losing him in Suna stung his pride. Truth, the chain contained him as no other force could, so the rods were unnecessary. And all because his young kinsman hung awaiting death. Even so, he would remain cautious.

His strongest Akatsuki, those that remained, sat ranged around the altar. Lesser members sat in an ever-widening circle beyond the altar's platform, stretching into the shadows of the chamber. "My children," he began. "You have been most patient while I lay recovering. Tonight, the gods bear witness to our glory begun. Neither the Last's body nor the Uchiha chained to it can Pass while the other lives, but the essence itself can be Extracted. It is not bound by chain or oath. Thus will both my kinsman and his master Pass from life. But first. Let us bow our heads in prayer. In thanks."

The chamber became silent.

In a pocket of stone high above the proceedings, Ko settled down to watch. Eri should be along presently, if she was able to smuggle the desired treats from the kitchens.


"Sacred essence. Kurama. The ritual begins. Please."

"WOULD THAT I WERE FREE, SO I MIGHT CHEW THE FLESH FROM THY BONES. HAST I NOT SAID TIMES BEYOND COUNTING? THERE IS NAUGHT I CAN DO, WRETCH. THY BODY IS BLOCKED TO US BOTH. THE UCHIHA IS INACCESSIBLE TO ME."

"We perish, then."

"BY THY HAND. THY DEED. ART THOU NOT THE USELESS BITCH CHAINED TO HIM? CAN THEE NOT CONTACT HIM?"

This familiarity with the sacred essence was a thing born of their captivity, but his bowels yet turned to water at conversing with it. "I feel his pain, but his mind is absent. I have told you this a thousand times. There is no change from the chain."

"THEN COMPOSE THY DEATH POEM AND THANK THE DEMON I CANNOT PASS THEE MYSELF. THAT I AM LOCKED WITHIN SUCH STUPIDITY LOWERS MY TAILS IN SHAME. THY NAME BE CURSED. TAILLESS SWINE. COULD MY BRETHREN SEE ME, THEY WOULD WEEP."

And he had not ceased weeping once, not since feeling his entire body lock as if bound in iron. 'Twas like a night terror: Feeling his slave attacked, then himself, then that blade beneath Nameless' skull. The loss of feeling in body and limb. The blade between his eyes, and then his own body becoming deadened.

Ah, but he felt. All the ways they hurt his slave. How he prayed in those moments. Prayed that the shield Nameless used to defy his oaths could be used now. That Nameless could rise up in defiance of all, and do battle as he'd done in Suna. How he would welcome such disobedience now! But Nameless was as one who'd Passed.

Yet he lived. And when they both occupied the cell, he thought he'd go mad. His slave could also feel every bone broken, every body part removed. But Nameless had retreated deep within his mind where, perhaps, the horrors were not as maddening. He'd called his name until the sacred essence bid him be silent, yet he was never answered. Know that I will avenge us, Nameless. I will. But breathe, remain of this world, and I will see us freed. We will know their blood.I will find a way. In the back of his mind, however, whispered a sly voice full of shame: Akatsuki has had you twice now, and you've been able to do naught.


The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu. The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu. The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife –

-nameless?-

-down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu. The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu. The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu. The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu. The master turned.


Ko found her hurrying along the lowest level. Forbidden territory. "Eri!" For a moment when she spun to glance at him, her face was absent the look of guilt he was expecting. It was threatening, as if she expected attack. He caught her and grabbed her arm. "Your face betrays you. You well know that you've no place here. Do you wish us Passed? Let us leave!" He saw her hands were empty. "You have no treats?"

She yanked her arm free. "I will see that Uchiha from life."

He looked up and down the corridor before scurrying after her. Nothing but faint torchlight and an abundance of shadows. Even so, he whispered. "You wish to be present when the ritual ends him?"

A pause. "Yes."

"You lie. You mean to finish him yourself, when all here know such is impossible. What chance have you? You've no training in the Arts."

"My blade will know the taste of his blood, at the very least." She held a kunai clutched low to her side.

"Wait a moment," he snatched her arm again. This time she stopped. "Why? How do you even come by that blade? Why do you thirst so for his blood? He will be gone soon. Why risk discovery, punishment, banishment, perhaps even Passing, for so paltry a thing? Kisame-senpai would flay us alive for even knowing of this level."

Her large eyes overflowed so that his heart broke to see her.

