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.

16. Chapter 16 Abandoned Hospitals Hideouts

Last week Itachi arrived in Konoha only to discover that his brother and seven other kids had been kidnapped. Meanwhile, the kidnapped kids wake up to discover that Sakura has been removed from their room.

Thanks for all the reviews and favs! I love reading them.

I prefer Itachi x Sakura too, but for this story it wouldn't work. Clans in old Japan were very status oriented and there wouldn't be anything Sakura could bring to a marriage with the heir. If they did fall in love it would end in disaster. With Sasuke – it would be more an issue of Fugaku not wanting the bloodline "marred" so he would also be required to marry an Uchiha.

Disclaimer: Hinata owns Naruto so Kishimoto better keep his hands off or she'll 64-palm him.

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Chapter 16 - Abandoned Hospitals Make Good Hideouts

"Dancing with the devil, Fugaku, comes with strings attached." Sarutobi warned angrily. "There should have been a way we could have handled this on our own."

Jiraiya banged his fist down on the edge of the desk and scowled, "That organization… even if Itachi is there it is still dangerous. What could possibly posses you to agree to this? What if they get their hands on Naruto?"

Fugaku was sitting behind the desk in his office with Sarutobi and Jiraiya sitting in front of him. It had only been a few minutes since Itachi had left to go after the children Root had kidnapped and already things were getting heated.

Fugaku gazed at them emotionlessly for a few minutes before sighing and closing his eyes. "Itachi has assured me that they do not need Naruto yet. For the moment he is safe. Since he was assigned to retrieve the Kyuubi we will know when that changes."

Sarutobi squinted his eyes angrily, "Then what is the problem? It sounds like you are trying to protect Sasuke from someone. Is it Madara? What is going on?"

"What is going on…" Fugaku repeated quietly. He considered the implications of telling them the truth. He remembered the old saying, "The only secret is the one you don't tell yourself." However, he also realized that the two men in front of him had a point. Not knowing the whole story could jeopardize things if they, or, to be more precise, Jiraiya, decided to act on his own. Something he was famous for.

Realizing he didn't have much of a choice Fugaku leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "What I am about to tell you must be kept secret. It will hurt a lot of people if it got out, most of all Sasuke."

"I won't keep it a secret if it hurt's Konoha." Jiraiya growled.

"If it got to that point, I wouldn't keep it a secret either. In fact, eventually it will get out on its own. But for now… let me explain and then we'll see if you understand better what is going on."

Sarutobi's harsh voice answered, "Fine. But don't leave anything out."

Fugaku leaned forward and drained his tea cup, wishing fervently that it had been full of sake, "Nine years ago Madara entered the village several times, undetected even by me. I suspected he was there, but I had no proof. He was in contact with an elder named Kentaro, the man who raised me until I came of age. Through him, he gathered a small group of followers and told them they would be overthrowing the Konoha ruling council and killing the Fourth. This bit I knew of and played along, hoping to draw out his followers. However, Kentaro was very clever and of course, I trusted him.

"Madara had learned that the Jinchuuriki was an old man who was about to die. He needed to move the Kyuubi to a younger vessel and…" Fugaku paused, this part was the hardest to speak of. He didn't even like to think about it. "He wanted the Jinchuuriki to be an Uchiha."

"Sasuke… So he wanted to steal your son?" Jiraiya asked, bewildered.

"I already know this… we discussed it after Minato's death." Sarutobi said impatiently.

Fugaku gave a short, bitter laugh, "Yeah. That much you do know. And yes, Jiraiya, Sasuke was supposed to have been the Jinchuuriki. The Uchiha elder council ordered me to father a second son. Standard procedure, actually, for the clan chief to have spare heirs in case one dies. However… I threw a wrench in the works. I didn't want children, period. Not even Itachi. After he was born I had myself sterilized and basically stayed away from him for several years afterward."

"So… who is Sasuke's…" Jiraiya interrupted again.

