Wrath was on his way back to the Argus black site. He had just seen his counterpart be killed by their younger brother, but for some reason it gave him no satisfaction. He found out why when not moments later he witnessed Itachi being revived. He swore that the next time Itachi died, he would stay dead.
He stopped suddenly when he felt a presence following him, "You can come out now. You're not very good at stealth. If you show yourself now, I'll make your death brutal but quick."
"Who says I was trying to be sneaky. The time for that is over. That's why you were created in the first place." The figure responded as it revealed itself as the Masked Stranger.
"You got some nerve showing up here. Now die!" Wrath said as he unleashed a fire blast towards his assailant. The Masked Stranger quickly dashed away at blinding speed to dodge the attack which hit the abandoned building behind them and set it ablaze, "You really have a temper. You're never going to defeat Itachi if all you are is vengeance and anger. True justice can never come from it."
"You must really want to die." Wrath growled. He didn't like being psychoanalyzed at all. The Masked Stranger simply sat down on the edge of the rooftop, "I merely want to talk. About you of course. I think I'm owed that since I am the one responsible for your creation."
"But Waller-" Wrath started until he was cut off, "Is just as much a tool as everyone else in this world. You see, I need you as much as you need me."
"What do I need you for? I can kill Itachi and you for that matter, all on my own." Wrath retorted.
"No you can't. You can't beat Itachi, and you sure as hell can't beat me. You're still too confused about what you're fighting for." The Stranger retorted.
"I fight a war for-" Wrath was cut off again, "I'm not talking about who you're fighting for. You've already made that quite clear. No, I'm talking about what you're fighting for; what's your endgame? What do you hope to accomplish by going down this path?"
Wrath was silent. He never thought about what he wanted to happen after he had killed all of his enemies. Realizing that the stranger was on to something and not just wasting his time, Wrath sat down on the rooftop edge as well.
"You have my attention…talk." Wrath said hesitantly.
"My collaborators have no idea I'm here. If they did, they'd surely try to kill the both of us. They fear us and the power we possess. We have the power to change the world for the better. The villains can't do that; they can only attempt to rule the world. The heroes can't do it either, they can only hope to try and save it. But us, we can change it for the better. We can end the corruption, the false idolatry, and the cycle of repeated hatred. We can create a world worth living in. You and I together can do it." The Stranger said.
Wrath took a minute to digest what the Stranger said. He couldn't argue with the logic that was said at all. It made him curious about the person sitting beside him, "That's what your end goal is? To change the world and make it better. How are you going to do that when the world is as cruel as the creatures that live on it?"
"The same way you do; justice…true justice. The world believes that justice is something that is hopeful and inspiring, but you and I both know what true justice is. It's fair. It has no side to take nor is it prejudice against one group of people. You said that you were fighting a war, but why are you fighting it?" The Stranger asked.
"For the lives ruined by so called heroes and despicable villains. The people who had no chance of fighting back and only wished to be treated fairly in life. People like my family who were slaughtered in the dead of a night by a madman who was corrupted by false allegiance to a corrupted village. I want for the Uchiha to finally be free. I want for all people to finally be free." Wrath answered as sincerely as he could.
"I saw you fight back there. You had so much vengeance and anger in your eyes. You will never accomplish your goals as long as that hate exists. Hatred can't destroy hatred; it only makes it stronger in the long run. True justice can never come from it." The Stranger said while turning to face Wrath.
"But then there will be no justice. Not for my family and not for the innocent lives that were ruined," Wrath retorted.
"I've been alive for a long time. I know what happened to the Uchiha. How they were murdered by Itachi Uchiha and Obito Uchiha disguised as Madara. It broke my heart seeing what used to be such a proud clan wiped away by fear and prejudice. To make it worse, Itachi did it under the false pretense that his village would be safe from harm, but immediately after his death, the Akatsuki broke their word and laid waste to his village. They killed countless shinobi and civilians in the name of peace, but in the end it was all for nothing." The Stranger said with a hint of anger.
