DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 23: Disillusioned

Sasuke's palms hit the wall behind him and, very suddenly, he felt trapped. He turned to look at the Uchiha symbol that marked the crumbling wall—his family's crest—but it offered him no comfort. He turned back to the approaching enemy, the brother who had taken everything from him. Itachi coughed and blood spurted from his mouth, dribbling down his chin. This, however, did not deter Itachi as he continued forward, a menacing aura radiating from him. He lifted his hand and inched forward, his dark eyes ever ominous. Sasuke watched in growing fear as bloodied fingers neared his face. The blood drained from Sasuke's face, making him appear ashen,and his eyes widened, the blood vessels appearing in the whites.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't particularly like a lot of things. There are many things I hate. And I wouldn't call it a dream, because it is my goal.

I will not die until I destroy a certain man."

Yet, here he was, the cornered prey with no where to run and no energy to defend himself. He vaguely wondered if the genjutsu he suffered through earlier had accurately depicted the pain of having his eyes gouged out. He was terrified. He felt his breathing increase to frightened pants as Itachi drew ever closer—he was only an arm's length away now. His hand reached, the fingers were barely an inch away. Sasuke wanted to shut his eyes, but fear petrified him. He felt his eyes cross as he focused on the blood that dripped from the fingers of his murderous brother. He watched Itachi's mouth move as he spoke, but whatever he was saying made no sense to Sasuke's overwrought mind. And for a moment, when those fingers connected with his forehead instead of his eye, Sasuke thought of all the times his brother and blown him off—he thought of a time when he believed his brother had loved him…a time when he had loved his brother. The fingers traced down his face, leaving a trail of blood, as Itachi fell to his knees. As his head hit the wall, a metal clang resounded from his forehead protector. And in that moment, when Itachi fell limp to the ground, Sasuke realized it was over.

Itachi was dead.

Sasuke began to tremble and his body instinctively drew in breath. He shuddered uncontrollably as the gravity of everything washed over him. He didn't understand how, but he had accomplished his goal.

He had killed his brother.

Yet…he was surprised to find a bitter pain in his heart. He was truly alone. He looked down at the motionless man as the blood on Sasuke's face mingled with the rain and his own salty tears. The stinging liquid in his eyes was nothing compared to the immense pain he felt knowing he had killed the last of his family. A new thought occurred to him then. He had another family—a family who loved him unconditionally, no matter how many times he turned his back on them. And now…now they were safe. With thoughts of Konoha and Team Seven, Sasuke smiled and felt the slightest bit of relief blossom in his chest.

He stood there for a while before fatigue finally pulled him to the ground. Sleep wrapped its enticing tendrils over him and he knew that if he died it could end everyone's suffering—her suffering. She could move on.

~.~.~

Some form of plant—what Sakura guessed was a plant—grew from the branch that Tobi stood upon. Snuggled between two claw-like leaves was a person, half black and half white. He spoke in a guttural voice. "It's all over."

"What is that?" Sakura felt sweat beads rolling down her face.

"That's Zetsu, another member of the Akatsuki," Yamato replied. "Kabuto left behind files that had his information."

"Freakin' Akatsuki!" Naruto shouted. "Let us through!"

"Sasuke won." This time the Akutsuki spoke in a gentler voice. "Uchiha Itachi is dead."

Sakura's heart leapt inside her chest. He'd finally finished what he set out to do—maybe now he would return to them. "Sasuke-kun…" she whispered. She looked up at Tobi with beseeching eyes. "Is it true? Sasuke killed Itachi?"

"Just as I anticipated he would." The orange-masked man suddenly spoke in a manner completely different than they had known. He stood taller, straighter. He spoke with confidence and intelligence. He was much more than he had let on.

"Sasuke collapsed a moment later, though," Zetsu said. "He'll probably die soon. What are your orders?"

Any hope Sakura harbored suddenly vanished. Her eyes shot wide open and she could feel the beginnings of tears forming.

"Where the heck is Sasuke?" Naruto screamed.

Tobi chuckled. "I'll play with you children some other time."

The moment before Tobi vanished, Kakashi's Sharingan saw a glinting, red eye behind the mask. He was perplexed for only a second before he dashed away from the other shinobi. "We have to get to Sasuke before they do!" he shouted back.

