*Chapter 34*: Chapter Thirty: My Brother's Keeper

Chapter Thirty: My Brother's Keeper

Sasuke stood atop the wall, gazing over the ruins of the north Uchiha district. The serpent that had torn through the northwest wall had been bad enough, but the mammoth toad summoned by Jiraiya- No, the Hokage, Sasuke corrected himself- had been destructive on a colossal scale. Sasuke knew that he should be angry, or unhappy, or something... but he wasn't. Or rather, he WAS... but not about that.

"It's going to take weeks to clean this mess up." Said Shikamaru from next to him. Sasuke had to suppress a jolt of surprise.

The topknot sporting chunin pretended not to notice. "Rebuilding it is gonna take even longer, I bet. Mendokuse." Shikamaru sighed, then looked over at Sasuke. "Where do you want to start on that? The council- or what's left of it, anyhow- has two genin work teams on standby, waiting for your word."

Sasuke felt a spike in his simmering anger. That was it. The nebulous feeling that had been bothering him all day. Nobody even LIVES here anymore. Sasuke thought to himself. "What about sector nineteen apartments?" He asked out loud.

"Slum district." Shikamaru replied. "They'll get fixed eventually. Why?"

Because that's where Naruto lives. Sasuke thought to himself. But you wouldn't know that because you always met up with us at the tower or the training grounds.

The Uchiha hopped down from the wall into the Uchiha District main street, looking around. Shikamaru followed, puzzled.

"Hey, what's gotten into you?"

Sasuke didn't answer, instead stopping in front of one of the few buildings in the area that was still intact, an old Uchiharun liquor shop. "I think that we should start here."

"Here?" Shikamaru asked. "Why here-"

"Katon: Gokyaku no Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, his hands forming seals, before he exhaled a massive gout of fire. The force of the blast smashed the door inwards in flaming fragments; the outer wall ignited. For a moment, Shikamaru just gaped, while Sasuke stood by, watching impassively, as the roar of the flames was punctuated by the sound of shattering bottles, popping like crystal popcorn.

One of the kegs caught, apparently a good one, as fire belched forth from the sundered doorway and blew out the windows. Shikamaru dove for the deck, but Sasuke stood his ground, unflinching as a piece of flying glass left a bleeding line across his forehead. After a few more seconds of watching it burn, Sasuke turned on his heel and moved on, setting another building further down the street ablaze.

By now, a fire crew had arrived, only to stand in mute shock and disbelief over the next twenty minutes as they watched the last Uchiha methodically burn the Uchiha District in it's entirety to the ground.

The council was not amused.

Homura's harsh and angry brown eyes bored into the unrepentant dark eyes of Uchiha Sasuke. "How will we deal with you?"

Sasuke snorted. "You won't. There's nothing to deal with."

"Destruction of property, arson."

"I choose not to press charges against myself." Sasuke answered.

"Until you are an adult, those lands are not yours." Koharu interjected. "They are in the custody of Konoha and the Hokage."

"Article fifteen, section a, subsection two states, 'Upon the age of sixteen years, or attainment of the rank of chunin, any shinobi in the village is legally an adult, with all rights, priveleges, duties, and responsibilities granted that this title provides. As an adult, upon my promotion to chunin those lands and properties all belong to me." Sasuke countered. He let this sink in for a while, as a few members hemmed and hawed, until all were forced to admit that he had them there.

After some small deliberation, Koharu nodded. "As distasteful as it is for me to admit it, you are correct in this regard, in that they are your lands and properties to do with as you please." The woman's expression seemed to indicate that she had bitten into something unpleasant, like a half rotten lemon. "If there is nothing else-"

"Actually, there was something." Sasuke said, cocking his head to the side. "As an adult, direct heir to the prior clan head, and incidentally the last member of the clan in Konoha, I therefore inherit the title of clan head. And with the powers invested in me as clan head, I announce the adoption of Uzumaki Naruto- in absentia- into the Uchiha clan."

The fourteen members of the council were thrown into disarray by this statement, all save for one who sat back in his chair, crossing his massive arms and regarding Sasuke thoughtfully with ice blue eyes amidst the mild uproar about them. As the noise began to die down, Temetatsu's voice cut through the din. "I'm assuming a great deal in this, but you HAVE researched the rules regarding this matter, have you not?"