"So Itachi didn't even accomplish his goal of saving the village; it was destroyed anyways. He didn't even manage to stop another war from happening. He murdered mother and father for nothing," Wrath uttered while getting angry again.
"No, he murdered them for a lie. That's what happens when you put emotion in justice. That's why you must cast out anger and vengeance. Itachi grew angry at the Uchiha clan for their persistence of war. That anger turned to fear when he thought his brother would pay the price because of it and resorted to slaughtering them as a result. You can't let that happen to you too, especially with you being his clone. To achieve your goal, you must be patient enough to step back and keep observing, even when what you see is horrible. I've been waiting and planning for a long time. I've seen many atrocities along the way, but had I acted on it right then and there, all of their deaths and those before them would have been for nothing. When we change the world, we will make their deaths mean something." The Stranger spoke.
"How many people have to die for justice to be achieved? Is it even worth all of the loss? All of the innocent people that died won't even be able to see it in the end." Wrath said sadly.
"You have to make it worth it. You have to do whatever it takes, even if that means killing innocent people. War is a hellish, lonely path. For the longest time, I have been fighting this war alone. But because I waited, now I have the perfect ally in you. You can do the things I never could. You can bring forth true change and walk the path of justice for better or for worse." The Stranger said while standing up.
"But how will I do that if killing all my enemies isn't enough?" Wrath asked.
"It's not about who you kill; it's about how and when you kill them. I give people like Itachi and Danzo credit because they knew that the only good that happens in the world happens because of unethical ways. They knew that killing the Uchiha took correct timing. Doing it in the middle of the day like an execution would only insight conflict. So they waited till night and made look like it was the work of a psychopath to take all of that blame away. You must be unethical to change the world. Killing the Justice League or their villains won't do anything. More heroes and villains will arise like they have throughout all of time. But if you killed the right heroes, and people that those heroes care about; you'd destroy their mask of self-righteousness and arrogance. You'd take away the source of their power…the people. That would draw them all out of hiding and present itself as the best opportunity to strike." The Masked Stranger answered.
"But Itachi would see through that plot and warn them ahead of time." Wrath replied.
"Not if he's among the cattle. Like I said, timing is everything. The way you win this war is by using the so called innocent people." The Masked Stranger said.
"There are innocent people who have nothing to do with my war. I don't want to be killing people who don't need to die." Wrath retorted.
"In order to change the world, people will have to die. Innocent people die in war all of the time. It's the foundation of human civilization. Look at that stadium over there. It was built for playing football and music concerts. A gathering place for people to come together and be happy. But here's what you didn't know; it was built over a graveyard. This graveyard is filled with innocent people that were forced away from their homes and worked to the bone until the day they died as slaves. Instead of a normal funeral, they were put into boxes and left in the dirt to rot. As with everything, they were forgotten in time. But not by me. You see them too, don't you? All of their corpses and tortured souls underneath that grand stadium that was built for joy." The Stranger said.
Wrath used his Sharingan and saw that the stranger was right. Buried deep underneath that stadium were endless corpses. He got angry that they were being defiled like that, "Who could do something like this?"
"The so called innocent people you were hesitating to kill. When I first came to this world, I thought that everyone here was evil and needed to be destroyed. They were all enemies to me; heroes, villains, innocent civilians, and despicable criminals. But then I ate the same food as them, worked the same jobs as them, fell in love like them, and I even opened my home and slept under the same roof as them. I started to see that their not all evil; their just the product of the cruel world they live in. They are perfectly content with the evil of this world as long as it doesn't directly affect them. It's why my goal is to change the world because I believe that if the world changes, so too will the people. Even if that means I have to be the bad guy and kill innocent people despite the turmoil I feel, I know that it will be worth it in the end because we will have a better future." The Stranger passionately said.
"I see; we are the same. Show me how to change the world then." Wrath said as he stood up to walk besides the Masked Stranger. The Stranger smiled underneath the mask, "Very well. Follow me and I will show you exactly how you will deliver true justice."
