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.

33. Chapter 33 Fates United

Last week Sarutobi battled Orochimaru as the village was attacked in the middle of the Chuunin exam.

Thanks for all the reviews!

Let's see… how old is everyone… first off, the rookie 9, because of their additional training, were able to graduate when they were 10, meaning the Chuunin exams are happening while they are 11. I didn't know Deidara's age until later, so in this story he's the same age as Itachi. Canon lists him as 19 when he died, 2 years younger than Itachi.

Ages:

Nagi (Nui's daughter) – 2

Arata, Yori (Rumiko's kids) - 4

Konohamaru, Hanabi – 6

Rookies - 11

Sai - 12

Haku - 14

Itachi, Sheeta, Deidara – 16

Kabuto - 18

Aya (and Shisui if he had lived) – 19

Yuri (and Yota if he had lived) - 20

Nui - 22

Zabuza – 25

Kakashi (and Obito if he had lived) – 26

Kisame - 28

Mikoto – 38

Fugaku – 43

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru - 49

Toshiro, Kisa – 53

Sarutobi – 68

Danzou - 70

Madara – who knows? At least 90, but possibly over 100. I describe him as appearing to be in his mid to late twenties – but knowing him that's probably a Genjutsu and he's really all wrinkly and old. Seriously we're all on the edge of our seats waiting to find out…

You know, I was thinking… even if Sasuke doesn't get to kill Danzou, Tsunade will when she wakes up. And I bet she knows a hundred different, very painful ways to accomplish it.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.

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Chapter 33 – Fates United

He had to give his father a lot of credit. It was a full fifteen minutes since Hiruzen Sarutobi had succumbed to injuries incurred while fighting Orochimaru and five minutes since Madara had ordered them to Mist in three weeks time, and the elder Uchiha had yet to kill someone. However, Itachi realized he was still holding on to his father's arm and his own hands were shaking. But was that anger, sorrow, or something else?

The Chuunin exams had gone horribly wrong, and while the attack by Sand had been routed and hostilities would soon be over, there was extensive damage and no doubt there would also be more casualties. Orochimaru was involved somehow, although at the moment no one was entirely sure of the connection.

"Itachi." Fugaku took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I'm going to go get a take on the damage. Go after Sasuke and make sure…" His voice trailed off as he pulled himself out of his son's grasp and used a transportation jutsu to disappear. Itachi did the same.

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Reappearing outside the village in the direction Sasuke had run off to he used a chakra tracking jutsu to see if he could locate the boy. However, there was a lot of interference and he dropped his hands to his side, concerned. Even with the extra chakra signatures, Sasuke should have been easy to detect. Unless, of course, his chakra was weakened or he was hiding it.

"Itachi, I saw you leave." Haku appeared a couple feet away from him, with Sai right on his heals. His face held a grim expression that was mixed with disbelief and sorrow, while Sai's was expressionless, "Do you know where they went?"

"They?" Itachi asked cautiously.

"I just spoke with Zabuza. Kakashi sent Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru after Sasuke. A couple minutes later Shino took off too."

"Oh great. Now we've got five Genin to rescue instead of one. Let's get going."

Jumping up into the trees the teens took off at full speed. They hadn't gone very far when a loud roar echoed through the forest. High pitched and full of menace it was like nothing the trio had ever heard before.

"Up here!" Sai called out. Itachi and Haku joined him, holding on the tips of the trees with chakra.

"What the hell is that!" Haku was so blown away by the monster in front of him that he could hardly get the words out.

"That is…" Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was impossible. Activating his Sharingan he took a closer look. The monster in front of him was composed entirely of chakra. There was no body at all. Taller than the surrounding trees and fully a quarter mile around it was a giant, grayish-white tanuki.

"What's wrong Itachi, you just went as white as a ghost?" Sai observed quietly.

Itachi watched as a giant frog he recognized as Jiraiya's summon came into view. A minute later a clone of the nine-tailed fox appeared and started battling the tanuki. Closing his eyes he did a wide-area scan for chakra and finally found his brother, as well as well as the other Genin. But no Jiraiya.

"Naruto must have summoned the frog." He replied. "Unbelievable."

Haku whispered, "Why is the tanuki so big?"

"That's not a tanuki. That's the one-tailed demon. That's what that was… back at the exams… Gaara is a Jinchuuriki." Itachi gave his companions a quick glance before continuing, "Don't tell anyone what you are seeing here. Everyone fears the demons and if they knew it would make things worse."

"That it would." A deep voice interrupted the conversation, causing the trio to turn around, pulling out kunais as they did so.

