Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 20

Naruto, Sasuke: 15

Shisui: 24

Kakashi: 29

"Where are we going?" I asked Naoto as I was following him in his house. He didn't answer and went to a door. "Isn't it your storeroom?" He opened it and skillfully avoided a box, that crashed on the floor and many old toys scattered on it. "You have a hoarding problem."

"I'm giving you a present for your departure and you criticize me?" I blinked.

"A gift?" He rolled his eyes and walked in the small room like he could, before coming out of it with…

I widened my eyes in astonishment.

"Take it, Dad would have wanted you to have it."

"But..." My shaking hands received Yagura's club, the green flower slightly dusty. "But...I don't know how..."

"You'll learn, it's just gathering dust in here with his other stuff. You're still his apprentice, it goes to you." I looked at it, then Naoto with uncertainty.

"You're sure about this?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be giving it to you right now." I stayed silent for a second before nodding, carefully hugging the club against me.

"Thank you," I whispered. He smiled and flicked my nose. I rubbed it with a frown.

"So, before you leave, help me go ring shopping." I raised a brow and he blushed. "Yeah...I'm gonna propose."

"Deal."

The next day, and two days before leaving for a long time, I found myself facing Haku on the Training Lake Three. Needless to say, Haku and Isobu went very hard on me, and even if technically, I could have fought back, I didn't totally because they were in their good right to kick my ass.

The good thing was, Haku could practice first aid afterward.

"Was the coral really necessary?" I mumbled, staring at the pink pieces of coral floating at the surface of the lake as we were on the bank. I winced when he put too much pressure on a wound.

"A comment?" I shook my head 'no'. Haku was scary when truly angry.

However, he seemed in a better mood after training and beating me, because when we walked home, he bought me takoyaki. Maybe a small part of him felt guilty for being so harsh...or it was me leaving soon that pushed him to do that. In any case, I ate happily my treat, and then ate the dinner Sasuke cooked as it was his turn.

Once I was in bed, ready to go to sleep, I thought back of when I died. I...remembered it.

I remembered seeing old Itachi. I remembered being in a familiar forest, I remembered punching him in the face. I remembered how heartbroken he seemed to be at my coldness toward him how...how similar the Itachi I was now used to had looked in the cemetery last years.

I pushed my face in my pillow. I mean, it wasn't as if I didn't know the two were the same guy but...but they were very different, weren't they? The Itachi I was friends with...the Itachi I was in love with had killed him when he killed the rest of his clan, hadn't he?

I frowned at the voice in my head. When I opened my eyes, I ignored oji-chan's apologetic look and glared at the newly awakened Nidaime.

"Will you shut up for once?" He scoffed at me, red eyes glaring back at me.

"The Uchihas." I snarled at him.

"Yeah, the Uchihas, they're not extinct like they could have been because you put in place a system slowly rejecting them. Madara is not a fucking generality!"

"This clan is possessed by evil."

"For fuck's sake, I'm linked to the God of Death and can take the souls of other people, nobody is a saint! Instead of saying they're evil, you should have tried to help them to stay good you stupid douche bag!"

"Akane, calm..."

"Stay out of it!" I screamed at Minato without looking away from the Senju in front of me. Ever since he woke up, before the Shodai by the way, after I died, there was not a time where we would not fight. I just knew he had been Umiko's watching soul before.

"I did what was best for the village," he replied icily with his arms crossed. I mimicked him talking and he frowned harder. "Such puerility is not proper for your role."

"Now, Nidai..."

"Yondaime, we're talking." Minato sighed deeply at us.

"I may act puerile, but at least I don't justify my actions by saying 'for the village' every single time a bad decision is pointed at! The Uchiha clan is a part of Konoha, your so precious village wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them!"

I swelled up in pride a little when he averted his eyes on the side.

"Akane, please be a little bit more respectful." I shot a look at my godfather.

"Why? He's being an ass and keeps giving me headaches with his anti-Uchiha propaganda."

"Maybe because I'm the one who created some of the jutsu you use the most." I scoffed and knew my next words would be a lie just to hold my head high.

"It's like fuinjutsu, even if you created them, I'm much better than you at them and don't owe you anything." Minato facepalmed and Tobirama rolled his eyes at me.

"Uzumaki women," he muttered under his breath and it was my cue to leave.

I made sure to really cut the connection before trying to sleep.

I...this guy was so...infuriating! Why would anyone want to save him!? I had seen some snippets of the world where he died but...argh, I couldn't stand him.

The first Uchiha I had ever met had been Obito, before he went on the dark side. He set up the standard for any Uchiha, and because of that, I would never be able to give up on saying they're not bad. The reason I became friends with Shisui when we were kids was because he was reminding me of Obito after all.