They then leapt away from the rooftop. They were heading to see the one person who would ignite the flame that will burn away the old, carnal world that they lived in now and ushered in a world of true justice and peace. This world will be created with their own hands and all in the light of day. There would be no more lurking in the shadows while biding for time because after years of patience, the Mask Stranger decided that the time for change was now.
As Wrath traveled, he got more vision of Itachi's past. He would finally see the type of man Itachi really was, 'Your time is up, murderer! The wrath of the dead has come. Everything that you and the other heroes have built because of your lies will burn, and from the ashes of your world I will do what you never could; build a better one.'
The reanimated Itachi and his companion, Nagato, were currently walking. Unbeknownst to them, they were on a collision course with Naruto, the whole reason for this war. Itachi soon found himself to face with Naruto and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki. He saw that Naruto had mastered the Nine-Tails' chakra and was impressed by his development in such a short amount of time.
Both Itachi and Naruto had questions to ask each other; mainly about Sasuke. Before any of them could get a word out, Itachi used his Fireball Jutsu to attack the jinchuriki pair. Everyone noted that this fireball was much similar to the size they were used to; as opposed to the weak size they saw when Itachi fought his brother.
"Why are you attacking them? You just said that you had questions." Robin asked.
"It's because of the jutsu that I was under. The Reanimation Jutsu is a powerful, but perverted technique. It allows the jutsu caster to bring the dead back to life and use them as he saw fit. During this war, he used them to fight alongside Madara and cause emotional turmoil by making shinobi fight fallen comrades." Itachi explained.
"He's controlling you, I see. How do you break such a jutsu?" Batman asked.
"By forcing whoever casted it to nullify the jutsu. Other than that, there is not reversing it. The reanimated victims are brought back in their strongest forms. That made fighting this war a whole lot more difficult than it should have been." Itachi answered.
The jutsu was stopped when Killer Bee used his sword to cut through the blast. Itachi figured that since Killer Bee had his partner's sword that meant that Kisame must have died in battle. Itachi soon leapt up in the air and was met with Naruto who matched his attack perfectly. Itachi decided that just because he was forced to fight didn't mean that he was forced to be silent either.
"What happened to Sasuke?" He asked as he made a swipe for Naruto's head. Naruto decided to join in the multitasking, "He says he's going to take revenge on the Leaf Village! He joined the Akatsuki!"
This news shocked Itachi. He had planned for Sasuke to go back home after accomplishing his lifelong goal and was curious to what made him pick this path instead. So while they landed on the ground and exchanged strikes, Itachi asked why Sasuke never returned home.
"He found out about your top-secret mission, and chose to destroy the village!" Itachi and Naruto were delivering bone crushing strikes that were strong enough to crack the earth beneath them. While fighting, Itachi figured that Madara must have gotten to Sasuke before the Leaf could and told him the truth. They got separated when Bee slammed his sword down and caused Itachi to back flip away.
Naruto revealed that he too was told the truth by Madara. Itachi did not like the news of that at all. People knowing the truth about him would only jeopardize the integrity of the Uchiha clan. Naruto was indignant when he found out that Madara was indeed telling the truth about Itachi.
"Itachi you died playing the villain in order to protect the village and Sasuke! Sasuke surely understands your pain and resolve! But instead of going with you dying will, Sasuke chose to try to destroy the village. This is his way of avenging the pain the village caused his beloved older brother!" Naruto revealed.
"Wow, that's so sad. It must have really hurt you to hear that," Artemis said. Itachi shook his head, "As much as it hurt knowing what Sasuke was planning to do, it hurt more that I was the one who drove him to do it. All of this turmoil in my brother was my fault."
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen after you had died though," Conner said trying to get Itachi not to take all of the blame. Itachi disagreed with him, "I had suspected that Madara knew, but because I wasn't definitely sure of it all I could do was leave a surprise attack should he try to talk to Sasuke. Had I known for sure that Madara knew about me; I would have killed him on the spot."