"What do you want?" Itachi angrily addressed Madara, who was hanging onto a treetop not five feet away, his orange and black mask hiding his features. "You have a lot of gall showing up again today."

"Hmmm… I'm not in a good mood today Itachi, don't push your luck. Sasuke is fine, thankfully, but he will need a lot of rest to recover his chakra. Other than that…"

Haku spoke up when Madara's voice faded, "Who are you?"

"Madara Uchiha. And you are Haku from the Yuki clan of Water country, and you are Root agent codename Sai."

Itachi felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to get Madara away from Haku and Sai, "Madara, let's go talk someplace else. There's no need to involve anyone else."

"On the contrary. I believe Haku and Sai are already involved."

"I take orders from the Hokage. Not you." Sai stated calmly.

"He'll be giving the same order. You don't have to be psychic to figure that out."

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on, "Madara, get to the point."

"Humph. Kill Kabuto."

"What!" Itachi's eyes flew open in shock.

"He's more of a danger than you realize. His power is incredible and if Orochimaru was able to unlock it we could be in for a lot of trouble. Sasori sealed the boy's memories for reasons other than maliciousness. Those people at Kikyou pass… the ones they found dead around him… he was the one who killed them all."

"That impossible!" Itachi cried out, "He was only, what… six, seven years old! Under it all, he's not a bad person!"

"That is true enough. He's not bad. However, those ninjas attacked his village and kidnapped him. Sasori happened to be in the area and decided to make use of the boy. He regrets that now and stated that he should have killed him."

"But… what Sasori did to him… it made things worse. And besides, Sasori has killed tens of thousands of people, I would not consider him an authority in this matter."

"Yes. Undoubtedly. I personally believe that Kabuto is not a threat while Orochimaru has him under control. However, should something happen to him, Kabuto will be released upon the world and will most likely come after Akatsuki, as his new master has made that organizations demise one of his priorities."

Itachi glanced at the fight, just as the Frog and the Tanuki disappeared, "You are thinking pretty far ahead. Right now, what you are saying is so far into the realm of 'what-ifs' as to make it almost useless. After today, we probably can't go looking for either Orochimaru or Kabuto for a while, so I think he'll probably live a while longer. And don't forget – Danzou is still out there and probably funding Orochimaru's work. And why was Sand country working with him? Really, Madara, as powerful as I am, unless you can find a way to clone me I can only do one thing at a time."

Madara nodded, "Hmmm…"

Sai gave a short laugh, "I don't think the world is ready for more than one Itachi."

Madara laughed as well, "True. True. I guess we'll have to live with the one we got." As he disappeared Itachi sighed in relief.

"Haku Yuki? So that's your last name?" Sai asked curiously.

"No. Apparently that's the name of my clan though. I never knew that before." Haku jumped back down into the lower branches of the tree he was on, followed closely by Itachi and Sai.

Sai wouldn't leave it alone, though, "So what is your last name?"

"None of your business."

"Come on. I won't tell."

"After my parents died and Zabuza took me in I vowed to never use it. It's… too painful."

"Oh. Sorry." Sai gave him an embarrassed grin, "I'm not so good at things like this. I guess I shouldn't have said anything."

"That's okay… maybe I'll start using 'Yuki' instead. The village registrar told me to pick a last name for the records."

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Heading back into the forest the trio quickly found Shino's father taking care of his nearly-unconsciuos, poisoned son. The elder Aberame shooed them away, assuring them he could handle things. Further up they ran into Shikamaru and Asuma who were sitting on the ground in front of several tied-up enemy ninjas. Stopping to look at the pair, who seemed a trifle too relaxed, Itachi didn't even bother to speak before taking off into the forest again.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were all lying on the ground when they caught up to them. The three were near exhaustion, covered in cuts and bruises, and, somehow, still conscious.

"Well, I guess we came all this way for nothing." Sai deadpanned.

"Ha ha ha!" Naruto laughed feebly, "Took care of everything for you, Itachi. They aren't a threat anymore so don't hurt them."

"That's not up to me." Itachi answered quietly.

"Yeah. It is. We all have to… have to help each other." Naruto closed his eyes and scrunched his face in pain.

"Big brother… Sakura needs help." Sasuke turned his head and looked at his pink-haired friend lying ten feet from him. Her eyes met his, but they had a glassy look to them.

Haku, who was on the ground next to the girl, answered, "She's got several broken ribs and a punctured lung. I'll take her back right now." Without waiting for any acknowledgement he picked Sakura up in his arms and disappeared.

