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.

28. Chapter 28 Sasukes Burden

Last week Team 7 wrapped up their mission in Water country and Itachi discovered that Danzou has been funneling funds to Orochimaru for several years.

Thanks for all the reviews and favs

Wow, I didn't think so many people liked Haku so much, but he is pretty cool, isn't he? He'll show up again in chapter 30, working with Itachi.

And…The guy Itachi fought and killed during the coup that they thought was Danzou had a transplanted Byakugan. They still haven't figured out how he got it, and the body disappeared anyway so they don't even know who he really was. Danzou himself is still a mystery in this story, but, yeah, there is something under that bandage…Of course, those of us who read the manga could probably guess what xD You know, when I was planning that scene I was thinking it was probably a Byakugan or Sharingan. He's too mysterious for it to have just been an empty eye-socket. At least one of my crazy off-the-wall theories was sort of right.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto

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Chapter 28 – Sasuke's Burden

"Lord Hokage?" A tall, brown-haired man with a beard and a cigarette hanging off his lower lip stuck his head through the open door.

"Asuma. Your Genin finished their mission, I take it?" Fugaku replied without looking up from his paperwork.

"Yes. It went well. But I was at the hospital checking up on a friend and as I was leaving, Itachi was being led in by a large blue man with a rather imposing sword. Kisame Hoshigake according to the Bingo book."

"What's wrong with him?" Looking up quickly he failed to hide the shock that displayed on his face. His first assumption was that his son had been injured in a fight. His second assumption was a little darker.

"There was no blood but he was leaning on that guy and sweating. It looked to me like he was sick. Poison maybe? Anyway, I'll have my report later. I just popped in to tell you what was going on." Asuma turned around and left the office, bursting at the seams with curiosity over why Fugaku showed no concern over the presence of an S-ranked missing ninja in the village, or why Itachi of all people would be in his company.

Fugaku took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was not a good time for Itachi to get sick, but he had to admit that from here on out, it would be happing more and more often. Standing up, he called his aid to tell him where he would be and with an air of resignation, made his way to the hospital.

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"Thank-you for bringing him here. I know you didn't have to." Fugaku replied as he walked into the private hospital room and noticed Kisame leaning against the wall, staring as his sleeping partner. He had foregone the Akatsuki cloak, wearing only the blue pants and shirt that was the standard uniform of the organization. As it was of a style similar to what Shinobi usually wore he didn't stand out as much.

"On the contrary. Itachi is apparently very valuable to Akatsuki and leaving him to die would not be in my best interests." Kisame responded truthfully, then changed the subject. "So this is the illness I heard about."

"Dr. Yakushi confirmed it. I spoke with him before coming here."

Kisame rubbed his face and sat down, "That Yakushi looked sicker than Itachi. Can you trust him?"

"Yeah. Are you staying long?"

"Humph. No. Hadn't even planned on coming this far, but Itachi started having trouble breathing a couple hours ago. Thought it would be a good idea to make sure he actually checked into the hospital. Knowing him he would probably go home and try to sleep it off instead. Do you know why he's so important to Madara?"

"Haven't got a clue. I don't think Itachi does either." Fugaku admitted reluctantly.

"That's not a man you want breathing down your neck."

"True. By the way, you were partnered with Zabuza?"

"Yeah. Cocky little bastard. What's he up to?" Kisame grinned, showing several white, chiseled teeth.

Fugaku gave a small smile of his own. "Follow me."

"He's here?" Kisame stood up, shocked.

"My other son went to the land of Waves on a low ranked mission and his team ran into Zabuza. Kakashi killed him – or so he thought. ANBU brought him and his sword here." Fugaku led Kisame down the hall, down three flights of stairs and into a secure area of the hospital. Fifteen ANBU stood around a bed where two healers and three assistants were currently working on the tall swordsman. His arms and legs wore new bandages and a blue glow hovered over his chest as the medics attempted to heal the extensive internal damage the patient had suffered.

"Huh. That's him all right. Why are you healing him? Isn't he in your bingo book?" Kisame could see over the heads of the ANBU who, despite the presence of the Hokage, did not break position.

