Summary: What if Minato and Kushina had two children? What if one of them was Itachi's age and just as skilled? How would it affect the one born under his father's shadow and one under the Kyuubi's shadow? Read to find out.
Kazuki found that if he slid down the wall of the shower and let the water rush over his head, his scalp would eventually become numb and his hearing filled with the shhhhhhh should of the water hitting his head and running down his face and ears. It was rather soothing.
Another purpose this could serve was what if he wanted to gouge out his brain to commit suicide, he'd be less likely to feel it because his scalp and head were numb. His hands shook as he stood and turned off the water. After grabbing a towel and drying himself off, he ran into Itachi in the hallway with only a towel covering his lower half.
Itachi said nothing and stepped into his room. He didn't close the door; he could see that Kazuki had something on his mind.
Once Kazuki had dressed into nightwear consisting of off-white clothes covered with thickly draw and complicated kanji characters. The buttons were black along with the edge of the collar, cuffs, bottom hem, and pant cuffs.
"What was on your mind?" Itachi asked, laying back on his futon.
"Suicide," Kazuki answered honestly.
"Don't be stupid," Itachi said, closing his eyes.
Kazuki sighed. He lay down on the floor next to Itachi and stretched out his hand into the darkness, barely able to see the faint outlines of his hand. He made a fist and let it fall back down to his chest with a thud.
"You're tired. Go to sleep," Itachi said and rolled over. Kazuki nodded as he swayed to his feet and closed Itachi's door behind him. It took all of five steps to get to his room and he closed the door behind himself and leaned against it. Once again, he slid down and bit his lip.
The sounds of the shower were coming back and eventually, he found himself falling asleep. Determined not to sleep, he crawled over to his kotatsu but didn't turn on the flame. With his favorite kind of lamp, andon, he placed it on the table and wet the ink stone, smoothed and held down a sheet of paper with two thin but heavy blocks of metal and picked his best brush.
Words didn't initially flow out of his mind and hand. When he finally found the right words, he was writing them down in a rush and by the time he had finished with small, neat handwriting filling up the page, morning was coming. He stood and rubbed his eyes.
The ink had long dried and he folded it and put it the pocket of his Akatsuki cloak. He changed into it and walked into the kitchen and began to boil water for tea. As the water was approaching 100 C, he stared at the intricate design courtesy of an abalone shell's opaque color. He picked a plain ceramic cup and poured the hot water with tealeaves and allowed it to steep.
"Didn't expect you to be here," Deidara sneered. Kazuki looked away, not really wanting to talk to the volatile teen. The blonde was probably two, three at most, years younger than him. Deidara made himself coffee and added milk and five sugar cubes. He stirred until it became frothy on top. Kazuki drank his with no sugar or milk. But it wasn't like he'd ever put milk into matcha tea.
"I hear that village of yours got destroyed yesterday. Again," Deidara said. Kazuki couldn't tell if he was trying to make conversation or trying to annoy him. Kazuki decided to take the former option, knowing that if he ignored the blonde any longer he would be on the floor with chakra chains asphyxiating him.
"Did it?" Kazuki sipped his tea. The bitterness was barely there after drinking the matcha for nearly six years almost every morning.
"Yeah, that traitor Orochimaru and Suna destroyed Konoha. But the damned jinchuuriki took down the Ichibi. Him and that Uchiha. It was very interesting to watch," Deidara grinned as the extremely sweet coffee hit his tongue.
Kazuki nodded and Deidara scowled. It wasn't working! He could never seem to get those two Konoha stones to react! All they did was respond just for the sake of responding! Infuriating!
Before Deidara could say something nasty, Itachi walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of matcha tea and sat next to Kazuki, looking at Deidara with a calm face, but his eyes shone with something akin to amusement. Deidara glared as harshly as he could and the two former Konoha ninja seemed to have a silent conversation just between the two of them.
Kazuki and Itachi stood as Pein came into the room, his purple eyes piercing. Deidara had lost the ability to care about the kind of respect he was supposed to give their Leader. Pein didn't care about Deidara's insubordination; he only cared for his kekkei genkai and usefulness when it came to accomplishing orders.