"I'll grab Naruto, you probably want to care for your brother." Sai draped Naruto across his back.

"Are you going to disappear like Haku?" The blond asked hopefully.

"I don't have enough chakra left for that. I got caught outside the stadium by several Sound village ninjas and, well, nearly lost to tell the truth. But you're just suffering from exhaustion so I'm sure you'll live."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto was a little disappointed, but he was also looking forward to a very long nap and let out a small sigh as he rested his head on Sai's shoulder.

"I think he's asleep already." Sai gave a short laugh before taking off into the trees.

"Sound village, huh? I guess that must be where Orochimaru is hiding." Sasuke replied quietly.

"Don't worry about it, it doesn't concern you." Itachi's words came out a little colder than he expected.

"Like hell it doesn't." His voice was nearly a whisper, and as Itachi lifted him onto his back he felt the boy succumb to sleep.

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The rain fell in sheets as nearly the entire village gathered at the graveyard the next day for Sarutobi's funeral service. It was a somber occasion with very few dry eyes. Only the most stoic shinobi stood expressionless and unmoved – on the outside at least.

Orochimaru's name was thoroughly dragged through the dirt as he was cursed over and over for killing one of the most influential men in the village's history. A few even spoke up, stating their wish that it had been Fugaku who had died, after all the chaos he had caused during the coup. The elder Uchiha ignored the comments, knowing that, in the heat of the moment, most of them were probably speaking without meaning their words. However, that didn't mean he felt blameless. On the contrary, he was rather upset that he couldn't stop the events of the previous day.

Sasuke and Naruto had remained asleep until Kisa awakened them for the funeral. Dressed in black they were still very worn out. Sakura showed up in a knee-length black dress and stood between them. Her fractures had been healed, but her chest was wrapped tightly to prevent the weak new bone from breaking again before it had time to completely set.

As the service ended the sun broke through the clouds, bathing the mid-morning village in bright shades of yellow and silver as the wet ground and puddles reflected their light back up into the heavens. Something about the change in the weather seemed to cheer most people up, at least a little.

As the crowd dispersed Itachi found himself standing with his father, Toshiro and Kisa. They were speculating on Sounds involvement in the attack when Asuma walked up, dragging a still sobbing Konohamaru behind him.

"I thought you had stopped crying." Kisa knelt down on one and pulled the boy close for a hug. He instantly grabbed onto her coat with a tight grip and buried his head in her shoulder.

"I'm at the end of my rope." Asuma admitted. "Don't think I'm cut out for the 'parent' thing, but I'm gonna give it a try anyway. But… I'm going to be busy for the next few days and since he gets along so well with Hanabi and dad used to have stay over at your house sometimes… I wondered… if it wouldn't be too much of an imposition…"

"We'd be glad to have him stay over for a while." Toshiro patted Asuma on the back.

"Would you like that Konohamaru? Maybe Naruto can come play with you too." Kisa smiled as the boy wiped his tears and quieted down. Nodding once he took the woman's hand and started to walk away, pulling her after him. Kisa looked back and waved before changing the boy's direction so she could gather up Hinata and Hanabi, who had stood with their relatives for the service.

A deep sigh of relief escaped from Asuma's mouth and he bent over slightly as he fumbled to light a cigarette with trembling hands. "Thank-you, Toshiro. You have no idea how much this helps. I think something like this, a boy needs a mom or dad and, well, you and Kisa fit that bill better than me."

Toshiro gave him a bitter-sweet smile, "It's only temporary, we have to leave for Mist in a couple weeks, but anytime you feel overwhelmed, just speak up. And I have a feeling Kuranai would like to help out as well."

"Yeah, she came over last night, but neither of us had any idea how to comfort him. I mean… she's an orphan so I guess she has a good excuse, but I don't know what my problem is. Anyway, that's for me to figure out." He walked away, flinging his half-smoked cigarette into a puddle and pulling out another.

"I hope the stores don't run out of cigarettes or that man will be in real trouble." Fugaku commented dryly.

"He went through a full two pack during the service, but he kept putting them out after a few puffs before reaching for another." Toshiro observed, "It might be better for him if he would just open a couple bottles of saki, get stinking drunk and pass out for twelve hours."

"That's probably true for all of us. Unfortunately we don't get to enjoy that luxury. Itachi?"

"Hm?" The teen had been staring at the offering table, now full of flowers and photographs of not only Sarutobi, but all of the villagers who had died the previous day.

"You look feverish."

"Huh?" Itachi blinked a couple times as he looked up at his father, "I feel fine."

"You're sweating and it forty-seven degrees outside."