Well...it was weird. It was rare for Ao-san and sensei to fight, and I was sure I heard the word 'Byakugan' but...sensei told me to pack so…

I was going to the memorial monument instead, on a cliff on the edge of the village, overlooking the sea. The walk was a quick one, and I bought some flowers on the way, but I stopped when it was in sight. The monument was there, but what surprised me were the two teenagers in front of it, particularly one of them.

"It's rare to see you here," I told them as I joined them. Suigetsu turned toward me and waved at me with his toothy grin, but Sasuke stood still, in front of the monument.

"I came here and saw Sasuke." I nodded and placed the flowers down. I read the names quickly and my fingers gently grazed Mangetsu's. "You're leaving in a few days, aren't you?"

"Tomorrow." He gaped at me.

"Heh, I thought we still had some time!" I raised a brow at him. "What, we could have had a party but now we'll just say goodbye at the gates." I smiled at him.

"It's the thought that matters."

"Yeah, sure..." I waved at him when he left us alone before turning back to Sasuke.

"So? You don't come here usually."

"We're leaving," he told me casually, "I thought I would come to pay my respect to them." It was...kind of him, and I was especially touched by this. "They taught me a lot about being a shinobi."

"Really?" He nodded.

"In the end, it's hard to know whether or not those who taught us to fight are in the right or not, if we are on the good side or not. Being in the Land of Water for so long showed me in the end it doesn't matter, because there will always be defenseless people at the center of the conflicts. It's not fair to them, to suffer from our conflicts."

"It's not," I agreed quietly, thinking about what old Naruto told me about Team Jiraya, about the real Akatsuki. "We, as shinobi, are expected to act as weapons for our leaders. We're forbidden to show weaknesses or emotions, but actually, it doesn't make us stronger, it limits our growth instead." Sasuke turned a curious gaze toward me. "Weapons don't learn from their mistake and can't function without someone using them. However, we do. We do things, we see things, and we learn from them every day. It's why sometimes, people will revolt like we did. I think it's stupid to blindly follow someone because of an institution. Loyalty should go to people, not...a place. Take Kiri for instance, Yagura wasn't good for the village yet everybody followed him because he was the Kage and it took time before doubts started. Actually, it's the common mentality of a group of people that makes a community like a village, not its leadership. I mean...we got up from Yagura's reign after all."

"Is it what a shinobi is then?" I raised a brow. "A fighter who gets up nd learn from the past?"

"I can't say what a shinobi is, it differs for everyone. Personally, I don't think you should be define as a shinobi because you have a forehead protector. If...if you use ninjutsu and use it to protect those who can't protect themselves, to create even just a semblance of fairness in this dog-eat-dog world, then to me you are a true and remarkable shinobi who realized your power can protect instead of destroying for someone else profit. Actually, even if you don't use ninjutsu but still try, you have the soul of a shinobi I guess."

"I see." A breeze blew between us. "Then what did you describe earlier?"

"Oh, that? Well, I'll let you meditate on that, I hope you'll be able to tell me the answer the day you'll be able to tell me who Sasuke is."

"It's getting clearer." I smiled and looked up at the misty sky.

"I'm glad to hear it, it takes time to get an answer to this kind of question. "

As we went home, I couldn't bring myself to wipe the small smile from my face. Getting up and learning from mistakes and the past, treasuring our emotions, even the bad ones...it wasn't what made a shinobi.

It was what made us humans. It was what was keeping us from totally becoming weapons.

If being a shinobi was synonym to being a weapon, then my initial thought on shinobi was right.

I didn't want to be one.

I just wanted a fair world.

The letters were sent, and I wrote it was useless to write us as Sasuke and I would be on the road for a while. I was currently babbling with Fubuki, pretty happy to be in my arms. Sasuke was thanking sensei, and Dai for some weird reasons.

"Haku, give me a hug!" He didn't roll his eyes but embraced me tightly, still careful not to crush the poor baby between us. "Wait, this easily?"

"Just be careful out there Uzu-nee," he whispered to me. I smiled softly and hugged him back with one arm.

"Only if you and Isobu do the same." I felt him nodding in the crook of my neck and my eyes landed on Karin behind him, a lot more confident than before. "Karin, keep an eye on all of them." She readjusted her glasses on her nose.

"Of course Uzu-nee! Someone has to keep them under control!" Haku took a step back and looked at her. He must have smiled or something, because my fellow Uzumaki's face took a beautiful shade of red. Suigetsu, being the pain he was, saw it.

"Heh...still can't handle Haku's sm..." He never finished his sentence because Karin kicked him in the head, making it explode in water. I snickered at them bickering and heard my two ex-students sighing.