"It was a request from Kakashi. We're not busy right now so I saw no harm in granting it. We can always kill him later."

Kisame laughed, "That's true enough!"

Fugaku led him back out of the room and into the empty hall. For security purposes the secure wing was kept clear of anyone who didn't have direct business with the patients, thus reducing traffic considerably.

Kisame leaned against a wall and smirked, "I doubt he knows any more about Madara than Itachi does, Fugaku."

"So you guessed my reason for keeping him alive. Well, I still plan on questioning him. Though I'm pretty sure if he did know something, Madara would have killed him himself."

"That's a pretty safe bet. I mean, Madara didn't even bother to show up in Mist until after Zabuza's failed coup, he was that sure it would be a bust." Kisame pushed himself away from the wall and glanced down the hall. "If you would be so kind as to escort me out of here I'll be on my way."

Fugaku stood in back of the hospital, watching Kisame fade into the distance. The Akatsuki ninja had been waiting in Itachi's room to speak with him, Fugaku realized. The statement about how important the teen was to Madara, while delivered off-hand was a warning. Kisame wouldn't be the only one hurting if Itachi died. Fugaku would also find himself on the wrong side of Madara's wrath.

However, Fugaku had turned the tables to a small extent. He had taken Kisame to see Zabuza. One of the only men to ever go up against Madara and survive. Albeit indirectly, but somewhere in that man's memories had to be something Fugaku could use. And now Kisame would no doubt go straight to Madara and report what he had seen.

"You may have the power of life and death over us right now, Madara, but slowly and surely we will take that power away from you. Even if we have to move an inch at a time."

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Itachi slowly opened his eyes, as feelings of nausea, pain and disorientation washed over him. He barely remembered entering the hospital and he definitely did not remember being put in a bed. Had he passed out? Breathing in and out was still painful, but it seemed a little less painful than before.

"Itachi, you're awake." Kisa sat down on the bed and leaned over, kissing his forehead. "Your fever has gone down quite a bit and they cleaned a lot of gunk out of your lungs. You were coming down with pneumonia."

"Pneumonia?" Itachi's voice was scratchy, but at least the laryngitis was gone. "How did I catch that?"

"Complications from your cold and soldier pills make things worse because when you suppress the coughing your lungs don't clean themselves of excess mucus."

"Oh." Itachi knew there was a risk when using stimulants, but this was the first time they had affected him this badly.

"Your… 'condition'… Dr. Yakushi said this will begin to happen more and more often. You should be careful…"

"Don't worry so much, Kisa." Itachi gave his friend a big smile and she blinked twice in surprise before returning it.

"I'm sorry. It's just… We got word that Sasuke was almost killed on his mission and then you show up like this… If I lost either of you… I don't know what I would do…" Kisa wiped a tear from her eye.

"Wait! Sasuke was injured?" Itachi pushed himself up and grabbed his friend's arm.

"Yes! But they treated him in Wave and he's fine now. He and his team came back last night."

"It was supposed to be a low ranked mission… no danger…" Itachi was interrupted by Fugaku, who walked quickly into the room.

"We can talk about that later. For now, did you find those books you went after?" Fugaku was all business as he pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"I think you should wait…" Kisa started to speak.

"It's been three days since he got back…" Fugaku was interrupted by a rather surprised Itachi.

"Three days!"

"Your report? I don't have all day, you know." Fugaku ignored his son's surprise.

"Oh. Okay." Itachi related everything he had seen and a feeling of dread settled over him as he once again relived the discovery of Orochimaru's abandoned lair, the hideous monsters lying dead within and the money Danzou was funneling to the snake sannin.

"Any idea where Orochimaru is?"

"None."

"I see." Fugaku stood up and clenched his fists as he walked over to the window. "Kisa, go tell the doctor Itachi is awake. I want to know when he will be released. Then send a message to Mikoto and give her an update."

"Of course." She stood up and silently left the room without looking back.