That sent shivers down their spine and reminded them that their friend, despite his good heart, was still a natural born killer. The reanimated Itachi asked Naruto if the villager knew about him. Naruto replied that only two of his teachers knew and they were keeping this quiet until more proof was found. Itachi thought that was the best possible news and instructed Naruto to never tell the village about this because it would damage the Uchiha Clan's reputation.
Out of nowhere, Nagato used his Rinnegan to pull Naruto toward him. Naruto used his chakra cloak to counter it and escape the technique. Itachi had seen all he needed and decided to let Naruto handle his brother. Naruto replied with that being his plan all along which made Itachi smile.
"I knew entrusting it to you was the right thing to do." Itachi said to himself. Nagato then used the summoning jutsu to summon his multi-headed dog and his drill-beaked bird. Using that as a distraction, Itachi snuck behind Bee for a sneak attack. Itachi warned him ahead of time so that Bee was able to counter his attack with his sword. Itachi backed away and unleashed his Phoenix Flower Jutsu and launched shuriken with the attack. Bee countered and used his tailed beast to grab and confine Itachi.
As Bee got overconfident Itachi revealed that he had put him under a genjutsu and warned him not to look in his eyes anymore. Bee's tailed beast acted just in time to allow Bee to block shuriken that were thrown his way. Itachi then started to dodge Bee as he was using his crafty swordsmanship to attack.
Itachi leapt onto Nagato's bird and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Naruto first assumed that the attack was for Bee, but all of a sudden he clutched his stomach in pain. To Naruto and everyone who's watching surprise, a crow poked its head out of his mouth and stared right at Itachi. Once it had fully escaped Naruto's mouth, it flew to Itachi.
Everyone was wondering why a crow flew out of Naruto's mouth, but M'gann reminded them of when Itachi showed them his talk with Naruto prior to his fight with Sasuke. It was then that he put the crow into Naruto. Everyone had assumed it was just a genjutsu, like Naruto but it really was a contingency plan that was now being put into effect.
When they saw his eye start to bleed everyone though it was Itachi using the Amaterasu, but it was really a much more powerful jutsu. Itachi eyed the multi-headed dog Naruto was standing on and set it ablaze with his Amaterasu. He then turned his attention towards Nagato and set him and his bird on fire too. Itachi landed on a tree besides Naruto and told him to relax when he started to panic.
"Relax, I'm no longer being controlled. I used a new genjutsu against the enemy's jutsu. It is a genjutsu that orders me to protect the Leaf Village. It erased the hold of the Reanimation Jutsu. I prepared that crow to specifically respond to my Mangekyo Sharingan. It was intended as a counter should one of two certain thing were to happen. One of those scenarios was me being reanimated and used as a tool against the Leaf." Itachi explained.
"You planned this far ahead?! That's next level paranoid." Flash commented.
"You call it paranoia, I call it being prepared. My father used to always say that you never have to get ready if you always stay ready." Itachi replied.
"I thought there was no way to break the hold over the jutsu. How did you pull it off?" Batman asked. He was impressed with Itachi's planning skills. He'd never heard of plan that was designed to take affect after the designer dies and have it work so well. Itachi pointed towards the crow, "People assume that my Tsukuyomi is the most powerful genjutsu in existence. They're wrong. That title belongs to the genjutsu of Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan, the Koto Amatsukami. That jutsu is so powerful that it transcends death itself. It makes his eyes the most valuable eyes one could ever possess."
"Shisui Uchiha? Wasn't he your best friend?" Black Canary asked.
"Yes, it was for this very jutsu that Danzo stole his eye from him." Itachi answered.
"What does that jutsu do?" Hal Jordan asked. Itachi turned and looked at him, "It allows you to control someone without them ever realizing it. I programmed the genjutsu, the order to protect the Leaf, into Shisui's eye. Then I put it into the crow's left eye, and chose to give it to Naruto. Though, I never had planned on using it on myself in the future."