"I cannot explain this thing to you," she said. "Only that I must see it done. I must. 'Tis a matter of honor."

He held her. Rubbed her back in long, soothing strokes. Listened to the silence, trying to hear someone coming. "All right. I do not understand, but all right. I will let you do this thing and remain here myself to guard against discovery – "

"No." She pulled back and fisted his tunic. "You are here now. I would have you with me."

"But-"

"There are guards outside his door. Aid me in distracting them."

He searched her dark eyes. Her short, bowl-shaped hair, the way her bangs just brushed the freckles on her nose. "As you say. But know that I would not risk my life in this manner for aught save the love I bear you."

"Then let us to task."

-oOo-

One of the guards posted outside the prisoner room halted them. "No one enters."

Eri gave meek pleading. "I only want to see the prisoner. To spit upon him ere he Passes."

"I know you. Both of you. Body servants to Kisame-senpai. Begone before I tell him his dogs wander where they have no business."

The guard posted alongside him grunted a laugh.

Eri produced the kunai, swiped left then right, and the guards were singing their death rattles. Their hands groped for the gaping wounds in their throats as they fell. All before Ko could do more than gasp, "…Eri!"

She turned to him with blood on her face, eyes flat. But it wasn't her face. And it wasn't the child-like stature of the woman he knew. It was a youth taller than he was, with deadly eyes and a thick brown braid to his waist.

The youth stepped close.

Ko felt something pass between them. It was a moment before he understood the blade had been rammed below his chin, up through his mouth, thus halting his shout. He saw it ripped free, dripping his blood, and sent toward him again. And then he saw no more.


Konohamaru listened for several moments. Nothing. Opened his other senses. Yet nothing. Mindful of how that white creature could appear from solid ground, he hastened to enter the room, close the door, and drop the crossbar in place. Poor defense against an attack of the Arts, but he was loath to reveal chakra in this place.

The room stank of death held at bay. For many minutes he could only lean against the door and take in the sight, fist pressed to his mouth lest his grief escape him.

Hands, feet, cock indeed gone as the one named Ko had professed. The blade between the eyes. Gods. But there was so much more. Ribs protruding, skin flayed open, nose and teeth gone…

He had no memory of leaving the door, only that he was across the room, standing upon a stool, and cradling that face he'd come to love in so short a time. "Brother." His voice was ragged. "I have come. I am here."

The eyes were blank. Filmy. Dead. He pulled the blade free of his brother's forehead so that he could lean his own against it. The blood was cool and sticky, his brother's face only faintly warm. He could not remember crying in his life, but he did so now. Great tears of a sadness unlike anything he'd ever known. Aside from parting with the master, there'd been no cause for tears in his life. But then, no one had ever been his brother. The master cherished him, but that had been a relationship of duty. His brother had defied chain and master both to save him. Heal him. Join their blood and swear never to forsake him.

"I love you," he said. In the back of his mind he was aware of never having said those words. "I love you more than my life. I am sorry. Would that I had been here sooner, but it took me days to follow my connection to the master here, then days more to learn who came and went, whom to Pass, that I could take their place. I had to study that person before I Passed them, become them, then wait until Akatsuki were all at the Extraction, and …I am not skilled in mummery. Nor have I ever had a mission. I am not skilled in many things. It has made me late to your side, but…gods. If I could but trade my life for your own, I would do it now. This moment. I have studied every inch of this place. Escape is impossible. I am not strong enough to fight so many. Brother – " His voice left him in a series of harsh sobs he muffled in his brother's neck as he embraced him.

They would Pass the master in the Extraction ceremony. Were in the process of doing so now. His brother would Pass with him. Never again would he sit up of a night learning Uchiha secrets. Never again share a laugh with him, or witness his rare but fascinating rages, or watch him bait the master to frothing madness. Never again take delight in his discomfort over flesh matters, or hear himself called as brother. He'd only just been gifted with him and now the gods took him away. His tears burned like fire down his cheeks.

-oOo-

How long he held to his brother's body, he didn't know, but at length he became aware of something warm against his chest. It quickly heated until it was hot as a brand. He pulled back: the chain was glowing a white so brilliant, he had to shield his eyes.

Upon entering this cell he'd had eyes only for his brother. The chain, he saw now, hung down his brother's body, to the floor, where it disappeared beneath the door. He looked back at his brother's face.

