Author's Note- Ta Dah! So somehow I managed to add on two extra chapters. I don't know what happened so don't ask. Hope you enjoy it. The season final is coming up next

And your comments guys have been so flattering I try so hard to live up to your expectations. I hope I never fail you. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 40 You Are

This Broken wheel is coming undone And the roads are exploding But you're keeping me strong, rolling along with you…

Sakura found herself frozen with bafflement. The battle before her was like none she had ever seen. The brothers battled with chakras clashing with each punch and kick. The ground shook beneath their powerful weight, the wind blew with enormous pressure, and the air itself was thick with terrifying killing intention.

She couldn't help but wonder for a brief moment if the gods in the heavens separated these two brothers for a reason. If they would have stayed together, who knows what chaos they could have caused the world.

The battle itself was uncharacteristic for both of them. Never had Itachi fought with such energy and never had Sasuke battled with such emotion. They never parted from rough jabs or spinning kicks, always they came back for more. There were no words, nothing else could be said now Sakura was sure. They were both beyond it.

Itachi got a sudden clone kick in and Sasuke crashed into the ground. Naruto jumped in the air to fight the Akatsuki member himself but Sasuke wouldn't allow it, screaming at him to stay back.

Naruto cursed and paced, "He needs us."

"He must figure it out on his own." Jugo wisely stated, though from the tension in his shoulders and the bulging of his muscles he wasn't entirely calm himself.

"What's wrong with him?" Karin murmured. Her eyes strained on the brothers.

Sakura looked down at her in question and then back to Sasuke. He got hit again right in the face. He slammed into the ground dazed. It even took him a moment to sit up.

Though the power they were emitting was more than she could possibly dream of she knew it wasn't enough for either of them. Neither of them were fighting with all they had despite the rage that radiated.

That sent fear through Sakura. Her eyes went wide, "Karin, what's his chakra reading?"

She shook her head, disappointed, "It's only in the green. I knew it. I knew he wasn't ready."

Itachi kicked his little brother hard while he still sat upon the floor. The body tumbled and rolled.

Suigetsu and Naruto dashed forward. Sasuke was heard in the distance, "Stay back!" He roared again getting to his feet.

Sakura's fists balled tight. She wanted to scream at him. It was fine if he wanted to fight all by himself, go right ahead. But to give up before the battle's even fought just pissed her off.

Another punch, and then another. Sasuke's sword dropped from his weak hand. Twenty minutes and it already felt that Itachi had won.

Why hold back? What was Sasuke trying to prove?

Sasuke wiped the blood from his lip, his gaze only upon the brother's he loathed for years. It was hell remembering that night he past dead bodies upon the street. It was agonizing stepping foot into the room where his parents' corpses laid. And it was terrifying seeing his older brother stare over their forms proud and arrogant.

And though that was behind every kick he gave, every punch he struck, there was something else there.

Sasuke attacked, his elbow smashing his brother's face, his knee ramming into the stomach and then the back of his heal landing on the man's back. Itachi crashed to the floor but stood unhurt within seconds.

He had waited for this moment for most of his life. He had thrown away so much and done such horrible things to catch up to his ever far brother. Sasuke lived to become what he was because Itachi told him too.

Yet for some reason there was no hate in his heart. Despite how much he wanted it to be.

Itachi lifted his black eyes, and a flash from the sun and for that much of a second, Sasuke saw his father gaze down at him with reproach. Itachi looked so much like their father. The same eyes, the same face. Even some of the same attributes. Sasuke could see that now. Did Itachi know he looked like their father?

Itachi swung around, bringing a leg high, twirling his long black hair. A piece of their mother that was given to him. Sasuke blocked it easily. He could hear his mother's giggle, the sound of his name from her lips.

His parents were so much inside of Itachi. Were they inside him as well? Sakura had said something. She had told him how much he looked like his mom. Did he? He couldn't see it. Maybe he's never looked hard enough. That would be a nice thing though. If his mother was somewhere inside him.

It had been so easy to hate Itachi for all those years. All he had to do was remember the bodies, the blood, the harsh and terrible words. In his mind he remembered Itachi as a murderer with cold, calculating eyes; A voice so void of emotion it vibrated with emptiness; And a mask of violence that made him into a complete stranger.

