A Perception of Reality

by knightchaser

There is a belief that states for every action taken, the alternative action is played out in another dimension. In one reality Itachi succeeded in killing his clan, in another, he failed. This is the story of what happened when he failed.

12. Chapter 12 Another Perspective

Last week Danzou was executed by Itachi, who then attempted to turn the blade on himself in a sudden surge of regret.

Thanks for all the reviews!

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 12 – Another Perspective

Aya walked silently through the halls of the Mitzukage mansion. It was a large structure consisting of traditional construction that linked several one and two story buildings with covered walkways and wide, dark hallways lined endlessly with doors. On the whole it was cold and unwelcoming, but there were a few rooms that were pleasant. And the garden that surrounded the mansion was spectacular, even in the fall. A small river wound its way through the property ending in a large pond that hosted beautifully colored ducks and koi. At least a couple dozen different varieties of trees shaded the garden in summer and there was even a small area set aside for bonsai. A courtyard and swimming pool were near the living room, which was where Aya spent most of her time, either inside reading, or outside training.

Today, Aya had practiced taijutsu for almost five hours. Not just to keep in shape but also because there was nothing else to do. The servants only spoke to her when they required and never in a friendly manner. There was never any small talk. The women were especially cold for some reason. Loneliness plagued her days as she fought hard to find distractions to help pass the days.

As she walked down the long hall she realized she had taken a wrong turn and was in a part of the mansion she had been warned to keep out of. Madara's private quarters. Gasping slightly in self-reproach she started to turn around so she could re-trace her steps when she heard voices. A man and a woman. Madara and … it sounded like one of the maids.

Aya thought hard and finally placed the voice. The new girl, Keiko. An image of a mid-twenties, well-dressed woman with shoulder length blue hair and blue eyes came to mind. The woman was just an inch taller than herself and very confident of herself. Aya remembered that she had instantly disliked her for some reason. She pressed herself against the wall so she could listen. After all, she reasoned to herself, what else was there to do? However, the conversation was not one she wanted to hear. In fact, it was very disturbing.

"That was quite amazing Keiko. You definitely live up to your reputation." Madara's voice was pleasant.

Keiko gave a coy laugh, "Why thank-you my Lord, but you… I've never seen anyone with such a gorgeous body, and what stamina! I might have to take a nap before I return to work."

Madara laughed, "Ha! We were in there for almost two hours after all." Aya covered her mouth when she thought she heard them kissing, suddenly realizing what they were talking about.

"Mmm… Madara…" Keiko sighed.

There was a rustling of fabric and a masculine gasp.

"Ah! Grab me there and we'll be another two hours. I've got work to do, Keiko." Madara replied in a low voice.

"Bye bye, Lord Madara." Keiko started walking down the hall and Aya ducked into a closet so she wouldn't be seen. A minute later she slid the door open and stepped out, looking the direction the other woman had walked off in. Turning around she bumped into Madara's chest. He grabbed her roughly by the throat and shoved her against the wall. His black silk yukata had a gold falcon than wound its way around the fabric and was tied loosely, revealing a muscular chest and broad shoulders. It was short, only dropping to mid-thigh.

"The little mouse forgot to hide her chakra." Madara bent his face close to hers, until his lips were only a inch from hers, "Little girls shouldn't spy on things they aren't ready for yet."

Aya struggled to release herself, but Madara gripped her neck harder, making it difficult to breath. "I'm not a kid!" Aya defended herself. "I'm sixteen!"

"Ha! Sixteen." Madara laughed at her.

Aya was getting angry, "And what are you up to? You tell me we are getting married, but you are having sex with the maids? Hypocrite."

"Humph. It will be years before you are experienced enough to please me, princess, and therefore I will take my pleasure where I find it. And you will be the obedient little wife who looks the other way. Be grateful I am allowing you to remain inexperienced. I had considered selling you off on a three-year contract. Brothels pay very well, you know. I could still change my mind." Madara bent down and kissed her roughly.

Pushing against his chest, Aya tried to break away as tears stung at her eyes, flowing freely down her cheeks.