Sakura didn't need further prompting. She pumped all the strength she had into her legs, infusing her muscles with chakra. She was so scared. Was this it? Is this how he would cut their ties, by dying? She couldn't—wouldn't—accept that. If she had any strength in her at all, she would use it to fasten him to the earth by saving his life. She wouldn't let him go so easily. After all she had gone through, all the rigorous training, the tears, the silent years of writing to him with no reply, she was not going to give up on him. She would never give up on him, she had promised that to herself…and to him. How could she properly claim to love him if she didn't give him everything she could?

Though her green eyes were set in grim determination, unwanted tears streamed down her face. The tears ran of their own volition for, in her mind, she was focused on the mission. She was aware of the despair that threatened to eat at her heart, but she couldn't dwell on it if she wanted to reach Sasuke and save him. In the distance, dark clouds loomed in the sky. Judging by the smell in the air, it was a mix of storm clouds and smoke from a fire. They headed in that direction, and in only a few, short moments, the group came to behold a baffling sight. The forest was consumed by flames that emitted no light—by flames that were black and consuming.

"W-what is that?" Sakura asked.

"I've seen that before," Naruto replied, his eyes as wide as Sakura's. "It's one of Itachi's techniques!"

Kakashi shouted for Yamato, and an instant later, the ANBU shinobi split the earth to create a clear path. Everyone followed the silver-haired Copy-nin through the crevasse. They came to the remains of a building, devastated by battle. All that remained were crumbled pieces…there was no sign of life.

"There's still a trace of his scent, but…" Kiba's voice was low and offered no hope.

"We're too late." Kakashi finished for tracker.

Sakura felt her chest tighten, as if her lungs were no longer capable of expanding to take in air. Her legs became very weak and she fell gracelessly to her knees. She clenched her fists and labored to even her breathing, which came in gasps. In an attempt to stop her tears—as well as block out the image of Naruto's anguish-distorted face—Sakura closed her eyes, but to no avail. She threw a palm against her mouth as her gasping became soft sobs that shook her slight frame. She felt a warm arm wrap around her, and a moment later, she found herself in a tight embrace. Shocked, Sakura opened her eyes to see blond hair. She hugged him back, knowing that Naruto needed comforting just as much as she did.

"This isn't over, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, his voice unusually quiet and gravelly. "We'll bring him back."

She buried her face into his shoulder. "I know, Naruto."

~.~.~

Sasuke opened his eyes to flickering darkness. He realized that he was in a cave illuminated by a single candle. He was lying on a futon and a blanket covered him. He tossed fretfully until a voice greeted him. Sasuke sat up in surprise, but quickly understood his mistake as pain shot through his core. He let out a soft grunt and then looked down and saw his abdomen was wrapped in bandages.

"You needed medical attention."

Sasuke squinted with weary eyes into the darkness for the man, but could see no one.

"It was very close, though. You're still badly wounded," the man continued. "You shouldn't be so reckless with your life."

"What does it matter if I live or die?" Sasuke asked.

The man stepped forward and Sasuke recognized the masked Akatsuki member who had been Deidara's teammate. But he didn't recognize the voice; it was so different from the childish Tobi.

"For what I did to your teammate, don't you plan to kill me anyway?"

"Don't worry about that," the man replied. "I am not your enemy. I brought you here to tell you something very important."

Sasuke turned away and stared at his hands. He didn't care about what this man had to say. He didn't care if the man killed him. In all honesty, he would have rather been left to die.

"Would you be interested if I told you that this has to do with your brother?" Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I thought so," he said smugly. "There is so much you don't know about Itachi…but I suppose I should start by introducing myself. Like you, I'm one of the last Uchiha and the only one who knows the truth about Itachi."

He reached up to remove his mask, but the moment his eyes became visible, Sasuke's Sharingan activated and blood spilled from his tear duct. The other Uchiha screamed as the black flames of Amaterasu ignited, and he vanished in the darkness. Sasuke clutched at his bleeding eye, gasping sharply at the new pain.

"Amaterasu." The man's calm voice seemed to come from nowhere. "Itachi gave it to you." He reached down and picked up the mask that had fallen to the floor. He placed it back over his head and, face now covered, he continued forward into the light once more. "Even in death he still manages to surprise me."

Sasuke glared at him. He was rather irritated that this Akatsuki spoke so familiarly of his brother. He snuffed that thought process when he realized it didn't matter. He knew nothing of his brother other than what he had done, and this man, this Akatsuki member, had done similar things. It wasn't so strange, Sasuke supposed, that one Akatsuki member knew another. He wiped the blood from his face and spoke, his voice a low croak. "What do you mean?"

