Disclaimer: Naruto does not in any way belong to me, it's the property of Kishimoto, etc.
jack o' lanterns in july
[ 4 - despot ]
A slender man steps out from behind Yagura, but the first thing that registers in Kisame's mind is his eyes.
Red and black. The man before him can only be the last Uchiha, Itachi.
"They call us the Bloody Mist now, Uchiha-san," Kisame says.
"I have not gone by that name in years," Itachi says, red blades spinning about his pupils. "And Kiri was bloody long before I arrived."
"Ah, pardon me, Itachi-san," Kisame says. "I suppose you're right. It's a bit like sharks in that way, don't you think?"
Itachi's face does not change at the abrupt shift in topic. "In what manner?"
"Sharks start out as eggs, but they hatch in the womb. Sometimes the pups start eating each other within the mother's womb the moment they hatch. They start killing their siblings as soon as they enter the world, viewing everything they see as nothing more than prey..." Kisame shrugs. It's something that he's noticed, though the few people that he's related it to vehemently deny the resemblance.
Probably because they don't want to see the truth about their blood-stained village.
"We are humans, not fish," Itachi responds, unfazed. "An animal kills to survive. Humans kill out of spite... We don't know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths."
Kisame tilts his head. Maybe that's how it is with the Uchiha; Kisame slashed his way through his graduating class because he wanted to live.
"And are you going to kill me, Itachi-san?" Kisame asks. He's seen images of the Sharingan; Itachi's barely resemble those diagrams. He can only assume that Itachi's variation is much stronger, otherwise how else would he have managed to slaughter his entire clan alone? Kisame's strong, but he somehow doubts that he'd come out on top against a man like this.
"Of course not," Itachi says calmly. "I want you to be my lieutenant."
"So why did you kill your clan?" Kisame asks.
Itachi looks at him, his dark eyes corrupting with crimson as he activates his Sharingan.
Before he has time to do more than stiffen in surprise, Kisame finds himself bound to a wooden cross, in a world of white and red and black. No matter how he struggles, the chains do not yield.
"This is Tsukuyomi," Itachi tells him. "Do not question me on that matter again."
After Itachi releases him, an endless moment later, Kisame finds his curiosity has evaporated.
Kaze falls under Itachi's sway the year after Kisame becomes his lieutenant. Iwa follows. The lesser villages flock to Akatsuki's banner after that; if the great five are weaker than Akatsuki, what chance do smaller villages have against them?
Konoha is their next target. The Hokage, Shimura Danzou, has a dozen Sharingan implanted in his body, but they are no match for Itachi and Konoha too falls beneath Akatsuki's might. And then there is only Kumo and the Hachibi.
Itachi sends Kisame to capture the Hachibi. Unlike Konoha's young jinchuuriki, Killer B actually knows how to harness his bijuu's chakra. Kisame loses Samehada and, were it not for Zetsu's timely intervention, he would have probably lost his life as well.
"I'm sorry, Itachi-san," he says. He forces himself to meet Itachi's gaze, despite the screaming of his instincts to look away. If Kisame is to learn what kind of person he is, he will go towards the knowledge without flinching.
"It's fine, Kisame," Itachi says, beckoning him closer. "Zetsu has managed to infiltrate Kumo as a result, and we now have an accurate assessment of the Hachibi's power."
"But... I failed you."
"No," Itachi counters calmly. "As I said, I was uncertain of the extent of the Hachibi's abilities. Any failure is at least half my responsibility; when a soldier does not meet his objective, his commander is also at fault. I sent my most capable man against the Raikage's strongest soldier, but I miscalculated. I should be the one apologizing."
"Itachi-san-"
"Why do you blame yourself when you would absolve me of blame?" Itachi asks.
Kisame blinks. "You have punished Akatsuki's members before for failing you," he remarks. "Hidan-"
"You are not Hidan," Itachi says curtly. "You did everything in your power to achieve my objectives, and I cannot ask for more.
"Now," Itachi says, turning to the map of Kumo spread across the table before them, "you will lead the main force here..."
For all Itachi's plans and contingencies and hidden aces, they do not properly anticipate the Yondaime Raikage's strength. Or, more accurately, his speed. Sheathed in his lightning chakra, his movements can't even be tracked by Itachi's Mangekyou.