"Sasuke will be participating in the upcoming Chuunin exams. I do not believe he can pass, but Kakashi is insistent. In fact, all the rookie Genin are participating. I can't explain it… but I have a bad feeling about this. I was about to refuse his application when I remembered the problems you had… when the council refused to allow Uchiha from participating because they feared us."

"So you are putting your political needs ahead of Sasuke's safety?" Itachi wasn't surprised at the news and his voice held no accusing tone in it.

"Yeah. Some things never change, I guess. But it is very important that he participate. For both the clan and the village."

"How long until the exam begins?"

"Six days." Fugaku walked towards the door, but paused just as he was about to open it, standing with his back to his son, "You… it's started Itachi. Yakushi said that the first signs usually aren't this bad. This isn't good. The clan elders will be pushing for you to step down as my heir. However, Sasuke's injury during his last mission did not sit well with them and he was badly chastised for it."

Itachi frowned, "Was it his fault?"

Fugaku avoided the question, "They are comparing him to you, forgetting that you are a genius the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades."

"I will provide my own heir. Sasuke does not need to bear that burden."

"Itachi…"

"Sheeta will…"

"Itachi!" Fugaku turned around, yelling his son's name.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Humph." Fugaku snorted in derision.

"There are fertility jutsus, are there not?"

Fugaku's face visibly paled, "Think very carefully about what you are suggesting, boy. You are over fifteen now, a legal adult in the eyes of Fire country and Konoha, but that status does not automatically come with wisdom. If you alienate Sheeta, you will regret it. Don't forget what happened with Mikoto and I."

Itachi nodded and laid back down, "How do you really feel about it? As leader of the Uchiha clan and not as my father?"

Fugaku gulped once, realizing his son had just backed him up against a wall, "As leader of the clan… I support you of course. Passing your genes on… your kekkai genkai abilities… it can only strengthen us. But… Itachi, are you really looking at the clan or are you thinking only of your brother? You think of the two as separate entities, but Sasuke is a part of the clan. He will marry an Uchiha woman and continue the lineage. He isn't a piece of glass to be kept on a shelf and protected."

"I… admit I don't think very often of the clan… I used to see them as arrogant and introverted, but after the coup and Danzou… I began to understand how and why they act the way they do."

"Think about that some more, then. I've got to get back to work. Remember, your reasons should be Sasuke and the clan, not Sasuke or the clan."

Itachi nodded as his father exited the room. It was just two little words. "And" versus "or". But it made a world of difference. He realized he wasn't just playing with his own life or Sheeta's or Sasuke's, but the entirety of the clan. They were people too, with feelings, concerns, and hopes for the future. They looked to their leader to protect them from the threats of the world as well as give them a sense of belonging and family. He had heard the words a thousand times in the last sixteen years, but now, he thought that perhaps he understood what it meant to take them seriously.

Sighing he stared at the white ceiling and thought about what he was about to do. He had sworn to provide an heir so that Sasuke would not be burdened with the role of clan chief. In reality, what he should be doing is providing the clan with an heir that would be strong enough to defend them and stand up to any rivals – Danzou for example – and in so doing he would, by default, protect his brother as well. And if that person was Sasuke… then despite the burden that came with the position, his brother would be happy as long as the clan thrived.

But… he had to admit… he wanted a baby with Sheeta. He had thought about it so much since declaring his intentions to his father three years earlier that dying childless was no longer an option for him. And his second chance. His father had saved him from making a terrible mistake back then. Otherwise, Sheeta would be dead right now, rotting alone in a grave and he would be in Akatsuki full time, wandering the world with no hope and no future. As he wondered what kind of a person he would have become he closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

"In six days the exams begin. Mother and Sasuke will be out of the house. Father will leave if I ask him, or at least I have a feeling he will. Before then… I will make my decision…"

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The last thing Itachi wanted to do after getting out of the hospital was attend a meeting of the Uchiha clan elders. Unfortunately, they had other ideas. The meeting was held in the main house and all the elders, Fugaku and Sasuke were in attendance, as well as a handful of other clansmen. Fugaku sat in front on a small dais overlooking everyone. Itachi and Toshiro sat directly in front of him and Sasuke parked himself behind his big brother. Kisa and Sheeta stood in the back. Itachi snuck a glance over his shoulder and wished he could join them. For one thing, when the yelling started he would be closer to the door.

