Last week Itachi and Sheeta spent the day in the woods looking for renegades.
Thanks for all the reviews and favs. I'm so happy you're enjoying the story.
This chapter is a bit more serious than last week – okay a lot more serious.
Disclaimer: Kishimoto still owns Naruto.
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Chapter 11 – That Young Boy's Determination
"Sasuke! Pay attention! Naruto! That move may have worked on an Academy student, but I guarantee it will not work anyone Genin level or above!" Itachi yelled across the soccer field at his little brother, who had just been knocked flat on his back when Naruto overextended his leg and kicked him. "Get back over here! Hinata, you too!" The young girl had been practice-kicking a straw dummy about twenty feet away at the edge of the picnic area.
The children quickly ran over to where Itachi was sitting at a picnic table and gazed expectantly at him. Sheeta was also there, wearing a heavy coat with a wool blanket across her legs and a thick wool hat covering her head. The temperature was in the low twenties and despite it being early November, a snowstorm was expected. Heavy clouds hung close to the ground painting the small lake in the center of Uchiha compound a dull steel gray. A cold wind had been picking up steadily all morning and it blew briskly across the small soccer field and out over the water. Waves lapped loudly against the shore, but even when combined with the construction noises in the distance it was still relaxing.
"Naruto, when you kick like that you over-extend your joints. That makes it harder for you to keep control of your muscles. Stick to the basics right now. Sasuke, when you see someone pulling a stunt like that, back off and let them hurt themselves, then go in for the kill when they're too tired to continue. Hinata, the dummy isn't going to hurt you, quit being afraid of it and hit it. If it breaks we'll get a new one. If you break, we'll fix you and you can go back to training." Itachi explained patiently.
"But I saw Hinata kicking like that." Naruto complained.
Sheeta interrupted, "Her moves are different than what other people use. They wouldn't work for you because you don't have her Kekkei Genkai. She is building up her muscles to move in a way different from what the two of you will use so don't copy her, it'll just confuse you."
"Oh." Naruto chewed on his lip, concentrating on that new bit of information. "So how would we fight her?"
Itachi gave a short laugh.
Naruto shivered, "Can we go inside now?"
Itachi looked at him and shook his head. It was cold out, and they had been practicing for two hours, and he was expected to join his father at Danzou's interrogation soon, but… An evil smile played across the teen's lips as he thought up a particularly devilish form of training. Small flakes of pure white snow had started drifting down from the sky and Itachi watched as one melted quickly on his hand.
"This training exercise is for all three of you." He waited a minute until he had the attention of all three children. "You can't go back inside until you capture twenty snowflakes in your bare hand."
"What?" Sasuke asked, skeptically. "Is that even possible? I mean… our hands are warm."
"Big brother, I finished." Hinata held her hand out to show everyone, palm down. Twenty delicate snowflakes perched on the back of her bare hand.
"Very good. You may leave." Itachi smiled as Hinata gave everyone a big smile and ran off.
"How?" Sasuke and Naruto stared in disbelief as Hinata ran by the lake and onto the path that lead to her house.
"Go on, try." Itachi smirked.
The tiny snowflakes were falling heavily and beginning to stick to the ground and picnic table. Sasuke and Naruto held their hands out, palms up and tried to catch the snowflakes. However, they could only get four or five before the rest melted. The two boys kept moving around the area, trying different strategies. Finally, after ten minutes they stopped and stood close to each other whispering.
Sasuke looked over at his brother, "So all we have to do is catch twenty flakes? Can it be more than twenty?"
Itachi raised one eyebrow, "Yes."
"Hn." Sasuke snorted. He and Naruto walked over to the picnic table and scraped their hands across the top, collecting the small amount of snow that had accumulated. Careful not to squish the frosty substance they each tossed their prize in the air a few inches and caught it. Holding out their hands they showed it to Itachi.
"And that, boys, is the answer to the question, 'How can I fight a Hyuuga'." Itachi smiled proudly.
"So…" Naruto didn't get it.
Sasuke smiled happily, "So Hinata used her chakra to keep the snow from freezing, but because we aren't skilled enough to that yet we had to find another way to do the same thing."
