I keep forgetting to answer the question of AlyssaOtaku69 in chapter five earlier: Itachi is NOT sick, but his blindness from Mangekyo will be revealed in the event of time.

I've just about grown sick of my life more than it already is. My father yapped loudly on the phone to his girlfriend again because of how I don't do shit but stay home because GRANDMA wanted me to, said I was missing out on the best years of my life (I'm still young and mid-twenties), but he doesn't know that being home and free to write my stories every day makes me fulfilled; I have no intention of telling him because it's none of his business, and it's not like either of them understand me.

Chapter Eight

Duality: Light and Darkness

"Itachi...you're innocent. You've been a good guy all this time."

He refused to look at her when she said that. She had no common sense to understand that good and evil didn't apply to everything he'd done, or anyone else like them. Bright and unpredictable as she was, she had no right to call him something he didn't deserve. "You should sleep now," he said bluntly. "You've seen everything and you're exhausted."

She glared at him now. "You show me your past and now you think to avoid talking to me? What the hell?" she hissed. She had better keep her voice to the volume it was at the present.

"I'm not purposefully avoiding you because I want to," he said sternly. "You need to go back to sleep, or else more hours will be lost. There will be more time tomorrow to talk." Instead of using his eyes this time, all he did was use his single finger to flick right into her eyes, and just like that, she passed out, limply laying against him.

When she awoke, she might be mad at him.

Itachi continued to lie beside her the entire night. He brushed some hair that fell into her eyes. He took in the ivory skin marred only by the whiskers of the Kyuubi on both cheeks, the soft lashes and plump lips. No doubt that she had boys' eyes on her, but because their parents kept them at bay from her, she hadn't had suitors. No doubt they'd pursue her had Danzo not taken the Hokage seat; it could be common knowledge that no man might want to lie with a girl that had a monster within.

No doubt unleash it in the heat of passion. But he thought it unlikely. Anger and rage were the keys to releasing the beast, in the heat of battle, though it seemed she wasn't going to now that she was in command of the Nine-Tails.

She now knew everything, knew that he gave everything up so that Sasuke would live, so that he would have something he never did, so that the village would never endure another war. And no more innocent people caught in the middle. But she said he was a good man despite wicked deeds done to spare an entire village - and someone they both cared about.

He made sure Madara would never meet Sasuke, lest he exposed and wrecked everything so that his brother turned on the village rather than Itachi. If he didn't have anything but words, he wouldn't stand a chance alone against an entire village compared to an entire clan. He runs a whole village himself, but a small one compared to the great nations...

Long story short: he was glad he killed Madara Uchiha himself so that Sasuke would never know. He just hoped Naru would understand that enough now that she'd seen everything - except the one who handled the Leaf Police Force and left the rest to him.

But did her waning faith in Sasuke stay as it was, or was it rekindling because hope was renewed?

He sent crows out to keep tabs on his brother earlier. He feared the results. He knew he should have done this before while he was still in this seat, and he put this off because admittedly, half of him was afraid of learning what Sasuke was up to, but now he wanted to know.

Itachi would find out tomorrow, but for now, he fell asleep beside Naru. The girl who hated him for destroying his otouto's life, but then saw the reason. The best friend his foolish brother abandoned in exchange for power.

Was it all worth it, Sasuke?

~o~

I'm going to kill him for putting me to sleep like that, were her first thoughts when she awoke to the sun on her body rather than in her face, but she winced because of how bright it was.

Ah, no, killing him when you now know everything? For putting you to sleep because it was for your own good, I recommend just being patient and absorbing what you learned.

So Naru just lay there, on her back, and stared up at the cool, rugged ceiling above. She did just what Kurama suggested. This was what she learned about Itachi Uchiha last night: he had been on a battlefield when he was only four years old, he zoomed through the Academy faster than average because of that, and he entered the Black Ops so young because of his father; he was callously used and exploited.

She hated Danzo the most, but she also couldn't stand the two advisors who knew but stood by. She wasn't sure how to feel about old man Third either.

I used to respect him, but I don't even know anymore. I want to hate him now, but damn it! She growled to the fox. He knew something like this would happen, but he did nothing. And he was supposed to be the greatest Shinobi ever; that's who gets put in that seat in the first place.

Kurama grunted with her. Even the strongest will one day fall, runt.

He was too old, that's what! Makes me wish that they'd found Granny Tsunade sooner, now that I think about it. She might have prevented this, unlike him. She stopped there to rethink that statement. You think she knew?

