D1: his chapter is dedicated to Wolfsrainrules for the awesome ideas for the coming chapters. Sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter.
D1: Now on with the show
Chapter 11 – A secret revealed by the bloody dawn
Most of the remaining Konoha forces were resting while a few were on guard duty. But away from the campsite that had been a village, a raven-haired and blonde Shinobi were sitting silently on twin piles of rubble. Naruto and Sasuke had their eyes closed and legs crossed; both looked as if they were deep in thought but they were meditating. Sasuke opened on eye and looked across at Naruto.
"I still don't know how you do this," he muttered, "especially with a mind as chaotic as yours."
"It just takes practice," Naruto said, barely moving, "but it gives you a chance to clear your mind."
"What are you two doing?" Gaara asked as he appeared from behind the pair.
"I'm trying to teach Sasuke how to meditate," Naruto replied.
"As if it wasn't bad enough when you decide to wall yourself off from the real world," Gaara moaned, "but Sakura is looking for both of you. Something about missing three meals in a row."
"I don't consider the rations we're getting a meal," Sasuke complained, eye's still closed.
"You know what Sakura's like when she's angry," Naruto said as he stood, "we'd better get going."
Naruto led the way back to the campsite, through the forest and ruins of Konoha. The blonde paled as the campsite and Sakura's angry face came into view. Naruto debated weather it was worth hiding behind Gaara but Hinata came to his rescue before Sakura could start lecturing him.
Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged him towards the mess tent. After Naruto had collected his food, she made him sit next to her at the fire. Hinata looked at Naruto intently, making sure he ate. Meanwhile Sakura had turned her attention and anger towards Sasuke.
The light conversation around the fire soon petered out as other ninja retired to their beds. Soon Hinata's eyes drooped and he slumped sideways, resting her head on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto put his now empty tray aside and put his arm around Hinata's shoulder. As the fire started to die, Naruto decided he would also go to bed. He gathered Hinata into his arms.
It'll all end soon. Neither side has much strength left. Naruto thought as he strode off towards the Hyuuga compound, Hinata still asleep in his arms.
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Sasuke gave up on sleep and slipped out of his tent. He ignored the threat of rain the clouds carried and strode off through the ruins. The dark haired Shinobi wandered without thinking, lost in his own memories. He looked around as an owl broke the night's silence. The entrance to the Uchiha district was before him. Sasuke gritted his teeth and stepped into the Uchiha streets. It felt strange to Sasuke seeing the streets he'd grown up on now in ruins. A flicker of movement caught Sasuke's eye and he turned to look but the street was empty. He continued through the district, remembering a time long before the incident with Itachi. The long abandoned main house appeared before Sasuke and he crossed its courtyard without thinking. He paused at the front door before going inside. The plaster of the walls was crumbling after being neglected for such a long time. Sasuke cursed as his foot went through a rotting floorboard. He hauled his foot free and continued through the house. He looked into a room as he passed and saw his old bedroom.
Sasuke's attention was ripped from his room by a flicker of movement as it vanished around a corner. He gave chase, rushing after the shadow. Every time he rounded a corner, the shadow vanished around another. After a few minutes of chasing the flicker, Sasuke's Sharingan flared in anger. Even with his bloodline trait, he still couldn't tell what the shadow was. Sasuke skidded around another corner and saw the main hall before him. He cautiously entered, treading carefully over the crumbling boards. Even in the poor light, Sasuke could see the shadow had vanished. Sasuke whipped around as a hated voice met his ears.
"You lack hatred."
There was no-one in the room. Even with his Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't find anyone or anything. Sasuke shook himself; he left the room and the house, heading back towards the campsite but he still wasn't convinced he'd been alone in the house.
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Naruto gently placed Hinata on her bed and turned to leave. He stopped as he felt a tug on his jacket. Hinata was sound asleep but she was tightly holding onto his jacket. Naruto tried to prize Hinata's' fingers open but she wasn't about to let go. He sighed, shedding his jacket and sitting on the bed next to Hinata. Hinata opened her eyes slightly as Naruto lay down next to her.
"Mind if I stay here?" Naruto grinned.
Hinata shook her head and wrapped her arms around Naruto's chest before going back to sleep. Naruto freed his jacket and tossed it to the floor as he closed his eyes and was soon asleep.
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Sasuke looked over the old building bathed in moonlight that was the Uchiha mansion. Regardless of what his was doing, Sasuke's mind always seemed to drift back to the shadow in the mansion. He marched towards the house, the Sharingan appearing in his eyes. Sasuke ignored the creaking floorboards as he checked the house thoroughly. Every section of the house was empty and quiet, it seemed almost too quiet. Sasuke's search eventually led him back to the main hall, but this time there was someone waiting for Sasuke. The black cloak with the red clouds was unmistakable.
"Itachi," Sasuke growled.
"Sasuke," Itachi replied without emotion.
"What are the Akatsuki doing here?" Sasuke demanded.
