Here is chapter 7! I made this one longer as promised. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Chapter 7
"Let's talk," Naru says quietly, her voice heavy with sadness. A few minutes pass by before anyone says anything again.
"Why did you let my chidori hit you?" Sasuke yells out as he grabs Naru's shoulder and forcefully turns her around, their eyes boring into each other's.
"Several reasons, one it is how you activate the time travel jutsu and two because it was the only way to make you see reason!" she yells back. "All you care about is revenge and destroying everything to satisfy your hatred! You aren't the same Sasuke that I knew when I was younger. If your brother could see you now he would be disappointed and hurt at seeing the person you have become! The whole reason he couldn't kill you was because your life was more precious to him than his own. He wanted you to live so you could change the world and stop something like your family's massacre from ever happening again! Now look what you've done, you've turned your back on everyone who has ever loved you, on all your friends and on your home! You dishonor Itachi's memory and make his sacrifice pointless," Naru finally finishes, her eyes blazing with determination and at the same time tears freely falling down her cheeks, her heart beating rapidly.
Not knowing what to say or do, Sasuke just stands there in silence with his head hanging in defeat. But after several minutes he finally speaks, his voice quiet and weighed down with sadness. "Naruko…everything you said is true. I am pathetic and don't deserve everything you have done for me. When I thought you had died something inside of me snapped, I didn't know what to do. As kids you were always there for me no matter how many times I yelled at you or called you names, you were always there. Seeing you lying lifeless on the ground I realized how much I truly cared about you and when I woke up here and seeing your younger self I knew what I had to do. I wanted to change everything so that what I had just done would never come to pass. I know that there is nothing I could ever do to make amends for all the horrible things I have done, but Naruko…I'm sorry." This time it is him breaking down in tears and falling to his knees, his hands covering his face, too ashamed to do anything else.
Instead of yelling or kicking him and sending him flying into the nearest solid object, Naru also drops to her knees and wraps her arms around the crying Sasuke, his face burying itself in the crook of her shoulder. They remain like that for several minutes until Sasuke's sobs finally subside, looking into each other's eyes and staring into each other's souls. Finally Sasuke breaks the silence and does something unexpected, he softly brushes his lips against Naru's before pulling back, unsure of what her reaction will be. With a faint blush on her tan cheeks Naru closes the small gap between them and kisses him back, shyly at first but soon Sasuke deepens the kiss. Out of breath the two break the kiss.
"Naruko, I'm so sorry for everything that I have done. I promise that I will be the one protecting you this time."
"It's okay, there is nothing to forgive. I love you Sasuke and always will." The two share another kiss before getting off the ground and returning to the village hand in hand, reaching the village as dusk was setting in.
"Well well well, look what we have here," Kakashi says calmly as Sasuke and Naru walk into the village holding hands, surprising both of them and making them let go of each other's hands, a faint blush on both their faces. "Where have you two been?"
"Talking," Sasuke replies equally as calm once he regains his composure.
"If you say so...Naru, Jiraiya left with Naruko earlier today and left a note telling where they will be so you can join up with them."
"Thanks, I just need to go get a few things before I catch up with them," at that Kakashi disappears leaving them alone again.
"You're leaving?"
"Just for a short while, I want to help train my younger self so that certain events aren't repeated again."
"I want to come with you."
"No, I think you should stay here and help Kakashi train your younger self for the finals. I'm sure there are some things you wish that you would have known when you were younger," Naru says calmly, a sparkle in her eye.
"Why are you always right?" he says back teasingly. "But what are you going to do when Itachi and Kisame come to try to take your younger self?" he asks as his tone turns serious.
"I've already figured that out. They come here first looking for me before realizing I'm not here, so I think you and Sasuke should intercept them and talk while Gai is fighting Kisame. I really think you guys should talk."
"I guess so…" he says as his voice trails off.
"Trust me this is something you all need," Naru says soothingly as she wraps her arms around him.
"What do I say to him?"
"Well how should I know," she laughs. "Just say whatever your heart tells you to, he is your brother and he loves you more than anything else in the world. Everything is going to be okay."
"If you say so," he pecks her on the lips before they walk off together.
OoOoOo
As soon as Naru had gathered everything she needed and after giving Sasuke one last kiss, she leaves the village to rendezvous with Jiraiya and her younger self. Hopefully the teme doesn't mess this up, she thinks to herself, hoping the meeting between him and Itachi would go well. They really need to talk…yeah it will be good for them, she reassures herself.
