Chapter 7 – Beyond Redemption

Sasuke's bare feet pattered as he ran towards his brother, who was just putting on his sandals.

"Nii-san!"

Itachi looked up, smiling. Sasuke halted beside him and tucked his hands behind his back, swinging back and forth on the soles of his feet. "Nii-san, can you teach me the Goukakyuu today?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I have to leave on a mission."

"You're always busy. I'm bored."

Their mother had not allowed Sasuke to attend his classes at the Academy in over a week. With all the hatred aimed at the Uchiha, Itachi could not blame her. He did not like seeing his little brother so unhappy, but at least he was safe at home. He motioned for Sasuke to come closer and poked him in the forehead. He fell for it every single time.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time," Itachi said. I pray there will be one. Sasuke was left pouting on the porch.

Itachi dropped by the ANBU headquarters to change into his uniform and left to meet up with Akane. As he sped through the trees surrounding the ANBU training grounds, he thought about the note he had found in his locker the day after Shisui's death. His friend had left him with instructions on how the Izanami worked. However…

Akane was waiting for him when he arrived at the meeting place. She was pacing around, looking nervous.

"I've been practicing what you asked me to," she said, "but I'm not confident it's going to work like you hope it will. If I miss…"

"I've seen you do it without fail every time for the past few months."

"On an unmoving target! You're taking too great of a risk!"

Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder. She saw her own reflection in his sharingan. "You can do this," he said. "I trust you. I want you to trust yourself, as well."

"Losing you would mean the end of this village. There's too much at stake for you to take this gamble."

"I'm not taking a gamble," he said with a smile. "It's almost time for us to go. Are you going to do this or not?"

Itachi saw her relent. He had not intended to put so much pressure on her, but he was confident she would pull this off. Otherwise, he would have found another way. They put on their masks and left, heading towards the Hokage Tower. By now, Hiruzen would be dropping the pretense of still being under the genjutsu and would be rallying the others to fight against the Police Force.

Fugaku Uchiha was in his office, reviewing the latest reports on the situation in Konoha. Things had gone from bad to worse, contrary to his expectations after imprisoning the heads of the clans. There was much unrest in the village and people were leaving in greater numbers with each passing day.

There was a knock at the door. He had not expected Itachi to be the one to come in. As far as he knew, Itachi's shift for the day was to be spent patrolling the eastern sector.

"What are you doing here?"

Itachi shut the door behind him. "We need to talk," he said.

"What about?"

Fugaku watched his son step closer and remove his ANBU mask. The dark circles under his eyes were starting to look like bruises, he noted. If Itachi was not getting enough sleep with business being what it was of late, something was on his mind. He had an inkling of what that something might be, though he hoped to be wrong.

"This has gone too far, don't you think?" Itachi said.

Fugaku smirked. "So that's what it is."

He stood up and turned to look outside the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He had long suspected Itachi of being disloyal to the clan, but it had seemed, lately, that he had been spending less time with Shisui than he used to. Fugaku thought himself a fool to have fallen for it. They had gone to great lengths to keep him in the dark and they had succeeded. It was now obvious to him that Itachi had come to finish what Shisui had started.

"Itachi. You are first and foremost a member of this clan and your duty to the Uchiha name comes before your duty to this village."

"You have dishonored our name," Itachi said, "and you have torn this village apart in your ambition. My duty is to my conscience."

"Is this it, then? You plan to kill me, destroy what's left of our clan and… what? What will you do afterwards? If you think for one moment this village will commend you for what you have done and forget whose blood runs in your veins, you are sorely mistaken."

Itachi had thought of what would come and was aware of the stigma that would forever cling to the Uchiha name. In spite of all his efforts, he knew he would become an outcast in the eyes of the villagers. Still, he was determined to stand his ground. Nothing his father would say could convince him to back down. Things had gone too far for that to happen. He drew his blade from its sheath on his back.

"And what about Sasuke?"

Itachi's heart skipped a beat and his grip on the blade's handle tightened, turning his knuckles white and sending numbness through his fingers. His father had pinpointed his weakness and was going to exploit it.

"If he is somehow spared from being killed alongside his family, what will become of him?"

"You should have thought about that before you threw Konoha into chaos," Itachi replied, his tone holding an undercurrent of the anger he had been holding in for days. "Sasuke's wellbeing is my concern now."

Fugaku scoffed. "I trust Shisui has left you with instructions on how the Izanami works."

"He did..."

The moment Fugaku Uchiha attacked him, Itachi knew it was over.

His father eyes were wide with surprise, as he was unable to understand why his body was not listening to his commands anymore. The kunai he was holding was trembling in his hand as he struggled to move it. The tip of Itachi's blade was poking his belly through the Hokage robe. Fugaku's eyes moved frantically and it was not until he saw the shadow coming from under his office door that it dawned on him. By then, however, it was too late.

"… but you are beyond redemption," Itachi finished, pushing the blade in with one swift move.

For a moment, Itachi saw his father again as Fugaku looked into his eyes with a kind of wonder and pride. He let go of the blade and stepped back, leaning against the wall to keep himself from falling as he felt his knees threatening to give in on him. From behind the door, Akane released the shadow jutsu and his father's body collapsed in a growing puddle of blood.

Itachi slid down along the wall, his eyes blurry with tears. He blinked them away as the door opened and Akane stepped inside. Her eyes lingered on his father's body for a moment, then she turned her attention to him.

"Are you hurt?"

Itachi shook his head, too numb to talk. He felt himself beginning to hyperventilate. The air suddenly seemed lacking in oxygen, the walls were closing in on him. Akane kneeled beside him and placed a hand on his chest. The soothing chakra that entered his system opened up his lungs and he drew in a long, shaky breath.

"I'm going to get your little brother," Akane said. "We'll meet you at the ANBU headquarters."

Itachi nodded, dazed, but by the time he realized what she had said, Akane had already gone. He let his head fall back against the wall, feeling powerless for the first time in his life. He had not expected to feel remorse. He let his eyes close as the sharingan faded away.

It's over.