Sasuke was very jumpy and cringed visibly whenever someone addressed him. Itachi wished he could sit next to his brother, but status-wise it wasn't appropriate. Technically, the younger boy was a member of the side branch and not allowed to mix with those of higher status during official functions.

"Let's start this meeting." Fugaku spoke loudly and the room became instantly silent. Dropping his voice to a normal level, he continued. "The Chuunin exams begin tomorrow. Sasuke is participating on behalf of the clan and Konoha. There will be no favoritism shown him during the judging and if he fails, then so be it. The responsibility is his, and his alone. Is this understood?" There were scattered voices affirming his words, causing Itachi to wonder if someone had approached his father about favoritism. It was probably to be expected. On the other hand, that could make it harder for the boy. If Fugaku was so dead set against showing favoritism he might judge his son harder than the others.

Fugaku continued, "The Uchiha clan will be in the spotlight this time around because there are so few children in the clan. Many more people will be attending the final match than usual and Sasuke will be the main attraction – should he make it that far, that is."

"He'd better make it that far." And elder, a man in his eighties spoke up angrily. "You've coddled him far too much for his own good. He is nowhere near where his brother was at that age. Itachi would have won that fight in Wave country and not gotten a single scratch." Several people echoed his sentiments.

Glancing behind him he saw Sasuke staring at the ground with such a look of anger on his face that Itachi actually stared for a few short second before turning his attention back to the front of the room. He had to admit, he had never seen a look like that on the boy before. In fact, Sasuke rarely lost his temper. He was more open with his feelings and tended to let off steam a little at a time.

"What do you know?" Itachi was broken out of his thoughts when Sasuke's voice interrupted the elder's criticism. "You weren't even there! You never even asked for my side of the story!"

"That is unnecessary. A loss is a loss." A different elder spoke this time.

"Really?" Sasuke stood up, fists clenched tightly at his side. "Well, Haku is here in this village now. I challenge you to fight him instead of just sitting around and criticizing me!"

"Sasuke, you are out of line. Sit down." Fugaku's stern reprimand made Itachi cringe inwardly.

"No! Not until they back off!" Fugaku used a flicker move and instantly appeared next to his son. Raising his arm he slammed it down heavily across the boys shoulder's knocking him to the floor. Sasuke started to get up, but Itachi moved quickly and put a hand over his brother's head, pushing him down into a kowtow.

"Apologize, Sasuke." His calm voice increased the tension in the room until it was so thick it was stifling. The seconds ticked by and the boy made no sign of speaking. Itachi tightened his grip until he saw Sasuke cringe, "Apologize."

"No."

Fugaku bent down to grab Sasuke, but Itachi moved quickly to stand in front of him. Looking directly into his father's eyes he spoke to Sasuke. "Apologize, and this will all be over."

"It's not my fault! They started it!" He waved at the old men who were sitting on their mats various expressions of disgust and disbelief written on their faces.

"You are correct," Itachi replied, further shocking everyone, including Fugaku who opened his eyes wide in surprise, "but they are still your elders and proper protocol demands that you, the junior, take the blame."

Sasuke bent forward and placed his forehead on the ground, "I'm sorry you're all idiots."

The silence was absolute.

"You think you are going to get away with that?" One of the elders asked, this time it was a woman.

Itachi and his father were still staring at each other, but the expressions on their faces had turned from defiance, to surprise, and finally to a small measure of respect. Even with Fugaku's forceful personality, he would rarely go up against his council. Preferring instead to guide their thinking to his own opinions though discussion rather than orders. Both had known that Sasuke was one to speak his mind, but this level of forwardness was definitely an eye-opener.

"Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact. Because I have to go to some stupid exam in the morning so you all can save face!"

Fugaku nodded at someone over Itachi's head and too late the teen remembered that Toshiro had been sitting next to him. Turning around, he watched as the older man reached out with his hand and grabbed Sasuke by scruff of the neck and slammed his face onto the wooden floor. Blood splattered out and several people gasped, shocked that he would do such a thing.