Madara broke away from her and stood back, "A child. As I thought. Consider that your punishment for disobeying me. You are not to enter my quarters again. When the time comes, I will come to you. Not the other way around. Understood, princess?"

Aya was completely at a loss. She stood against the wall as more tears continued to fall and she fell into deep, wracking sobs. "I… want to… go home." She finally managed to speak, but the words came out broken and barely audible. "I want Shisui… I want to be with Shisui."

"Shisui is dead, and you aren't ever leaving this place." Madara spoke without emotion. He watched as the girl crumpled onto the floor and buried her face in her hands. Smiling, he bent over and placed a hand on her head, a moment later she was unconscious. "Finally, it took long enough. You have a strong spirit Aya, but finally you are starting to break."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A soft rustling sound was the first thing Aya heard as consciousness returned. Opening her eyes she winced at the bright light that streamed through the floor to ceiling window that stretched across one side of the large bedroom. It was still daylight.

"Why was I asleep?" Aya rubbed her eyes in an attempt to adjust to the light. She looked out of the window and saw snow drifting down from the sky in large delicate flakes. The sliding door attached to the window was open part-way, allowing her to hear them as they landed on the ground. Sitting up she watched the snow fall in the courtyard for a couple minutes before the events that precluded her current condition returned to her. "That bastard. How dare he do something like that?" She said angrily as she shivered.

Standing up she closed the door so the space heater would actually heat the room instead of blowing around cold air. "But why did he get so mad? If he wants to play around, and he wants me to look the other way, then why would he care if I caught him at it? And why did I react that way? It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything. Why do I care who he's with?"

"My Lady? Princess Aya, I have brought you some tea and cake. Lord Mitzukage said you would be awake by now, I see he was correct, as usual." Keiko entered the room without knocking and placed a silver tray on the kotetsu. She removed a tea pot, cup and a plate holding a large piece of white cake with coconut frosting. "You should really sit over here under the kotetsu and keep warm. Young girls are prone to illness and we wouldn't want anything to happen to you." Her syrupy over-sweet voice grated through Aya's mind like finger nails on a black board.

"Then explain why the outside door was open when I woke up." Aya asked angrily. She didn't like to be treated like a kid, and her throat was sore from breathing in the cold air.

"You must be mistaken, Princess Aya. The door was closed when Lord Mitzukage carried you in here." Keiko gave the younger woman a smile that was more of a sneer.

Aya was feeling argumentative, "And you opened it after he left. What are you, two-years-old? I would think you would realize that being jealous of me is pointless."

"Humph. Come eat your snack, Princess Aya. You're still a growing girl." Keiko walked to the door and paused with her back to Aya before speaking again in a menacing tone, "And don't worry, it isn't poisoned. That would be too easy for the Master to detect." She exited the room, silently sliding the door closed after her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An explosion broke the stillness of the early morning as bright flames shot up into the sky with an ear-splitting "boom". Another one followed seconds later, and then another. Itachi shot straight up in his bed, and jumped out only to be stopped when someone grabbed him. He turned around to strike but pulled back when he realized it was Toshiro.

"What's going on?" Itachi yelled as Toshiro pushed him back onto the bed.

"Lie down and get a grip. You've been through a lot in the last day." Toshiro walked over to the sliding glass door and pulled open the curtains. From the second story bedroom part of the village could be seen over the tops of the roofs, and in the distance seven separate fires could be were burning brightly.

Memories flooded into Itachi's mind as the events of the previous day washed over him. He had tried to kill himself. His eyes shot open in shock and he stood up, placing a hand over his stomach. He was dressed only in a pair of white shorts and he could feel no cuts or scratches. 'So I was stopped.' He thought to himself. Another explosion brought him out of his thoughts and he walked over to the door.

"What's going on?" Itachi asked, a little sheepishly. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but embarrassment was certainly at the top of the list. Perhaps even frustration or fear.

"The renegades started up again a couple hours ago. I'm surprised you didn't wake up earlier with all the noise they've been making." Toshiro replied calmly. "How are you feeling, Itachi? You really scared everyone."

