~*Deliverance*~
Chapter Three: Brothers' Blood Bath
Two Months Later...
"Just a few moments ago you saw your eyes gouged out by Tsukiyomi... Allow me to make that a reality." Itachi shut his right eye, leaving the left one open, and flashed through a series of hand signs too fast for the human eye to follow. Sasuke wasn't sure what jutsu his brother was going to use, but he knew it wouldn't be good... He couldn't let him finish those hand signs. With this in mind Sasuke quickly activated the seals on his forearm and summoned two large shuriken and threw his arm out while they spun in his hand, using Chidori to run along the blades. Throwing them both simultaneously, one hidden in the shadow of the other, they were sent flying towards Itachi who ducked to avoid the top one and evidently didn't notice the bottom one. Itachi's eyes widened in slight surprise before he jumped through the small space between the shuriken, to which Sasuke smirked. He did exactly what he thought he would. Sasuke yanked on the wires wrapped around the shuriken, pulling them apart into four sections each. Pulling on the wire in his left hand, Sasuke impaled Itachi's leg with one of the blades. Heh, the last shuriken did the trick!
Itachi pushed himself off the ground and gritted his teeth as he pulled out the shard of shuriken from his thigh. It slid out with a wet sounding noise and Itachi grimaced slightly as blood gushed out of the wound and seeped onto the floor. He squinted at Sasuke, his form blurry, then covered his left eye with his hand and put his head down.
"How does the backlash of your Tsukiyomi feel? Heh... Well it's a nice feeling for me." Sasuke sneered with contempt. Taking advantage of Itachi's momentarily distracted state, Sasuke flashed through more hand signs.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He yelled before putting his thumb and forefinger together to blow between them. A great ball of fire roared to life from his lips and was sent flying towards his older brother, who barely managed to jump up and dodge the smoldering mass of flames. Itachi's eyes widened when he felt a presence behind him... Gathering chakra in his feet Sasuke crouched upside down on the roof with Chidori crackling in hand, the pale blue light illuminating his determined features. A huge explosion sounded at their clash and the ceiling of the underground meeting place ruptured with an explosion. Itachi leaped from the debris and escaped the cloud of dust and smoke that surrounded the area and, while in midair, competed the necessary hand signs for the jutsu he had in mind. Another great fire ball was sent out from Itachi's mouth to incinerate the area of the mushroom cloud, where Sasuke was last seen. However, when the dust cleared, there was not a single trace of his little brother. Itachi landed on the ground gracefully when he finally spotted Sasuke, who had protected himself from the smoldering flames by encasing himself with his hand-wings. Black marks were tell-tale signs of the burns on his wings, but Sasuke wasn't the least bit affected.
"These wounds are nothing... It won't slow me down at all." Sasuke snapped. The two brothers then began to go through their own respective hand sings, not breaking eye contact for a single moment while their hands moved.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" They hollered, voices in sync with each other. Two great balls of flames spewed from their mouths and collided in the distance between them, the fire heating up the surrounding area and the air current whipping up the wind around them. The inferno was smoldering, making Sasuke break out in a sweat though Itachi looked just fine even in his Akatsuki cloak. This didn't bother Sasuke though, since his fire ball was slowly but surely pushing back his older brother's. Itachi planted his feet into the ground in an attempt to stay in place and not be shoved back when his right eye, which was closed, suddenly began to pulsate with pain. Itachi gritted his teeth and blood began to seep from underneath the closed lid like a crimson waterfall cascading down down his face. Time seemed to go in slow motion as Sasuke watched his brother open his bleeding eye and look right at him.
"Amaterasu!" Black fire shot into the inferno between them, mingling with the oranges and reds. Amaterasu slowly spread amongst the brighter tendrils until the whole pyre was engulfed in the black flames; it burned everything in its path, even other flames. With nothing left to incinerate, Amaterasu died out. Sasuke took a step back, the curse mark spread over half his body and his right wing out in a partial transformation. I'm running out of chakra already... I need to use that jutsu... With this in mind, Sasuke ran in a large circle around his brother to evade the bouts of Amaterasu that Itachi aimed in his direction. The blasts began to miss him by a narrower margin each time, and then one managed to barely clip his wing- but that was all that was needed. Sasuke screamed in agony as the black flames incinerated his half transformed body, and he fell to his knees on the ground writhing in pain. He eventually stilled, and Amaterasu died out.
