Summary
Kagome has a plan. Itachi is not pleased with the idea...
A/N: For some reason, I have a very difficult time writing out fight scenes. I can picture them, but it's really hard to put them into words. I hope I've done them some sense of justice. Anyways, let me know what you think! For those of you that have reviewed, thank you for getting this story to 900. I can not believe how many supportive people are out there cheering for this story. I'd love to hit that 1000 mark, if you all can help me. Okay! Here we go!
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It was two days and several moments of dragging him back on track- he was going to brutally murder Deidara the next time he saw him- later that someone finally caught up to them. Itachi could have howled in anger. They were right there! The border was only a few miles from them!
Sadly, the exploding tag that had been planted did not wait for the Uchiha to throw a hissy fit before going off with a bang. In fact, if it hadn't been for his quick reflexes, Kagome would have been blown to pieces. As it was, she came out with one arm singed.
"Damn motherfu-!" His arms bundled full of the shaking priestess, he surveyed the damage with bright Sharingan eyes and literally saw red in unrestrained fury. It wasn't bad, but she'd still been hurt under his care.
"It's fine! Just keep going!" Kagome gasped, tears pouring from her cheeks due to the pain and the smoke surrounding them. They shot out of the wooded area and skidded to a halt in the next clearing.
Madara Uchiha was waiting for them, calm as a cucumber and red Sharingan eyes swirling in glee. The two teens didn't fail to notice that the older man had forgone his mask. Itachi briefly entertained the memory of giving the bastard a black eye before he was completely focused again as he gently set Kagome down.
"Itachi, I have an idea."
"Is it the one we'd discussed before?" Because he hadn't liked that idea. At all. He hated the very thought of using Kagome as bait!
"Yes."
"... I still don't like it, but it might be the only chance we have," he hissed, observing Madara as he watched them just as carefully. Itachi was crouched in front of the priestess, barring her from the older Uchiha's mind tricks, but he knew the moment he moved, all of his 'Uncle's' attention would be on him.
"Making plans, Itachi? I thought I taught you better than that." Madara let a small smirk dominate his features before crouching in a fghting stance that was very similar to Itachi's, "I also thought I taught you not to carry around your baggage in such plain sight." He disappeared, and the teen whipped around, flaring through several hand signs and ripping open one of the weapons' scrolls. The tanto that flipped into his hands blocked the shuriken volley the ancestor sent their way.
Shifting his stance, the younger Uchiha rammed the tanto at the older man, only to bite back a curse when his body slid through it as though he didn't exist. Madara had a style of fighting that was uniquely his own. If you weren't careful, you would think you were fighting a phantom.
The older Uchiha smirked and realigned himself back in the current dimension before slugging Itachi violently and sending him flying. Kagome gasped and skidded away from the manical gleam in the other man's eyes. Itachi disappeared suddenly, alerting them to the fact that Madara had attacked a shadow clone.
The crackling of the ground made him jump away as the younger male suddenly shattered the earth underneath them and flung a volley of shuriken at the incensed ancestor. Did the boy really think an Earth Style technique could stop him! Kagome swallowed the shout she was holding in and dove away from the falling rocks in the air as Itachi leapt from the hole he'd made in the ground. Jumping almost elegantly from boulder to boulder, he landed efficiently and spun around to face the older Uchiha again, Sharingan bright and whirling wildly.
Madara hissed in anger and flipped into a series of hand signs. Itachi was already way ahead of him, for once, smoking pouring erratically from his mouth in preparation.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Kagome stared on in was the biggest fireball she'd seen... ever. The heat was literally making her sweat... and she wasn't even that close to it! She could only imagine how Itachi felt. She grit her teeth though, when Madara merely teleported away and reappeared a little closer to her.
Now, she just had to be patient and wait for the right moment. She hated playing bait.