Slowly, Sasuke sat up, both hands covering his face. His nose was bleeding profusely and there was a large gash on his forehead that was dripping blood into his eyes. Sheeta raced out of the room, returning a few seconds later with a wet towel. Kneeling next to the boy she wrapped one arm around him as she cleaned his face. He leaned on her shoulder and Itachi could see tears dripping out of his eyes.

"Was that really necessary?" Itachi asked angrily.

"Yes." Fugaku stated arrogantly. "Apparently I have been too soft on the boy, but that ends now. I will not tolerate disobedience or temper tantrums. Sasuke, if that's the way you behave on missions, then I can tell you right now you not cut out to be a Chuunin or a ninja. Itachi was twice the person you were when he was eleven, he would never have behaved like that. Think about it."

Itachi cringed as he watched his brother trying desperately to stifle his sobs as he held on tightly to Sheeta's shirt. Fugaku knew that comparing Sasuke to his elder brother was akin to stabbing him both in the heart and the back. Sitting back down next to Toshiro he could feel his own anger rising up, but oddly enough he found it was directed at the elders instead of his father or Toshiro. A small minority of them were manipulative, mean-spirited and tended to live in the past, and they were the ones who spoke up the most and the loudest.

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"I hate them." Sasuke muttered morosely. He had met up with his older brother in the park after the first exam and they two boys were sitting on a bench secluded by several bare trees and shrubs. The grey, overcast sky had threatened rain all day, but as evening began to fall none had appeared.

"They are difficult to like, aren't they?" Itachi responded. "If it makes you feel any better, they are very old."

"And will probably outlive us both so don't pull the 'they'll be dead soon' argument on me. I'm not that stupid."

Itachi smiled, "Apparently not."

"I'll never be good enough, will I?"

"Don't say that. It's just…"

"Don't defend them Sasuke. I heard what they said. I'm not learning fast enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not smart enough."

Not really knowing how to reply, Itachi stayed silent and focused on a small black ant who was trying to lift a discarded potato chip. It was much smaller than the other ants, probably newly hatched.

Sasuke continued, "They never bug you. Why is that?"

"They do. It's just… over the years…"

"They beat you into submission and now you bow your head to their ever whim. Some great clan chief you're going to make." The sarcasm was not lost on Itachi and he reflexively clenched his hands and fists.

"I'm not like that. You have no idea what I've gone through so don't make assumptions."

"Well, you're putting up a pretty good act then."

Itachi clenched his teeth together and spoke in an over-calm voice, "Sasuke, I know you're upset right now, and you have every right to be so I'm not going to take that personal. But please don't make presumptions about my past. There are a lot of things you don't know about and I'm…"

"Save your breath. It doesn't matter anyway."

"Sasuke…" Itachi wondered what he was supposed to say to that. He truly did not want Sasuke to know about his early training, the conflicts with their father, and the missions that had scarred his life, but he also knew that without that knowledge his little brother had no choice but to assume that Itachi's life had been like his own. It was human nature to think that way.

"So… what don't I know about your life?"

"I thought you just said you didn't want to know?"

Sasuke was quiet for a few minutes, "Why are you the way you are?"

"Why…am I…"

"You were tricked by that Danzou guy into trying to kill us. I know that much. You were a double agent for a while. And you leave on those mysterious missions. Those guys in the black and red cloaks that saved us from Root were friends of yours. What are they? Who are they?"

"They…" Itachi actually felt a burst of pride at his brother's deduction.

"Ha! You don't have an alibi thought up, do you? You know, you could always tell me the truth."

"I'd rather think up an alibi and answer you later." Itachi laughed and Sasuke joined in a minute later as the mood lightened a bit. "Let's get back. Kisa wanted to make you, Naruto and Hinata a special dinner before your foray into the Forest of Death begins tomorrow and we don't want to be late."

"Let's go then! Kisa's a great cook. You know, I'm looking forward to the next test. A week away from the elders will be such a relief."

