Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has ot do with Naruto...

Warnings: This chapter contains blood/violence, references to child abuse, thoughts of homicide, some crude language, incest (both ItaSasu, and ShisIta), yaoi, references to sexual situations, references to rape, OOC, and the canon isn't a huge factor. There are also a lot of errors in here that I didn't catch, but the chapter is shorter than the last few. I hope you enjoy.

Pairings: ItaSasu, ShisIta, references to KakaIta

Sasuke dropped the dagger to the ground as he walked through the door looking down at Itachi. Neither of them could talk about what had been happening for the current situation of their lives. Every step that they tried to take was nothing more than a mistake in the scheme of things. Right now even as they looked at each other directly in the eyes, they couldn't say a thing. They were speechless.

As the young boy walked past him, Itachi looked at his side, straight at the dagger. Sasuke had not let that weapon out of his sight for a second, the dagger becoming more precious than his life. It was strange. Itachi never thought that Sasuke would become this talented. He sighed as he realized everything that he had ever said about being skilled was right, it makes a person arrogant and isolated. Sasuke rarely talked to him, making his work seem like the most important thing in the world.

I set a great example for him, Itachi sighed as he looked at the blade, his vision moving back up to Sasuke who was flipping through the pages of the books that they had strewn across the floor. He was working hard to find a way to make everything that he made wrong, right again. It was leaving Itachi alone in the darkness.

The silence continued to fill the air as Itachi closed his eyes, thinking about all that he had done. He was so close to making everything pay, he was so close to ultimate power. Yet he felt as he progressed on this road, it was only going to lead to more pain, it was only going to lead to another dead end that he would have to pull him and Sasuke away from. He was risking everything that they had ever done with this act. This was the final ante of the game.

He grasped the dagger as he looked over his shoulder, at Sasuke. The boy was determined; he had been ever since he first learned that technique. Itachi never thought in all of his life that Sasuke would learn Mystical Palms; he never knew that it would be a specialty. Never once did he consider that Sasuke was going to save his life the way that he did. It had hit him, he couldn't do anything more than Sasuke anymore, he was becoming a shadow of what Sasuke was going to be.

"Do you need any help?" Itachi asked his brother, trying to convince himself that maybe Sasuke was struggling with something.

"No," Sasuke answered flatly as he flipped through the pages of the book, ignoring Itachi's request. "I'm fine on my own right now."

He was fine on his own. Damn, Itachi was really starting to become useless. He grasped the dagger tighter. That damn dagger. That was the cause of all of his pain. That night when Shisui tried to kill him, the night when he underestimated Itachi was forever going to be seared into this legacy, another series of links for the heavy chains that he bore.

Standing up, he started to walk out of the house to sit outside, the wind gently blowing. Itachi hated the weather these days, it was depressing. It was foreshadowing something, their inevitable defeat. He wasn't even sure that he could do this anymore. He was sick of running away, he didn't want to take that road again, but going through with it was going to hurt Sasuke deeper than he ever thought he could.

He had to make a choice, he could either risk everything that Sasuke had or he could offer himself to the Akatsuki and Orochimaru and admit defeat. Both options were fully open these days.

He grasped the dagger tightly. I've come too far for any of this; I've come too far to give up just like that. Itachi closed his eyes as he felt the handle of the dagger, remembering Shisui's hands, the hands that had clutched this dagger originally, the one that this weapon was forged for. Itachi brought the dagger closer to his chest as he thought about the times that he had with Shisui. It was a far off memory. The more he remembered, the more that the clean metal of the knife became rusted, tarnished beyond recognition.

"Shisui," he breathed, grasping the dagger tighter still. "Damn it…"

His skin was on the verge of being sliced as he grasped onto the blade, crying out in pain as he felt the metal dig into his skin. "Why are you always so distant from me?" Itachi loosened his grip as he swore he could hear Shisui speaking to him.

"Shisui…?" he looked back down at the dagger.