"You two have proved yourself competent in gathering necessary information. I want you two to go back to Konoha and get the Kyuubi jinchuuriki today," Pein said.
"Hai," the two seventeen year olds said and went out of the Akatsuki base.
With their wide-brimming hats and black and red cloaks swaying in the wind, they took a good look at what the snake Sannin had done to their village. According to whispers carried by the wind (really, by Reiko) the Sandaime was dead and Konoha was struggling to get another Hokage.
If Kazuki had left Itachi to be alone in the Akatsuki ranks and had never 'betrayed' the village, he would've probably been elected Hokage at this point. Kazuki shivered at this realization. For one, it was a lot of work (case and point: his father staying late) and two; Naruto would be hated more for wanting to kill Kazuki, the Hokage.
Kazuki began to think about another possibility. Perhaps if he was Hokage he could summon the courage to tell Naruto the truth and maybe, just maybe, Naruto wouldn't hate him. Maybe Naruto would become an even greater ninja.
He shook his head. Naruto was never that kind of child to begin with. His mind was set on killing Kazuki and claiming the title of Hokage and Kazuki severely doubted the possibility of him changing his mind at all.
Itachi pulled him through the village and Kazuki found himself eating a stick of dango and sipping more matcha tea. Leaning against the frame of the dango shop was Hatake Kakashi, who was greeting two other Jounin. After the two Jounin questioned Kakashi's presence, he revealed that Sasuke was going to meet him here.
Itachi's eyes narrowed his finger on the cup shifted slightly. They two nuke-nin locked eyes for a moment.
"Kakashi-sensei, it's unusual for you to be here early," Sasuke said. Kakashi sent a silent message to Kurenai and Asuma, who disappeared to chase after the two teens. Sasuke frowned as the air displaced with two Jounin and Chuunin gone suddenly.
"You're not from this village, are you?" Asuma asked, gripping a kunai as he examined the two cloaked figures. "Why did you come here?"
"It's been a while, Asuma-san."
"Kurenai-san."
"If you know us, then you must be former ninja of this village. If I had to guess, I'd say you two are Uchiha Itachi, murderer of his clan and Namikaze Kazuki, son of the Yondaime Hokage," Asuma narrowed his eyes. "For nearly six years, I've wondered: why, Kazuki? Why did you betray the village Minato tried to hard to protect?"
"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, please don't get involved with either of our work," Itachi said. "I have no intention of killing either of you."
"Heh! Says the guy who killed his clan," Asuma sneered.
"It looks like we can't get out of the village without a fight," Kazuki noted, bringing out his sword. Itachi nodded and the fight began.
Itachi and Kurenai briefly fought with genjutsu; Kurenai used a powerful genjutsu only to find the Uchiha, a master at genjutsu, had already countered her the moment she started her genjutsu. Then, she was harshly roundhouse kicked into the canal below.
With Asuma and Kazuki, he'd brought out his wind chakra infused blades, hardly keeping up with the strange stance and moves Kazuki had with his sword. The sword almost seemed to shimmer and had an afterimage and sometimes he'd parry only to find that the blade had already sunk into his shoulder. Wincing in pain, Asuma forced more chakra out, letting bursts of chakra wash over everyone in the vicinity. Kazuki once more took a starting position with the sword poised horizontally at level with his blue eyes. He rushed at Asuma and suddenly fire followed the blade.
Asuma fell to the ground as his hand was badly burned. It turned grey almost immediately and as pain flooded his senses, he barely registered Kazuki being blocked by Kakashi.
"Fire Style: Searing Flames!" Kazuki yelled as fire swept the area and it made Kakashi wince even as he was copying the jutsu. He noticed that it took a lot of chakra to convert the flames not to an orange color, but to a blue color. It was the hottest flame that could be attained and Kakashi felt more drained than using the Shadow Clone he was using with Itachi and Kurenai as they were on the canal's waters.
"That jutsu…" Kakashi panted, hard.