"Mikoto didn't know about the procedure. When she found out Kentaro arranged to have donor sperm provided for an artificial insemination technique. Kagura – a healer in our clan – told her that the sperm would be mine, that even though I was sterile she could somehow use a procedure to get some. In reality if would be another man from the clan chosen by Kentaro. I told him I didn't want to know who. At this point Mikoto was already in the hospital…" Fugaku suppressed the urge to shudder… He had been the reason she was there. After becoming angry at the then four-year-old Itachi during a training session he had broken the boy's arm and given his wife a concussion when she tried to protect him.

The room was silent for a couple minutes as Fugaku closed his eyes and dropped his head. "I found out shortly after that… Madara had been the donor."

The color went out of Sarutobi's and Jiraiya's faces as they processed this new information. Not only had the adversary of the First Hokage somehow survived, but he was now the father of the Uchiha clan leader's youngest son.

"When his plan to use Sasuke failed he immediately made new plans. I don't know what those are, but it has something to do with him turning fifteen.

"Anyway, I hope you can appreciate better where I am coming from here. I need to keep Madara away from Sasuke."

"You think he could be planning to use him against Konoha?" Jiraiya asked.

"You would have to provide a lot of proof to convince me otherwise." Fugaku rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the headache that had suddenly sprang up. "Hopefully Sasuke can become strong enough to refuse that course, but, even now, Madara has a grip on Itachi that cannot be broken without dire consequences. Even if Sasuke refused to follow that man… ultimately he may not have a choice. That is why I want to keep them away from each other. Also… Madara has formed an emotional bond with his… son… and should Konoha Shinobi be there if Sasuke is killed he could very likely take his anger out on them. Not to mention the fact that I would like to keep his existence a secret."

Jiraiya sighed and shook his head, "If Konoha were to find out who Sasuke's real father is… You're right Fugaku. This needs to be handled discretely. I've seen how they treat Naruto… Sasuke would probably get it ten times worse. Though I am surprised you kept him. It seems to go against your personality."

Fugaku snorted, "I'm not that shallow, Jiraiya. Sasuke is my son, for all intents and purposes. I will protect him." He paused before speaking in a quieter voice, "Itachi… probably won't live to see twenty. The clan needs Sasuke now, even more than I need him as a son. There is no one else to take over the clan's leadership. But he can't lead them and follow Madara at the same time. I won't allow it."

"You won't allow it…" Sarutobi's eyes opened wide, "You would go that far?"

"Do I have a choice?" Fugaku replied bitterly. "I have no idea what Madara's plans are, but I'm sure they don't bode well for the ninja world. I won't let him use Sasuke like that."

Sarutobi had to smile, despite the gravity of the situation, "It takes more than blood to become a father, Fugaku. I'm glad to hear you understand this."

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A heavy coating of dew covered the small shrubs and weeds, wetting the clothes of the middle-aged man who was sitting on the ground. His eyes were unfocused and his expression passive. A cool breeze blew through the small clearing just outside the periphery of the abandoned hospital but he neither shivered nor showed any discomfort.

"That's quite a Genjutsu you got going, Itachi." Yuri complimented her friend as she kept watch; gazing through the overgrown garden shrubs and weeds. The large building hadn't been used since before Konoha was founded and was said to have been built during the time of Rikodou Sennin. About twice the size of the hospital in Konoha it was overgrown with vines and the aged garden overflowed with old roses, hydrangeas, fruit trees and weeds. However, an area a couple hundred feet around the building had been cleared – no doubt to aid security.

"I don't deserve that much credit. His mind is weak." Itachi knelt down on one knee and gazed at the blond man in front of him. He was dressed in typical ninja fashion, blue pants, blue flak vest and a black shirt. However, he had no forehead protector. "Where are the children that were brought here?"

Speaking as if asleep, the man mumbled his words almost inaudibly, "The kids are put wherever we have room."

"Wherever you have room…" Itachi repeated slowly. "That sounds like there are lots of kids here. How many are there?"

"Lots. We have been bringing in orphans from all over for a couple years now. I brought in seven last week."

Itachi closed his eyes as he tried to comprehend this new bit of information. He could hear Yuri muttering curses he had never heard her use before. Opening his eyes he continued his questioning, "Do you know anything about nine children brought in from Konoha? Where were they placed?"

"Don't know." His mumbling was getting fainter as his eyes started to drift closed as he swayed slightly.