"Why are you always so distant from me?"

Four years ago…

Itachi sat on the edge of his bed, closing his eyes as he absorbed the question that he had just been asked. How was he supposed to answer that? He draped his arm over his side, bowing his head, avoiding the question as well as his cousin's glance. The distance between them made him feel that Shisui was safe from everything that was occurring in Itachi's life. He wasn't going to be blamed for anything that Itachi was bearing pain for.

"Itachi?" Shisui asked, grasping his cousin's shoulders, shaking him lightly. "What is it? What's going on with you?" Itachi didn't answer. "I'm not the only one who's curious you know. Your brother is too. He wants to know what's going on with you. Why are you acting like this?"

The younger Uchiha shook his head as he moved away from Shisui. "It's none of your business."

"None of my business?" Shisui asked, his voice thick with annoyance. "You made this my business. Do you have any idea how long I've been telling people that you're not feeling well? That's why you refuse to communicate with them. Do you have a clue how much I've been trying to tell your father that it's just ANBU that's making you act like this?"

Itachi lay back on his bed snickering lightly. "I wonder why he's worried."

The look in Shisui's black eyes stole the laughter from Itachi, replacing it with absolute nothingness, not even a single breath left his lips. They were cold, spiteful, full of hatred as he looked upon his body. Itachi shivered as he feared hat was going on in his cousin's mind, fearing the malice that it was going to bring, fearing that it had to do with him. He backed away more, closing his eyes slightly.

"Did that bastard Hatake do something to you?" Shisui asked, the anger not leaving his voice. "If he hurt you…"

"Shisui," Itachi breathed. "It's not Kakashi… it's my father…"

"You said that he…" Shisui shook his head. "You told me that the conflict between you two was over. You promised me that it was going to end. Damn it, Itachi," he sat next to him on the bed. "He's hurting you…"

Itachi shook his head. "It's not that big of a deal," he said lightly.

"Not that big of a deal?" Shisui clenched his hands into fists, slamming them up against his legs, his sable eyes closing as he fought the emotion that was starting to break free. "Maybe to you this isn't a big deal, but to me it's huge," he swallowed hard. "He's killing you, Itachi! He's killing you!" he shook his head again trying to ease the thoughts in his mind. "And I'm not going to sit back and let it all happen."

There was a sigh that escaped the younger boy's lips. "Then don't…"

"What?" Shisui snapped.

"Then you don't have to…" Itachi breathed, standing up from his bed, walking toward the door. "You have it easy, Shisui, you get pissed at that man and you can just get up and leave, you can just walk away from it all. Well I can't," he looked back at him. "I'm stuck here, I was born into this family, the head of this cursed clan. As for you, you've more freedom that I have, the freedom that I want more than anything."

There was a silence as the rain hit the window, not even the sound of the young boys breathing could be heard. Shisui was the first one to make a noise, he sighed as he looked straight at his cousin, trembling body. He knew what Itachi had been hiding.

"How long ago did he do that to you?" he asked pointing to Itachi's side, watching the hand tremble as he held on tighter. "Itachi, if he's been hurting you, you have to tell someone. You won't be able to last much longer if you keep on living like this. I'm worried about you."

He placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, causing the latter to gasp by how fast he came to his side. "Shisui, I'm going to be alright, it's just a little bruise… it'll heal… everything's going to be…" he gasped as he felt his words being interrupted by Shisui's lips, his arms wrapping around him tightly, pulling him closer to his body.

Shisui, he returned the kiss as he felt his cousin's tear fall down his own cheek. Itachi knew that the conflict going on hurt Shisui, it made him want to do something sometimes. Back when they were younger, Shisui used to make threats that he was going to kill that bastard if he continued to hurt him like that. He prayed that telling Shisui that it was over was enough to stop the violent urges, but much like everything else that he did, it only lasted a while, leaving a mark on his own sanity.