"Really, Itachi. After all the training I put you through, you'd think you'd remember that most of your techniques don't work on me," the older Uchiha announced, spinning and delivering a kick to the Itachi that had snuck up on him. It disappeared in a puff of smoke, but was followed closely by another Itachi that delivered a series of deadly looking kicks and punches.
Kagome followed the fight in shock. Itachi... was really fast. She'd never seen a human move that quickly!
'Then again, I don't think he's a hundred percent human,' glancing at his red eyes, she nodded to herself and planned another piece of her plan of attack. She'd have to be very careful not to purify Itachi's Sharingan if she was going to definitely go with her plan.
Madara dodged several hits, blocked the rest, then punched a hole through the Itachi he was fighting. Kagome swallowed, worried for a moment that it was the real one. When it disappeared, though, she breathed a sigh of relief. She then twitched visibly when the former heir appeared next to her, crouched in a stance that belied how quick he was.
"Kagome, stay sharp. He'll try anything at this point," Itachi hissed, making her nod and rise to her feet. Madara "Tch"ed and zoomed over to the teenagers, his focus centered on the other Uchiha. He seemed a little shocked when Kagome stepped between them, smoke clearing from a release of one of her weapons scrolls and a ringing noise filling the air. The priestess grit her teeth and swung the staff around to catch the older man in the chin with the sharp golden rings decorating the top of the staff. She sent him flying with a satisfied grunt, the sacred rings jingling once again with the movement before sliding into a defensive stance in front of Itachi. It made her huff in annoyance when the clone disappeared.
For his part, the former Clan heir had never even seen her fight like that before! How had she been able to manuever so well? Were those moves that were taught to her by someone else?
"What... is that?"
"A shakujo. Miroku used one, remember?" Kagome replied, clinking the bottom of the staff on the ground and making the rings vibrate in the air. "Monks and Sages use them, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to either." She started to turn a smile up to him but choked when the tanto he'd been holding wrenched into her gut. Wide blue eyes stared up at him in shock, wondering why he would stab her.
"Whaa..." Itachi smirked darkly and a puff of smoke surrounded him. In the heir's place stood Madara. She'd been tricked!
"You poor trusting little thing," the older Uchiha cooed unpleasantly, turning the blade and shifting it upward harshly. It slid through her shoulder seamlessly and the priestess crumbled to the ground in shock. Smirking cruelly, Madara tossed the blade aside and reached down to try and take the staff from her blood-slicked fingers-
Only for Kagome to disappear and be replaced by a small paper figure with a slit through the shoulder. The jingling of those rings came too late, and Madara turned into the attack that came at him from above. Kagome was suspended for a few seconds in the air, dark hair flared out and expression fierce as she swung her shakujo and caught him in the face with the side that the top was situated, sending him crashing into the ground several yards away with a gash down one cheek. Madara sat up and hissed at the girl, wondering how in the hell she'd managed to trick him at his own illusion! He didn't have a long time to contemplate as Itachi walloped him upside the head again. This time, the younger man's fist actually connected with the ancestor and it jarred the older man painfully. He was sure his jaw was cracked at this point.
"What. The. Hell. Was. That!" Itachi hissed, jumping several paces away from a shaken Madara and leveling a furious look at the smug priestess.
"Shikigami."
"You never said you could do something like that!"
"You never asked, Itachi!" she retorted sharply, tensing when Madara stumbled to his feet, "And don't pay attention to me! He's right there!" The Sharingan master almost slapped himself for the genin mistake, but restrained the urge when the ancestor launched himself visciously at Kagome. She parried the initial slice, and reared back when his fist came at her head, but she missed the kunai that came speeding from her blind spot and puntcured her directly where she knew one of her kidneys were. The sickening purple color dripping from the small blade made her realize too late that it was poisoned. Ripping herself away, she twisted her staff and butted the bottom at the Uchiha, wincing when the momentum sent her through him. Coughing, she spluttered and rolled away to let Itachi try and take over.
