Phoenix in Flight
For years two brothers have been at each other's throats, but the battle suddenly changed everything. Someone wants both brother's dead and Sasuke has to make a choice; choose the man who killed his clan or the one who seeks to destroy everything.
Based roughly around the Sasuke vs. Itachi Shippuden arc; includes some spoilers. An Alternate History.
"S-Sorry Sasuke, this is the last time," Itachi actually smiled. It had been the first time since that night that Sasuke had seen any sort of pleased look on his brother's face. The older Uchiha collapsed at Sasuke's feet, leaving the younger Uchiha rather stunned and confused.
Sasuke could not believe that he had beaten his brother. Then again, he had done little. Itachi had pushed himself past the breaking limit and had caused his own death while Sasuke stood there unable to move. "Itachi?" Sasuke found himself saying. It was strange to him that his brother's last words had been almost kind. There had been plenty of chance for Itachi to finish him off, so why hadn't he?
Sasuke's knees buckled under him and he fell to his knees, leaning back against the crumbling stone wall with his family's crest on it. Sasuke's whole body began to shake. He had not estimated that the sealing of Orochimaru's curse would take so much energy out of him. Now at least there was nothing left undone and he could die. It felt like he was going to die.
"So that's all that Itachi was made of? I have to say that I'm not impressed," Sasuke looked up. There was a man standing there dressed in the same black coat with red clouds that the rest of the Akatsuki wore, but he had his face covered with an orange mask unlike the other members who kept their faces cleared. The man shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "What a pathetic excuse of an Uchiha."
"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Sasuke struggled to scream, but his voice came out weak. Dammit, Itachi sealing away Orochimaru had really taken a toll on Sasuke. He glared at the stranger and his anger began to bubble up. Suddenly the black coat began to burn with black fire, and the wearer struggled to toss it aside. "He killed the entire Uchiha clan in one night," Sasuke growled. "He was not pathetic."
"I was there," the other replied. "I saw what Itachi did and I'm disappointed in him. He could bring himself to kill his own father and mother but he could not kill you. If only he had been able to end the life of his little brother maybe he would still be breathing now. Even now, he could not bring himself to end your life or even take your eyes. In fact, he gave you his Sharingan. He really thought he could protect you from me. He always had a soft spot for you Sasuke!" He shrugged and shook his head again. "That's why he was so pathetic. All along you were just his way of ending his own pointless existence."
"I told you to shut up!" Sasuke shouted again.
"You're the one who should be shutting up. You barely have enough power to sit up, let alone tell me what to do. You should really listen to your elders!" The masked man laughed then, the sound muffled by the mask he wore. "By now you must be wondering how I know so much. I am Uchiha Madara, pleasure to meet you Sasuke." Madara took a few steps into the rubble, stepping gracefully across the shattered walls. "I guess I'll just have to finish what Itachi started."
Sasuke started to shiver, and attempted to stand. His body refused to answer him and he collapsed again. He looked at Madara with a stubborn flame burning in his eyes. "You better get back if you know what's good for you Madara," Sasuke bluffed. "I'm sure I have plenty of strength left to kill you too."
"I doubt it," Madara answered. He stopped only a few feet away from Sasuke. There was joy in his voice and a murderous gleam in the one Sharingan eye burning through the eyehole. He had not fallen for Sasuke's bluff and with a sharingan eye, it was impossible to lie. Sasuke knew that Madara should be dead, and he knew that whoever this Uchiha was truly was capable of ending his life.
Sasuke finally managed to get to his feet, but all the effort was wasted. His limbs still refused to follow his will and Madara quickly closed the distance between them. Madara wrapped his hand around Sasuke's throat and began to squeeze, and lifted the poor boy gently off his feet. "You want to know a secret Sasuke? Your beloved Konoha ordered Itachi to kill his family. Your village decided to kill you, and you know what else? I helped him do it!" Madara laughed again, squeezing on Sasuke's neck even more. "Do you have any last words Sasuke-kun?" Madara began to laugh, when all that answered him was the chocking cries from the boy he strangled.