"I, umm…" Itachi looked down at the floor. "I don't know."

Toshiro sighed and ran his hand through the teen's hair and patted him on the back. "You always were a curiosity to me. Although…" He was silent for a couple minutes before he spoke again, "I always hated the Mangekyou. My… father had it and he went blind. This was when your father was still a little boy. I don't think Fugaku remembers much about him, if anything. He was already dead by the time we became friends. My father killed his best friend in a battle that was setup by the elders. It weighed on his mind for the rest of his life and he… ended up killing himself. He said…" Toshiro stopped and closed his eyes, "He said he could hear his friend's voice talking to him."

Itachi gasped and turned to look at the older man, grabbing Toshiro's arm in shock. "He what?"

"Fugaku told me that the eyes could be obtained through strong emotion. I hadn't known that before. I thought you had to kill first. He showed me the scroll… the one that was kept secret from all but the clan leader and elders. You and he are the only ones who have the Mangekyou right now. You two… and Madara of course. He's still out there, somewhere. I'm sure we didn't scare him off permanently eight years ago. That would be too good to be true."

Looking around the room Itachi saw his robe lying across the end of the bed and put it on. The dark room was chilled even though the oil heater was running. "Toshiro… why are you telling me this?"

Smiling, Toshiro looked at Itachi as he leaned against the door jam, "Because, it needed to be said. And… I heard you say Shisui's name right before you stopped attacking Danzou. What happened, Itachi? Did you hear him?"

Itachi frowned, not knowing what to say. But… he was Shisui's father. "I…" he paused, wishing he could vanish instead of answering the question, "I did hear something. It said to kill him. It sounded like… like Shisui. But that's not possible! There's no such thing as ghosts!"

"It's not a ghost. It's the chakra of the person you absorbed. That is how the Mangekyou works. My father told me about it. He said that the Mangekyou is the result of two complimentary chakra systems working together. Kind of like having a double Sharingan, only more powerful. Because they are complimentary, it is undetectable to everyone except the person who carries it. He was unable to control when his friend would speak, but it seemed to happen during periods of great duress and indecision."

"So… Shisui is… alive in my… eyes? Mind?" Itachi was getting confused. It really sounded too bizarre to be true. Especially for someone who had just woken up. The burning village, dark room, Toshiro speaking to him; it reminded him of a dream he had years earlier in which he had run into the older man at the front gate of the Uchiha compound in the middle of the night. Toshiro had then killed him out of pity, to put him out of his misery. In the dream, Itachi had thanked him as he dropped to ground dying.

"He's alive as chakra inside your body. But at the same time, it isn't him." Toshiro explained quietly.

"Oh. I guess… As long as I'm not hearing voices because I'm going insane I guess I can deal with it. Thank-you for telling me." Itachi smiled with relief. "I wonder… I wonder if there is a way to actually communicate with that chakra."

"Father tried. Especially after he went blind and could no longer work. He would meditate for hours calling his dead friend, but it never worked. However, that's no reason for you not to try. You are the Uchiha prodigy and where others failed, you may succeed." Toshiro's voice was encouraging.

"And… you want to talk to him as well." Itachi replied calmly.

"Yeah. I'm his father. Of course I do."

"Hmm." Itachi released a ragged breath, unsure of Toshiro's agenda. His explanation was logical, to a degree, but on the other hand it sounded more like the grief-stricken ramblings of a half-insane father. He decided to change the subject, "So why are you here instead of outside fighting?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on you." Toshiro said truthfully, "Everyone is very worried. And not many people can overpower you if you decide to break down again so the list of babysitters is pretty short."

Itachi closed his eyes and he remembered the overwhelming guilt that suddenly engulfed him as he picked up Danzou's discarded knife. "I was going to… kill… you all."

"Itachi, that's been sorted out already. Don't let it weigh so heavily on your mind."

"Yes, you're right." Itachi admitted halfheartedly, more to end the conversation than because he believed it.