"You two, keep them from killing each other." I gave Fubuki to Haku and proceeded to say my goodbyes to the others.

After Kimou crying in my arms because I was leaving her and our blossoming love behind, don't ask me, senpai kindly told me that if I were to die again, I could stay dead. He always had the word to warm my cold heart.

I hugged Naoto tightly, whispering him good luck with his future fiancee, and let Dai squishing me against his chest, rolling my eyes during his tirade on how I had to protect myself if I were to have sex, dying was not a good habit to have and basically his own way to tell me to take care. When it was sensei's turn, she smiled at me, although there was a tint of sadness in it.

"Who knew we would get goodbyes the day you leave the village?"

"Who knew I would end up doing it with an authorization?" I replied and we chuckled. After a brief hug, I waved my hitai-ate at her. "I'll use it if I need it."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you." I grinned at her and secured the strap of Yagura's club, resting on my back. "Are you really going to carry it all the time?"

"I want to, as a way to pay my respect." Using it to kick Obito's ass later on was too tempting too, but it was left unsaid.

"Do you know where you'll go first?"

"I was thinking Iwa, let's do the worst one first."

"The Hidden Stone then?" Sasuke asked behind me.

"You're done saying goodbye?" He nodded. "Alright, then we should get going then. Take care of yourselves everyone."

"Send a letter every once in a while to remind us of your annoying presence." I blinked at senpai, and a lewd grin appeared on my face. Before I could say anything, Sasuke grabbed me by my collar and dragged me away.

Once on the cliff overlooking the village, leading to the harbor in relation with the Land of Waves, I shot one last look at my birth village.

It was no farewell, just a goodbye.

Yet, I had a slight heartache because I was leaving.

Feeling this whereas I was leaving Kiri of all the places...I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world.

"Did you take your medicine Itachi?"

"Yes Mother, I did," came the tired reply as he was putting his shoes on.

"Are you sure you should go out though? What if you faint or..." Itachi sighed deeply.

"I'll be fine, Tsunade-sama asked me to take regular walks to keep my body in shape." Mikoto chuckled nervously.

"Of course, of course, it's just I don't want you to go back to the hospital because you pushed yourself too hard." How could he when she kept watching him like a hawk?

He couldn't try to put Sasuke at the center of her attention either, because from the letters Akane had been sending, he was perfectly fine where he was.

"I'll be back for diner." He closed the door silently behind him.

Now what could he possibly do? Sasuke and Akane were both in a different country, Naruto was somewhere on the continent and Shisui...Shisui waited for him to be out of the hospital after the surgery to tell him he was leaving on a long-term mission of at least six months.

Izumi had been repeating to him she was there for him if he needed, and sometimes she would just be there, but...he didn't feel the need to be with her, even as friends. She was clearly clutching onto something that was gone.

"Itachi?" The Uchiha's thoughts were cut short by the voice of his old captain.

"Kakashi-san?"

"You don't seem to be at your best," the jounin said idly, his eye back on his book. Itachi averted his eyes to the side.

"Hn." On this note, Kakashi closed his book.

"Well, if you don't have anything to do, you won't mind helping me, will you?"

Taken back by Kakashi's request, he followed him to Training Ground Three, where from what Naruto and Sasuke told him, the former had been tied up to a wooden pillar.

"I need you help Itachi, but please refrain yourself from saying anything to Fugaku-sama."

"Is there something wrong with your sharingan?"

"Actually, I'm not sure," Kakashi admitted. Itachi raised a brow, and opened his eyes a little wider when Kakashi turned around, showing a different pattern in his eye. "I want to say it's a good thing...but I have a feeling it's not."

"Considering you are not a natural owner of the Sharingan, I doubt your body can handle the Mangekyou very well."

"Depends, do you think being unconscious for three days after a mission is handling it well?" There was a silence between the two men, where Itachi deadpanned at him. Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. "How...she lives in Kiri, how can I talk like her?"

"You used to spend a lot of time together."

"Okay, it's not true!" Kakashi denied vehemently. "She kept coming and bugging me all the time! I've never asked for this! She's been a pain since she was two and will probably be for the rest of her life!"

"I feel like I'm listening to Utakata-san talking. Maybe you should form a band or something." Kakashi glared at him. Apparently, sarcasm wasn't welcomed right now.

"Anyway, could you help me training my eye?"

"Of course," he replied. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do right now.

However, maybe he would take on his father's proposition. Maybe working at the police station and using his brain until his sick leave was over would do him some good.

Oh, so that was what it had been.

Boredom and frustration.