"I have a few words for you Tobi, put him down." The man who spoke was Itachi's partner Kisame. He walked through the rubble casually kicking stones aside with Samehada placed against his shoulder. Sasuke took the moment to free himself from Tobi's grasp and he quickly backed into the wall once more, collapsing in a shivering heap at the base. Kisame looked down at Sasuke for a moment before he quickly stepped in front of the boy. "Get out of here," Kisame said gruffly. "Take Itachi and run. I'll hold him off for you."
"Kisame, what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm saving his life," Kisame answered. "Take your brother and get out of here. He's barely alive, but his heart is still beating. I've know Itachi for a long time and he never wanted to kill you. He cared about you in his own fucked up way. If I were you, I would believe Tobi, or Madara, or whatever-his-name-is. Now get out of here before I kill you myself."
"W-Why do you care if I live or die?" Sasuke did not know what to think anymore. His whole life he had grown up believing that Itachi was the bad guy and now he had two people telling him otherwise. Given the choice he would wake up from the horrible nightmare that had become his life, but it did not look like anyone was going to give him that option. "Why are you going to let me go?"
"Because I owe Itachi," Kisame replied. "We've been partners a long time. I'm saving your life because he never wanted you to die. Now take him and go. The more you waste time the more his life fades away." Kisame smirked slightly, baring his sharp teeth at Tobi. "I never did like you much Tobi. Now I get to see what's under that mask."
Sasuke looked at his brother as he heard the first sounds of battle, and the fresh smell of blood. Itachi looked peaceful and very dead to him, but he noticed the slightest twitch of his brother's eyes. Kisame was right; there was still a small fragment of life left in the Uchiha. A sudden anger exploded in Sasuke's heart, but he knew he had to quell it. Should his brother live through this he was going to get his answers; Sasuke was going to find out who was lying. Sasuke slowly and painfully pulled his brother's limp arms around his neck. It was awkward to carrying Itachi this way, but he was so unconscious that it was impossible to transport him any other way.
Sasuke slowly started trekking through the ruins and into the forest that lay just beyond. He could still hear the sounds of metal against metal and his heart began to pound. His limbs were shaking, and on top of that, a fine drizzle began to fall. "Why are you so heavy?" Sasuke grumbled through gritted teeth. "Dammit, I never thought I would be dragging your sorry ass with me! Dammit!" Sasuke quickly glared ahead, walking carefully between the trees. The sound of battle slowly began to die, but the silence was no security.
Sasuke set Itachi down, too tired to go any longer. It was all pointless. Itachi was probably already dead from his organs shutting down, and Madara was sure to catch up to them besides. Sasuke set his brother against a tree before his knees buckled again. Sasuke sat for a while looking at Itachi's still form. "What did you mean by sorry?" Sasuke shouted. "Even if Konoha did order you, how could you choose the village over us? How could you do that to me, to mom, and to dad? I'll never forgive you, no matter what your excuse is!" Sasuke clenched the dead leaves of the forest floor in his fists. He should just leave Itachi here and try to live himself. He had survived perfectly fine on his own and he did not need Itachi. He would do perfectly find surrounded in lies.
"I can't tell what a lie is anymore," Sasuke cursed. "Is it now or then?" Sasuke wanted then to be the lie. When Itachi had said everything was an act before, he could hardly believe it. With everything Madara had said it meant that Itachi really had cared at one point. Sasuke swore again and started digging through his things looking for a flare. He had to try to live, and he could move no longer. The flare would give them away, but maybe someone would reach them before Madara did.
Sasuke lifted Itachi's head and quickly untied the battered forehead protector and pocketed it along with the Akatsuki ring. Sasuke looked into his brother's face and shook his head. He thought that his one mission was going to be simple, but it was proving to be more difficult than he had imagined. Sasuke became dizzy very suddenly, and held his spinning head. His stomach turned to notes and his body cramped up with pain. He had pushed his body too hard trying to get away from the old battered Uchiha base and now he was going to pay for it.
Sasuke collapsed into a heap, sweat running down his nose and neck. His vision clouded and he looked at his brother one last time before darkness overcame him. Where and when he woke up was so uncertain, and he prayed quietly that it would at least give him an answer to at least one of his many questions.