'At this rate, he's going to kill me before I can be ready!' the priestess thought frantically, putting a hand to her side and glaring angrily at the blood that came away. She had to do something! And it had to happen now!
Itachi flipped over and used his momentum to swing a kick at Madara. Nimbly dodging, the older man gripped his shin and threw the younger one off to the side. "I'll deal with you later!" he snapped, rushing at Kagome with a speed neither of them had known he possessed, "You die first, little bitch!"
'I'm not going to make it!' the former heir thought in fear, his heart screaming at him to move faster! He wasn't going to live without that bright spot that was Kagome! He needed her!
Kagome sucked in a breath in preparation as Madara descended past the intial line of defenses that she instinctively kept up. He was close enough now that she knew her plan would work. Now was the time!
"ITACHI! TURN IT OFF!" she screamed, barely dodging the swipe the older Uchiha attempted and grabbing his arm in passing. Furious red eyes turned to bore into her determined blue ones as she let loose on the pressure that had been building inside her. Pink flared to life around her hands, over her arms, her body encasing itself in a wild bright light. Those eyes that she could clearly see were no longer angry. Instead, they were wide in wild fear.
"What are you..." Madara hissed, bringing his other hand around to clamp around her throat. He howled in agony a few seconds later; unable to touch her glowing skin. "Bitch!"
"I've got you now! And I'm gonna hit you where it hurts the most!" Kagome growled out, purification sizzling in her blood as it rose up to destroy the one trying to kill her. Her eyes, no longer their vibrant blue, were an angry pink that swirled with her power. Letting go, everything went bright, Madara's screams of pain echoing around them as he tried to fight his way out of her hold. Everything was burning! His eyes! Oh, his eyes were on fire!
The younger Uchiha skidded suddenly to a halt, dropped to the ground, and slammed the door shut on his dojutsu the moment he saw the light eminating from the priestess, red eyes blackening in a flash as the wave of purity swept over him a second later. He breathed a sigh at the warm soothing feeling that washed over him, making every ache and pain he felt disappear. Even his lungs felt great.
'It's like breaking the surface of water and taking in the air again.'
The former time traveler grit her teeth and poured everything she'd been holding back into getting rid of the threat of Madara. She wanted him to have nothing left! He didn't deserve to be able to wield chakra when all he wanted was to use his abilities for evil and selfish purposes! And so, she would take that away from him forever!
Her powers swelled up as she met his terrified now black eyes, "I will make it so that you can never hurt anyone else ever again!" She let go of her hold, splayed her palm out against his chest, and doused him in another bout of purification, burning away his chakra and blasting him away from her. He was unconscious by the time he hit the ground again.
Staggering up a few seconds later, Itachi paid no mind to the unconscious Uchiha sprawled at the other end of the clearing. Instead, he made a bee line for the swaying Kagome. He caught her right before she crumpled to the ground in exhaustion, his dojutsu reactivating automatically in panic.
"What... what did you do to him?" the Sharingan user hissed, tomoe spinning in agitation at how low her reserves were. She'd really used a lot of energy to zap Madara when he charged her. And that injury she'd taken was still bleeding sluggishly.
"Well... I purified him," Kagome replied tiredly, leaning heavily on the Uchiha, "He's helpless now. He can't hurt anyone anymore that way. All that power he had is gone. There was... a lot more there than I thought. It just... took a lot out of me."
"Kagome... This was the stupidest plan I have ever participated in!" the former heir sighed, running a hand soothingly through the girl's dark hair. His hand came away with a distinct feeling of static, and he carefully switched off his Bloodline Limit so as not to trigger another flare of her powers. "But, it worked, and I can honestly say I couldn't have done this without you."
"I'm glad... He's not going to hurt you anymore. You're free, Itachi," the priestess murmured, clinging to the other teen and hugging him tightly. Itachi swallowed a lump in his throat and returned the gesture.
"We... should make sure."