Sasuke's defiant glare in return sparked a mote of affection in Temetatsu that he'd never had for an Uchiha before. Maybe, he thought to himself, just maybe, we didn't lose the only Uchiha worth having when Itachi left the village.

"A clan may, without seeking approval, legally induct through adoption any individual who manifests the signature traits or kekkei genkai of the adopting clan." Sasuke answered. "Though by order of the council the records of the mission to Nami no Kuni have been sealed, this council is fully aware of the events that took place during the mission, including the fact that Naruto was discovered to be a Sharingan user. Furthermore, his kekkei genkai has evolved into something entirely new, a new dojutsu, with traits and significant powers all its own- something that hasn't been seen in the elemental nations in decades." Sasuke switched to the attack. "And there's another reason for you to stand aside and let me do this: For years, Konoha has prized the Uchiha clan. We've in the past been among Konoha's finest soldiers, assassins, an unstoppable force and an immovable object. We've been your police. And now, I am the only one left in the village. I've been adored, supported, encouraged, protected, and mentored, though I myself have done little to be rewarded in such a fashion. It's been given to me based entirely on my family."

Sasuke cast an accusing glare around the room. "The village owes far more to Naruto than it does to me. Every breath he's taken, every beat of his heart, has been to protect Konoha. From the moment he was born he protected the village from the Kyuubii. His first day as a shinobi he killed a traitor to the village. His first mission outside the village he... defeated an A-ranked Nuke-nin and brought back to the village one of our most promising new genin, who is also the bearer of a kekkei genkai that has been driven almost to extinction in Kirigakure."

The room was silent as Sasuke spoke. He'd only had the vaguest idea what he would say when he was escorted into the room by ANBU, but the words were coming and he'd be damned if he'd allow himself to get in their way when those words seemed to have the council spellbound. "Every mission he's been on he's excelled. During the chunin exams he not only saved most of team Eight, but also team Akachi, by going toe to toe with Orochimaru- the Hebi sannin himself- and nearly fought him to a standstill. In the preliminaries to the third exam he fought the influence of an unsealed cursemark, a mark I myself share because of Orochimaru, and he defeated his opponent without succumbing to bloodlust. He saved the life of the Yamanaka Heiress. And I don't need to remind anyone here of the chunin exam finals, where he defended the village against a fully trained demon host, who at one point during the fight unleashed his demon completely."

Sasuke took a breath to calm himself, and then another. Temetatsu in turn took advantage of the pause and replied, "Uchiha or not, he's still a missing nin. And the sheer scope of the power at his command, which you have been so kind as to emphasize for us, automatically designates him as at least an A-rank, if not higher. He's forsaken his ties and his loyalty to the village, and that makes him a clear and deadly threat to Konoha. What exactly do you hope to accomplish with this?"

Sasuke hesitated, then asked, "In order to answer, may I bring in a witness? What he has to say pertains directly to the matter at hand."

The council murmured to one another for a minute or so before agreement.

Sasuke nodded, then formed several handseals. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

In the shocked silence that followed as the smoke cleared, Koharu murmured, "Interesting."

"Ah. Sasuke-kun." Spoked the Aged Monkey King, Enma. "What can I do for you?"

Sasuke looked uncertain, even embarassed. "I apologize for the request Enma-sama, but the life and reputation of a comrade of mine is at stake, and I must ask that you tell the council what you told me, about my team mate... Naruto."

Enma's eyes were searching, guarded. He gave a quick look around the room, before saying sternly, "You understand what you are asking of me?" Before Sasuke could reply, he continued, "You ask me to betray a trust given to me by the Sandaime Hokage, regarding matters of village secrets, SS-ranked restricted information... for the well being of one person? You wouldn't even know this information had Hiruzen not permitted me to pass it on to my summoners, likely he'd expected it to remain in the family when his grandson came of age. No matter who it is, no one person is worth the risk it would entail to the village."

Sasuke snapped, "If you don't, it CAN put the whole village at risk!"

Enma raised an eyebrow in an all too human expression. "Alright then, Sasuke kun. You have my attention. Speak your position."