"Correct. Ingenuity, or 'tactics', is an important part of being a Chuunin or Jounin. Sometimes you have to plan around difficult or even impossible situations. Most problems have multiple solutions and finding the best one is important. In this case, chakra control was best for Hinata, and snow clumps was best for you two. What works well for one person, may not work for another. Tactics is not only about finding a solution, but about knowing when and how to apply that solution." Itachi smiled, "You can go in now."
"Yay! Thanks big brother!" Sasuke and Naruto yelled simultaneously as they took off at full speed.
"Do you suppose there was a reason Hinata used the back of her hand instead of her palm?" Sheeta asked.
"I was wondering the same thing." Itachi admitted. "Personal preference?"
"Catching snowflakes is actually one of the training methods Hyuugas use for small children. She most likely mastered it by the time she was five." Jiraiya walked into view, smiling as broadly as ever.
"Humph. And here I thought I was being original." Itachi smirked.
"You were. Just because one person thinks something up, doesn't mean someone else can't do the same." He sat down at the table, opposite the two teens, and gave them a broad smile, "So… you aren't kissing yet? Well, don't let me interrupt!"
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Sheeta spoke sarcastically as her cheeks blushed a pale pink.
"No lipstick today?" Jiraiya continued to tease.
"No." Sheeta pouted, "My mom… um… mother saw me wearing it after I returned from patrolling with Itachi and read me the riot act about not wearing makeup until I'm fifteen. The other girls in the village get to wear it so I think she's being mean."
"Yeah. Father wasn't too happy when he saw me wearing lipstick either." Itachi deadpanned.
Jiraiya dropped his head into his hands and shook his head as Sheeta blinked her eyes several times in shock.
"After we were kissing, some of your lipstick transferred to my lips." Itachi finally explained, much to the relief of his girlfriend who closed her eyes and gave a short laugh.
"You are in a very weird mood lately, Itachi." Sheeta finally said.
"I guess." Itachi admitted. He actually felt sort of… happy. Although he wasn't sure how long that mood would last. Now that he was healthy he was going to have to contact Leader and go out on Akatsuki missions again. Plus, Konoha was in bad shape; empty lots where buildings used to be and a lot of homeless families and orphans. It all weighed heavily on his mind as he continually berated himself for his duplicity. If he had been more observant, less obsessed with his "mission", or even, perhaps, told his father what Danzou had wanted him to do they could have detected that demon's plan earlier. But it was too late for "what-if's" now. And the worst part was that even if he had done things differently, there was no way to know how or even if the events would have changed.
Itachi changed the subject in an attempt to break himself out of his dark thoughts, "So are you going to stay here with Naruto?"
Jiraiya sighed, "No. I told you before. I can't raise a kid. I'm not sure I'm all that happy about him staying with Fugaku either, knowing how he's treated you in the past, but… it's better than being left on his own. Mikoto and you are here to look after him and Sasuke is like a brother. As for 'that'…"
Itachi closed his eyes and dropped his head, he knew Jiraiya was talking about his Akatsuki mission to take the Kyuubi. "Yeah, well… I'll be working on that."
"Hmm? What?" Sheeta asked, concerned.
"It's okay." Itachi said quietly. "It's nothing."
"Okay." Sheeta replied cautiously as she looked curiously at the two people in front of her. There was something odd going on with Naruto. Every time his name came up it was followed by tension, whispered conversations, and lots of secrets. Not to mention the fact that a lot of the villagers seemed to outright hate the cheerful child. It was starting to piss her off.
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"Inoichi Yamanaka. Are you ready for this?" Fugaku strode impatiently into the interrogation room and, as usual, skipped the small talk and got right to the point. A generator had been hooked up and the fluorescent lights blazed brightly in the large room in contrast to the darkness that most had gotten used to living and working in the last few weeks.
Inoichi looked up from the document he was reading. His face was pale and his bent-over stance made him look frail. Leaning on a pair of crutches his pale blue eyes were hollow and ringed with dark circles. The man had been cleared for duty, but still appeared to be very ill; yet he spoke in a strong voice and with determination. "I have my full chakra reserves. My injuries have not healed completely, but I don't need my body for this so that isn't a concern. And I'm not putting it off any longer."