Kazuki smirked. He was about to stab Kakashi, but Itachi's clear voice stopped him.
"Don't forget our purpose. You didn't come here to get hurt," Itachi chided. Kazuki nodded and sheathed his sword. His body shimmered before it reappeared next to Itachi.
"Then tell us why you came," Kakashi said, gripping a kunai.
"We came to find something we're looking for," Kazuki replied smoothly.
"What are you looking for?" Kakashi brought out his kunai in a direct threat. Itachi didn't care.
Itachi and Kakashi mildly clashed with water jutsu and shuriken, ending with the three Jounin to be soaked in water that had been displaced upwards and fell like rain. Kazuki watched them carefully.
"Don't let your guard down. Itachi became ANBU Squad Leader at 13. And watch out for Kazuki; he's got a—" Kakashi was suddenly cut off by chakra chains suddenly growing on him and wrapping around his body.
"Thank you, Kazuki," Itachi nodded to Kazuki. This time, the chains didn't try to kill Kakashi. The genjutsu Itachi had just placed on Kakashi did. Almost.
"I'm surprised you didn't die, Kakashi-senpai. However, Itachi, it's dangerous if you use your Mangekyo Sharingan too much. Be careful," Kazuki warned.
"Is Sasuke what you're looking for?" Kakashi managed to get out as the chakra chains retreated.
"No, we're after the Yondaime Hokage's legacy," Kazuki answered, sensing Itachi's anger level spike.
"Naruto…huh?" Kakashi said. "Your own brother…unbelievable. You're after the Kyuubi your father sealed, aren't you?"
"I can see why you were Tou-san favorite student, Kakashi-senpai. You're smart. But, Obito was honestly Kaa-san's favorite. But like that matters, since they're just idiots who killed themselves to save this rotting village," Kazuki said.
"Have you forgotten them? Have you forgotten your brother? Have you forgotten everything about them and what they stood for? Did you not love them?" Kakashi asked.
"Itachi, ANBU are coming. We need to leave unless we want to start a war," Kazuki turned to his friend.
"Yeah," Itachi and Kazuki turned and began their retreat out of the village.
Once Itachi and Kazuki were gone, Asuma and Kurenai opened their eyes and carried Kakashi to his apartment.
Naruto and Jiraiya were already out of the village, on a 'research' trip. What that really meant to Jiraiya was to drop Naruto in a hotel room to ogle at women. Naruto honestly wanted no part in this kind of behavior. It wasn't like he disliked seeing curvy girls, he just didn't want to right now.
He wanted to train.
Knock.
Naruto hopped off the bed and got excited. Maybe Jiraiya really prioritized properly; maybe he wanted to train Naruto instead of hanging around women! Naruto grinned a little more and opened the door.
His smile faded as he saw a man with the same eyes as Sasuke…the Sharingan. The man said something about coming with him. Naruto saw another person behind him, but he couldn't see his face because of a big hat.
"You've grown."
Naruto gasped, somehow recognizing the voice. He knew that voice…but where? Who?
"Itachi, it would be troublesome if he were to try anything. Should I cut off a hand?" the other guy asked, his form shifting a little, unsheathing his sword. Naruto briefly saw his reflection in it and gulped. His face was beginning to be etched with fear and he took a tentative step back.
"It's been awhile, you two," Kazuki turned to look at Sasuke, who stood, panting.
"Who're you?" Sasuke asked, his Sharingan blazing to life. "I don't recognize your chakra."
"Oh? Well, perhaps the two of you will remember my face," Kazuki said, taking off his hat while simultaneously restraining Naruto with chakra chains. Naruto let out a small scream.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Sasuke's hand began to glow and chirp with lightning. Kazuki's lips quirked up in amusement. The Chidori.
Sasuke charged at Itachi, yelling, 'Die!' and suddenly, a huge explosion rang out with Sasuke's wrist in Itachi's grasp, clearly having been diverted. Naruto watched in shock at how easily Sasuke's attack had been avoided. He glanced at Kazuki and decided that Kazuki was probably the same, considering he was with Itachi.