"Why did you choose to give it to Naruto?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Self-sacrifice…it is the mark of a true shinobi who doesn't seek glory. They protect from the shadows. Shisui taught me that. Shisui predicted that a battle would ensue for his eyes. He faked his own death and made it seem like his eyes were destroyed. I helped him by becoming the main target suspicion in the village. You all saw how Danzo stole his right eye. To prevent something like that from happening again, he bequeathed his remaining left eye to me and instructed me to use it to protect the village. I gave it to Naruto because he share's Shisui's feelings. Since Naruto considered Sasuke to be like a brother, it was only right that he be the one who stopped and saved him. Should Sasuke ever become a threat to the village after my death and transplant my eyes for is thirst for power and quest to unlock the Eternal Mangekyo, the crow would emerge from Naruto. In response to him coming into contact with my transplanted eyes, the Koto Amatsukami would be casted onto Sasuke and force him to protect the Leaf instead. That was my contingency plan." Itachi answered.
Everyone had their minds blown by how far after his death he had planned. Batman was curious about two things though, "Why were you so sure that your brother would turn against your village, and why didn't you just use Shisui's genjutsu on him yourself during your fight with him?"
"I didn't know what Sasuke would do. It was just a safety precaution should the worst were to happen. And as for your second question the answer is simple, I couldn't." Itachi answered.
"Why not?" Batman asked.
"Shisui's Mangekyo would have taken decades to recharge. They only ways to use it more frequently were to have the First Hokage's cells or to be Shisui himself. I had to focus on Sasuke regardless and how my death might affect him. I obviously was off by a lot." Itachi further explained.
Naruto thanked Itachi for trusting in him that much and assured him that he would stop Sasuke and save the village without killing him. Itachi smiled at Naruto for this, "My little brother is lucky to have a friend like you."
Naruto turned and saw that Nagato had recovered from Itachi's attack. Nagato then proceeded to absorbing both Bee's and Naruto's chakra in order to get stronger. Naruto was currently trapped by Nagato as he was using all aspects of his Rinnegan. Nagato also was without his free conscious and was completely under the control of the Reanimation Jutsu. When Bee tried to intervene, he too was captured by Nagato and his Rinnegan powers. It took Itachi and his Susanoo to create some distance and save them. He had also managed to cut away one of Nagato's arms.
Once Nagato had recovered his arm, he unleashed his Planetary Devastation Jutsu. A black gravitational orb floated to the sky and pulled in every bit of earth that was beneath it. Naruto started panicking and going on about how unbeatable the jutsu was as they were all pulled into the orb. Itachi talked him down and came up with a plan.
"Hey Naruto, if this jutsu is such a sure death, how come you're still alive after being hit with it once before?" He asked. Naruto explained that he only got out of it because the Nine-Tails went on a rampage. Itachi scolded him for losing his cool, "Analysis requires being calm, Naruto. It's safe to assume that the mass that Nagato threw earlier is the central core of gravity. We need to destroy it. We'll attack the center simultaneously. Each of us will use our most powerful long-distance ninjutsu!"
"But how will we be able to properly aim with all of this debris knocking us off balance?" Naruto said as he struggled to stay on his piece of earth. Itachi calculated for that as well, "Our jutsu will make contact even if we don't aim correctly. This tactic takes advantage of the core's powerful gravitational pull. It'll suck our jutsu's in like everything else. Remember Naruto, every jutsu has a weakness!"
The then each unleashed their most powerful attacks. With the power of the Tailed Best Bomb, the Wind Style, Rasen Shuriken, and the Yasaka Magatama; they were able to destroy Nagato's jutsu. The result was a huge explosion that destroyed the battlefield. Itachi used the explosion to sneak behind Nagato and stab him with his Totsuka Blade. Itachi didn't want to, but it was their only means to sealing him. He just regretted that his former comrade would have to suffer an eternity of suffering because of it.
Everyone praised Itachi for his quick thinking and calm mind, "Not too many people would have been calm enough to formulate a plan out of that. Nice job, kid." Hal Jordan said.