"We have your chair ready, Inoichi." Ibiki pointed to a reclining chair and watched with trepidation as Inoichi slowly made his way to the center of the room. A grimace covered the injured man's face in a failed attempt to mask the pain radiating up from his legs. They had been crushed in the explosion and even though the healers were using chakra therapy on them, the damage was so extensive it was still going to take several months to a year to fully heal. When he reached the chair Ibiki and Kakashi, who had been standing nearby, helped him sit. Usually Inoichi would stand, but that was not possible in his current condition.
Itachi walked into the room a few minutes later followed by two Jounin carrying a stretcher. The man on the stretcher glanced around the room; his face set in a stony expression of anger. However, no words left his lips as he was lifted up and secured in a chair surrounded by a circular console. When the console was closed only his head was exposed. Another console was a few feet away, and while there would usually be three other people standing there to assist Inoichi, today there were none. The interrogation was being kept as secret as possible, and as a consequence only a few people were in attendance.
Standing next to his father, Itachi watched as Inoichi's chair was carefully lifted up to make it easier for him to place his hand on the prisoner's head. Kakashi stood back and one of the Jounin who had come in with Itachi moved to stand next to him. Maito Gai was a strange man that the teen had rarely communicated with, and therefore only knew him on a professional level. However, the green outfit he wore was a little creepy and his bowler haircut was even worse. On the other hand, he was a capable ninja who had made Jounin at an early age. The other Jounin was a woman Itachi had seen around, but never met; she always wore a scarf over her head covering her hair and kept her hands in gloves. She moved to the door and prepared to close it when it was pushed open.
"Not starting without us, are you?" Jiraiya asked sternly. He was followed by Sarutobi who was walking slower than usual; recovery from the poison was going to take a few more weeks and he had been feeling very ill.
Fugaku grunted, "Wouldn't think of it." He turned to the other people in the room, "Someone bring Sarutobi a chair. Don't leave your elders waiting."
Itachi stepped forward and grabbed a chair from the vacant console and placed it a couple feet from where Fugaku was standing. Sarutobi nodded in thanks as he sat down and sighed deeply. He looked up and glared at the prisoner. The man returned his gaze with defiance, strength and blatant undisguised hatred. There was no hint of suffering at all despite the loss of his tongue, hands and eye.
"You may begin, Inoichi. Tell us what Danzou has planned." Fugaku finally said.
Reaching out with one hand, Inoichi placed his palm flat on Danzou's head. He closed his eyes and concentrated, pushing his chakra into the man's mind. Slowly, the jutsu produced an extra-dimensional room with a huge brain suspended in the middle of it. Inoichi was perched in front of it watching as scrolls appeared and unraveled, revealing Danzou's thoughts. However… something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Damn it!" Inoichi yelled angrily.
"What's wrong?" Ibiki stepped forward and stood closer to the chair.
"There's extensive brain damage." Inoichi continued to look at the scrolls and cursed as, instead of writing, they contained nothing but blank parchment, or were solid black. He had seen this before… or rather something similar… in shinobi who had suffered brain trauma. Looking over the brain he floated around it but could see no visible damage.
Inoichi spoke again, "Correction… no brain damage. But… his memories have been tampered with… it's like they've been erased. But that's not possible… You can overwrite memories… convince a person that something didn't happen… but there's no way to actually remove the original memory without damaging the brain."
Itachi clenched his fists and growled as he glanced up at his father and then down at Sarutobi. There was one possible way it could happen, and the three of them knew what it was.
Fugaku spoke up, "Is there anything you can salvage?"
"I'll keep looking, but there are more black spots than memories. I just found one where he was speaking with Itachi. He said he was going to give him his final mission, then the rest is black. The next thing he remembers is several months later, having tea with Sarutobi and the elders. It skips again a few weeks… let's see…" He paused for a couple minutes, "He's in the forest… a deep, male voice is speaking, 'Found you, Danzou, you've caused me a lot of trouble. However, I know a way to make you useful.' Then…" Again he paused for a few more minutes, "Then he's jumping onto the roof and interrupting Fugaku and Sarutobi… and you all know the rest." Inoichi pulled his hand back and dropped it onto the armrest, sighing deeply in frustration.