Sasuke cleared his throat and swallowed, his mouth suddenly very dry. "Naruto has left the village. He feels that the village has betrayed him, that they will never accept or value him here, in spite of the fact that his every act as a shinobi has been in service to the village."

"Hiruzen often regretted the fashion by which Naruto was regarded by the villagers." Enma agreed. "Go on."

"The village has often sung its praises for the Uchiha clan, despite our history, our... curse." Sasuke sighed. "It did me more harm than good. I spent far too much time as a child dreaming of avenging our clan, too much time in anger and hate. I don't understand why Itachi did what he did to me, unless he also knew of our curse and how it makes us strongest when filled with rage and murdurous intent, and I don't know why he wanted it directed at him. But I know that the truth about Naruto and Itachi both can't ever be revealed to the village. But the council is already privy to a great many secrets and this is one more that they should not only know, but may also save the life of my comrade and bring him back to us."

"But why does it matter?" Pressed Enma insistently. "What is one shinobi, more or less?"

"Our forces are battered, Enma-sama, and we can't afford to lose the number of shinobi it would take to kill him. What's worse, many of our academy instructors and students were killed in the attack on the village, weakening us not just today, but in the future as well. We will have fewer new shinobi for the next three years, and we can't afford to waste anyone. Naruto does not wish harm on the village, but his departure from the village has shown he is done putting the village before himself."

"And how can you be so sure that he wishes the village no harm, Uchiha san?" Interupted Nara Shizuki. "As you say, Naruto no longer puts the village first. Despite my own wishes, the civilian populace and even many of the shinobi have not treated him well. Without the well being of the village as a concern, one would think his next impetus would be towards revenge."

"That's just it!" Sasuke said. "He doesn't care anymore. He just wants to get away, to go someplace where he's wanted."

"You raise a valid point," commented Shinzashi. "Any of the other villages would want him, especially after his display during the chunin exams. Despite our differences Danzou was quite correct, in that a weapon of his magnitude must not be permitted to fall into the hands of another village."

"No! You're missing the point!" Sasuke protested, feeling the whole situation spinning out of his control. "You've read our mission reports- you don't know, though, anything about what he's really like. Once he decides to destroy something, it's only a matter of time. Nothing will stop him- not shinobi, not terrain, not fatigue, not even the laws of nature. Our best- our only- defense against him is to not put ourselves in his sights."

The council looked thoughtful, each member gauging Sasuke silently and weighing his words. Jiraiya was leaning back against the wall, casually. When did he get here? Sasuke wondered.

After about ten seconds of this silence, Enma's patience wore thin. "Uchiha, have you quite finished with me? Nothing you have said here is convincing enough for me to break a confidence given to me by the Sandaime Hokage."

Sasuke's panic was mounting- all of the momentum he'd gained from before was now gone. "Enma-sama, I beg you- If Konoha tries to kill Naruto, even if the mission fails we will have lost him forever." Sasuke was grasping at the air unconsciously with his fingers, trying to shape his thoughts into words. "I know him. He's been the brother that Itachi wasn't- or couldn't be. And whatever else may have happened, he was loyal to team Akachi. If I can... use that, somehow, get him to listen to me without him walking off, I think I can get him to come back."

"Enough," said Enma, rubbing his chin with one hand thoughtfully. His annoyance was readily apparent on his simian face. "If you have nothing new to add, spare me the repetition of the obvious and the already spoken."

The council watched Enma as he debated for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, but saying nothing.

Finally, Enma smiled. "Well, I think I've let my little joke go on long enough." He turned and faced the council. "Sarutobi Hiruzan was long a friend of mine, by human standards. He earned my respect and loyalty because of his unswerving devotion to his ideals, his constant life long pursuit to the spirit of the intent rather than the letter of the law. His wishes for this matter would have been to inform you all of what Sasuke-kun asks, despite his very clumsy arguments in favor of it."

Ignoring Sasuke's surprised squawk of outrage, Enma continued. His next several sentences changed the course of shinobi history.

Despite the uproar of the council, both Enma and Sasuke noted that of all those present it the room, Jiraiya and Temetatsu were both completely unsurprised.