Shisui backed away, still embracing his cousin as the rain fell down harder than it ever had before, Shisui's tears joining the storm outside in conjunction. There was nothing to his tears; Itachi wasn't even sure what they were tears of. Was Shisui saddened by what Itachi had to endure? Or was he angered by the fact that Fugaku Uchiha would do that to his favored son? Itachi couldn't feel it, he couldn't feel how he felt on the inside these days.

Ever since they opened that scroll, ever since they found out the secret of the sharingan together, Shisui himself had become more distant than Itachi could ever be. The source of this distance wasn't able to be sensed. Every time they were together, they barely spoke, even in their most intimate moments they couldn't speak to one another. They were constantly thinking of what that power would bring, constantly wondering what would happen if they killed each other. It broke Itachi's heart the more that he realized that Shisui was digging into his past; even spying on his ANBU affairs, getting suspicious of what Kakashi Hatake was doing to him.

"It's my fault he's doing this to you," Shisui breathed, running his fingers through Itachi's ponytail, his eyes locking with his cousin's. "If I never told you how I felt about you…"

"You did nothing wrong," Itachi argued. "I felt the same way that you did, even if it was wrong, I loved you Shisui," he smirked, brushing his lips against Shisui's cheek, feeling the embrace tighten abruptly. "I will always love you…"

"More than anything?" Shisui asked, continuing to stroke Itachi's back. "Do you love me more than anything? No matter where else we wind up, will you always remember me, no matter what the circumstance?" he backed away slowly. "I will love you until the day that I die, Itachi, I will love you forever, even in death, my love for you will not die. It will live on in you."

Itachi smiled lightly as he took his cousins hand, holding onto it tightly. He knew that there was no way that he could love Shisui that much, it would never be equal. Every time that he was with Shisui, there was something there, but it wasn't deep enough to be love, it wasn't as nauseating. He was sickening, he was heartless to be using Shisui like this. He was a monster to seek comfort in a person who loved him when he would never be able to share the same feelings.

"Mine too," Itachi breathed hesitantly, feeling Shisui's hand move to his side where the bruise that his father had left him with resided.

The hatred was still there, he knew it would always be deep within Shisui's heart. The way that he was looking at him showed this, the way that he tried to stand up to him. Shisui had threatened to kill Itachi's father, even if it took all that strength in his body. His soul was never going to be at rest if that man didn't die.

Itachi placed his hand on top of Shisui's, feeling it shake in anger, his other hand grasping the dagger that was on his side. Their hands met on the handle of the dagger, Itachi easing it back into its sheath, shaking his head. There was going to be no blood tonight, not when Sasuke was sleeping a few rooms down.

"You're too quick to draw that dagger," Itachi scolded, not letting go of the said dagger. "That dagger is going to be someone's undoing…"

"It's going to be the undoing of something that you're trying to protect," Shisui snapped back. "You're scared of this dagger, whenever I touch it, I see that look in your eyes, I see the fear. You're afraid that someone is going to die by this dagger, you're afraid that someone is going to get hurt from this dagger. You're scared, Itachi, you're always scared of everything. That's why you're always in pain, that's why you're always running away and shutting yourself out. You've given up too soon, you give up to easy, it's pathetic."

Itachi watched as his cousin walked toward the door. "You think that I give up too easily? Is that what you really think of me?"

"I think that you aren't as strong as you think you are," Shisui breathed. "It's all because of that man telling you that you're strong, when you really aren't. You're a sad excuse for a ninja, Itachi."

"Take that back," Itachi hissed.

"No," Shisui breathed. "I won't, if you want to continue to have that man hit you until you cry, then you continue to do it I'm not going to stand for it," he shook his head. "Itachi, you need to get a spine…"

Itachi fell to his knees, his body shaking with small tremors. "Take that back!"

Without a single word of comforting, Shisui left the room, leaving Itachi to lay softly on the ground, empty. He said that he loved him, but all he did was try to dance on his dreams, not even with undertones of support. The day when Shisui started to destroy the clan, Itachi was not only going to be the first death, but the bloodiest. It was Shisui's way for being poetic. Itachi was broken from birth to death.