"Hmmm." Fugaku leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. Closing his eyes he thought about what he had just heard. Just when he thought things couldn't possibly get worse, they did. "Ibiki, return Danzou to his cell. Tomorrow at noon schedule a public execution. There are too many people who want this demon's head to do this in private."
Ibiki smiled, pleased with the request, "Yes, Lord Hokage, right away."
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"I have no idea how he accomplished such a thing." Itachi spoke up as the door of the interrogation closed, leaving him, Fugaku, Sarutobi and Jiraiya alone.
"Nor do I. This is certainly an ability beyond what I have studied." Fugaku replied.
"There are no other jutsus in the village that I know of that could accomplish this either." Sarutobi added. "It must somehow be part of Mangekyou Sharingan."
"Obviously." Itachi said, annoyed that the documentation Madara had given him was incomplete. Of course, it made sense for the man to withhold information. Especially with the genius prodigy Itachi breathing down his back.
"What?" Jiraiya asked, "Is there an Uchiha running about we don't know about? A missing-nin?"
Fugaku looked the sanin in the eye. "What do you think?"
"Ha! Yeah, I knew the Kyuubi invasion wasn't your guys' doing, but it was obvious it was an Uchiha, nonetheless." Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, "I truly have no idea who it is though, so if you do, let me in on it."
"Madara." Fugaku said quietly. "Madara Uchiha is alive. We haven't a clue how or why. But keep this under your hat, the last thing we need is for people to panic."
"So how are we…" Jiraiya was interrupted.
"He is my concern." Itachi said firmly. "Only I can gain the power to kill him."
"Itachi… no… you need help. Don't let your father send you on a suicide mission…" Jiraiya was interrupted again.
"It's not like that. I don't want to loose my son like that. But he is truly the most powerful ninja since Madara and the only person who could go up against him." Fugaku explained.
"But surely there are others who can help." Jiraiya was close to pleading. He dislike the way Itachi had been raised, having seen him through the years become more and more withdrawn and violent; but that morning the teen had seemed happy, and for some reason, that made him happy as well.
"There is." Fugaku admitted.
Sarutobi spoke up, his voice weak, "Who? Fugaku, if Itachi can get help…"
Fugaku interrupted him, sighing he closed his eyes, "I don't want to loose both sons to that man."
"Sasuke?" Sarutobi asked.
"He is every bit Itachi's equal… or could be with training. It would probably be more correct to state that he is equal in potential to his elder brother. I have held him back though, raised him differently. There was no need for him to grow up like Itachi did. Plus, he has a different personality, it will make him more difficult to mold."
"And I won't let him help. He doesn't need to know about any of this." Itachi said angrily. "I promised to protect him and I will. No matter what the cost is. I will kill that man without anyone's help."
"You will leave Sheeta behind? Alone?" Jiraiya wanted to make sure Itachi understood the implications of what he was saying, but Itachi threw him a curve ball.
"She won't be alone."
Fugaku stood away from the wall and looked at his son, "Itachi, don't do anything rash. You're still a kid."
"Don't worry. It will be years before I'm strong enough to face that man. But before I do… I promise I won't leave Sheeta alone."
Sarutobi shook his head, "Itachi, I have been widowed twice, leaving me with two sons to raise. I do believe you need to think this through some more."
"Yes, I do. I know that." Itachi conceded, "There are a lot of things about this whole situation I need to think about. It's definitely a difficult mission." That seemed to placate the three men and they dropped the subject. However, he knew that the only way to protect Sasuke from becoming the clan lord and to keep Sheeta from missing him after he died was to have a baby. He couldn't see any other alternative, and yet Sarutobi did have a good point. He had thought that Sheeta would be happy with a child to remind her of him after he was gone… but what if it was just a painful reminder of what she had lost and instead drifted into depression? Re-marrying would be difficult; all the other men in the clan were much older than her and the only other Uchihas were in Mist. Of course, there was Sasuke. He was five years younger, but then again his father was five years older than his wife. The real solution to all of this uncertainty was to not die. Much simpler said than done.