Sasuke chose not to dwell on it as he was dismissed from chambers. Now, all that remains, is Haku.

Timing is everything.

Thirty minutes later, by executive order of the Hokage and supported by the council, Naruto's status was appended to "Indefinite Hiatus" and his safety from Konoha was assured. Less than five minutes after this is the explosion on the West end of Konoha.

Uchiha Itachi is, even now, still loyal to the village. His complicity to the village not-with-standing, the protocols by which he communicated with the Sandaime Hokage were not privy to anyone else in the village, even Jiraiya. In the eyes of all others, he is still listed a traitor to the village, and as such ANBU has a kill on sight order on him. While he is incredibly talented, even Itachi would not attempt to breach the Hokage tower, and for all his attempts, Jiraiya has never been able to reliably pin down Itachi's location in the Elemental nations.

This is important.

Because of this, Itachi only knows of Naruto what the villagers "know" from his most recent reputation. And even though the death of the Sandaime Hokage all but assures his own, Itachi's loyalty is to his own death and beyond. Had the Sandaime Hokage been still in the village when it was revealed Orochimaru was interfering in the Chunin exam, he would have set up a brief for his successor to make them privy to all they would need to know of "Hokage's eyes only" status...

But Sarutobi Hiruzen never really got that chance.

It's cold this morning, Haku thought to himself absently.

It wasn't as though it particularly bothered him, of course. Being a member of the Hyouton bloodline- the last known surviving one, in fact- meant that cold wasn't really an issue for him.

Actually, very little was an issue for him now.

Naruto was gone.

First his parents, then Zabuza, now Naruto. It seemed that everyone in the world that mattered to him was destined to be taken from him or to leave him.

"Hey, Haku," Sasuke said from a few feet away on the roof of his apartment. "You alright?"

Haku started a little; he hadn't noticed Sasuke arrive. "W-what?"

Sasuke scowled. "I asked if you were alright."

"..." Haku looked away, over the rooftops, before tucking his knees up to his chin and hugging his knees to his chest.

"Is that a 'no' or what?" Sasuke asked.

"What would you know or care?" Haku growled in a surly tone. Sasuke's returned look was flat and almost unfriendly. Haku met his eyes with an expression that bordered on belligerent.

"What would you know of it, Uchiha?" Haku repeated, louder this time. "You have everyone who acknowledges you here! The only person who cared about me here is gone! He left! My parents are dead, Zabuza is dead, and now Naruto has left, and once the hunter nin catch up to him he'll be dead too!"

For a moment, Sasuke seriously considered telling Haku what Hinata had related about Zabuza's apparent survival... but no. Haku's loyalties to Konoha were shaky enough as it was. Instead, he settled for a truth of a different sort. "The hunter nin aren't going to be going after Naruto, I think. I believe I convinced the council and Hokage to not list Naruto as missing nin. I may have failed to bring him back the first time... but..." Sasuke paused, pulling out a kunai and looking Haku dead in the eye. In a single, swift motion, he drew the blade across his palm, then made a fist, letting the blood drip to the roofing tiles at his feet. The spattering noises were loud in the quiet of mid day. "I swear to you, if it can't be done by only one of us, then it will be done by all of us... that Team Akachi will be back together again. I promise you."

The beginning of Haku's smile was interupted by an explosion from several blocks away.

"This is... interesting," said the shorter man.

The pair stood side by side in matching black cloaks, embroidered with blood red clouds. Conical straw hats kept the sun out of their eyes and their features mostly shadowed; even the subtle fuunjutsu tags hanging from the hat brims would not fully protect their anonymity from anyone who had read a bingo book.

The taller man took the page from his comrade's hand, absently shifting the bandage wrapped bundle leaned casually over his shoulder. "So this is how the village views their little pet monster, eh?" He chuckled. "Must not be much of a monster if he's the only one on his team who didn't get promoted. Did you get any other information?"

Itachi grunted. "Hn. I ran across a drunk in a bar a few minutes ago- he is the one who gave me this."

"Doesn't look any different than the others I've seen posted here and there." Kisame replied. "Except the ones on the poles in the street all have the 'promotion denied' words circled. This the best you could manage?"

Itachi remained mellow at the subtle dig against his competence. "The drunk was a good source of information."