"Itachi gifted you his own jutsu as a last effort to kill me. Or maybe his intention was simply to keep me from you," the elder Uchiha answered. "I can only guess that he arranged your Amaterasu to activate when you saw my Sharingan. It was a vain attempt at a fail-safe."

Sasuke stared at him, the cogs working in his mind to unravel this mystery. How and when had Itachi given him his jutsus? And then he remembered when his brother poked his forehead. But why would he do it?

Sasuke bowed his head and stared at his hands. "It doesn't make sense," he said to himself.

"You still don't understand?"

Sasuke's head whipped back up to face the masked Uchiha, a questioning look in his eyes.

"He did it to protect you."

"Cut the crap!" Sasuke yelled. "You must think it's hilarious to mess with me, but I don't care anymore. Itachi took everything from me, and if you're going to try and tell me he did it to protect me, I'm not going to believe it." He clutched at the blankets, and looked away from the dark man. "He got what he deserved," he said barely above a whisper.

"Keep telling yourself that…maybe one day you'll believe it."

"I know who you are, Uchiha Madara," Sasuke growled. "And I don't want to hear another word from your mouth. Just stay away from me!"

"No, Sasuke. You have to know the truth," Madara replied coldly. "You need to know that Itachi risked everything to protect Konoha—to protect you, his little brother."

"I don't want to hear it," Sasuke whispered.

Madara didn't care. He continued to drone on, saying it would all make sense if Sasuke would just listen. According to him, only he and the Konoha Council knew the full truth about Itachi, and it was unlikely the latter would ever speak of what they knew. Itachi had wanted his life hidden behind a veil of shadows and lies because the truth was much too difficult. Madara prompted Sasuke to remember Itachi as he was when they were younger, when he had acted as a loving brother. Sasuke couldn't. Every memory he had was tainted, stained by scarlet blood. All he could see was the man who had killed his parents, the man who had tried to kill him and steal his eyes. All he could remember were the images Itachi had tortured him with through Tsukuyomi.

Screaming.

Blood.

Death.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Marada gripped Sasuke's face. "Stop hyperventilating."

"Don't touch me!" He pushed Madara away and glared daggers at the man. Sasuke concentrated on his breathing for a moment and then replied calmly, "He killed my parents—everyone. He was a rogue ninja and a member of the Akatsuki. I have every right to hate him."

"All of which were done on orders from the Council."

Sasuke could almost hear the sneer in Madara's voice. He looked over with narrowed eyes—none of this made sense. "Get to the point."

Madara took a seat against the far wall from Sasuke. He sighed before continuing wearily. "It's a long story, but it's all true. You see, Itachi was, in a way, a sacrifice. He was the latest in a long line of fatalities. This is a problem that has drenched Konoha's history in blood—a problem that set in motion the events of your dear brother's life."

"I don't believe you."

"Whether or not you believe doesn't matter. What matters is that you listen."

Sasuke was silent for a very long time. He wondered exactly what Madara would do to him if he refused. Obviously, the man was very strong—very skilled—to have survived the Amaterasu and to have lived for as long as he had. Sasuke considered his chances of escaping alive, but decided, in his current condition, his chances were slim. But did that matter? He would rather die knowing he had done the right thing than continue in this hatred. Then again, if what Madara was saying about the Council was true, Sasuke's mission wasn't finished.

He sighed. "Whatever."

Madara began his tale, spinning the story with threads of war and fame. It all started with the Uchiha and Senju clans, two abrasive clans locked in constant battle. Casualties mounted throughout the years, causing Madara to crave power in order to protect his people. He gave up everything, his friends and even his own brother, Izuna. His brother sacrificed his own eyes so that Madara could have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. However, Izuna's sacrifice was in vain, for only a short while later, the two clans grew tired of the constant fighting and decided on a truce.

"I was the lone voice of dissention," Madara said. "I knew that the Senju would eventually destroy us, but no one took my side. They wanted peace so, as leader of the Uchiha, I had to follow their will."

Madara continued his story, telling of how the hidden villages were founded and the land came to know peace. It was only for a while, however, for Konoha was thrust into chaos when the time came to choose the first Hokage. By majority support, Senju Hashirama was chosen, but Madara was certain he would strip the Uchiha of their power. He felt it was time to stand up against Hashirama, but the Uchiha clan turned their backs on him. They marked him as a power-hungry madman who had stolen his younger brother's eyes for his own gain. Madara allowed the world to think he had been killed in his battle with Hashirama in order to fade away and be forgotten. His time would come later, after all.