"The Akatsuki have nothing to do with my presence here. I'm here of my own will."
Sasuke lost his cool, lightning sparked as he charged at Itachi. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pushed him away so his Chidori crashed into the wall. Sasuke turned to face Itachi as he pulled his hand free from the wall. He lunged at Itachi, throwing punches at his older brother. Itachi blocked every fist then knocked Sasuke's feet out from under him. The floorboards cracked under Sasuke's back as he hit them. Sasuke scrambled back to his feet in time to have Itachi slam his fist into his chest. Sasuke was sent flying backwards, through a wall. A cloud of dust and plaster filled the air as most of the wall Sasuke had hit collapsed. Itachi was scalded by the barrage fireballs that erupted from the cloud. Sasuke used Itachi's surprise to lunge at Itachi and slam his foot into Itachi's stomach. Itachi recovered and knocked Sasuke away from him. The two brothers circled each other, not taking their eyes off the other. Sasuke caught a lump of plaster with his foot and hurled it at Itachi. Itachi tried to swat the plaster out of the air but it shattered, creating a cloud of dust. Sasuke materialised behind Itachi and planted both his feet in Itachi's back, knocking him off balance. Sasuke knocked Itachi into a wall then grabbed the back of his cloak and threw him across the room. Itachi pushed himself off the wall, stemming the flow of blood from his nose as Sasuke appeared next to him and kicked him again. Sasuke didn't let up, determined not to let Itachi have room to breathe, let alone fight back. Itachi faced Sasuke, face showing only a trace of annoyance. Sasuke ran at his brother again but stumbled as his foot went through the rotten floor, he ended up knee deep in the boards. Sasuke realised there was empty space underneath his foot and that something must be hidden under the room. He tried to pull free of the wood but the floor beneath him creaked and felt like it would collapse, forcing him to freeze. Itachi watched Sasuke's struggle as he walked towards the door. He stopped and turned back to look at Sasuke. Sasuke glared at Itachi who responded by slamming his hand into one of the door supports. The ceiling groaned and parts fell as the last support broke. Itachi took a step back out into the corridor as the ceiling dropped more debris and sagged.
"Itachi!" Sasuke yelled as the ceiling gave out and collapsed.
Sasuke reacted in instinct, using his chakra to shatter the remaining boards holding him up and fell into the dark space beneath.
Itachi walked at a leisurely pace down the corridor as the house collapsed behind him. He stepped out of the front door as the last beams and walls crumbled. Itachi heard the approaching Anbu and vanished.
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Naruto sat bolt upright in bed as an ear splitting crash echoed through him. He jumped out of bed and dashed to the window. He saw the cloud of dust rising over the rooftops; he dashed back into the room and dressed quickly. Hinata sat up, rubbing her eyes as Naruto grabbed his jacket.
"Naruto?" Hinata asked sleepily.
"Be back as soon as I can," Naruto replied as he kissed her cheek.
Naruto bounded back to the window, opened it and vanished. He leaped across the roofs as fast as he could, seeing other ninja also heading towards the dust cloud. The fox vessel was on of the first to land in the Uchiha courtyard and see the destruction up-close. A few ninja were swarming around the former building, trying to find out what happened. Naruto's ears pricked and he dodged as a sword slammed into the ground exactly where he'd been.
"Missed!" Kisame cursed as Naruto turned towards the bipedal shark.
"If you're here, then Itachi must be somewhere nearby," Naruto growled.
"You're smarter than the last time I met you," Kisame noted, "yes Itachi is here. But he has business with his little brother. I'm here to stop you interfering."
Naruto created his chakra blades, moving to attack.
"Maybe you're not smarter," Kisame said as he brandished Samehada.
The blonde smirked and flickered, reappearing behind Kisame and kicking him in the head. Kisame whipped around but Naruto was already gone. He reappeared and caught Kisame under the chin with his fist. Naruto ricocheted around Kisame, forcing him backwards. The shark leaped away, landing on a roof out of Naruto's reach. Naruto launched himself after the Akatsuki member and slammed his foot into Samehada.
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A groan echoed through the darkness as Sasuke's senses returned. He forced his eyes open but all around him was darkness. After feeling for broken bones, and finding none, Sasuke struggled to his feet. His eyes had adjusted to the lack of light and he was able to make out the dim outline of a flight of stairs behind him and a pile of rubble blocking them.
So there is something down here. He thought as turned his back to the blocked exit.
Sasuke's foot found something and he looked down. An old oil lantern. Sasuke picked it up and was surprised to find it near full of oil. He held the lamp in one hand and blew fire. The fire flickered and flared up, lighting the tunnel in an eerie light. Sasuke held the lamp up as he headed into the dark passage. Sasuke paused as he saw an Uchiha fan carved into the rock wall.
So my family did make this.