"Useless." Itachi pulled out a kunai and slit the man's throat.

"There are vines growing up the side of the building. Since they use roots to dig into the cement, wood or whatever, I can send my chakra through them to search the outer rooms. Unfortunately that means I have to get close." Yuri volunteered as she fingered an ancient rose bush. The base was about a foot in diameter and branches rose almost eight feet into the air. It was covered in bright green leaves and appeared to be flourishing with neglect.

"We'll have to wait for the others then. We'll need a diversion and Deidara has one that will work perfectly for this. There are too many people here to do a straight assault, the children could be hurt in the chaos or their captors could even use the opportunity to move them." Itachi watched as Yuri used an earth jutsu to open the ground up under the body and suck it into the ground – hiding the evidence. It would now be impossible to detect that anyone had died there.

Yuri nodded, "Hmm. Okay. Deidara… sounds familiar."

"Remember – our first mission we met a boy my age…"

"Oh! That's him? What a coincidence. I've wondered about him occasionally through the years. He was covered in bruises because his sensei was beating him. So he didn't do so well after all – I mean – if he ended up in Akatsuki."

"Don't know." Itachi admitted. "He's a cocky little bastard though. Try not to let him get on your nerves. It's a bit of a hobby with him. Missing nin don't generally like to discuss their pasts so you probably shouldn't ask."

"Okay."

Itachi was silent for a while, but ever since they had started this mission he couldn't shake the feeling that something seemed off with Yuri. It took a few more minutes to realize what it was, "You haven't mentioned Uncle in a long time…"

"He's dead." Yuri said plainly.

"Dead? How?" Itachi was shocked by the news, then remembered his manners and added an apology, "I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?"

Yuri took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, "I'm not okay. Too much is going on. Uncle… I guess I can call him 'father' now since that's who he was… made an agreement with the clan. If they helped Fugaku with the coup he would step down as clan leader and I would take over the position. He would then pay for his crimes by committing ritual suicide. So… after the coup… he…"

It was quiet for a long time as Yuri took several deep breaths to calm herself down. She finally continued in a hoarse voice, "The clan… they are people I haven't seen since I was little and even then I didn't know any of them. The chief's family didn't associate with those of lower birth so they're all strangers to me. I really miss him, Itachi. The clan is nice to me, but they're too polite and very formal. I feel isolated."

"Perhaps they are afraid of you? I mean, you were raised by the man who betrayed them. Maybe they are waiting to see if you are like him?" Itachi offered his opinion.

"Yeah, that's what Fugaku said." She suddenly laughed, "He lectures me a lot on how to run a clan. I mean, I always thought he was mean but he's really gone out of his way to help."

"Well, be careful of that." Itachi said quietly, "He isn't a saint by any means."

"Don't I know it. No, I'm not planning on becoming dependant on him and I don't do everything he recommends, but… it's not like there's a college extension course on how to run a clan out their either."

"Humph. I see your point." However, Itachi couldn't help but think that Fugaku was doing nothing more than sticking his fingers into another clan's affairs for his own personal gain. Yuri was a powerful ninja, but she had obviously developed some dependency issues over the last year. He could guess how it could of happened, of course. Her father was a paranoid man who trained her everyday, drilling his clan's jutsus into her as well as keeping a firm hold of her comings and goings. In his absence, she had no one to cling to anymore. Even though she said she wasn't becoming dependant on him, he conjectured that she probably was.

Unfortunately he knew there was little he could do to stop it. "What about this cousin that's been helping you? I think I heard Fugaku mention him once back when we were in the jail a few months back."

"Oh. Yeah – he's nice. The… um… clan elders want us to get married." She was blushing now, causing Itachi to smile.

"That's good news." He leaned back onto the wet ground and stared at the little bit of light blue sky that showed through the leaves. "You need someone. I would suggest marrying as soon as possible."

"Itachi, you are so much like your father sometimes it's scary."

"No need to be insulting." Itachi scowled.

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Deidara flew over the northern part of the hospital in a series of figure eights waving at the ninja who were attempting to knock him out of the sky. A little disgruntled about not being able to drop any bombs, he nevertheless made the most of it by adding in a few flips and occasionally dive bombing his adversaries.