Itachi showed nothing of his satisfaction as he said no more, watching Kisame begin to simmer. The shark skinned man finally ground out, "Is that all you're going to say?"

The corner of Itachi's mouth quirked slightly upward- by Uchiha standards, it was as good as a laugh. His humor faded a little as he began filling in his partner on what he'd learned. "Apparently the jinchuuriki has been terrorizing the kunoichi populace with whom he has been teamed, most notably the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Despite his violent tendencies, he was apparently not good enough to gain the rank of chunin in the last exam. I believe the precise words the man used were... 'violent little beast,' if I recall correctly."

Kisame was no stranger to Itachi's moods- despite his ingrained reserve and reticent demeanor, Kisame had never mistaken Itachi for emotionless. He could claim, in fact, to be one of the most eminent experts on the topic of Uchiha emotional responses. And for all that they were considered aloof and arrogant, their outward calm belied an interior that seethed with powerful emotions whose strength could only be contained by absolute external control, which was frequently not so absolute as they would like to believe. Of course, Kisame himself didn't tend to think in these terms. By his own thought processes, his interpretation of it was more along the lines of, "they pretend to be cool on the outside to hide from everyone, including themselves, how much they're really dicks on the inside."

Right now, Itachi was feeling the first stirrings of anger that Naruto had been permitted to behave in such a dangerous fashion, and Kisame knew it. "Still harboring feelings for your old stomping grounds, eh? You realize that we're going to be doing some stomping of our own around here before too much longer."

Itachi snorted, and the minor win from nettling Kisame before was offset by Kisame's own little victory here. "I feel nothing for this place. I'm merely irritated that our search is impeded yet again."

Kisame wasn't fooled in the slightest. None-the-less, he let the issue slide as his eyes dropped to the paper again. "Ah, it appears that Konoha has gotten their hands on Suna's demon as well. From what I hear, he's a bloodthirsty little terror too, except he did pass the exams. Maybe we should reconsider our target, eh?"

Itachi's grunt in response was expressive- managing to cram a complete indifference to all political matters between the villages except in-as-much as it affected his current mission, without taking away from its customary "why are you talking to me as though you think we're friends" vibe.

"Look at it this way- at least we don't have to go trudging through all that sand to get the Ichibii." Kisame added. "As to the Kyubii, though, I've learned something myself. It seems that he recently left the village. I heard several villagers discussing how they'd finally be able to burn the fox on a pyre and be rid of it for good once the hunter nin caught up to it. Seems our little target has gone nuke-nin."

THAT drew Itachi's attention. There was a moment of silence as the Uchiha digested this information, before suddenly he said, "This is a crisis. We have to warn the Leader of this development immediately, and get every member of the organization out there to find the Kyuubii jinchuuriki before the hunter nin do. We can't afford the Kyuubii destroyed before we can extract it." He turned to face Kisame. "Return to base with what we've learned while I pick up his trail. There is no time to waste."

The slight hiss of air parting for rapidly moving steel gave the pair enough warning to dodge to either side as a number of senbon impacted the ground where the two had been standing. Facing the direction the weapons had come from, their eyes met a trio of Konoha nin.

"There's no point in hiding your face." Said the red eyed woman, her stare piercing and direct. "We know who you are... Itachi." She said nothing for a moment, then... "It's been a long time."

"Kurenai san. I see you have gotten taller." Itachi replied in a neutral voice. "Kakashi sempai. Asuma san. I trust you are both well."

Kisame grinned and removed his hat. "That makes me the odd one out, eh? I'm Hoshigake Kisame. Now we all know each other." Kisame flicked a knowing grin in Itachi's direction, one which Itachi chose to react to in the same fashion as all such looks Kisame gave him. He ignored them.

Undaunted, Kisame continued, "I'd love to chat more, but we're a bit pressed for time, so now that we have all the niceties out of the way, can we get on with this? Either the two of us get back to work, or else the five of us get to play. I'm good with either one, really."