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"Big brother?" A boy's voice interrupted Itachi's sleep and he sat up as Sasuke and Naruto slid open the door and entered his bedroom. It was still dark, but according to the clock the sun would be rising in thirty minutes.

"What is it? Are you leaving now?" Itachi noted that both boys were dressed for a week in the woods. The November weather was turning cold and they both wore long sleeves, thigh-length pants and bandages were wrapped around their lower legs to keep them warm.

Nervously, Naruto poked his two index fingers together, "We… were wondering if you could do us a favor…"

Sasuke also seemed nervous as he moved from one foot to the other, "Yeah. It's just that… we sort of…"

"Found a cat. And if you could…"

"A cat." Itachi interrupted as a sudden feeling of dread settled over him. Sure enough, a large orange tabby walked into the room and jumped rather un-gracefully onto the bed and stared at him. He pointed a finger at the animal and yelled, "You!" The cat gave a single meow and dropped down onto his side.

"You know him?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"How did you get this cat?" Itachi was now wide awake and contemplating the murder of one blond, pony-tailed artist-turned-ninja.

Naruto answered, "We got a message a few days ago. It was pretty cool, this white bird thing flew in and gave it to Sasuke. It was from a friend of yours, you know, the one who saved Sasuke. He said his name is Deidara."

"So the message asked us to come out into the woods and he gave me the cat. He said it was a get well present. I told him it was two years ago that I got hurt, but he said he found the cat and needed to give it to someone and he had wondered how I was doing anyway so… yeah. That's how we got the cat." Sasuke sat down on the bed and started petting the animal, who promptly turned over to expose his tummy, purring loudly.

"Does father know?" Itachi wondered why they were keeping the animal hidden.

"Um… We figure Fugaku wouldn't mind, but Mikoto will get mad if we have a pet." Naruto explained.

"True. She hates cleaning. Maybe Hinata…"

"No! It's my cat and I want to keep it. You see… if we take care of it then when mom comes back we can show her that the house is still in one piece and she'll let us keep it."

Itachi sighed and dropped his head down onto his hands. "Fine. I'll watch the cat while you're gone. What's his name?"

"Tama."

"That's original."

Sasuke ignored the jibe and gave his brother a big smile, "Thanks Itachi!"

"Yeah! We were afraid you'd refuse because you're so busy all the time." Naruto added.

"Boys? Are you watching the time?" Fugaku called up the stairwell.

"Coming!" Naruto and Sasuke yelled as they dashed out of the room. Fugaku entered a couple minutes later.

"So they pawned it off on you, huh? I was wondering what they were going to do."

"Yeah, well… you're not going to throw it out?" Itachi suddenly realized that their father had known about the cat all along.

"No point. That's up to Mikoto. Frankly, I don't care one way or the other."

"Do you know where the cat came from?"

"Huh? I just assumed it was stray they picked up around town somewhere. Why?" Fugaku was suddenly on guard.

"Deidara."

Fugaku let out a long breath, "That's not good."

"I think we should tell them about Akatsuki. Sasuke is already starting to figure some things out, and Naruto…"

"Yeah. I've been contemplating the same thing. Especially with the wedding in a few weeks. Sasuke will be in contact with Madara and… I know Madara wants his… wants Sasuke." Itachi quickly noted his father's reluctance to refer to Sasuke as Madara's son. Fugaku scratched his head and turned around, "This is something for me and your mother to discuss. Something… we should have talked about years ago."

"All right." Itachi lay back down as his father exited the room. The cat boldly stood up and strode over, looking the teen directly in the eye. "What do you want?"

"Meow."

"Deidara really hates me, doesn't he?"

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Next week Team 7 enters the Forest of Death, but an ominous fate awaits them there. Meanwhile, Itachi has the house all to himself.

Sasuke is having a hard time and Itachi and Fugaku are taking his feelings too lightly. He's more like a normal kid and neither of them have much experience with that; they're trying to treat him like an adult. This isn't going to go well.

I know, there hasn't been any Madara in a while… After the Chuunin exams he'll be back when everyone goes to Mist for the wedding. In the meantime, Orochimaru is pretty fun to play with, isn't he?