Up close now, the man that betrayed his clan looked exactly like his brother. The one that had been by his side every day of his young life. The one that gave him advice. That allowed him in his room when he couldn't sleep.

A kick to the face and he tasted the dirt on the ground. He coughed trying to raise himself up but he thought better of it.

This battle could go on forever but the end result would be the same. Itachi was stronger. Itachi had so much hate Sasuke couldn't match it no matter how hard he had tried.

He rested back on his butt. He caught Itachi's gaze and remembered the time when he floated upon a tube and Itachi pushed him back across the lake, saving his life like it was nothing new.

Itachi grasped his sword. "Where has all that hate gone, little brother?"

"I still hate you." It was an easy thing to say however untrue it was.

"I remember how well you cried that night. Do you?"

"I do."

"So weak. Not much has changed. And all this time I have given you. Wasting it on them."

Sasuke glanced just beyond Itachi and caught sight of his teammates' worried eyes. Naruto and Sakura. Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo. They were all so ready to help. To die.

Were they ashamed of him now? Knowing how badly he had failed in his goal?

"That pink haired one. How she survived I do not know."

Sasuke knew. He caught her gaze from this length. "I will kill her next I think."

Sasuke dropped his eyes. If that's the way it will be then that's the way it must be. He couldn't kill Itachi. Even to save her. Naruto will be able to do it. Naruto has always been the better one.

Fighting was pointless. He knew Itachi needed to die. He knew the man he was now. There was no more of his brother inside of him. But the memories and the hope had not been erased. The love was still present for a man that died long ago. It was a sad thing to admit. After all these years too.

The sword rose and blinded him briefly from the reflection of the sun. He squinted up at Itachi who held the sword high, ready to bring it down and end his life. Sasuke closed his eyes. This was the moment he waited for. Let it come.

Footsteps shuffled and pounded in front of him. Sasuke snapped his gaze open finding Sakura standing before him. Her arms stretched out wide. She faced his brother fearlessly. He would have yelled at her stupidity but he found himself speechless.

"Why do you protect him?" Itachi questioned.

"You know why."

"Your foolish love does not make you strong. You will die."

Sasuke squinted his gaze with confusion. Foolish love. What did Itachi know of love?

"Love makes people do foolish things."

He had done many foolish things of his own for Itachi. He loved his brother blindly.

Sasuke looked upon Sakura, the back of her head filled with her pink hair. Short just like he left her three years ago after she cut it off to save him.

Foolish things.

Itachi lifted the blade high above of his head. The metal point directed at the center of her chest. "As I said before. He and I are the same. And I will prove that."

No.

"Nii-san!" Itachi faltered for only a fraction. Sasuke shoved against Sakura knocking them both to the ground. The sword missing by a half a centimeter.

Sasuke looked down at Sakura, her eyes wide in shock. Dirt covered her face, dried blood weeded in her hair. He understood her now. He understood that despite being nothing she loved him as foolishly as he had his own brother. And it had made her so strong. Her love had made her strong.

Could his foolish emotions help him defeat a brother?

He did not hate. He did not become what Itachi had wanted him to be. Naruto and Sakura had been the reason there was no hate in his heart. They were the reason Itachi and him were so very different.

He stood on solid legs. Sasuke faced his brother and with a crack of electricity, the sword ripped from Itachi's hand and flung into Sasuke's. Itachi smirked. "You are ready now then."

"Jugo, Suigestu, Karin. Now." He hollered to them. They disappeared quickly. "One moment, brother. And we will not be interrupted."

Sasuke turned back to Sakura who had gotten to her feet. She smiled now with her hands on her hips. She looked ready to fight. But for him to go all out, he needed her and Naruto safe. "Sakura, I need a favor of you."

Naruto ran up to them, his arms wailing with his happiness. He could see Sakura and Sasuke talking. Sasuke whispering to her, Sakura's body tightening. Naruto slowed, unsure if he was welcome in their secret conversation. Sakura was shaking her head, her shoulders were shaking. What was Sasuke saying to her? He thought everything was better now.

And then just like that, Sasuke pressed a nerve upon her neck and caught her unconscious body before it hit the ground. Naruto ran up and was quickly handed her body. "Keep her out of the way, Naruto."