"I… am?" Itachi put a hand to forehead and frowned. Fugaku was right, he was running a fever. "Strange. I don't feel sick. I do feel a little cold, but standing here doing nothing can account for that."

"Nevertheless, go round up the boys and put them and yourself to bed." Fugaku turned around and walked away.

Toshiro smiled, "I guess that's 'Fugaku-speak' for 'if I end up with three sick kids in house while Mikoto's gone I'll kick all your butts'."

Itachi gave a short laugh, "Yeah, you're probably right. And it would hurt, too."

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"I don't really feel like sleeping now." Naruto admitted as they stepped into the house.

"Me neither." Sasuke agree.

Itachi slipped off his sandals and stared down the hall, "Then let's just watch TV for a while then."

"I didn't see Sheeta, where is she?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

"Nui told her that she wasn't going to stand two hours in the rain even if it meant she had to tie her to a chair."

Naruto grinned, "So she's at home tied to a chair. I sure hope I'm not the one that has to untie her."

"Me too." Itachi and Sasuke spoke simultaneously.

Itachi continued, "But to tell the truth, she probably has morning sickness again. It shows up a couple hours after she gets up, and goes away by noon."

Sasuke and Naruto picked a movie with very little action, hoping it would make them sleepy. Both boys were still suffering from exhaustion, but the funeral had keyed them up so much that they couldn't close their eyes without a hundred worries surfacing. About half-way through the ninety-minute movie Fugaku showed up and joined them. Despite his earlier words, he didn't seem to be surprised or upset to see them out of bed. However, he did keep glancing at Itachi who was rubbing his chest and occasionally wincing, as if in pain.

As the movie ended, Itachi stood up slowly and yawned. "I'm going to take a nap."

The yawn was contagious and Sasuke and Naruto followed him out of the room, leaving Fugaku, who had picked up a book. He dropped it a moment later when Naruto's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the house. "Itachi! What's wrong!"

Sasuke ran back into the living room, "Dad! Big brother fell down and he's in pain! I think it's a heart attack!"

Fugaku was at his son's side in a second. Itachi was on his knees gasping in pain and bent over with his hand clutching the shirt over his heart, "Impossible… he's only sixteen… it must be something else. I'll take him to the hospital. You two go to bed." He disappeared, leaving two very stressed out and awake boys behind.

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"Whatever it was, he's resting quietly now, Lord Hokage." The doctor that had treated Itachi looked apologetically into Fugaku's eyes. "All his vital signs are normal, although his lungs are starting to fill with mucus again. I have scheduled treatment for that later tonight."

"You don't have any idea what it was?" Fugaku asked angrily.

"We thought it could have been angina. Chest pain that occurs because the heart muscles don't get enough blood. But after checking his arteries we don't see any blockages. Stress can also cause chest pain, and, of course, the spinal column can transfer pain to the chest that has nothing to do with the heart. However, given his illness, it is most likely heart related. My suspicion is that the stress of the last twenty-four hours, combined with his condition worked together to give him angina-like symptoms."

"Hmm." He turned away and gazed at the teen, sleeping soundly on a cot in the hospital room. Because of the fighting from the day before the hospital was overflowing with wounded and every room had at least four people in it. "Would you like me to take him home after the treatment later?"

"No, I would like to keep him under observation until morning, at least. The place is busy, but it would make me feel better to have him here, nonetheless."

Fugaku bowed his head, "Thank-you very much. I'll be in contact later."

"How are Naruto and Sasuke doing?" The same doctor had treated the two boys after their fight in the woods the previous day.

"They woke up to attend the funeral, but they are so wound up now…"

The doctor pulled out a prescription form, "Give them some of these. It'll calm them down so they can sleep. I don't really like prescribing, like this but right now is a bit of an exception."

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"Hi Itachi." A big, blond, toothy grin welcomed the teen back into the world as he opened his eyes and tried to shake the disorientation that was making his brain hurt. Or perhaps that was a headache caused by the too-near face staring at him inanely.

"You don't have to sit so close. He's not deaf." Sasuke's more somber tones made the face back away to a more comfortable distance. The headache also backed off and Itachi took a deep breath, expelling it slowly as he remembered the pain in his chest.

"What happened?" The teen asked quietly. He was on a narrow cot in a room with three other people, who all appeared to be asleep, or perhaps even unconscious.

"You had vagina." Itachi's eyes opened wide with shock at Naruto's words. In his half-awake state it seemed entirely possible.

"That's 'angina' you idiot." Sasuke rapped his friend on the head, eliciting a grin from Itachi.