"I thought you loved me," he closed his eyes as he heard the first crash of thunder outside. A smile came to his face as he realized there was hope for him in this darkness. "One may remain alive…"

Present day…

"Sasuke…" he grasped the dagger tighter as he looked down at the weapon that Shisui was talking about.

That damn dagger, it caused nothing but problems, spreading curses to his life. Even in death Shisui was trying to antagonize him, tell him that he was worthless. He had worth now; there was someone who needed him more than anything. There was someone that he could truly love, someone that he could actually love back. This was more than just half love; this was the real deal. Compared to that sensation, Shisui was nothing but a memory that started to rust away too tainted for Itachi to make out anymore.

He grasped the dagger tighter, thinking about all that he had gone through, all of the hardships. If Shisui was still alive he wouldn't have been able to make it without Itachi, he never thought to the future. Itachi made Shisui feel like he could aspire to be something, brought attention to him when everyone else was focusing elsewhere. He knew that his cousin had become unwell once his title was taken, once he had to settle for being second best. Shisui the Mirage hid behind that name; there was nothing more to him once he was stripped of it, nothing more than a power hungry overconfident idiot. His arrogance was his downfall.

Even though the hatred for Shisui came out in the thoughts that were running through Itachi's mind, there was more to it. He said that he loved him, and it annoyed him everyday when Shisui tried to brush the emotional abuse off as nothing. Itachi tried to forgive him, he was always too forgiving toward his best friend, always too attached to him to let go. Itachi was a fool to think that man loved him; he was a fool to think that any of those words that he said were true.

As he held him under the water that day, he thought of all of the pain that he caused him. It outweighed the happiness. He didn't kill the clan for Shisui; he didn't give a damn whether his soul was at peace or not. He had tried to convince himself that he did it for his dead cousin to prove that he could amount to something. He didn't know why he did anything. All he knew was there was no turning back, this was the life that he was handed. He could either embrace it as a gift, or he could spurn it like it was a curse. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his brother working to get stronger, not resting for even a breath. He finally understood that this was a gift, a gift that he had to suffer significantly to obtain.

My suffering is starting to weigh out; it's starting to become a little more bearable to go through this. Then again I have to prove that this dagger isn't going to destroy my dream, he looked down at the Godforsaken blade seeing nothing but Sasuke's blood dripping , all he could feel was the warm liquid in between his fingers. The cursed dagger, the weapon of Shisui the Mirage, he hated that blade, fearing it would destroy his dream. If it had to destroy anything, it was going to destroy the source of his aspirations: it was going to destroy him.

Taking a dangerously deep breath, he dropped the dagger, his hands moving to clasp over his face, a single labored breath seeping through his lips. Everything that he had gone through, it wasn't working the way that he wanted it to. He wasn't even sure if he could do this anymore. There was no telling whether he was even going to win this battle against Kabuto and Sakura, there was not telling whether Sasuke was going to be able to do what he had to if it came down to it.

Sasuke would have to make a choice: kill his best friend or let that organization take hold of them so they could further their goal. It all rested on his shoulders, it was up to him whether this plan was going to work or not. He hoped that Sasuke made the right decision, fearing that he was going to freeze when he was needed the most. He could already tell that Sasuke was starting to develop a problem with blood. After seeing Itachi cough up so much of it, he wished that he would never have to go through that again. The worst came on that night when Sasuke spent hours trying to revive Itachi, covering his whole body with his blood as he faded away.

How could he expect to do this when all he did was scar Sasuke deeper than he had ever been scarred before? All he did was cause pain, even as he was able to adopt human qualities around him and stop living the elaborate lie that he was living for so long. Still after all of the apologies that he told to Sasuke, all of the strings he tried to pull, it all came down to this, he would have to be heartless in order to get both of them out alive. Kabuto destroyed all chances of this being easy, especially since he was able to get that girl onto his side.