His job was to cause a distraction so the "plant girl", as he had nicknamed her after seeing her create a clone out of a root, could search the building for the missing kids. Another thing he wasn't too keen about. Why should he have to help an Uchiha?

Glancing discretely to the south he saw a particular cherry tree bend down about three feet. That was the signal that the others were in position. Smiling he sent a small clay bird north through the trees. As expected, a large group of the Root Shinobi took off after it. Forming a series of hand signs he activated a clay spider that he had placed near the location "plant girl" was going to use. When it moved she would know it was safe to begin.

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Itachi and Kisame stood behind Yuri as she placed her hands on the ivy-covered wall and sent her chakra through the vines. Sasori was a few feet away still hidden in the underbrush. He had pulled out two low-level puppets for back-up.

Several minutes passed before Yuri spoke, "I'm finding a lot of kids. They don't seem to be prisoners though. They're being instructed by older Shinobi. It's like, this is a school or something."

"Chances are it won't be five minutes after we leave. They'll evacuate the place before we can get any information out of 'em." Kisame complained as he dug the tip of Samehada into the weeds choking out the trimmed grass. "I'm pissed off at you Itachi… you should have thought of this place a long time ago. It's right near your clan's hideout."

"My clan's…" Itachi's eyes opened wide, "How do you know that?"

"I did fight in the last war, remember? We were up and down through here many times. That place is too big to miss after all."

"I guess." Itachi figured he had a point. It was rather large, but from a distance it looked like a small mountain overgrown with shrubs and trees. Mist must have been right up on it, perhaps even in the abandoned village surrounding it. He figured the chances that Madara had sent them were probably slim, after all he was using it himself and even had a secret apartment under the throne room.

"I found them!" Yuri hissed, "They're on the top floor… um… look up and count down twenty windows from where we are now – it's boarded up."

"Ah. I see. We can get in from the roof…"

"Itachi… I'm only counting eight kids. One is missing… it's Sakura. Should I create a clone and make contact?"

"Yes, but ask them to keep quiet. We'll be up right away…" Itachi was interrupted by Kisame who grunted in disapproval.

"We'll wait until after midnight. There's too many people around. You're being reckless Itachi, this isn't like you. I know he's your brother and all but still." Kisame scowled.

Itachi's face went blank. He was being reckless, but he had a reason. Madara was going to be arriving soon. However, if he wanted Kisame's help with this "personal errand" he was going to have to back off and play by his rules.

Turning to Yuri he amended his statement, "Tell them we'll be there after midnight."

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Itachi analyzed the situation, "They probably pulled Sakura away from the others because they aren't planning on returning her. She might be with the other children in the classrooms, or a completely different facility." It was now late evening and the forest was quiet except for the sound of the occasional owl and the wind blowing through the branches. And of course Deidara snoring lightly as he slept curled up a few feet away.

"You're going to have to leave her behind." Sasori spoke up.

"It looks like it." Itachi responded in a defeated tone.

"No way!" Yuri yelled. "She's only eight-years-old! She isn't like us Itachi, she's an innocent Academy student!"

Itachi cut her off, "Yuri! They aren't going to hurt her. Remember the note they sent, they said they were going to indoctrinate her into Root."

"But the kids said they were also thinking of selling her."

"We'll have to take that risk. But don't worry, it's not like Konoha can't come back later and get her. Right now, those eight are the ones that are in danger. Root doesn't want them."

"Arghhh!" Deidara jumped to his feet and took off into the forest, "Tobi I'm going to rip you into so many pieces…"

"Deidara shut up!" Sasori yelled, "You're going to give away our position."

Deidara and Tobi stepped into the small clearing from opposite sides.

"He started it." Deidara pouted. "He was throwing rocks at me."

"And I'm finishing it. Now sit down and behave yourself. Both of you."

Dropping to the ground, the blond teen vented his anger by pulling leaves off of the weeds in front of him and mumbling to himself.

"Tobi wants to help young Itachi rescue his baby brother." Tobi sat down in front of Itachi and adjusted his orange and black mask.