However, as they exited room Itachi missed the look Jiraiya gave him. A mix of pity and determination crossed the sanin's face as he connected the dots and realized just how deep Itachi was in his troubles. 'I am going to help you, kid, whether you want me to or not. I'm not letting you die that easily.' Jiraiya silently vowed. 'Besides, if you fail, Naruto will die, and so will Konoha.'
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The next morning was somber as everyone prepared for the day. Sasuke and Naruto had been told the night before they would be attending an execution and while they seemed happy at the time, now they were nervous and very quiet; tip-toeing around the kitchen and living room. Normally it would have been a nice change of pace but instead Itachi found it annoying and when Sheeta came by he drafted her into helping him move his belongings to the upstairs bedroom. It didn't take long, of course, and they spent the rest of the morning sitting in the upstairs living room, resting.
"Do you need to go home first?" Itachi finally asked after several minutes of quiet.
"Home? Oh you mean before the execution? No. I'm going with you. Lady Mikoto told me that from now on I should be seen with you at public events and that I'll be helping her when Fugaku entertains. The bag I brought has a kimono in it that I have to change into before we go. She's going to order some formal kimono's for me as well." Sheeta looked around the dusty room as she spoke.
"I guess that makes sense. You need to learn how to take over Mikoto's job after all." Itachi stated. He watched as Sheeta ran her finger across a dusty end-table.
Sheeta sighed, "I'll come back after the execution and clean. They won't let me return to work at the police station yet because it's 'too dangerous' and I'm getting really bored. No electricity means no TV either, and I think I've read about ten thousand books in the last few weeks."
"Hmm." Itachi wondered if Mikoto had left the upstairs area purposely dirty after he had told her he was moving. Usually his mother would have been digging out buckets, mops and rags, cleaning and scrubbing like there was no tomorrow. But this time she had done nothing. Perhaps she wanted Sheeta to do it, but instead of giving her an order she wanted to see if she would volunteer first. "Thank-you. I will have to train the kids this afternoon since we didn't do it this morning. And… if you would like different furniture in here we can get new stuff. This is all old, mother moved it up here a few years ago when we got new furniture downstairs. Even though the house was made for multiple generations to live in, that never actually happened so this is more of a storeroom for extra furniture than a living room."
"Oh… well…" Sheeta blushed. This was too real, sitting in a living room alone with her future husband and discussing kids and furnishings like a married couple. She suddenly felt like a little kid herself and started fidgeting as she answered him in a small voice, "We can wait for that. This is fine for now."
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Itachi and his family were accompanied by the entire Uchiha clan as they walked to the stadium, which was, remarkably enough, still standing. The area was crowded; it appeared the entire village was in attendance. He looked around and noted the increased security and morose atmosphere. The last time he had been near the stadium had been several years earlier during the Chuunin exams. How different things were now. Back then his father had just announced his planned coup, and now it was fact.
They separated from the rest of the clan and the crowd and made their way to the participant entrance. Fugaku wanted Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto next to him and the Hyuuga's had requested that Hinata stand forefront for them. Mikoto and Sheeta stood next to the children and Itachi stood between them and his father. He remembered what had happened after the Kyuubi invasion, which, ironically, was the last time he had attended an execution. The Uchiha traitors who had helped Madara unseal the Kyuubi had been killed, but one woman had been dear to Itachi. Almost like a grandmother and he had cried when she died. Fugaku had been embarrassed by his son's weakness and hit him, knocking him to the floor in front of everyone. That evening he had been beaten severely by both his father and mother. It was a scene he didn't like to remember and didn't want to see repeated with Sasuke, or Naruto or Hinata for that matter.
Fugaku was distracted, speaking with Toshiro and Sarutobi, so Itachi turned around and waved for the three kids to come to him. He bent his head down as Sheeta joined them. "I'm going to tell you something I should have told you earlier." He looked at each of them, including Sheeta, to make sure he had their attention. Mikoto was looking at him curiously, but made no attempt to interrupt. "Under no circumstances are you to react to anything you are about to see. No emotion. No tears, no loud gulps, intakes of breath or sobbing. Lord Fugaku has a quick temper and will beat you if you do. Understand? He does not accept weakness in shinobi, or shinobi in training. And frankly, this man, Danzou, doesn't deserve your pity. I will also be disappointed in you if you show any."