Itachi panted in exertion, his hands on his knees. Blood continued to gush out his eyes, making his vision blurrier than it already was. At the sight of Sasuke's motionless figure on the ground in the distance, Itachi began to walk forward to confirm his death before extracting his eyes. He stood over him before kneeling down to touch his head, which crumbled to ashes under his touch. Beneath the cinders was a hole barely large enough for a person to slip through. Before he could dare to look through the hole, however, he was forced into a coughing fit and fell to his knees.
Sasuke knelt on the ground underneath the surface, his body slick from his substitution jutsu. He had barely been able to escape that Amaterasu- he barely had time to use Chidori to create a hole in the ground and use his substitution jutsu to shed his skin, thus dropping underground. That had been entirely too close for Sasuke's liking. This is what I've been waiting for! He thought as he allowed the curse mark to morph his body into level two form. His hands flashed through signs as he devised his plan.
"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" He hollered. At once, dragons made of smoldering flames shot up from underground towards the Akatsuki member. Itachi, who was still on his knees, tucked and rolled out of the way before getting to his feet to leap away. Dragon after dragon erupted from the ground and flew towards Itachi, who kept jumping further and further to dodge before one of the fire entities collided with the ground around him. The area exploded upon impact and dust mingled with smoke clouded the air. Blood flowed heavily from Itachi's injured thigh as well as his eyes, and he broke out in a sweat. Sasuke, still underground, panted with his hands on his knees as he looked up to the surface.
"That Amaterasu of yours... It seems to have taken quite a lot out of you." Sasuke said with satisfaction. Itachi peered down at him from the edge and watched as Sasuke fell to his knees, the curse mark receding. Sasuke's body screamed in exhaustion, willing him to give in, but his determination never faltered. This... Well probably be my last jutsu... He allowed a grin to spread across his face and he chuckled to himself. Itachi watched him perceptively from above.
"The Sharingan has leeched at your chakra level. Stop bluffing... I can tell just by looking at you that your out of chakra. You used Orochimaru's substitution jutsu to evade my Amaterasu, to trick and deceive your opponent and uses an enormous amount of chakra."A clap of thunder boomed in the distance and dark ominous clouds swirled overhead. Rain started to drizzle before pouring down unrelentingly, dousing the land.
"Yeah, you're right... I don't have anymore chakra left now. I used up every bit of it in that last fire jutsu attack... However, do you really believe that I would come here to kill you and be unprepared?" Itachi remained silent, observing him in quiet contemplation. Black flames of Amaterasu didn't falter under the onslaughts of wind and rain. Sasuke glared up at his older brother, the object of his hatred.
"I have one last jutsu, and it can not be evaded. Now, Itachi, you asked for it so here it is at last. I will make your death a reality!" Sasuke seethed from below. Darkness shrouded the land and the only source of illumination came from the clashing lightning in the sky, flashing blue in contrast to the surrounding black. Itachi's gaze flicked up above, wary of what Sasuke was planning. The sudden change in weather put him on edge. Crimson eyes glowed in the darkness as the brothers glared at one another.
Sasuke focused chakra in his feet and pushed himself into the air until he landed on the surface, then ran up the vertical wall which bore the Uchiha symbol before throwing himself up to the top, now glaring down at Itachi. Flashing through hand seals, Chidori crackled to life in his palm though the sound of chirping birds was lost amongst the rumbling bouts of booming thunder.
"This jutsu guides the lightning down from the heavens. All I have to do is merely direct its power right at you. This jutsu is called... Kirin!" The jutsu roared to life at its name, all the lightning in the atmosphere collecting in a single colossal mass in the sky. The lightning crackled and hissed at an ear-piercing volume, and Itachi watched in open shock at the jutsu his little brother had conjured up... Had created. The lightning screamed as it morphed into a giant dragon, hissing and spitting. It was gargantuan in size with an unrivaled ferocity, radiating an electric blue glow save for its fiery red eyes. For the first time in a long time, if ever, Itachi gasped in amazement.
"You'll be gone with the thunder cloud. Now, brother, die!" Sasuke roared and he threw his hand in Itachi's direction, the lightning dragon lurching forward to attack. A blinding light blasted through the darkness but was too quick for either of them to shield their eyes, and a deafening howl of the lightning dragon resounded before colliding within a ten meter radius around Itachi, exploding upon impact. The wall Sasuke stood upon crumbled from the force and he dropped back down onto the ground as the dust cleared, revealing Itachi face down on the ground, completely motionless. His Akatsuki cloak had been blown off during the blast and was no where in sight; several deep lacerations marred his exposed body, dark hair matted with blood. The Sharingan faded from Sasuke's eyes.