"It's going to be the undoing of something that you're trying to protect. You're scared of this dagger, whenever I touch it, I see that look in your eyes, I see the fear. You're afraid that someone is going to die by this dagger, you're afraid that someone is going to get hurt from this dagger. You're scared, Itachi, you're always scared of everything. That's why you're always in pain, that's why you're always running away and shutting yourself out. You've given up too soon, you give up to easy, it's pathetic."

He looked down at the weapon, his fingers moving toward it as he remembered the look on his face the day when he said all of those cold words. Every single word was sharper and cut deeper than that blade itself.

"I thought that maybe I could find more happiness in you than any of those other people ever gave me. I was hoping that you would show me that I am not just a person that be thrown away. I want to prove that I can move on without his hands strangling the life out of me."

He grasped the blade, his eyes blurring with the start of tears. It burned; it seemed like an eternity since he could shed real tears and actually break down. How could he hold them back any longer? He'd not only been plagued with the pain that he had given Sasuke, but also by Shisui's memory, Kakashi's intrusion, and Kabuto's sick desires. He was now here with all of the fighting to break him, and it was starting to work.

He felt the first tear start to fall down his cheek as footsteps approached behind him. It was Sasuke. All of the commotion must have drawn him to the outside to see what Itachi was doing. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Sasuke looking down at him his own eyes starting to water at the sight of the tear rolling down his brother's cheek. They couldn't pull their vision away from each other, Sasuke starting to move closer.

"Sasuke?" Itachi asked, dropping the dagger to the ground watching as Sasuke came closer to him, capturing him in a deep embrace. Closing his eyes, he tightened the hug, feeling Sasuke's body becoming wracked with sobs, he had reached his limit.

The genin took a deep breath, kissing at Itachi's neck, whispering words of affection incoherently up against his neck. The fact was that Sasuke was afraid of that dagger himself, it had a hypnotic effect on his brother that he didn't like, it was trying to destroy everything that they had worked so hard for.

"It's like even though he's dead, he's still in your heart," Sasuke whispered, kissing at Itachi's shoulder. "I don't want you to think about that bastard, Itachi," he backed away to wipe the moisture from beneath Itachi's eye, his other hand moving to grasp the dagger.

Itachi stayed silent as he watched Sasuke's hand tighten around the handle of the dagger, his eyes narrowing at the thought of Shisui's hand wielding that weapon. Sasuke hated Shisui; he always hated Shisui, even when they were younger he used to look at their cousin with so much loathing Itachi could suffocate on it as he breathed. This moment was no different; the toxic aroma of disdain coming from Sasuke's jagged breaths.

"I don't like seeing you like this," Sasuke breathed as he looked into his brother's sorrowful eyes. "Itachi, get a hold of yourself…"

The older Uchiha closed his eyes as he recalled Shisui more distinctly, he had been checking up on him for the police department, reporting to the very clan that they both hated together. He didn't do it for them; Shisui did it to get negative attention on Itachi. Their intense rivalry was a dangerous one, just like Sasuke and Naruto's.

Damn it! He made the connections; they had a lot in common. Both friendships seemed like they were always going to support each other and help each other reach their goals even if they knew their motives were wrong. And no matter what they were always forgiving each other. It was the most dangerous kind of friendship that Itachi could ever think of, it was the kind where someone was bound to get seriously injured. It was just like Itachi and Shisui's, and if he wasn't careful it was going to end just like his did. One of them would have to carry the weight of the other one's hatred for an eternity. He knew that it was going to be Sasuke. He didn't want that pain for Sasuke, if he did manage to unlock the power of the mangekyou sharingan; he just hoped that Naruto would never say the words that Shisui had said the days before he died. He would kill Naruto with his bare hands if he ever heard him say anything like that.