Highly likely, since the Hokage has access to all ANBU records.

Naru gritted her teeth and rolled onto her side, half curling into herself. If she knew, how could there not be a way to clear his name? Why does Sasuke have to live the way he does because of this?!

Stop and think for a moment, Naru! Kurama snapped. If the villagers knew of this without proof, or even with, that means they distrust the leadership entirely, and it would mean chaos just as worse as when I was set upon them. You think Itachi would want that? She hissed at how right he was; that would also mean Danzo had the proof destroyed himself, or he simply kept a tight lock on it.

It made her so mad that things had to be the way they were. Itachi was a good man, framed as a traitor when he should have been a hero. Maybe when they got back and got things in order, they could find a way to clear his name.

A noise behind her snapped her attention, and she turned around to look over her shoulder - and sucked in a breath at the sight of HIM sitting on the balcony outside the room; she saw it through the window nearby, when the winds were calm at the moment.

There he was in just his pants, his back to her - how the hell did he...no way, I shouldn't have expected him to get those muscles on a body like that! Damn it, shit, I'm in trouble! - and he was brushing his hair. First time she was seeing it out of the tie. Shimmering raven, ending at his waist, and free flowing. She'd NEVER seen hair like that; why did it have to look like that?

Both Uchiha brothers were two sides of the same coin. Itachi's long hair was sleek like silk whilst Sasuke's was spiky and rough, though Naru never thought about running her fingers through either.

Another run of the comb through his hair made her jump from the bed and make way for the bathing area, starting the water to cool. Anything to wake up and shake this foreign feeling. This feeling she hated seeing in those girls who swooned over Sasuke. She didn't want to be like them when it came to the other Uchiha brother...that man - that boy - who killed friends, superiors, the girl who loved him, his own parents - but couldn't his little brother.

Deciding to bathe with a little this morning, Naru slid off the dress lent to her and stepped in, resting on her knees and washing herself off in mostly important areas, finishing off with the lotion on her limbs and neck. She sighed at the heavenly aroma of apples, wishing she had this back home.

Is he watching me like I watched him?

Kurama didn't answer, nor did she feel like turning around, because she didn't want to end up with embarrassment, and if he knew what was good for him, he'd not look at all on his own.

When she was done and was pulling the dress back on, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Naru called, and in came none other than Temari along with an elderly woman with a sweet face unlike many of those Naru Uzumaki encountered in childhood. "Oh, hi!"

The old woman's eyes were squinting in contrast to her sunny smile as she held out a box. "Dearie, your uniform is all ready. Took much longer than anticipated."

"This is Natsumi, our seamstress," Temari said proudly, "and wait till you see the magic she pulled off!"

Naru almost dropped the box after she looked inside and saw what was done to her clothes. Her old self was coming back in no time.

~o~

That morning he sat on the balcony, after washing up - she slept like one solid rock the entire time - and managed to catch Temari who was just leaving the room to check up on Naru's clothes which were supposed to be ready yesterday at sundown.

The air wasn't scorching yet, but enough to dry the flesh of his bare upper body, and enough to dry most of his damp hair which he combed out to keep it the way he preferred. He knew she awoke and saw him, but he didn't acknowledge her with good reason. He was certain what her reaction to seeing him would be, and it wasn't long before he heard water running for a short period of time before it was over.

He was still outside when Temari and the seamstress returned with her garments. Her reaction would have made another fly startled into the wall, but Itachi chuckled, turning halfway to watch the scene: Naru threw her arms around the poor old woman enough to make her laugh but also beg to not break any bones. So the ecstatic blonde apologized and released her, thanking her afterwards.

It seemed nothing was wrong in the world - a moment that he didn't want to end, being at a safe distance and just watching.

Surprise: Temari said she could keep that dress even after she and Itachi would leave. That seemed to make Naru happy as she'd grown relaxed in that thing; on Itachi's part, she looked carefree and angelic.

Itachi chose now to come out, now that they were alone once more and Gaara's sister said she had business to take care of - but it was then that she offered a training spar that made the Jinchuuriki decide she really needed to get back on track.

"Did you hear that?" Naru asked when she turned her attention back to Itachi, who decided he would come back inside and not risk being burned. "I gotta get back to my training, and Temari said me and her." Then her face lit up brighter than before, and then a wicked grin crossed when she looked upon his. He knew exactly what that meant.

You want to fight me, to see if you can beat me this time.