The Second Hokage tried to deter other members of the Uchiha from following down Madara's path by creating Konoha's Military Police, a special faction for the clan. According to Madara, however, the Police Force was a means to keep the Uchiha out of government affairs.

"Members of the clan were finally beginning to take notice, but it was too late to rebel like I had. Years passed to find the Uchiha becoming nothing more than the Senju's pawns, just as I had predicted."

Sasuke listened with a dark scowl upon his face. He knew that Madara was weaving the tale to make himself out to be the good guy, but what was his reasoning behind it? What did he want from him? Sasuke wasn't a fool. He knew there was an ulterior motive, a service that was going to be requested of him. He just hadn't decided whether he would play along yet. What Madara said frustrated him to no end, but behind the twisted perception, Sasuke knew there was some truth to the tale.

"Finally, the event that sealed the Uchiha clan's fate…which you know all about."

A thin brow raised on Sasuke's face.

"The Kyuubi's appearance sixteen years ago."

"Seriously?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Only our eye techniques are capable of controlling the Nine-Tails," Madara replied. "So Konoha's Council suspected the Uchiha when, in fact, it was simply a freak occurrence. But doubt took root in their hearts. That's when the Uchiha District was built, effectively quarantining the clan. Only the Third Hokage disapproved, but he was overruled. Eventually, the fear and discrimination caused the Uchiha clan to organize a coup d'état. And so, ANBU made Itachi their spy."

Sasuke's jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. "How can I trust your word? You weren't even there."

"Do you think I survived all this time without spies of my own?" Madara asked with a chuckle. "You were still too young to know what was going on, too young to realize that your own father was the leader of the rebellion."

Sasuke's eyes widened. How was that possible? He always knew his father as loyal to the village. Surely, Madara was lying.

"Itachi may have seemed loyal to your father when in reality, he acted as a double agent for the ANBU. You can't even begin to imagine the burden he had to carry."

"But why?" Sasuke shouted. "Why would he betray his family?"

"You can't comprehend because you haven't seen true war. Your brother, at only four years of age, watched as the Third Shinobi War slaughtered countless people. That was a traumatizing experience that affected his view of the world. He grew up with only the desire to protect his village, to help keep the peace. He became a man who would let nothing interfere with his love for Konoha, and so the Council assigned him a top-secret mission. His mission was to massacre the entire Uchiha clan."

Sasuke closed his eyes and bowed his head. He tried to remain calm, but his mind was in a whirlwind. His heart and head were having an internal war. His mind was trying to think rationally, trying to figure out what Madara's motive for all this was, while his heart was broken over what he was being told. It was on the Council's orders that his clan had been murdered. It was because of the Council that Itachi was now dead.

Madara took no notice of Sasuke's quiet battle and continued. It seemed as if he were mocking Itachi when he spoke of the pain that he must've suffered. Sasuke barely listened to anything after that as he pondered whether the coup d'état could have truly caused a Fourth Shinobi War. He wondered if Itachi had made the correct decision, and if he had done the right thing in killing him.

"Itachi carried out his mission perfectly…except for one thing. He couldn't kill you."

~.~.~

Sakura walked slowly behind the rest of the group. Her hands shook and her face was downcast. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to give up. After all this time, after all this searching, she couldn't believe that they were just going to return to the village. What if he'd been killed? What if she'd been stronger? What if she hadn't let him get the upper hand? What if she'd been faster?

What if…?

She'd been asking herself that a lot lately. What if. Those two words tortured her to no end. Always offering an alternate reality, but never being able to pay up. She wished more than anything to go back and change history—but that was impossible. The only thing she could do now was change her future.

Sakura looked up, her green eyes glistening as tears tumbled down her cheeks. A small smile found its way to her lips. She stopped dead in her tracks, pulled on her gloves and wiped the tears from her face with her arm.

"It's time I got my 'next time.'"

A/N: Sorry this took so long, I've had a pretty rough week. My hubby's out of town this week and not only that, but I've been pulling long days at work. Yesterday was a 12 hour work day... awesome. Anyway, here is the latest chapter, and it's my longest one yet, my way of saying sorry. We've got some pretty awesome angst and epic battles coming up. I know there hasn't been a whole lot of Sasuke Sakura interaction, but be patient, it's coming. Oh, and her letters will be making a reappearance soon, probably the next chapter or two. Until next time!
Thanks goes to Sakura's Indecision for beta-ing.