Haku and Sasuke arrived at the locale of the explosion in a matter of a few minutes. By then, Asuma and Kurenai were both bleeding on the ground, Asuma already unconscious and Kurenai barely coherent as she struggled to staunch the blood flow from her stomach. Over Kurenai a taller, dusky skinned man with strange eyes stood, a zanbato like weapon partially wrapped in bandages held casually in one hand. The portion which was revealed displayed rows of serrated teeth across its surface, like the skin of a shark. Time seemed to stand still for Sasuke. Sasuke's heart leapt into his throat as he saw Kakashi being lifted up onto the shoulders of...

"Itachi..." He murmured.

"Who?" Asked Haku, uncertain.

"My- my older brother." He stammered. "The one who killed my family."

Sasuke said nothing more as he took off, landing on the water, staring just to the left of Itachi's face. "ITACHI!"

The two nuke-nin turned, Kisame absently gripping Kurenai by the throat as she barely clung to consciousness. "This is that little brother that you left alive?" He said with a snicker. "Bit of a runt, eh?"

Itachi said nothing, simply staring at Sasuke impassively.

Sasuke didn't even remember pulling the kunai, but realized the weapon was in his hands. Distantly he noticed the throbbing of the mark on his shoulder but bit down and ignored it. Part of him welcomed that pain, longed to scream and leap, to kill, to bury the blade into the life blood of Itachi. Had his chest been a cannon, he would have loaded his heart in it, armed it with his own blood, and shot his very life at Itachi in hopes of so much as a wounding blow. And yet...

And yet...

Sasuke remembered that Itachi's orders had been to kill the entire Uchiha clan.

But against orders, where Itachi had killed even his own mother, he had left Sasuke alive.

And a little spark of something that had been created when he'd worked for those few months with Naruto and Shikamaru and Kakashi on team seven, then Team Akachi with Haku after, that little spark held back the almost unstoppable urgings of his old rage and hate. The dim pain of the mark on his shoulder began to ebb, not leaving, but not very far from gone, either.

"So weak and pathetic even now." Itachi said suddenly. "You don't even dare raise your weapon at me. Your hate... isn't strong enough. Foolish... little... !"

Itachi's voice cut off suddenly as the kunai flashed- and halted just to the side of Sasuke's own neck.

Sasuke and Itachi stood there regarding one another, Itachi's eyes on Sasuke's, and Sasuke's eyes just to the left of Itachi's face. Kisame broke the silence. "Well, now. THIS is interesting."

"What is your game, little brother?" Itachi asked, a hint of curiousity in his voice.

"You wanted me for something." Sasuke said. "Part of me is dying to make sure that you never get it... but there is more here than you would ever tell me. So here's the deal. You release Kakashi sensei, right now, or in five seconds my blood colors the pond here."

Itachi was a seasoned shinobi. Sasuke knew this more than anyone in Konoha. A flicker of movement off to the left, Sasuke's eyes began to follow it, when his instincts began screaming Distraction! And his eyes flicked back to Itachi-and in his panic, forgot not to look him directly in the eye.

"Tsukiyomi."

Black. Blackness darker than shadow, darker than night, darker than fear. So deep and eternal it could swallow the soul.

And then, before him, in shades of color that could not exist, Itachi.

"Your hatred needs to be strengthened little brother." He said, and Sasuke couldn't move, couldn't breathe. "Let me show you once again why you hate me."

Gore sprayed, and the colors were real again, his mother's head rolling at his feet. Arterial spray splashed his face as her body struck the floor. His father lurched forward, vomitting blood as the sword thrust through his body lifted him up, before slicing upwards through his shoulder, upper body carved almost in two.

Sasuke felt the choices stretch before him. Here, the curse mark could not reach. The anger that had flared when he first saw Itachi was almost gone. The two paths, to follow his rage, the old anger he had nursed like a wounded child, or to choose...

Something different. Sasuke looked down that second path... And stared his brother full in the face. "Yet, even though you could kill them... you couldn't kill me." Itachi paused, briefly, almost unnoticeably.

But Sasuke saw.

"Seventy one hours, fifty nine minutes, fifty nine seconds left."

Blood sprayed. Blood, and blood, and blood.

Sasuke knew he had made his choice, and would not let Itachi change it. And somewhere in the middle, Sasuke began speaking. Speaking thanks for letting him live where the others of the family had to die. Speaking praise for taking his duty above family. Speaking forgiveness for doing what had to be done.