He smirked and accepted the challenge.

"Did you have a fine rest after last night...?" he had to ask her, testing to see if she was angry at him. But he saw no trace when she answered him, followed by more questions.

"Just fine thanks to you. But I got to thinking...did Granny know about all of this?"

She spoke of the Godaime Hokage. "She did," Itachi answered, finding his shirt and pulling it over his head. "And if you assume things would have gone differently had she come sooner, you're right, but there is no sense wondering what could have been. It's been done, and that's all. She knew what would happen if the truth came to light; if that happened, I'd have violated all that Shisui entrusted me to do."

"Well, when I become Hokage, I'm going to change that," she said indignantly. "I'll find a way to clear your name once and for all even if I die trying." Itachi looked away. He was tying his hair behind his head when she finally blurted out the important inquisition.

"You had to take on the civilians, but could you have taken on the entire Leaf Police Force if you were only thirteen years old, still in the ANBU Black Ops?"

There it was - and he answered her as soon as he was settled. "You figured it out," he said simply, giving her the answer she needed.

"So who was it?" Naru asked suspiciously.

"Madara Uchiha."

~o~

When he named his accomplice from that night, her world spun as she remembered what Kurama said that day, when Sasuke found his way in to suppress the fox: "That vision of yours...a chakra more ominous than my own...you're the spitting image of Madara Uchiha from the elder days."

"You said...who is he?" Naru demanded, collapsing onto the foot of the guest bed. He watched her from where he still stood.

"You've heard of him," Itachi stated.

She nodded. "That day we met with Sasuke at Orochimaru's hideout, when Kurama was coming forward, and he was suppressed." By your brother. "He said that Sasuke was like...Madara Uchiha. Who is he?" she repeated impatiently.

Itachi didn't answer her right away, instead going to sit down beside her, shifting his body so she had his full attention. "How much do you know about the founding of Konohagakure?" he asked her, the question making her flinch. She hadn't paid much attention to history class, finding it horribly boring and often fell asleep, so Sakura knew more than she did. Although what was in the textbooks...there was more, wasn't there?

"History wasn't a favorite subject, but I only know the First and Second Hokage built it, and the first was the grandfather of Old Lady Fifth," Naru answered. "But what does this have to do with Madara..." She trailed off then and there. "Did he live around their time?"

"He was in their time, even before the founding of the village. In fact, their history has to do with today's events, and the night I acted on my orders," he answered gravely. "But after Konoha settled and the other Five Great Nations followed the example, Madara was all but erased from history except in the minds and memories of those who relive the ghosts as though it were only yesterday."

"Why wasn't he mentioned for us?"

He sounded mildly irritated at her frequent queries, so she stopped talking altogether. "His actions as well as the massacre of his own clan was never meant to be public knowledge," he reminded her. "But long ago, not even nine decades ago, all the great villages were only individual clans hired by every feudal lord, constantly fighting for their rights, and only two were revered as the fiercest: the Uchiha and the Senju of the forest. This was an era of warring states, when ninja were indeed used as tools worse than now, or it hadn't changed much from then. Madara Uchiha, who eventually became clan leader, was revered a god - just like his rival and sometimes friend, Hashirama Senju, who would one day become the Shodaime of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Madara was the man to even awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, as did his younger brother. This had never before been seen within the clan, and even now it's rare because of specific reasons." Itachi blinked for emphasis, the action drawing her to look at his eyes which were their normal onyx for the time being...and that was when she saw the slight mist that formed over, like dust gathering on a rock.

Is he...?

He seemed to already know what she was thinking. "It's a special ocular jutsu that can only be used a limited number of times, because it not only uses an incredible amount of chakra, but damages the socket nerves. If you speed it up..."

She finished quietly. "Blindness." Cold horror crept up her spine. "How much longer you think before it's all the way?" If only Sakura were here; she could probably fix that problem up, or if Granny had been here!

"There is likely still time left, if it doesn't come sooner than we plan," he answered, reaching up to rub his eyes before removing his hand, and the irises were red again but with the commas only. "If I have this on, then I see clearly. I find myself doing it more and more lately." He cleared his throat and went on with the story. "But anyway, when Madara began to suffer the symptoms, he reached an alternative so to save the light in his own eyes: by taking those of his younger brother who had been struck down in battle prior, volunteered them before his death. Thus the birth of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, where there is no more worry about darkness."