"Also… I need to stay here and keep an eye on Naruto. Last time he was almost killed." Toshiro admitted. "We can't afford to let that happen."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bluish-gray clouds hung low over the village as dawn brightened the sky. A light flurry of snow fell lazily, occasionally blown horizontal by a strong north wind. The early-season snow storm made fighting difficult and the renegades pulled back as their cover of darkness disappeared. Casualties were low, thanks in part to Fugaku pulling all available shinobi into service after the execution. Even so, after the fighting died down a lot of people felt the attack was nothing more than a token effort – a show of force simply because they were slightly pissed off over the death of their leader. The passion evidenced in the faces of the enemy seemed to be fueled by something else.

There were many things going though Fugaku's mind as he walked into the meeting room at the interrogation facilities. Like everyone else he was wet and cold from an evening of fighting in the snow, but that was clearly at the back of his mind as he gazed over the faces of the interrogation squad.

"Lord Hokage." Ibiki addressed Fugaku as he, and the others in attendance sat down at the table. "We captured twenty-three renegades. However, only four were from Konoha. The rest were missing-nins from Stone and Waterfall, and I think one of the Waterfall nins may actually be from Grass – we're rechecking his identity right now. One of the Chuunin thinks he recognizes him from a mission a couple years ago."

"Humph. It would be completely out of character for Danzou to hire foreign shinobi. This certainly complicates things." Fugaku answered. "Obviously someone else was pulling the strings. The question is when did they get involved - before the coup or after?"

"We are attempting to ascertain that right now." Ibiki assured him however, as he continued his voice became hesitant, "Two of the Konoha ninjas we captured were not connected with Danzou, but acting on their own against the... new government."

Fugaku scowled, "That makes seventy-seven in the last few weeks. Time to start making an example of them."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Itachi? Big brother?" Sasuke spoke worriedly as he slid open the door and poked his head through the gap. "Are you awake?"

"Is he awake?" Naruto was standing behind him, whispering.

"M… maybe we shouldn't bother him." Hinata said nervously.

"What do you want?" Itachi spoke softly. He and Toshiro were sitting in mismatched upholstered chairs watching the snow fall. A small end-table sat between them with two tea cups and a thermos.

"Umm… I know I'm not supposed to bother you… but… maybe you could tell me… umm… us… what kind of training we could do on our… own…" Sasuke's voice dropped to nothing when he noticed that Itachi had made no attempt to turn around and look at him. He started to fidget and fumbled nervously with the hem of his sweater.

"You should stay inside." Itachi replied calmly. "There might still be renegades around." He was silent for a minute, but when the kids made no motion to leave he closed his eyes. Toshiro had refused to leave and being under continuous observation was beginning to eat on Itachi's nerves. He wasn't used to such close contact. Toshiro, of course, realized this and had promised to leave once the doctor said it was okay.

"Okay." Sasuke continued to fidget.

"Hinata, you didn't walk over here alone did you?" Toshiro asked.

The girl opened her eyes wide, "No. Kisa and Hanabi and Konohamaru are downstairs. And… umm… Lady Mikoto wanted to know if you want to eat in you room or downstairs."

"Itachi, I believe it would be good to eat with everyone." Toshiro replied kindly.

"Yes, of course." Itachi said blandly, "Sasuke, you three can practice hiding and sensing chakra. One of you will hide your chakra, and the other two must try to sense it."

Sasuke was suspicious, "That sounds like hide-and-seek."

"Funny how that works out, isn't it?" Itachi smirked. "However, it will save your life someday, nonetheless."

"Oh!" Sasuke's eyes opened wide, "Okay! Come on guys!" The three children ran out of the room, eager to begin their new training.

"That was…" Toshiro laughed.

"Yeah, well, it'll keep them occupied for a while. Naruto especially needs to work on his chakra control but Sasuke could use the practice as well. Hinata will probably win." Itachi smiled as he explained.

"Itachi." Fugaku walked into the room and appraised his son, "You look better."

Itachi stared at his father for minute then down at his hands. He felt ashamed, so much so that he could feel his face turning red with embarrassment. Although exactly what shamed him was a little harder to understand. Was it his failure to kill himself, or the fact that he had even tried in the first place? Nevertheless he rose from his chair, dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead on the floor. "I apologize for my conduct yesterday and the embarrassment it caused you, my family, and my clan."