The eyes were black once more.

Even as he watched, they turned red with Sharingan. Then the other pattern, which he had no name for. But then, in a manner entirely familiar, his brother glowed yellow, as he'd done when he'd healed him and Her Blessing. Unfamiliar was the way his brother's eyes took on the slit pupils of the master's sacred essence…atop his own Doujutsu, no less. The glow brightened from yellow to the white of the chain, and he nearly fell off the stool in his haste to back away.

The grisly sound of bone being regrown had him covering his mouth. He could just make out through the glow where hands and feet were restored. The hands did something he couldn't quite see, and then his brother was free of the hooks he hung from to drop to the floor…where the stone promptly depressed beneath the weight of his chakra.

The door crashed open. There stood none other than Kisame and two others. He thought to call a warning to his brother, unmasking his own chakra, but he needn't have feared.

His brother held up a hand. A wave of light and heat shot from it, vaporizing everything, even the wall. Stone and rubble fell from the ceiling, to bounce from some invisible shield surrounding his brother. At discovering himself unhurt, he realized Sasuke was shielding him as well. The knowledge put such a thrill in his belly that he felt like screaming. He knows I am here even if he does not speak. When his brother walked out of the cell, he followed.


It was not in him to despair. To give up hope. But if even the sacred essence could see no way from this, what hope was there? By Your Ten Tails. By Your Great Eye. By all the essences born of your spirit, free me. Free me from this chain. Make me whole. By all in the heavens and hells, I do swear to think before I act if I am but freed from the cursed existence of this phel-fucked chain.

The sacred essence snorted. "PRAYERS WILL NOT AID US, WRETCH. WE MUST – "

He felt Nameless suddenly and inexplicably present to his mind once more. And then the familiar burning as if his very soul stood aflame…yet this was a thousand times worse than the occurrence in the cave. His power, and that of the sacred essence, was being pulled from them in such torrents that he felt sure he must Pass. Naught but the Demon Himself could live through such agony. He screamed until he thought he would vomit his arse from his mouth. Twisted and clawed at his body to end his torment, but the pain only increased. Someone entered his mind. Only just was he able retain enough wits to turn his head. He saw Nameless standing before the cage housing the sacred essence. Body aglow as if the very moon shone from his skin. Something…something passed between the sacred essence and Nameless. A communication or an exchange. He knew not, could not even think, let alone hear.

With a single hand round one bar, his slave ripped the entire cage asunder.

"Nameless, NO - !"


He gave an adequate time towards prayer, lest the gods find him ungrateful for all they'd given him. Truth, it was a boon to have the Last and the Uchiha chained. He let his heart swell with gratitude that leaked from his closed eyes.

Someone cleared their throat. Then again. Someone else coughed. Hissed. Whispered. Then, "Ah… Supremacy?"

His lips thinned. Before he could sully the proceedings further with bloodshed, he felt it. Eyes open now, he saw that many were, in fact, on their feet and pointing at the way the chain dangling from the Last's wrist glowed so brightly. It lit the interior of the Extraction chamber like daylight. A sight that confused him. Until he remembered his kinsman. He sought out the nearest Akatsuki member. Kisame. "Go," he told him. "Quickly. Take two with you."

Scarcely was he gone moments before Sasuke himself exploded through the floor a few paces from where he stood. The boy stood just behind him. Sasuke had eyes only for the Last, where he lay. His Akatsuki edged away from him, tales of Suna having already reached them. He, however, stood his ground. Sasuke was holding an inordinate amount of the Last's chakra. Upon closer inspection, he beheld the chilling sight of Mangekyo overlaid with the essence's eyes and knew, for the first time in years beyond count, a thread of terror. Even so, he moved toward him.

The chamber suffered a second, far larger explosion.

The ringing in his ears and the dust all around blanketed his senses for several moments. He was bruised, but unharmed, he determined. He crawled from beneath fallen stones and got to his feet, his Rinnegan at the ready. There, where once stood the altar, crouched the Last itself. Body filling the chamber, the chamber itself no more, the night sky above them. "Impossible…"


When the pain faded, the master got to his feet, that he might approach Nameless. The cage stood empty; the sacred essence was released. At seeing his slave's eyes, he knew in whose control the sacred essence was kept. But Nameless had no experience controlling such a being. Neither do you.