He moved further down the tunnel, passing more fan carvings. Sasuke looked to his right, into a long alcove in the tunnel wall and almost had a heart attack. The blank eyes of a bleached white skull stared back at him. As Sasuke calmed, he saw there was a whole skeleton laid out in the alcove. He looked behind him and saw another alcove with skeleton.
This is a crypt. He realised.
Sasuke was reluctant to go further but he moved on. He passed more alcoves as he went even deeper underground, some with skeletons, others vacant. The tunnel eventually opened out into a chamber, its walls lined with painted plaster. As Sasuke studied each wall he saw a story emerging. The emergence of the Sharingan bloodline, the Mangekyo Sharingan and Madara Uchiha's fight with the first Hokage among them. Sasuke looked at the carving at the end of the chamber and his eyes widened. It showed a demon bowed down before a human with an Uchiha fan on the back of his robes, and the demon was unmistakably the nine-tails. The second half of the painting showed the berserk nine-tails, poised to strike Konoha.
So all you really wanted was to take over the village.
Sasuke lost his temper and hurled the lamp at the painting. The lamp shattered, spilling burning oil over the wall. He turned his back on the chamber and sprinted back up the tunnel. He must have taken a wrong turn as he found the stairs too quickly and they weren't blocked with rubble. Sasuke burst through the covering at the top of the stairs and saw he was in a different part of the Uchiha district. The sound of battle met his ears and he launched himself up to the nearest roof. Sasuke took in the scene before him in a glance then turned as he felt someone behind him. Itachi was standing on an opposite roof. A flurry of crows took flight from a cluster of trees as Sasuke glared at Itachi, Sharingan blazing. The first rays of sunlight appeared over the horizon as the two Sharingan users prepared to continue their battle.
"So now you know the truth?" Itachi asked.
"The Uchiha clan was planning a coup d'état, using the fox demon as a distraction."
"I was under orders from the council to prevent the uprising. But I spared you."
"Let's end this!" Sasuke growled.
"Once and for all," Itachi finished.
Both brothers' eyes glowed red. Both brothers' eyes shifted pattern.
"Tsukiyomi!" they both chorused.
The world's colours inverted as the genjutsu took effect. Sasuke watched Itachi multiply and copied him. Both armies of copies advanced and attacked. Sasuke weaved through the crowd until he found the real Itachi and formed a sword in his hand. He slammed the blade through Itachi's chest, only to have Itachi melt away. Sasuke cried out as kunai buried themselves in the backs of his legs and he whipped around. Sasuke's blade caught Itachi in the throat as he turned. A katana appeared in Itachi's hand and he swing at Sasuke. The blade cut into his cheek but Sasuke countered with a high kick to Itachi's face. Itachi stumbled backwards as Sasuke lunged with his katana raised. The swords pierced both brothers' chests at the same second and the illusion was broken. The world returned to its original colours as Tsukiyomi faded, leaving Sasuke and Itachi panting for breath. Blood trickled from Itachi's eye as he glared at Sasuke again. The Mangekyou Sharingan flashed in Itachi's eye and black flames surged. Sasuke countered with a similar surge of flame. Kisame swung Samehada at Naruto, who used the blade as a springboard to launch himself high into the air. Naruto spotted Itachi and Sasuke as he hovered in the air for a second. He landed away from Kisame and looked on at the fight. Kisame also looked and was transfixed with what he saw. Wave after wave of black flames surged, each trying to swamp the last and growing steadily bigger. Eventually the flames died down, leaving patches of black still burning. Lightning sparked in Sasuke's hand as he readied himself. He took off across the roof at an inhuman speed, charging at Itachi. Itachi caught Sasuke's wrist at the last second but Sasuke smirked. Itachi didn't have time to react to the second Chidori in Sasuke's other hand. Blood spattered across the tiles as Chidori made contact, tearing into Itachi. There was an eternity of silence before Sasuke withdrew his fist from Itachi's shoulder. Itachi sank to his knees as blood soaked into his cloak. He froze as Sasuke's kunai pressed into his neck.
"Get out of here!" Sasuke said looking away from Itachi and withdrawing the kunai, "I see no purpose in seeking revenge for those who deserve their fate."
Itachi struggled to stand, beckoning Kisame. His Akatsuki partner helped keep him on his feet as they vanished over the roofs, into the dawn. Naruto scattered sand as he appeared next to Sasuke.
"Why didn't you kill him?" he asked.
"The Uchiha clan was planning to take over the village using the fox as a distraction," Sasuke replied, eyes watching the point where the Akatsuki members had been, "Itachi was under orders from the Hokage to prevent uprising. They deserve to rot un-avenged."
Naruto's eyes had gone wide in surprise and his mouth was hanging open but he recomposed himself.
"But next time," Sasuke continued, "the Akatsuki will fall."
"I'm behind you with that," Naruto said as the birds in the forest started the dawn chorus.
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D1: This story has now taken a sharp u-turn from where I was expecting it to go. Who knows what's going to happen next.