Tsukiyomi is unbreakable without the will of the one who casts it because the one who casts it ensures it continues by being there every second of it. They experience it along with the victim. Barely two hours in, Itachi stopped counting. Sasuke continued to speak.

Itachi is, in many ways, like a pearl. Layer upon layer encircles him, encloses him, hides his original form under the appearance, the very reality, of who he is. Hard as rock, beautiful, seemingly flawless.

Itachi has only one weakness, the love he holds for his younger brother- indeed, it is the only weakness he has ever had. That love for his brother, the hopes for his survival against the forces that were arrayed against both him and the village they both came from, led Itachi to believe that his harshness, his cruelty, might somehow give Sasuke the strength he needed to survive what was ultimately to come. He was prepared, eager even, to face the hate of that younger brother, to face the fact that one day he would bleed at the end of Sasuke's blade, burn under Sasuke's jutsu, that one day he would die at Sasuke's hand.

But never was he prepared for the burning pain that his conscience would lay upon him, breaking down those layers, at the knowledge that despite all he had done, the horrors he had committed, the cruelties and misery he'd caused, that his beloved younger brother could not, ultimately, hate him.

He wasn't worthy of this, in his eyes, unconditional love that still lurked in Sasuke's heart.

Seven hours in, Itachi began to cry. But his tears, though they could blur his sight in life, in this place could not hide from him the sight of his brother, despite the repeated atrocities he committed, forgiving him, with each stroke of his sword, with each spray of blood, with each repitition of lives taken, he could not block out the sight and sound of Sasuke's forgiveness.

The pearl's layers, stripped away, to reveal the truth of who Itachi was underneath, by each word of love and forgiveness. In the end, though it was Sasuke that was caught in the jutsu, it was Itachi who broke.

Outside, a moment had passed since Itachi met his brother's gaze. But instead of the collapse of the younger Uchiha as Kisame had expected, Itachi crumpled on the water, dropping Kakashi as he did, and curled into a fetal position as he sank beneath the surface of the lake.

Kisame dropped Kurenai, dove into the water, and resurfaced moments later with Itachi draped over one arm. Itachi's hitching breaths were alternating between choking coughs and shuddering sobs.

Kisame wasn't much of an expert on the Uchiha clan, despite being teamed with arguably one of their most talented heirs. But one thing was certain, in his mind.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't very funny anymore.

As another nin clad mostly in blue landed softly on the concrete of the walkway bordering the pond, Kurenai dragging herself to her feet, battered but ready to fight back, Uchiha Sasuke looking unharmed despite having been hit with one of the most powerful and dangerous genjutsu ever devised, Kisame decided that at this point, discretion was the better part of valor. And the leader needed to know about this.

Nobody chose to pursue.

"You're not taking me back alive."

The woman before him shook her head. "I have no intentions of it."

Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Then why ARE you here?"

"I could tell you that I wanted to be certain that you were alright. I could say that your actions caused quite a stir, and it was my duty to ensure that you created no further trouble for Konoha." Naruto tensed at these words, but Tsunade smiled thinly. "I could say a lot of things, but that doesn't necessarily make them true. So I will do you a favor. I'll give you three questions, and I will answer you truthfully to al three, so long as I'm not constrained by village law. Call it my penalty for failing you for the first years of your life."

Naruto blinked, lowering his kunai, but not putting it away. He seemed to measure his thoughts for a few minutes, before asking, "Did you know who my parents were, and who were they if you did."

"That's two questions, really. But I'll let it slide- this time. Unfortunately, I'm letting it slide because I can't answer the second question, only to say that... yes, I know who your parents... were and are."

Naruto scowled darkly. "Don't answer me if you're gonna count it as one of my questions, but why would you even make this kind of offer to me if you can't answer anything important?"

Tsunade's head tilted to the side. "Because many things have been kept from you that you deserve to know... but it isn't really my place to tell them to you. The best I can do is point you in the right direction. Tell me... what do you know of your father?"

Naruto frowned. "I don't know anything... but I suspect." "What do you suspect, exactly?" Tsunade prompted.