"No. Go away." Itachi replied grumpily.

Sasori groaned, "You can keep watch on the roof. That way Yuri can bring out the kids and Itachi and Kisame can make a search for this missing Sakura girl."

"What's Sasori doing?" Tobi asked, pleased to find out he could help after all.

"I'm staying down here with my puppets to cover their retreat. They've stepped up security since that stunt Deidara pulled this afternoon, but it seems they think he was just another missing nin checking them out. Yuri used a jutsu to listen in on them using the tree roots. Apparently they have confrontations like this a lot. They're hoping he comes back so they can ask him to join."

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Deidara cheered up considerably when one AM approached. Taking off through the forest he took off into the dark, star filled sky on his clay bird about ten minutes later, drawing the guards after him again. They were calling to him good naturedly, trying to get him to land.

Meanwhile, Itachi, Yuri, Kisame and Tobi used transportation jutsus to get to the roof of the hospital. The surface was rough and full of dirt, weeds, and trash. They quickly took out the four guards and then moved toward the stairwell as Tobi took up a defensive position nearby.

As Itachi passed him he placed a hand on the teen's should and bent down to whisper in his ear, "I stopped by to speak with Fugaku for a few minutes. Danzou's body is missing, including the head that was on display at the gate and a collection of tissue samples that were in storage. They can't do a DNA test. He believes there is a spy in his camp and he's going to operate under the supposition that Danzou's still alive."

Itachi felt his blood go cold as he listened. "How is Hanzou faring?"

"His forces are proving too difficult for Pein. That war could go on for a year or more. Unlike your father, he is taking over a country, not a village. I contacted Pein about the DNA and he is also going to operate as if Danzou were alive."

Itachi nodded once and Madara patted him on the back a couple times as Itachi entered the stairwell. Surprisingly enough, the lights were on. They hadn't noticed much light from the outside of the building. A few rooms had what looked like lanterns or candles burning in them, but no evidence of electricity. He quickly caught up to the others and silently entered the top floor. The long hallway was also lit, but not as brightly as the stairwell had been. Looking closer he could see that only about an eighth of the light bulbs were working.

Yuri signaled that she was going to get the kids and Itachi nodded as he and Kisame moved toward the row of rooms on the inside of the building. These rooms had no windows and the roots Yuri had been using couldn't reach them. They quietly entered the room of sleeping ninja and children without being detected and searched for a small pink-haired girl. She was no where to be found and they didn't have time to search the other floors.

Making their way back to the roof they saw eight disgruntled and sleepy children arguing with Yuri. Tobi was leaning casually against the wall of the stairwell listening.

"Everyone grab two kids and get back to the forest." Itachi ordered as he latched onto Sasuke and Naruto's arms.

Sasuke pulled back, "What about Sakura? You have to promise you'll come back and get her!"

"I promise I'll come back and get her. Now let's get going." Itachi said hurriedly. He watched as Yuri grabbed Hinata and Ino, Kisame grabbed Shino and Shikamaru and Tobi grabbed Kiba and Ji. A moment later they were back in the clearing. Deidara was already waiting for them, standing next to his clay bird.

Just as Itachi was about to explain to the kids the procedure for returning to Konoha, the forest suddenly came alive as dozens of Root Shinobi forced their way through the shrubs and attacked. The children were quickly pushed toward the middle of the clearing as their rescuers engaged the enemy. Kisame swung his great sword, taking out two ninjas who made the mistake of getting too close to him. Meanwhile, Itachi used a fire jutsu to take out three and Yuri strangled a couple more by pulling roots out of the ground. Tobi had jumped into the middle of the surging ninja, diverting them from the kids. Sasori's puppets suddenly appeared and used the same strategy, pulling even more ninja away from the clearing.

The fight seemed to be coming to an end when Yuri suddenly dived into the middle of the kids, yelling at them to move. Itachi turned around, Katana in his right hand and watched in horror as a sword poked through the earth heading straight for Shikamaru. Sasuke pushed his friend out of the way just as the sword reached his stomach. It pierced him at an angle, entering his chest cavity and exiting through his collar bone by his shoulder.