"Itachi," Sasuke breathed, moving closer to his brother's body, his breath still jagged from crying. "What's going on with you these days? Ever since Kabuto came to Konoha you've been acting strangely," he shook his head as he tried to get the thoughts out of his head. "Itachi… is there anything… anything at all… that I can do to make you feel better on the inside, to make you not so depressed. Is there anything I can do to save our plan before we become too confused to even move?"

Itachi closed his eyes; taking a deep breath looking at the dagger that Sasuke was sliding back into its sheath. There was only one thing that he could do, no matter how difficult it was. No matter how much it would hurt, there was only one thing that would put this fear to rest, and insure that Sasuke wasn't going to get vitally wounded during this quest.

"Sasuke, there is one thing for you to do," Itachi released Sasuke from the embrace, closing his eyes, shielding his face from the young boy's sight, hearing him gasp in shock and confusion. "Go…"

There was a small silence as the wind blew through their ears, Itachi's breath finally easing up from the heavy labored rhythm that he was experiencing earlier. Sasuke could only stare in disbelief as Itachi said that word. He had never told him to do that before, usually when he got like this, the last thing that he wanted was to be alone. Trying to console him, he placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling his muscles tense. He knew that this was serious, it had a deeper reason than he thought it did, it was more than just his brother wanting to be alone while he sulked.

"Sasuke," Itachi breathed, swallowing difficultly, moving his hands to show Sasuke his face, his eyes bleeding with urgency. "Go to him…" he took another deep breath, this was one a struggle for him. "Go to Naruto…"

The wind blew cold up against Sasuke's flesh, a shiver flowing through him as he heard those words coming from his brother's lips. He usually wanted to keep him all to himself, but now he was letting him go out on his own without the slightest worry in his heart. Itachi was opening a door that Sasuke thought was locked a long time ago.

"Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

"Tell him," the older Uchiha explained. "Tell him that there is a way for him to live. He can stay in Konoha while I go out and exterminate the Akatsuki. It will be a life full of fear, but it will be a life none-the-less. It could be better than death," he sighed heavily. "I'll take out Kabuto as soon as I can and put that girl that's with him in her place. He has an option; it is his life after all."

"Itachi…" Sasuke smiled lightly. "That's the most human thing you've done this whole mission," he hugged him again before standing up, looking down at him with a quick glance. "I'll do exactly what you say this time, I won't screw up again," he started walking toward the door.

"Go," Itachi smiled while he watched his brother walk out the door. Please don't let this be too late. Don't let the two of them hate each other so much that they will feel nothing but blood thirst toward one another. I've seen what that's done to people, and I don't like the effects of any of this. I'm going to kill this before it blossoms into extreme hatred.

He wiped the remnants of his single tear as he looked up at the starry sky. A team of three genin, every single one of them choosing different paths, it piques my interest. Whose choice is going to be the most efficient? Whose choice is going to lead them in the right direction to a better life?

Pulling himself together, he looked down at the ring that was on his finger, he was going to win this. On the day when he walked away from that organization he vowed that he would make all of them pay for their choice to join Orochimaru, there was no doubt in his mind. He was going to start that bloody example with Kabuto Yakushi.

He looked down at the book of medical ninjutsu and then at the door where Sasuke had walked out of. That child had potential to be something, that child had the ability to be stronger than anyone on his team including Kakashi Hatake. It was a gift that he would have never been able to see if Itachi hadn't removed the blindfold from his eyes, if he hadn't freed him from their poisonous spell.

"You're scared, Itachi, you're always scared of everything. That's why you're always in pain, that's why you're always running away and shutting yourself out. You've given up too soon, you give up to easy, it's pathetic."

He vowed that he was going to make them all pay and in turn, he vowed that he was never going to give up again. He wasn't as pathetic as everyone thought; he wasn't the weakling that Kabuto was taunting the whole journey. Itachi Uchiha was different. The old Itachi had been destroyed, never to be heard from again. But this Itachi was the new one, it was the one who was going to make them all see the wonder he'd become. He had changed into something beautiful. He had become human.