Fugaku gave him a weak smile, "Surprisingly enough, you are now a hero Itachi. Your willingness to accept your punishment after Danzou knocked away the knife was seen as the act of a responsible, loyal ninja of Konoha."

Itachi sat back on the balls of his feet and stared at his father in disbelief before looking back down at the floor. "But how do you feel, father."

Sitting down on the edge of the bed Fugaku sighed as he shook his head. "Angry… worried…" He gazed intently at his still kneeling son, "But none of that concerns you. Toshiro, could you leave us?"

"Sure thing. I'll go see if lunch is ready." Toshiro stood up and left, closing the door silently.

Fugaku waited a minute before speaking again, "Itachi, I have a mission for you. I want you to travel in Akatsuki for a while and try to ascertain the current threat level to Konoha."

"What do you mean? Can't the Shinobi teams already here do that?" Itachi was confused. It sounded like something an advanced Genin team should be doing. Simple recognizance.

"It's not as simple as it sounds. Several of the renegades captured last night were missing nins from other villages. We know Madara got a hold of Danzou and probably was responsible for him showing up that night, but is that his only involvement? Whether it is or isn't, you, as Akatsuki, could find out more than a regular Konoha ninja could. Plus – we don't have many shinobi to spare. We have to keep a certain number here to protect the village from the renegades, and it's entirely possible we may be attacked in our weakened state by another village. Stone and Cloud have traditionally been the first to pound on our gates. The clans that I pulled in to help with the coup will need to be trained to work together before they can be sent away on missions so they aren't completely useful yet either." Fugaku was matter-of-fact in his explanation.

"Ah. I understand. I'll contact Leader and let him know right away. But I need to be alone to do it."

Fugaku stood up, "Then I'll wait in the hallway for you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three days later Itachi was packed and ready to head out. His backpack held his cloak, weapons, a few personal effects and on his back was strapped a precision katana. Sasuke, of course, was very upset to see his brother leaving, but was mollified somewhat when Itachi wrote out a detailed training schedule with goals and deadlines.

Before he left he visited Shisui's grave. There were no flowers in the village – the Yamanaka's florist shop was still standing, but had been damaged by looters and wouldn't open again until spring or maybe summer. Instead, Itachi brought some potato chips and scattered them on the ground in front of the grave stone; it had been Shisui's favorite food. He stayed for about ten minutes, staring at his friend's name, not really thinking. A few weeks ago he had wanted to apologize for failing, but now he wanted to apologize for not seeing through Danzou's treachery. If he had known what was going on… Shisui would still be alive. As far as Itachi was concerned, Shisui had been Danzou's first victim.

As he finally made his way out of the village he saw a small crowd gathered at the front gate. They were standing in small groups whispering. Itachi approached and stopped in shock when he saw the focus of their attention - heads. The heads were stuck onto pikes and under each one was sign with a name and the word "traitor". Danzou's head was there, of course. That didn't surprise or alarm Itachi; his hatred for the man would probably never diminish. What did bother him was the inclusion of the heads of villagers who had risen up against Fugaku since he had taken power. He saw a woman sobbing quietly underneath one head, there were two small children clutching her legs. The three looked like they were dressed in rags. They had blankets wrapped around their bodies and the children had towels tied to their legs to protect them from the snow.

Turning from the sight Itachi walked through the small opening in the large village gate and started down the road. It was still very cold out and the gray sky promised more snow before the day was out. Possibly before noon. Itachi had been in fairly high spirits when he had awoken that morning, but they were quickly fading. He had wanted to leave the village for a while, but now he wasn't so sure that he was doing the right thing.

An hour later he was dressed in his Akatsuki robe, hat and ring. He was going to have to travel a few hours to meet up with Kisame since he had been on the southern tip of Wind country conducting his "personal business". He was about to jump up into the trees when he sensed a familiar presence. He stood still and waited as his chest tightening in apprehension. He didn't want those two to see him dressed in the black and red garment and considered pulling it off as their chakra came closer. But they already knew what he was so instead he closed his eyes and waited.