Sasuke stood still for a moment and stared at Yuri as she sent her roots through the ground to strangle the person who had been holding the sword. The man's hand dropped from the hilt and Sasuke stumbled back a couple feet. He wondered why he wasn't feeling any pain. Instead, he felt light, like he didn't weigh anything. But… if he didn't weigh anything why was he stumbling and falling backward. He closed his eyes as he lost consciousness.

The Root Shinobi renewed their attack forcing Itachi to turn away from his brother in order to defend himself. He saw Deidara catch Sasuke as he started to fall and jump up on his bird. He took off a second later, cradling the boy in is arms. Tobi ran off through the woods to follow him.

Cursing, Itachi renewed his attack with increased vigor. Sharingan blazing, he began to savagely rip through all of the shinobi in front of him. He decapitated them, cut off their arms, legs and ripped through their torsos. A few minutes later all of the Root Shinobi lay dead in a circle around the children and their rescuers.

"Yuri!" Itachi commanded, "Get these kids back to Konoha. Kisame, go with her. Turn back before you get to Konoha. I'm going after Deidara." He took off before anyone could protest.

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Deidara flew about ten miles to the south, along the route they were planning to use to escape with the children. He didn't know why he had grabbed Sasuke, it had been instinctive and before he realized what he was doing he was on his bird carrying an Uchiha of all things to safety. Or, more likely, an early grave.

The young boy was leaking blood at a tremendous rate and the sword was still in him, making him difficult to hold. Seeing a clearing he quickly descended and laid Sasuke carefully on the ground. He hoped Tobi was following. The man was annoying, but he was also very good at healing. Or at least, he was better than anyone Deidara had ever met, which probably wasn't saying much considering who he was hanging out with. Although he quickly amended that analysis when he thought of Kakuzu; that man probably was the best healer.

Tobi appeared in the clearing, interrupting his thoughts and ran over to Sasuke's side. He spoke hurriedly and his usual high-pitched teasing tone was gone. In it's stead was a firm, deep voice of a powerful ninja, "Go help with the other children, I'll take care of Sasuke."

Deidara didn't say anything as he quickly got back on his clay bird and took off. Something about Tobi was off and was creeping him out. Of course, he didn't want to be there when the boy died. He suddenly brushed the tears out of his eyes. There was no way he was going to survive being pierced like that. He hated seeing children get hurt. It reminded him too much of himself… of the abandonment he felt when he was pushed from his father's home, of the hunger and he had endured while living on the streets and of the disappointment he had felt when his sensei had started beating him. It had all been painful.

Even if he was an Uchiha, Deidara decided he didn't want Sasuke to die. Of course, as he wiped more tears from his eyes he tried to justify his conflicted feelings. If Sasuke turned out to be like Itachi that would make him fair game and then he could kill him. That would be okay. After all how could every Uchiha be like Itachi?

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Madara had felt his heart drop into his stomach when he saw the sword pierce Sasuke's flesh. He quickly chased after Deidara, knowing that the teen wouldn't go far. Reaching the clearing where he had dropped back down to the ground, Madara quickly sent Deidara away so he could treat Sasuke.

He looked over his shoulder, he knew that Itachi would be along soon. If Sasuke died Itachi would loose it and need to be restrained. He would lash out at the nearest enemy and that would the Root contingent at the hospital. That would not be a good idea at the moment, for a variety of reasons.

Pulling out a blood pill he pushed it into Sasuke's mouth under his tongue. It was designed to speed up the production of blood, thus making it easier for the body to recover. Madara sent chakra into his hands and ran them over the boy's chest. Scowling, he pulled off his mask and dropped it on the ground. He needed a second pair of hands.

"Itachi… you better come soon…" Madara mumbled. He couldn't pull the sword out by himself – he needed both hands to shove chakra into Sasuke's chest in order to stop the bleeding that would result in the organs it was piercing. Instead, he focused on monitoring the blood loss and adjusting the boy's metabolism in order to keep him from loosing too much blood or suffering a drop in blood pressure. If the brain were to be deprived of oxygen – which was provided via the blood stream – he would suffer brain damage.