Naruto's reply held no hesitation. "My father... I've dreamed for years that he was the Fourth Hokage... but I don't know for sure. We look a lot alike, but that could be we're distantly related, or just dumb coincidence."

Tsunade pursed her lips, grunting noncommitally. "I see. I will say this much, without breaking village secrets- you and the Fourth Hokage ARE connected. Through the one for whom you are named- the... the kunoichi named Uzumaki Kushina."

Naruto heard the hesitation in her words, but said nothing. He let the information sink in, before looking up at the bits of blue sky peeking through the foliage of the dense canopy overhead. "Is it alright if I save my other two questions for another time?"

Tsunade snickered. "You think you can track me down then?"

Naruto arched an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Eventually, I suppose anything is possible."

The words seemed to hit Tsunade hard; something about what he'd said to her had shaken her up. After a moment, Tsunade rallied, and nodded. "Yes. Anything is possible, M- Naruto." She swallowed hard, then opened up her stachel. "I guess this means that only one thing remains for me to do here." She pulled out a bundle and tossed it to him, which he caught easily.

"What's this for?" Naruto asked, opened the carefully rolled cloth, to reveal a quartet of oddly shaped, three pronged kunai.

"They belonged to the Fourth Hokage. I thought you should have them, since there's no one else who has the right to claim them." Tsunade answered. "And to your earlier question- yes, if you can track me down, you can ask your other two questions." She smiled at him gently, almost motherly. "Be well, Naruto."

Tsunade waved, then vanished. For a moment, Naruto wondered if she'd been a Kage Bunshin, but the bundle still remained in his hands. Maybe she'd sent it with the Kage Bunshin? But if this was something she really thought was important, as anything that had belonged to the fourth Hokage obviously would be, then would she really risk sending it with something so potentially delicate as a clone? Hell of a bad gamble, that.

On the other hand, maybe it was a jutsu he was as yet unfamiliar with. Kami knew there were a lot of THOSE running around.

Naruto picked up one of the kunai, and felt a jolt- a feeling of some kind of recognition. Like his hands recognized the kunai, or perhaps the kunai recognized his hands. Recognized his blood.

Maybe, Naruto wondered with a slight bit of excitement, Maybe there was something to those old fantasies after all.

First things first, though. Konoha was closed to him now, but the world was open. And somewhere out there in the world, there were more clues to who he was, where he came from, and where his family was, if Tsunade's implication was truthful.

It was a long road ahead.

End Chapter Thirty

AN: My apologies for the long delay in the release of this chapter. My biggest inhibitor to the release of new material is, sadly enough, my growing chagrin at having written the first six chapters of this fic. Back then, I was still feeling my way around the story, not having a solid grasp on who I wanted to be portrayed in what fashion, my writing was terribly derivative, and I stuck too slavishly to the scenes that Kishimoto mapped out without adequate exploration or explanation of the tangents and alterations I was putting in. And what's worse, a lot of what is happening now and later in the story still depends intrisically on that painfully poor display I put on in the beginning.

Every time I read it through, the unravelled corners and outright holes gape wider, mocking me. It hinders my attempts at continuity and flow. I had a cool beginning but I tried too hard to parallel, and I don't feel the story really hit its stride until the bandit camp mission wherein many of the people on had already given up on wading through the garbage. Considering my own standards, if I'd run across the fic as a reader, I'd have stopped reading the fic around chapter two. Which embarasses the living shyte out of me since I'm the one who wrote it. So I'm struggling with a rewrite that I hope will fill in the blanks, be more original, and generally turn this into a fic that someone with less patience than a saint would be willing to read through. For all of you who've stuck with me this far, I'm grateful for your willingness to slog through the beginning to read the better stuff later on. In case anyone wonders, I'm not posting anything of the rewrite until I finish the first six chapters, where I can hopefully better portray the psychological stuff without outright contradictions in personality and events.

Wish me luck- I know I'm gonna need it.

On other topics, this about wraps up the pre-shippuuden stuff. Other things happen after this but they'll mostly be alluded to in flashbacks and the like. The real meat of the story as it continues will take place in the future, where Naruto's search for his past will finally bear fruit, but the results of his searching will be far different than anything he ever expected.

Hope to see you all then.

Ja mata.

-AXENOME