Naruto had enough space to move his arms to form a seal with his hands, a simple one. Kazuki easily identified it as the Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Sasuke tried to get out of Itachi's grasp, only to feel his left wrist break. He screamed and fell to his knees, shaking in pain.
Naruto's chakra suddenly changed to emit a reddish color. Kazuki frowned and took out a seal from his pocket. He applied it to Naruto's arm and Naruto felt his Kyuubi chakra drain into the seal. He tried to rip it off, only to find that when he did, it caused his skin to burn. When Naruto looked as if he were about to pass out, Kazuki tugged the seal off with no problem.
"You're annoying," Kazuki stated simply to his brother as he pulled out his sword and got into a position to slice off a hand.
"Don't…" Sasuke murmured.
Kazuki ignored him and readied himself to slice easily through skin, flesh, and bone.
Before he could, however, a large puff of smoke wafted out. Kazuki narrowed his eyes as a man began to speak.
"It seems you two don't know me as well as you should; I'm better at winning a girl over than being seduced by one. I wouldn't let a woman seduce me with her beauty. When you become great like me, women will go crazy over you. Well, Kazuki, I guess with your father's looks, you already know they'll go crazy over you," Jiraiya lectured thoughtfully. Kazuki undid the chakra chains but didn't sheathe his sword. "Oh, what would your mother say if she were here? Heh, I bet she'd kick my ass for saying that."
"I have no idea why you all keep talking about worthless people. However, that is none of my concern," Kazuki said evenly. "It looks like you finally dispelled my genjutsu, though."
"You're a disgrace to all men, using your jutsu to hypnotize a woman to separate me from Naruto. You're here to get the Kyuubi, aren't you?" Jiraiya's face turned serious.
"No wonder Kakashi-san knew, Jiraiya-sama," Itachi sighed.
"It is an urgent order from our organization to take Naruto with us," Kazuki explained.
"I can't do that. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive to do so, considering he's your—" Jiraiya was cut off by Kazuki's sword suddenly at his neck. Jiraiya's pupils dilated and he let out a hearty laugh.
"Please do not get involved with our affairs, Jiraiya-sama," Kazuki chided. "Unless you'd like to lose not just your life."
"That's it. You're not Minato's son. I thought I could bring the cute little kid who loved his parents and village back, but I guess it wasn't to be. Itachi's murderous and detestable ways have stained you. I'll do Minato and Mikoto one last favor: I'll kill you both," Jiraiya said.
"Don't interfere," Sasuke growled, swaying to his feet, his eyes black before they returned to be blood red.
"I have no interest in you," Itachi said as he kicked Sasuke to the other side of the space, hitting a wall after the Genin charged at him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. He turned to see the one person in his way from his friend: Kazuki. He attempted to kick the S-Rank shinobi, but he found that Kazuki had grabbed that ankle and slammed him against the wall. The breath was knocked out of Naruto, leaving him to be a gasping and wheezing mess. However, Kazuki didn't stop there; he punched Naruto in the stomach and let him fall to the ground. Jiraiya watched as Itachi placed Sasuke under a genjutsu, eliciting a scream from the younger Uchiha.
"The reason of why you can't beat me is because you don't have enough hate. And you know what? You never will," Kazuki said, glaring down at his brother.
Meanwhile, Sasuke screamed. His screams echoed only his helpless suffering and Naruto couldn't take it. He shook as he righted himself and suddenly ran towards Itachi. Kazuki was about to catch him when the walls began to change into a fleshy and warm…thing.
Kazuki looked around and drew a blank. He turned to Jiraiya with an expression that read, 'Tell me what this is.'
"You're trapped in the stomach of a frog. You can't escape now," Jiraiya smirked. Itachi let go of Sasuke's neck as the frog's intestinal walls pulled Sasuke inward. Itachi held his hand against his chest in an almost disgusted way and turned to Kazuki.