That was the most morbid, immoral thing she'd ever heard in order to get that kind of power! Angrily, she gritted her teeth again as she thought of how similar Sasuke was to this, having others sacrifice so that he could get what he wanted. "You got yours when Shisui sacrificed his life. And Kakashi-sensei got his when his friend died to save his life."

"Yes to both. And afterwards, Madara found himself back on the battlefield where many heavy losses in both clans left them weary. Hashirama Senju was the one to propose the truce - an alliance that shook the foundations. That was when he voiced his dream of a village being built so that there would be no more fighting, but peace that was earned, and so there would be individual choices made, no children to wield weapons ahead of their time, or even discrimination...but the final was easier said than done in the Uchiha's case," Itachi said, and that was when she noticed the bitter undertone. "The Second Hokage was the reason for that, from the village building to its completion and the time that came in terms of who would be the Hokage."

And he said Tsunade's grandfather was the first one. "So the Uchiha were kept on a leash," she stated.

Itachi nodded, explaining that Madara at first didn't want the alliance, but his followers overruled, being tired of the fighting. So he agreed, but it didn't stop there; when the Five Great Nations formed, trouble brewed even after the Hyuuga, who were also enemies of the Uchiha, were joined in among others. All of them had a role, but the Uchiha were kept out of the governing body. In other words: the alliance was created to keep the bloodthirsty Uchiha neutralized, and Madara finally saw it that way.

"Madara finally decided to persuade his kin to join him in rebelling so they could regain their power position, but they shunned him for attempting to rekindle the flames of war. That would mean bringing the entire village into a great war. When Hashirama became Shodaime, his younger brother, Tobirama, was named his second-in-command - a spot Madara felt he deserved if he couldn't have the major. He chose to leave the village, but he returned with a vengeance...and with the Nine-Tailed Fox at his command."

The entire time, Naru was amazed at how he put the flesh and muscles on the bones of the story which the history books didn't cover, and with good but angering reasons. "What happened then?" she asked of his ancestor coming back with the fox who was now inside her and quietly listening with her.

"He and Hashirama met in combat, at the place that's now known as the Final Valley; you remember it well."

Where Sasuke and I fought. Irony...

"Madara was said to have been left there to die," Itachi said. "But for reasons unknown, he survived. He hid all those decades to follow, keeping himself alive, waiting for the day to come when he would finish what he started."

Now that she knew, that meant Madara had made himself immortal somehow, like Orochimaru, and he once again set Kurama on their village, the night she was born. He tried to destroy Konoha twice and failed. But he vanished again after the second time, letting the blame fall on what was left of his clan, and that was when Itachi's suffering began.

The Nidaime Hokage started the segregation, then passed it onto those after him, except old man Sandaime didn't support the treatment of the Uchiha.

"Where's Madara now?"

Itachi blinked. "As you figured now, he was the one to help me carry out the butcher of the Uchiha. It had to be done before the night was over, so I picked up on him because there was no one else; no ANBU had to be involved. And he was, up until a year ago, the creator of the Akatsuki. A place that is now mine."

The Akatsuki who wore that mask...that was HIM?!

Now Kurama was talking. Yes, it was that repulsive fiend.

"What were his intentions, to do with all the tailed beasts?" she asked angrily. "And where are they now?"

His face darkened, and for a moment, she worried she went too far. "To have all the tailed beasts reunited into one weapon to set upon the entire world, but all that remains are your Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails of the Hidden Cloud. But after I killed him myself following Pain's attack - yes, I finally stood up to him - and Danzo assumed the Hokage, all that was left of the Akatsuki was myself, Kisame, Deidara and Zetsu. The seven beasts are still in their place at our base, but we will return them in the future as told."

He was done talking, leaving her to her thoughts and overwhelmed by everything. What made it worse was that Madara Uchiha, the rebellious leader and ancestor of this man in front of her, had participated in ruining his life, Sasuke's - and HERS. But he's dead, so that makes one more.

The Uchiha rejected their leader, thinking he was only paranoid, but then they recognized the Senju reducing them into dogs to bark orders at. The Second Hokage was to blame, not them. If only Tsunade was found sooner, like she said before. And if only her father had lived during the Kyuubi attack; could he have prevented the coup?

Sasuke knew nothing, and the longer he was in the dark, things had been more hopeless than before. And she couldn't do anything to pull him out.

"So now that I am here with you, what do we do about Sasuke as well?"

The fourth chapter of "Vespertine" deserves credit for this. :) Review!