"It's done..." He whispered as he fell to his knees, "It's finally over..."
"...Is this the death you had imagined for me then?" Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief as Itachi pushed himself off the ground to stand on his knees. With another wave of resentment, the curse mark flared into life and spread over Sasuke until he was in level two form.
"Damn you! Why won't you die already?!" A growl ripped through Sasuke's throat and he glared in fury. An ominous red chakra began to swirl around Itachi, and the form of a gargantuan skeleton began to take place behind him.
"If I hadn't had this, I'd be dead. You really have... Gotten stronger... Sasuke." Itachi managed to speak through his battered condition. Sasuke stared in shock at the mysterious entity shadowing his brother.
"Now its my turn. I'm going to reveal to you my final trump card: the Susanoo."
"The Susanoo?" Sasuke repeated dumbly, still in shock.
"Yes. Its the one other jutsu besides the Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu that took root in these eyes of mine. Sasuke, is that it for your jutsu then? If you have anything else up your sleeve then now is your last chance to play it." The bad weather ceased and the clouds cleared, rays of sunlight shining through. Sasuke was absolutely stunned as he watched muscle and flesh spread over the Susanoo until it was fully armored with a helmet that resembled a skull, a fiery katana, and a large shield. The warrior made of swirling red chakra, the Susanoo, roared a battle cry. Sasuke took an involuntary step back from the beast.
"What's the matter? Use up all your chakra and run out of options?" Itachi asked with mocked concern, but his jest died in his throat at the sight of Sasuke glaring fury at him, one eye red with the Sharingan and the other bright yellow with a black slit pupil, just like a snake's. Sasuke's eyes widen from the glare and instead looked surprised rather than livid, and he clutched his head while gritting his teeth at the pain that wracked his body.
I can give it to you... I can lend you the power that you need... Whispered a silky voice inside his head.
"Iie, dammit...!" Sasuke gasped out as he tried to keep the Sannin under control.
You need me, don't you Sasuke-kun? Sasuke felt nauseated at the sound of his name spilling from Orochimaru's lips, caressing each syllable with his serpent-like tongue. He fell to his knees on the ground and gripped his head in agony, struggling in vain to hold him back.
I thought you wanted revenge on Itachi? Now... Release me! Release my power and you can fulfill your dream! A familiar purple marking appeared near Sasuke's yellow eye as Orochimaru clawed his way to the surface. It only took a moment, a mere second of Sasuke's resolve to slip, and then he lost all control. He screamed in agony as eight giant, white snakes ripped out of the curse mark on his shoulder.
"This feels like Orochimaru's jutsu..." Itachi murmured to himself, eying the hissing serpents with disdain. The mass of snakes, with Sasuke's body as the root holding them together, lurched forward at Itachi to attack. Susanoo unsheathed its sword, the blade made of pure, blazing fire, and sliced off one of the snake heads. Two lunged forward and Susanoo blocked their advances before cutting four more snake heads down. Two of the scaly serpents wrapped around Susanoo, pinning its arms down to its torso, but it easily overpowered them and ripped the snakes apart. The single remaining snake opened its mouth but did not attack- rather, Orochimaru crawled from its throat.
"And now he finally emerges..." Itachi murmured to himself once more in contempt. The Sannin chuckled before regurgitating, coughing up his Kusanagi. He pulled it out of his throat and grasped it in his hand.
"This is it! This is what I've been waiting for! Thanks to you the chakra that repressed me is gone, and now, at last, I have the chance to take over this body for good!" Itachi closed his eyes, suddenly looking very weary. Susanoo sprang to life and stabbed Orochimaru straight through with his fiery blade. The Sannin only chuckled once again.
"Did you truly believe an attack like that could defeat the likes of me-" Orochimaru stopped mid-sentence with a horrified gasp. Realization dawned on him, but Itachi paid him no heed.
"Well Sasuke, what will you do next?" He asked expectantly as Orochimaru gasped and sputtered in disbelief.
"This sword...! It can't be! The Totsuka Blade?! And the Yata Mirror?! Itachi! They were hidden in you all along!" The Sannin cried as he was pulled into the fiery sword. Nothing more was heard when he disappeared into its blade, sealed inside forever.