Four pairs of eyes opened wide in shock as four heads nodded in understanding. Itachi smirked inwardly at the irony of his last sentence. On that day, many years ago, Shisui had also been embarrassed and angered by Itachi's outburst and had lectured him the next day about it. It had hurt worse than his parents' beatings.
Itachi turned his attention back to his father and noticed that the man had been listening. He had a stern look in his eye and appeared to be very angry. "Itachi, I see you brought your katana."
"Of course, Lord Fugaku. I take it everywhere with me now-a-days." Itachi responded clearly.
Fugaku nodded in approval and watched as a large double door was opened about a hundred feet away. Itachi stared at his father's back for a minute, wondering what that comment was about. He knew he had been carrying his sword with him, why mention it now?
The murmur of conversation that had permeated the stadium suddenly hushed, causing Itachi to look up. Behind him, in the first row he saw a row of children, and easily picked out a pink-haired girl. He caught Sasuke's attention and looked up with his eyes, silently telling the boy to look behind him. Sasuke and Naruto turned around.
"Sakura… she's okay." Sasuke whispered as a smile crossed his lips.
"Those are the orphans, dear." Mikoto whispered. She noticed the caretakers standing nearby. Fugaku had specifically requested that they be given a front row seat so they could watch the execution of the man that made them orphans. Of course, the fact that some of them were now homeless because of the Uchihas was conveniently ignored. Politically, it was a good move. If Fugaku could transfer their need for revenge onto Danzou then they would support the new Hokage and grow into ninjas who would protect the village instead of fighting against it.
"And there's Ino and Shikamaru." Naruto added, looking across the stadium, opposite where the orphans sat. Their families also had front row seats.
"Good." Sasuke was relieved. Ever since he had seen the lifeless bodies of Ami and Choji he had worried about his classmates. Of course, he realized as he quickly scanned the rest of the stadium, that there were way too many people to pick out anyone else.
"Follow me." Fugaku said sternly as he started walking out to middle of the field. The reason the crowd had gone silent was quickly clarified when the small group saw a heavily guarded man walking out onto the field. They stopped about twenty feet away and Fugaku signaled for them to stay as he walked closer. Several other men and women walked over as well and Itachi recognized them as leaders of some of the other clans as well. Apparently everyone was sending a representative. An old man, a Hyuuga, walked over to Hinata and stood behind her. He wondered if the elder was a survivor of the massacre that killed off most of the main branch or just a relative who was there as a guardian to support their young clan lord. Either way, Hinata seemed pleased to see him and Mikoto greeted him with a smile that seemed real.
Everyone settled down as Fugaku approached Danzou, who was now sitting on the ground on his knees. Sarutobi was standing about five feet from him looking very upset and angry. If they were alone, Itachi had no doubt the Third would have strangled him himself.
Fugaku's voice rang clear across the stadium and everyone paid close attention. "As is traditional, you will be given the option to commit ritual suicide. Failing that, you will be beheaded." Toshiro walked up and placed a knife on a stand in front of Danzou. It was situated so that the man could pick it up with the stumps of his arms and stab upward. He had no hands, of course, as Itachi had cut them off earlier after defeating him.
Growling, Danzou swung his arm out and knocked the knife over. Glaring in defiance he gazed straight into Fugaku's eyes, as if daring him to react. The stadium went deathly still as killing intent began to emanate from different parts of the field and audience. Anger was rising and a few small children and babies started to cry. Itachi felt his hands clench in anger and a rustle of fabric made him glance sideways at Sheeta. She wore a black kimono with a gold and red dragon snaking around the front and back. It was very similar to the yukata and hakama pants he was wearing, that also had a dragon design in the same colors, albeit a different shade. Despite the situation he wondered if Mikoto had picked it out for her. However, he quickly returned to reality when he saw her hands clenching the silk tightly. Hands that would have been dead and lifeless, rotting underground if he had followed Danzou's orders, hands with slender, delicate fingers that would never have run through his hair, or caressed his cheek, or held their baby.