"What madness is this?" The Exalted screeched from behind them. "How dare you! How do you dare take what is mine and befoul a ceremony I have waited years to perform?"

Nameless continued to stare at the empty cage, but he turned and witnessed The Exalted wroth beyond reason. The man leapt at his slave…and was thrown back by the simple act of Nameless turning around. The Exalted snarled a curse, reaching a hand to take control of the sacred essence. He could feel it. Feel the pull The Exalted wielded, and it was powerful. But Nameless, for the nonce, was more powerful. When Nameless lifted his hand, the power that flew from him saw The Exalted no more, and his slave no longer in his mind.


Kabuto was beside the Supremacy for this noble ritual. He was about to go to the Uchiha himself when the chain began to glow, but Kisame was dispatched. Then Sasuke appeared. After their initial shouts of surprise, all was quiet while Akatsuki waited to see what Supremacy would do. And then the Last's essence was unleashed in an explosion that destroyed most of their mountain, by his estimation. The Uchiha and the Last shared an eye pattern. He knew, in that moment, that unless he left immediately his life was forfeit.

Yet he waited. He saw when Supremacy launched his mind at the Last. If this disaster could in some way be salvaged, then perhaps all was not lost. When Supremacy fell down limp, nose streaming blood, he performed a hand seal that placed himself and Supremacy a thousand leagues distant.


If there was one thing Itachi stressed to him more than any other during the year they fled Akatsuki, it was what would happen should they ever be caught by them. "You will know pain and debasement without measure," he said. "Better death. Better still, the undoing of Akatsuki and their reason for being. No, little brother, we will not stand and fight. Not until I can be assured of besting them."

The moment he saw Zetsu lean over him, he knew he was caught -

The master turned. He felt his emotions in the chain. Then the knife down his back. In his side. The base of his neck. Zetsu.

-And hid his mind deep within himself. He tried to, at any rate. It was a thing Itachi could do. Many an evening had passed during their year of exile where Itachi would try to teach him the discipline necessary to separate one's self from their body's pain. He was not successful entirely—he could feel every cherished part of himself that swine Kabuto cut from him—but he was at least able to retain his sanity. Or so he thought. He could only repeat the memory to himself, the better to deny himself thoughts on the pain, but sometimes he thought madness had claimed him.

There was no way to help himself. He could not move and he could not access the master. He could hear him. But his sense of him through the chain was absent, therefore accessing his demon was also unattainable. His new brother was gone, his betrothed likely Passed, and His Eminence ignorant of all. He would hang here until death claimed him. And when the days became weeks with nothing occurring to alter this conclusion, he knew for certain madness would claim him.

Perhaps it already had: Konohamaru entered his cell. He could no longer see with his eyes, so it must surely be the last vestiges of his brain trying to operate ere it ceased all function forever. But then he felt hands on his face.

"I love you."

So strange, that despite all Itachi meant to him, and all the ways he'd demonstrated it throughout all his life, his natural brother had never said those words to him. 'Twas simply a thing known.

Konohamaru said much. And with each beloved word from his mouth, he felt an answering sensation swell in him. A return, a restoration he could not explain.

He was embraced. His little brother. Come for him. To tell him he was loved and to hold him as few in his life had ever held him. And he could see. The restoration he felt was his brain healing. An ability, he realized, that belonged to the master. At remembering the master, all settled in place at long last.

He threw himself at his renewed sense of the chain, followed it to the master. Found the demon. Drew from its chakra greatly... deep and deep, until he felt full to bursting with it. He healed himself fully. Freed himself from the wall. There was Kisame. He had no understanding of what he did to him and those with him, only that he sent the demon's chakra at them. Realized the power was mixed with his own, that under ordinary circumstances his body would have perished the instant he touched such chakra. But his body was now too linked with the master's; it would heal as the master healed.

And if such was the case…

The halls outside his cell were unfamiliar. He had no wish to dally. Blood was owed him. He meant to collect.

Above. He could sense them. 'Twas no effort to place himself in their presence. He had an impression of hundreds, but saw only the master, who lay as if lifeless on an altar of some kind.

-oOo-

Entering the master's mind was even simpler this time. He stood looking at this demon the master played host to. Perhaps it was even the very demon he prayed to so often. It was certainly large enough to be a god of some kind. How something so huge could be housed within a man defied understanding, even a man as large as the master. And it stared at him in turn. Avidly. As if possessed of knowledge and understanding. 'Twas a chilling thought, that such a creature could reason. He took in the quivering snout, the writhing lips, the hair bristling around its hackles... a fearsome beast. One Madara had controlled somehow. He wet his lips. "Do you speak?"