"Sasuke? What's going on?"

The red eyes of the Sharigan rolled. "I will finish this now."

With his brother beside him, Sasuke walked away from Naruto to the center of the field. The walls of the force field being erected colored the sky, tinting it's brilliant blue to a light purple.

Naruto panicked. He placed Sakura beside a bare tree and ran as fast as he could. Right before the final connection was made to the ground, Naruto slipped in the battle grounds. He grinned at Sasuke.

It had been difficult to find the center of the battle for Shikarmaru. Buildings were completely destroyed. Fires burned and smoked. Destruction was every where. People were only beginning to come from their underground shelters but that was even proving to be deadly. Many were stuck underground by the collapsed buildings and some had died while crawling through the debris.

The Ninja of him told him to help. But it wasn't possible while Ino was missing. Hinata kept searching for any chakra signals though listening to her was only bringing his hopes down. Shino was the only one that could really help in this situation but the smoke and fires were scaring off his bugs.

Shikamaru wasn't going to give up. With Choji beside him they ran in all directions ignoring any calls from anyone else to stick together. And then a shout was heard. Hinata had found something.

They ran to her only to come to a sharp stop beside her.

Neji was the only one left standing. Even though his Chakra was exhausted he held out his hands, ready for battle. He huffed and panted, his blood limit pushed beyond all bounds. He was bloody and dirty, his clothes ripped, his hair messed. But he stood like a soldier ready for more.

Lee and Gai ran to him gleefully, oblivious to Neji's obvious hysteria. It was Hinata who screamed, worried for them to go near him. They startled and looked back to her. "He'll hurt you. He's still fighting."

Hinata hesitantly stepped closer, her voice soft and caring, "Neji-nii-sama. You're safe now." With her blood limit she noticed something no one would have seen. His attention was elsewhere. He kept flinching, his gaze faltering as his chakra drained. He was trying to keep his eye on something that wasn't visible but as his power drained his eyes shifted to look behind him. Hinata probed through it and found what he was protecting. TenTen's unconscious body was hidden just behind him. She used that to get to him, "TenTen's safe now, Neji-nii-sama."

His focus flashed to her in an instant and his harsh features and fighting stance relaxed finally. He collapsed to his knees, exhaustion finally setting in as never before. Lee caught him, but he pushed him away crawling, fighting to stand to get to the woman sleeping.

When Lee noticed what he was doing, he quickly set about helping, lifting the heavy sheets of metal and debris away only to find his teammate laid out upon the floor. "TenTen." He cried, grasping ahold of her. "Can you hear me?"

"Lee." Neji shook his head. "Itachi has her."

The boy looked to him lost and confused, "We have to get her back to Tsuande-sama. She'll fix her. Right, Neji?"

Neji was far from positive. So he said nothing.

Shikamaru whipped his head each way, searching. She had to be near. She had to be okay. She would have hid. She would have realized she was in way over her head and hid somewhere. She didn't fight. She was never a fighter. She would be waiting for him. She knew he would always be there to save her.

There!

Her bright blond hair caught his attention. "Choji!" He hollered and together they dashed over, jumping over fallen houses, till they got to her.

She was a mess. Shikamaru's brows knit as he knelled beside her. His fingers went to her neck hurriedly and he sighed out when a heart beat against his tips. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

"Ino!" Choji called desperately, shaking her shoulder.

Shikamaru's heart sped suddenly. He grabbed Ino by the shoulder and waist and rolled her onto her side. His breath stalled.

From her neck to the bottom of her spine was a deep imprint of Kisame's needle pointed sword. It went straight down her spine like cat's claws, digging into her, and striking bone. Blood had soaked everywhere.

He laid her back down. There was no use worrying about it. She was alive damn it, that's all that matters. Right?

"What's that?" He heard Asuma's voice behind him. He glanced up, his gaze following his sensei's.

"There's so much power." Kurenai whispered in awe.

"We better get over there. They might need some help."

Shikamaru didn't want to stay and help. He wanted to get Ino home. "We can't worry about that. We have to get the injured to Konoha."

Shino stepped up to his sensei, "Kurenai-sensei. We've found Kiba."