"Itachi?" she asked, feeling him tense up. He stepped away from her and started over to the older Uchiha.
"I have to kill him." He started to pull out a set of kunai, but stopped when the girl launched herself at him.
"No! You don't have to-!" she started, clinging to the arm that held his weapon of choice.
"It's the only way to guarantee that he won't ever make a comeback!" he argued, not liking the pleading look in her eyes.
"Please... Don't make yourself do this!" Kagome whispered, tears gathering and clinging to her lashes. "Let's just... leave him. He can't hurt anyone now."
He thought about it, really truly wanted to do exactly that. And then, he was hit with a brilliant plan.
"All right. We're close enough to the in-between that ANBU will have sensed what was going on here. All that power you siphoned off will have alerted any patrol that's watching the border also. They can easily pick him up and take him to confinement until his crimes are metted out." Kagome nodded quickly, relief filling her. She didn't want Itachi to have to kill if it wasn't necessary anymore.
"Okay! That's a great idea." She turned to the oher Uchiha, consternation making her brows furrow, "but, we have to make sure he won't escape." Itachi grinned visciously and pulled out one of their scrolls. "You've got a plan?"
"Indeed."
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Madara groaned and blinked open his eyes. Why the hell was everything so... blurry? Was he... tied up? To a tree? Two young faces came into his line of vision, and he refocused on them. Itachi and Kagome grinned down at him genially.
"Congratualtions, Madara. You've just been completely purified," the young Uchiha announced smugly, eyes traveling down his former teacher briefly before coming back. The older Uchiha seemed stunned. What, exactly, did that mean? He hadn't realized he'd asked the question out loud.
"That means you're Sharingan is gone. As is your impressive chakra. Basically, you're nothing more than a common civilian at this point. You have no jutsu, no dojutsu, and no genjutsu," Itachi explained, smirking at the choked noise that came out of Madara's mouth, "You'll live in that body. And you'll die in that body. I'd kill you now, but Kagome has taught me that it's not fair to kill someone so... defenseless." His words were in such a mocking way that the older Uchiha immediately became incensed and shakily tried to fight his bonds.
"You... You're lying, Itachi! There's no way in hell something that ridiculous could happen to me!"
This time, the younger Uchiha laughed quietly. Coldly. It was a sound that easily sent shivers down Kagome's spine. His arm secured around her shoulder, though, was warm and at complete odds with the ice that had begun to creep into Itachi's voice.
"Well, I guess you didn't count on me finding a priestess to protect, did you?" Finished with the conversation, the two teenagers turned and walked away, leaving a silent Madara to his insanity. A moment later, he heard the older Uchiha begin ranting at the top of his lungs about betrayal and consequences. Itachi couldn't really care less; after all, the only thing more important than Sasuke was walking at his side. Well, Kagome was stumbling, actually, and Itachi finally took pity on her and scooped her up in his arms. Tired as he was, the Uchiha was exceedingly proud of their teamwork.
"You did well, Kagome," he whispered, sniffing her hair discreetly and enjoying the somehow still sweet smell, "You can rest now. It's okay." The priestess didn't seem to need further convincing because she was out like a light seconds after his words. She'd been feeling lightheaded for a while now, and she was sure she was going to wake up in pain later.
"I will protect you. Always."
"There's no way a priestess of that caliber could exist right under my nose!" Madara screamed in the background, "You'll regret this, Itachi! I gave you everything!" Itachi chose not to answer, and instead performed a series of one-handed signs that teleported the two teenagers away from the battle ground. All that noise was bound to attract attention, and he didn't want to be there when the ANBU finally decided to catch up.
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A/N: Let me just start by saying this chapter was hard to write up. Also, long overdue, but it got all the necessary ends tied up and the kids finally kicked Madara's ass.
As always, I appreciate feedback in any form or fashion. Even some pointers, because I may just come back to this chapter and edit a little. Reviews are even nicer.