Sarutobi and Jiraiya jumped down, landing ten feet away from the teen. They stared at him expressionlessly, as if sizing him up. Time passed slowly as Itachi held their attention, making no attempt to leave.

Finally Sarutobi spoke, his voice sounded strong and sure, but strangely neutral, "Itachi, I wish you luck on your mission. Hopefully you will find out who is hiring those missing nin."

"You are sounding well." Itachi stated it as a fact.

"Yes. I am feeling much better now."

"Is this a chance encounter or did you intercept me for a reason?" Itachi asked, suddenly on guard. The two men in front of him seemed aloof and serious.

Jiraiya spoke up, his words tinged with anger, "I take it you saw that pretty little display at the front gate?"

"Yes."

"Fugaku has quite a temper." He continued.

"Yes." Itachi wondered why the Sanin was wasting time stating the obvious.

"So what is next?" Jiraiya asked.

"Don't push him and you won't find out. Or run away like you always do. Why are you still in Konoha anyway?" Itachi was suddenly angry. He wasn't defending his father, but if these two men came all this way just to complain; as far as was concerned they could take a long walk off a short pier.

Jiraiya growled and Sarutobi placed a hand on his arm, silently telling him to calm down.

"I'll be sending frogs to you on a regular basis. Return them with information. No one is getting in the way of Naruto's safety. Even you." Jiraiya's voice was full of menace as he glared at the boy in front of him.

"Naruto is safe for now. Despite what you think of him, Fugaku would give his life to protect him. Perhaps for different reasons than you, but it does still ensure he is safe. Now, unless you have something useful to say, I do have someplace I need to get to." Itachi spoke calmly and firmly.

"When are you returning?" Sarutobi finally asked.

"I'm not sure. It could take a few months to trace down the source of the missing nins. Remember, I have to do this in addition to being Akatsuki, which means I'll be doing this in bits and pieces." He suddenly got the gist of what was bothering the two men and sighed, "If you are worried about my father going on a killing spree then take out the rebels in the village yourself first. Fugaku has never been one to put up with any form of defiance and the longer they defy him the worse things will get. He isn't squeamish at all about torture, and now that he has the Hyuuga side-branch supporting him you really won't be able to do much to stop him."

Sarutobi closed his eyes and sighed, "I have heard stories… A long time ago one of the Uchiha Lords would impale his enemies on stakes and watch them die…"

"Yes. That is true." Itachi stated calmly. "It was hundreds of years ago, but it is in our histories still. It really happened."

"At an interrogation yesterday Fugaku threatened a rebel with the same punishment." Sarutobi opened his eyes and locked onto Itachi's expressionless face.

"If he threatened then he will go through with it. I suggest you get to work as soon as possible instead of standing here gossiping with me." Itachi was careful not put any inflection in his voice. He was horrified, however, that his father would even consider such a thing, yet the man never made idle threats. "I apologize that I am not going to be here to help you."

"You have helped, Itachi. I believe I understand the situation better, and you do have something important to do now. The security of the village, inside and outside, is always important." Jiraiya finally smiled, albeit it didn't reach his eyes.

Itachi's expression broke and he closed his eyes as he frowned.

"Itachi… I am beginning an investigation to find Tsunade. It will take a while… the last I heard she was on another continent. However, she may be able to do something about your illness…" Jiraiya was interrupted by Itachi who opened his eyes in anger.

"Don't find her for me. I'm not worth it. Do it because the village needs healers. Dr. Yakushi was not well when he visited me the other day. He is overworked, and if he dies because of that…"

"There is no one to fill his shoes. He is second only to Tsunade. The other healers are competent, but none are at their level." Sarutobi filled in the blanks. "Very well. We will see you when we see you, then." The two men disappeared and Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back in the direction of the village he wondered what it would be like when he returned.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Next week – Itachi searches for the source of the Renegades missing nin and the Academy re-opens.

Please review

Updates on Fridays