Kisame steps in front of Itachi; for a moment he feels nothing, and then crippling pain erupts all over his body. A's arm is buried in Kisame's chest, but he barely gives that a thought; his only worry is Itachi. Did A's attack reach him? The Raikage makes to pull his arm back out, but Kisame forces his limbs to obey and grabs A's arm before he can.
Itachi appears behind A, katana raised.
Kisame barely registers the spray of blood against his face. He slumps forward.
"Kisame," Itachi says, a strange note in his voice. "Kisame, don't close your eyes."
With effort, Kisame obeys, forcing his eyelids open again. "Itachi-san."
"I promised you I would give you a place to belong," Itachi says. "Tsuki no Mei is nearly complete-"
Kisame chuckles, the sound scraping up his throat. The idea of Itachi being worried about him is ridiculous, and yet here they are. "You did give me a place to belong, Itachi-san," he says slowly. "At your side."
"Kisame, keep your eyes open," Itachi commands, but for once Kisame can't obey.
It turns out that Kisame is the sort of man who will give his life to protect someone who has earned his loyalty, striving to fulfill that man's orders until his last breath.
Without his permission, Kisame's eyes slide closed.
Kisame opens his eyes in a perfect world. Itachi is sitting at his side, watching three children play.
"Itachi-san," Kisame says, years later. At least he thinks it's years; time moves as Itachi wills it within Tsukuyomi, infinite or otherwise. It feels like years to him, anyway.
"What is it?" Itachi glances up from where he is playing with a young, carefree Sasuke.
The kid is damn cute, Kisame has to admit, but he doesn't understand why Itachi would go to such lengths just to be reunited with his younger brother.
Itachi's the one who killed him, after all.
"Don't take this the wrong way..."
"Just speak, Kisame," Itachi says.
"... I shouldn't." Kisame looks away, staring at the spread of the village below them.
The only time he'd been to Konoha was when he and Itachi arrived to crush the village and capture the Kyuubi; it had been in ruins before Kisame had a chance to properly see it, so he can't say whether or not Itachi's Tsukuyomi recreation is true or not.
"If it's a question about the Uchiha clan, you may ask," Itachi says, once again displaying that uncanny ability of his to read Kisame's mind. It would be unnerving had Kisame not made his peace with Itachi's superior abilities long ago.
"It's none of my business, Itachi-san," Kisame says. Itachi always calls it 'the clan' - he never includes himself in it, and he never ventures to the Uchiha district either. Every morning, he waits just around the corner from the uchiwa-emblazoned gates to pick Sasuke up, and Kisame has never encountered a police officer while he is in Itachi's company.
"Kisame. I left your memories of that hell intact for a reason," Itachi tells him. "You are my most faithful subordinate. You deserve to know the blessing that is life in this perfect world." His gaze strays to Sasuke, who is running around the playground with a whiskered blond kid and a shrill-voiced girl with pink hair.
"I will allow you to ask the question without consequences. Though I may choose not to answer it, depending on its nature," Itachi says at length.
"Why did you kill Sasuke?" Kisame asks. "It doesn't make any sense, Itachi-san. You obviously adore him."
Itachi is silent for several long moments, a pensive expression on his face.
"I didn't mean to." He rises from the grass and joins Kisame on the bench. There's a strange expression on his face; Itachi is not an expressive person, but Kisame has served him long enough that he has become adept at reading the meaning behind even the slightest change of Itachi's face. If he's not mistaken, Itachi looks... almost nostalgic.
"The Uchiha clan was planning a coup. For the sake of the village, I massacred the family, leaving only Sasuke behind. I slaughtered every single man, woman and child, but I couldn't bear the thought of killing my beloved otouto. I left him alive, hoping that he would grow strong enough to defeat me and restore the Uchiha name."
Itachi's hands clench briefly in his lap before they relax once more.
"Sasuke did grow strong, fuelled by his hatred for me. But it wasn't enough. We battled and in the heat of the moment I killed him."
Sasuke gives a delighted shriek as the blond kid chases him down the slide, shouting improbable jutsu names all the while. They must be playing ninja, though it bears little resemblance to reality. Or what used to pass for it, anyway.
"... The Sandaime promised me that Sasuke would be protected. I trusted him, and he failed me," Itachi murmurs. "It was then that I realized, no matter how I struggled, no matter how much I sacrificed, peace was hopeless in that hell of a world."
He turns to Kisame.
"It's fitting to fix a world of lies and deceit with an illusion, is it not?" Itachi asks.