Itachi was suddenly aware that everyone was watching him and he looked up at his father. The man was despicable in so many ways, but he realized he didn't hate him. When he had found out what Itachi was planning, he had stopped him and taken steps to keep him out of harms way. His mother had even placed items in the jail cell to make his stay more comfortable. And Sasuke had forgiven him. If he had succeeded in killing the clan, Sasuke's life would have been a nightmare for the rest of his days. He didn't deserve that forgiveness. He suddenly had a strong desire to have someone, anyone, from his family yell at him, make him pay for his weaknesses and his crimes. The guilt washed over him like a tidal wave on a low-lying beach, engulfing him and pulling him out into a sea of despair.
Turning his gaze to Danzou, Itachi reached around to the sword hanging on his back and slowly pulled it out as he walked forward. The high-pitched metallic sound it made rang in his ears and comforted his heart. The sharp blade would speak for his family; it would become the punisher. He glared at Danzou as he slowly approached him. That was the man who had started all this. The man who had made his life a living hell for the last two years. Rage – the same rage that had shown itself a few weeks earlier when he had seen the ROOT commander appear on the roof during the battle between Fugaku and Sarutobi – overtook him and he stopped directly in front of Danzou. He saw the knife laying on the ground a couple feet away, the sun reflecting off the highly polished, razor-sharp blade.
Stabbing forward, Itachi plunged his blade into Danzou's stomach, then his chest, then his arm, then his neck. He kept stabbing him until he heard it; a voice in his head.
"That's enough, Itachi. Kill him."
"Shisui..." Itachi replied in shock. Danzou was now lying on the ground writing in pain. He swung his sword forward one last time, through the man's neck and burying it into the ground. There was dead silence for about five seconds before a loud cheer rose up from the audience. A man picked the head up and held it aloft for the villagers to see. Itachi pulled the sword out of the ground and dropped it as he fell to his knees and picked up the knife. Holding it he gazed at his reflection in the blade for a few seconds before turning it around pulling it towards his own stomach.
"Stop him!" Multiple voices called out as Itachi found himself face down on the ground, the knife knocked out of his hand and resting about forty feet away.
'No…' Itachi thought in anguish, 'I don't deserve to live. I was going to kill you. All of you.' He felt his father cover his eyes with a big hand and lift him up.
"Itachi, I'm sorry." Fugaku's voice was sad, "You aren't emotionally stable, I have always known that, yet you are so good at hiding it that I keep forgetting." Itachi realized his father was whispering and he relaxed against the man's chest before passing out.
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"What's wrong with big brother?" Sasuke stood in the hallway outside of Itachi's new room, gazing worriedly up at his father. He couldn't wrap his head around what he had seen earlier, no matter how hard he tried. It was like three different people lived inside his brother. A caring person who looked out for his family, a demon full of rage that killed ruthlessly and finally, a person depressed and seeking a release from the complexities of the world.
It had been several hours since the incident and Itachi was still unconscious. After he had been brought back to the house Dr. Yakushi had come by and said it was hard to say what was wrong until he regained consciousness. He suspected it might be a nervous breakdown and said that based on the rumors going around, that Itachi was ordered by Danzou to kill his clan, it would be understandable.
"Sasuke." Fugaku sighed. He was still in shock himself over what his eldest son had tried to do. About twenty people had jumped forward to restrain the teen when he pulled the knife up, including Sarutobi and himself. Sheeta had then run up, but Itachi was already unconscious when she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing and pulling up his yukata to make sure he was okay. Fugaku's first instinct had been to be angry, but it quickly faded when he saw that everyone genuinely cared about Itachi's welfare. He had known that Itachi would be the one to execute Danzou. He knew his son too well to think otherwise, and he had told the others what would happen. However, he had not expected Itachi to react the way he did. He had thought the teen had worked out everything during his confinement. How wrong he had been.
"Father?" Fugaku was pulled out of his thoughts by Sasuke, who had addressed him formally. He rarely did that and it told him just how upset the boy was.