-----

Sasuke ran faster down the streets, his breath catching in his throat. Itachi had sent him on another mission to Naruto, only this one was different, it was one that he couldn't screw up no matter how hard he tried. He didn't have to kill him; all he had to do was talk to Naruto to give him the options of his future.

The options were what surprised Sasuke; there was something different about his brother. Itachi usually would have told him to finish him off quickly so that they could be done with this, but he had done a lot of thinking over the past few days and he had finally come to this. There was a way to save Naruto, but it was dangerous for Itachi, he would have to go head on with the members of his organization, half of which he probably wouldn't even be able to beat. Itachi was sacrificing everything for this plan. That was what a ninja was about, self-sacrifice. Yet was it fair? Itachi had been giving up so much or Sasuke and yet he never got anything in return. When Sasuke said this to Itachi, he would shake his head saying that his virginity and life was enough of a trade, it was time for Itachi to payback what he owed to Sasuke after damaging him.

This was all about Sasuke now; he knew it was because Itachi remembered the tears that he cried after he tried to kill Naruto. Sasuke could remember Itachi's reaction like it was yesterday. Instead of hurting him again, he hugged him tightly and told him that it was alright, that he did better than he thought he would at his current level. This was because he knew that Naruto dying would break Sasuke's heart which would in turn hurt Itachi even deeper.

"Tell him; tell him that there is a way for him to live. He can stay in Konoha while I go out and exterminate the Akatsuki. It will be a life full of fear, but it will be a life none-the-less. It could be better than death. He has an option; it is his life after all."

Sasuke smiled as he remembered those words coming from his brother, he was still alive in there. The real Itachi that he loved as a child had never died, all of these years when he feared that monster; it took him this long to realize that it was dead. He laughed at a younger, more ignorant him, one that couldn't see the pain that Itachi had gone through. He was a fool to have not seen the signs when they were growing up that Itachi had been subjected to so much. He was a fool to miss that fact.

He closed his eyes as he kept running. He was the link who was going to bring Team 7 back together. He was going to make it seem as though none of this ever happened. All three of them made their mistakes, he had to stop the mistakes before they got to be too much to handle. He couldn't let them get caught up in the magic of their current lives, especially not Sakura.

Sakura, she was the one who he couldn't save, Itachi's eye had fallen onto her, and there was no way for her to get out of his deadly range once they met again. Sasuke saw the good in her; all Itachi could see was her hand driving the dagger deeper into Sasuke's chest, all he could see was her with Kabuto. He wanted to kill her, and he would destroy anyone who got in his way.

"I'll take out Kabuto as soon as I can and put that girl that's with him in her place." Those were his exact words pertaining to Sakura. The hatred that they had toward one another would never cease until one of them fell. Sasuke didn't want to sound sexist, but Itachi would defeat Sakura in a heartbeat, not even giving her a chance to fight back. If Kakashi seemed like an amateur to him, why would Sakura stand anymore of a chance? Sasuke had to stay close to make sure that no one got too seriously injured who he felt didn't need that great of injury. Even if Sakura deserved death, she hadn't hurt them that badly yet, the second that she laid a foul hand on Itachi was the second that he would let her die.

He thanked God that Naruto hadn't gotten himself in a tight situation like that. If he had, he would have been dead long ago. Itachi was ruthless when he had to be; even now he still had a violent streak, Sasuke feared that someone was going to get hurt. That's why tonight was a surprise to Sasuke as Itachi sat there starting to cry, holding the dagger close, and those three words coming from his lips.

"Go to Naruto…"

Author's Note: I know that it was another flashback chapter, but I wanted to expand more upon how Itachi feels about friendships as well as the destruction of the one that he had with Shisui. The next chapters are going to draw you to the end (I know I keep saying that, but it's true now.) Naruto's coming back in the next chapter. So what did you think of it? Good? Bad? Was this chapter boring? Honesty is my policy.