"YES."

"Madara took control of you."

"YES."

"I will ask you for it rather than take it. That I may bathe in the blood of my captors. And then I will return it to you. Will you give it?"

"FREE ME. AND I SHALL GIVE THEE THE WORLD ITSELF."

"I want only what is owed me."

"I WILL GIVE THEE WHAT THOU SEEK. AND THEN THOU SHALT GIVE ME WHAT I SEEK."

"It is agreed."

"IT IS AGREED."

He opened the cage.

An extra layer of awareness sprang up around his senses: He could see, hear, and smell with the eyes, ears, and nose of the demon. Surely this power is not meant for mortals.

And when Madara appeared in the master's mind with them, he knew crushing joy. He turned and unleashed his new power.

-oOo-

He left the master's mind, to find himself in the great chamber once more. All who'd been present now fled hither and yon. For this next, he would let himself sit wholly within the demon, he decided.

He leapt and stood between its great ears.

Amaterasu could be used from the demon's form, he found. He held off using it just yet. Instead, he hunted every fleeing individual of this cursed organization, using the demons claws as he would his own hands, ripping away stone to expose chambers and halls. Like ants in their hills. Many of those fleeing had already perished from falling stone. Some he sent Onward with flame or lightning that further decimated the mountain. Kabuto was nowhere within a hundred leagues, he discovered. Madara was likewise gone. But he could feel Zetsu deep in the stone, observing.

He concentrated Amaterasu to that spot, obliterating the surprisingly resilient form of Zetsu until he was no more.

It was done, it seemed. There were no more to relieve of life. His satisfaction was slim. A disappointment, but better than nothing. He looked around.

The mountain was destroyed. He and the demon stood open to the air. All the sky and land around was black. Black clouds leaking rain that fell on black stone and a tiny village a league away. His thirst sated for the moment, he jumped from the demon's head and released his hold on it.

It howled to the skies, shook its head, then made for the village.

Konohamaru landed beside him and watched with him.


He stood before the empty cage. He could feel everything Nameless felt. His hurt. His rage. His thirst for vengeance. His disgust at losing The Exalted and one called…one with pale hair. The joy at finding the ill-formed one. At taking his life. The dissatisfaction with the paltry sum of the justice he'd meant to have. He felt when the sacred essence was released from his slave's hold, but made no move just yet.

Beneath all the violence, he could feel an opposite emotion. One of love and unshakable trust: Nameless' regard toward his alma who, it seemed, had enabled this miracle. What he could not feel was the well of resentment and hatred Nameless always held toward the chain. Perhaps it was buried beneath his current blood lust, but he thought not. Far below the love for his new brother sat a different awareness. An alert and hesitant understanding. The chain, and their connection through it, were held close; the chain held safety. Life. The possibility of freedom.

But this new closeness also meant he himself could now feel the true extent of the wound Akatsuki had dealt his slave. A wound far too deep for the blood spilled this night to close. A wound inflicted a year past and kept open. He could see and feel another wound, twin to the first, inflicted by the elder Uchiha in the selling of his brother. He could feel the way his alma's love and devotion were a balm to those hurts.

Had I known he labored under such pain when sold to me I would not have made such issue of his obedience.

And he could feel where knowledge now sat in Nameless that the chain had at last afforded him something besides imprisonment. It had given him liberty of a different sort. For a time. And this was cherished.

He spent many moments feeling all this from his slave. The warmth, where previously there was naught but cold rage. It was like the unfurling of a tightly-closed bud, this bourgeoning acceptance from his slave. Something jealously and violently guarded was now being exposed. Not much. 'Twas only a glimpse. But he did not like the way everything inside himself shifted toward that glimpse.

He liked it not at all.

"Nameless."

Nameless returned. The way his slave looked at him was different. The eyes were not welcoming, yet nor were they hostile. Neither were they fearful. They looked directly into his own. The eyes of one who was a boy no longer. Peril lurked in those eyes for any so foolish as to think him a boy after this.

"I cannot cage the sacred essence alone. But with your help, it can be done."

"Tell me what you need of me."