"Dang, there wasn't much that you couldn't do back in your world, huh?" Wally pondered.
"No, there was a lot that I couldn't do. My asking Naruto to save my brother is proof of that." Itachi replied as Nagato faded away while giving Naruto words of encouragement.
Itachi turned to start to head out, "I will put an end to the Reanimation Jutsu. I leave Madara to you two."
Naruto didn't agree and tried to persist on doing everything himself. Itachi decided to give him some words of wisdom based upon his life failures, "Stop trying to do everything yourself. I have the best chance to stop the Reanimation Jutsu. I even have an idea on how to do it."
Naruto ignored him and kept going on about this war being his responsibility. Itachi decided to remind Naruto of hat was truly important.
"I admit that you are stronger than before. You have much more power, but that seems to have made you lose sight of something extremely important. Naruto, you must remember why the people of the Leaf Village stopped hating and fearing you. The reason they accepted you as one of their own is because you showed them that you understood them and you fought for their acceptance. You just acknowledged that everyone who cared about you helped get you to where you are now. If you forget about everyone else because you now have power, you'll become arrogant and egotistical. And eventually you will become just like Madara. No matter how powerful you are, you must not take it all on your own because if you do you will surely fail. Your father, Minato, was able to fulfill his duties as Hokage because your mother, Kushina, and his comrades were at his side. You share your father's dream, don't you? Then never forget that becoming Hokage isn't about getting people to acknowledge you, it is only those that are already acknowledged that will ever become Hokage. Never forget you friends." Itachi spoke.
Superman smiled at Itachi's wisdom. It was for that very reason that the Justice League was formed. Even he knew that despite all for his powers, he couldn't save the world alone. It is only with the help of friends and other heroes that the world could truly be safe. Even Batman knew deep down that he needs other people.
Itachi watched as Naruto finally mulled over his words and admit that he was wrong. Itachi was glad to hear that. He then turned and used his Amaterasu to incinerate the crow holding Shisui's eye.
"Shisui's eye won't work for another decade so you won't be able to use it against Sasuke. However, you possess something that is even more powerful than Shisui's eye. You have his same soul and that is what Shisui truly wanted to pass on. You don't need Shisui's eye anymore. The way you are now is good enough to stop Sasuke." Itachi said.
"But you're here now! You can just talk to Sasuke and-" Itachi cut him off as the crow turned to ash, "No, I tried to do everything myself too. I failed in the end. So this time I will leave that task for a comrade to handle."
Itachi then leapt away to put an end to the Reanimation Jutsu and change the tides of the war.
"This is it. This will be my last chapter of this world." Itachi said as the scene changed again. Conner didn't understand what he meant, but M'gann explained, "Once he stops the Reanimation Jutsu, Itachi will go back to the afterlife. We're about to see what his last moments on this Earth were."
"This is just so crazy and complicated to me. I never thought one guy could experience so much in such a short life." Flash spoke.
"But how do you get from there to here in our world then?" Robin asked. Itachi shook his head, "You will see how I do, but I even still don't know why it was done or why I was chosen. All I do know is that as long as my home and loved ones are in danger I will be there to protect them all."
The scene changed to something that caused everyone watching to pause. Itachi was travelling through the forest when he crossed paths with none other than Sasuke. It wasn't planned nor wanted by Itachi, but this meeting would provide him with the chance of finally redeeming himself to his brother.
(Part 3 of the truth done.) Whew! That took a lot longer than I had expected. Oh yeah I almost forgot, I'm back! It's been too long. With boot camp and "A" School, I was always swamped for time. But that's all done now! I've missed you guys so much! Thanks for all of the support you all gave me and now that I am a U.S. Sailor, I know that more love is to come. Wrath is on a mission to make change and I can't wait to show you all how he plans on doing it. It won't take me three months this time, I promise. Thanks for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews while I was gone. Let's keep it up and get this ball rolling again! Don't forget to send me a review or a PM to let me know what you think of these last few chapters! Until next time guys and gals!