"...This is it, Sasuke." The younger Uchiha panted from the exhaustion pain had brought, along with fatigue that fighting wreaked on his body, chakra long gone. He couldn't even sustain the Sharingan anymore.
"And now your eyes... Are mine... I'll take my time retrieving them." Itachi managed to say between breaths, the battle taking its toll on him. Before he could move, Itachi grunted in pain and doubled over in a coughing fit, blood spilling from his mouth into his palm. Susanoo faded slightly, the skin retreating off its muscular frame. Sasuke didn't let this opportunity pass him by; taking advantage of his brother's moment of weakness, he threw a kunai with an exploding tag at the kneeling man. Susanoo, though weakened, easily deflected the kunai and the resounding explosion. Itachi pushed himself to his feet before taking small, steady steps towards his younger brother. A look of horror descended upon Sasuke's features, hopelessness sinking in.
"Dammit! I won't let it end like this!" Sasuke roared as he pulled out dozens of exploding tags on his metal wires, sending them flying toward Itachi... But it was useless- Susanoo deflected every attack with the Yata Mirror as a shield. Itachi continued to advance, slowly making his way towards his younger brother. This can't be it... This can't be the end... I am an avenger, I must fulfill my duty! I have a home to go back to, a clan to restore, a woman and child waiting for me... I won't let myself die yet! Sasuke's past flashed before his eyes- the times he trained with Itachi back when he believed him to be a caring older brother, the first and last time his father had told him he was proud of him, when his mother would pack him a bento box for lunch at the academy, adding extra tomato because she knew how much he loved them despite his passive attitude and removing the deserts because she knew how much he hated sweets... The sudden image of a pink haired woman cradling a dark haired baby boy struck him, momentarily confusing him. What was that? This scene was not from his past, he suddenly realized, but from his future. Sakura and his child (who he could only hope was already conceived) were counting on his return; Sasuke's eyes hardened with resolve at this notion.
"Those eyes... They're mine..." In a last resort, desperately out of ideas, Sasuke unsheathed his Kusanagi and jumped up to slice at Susanoo. It did not work but he had to try, as he expected, yet something else did happen... Something very unexpected. Sasuke gave one last battle cry as he stabbed his Kusanagi down into the Yata Mirror... The moment the tip of his blade met the surface of that mirror, time seemed to stop and Sasuke was seemingly thrown into another dimension.
A/N: Quick update, huh? Keeping you on your toes! xP I actually just posted the second to last chapter of Falling Inside The Black, if you'd like to check it out. I'd like it if you did, of course. It's a GaaSaku. Anyway, about this story. When I posted chapter two I already had this chapter, number three, and the next chapter, number four, done. Yes, the next chapter is written already, and you get to find out what exactly happened to Sasuke! If you review and make me a happy author, then MAYBE I'll upload it quicker... xD Heheh. Anyway, here are ideas for my next story.
#1: The Princess Bride - Naruto Style. (Not the actual title, obviously). It'd be a SasuSaku, with Sakura as Buttercup, Sasuke as Wesley, and *cue evil music* Kabuto as Humperdink. Ugh, the slime ball! XI That's all I'm revealing about that story. It'd be a long one, I think.
#2: Labyrinth - Naruto Style. (Again, not the actual title). This could be a SasuSaku or a GaaSaku- review and tell me which pairing YOU think it should be. I think either would work, though I'm leaning toward GaaSaku since the Princess Bride story will be SasuSaku.
#3: Artemis (a Labyrinth fanfic). I absolutely love this movie (JarethxSarah FTW!) and I plan to write my own sequel to the original story. Here is the summary, more or less: Five years have passed and Sarah dreams of the day she can return to the Labyrinth and see her friends again- a careless wish throws her back 100 years in the Labyrinth's past during the infamous Goblin War. She needs to convince Jareth, whom does not yet know her, to send her back- so she poses as a soldier to get close to him. However, her soldier facade starts to fade and she begins to fight the war in earnest, fighting for the land that she loves. She inevitably starts to see Jareth in a new light- whether its good or bad, Sarah has yet to realize.
Review and tell me what you think of this chapter! Review and tell me which Naruto story you think I should write next (Artemis is a work in progress already and may take a while to post, so stick around). It won't be a long wait for this story's next chapter, since it's already written. Thanks for reading, sayonara!
Japanese vocabulary:
Iie: no
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu: Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu
Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu: Fire Style: Dragon Ball Jutsu