"Thank god." Itachi sighed, wondering just how 'out of it' he was.

Sasuke sat down on the floor, "Dad said you're getting worse."

"But you don't have to worry!" Naruto added, a little too quickly, "Because me and pervy-sage are going to go get Tsunade and bring her back and because she's the best medical ninja ever she'll cure you!"

"Yeah, so everything's okay." Sasuke added. "Naruto is leaving tomorrow and they aren't going to come back without her."

"That's right! I'm all packed and everything! Even if I have to tie her up and sling her over my shoulder, I'm going to make her cure you because you're my big brother and if I'm going to be Hokage someday like my dad then I can't let you die!"

Itachi didn't know what to say to that declaration. He was flattered that Naruto trusted him, but at the same time… the boy was carrying the nine-tailed demon and it was his job one day to deliver him to Akatsuki.

Fugaku cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "You're going to be late if you stay any longer."

"Oh!" Naruto looked at his watch, "We're going to go play with Konohamaru this afternoon."

"We better get going." Sasuke led Naruto out of the room, leaving Fugaku alone with his son.

Sitting down in the chair Naruto had vacated he looked curiously at Itachi's distant expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Naruto… what… I have to do to him…"

"Itachi…"

"What if I can't get out of it? If something happens to me… someone else would collect him. I wish I hadn't gotten so close to him. I knew letting him move in was a mistake."

Fugaku was silent for a few minutes. A hundred scenarios – all concerning ways to hide the nine-tails Jinchuuriki wove through his head – but there was only one solution. The only way to guarantee Naruto's safety was to kill Madara.

"I won' be able to do it." Itachi seemed to be reading his father's mind as he quietly uttered the words.

"I know." Fugaku slowly admitted. It was a big blow, realizing that all the work he had put into training his son to take down the most powerful ninja currently living had probably been a waste of time. Fate had delivered a blow that the teen, as powerful as he had become, could not block.

Itachi closed his eyes and one tear leaked, unbidden, from one eye.

"Get up, Itachi. We're going home." He dragged a cardboard box out from under the cot and took his son's clothes. "And… there has to be a way out of this. If he… if he wins there will be war like no one in modern times has seen. We can't allow that."

"You're right, father. There's too much at stake to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. Perhaps while we're in Mist we can learn something."

"The village and various clan councils met this morning to discuss the events of yesterday, and they see this trip to Mist as too important to pass up. I'm not happy about Madara's threat, though. I don't appreciate being backed into a corner." Fugaku led his son out into the hall, but instead of turning right, toward the stairwell, he guided him toward a set of double doors at the end of the hall. "Before we go home… I have arranged a small detour."

"The optometrist!" Itachi's eyes opened wide in shock.

"All his patients cancelled. Other things going on, of course. So her schedule is wide open. I'll wait in the hall, and be honest with her, Itachi, or I really will remove you from active duty."

Itachi waited a couple minutes after Fugaku had exited the exam room, then turned around to look suspiciously at the doctor.

"Would you like to sit of your own free will or do I get to tie you up?" The middle-aged woman gave him a mischievous smile as she washed her hands in the small sink.

"How many patients do you tie up to examine?"

"Believe it or not, at least one a month. Sometimes more. You shinobi are sure a stubborn lot."

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Itachi lay on his bed, holding his new, wire-framed gold-colored glasses in the air. He was still in shock over just how much his vision had deteriorated. It seemed inconceivable. Slipping his glasses on, he stood up and gazed out at the darkness beyond his window. The lake was crystal clear and a white line from the full moon drew his attention. The last time he had looked it had been blurred and indistinct. Now, it was sharp, with crisp straight lines and he could even make out the individual waves as they moved in and out of the moon's reflection.

"As embarrassing as it is to wear them… I may never take them off again." Unfortunately, he also knew that a point would come where glasses would no longer work. The Mangekyou Sharingan was robbing him of his vision and one day, he would be blind. Grabbing a woolen coverlet out of the closet he slid open the balcony door and took a seat on a lounge chair. Being able to see the stars, the lake, the clouds as they drifted almost unseen across the sky – it was something he decided he wanted to enjoy tonight so he could etch it into his mind. Someday, he knew, it would be only a memory.

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Next week, the clan leaves for Mist.

I'm not too happy with this chapter. It skips around too much. Sorry about Killing off Sarutobi, but… that was one of the big reasons Tsunade used to return to Konoha and since she isn't going to be Hokage (which was the other reason) I felt like I had to keep that part of the story intact. I couldn't think of any other strong connection she could have to the village.

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