This was it. I was going to die. My chakra was almost out, and Itachi was straggling forward, his bloody hand outstretched to take my eye out. He swaggered closer and closer, his hand inches away from my face. As his fingers stretched out, my eyes widened and I backed up into the stone behind me. I was trapped, and those bloody fingers were reaching for my Sharingan eye. I stared at his black fingernails seconds away from taking my eye out. I braced myself for that excruciating moment of pain, pain that would never cease and leave me blind. His fingers were just a millimeter away from my eyes. Then, he did something unexpected. He lifted his fingers upward and slowly poked my head with two fingers, like he did when we were young. Before he became a traitor and killed the villagers. "Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time" he'd say. I was confused. Why wasn't Itachi taking my eye out? Why did he poke me in the forehead? His fingers pulled away from my forehead, and said, smiling, "Sorry, Sasuke. This is the last time." Then Itachi buckled his knees, and fell, lifeless, to the ground. I was in complete shock. Why had he said that? Why didn't he take out my eye? Why did he just fall forward and die? I didn't feel happy, or peaceful, like I thought I would feel when I finally killed Itachi and avenged my family. Instead, all I felt was... emptiness. Loneliness. Maybe even regret. Mixed emotions swirled inside of me. Then I blacked out.
When I came to, I was laying on top of a futon. A crackling fire blazed nearby. A tall boy crouched in front of me. He was wearing a black jacket and sweats, and had a peculiar swirly orange mask on his head. "Ah. You're awake." he said. "I am Uchiha Madara of the Akatsuki." "why did Itachi not kill me? Why didn't he take my eye out? Why did he let me live all these years?" I blurted out. "You see, your brother Itachi always loved you. He, one who could kill all his friends, his parents, his teachers, his clansmen, could not bring himself to kill you." I was shocked. Itachi had loved me? Always? Even until death? It couldn't... "To him, you were more important than the whole village. You were his sunshine, the only thing that kept him alive when he contracted a fatal disease. He came here so he could die in your hands. He wanted... he wanted to say goodbye. To have his last moment with you." I was stunned. I was beyond stunned. I looked up at Madara with disbelief. I had killed my older brother... my older brother who had always loved me. Who sacrificed everything for me. His reputation. His village. Everyone. And I had killed him. My eyes brimmed with tears. I surprised myself. The last time I had cried was years ago, the night when Itachi murdered our clan. Big tears rolled down my face, and Madara soothingly patted my arm to try to comfort me. I didn't pull away. I had killed... Itachi. My only family member left. I had always loved Itachi, looked up to him, proud to be his little brother. But then... after that fateful night, the night of the genocide, everything changed. I loathed Itachi, abhorred him, wanted to kill him. It was my lifelong dream. And I had achieved it. And I regretted it. Now I knew the truth. He had always loved me, no matter what. Even when my heart was encased in stone, even though I was trying to kill him, to his dying day, to his last breath, Itachi Uchiha... had always loved me. How could I have been so blind? That's why he didn't slaughter me as he did to so many others. That's why he didn't take my eye out. That's why... he was still smiling when he died. He had died in the arms of his beloved little brother. The little brother that he spared. The little brother whom he always loved. The little brother who despised him. The little brother... who had killed him. I began to cry even more. Itachi... was dead. And it was my fault. I had accomplished my lifelong desire, and... I regretted it. I regretted it all.