He had seen that happen before, a long time ago when he was a child. His uncle, who was only a few years older than him, had suffered brain damage after loosing a large quantity of blood after being attacked by his father during an attempt to force his Sharingan to appear. The teenager had trouble walking after that and Madara had become his protector until he finally died many years later. It had been hard on his grandparents to see their son crippled, but Madara had been thankful for one thing: he had been the one to teach him how to heal. His uncle had gone on to become an exceptional medic.

"Fa…ther." Sasuke mumbled as he opened his eyes part way.

"It's okay son. Go back to sleep." As much as Madara longer to hear Sasuke call him that, he knew that the boy had simply confused him with Fugaku. Being from the same clan they all did share a few similar facial features.

"It doesn't hurt."

For the second time that day Madara felt his heart drop. Had the sword hit his spine?

"That's because you're dreaming. Close your eyes and sleep, Sasuke. Dad's looking after you."

"'kay." Sasuke fell into unconsciousness again.

"How is he?" Itachi jumped down from a tree and dropped down onto his knees next to his brother.

"He's loosing a lot of blood. I'm using blood pills to replace it, but I need your help to remove the sword."

Itachi moved so that he could get a good grip on the hilt, then looked up at the older man expectantly.

Madara spoke calmly, "Pull it out very, very slowly. I'll heal the exposed areas and stop the bleeding. When it's completely out I'll get him stabilized so he can travel."

"Okay. Tell me when." Itachi didn't want to think about what would happen if he had to tell his parents that their beloved youngest son was dead. He wondered if he would even want to live if that happened. So much of what he had done, of his future plans, centered around his brother. In so many ways, Sasuke was the center of his family. The one bit of innocence left in their lives. Like moths, they were drawn to his bright light.

Thirty minutes later the sword was out and Madara was shoving another blood pill under Sasuke's tongue. "That should do it. I'm going to wake him up."

"What? Don't! He'll be in a lot of pain!" Itachi grabbed his brother's arm and held onto it tightly.

"I hope so." Madara's words made Itachi blink in surprise. Was there something wrong with Sasuke?

A moment later Sasuke's eyes blinked open and he gasped as his face scrunched up.

"Sasuke?" Madara got his attention, "Are you in pain?"

The boy nodded and moved his legs and arms as he attempted to roll over. Madara put a hand over the boy's forehead and he fell back into unconsciousness. Sighing in relief Madara bowed his head and closed his eyes.

Standing up, Itachi looked up at the sky as he drew his arm across his face, wiping off the layer of sweat that had formed. Madara took Sasuke in his arms and stood up as well. He held the boy close to his chest and rested his cheek on his head.

"He's not out of the woods yet, Itachi. His liver, stomach and left lung are damaged. He is going to be in the hospital for a while."

Itachi nodded as he moved to stand in front of Madara. Grasping Sasuke's hand he leaned forward and rested his own forehead on his brother's arm for a moment before backing away. "Thank-you. Even if you did this… because… because you want to use him…"

"Ha!" Madara gave a short laugh, "Sasuke is a lot like you, you know. For one thing, he's short. I think he's the same height you were at eight. You are getting taller though."

Itachi smiled, "I hope so. I can take him now…"

"I can get him back to Konoha faster." Madara disappeared, leaving Itachi alone in the clearing with a growing sense of dread. Madara was now alone with Sasuke. There was no guarantee he would actually return Sasuke to Konoha and Itachi knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to him. Of course, the closest hospital was Konoha, but as fast as Madara could travel, that didn't mean much.

Cursing, Itachi reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a small vial of blood. His fathers. Pulling out a scroll he spilled a drop of blood in the middle of a chakra laden diagram and performed a series of hand signs. A small all-black cat with bright green eyes appeared.

"I need you to deliver a message to Fugaku, and it needs to get to him immediately."

"Of course." The cat, who seemed to be just out of kittenhood, but not quite an adult spoke calmly, sounding a little bit bored.

"Tell him Sasuke is injured and… Madara is bringing him to Konoha. Hopefully… he doesn't change his mind and go somewhere else. I'm on my way there right now."

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Next week: Does Madara return Sasuke to Konoha? And Itachi has a talk with his father about the Raikage.

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