Itachi was bored of his life, confined in the village with his mother constantly on his back even though he was twenty and recovering, and frustrated because he felt utterly and completely useless.

"To begin with, the Mangekyou is..." Helping Kakashi would be for the best too, who knew what his eye could do.

"...slowly turning you blind, like Wataru-san told you," I told Sasuke as we were walking toward the Land of Earth, now very close to the border. "From what you told me of your fight with Taiga, you know your eyes will bleed at the use. You can use the Susanoo, but it comes with an excruciating pain until you have the Eternal Mangekyou." I crossed my arms on my chest. "Actually, it's annoying Itachi doesn't have it."

"Hn," Sasuke replied. I raised a brow at him but he kept staring straight ahead of him. "It's nothing, maybe we can find a seal to force him to awake it?"

"Interesting, I spent a lot of time learning about the Sharingan to seal it, but never to force it to improve. I mean, we could force Itachi in something akin to genjutsu and make him witness the death of his closest friend. He can't be aware of it though, because the trauma wouldn't be..." I stopped myself and shared Sasuke's gaze of disbelief. "Oh God, it's horrible! Stop me when I start rambling on possibilities about seals like that!"

"It never went that far before," he told me with a frown, "but please, refrain yourself from traumatizing my brother."

"Duly noted." We walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Sasuke spoke up.

"I was wondering, you have a letter to give to the Kage but otherwise, you only need to see the jinchuriki, correct?" I nodded. "Then shouldn't we look for them?"

"Not that the idea of looking for them like fishy people to tell them the Akatsuki is looking for them is strangely paradoxical to me," I started with a tint of sarcasm, "I...agree with you. It's their seal, they should have the right to decide whether or not I can look at it. But a jinchuriki is...is a weapon, the village property, even if they're human beings."

"It's not fair."

"It's not."

"Does it mean Naruto is Konoha property?" he asked me. "They let him leave though."

"Yes, with Jiraya-san, one of the three Sannin and the Fourth Hokage's sensei. If it wasn't him...the old geezers that are the Advisers would have put him under lock and key." I stopped in my tracks out of sudden, looking around frantically. Sasuke stopped too a few meters in front of me, and watched me basically freaking out.

"Akane? What, have you been here before?"

"Huh...Actually I might have," I muttered.

I traveled a lot before. With old Itachi and old Hoshigaki-san, with Mom...then I settled down near the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. I lived there for what, three or four years? In any case, it was where old Itachi and I would be...our version of an item I guess?

How could I forget this still familiar road?

I ran, the Uchiha with me running behind me asking for explanations concerning my behavior, but I didn't answer. Instead, I ran, ran and ran, quickening my pace when I spotted a tea house. I froze and stared at it without a word. Sasuke stopped next to me and shot a quick look at the place.

"Hey," he said, grabbing my wrist firmly to make me look at him, "is it where you and him..."

"I worked there," I whispered. "I mean...I did but...not to them?"

"I get it." I sighed slowly. "Do you want to stop here?"

"No I'm...I'm good."

We walked across the village. I was fully aware of Sasuke giving side glances every now and then, but I played oblivious until we passed a bakery. I knew it very well, every time old Itachi was there, I would buy dangos here.

On a whim, I entered the shop and bought dangos. Without a word, I walked the path I walked every day decades ago, and soon I was running.

I slowed down when I caught a glimpse of the house, to completely stop in front of it. I stared at the house with wide eyes.

It was falling to ruin, dust having accumulated on the windows and blocking the view inside. I pushed the door open in a grating noise.

There was dust everywhere.

The old woman who gave me the house before never found anyone to give it to and now it was rotting away. It…

It was heartbreaking.

Was it a sign to tell me the old me was really...gone? That there was nothing for me to look back at?

I mean...I knew I couldn't go back but...but to have the place where old Itachi and I would be together and love each other in that state…

I delicately placed the dangos on the table, almost like an offering.

'I have faith in you, always have,' old Itachi told me when I was dead. He never showed it. I felt terrible for sometime doubting his feelings for me in the past. He…he didn't really want to leave me that time, did he?

Now I wanted to talk to him.

"We can't stay here for too long," Sasuke's voice told me from outside. I nodded to myself. Around my neck was a necklace I bought, not the one he gave me. I later gave it to Aki, but...but that piece of jewelry had meant so much to me.

With my forefinger, I wrote something in the dust on the table, right next to the sweets. A small smile graced my lips at the 'Thank you' written in the dust. With one last look around the room, I walked out.

I never really told him 'goodbye', did I?

Well then.

Goodbye my love.

Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought about this chapter! Thanks to NguyetMieu, Guest and Kazukimi for the reviews!

Bye!