Such willingness had never been offered. "You have shown aptitude in controlling the sacred essence, a thing some bearing Sharingan are known for. Link with my mind more…more fully. Take of my strength, join it with this ability, and force it back to its prison within me."

"I do not know how."

"I will guide you."

Nameless came to him and his body reacted as if ill. 'Tis fitting he sickens me. He stands the root of all the ruin in which I wallow. The Demon curse the night I laid eyes upon him. "Take my hands."

He could not recall this feeling of heat when he'd touched Nameless in the tent. Nor was the sensation pleasant. He longed to fling the hands away, but he gripped them tight, repulsed by the feel of Nameless within his very soul, it seemed. He tried to guide with patience, with clarity, that the deed be accomplished quickly, but his slave twisted and turned and writhed within him until at last the link was found. Together, they forced the sacred essence, howling and maddened, to its proper place. He shoved Nameless away from him in relief-


-Sasuke felt as if he suffered a fall from a great height: he landed back within himself, within his own senses, atop the remains of the mountain. His Eminence and Glory stood with him, as did his brother, his betrothed, and two girls unknown to him. All stood looking at where the master lay panting and getting to his feet. His hair, wet as they all were wet, straggled upon the ground and about his nudity.

"My people have all been sent Onward," His Eminence announced to the master's staring face. "Slaughtered. Once I buried the last body, I followed my sister's presence to an uninhabited region, where she and these two unfortunates sat starving. A tale was told of how this boy battled one of Akatsuki with my dying sister upon his back. How he whisked her from The Mists, though not unscathed. How, upon landing atop the very heads of those called kin to these two unfortunates, Akatsuki sent them the way of my people. Every. Last. Soul. All women and girls. I, my sister, and the unfortunates waited weeks. And then, the Demon take me, I felt your essence released. Here we stand. Know this, Tail-Brother. There is no force in the heavens or hells that will stay my hand when I come upon Akatsuki. Do any yet live?"

"Would that it were so. The disgrace I carry cannot be equaled, though I share your pain in the Passing of your people. No. None live."

"The Demon's dripping cock."

"Many yet live," Sasuke countered. He had to clench his jaws to keep the bile from rising up his throat. All Suna dead? Oh, Itachi. Gods, I cannot bare the shame. "Akatsuki was not confined to this place. Their black souls live in every nation, awaiting orders. Madara yet lives. As does Kabuto. I finished many, but the head of the snake remains. Because it does, Akatsuki will rise again from those nations."

His Eminence addressed the master again. "Then my haste to reach Hyuuga lands now matches your own, for it is certain The Exalted Arse-Licking Swine will go after the other Vessels. I confess myself grateful beyond measure he yet draws breath. The Demon see my hands be the one to rob him of it. Would that he had a thousand lives for me to take. More. One for every man, woman, and child who called Sunagakure home."

"We go, then." The master held out his hand.

"There is one matter yet that must needs be addressed," Sasuke said.

The master swore.

He turned to Konohamaru. "I have a brother who has known me all my life. Rather than unite his power with mine and stand against Akatsuki, he sold me. And in so doing, fathered much ruin. You have been my brother for a month, yet you walked into the belly of the beast alone to rescue me. Uchiha Konohamaru. You stand higher in my eyes than my elder brother ever will again." He bowed.

Konohamaru lowered his head, but all present saw the way his shoulders shook. The way his tears mixed with rain. "I am sorry, brother." He made attempt to dry his face with his hands, but the hands simply remained to hide him. "I shame you with my tears."

Sasuke went to him. Pulled the hands down. Put their foreheads together, and placed a hand behind his neck. "No. You honor me. Before, our bond was only one of blood. Now, it is also one of heart and mind."

"I will nev…never forsake you."

"And I will never let our bond be severed." He put both arms around his little brother and squeezed him hard. "Know that I love you as well."

The master had had enough. "I next expect the Demon to bare His arse and release His holy shit upon us as yet another delay. Ten cunt-sucking Tails. Heed me. DO I NOT DEPART FOR THE TRUTH STONE UPON THE INSTANT, I WILL SLAUGHTER US ALL, AND THAT IS AN END TO EVERYTHING. IS...IT…UNDERSTOOD?"

None offered complaint.

"Lay hands upon me."

When all had done so, the master whisked them from the rain and ruin that was once Akatsuki's lair.


In the Land of Lilies, Itachi placed his hand in those of his new husband and wife.