DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 21: Encounter

The air rushed past his ears making them pop from the pressure. He was used to it, as all shinobi should be. His hair whipped wildly and the sweat on his face cooled in the wind. As his legs pumped, his muscles sang. The flapping of his cloak was no hindrance to his movements. His eyes were set in grim determination. Though he moved so fast that the surrounding forest was like a blur of color around him, his piercing gaze was sharp and saw everything. He wouldn't have survived this long if he hadn't learned to keep up his guard.

Or maybe it was just dumb luck.

That, however, didn't explain how he knew someone was up ahead. He threw his hands to the ground in front of him as he skidded to an abrupt stop and hid himself behind the thick of a tree trunk. He peered around the edge warily, his eyes like ice. He saw the glowing crimson of a Sharingan and thought instantly of Sasuke. Suddenly, the sweat dripping from his brow had nothing to do with the exertion he had just put his body through. The Uchiha stepped out of the shadows, and the sight of Itachi did nothing to quell Naruto's fears. He had watched this man terrorize his best friend. He had landed Sasuke in intensive care for days by simply looking at him. Itachi's evil had even tortured Naruto's mind once before.

This time would be different…

This time they would fight and Naruto would win.

But where was Sasuke? Hadn't he just been on his trail? There was a chirping above him. Naruto looked up to see a piece of fabric tied to a bird's talon. Another decoy.

"Itachi!" Naruto screamed.

"Show yourself, Uzumaki Naruto," Itachi said in an even, cool voice.

Naruto stepped out boldly, his eyes glaring fiercely. He snarled and yelled, "Are you finally going to try to capture me?"

Itachi turned towards the blond ninja; his face was as emotionless as his younger brother's usually was. "No," he replied. "I merely wish to speak with you."

Naruto was silent from shock. He watched Itachi intently, curious if the man had some trap in store. A slight smirk pulled at the corners of his lips as he watched two of his own clones drop from the trees, poised to attack. They moved in silent swiftness. Naruto was certain their attack would be accurate and unanticipated. But Itachi was fast, too. Two kunai dropped from the Uchiha's sleeves, one landing in each hand. Naruto didn't have time to blink for the speed of Itachi's attack. His shadow clones each suffered a death blow to the gut before they winked out in bursts of smoke. Naruto's blue eyes widened as he watched in disbelief. Then his eyes fell to rest on Itachi's hands, but he looked away quickly. The Uchiha's hands waved as if beckoning the boy to relax his gaze.

"Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna fall for that," Naruto said.

The words of Granny Chiyo rang through his mind like an alarm.

When you're one-on-one against the Sharingan, your only hope is to run. If it's two-on-one, you attack from behind. Naruto would have to be very careful; Itachi had cast a genjutsu on him before just by pointing his fingers.

"I see you've learned a little about fighting the Sharingan," Itachi said in a voice that sounded rather unimpressed. "You must know what to do when you're alone. So why haven't you started running?"

"Tch…because I can make my numbers go from one to one thousand!" A smug grin spread across his face, causing him to look absolutely mad.

Itachi watched him warily, wondering what the boy had planned.

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "I can't afford to run this time. I've gotta capture you so I can find Sasuke!"

Finally, Itachi blinked. It was strange to see something finally break his stony exterior, if only for a moment. Instantly, his stoic mask slipped back into place, covering any trace of emotion that had been on his face, but it was too late—Naruto had seen it.

"What is it about my brother that makes you care so much about him? He's a missing nin who abandoned you," he mocked.

Naruto's brows lowered further. His nose crinkled as he glared at the man before him. "He's like a brother to me…and I'm a better brother than you ever were and ever could be!"

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly before a knowing ghost of a smile appeared. So the blond was Sasuke's best friend. It was apparent that his little brother was still weak and undoubtedly lacking the Mangekyou Sharingan since he had failed to kill his best friend. There must be something unyielding in their friendship, something that stayed his brother's hand.

Without further conversation or warning, Naruto dug his heels into the dirt and launched himself toward Itachi. In only a matter of short seconds, the Uchiha broke into a flock of ravens and Naruto found himself miraculously floating in midair. The ravens all around him bore the Sharingan in their beady eyes. Naruto flung his arms up to protect his head from the flocking birds.

"You are trapped in my illusion," Itachi's disembodied voice taunted.

Naruto growled and spat obscenities.

Itachi's head and torso reappeared suddenly and he continued speaking, "I'll say it once more—I only want to talk with you."

Sasuke entered the cave slowly. His nin sandals clacked softly against the stone floor, causing an unwanted echo to fill the area. It was beyond dark. If not for his trained vision, Sasuke wouldn't have been able to see a thing. The cave was cold and dank; the smell of dirt and mold invaded his nostrils. There was a lingering metallic scent—a stench that was reminiscent of death. Perhaps it was the eerie atmosphere or his own adrenaline from the chase, but Sasuke was on edge. He heard the familiar sound of a rock scraping against another rock. He stiffened.

"You came."

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked.

The stranger slowly stepped forward, inching into Sasuke's limited line of sight. "It's me." His Sharingan blazed a bloodthirsty crimson. "Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized his brother. His own Sharingan blazed into life as he realized the time had finally come. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages. It was agonizing; neither was quite sure how to begin. His rage wasn't there yet. The shock was still too close, too much to overcome at that moment.

Itachi's voice broke the silence first. "Have you gotten taller?"

Sasuke sneered. "You haven't changed at all, especially those cold, merciless eyes."

"Aren't you going to scream and charge at me like last time?" Itachi mocked coldly.

"Hn." The younger Uchiha glared. A slight pain sprouted in the deepest depths of his heart at the sight of his brother, at the insult being fed to him. "You know nothing about me…" Sasuke realized the small disappointment in his own words.

Itachi wondered if, perhaps, he had seen sorrow in his little brother's gaze. How could he be sorry for what must happen? How could he not burn with rage at the mere sight of the murderer of their clan? Itachi had planned everything so carefully. Sasuke's eyes should be filled with bloodlust and hatred, not this pitiful sadness. Sasuke should have wasted no time in conversation and attacked on sight. This dysphoria, this regret did not belong in the world he had forged for his little brother. Itachi smirked when the illusion passed and he found Sasuke behind him, his Chidori spear burning through his chest. The crackling, burning and numbing electricity felt agonizingly good. The hatred was palpable now.

"How much hate has filled and enveloped my heart and how much stronger have I grown because of it," Sasuke said with spite. "You know nothing."

"I will admit… just this once," Itachi replied thickly as blood coated his throat and passed through his lips. "You've gotten much stronger." He lowered to the ground and let himself fade from the world.

But to Sasuke, that death brought no satisfaction when the body burst into a flock of cawing ravens.

"Come to the Uchiha Hideout…alone."

Sasuke looked up pleadingly, desperately. He hoped beyond hope that he didn't have to continue, that the battle could just be fought and his vendetta could end. He'd been fighting for so long. He had given up everything for this—for revenge. Was his brother going to prolong his struggle? Would Itachi lengthen his separation from Konoha and those he had turned his back on? Sasuke had tried so hard to forget them, but as long as Itachi lived, they were in danger.

"We'll finish it there."

And then his treacherous elder brother's voice spoke no more. Sasuke pounded his fists against the walls, screaming in frustration with each hit. His knuckles split and blood dripped onto the cave floor.

A/N: Big thanks to Sakura's Indecision for beta-ing!