"Kazuki, come," Itachi said. Kazuki nodded and followed Itachi's lead to run out of the stomach walls, still conveniently in the shape of the inn's hallways. Jiraiya taunted them, saying how no one had ever escaped, but that had never, nor will, stop Uchiha Itachi and Namikaze Kazuki. Black flames appeared on a dead end and they burned a hole into the wall leading to the outside world. Jiraiya frowned distastefully and let go of his stomach summon. It retreated back into the walls and the inn went back to normal, except for the cracks in the walls and the obliteration of a part of a room thanks to Sasuke's diverted Chidori.
Gai arrived and took Sasuke back to Konoha after nearly landing a blow on Jiraiya's face. Meanwhile, the Sannin and blonde Genin looked for Tsunade, slated to be the next Hokage.
"Are you okay?" Kazuki asked as the two were making their way back to the Akatsuki base.
"Yeah. I realized something: there is no need to push those two at their current level. Also, I need to rest somewhere," Itachi said, his eyes having already faded to black and fatigue marred his face.
Kazuki knew he was sick already, but he had no intention of seeking higher help than his medication. Kazuki knew he'd die with his secrets and joy of knowing his brother would never know his sorrow and truth. Well, depending on one's point of view, it could be seen as a lie as well.
He hated knowing his best friend would die, but Itachi insisted on going on like this. It was for Sasuke's sake. Kazuki bit his lip in regret. He knew that if they switched places, he'd do the same thing. And Itachi would probably do the same things he did.
They managed to find another inn nearby and Itachi was out of it the moment he could. Kazuki sighed. He was always like this; tired but never admitting it until he was out cold and when he'd wake up, he'd act as if he were never tired. But Kazuki knew that he was always tired. The two agreed they were tired of being tired and tired of living out in their insufferable and unforgiving lives. But, at least, they said, their brothers would outlive them, proud.
Kazuki took out his fuuinjutsu scrolls and studied very advanced seals. As he was reading and taking notes on a different scroll he came across the Hakke Fuuin. He read it more thoroughly; he found that this seal could be used to seal large amounts of chakra that couldn't be sealed using other, weaker, seals. Kazuki wondered just how much chakra it could hold when a handwritten note on the bottom made reference to a jinchuuriki. Kazuki stared at the handwriting and to his horror; he found that it was his father's handwriting.
He unfurled part of the scroll in one hand and rolled it up with another so that it would be out of view and he'd be moving on, just as one would turn a page in a book. The next seal was a rather nasty one; one could touch another person on the chest after making a wound with their blood seeping out in the shape of a five-pointed star along with multiple kanji in each of the triangles drawn in ink, imbue chakra in the star until it glowed, and take the air out of the person, effectively killing them. This required vast amounts of chakra and precision. The incision had to be exactly a centimeter and the person that you were taking the air out had to be alive with no other major wounds, like a gash on their side or a missing arm.
Kazuki sweatdropped and moved on. The next seal was rather strange. Its main purpose was to cause a person to explode from the inside. It required a natural affinity for fire and wind. On the side it said that it needed an affinity for water jutsu, but you could have someone else help as well or use a scroll to release the water jutsu that you have to also infuse your chakra with thoroughly.
He put the scroll down and looked out the window. It was much more peaceful to look out to see the rolling hills dotted with the occasional rice field.
He shook his head and turned back to the scroll. I have to study. The final seal he decided to study was a seal that allowed memory transfer of certain memories. It could also be done in reverse, but in order for the jutsu caster to not die from the effects of the seal, only some memories could be taken. Kazuki read more, wanting to know if he could take all the memories, or vice versa, but it only offered the words that basically said that if one wanted to take or receive all the memories, a sacrifice was necessary. Kazuki sighed and rolled both scrolls back up and sealed them back into another scroll, a scroll sealed with a blood seal. Meaning, this scroll could only be opened with Kazuki's blood.
Kazuki ordered some tempura over rice and ate it, all the meanwhile watching Itachi sleep with some sense of calm. Itachi always did this whenever Kazuki was around; Kazuki was the only one who would never try anything or try to kill him.
Once he was done he let out a content hum. Even though he was asleep, Itachi seemed to smile a little. Kazuki smiled back and stared out at the now starry sky.