"Itachi has problems, Sasuke. He always has. You know some of them now… others… I won't speak of yet." Fugaku wasn't sure exactly how to explain this to the boy. The people on the field at the stadium had heard the rumors and understood Itachi's intent and were sympathetic and supportive. But they only knew part of the truth and were satisfied with that. "He's not to be left alone for a few days. Even when he uses the bathroom. That's why Toshiro is in with him right now. Several people will be taking turns watching him."
Sasuke was getting angry, "How come you won't tell me anything? I can help! I know I can! Please tell me what's wrong!"
Fugaku pulled Sasuke into the living room where Sheeta was still cleaning. She had been very nervous and unwilling to leave since Itachi had collapsed and busied herself by cleaning. She noticed the serious look on the man's face and excused herself to clean a different room.
"Itachi has always had trouble showing emotion, or perhaps I should say, knowing when to show emotion." He sat down on the blue couch and Sasuke sat on an orange chair nearby. "He would either be an emotionless shell, or suddenly burst into tears or fly into an uncontrollable rage. I think he was five when he tried to kill another boy a few years older than him. If I hadn't stopped him… he would have succeeded. He was even hospitalized at one point when he started crying and couldn't stop. However, as he got older I thought he was getting better. I thought he could understand the world better and adapt to its expectations… but… Sasuke, Itachi has been through a lot and some things aren't worked out that easily."
"Oh." Sasuke didn't know what to think about this new information. It was a side of his brother he never suspected existed.
"I pushed him hard… too hard I've been told… but I needed him. I still do. He has to work this out." Fugaku's voice become firm, but was still friendly.
"But… if it's too hard… maybe I could help. I can help!" Sasuke stood up and clenched his fists, "He's sick, too! Remember? He's going to… he might die!"
"Sasuke, no." Fugaku sighed again, then realized he had been doing a lot of that lately and quietly berated himself for it. "Sasuke, a lot of what your big brother is doing is so you aren't dragged into this mess. He wants you safe."
That was too much and Sasuke yelled in frustration, "What's the point of being safe if the people around you are suffering! I won't stand back and let this happen! I'm going to help him no matter what! Even if you won't tell me, or anyone else, what he needs help with, I'm still going to be there!"
Fugaku stared in shock, his eyes opening wide. He had never considered that. How would Sasuke feel if Itachi died while fighting Madara? The boy had tremendous potential, and could easily provide his brother with much needed support. But… if both his boys died… He dropped his head down into his hands and shook it back and forth.
"You can't stop me, father. I will train. I will do everything I can to become as good as Itachi. Then, when he fights, I will be with him and he won't suffer anymore." Sasuke's voice was full of determination and Fugaku slowly raised his head to look at the boy. He had his Sharingan on and the expression on his face was full of determination and resolve.
"Sasuke… I don't want you to grow up to be like your brother. That is why I am having him train you instead of me. He is better with children and much more patient than I was. I don't want you to walk down the same road he does." Fugaku became stern.
"Too bad, father. I'm going to help whether you guys want me to or not. No matter what it takes." Sasuke stormed out of the room and down the hall to the stairs, stomping his feet as he descended.
Fugaku frowned in anger. "Stubborn. Just like his father."
"Both of them." Mikoto said quietly as she walked into the room; referring to Madara and Fugaku.
Fugaku looked up and sighed. Again. "I guess, when we make out plans for our children, we should have remembered that they have their own personalities and ideas."
Mikoto smiled, "It's hard though, Fugaku, we have to reign them in so they don't run amuck, yet at the same time we have to know when to release the reigns and let them fly." She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Do you suppose any parent gets it right?"
"When you put it like that… no. It seems impossible." Fugaku admitted.
Mikoto gave a short laugh. "He'll be okay, dear. He has to be."
"You sound so sure."
"I have to be, Fugaku, if I'm not… I might fall apart myself." Mikoto stood up and quickly left the room.
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Next week, Itachi gets a mission outside of Konoha.
Yes, Sakura is an orphan. You'll learn more when Sasuke goes back to school. And Sasuke has realized his life goal, but really, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.
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