Just as the sun takes its place in the morning sky Naru finds the hotel Jiraiya had described in his letter where she would find the two. With a smile she scales the wall up to the third floor and climbs into the room she was looking for through the window. As she steps in she sees a sleeping Naruko, her night shirt scrunched up revealing her belly button and the black seal mark on her skin, and the blankets strewn everywhere. But after looking around some more she realizes Jiraiya isn't there, he's probably passed out drunk somewhere, she says to herself as she sweatdrops. But she is soon contradicted when the door opens revealing the white-haired sage.
At seeing her master again, a flood of emotions wells up inside of her as she runs up to him and hugs him, tears streaming down her face. "What's wrong kiddo?" he asks as he ruffles her hair.
"I-it's nothing," she replies, stepping away from him and wiping her face.
"How about we let Naruko sleep in for once while we go and talk." Jiraiya scribbles down a quick note to the sleeping Naruko in case she woke up before they returned before him and Naru leave the room. Once outside, they both take a seat under an ancient shade tree before either of them begin talking. "You've really grown kiddo. So how old are you?"
"Nineteen, so you can stop calling me kiddo," Naru says back with a smile.
"Based off how you reacted earlier, I take it I bite the big one sometime in the future."
"Sensei," Naru says quietly, beginning to tear up again, "I've been through so much these past few years and if it weren't for you and the things you taught me I don't think I would have been able to survive them. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me…" tears now freely streaming out of her eyes and down her cheeks, landing in the soft grass. Seeing his student in distress, Jiraiya scoots closer to her and wraps his arms securely around her as she begins to sob harder. "I-I've mi-missed you s-so much," she sobs.
"That's enough crying Naruko," he says gently. "Tell me about all that you have learned." After blowing her nose and wiping the remaining tears in her eyes away Naru tells him about all that she had learned and experienced. But as she was about to reveal how he died, Jiraiya cuts her off. "I don't want to know," he says firmly.
"B-but sensei…"
"If it is my destiny to die then so be it, I accept my fate. There are certain things that should not be changed. And besides if I knew when and how I died I wouldn't be able to live my life to the fullest, I would always be worried and counting down the days until the day came when I would indeed die."
"I understand," she says back quietly.
"But that is amazing you mastered sage mode and bijuu mode! You've made your master proud. Now let's go train your younger self!" he proclaims as he stands up, holding out a hand to his student. With a smile she gladly accepts it, but before walking back, she hugs him tightly again, almost too afraid to let go. The faint scent of toad and alcohol on his person bringing back so many happy memories.
OoOoOo
Two weeks later Sasuke and his younger self wait in one of the many training fields, Kakashi being late due to being called to the hokage's office. "Hey, let's talk for a minute," Sasuke says to his younger self. "In a few hours Itachi and his akatsuki partner Kisame are going to enter the village looking for Naruko."
"Good thing she isn't here then"
"Yes, but you see Naru thought it would be good if we intercepted Itachi and had a talk." Suddenly the younger Uchiha's face morphs into a look of hatred, confusion and sadness. "Now that you and I both know the truth I think we should talk, there are some things I want to ask him about, and I'm sure you do as well. I won't force you to go, but it would make Naru happy if you did…"
"I'll go, but what do I say?" he replies back quietly.
"I asked Naru that same question," he laughs back, "just say whatever is in your heart."
OoOoOo
A few hours later, deep in the forest of one of that many training grounds, stands the younger and older Sasuke face to face with their brother. "How interesting," Itachi says back calmly, "I see that the whispers going around are true, you two look exactly like one another and based off your chakra patterns you are indeed the same person."
"Yes it is true, I am Sasuke from seven years in the future and we have come here to talk with you. Itachi…brother, I know the truth."
"As do I," younger Sasuke adds. At hearing this, Itachi's normally emotionless face changes, his cold eyes soften and his lips form into a small smile.
"I see…if you know the truth then that means before you came to this time, you finally managed to kill me Sasuke."
"Yes I did, and since learning the truth it is something that I will always regret. Brother…"
"So tell me," Itachi says looking to the younger version of his brother, "do you still hate me?"
"No, it is not you I hate but the people that forced you to kill everyone."
"What will you do now?"
"I will continue to get stronger, not so that I can get revenge but so I can protect someone so that we can change the village, making it so that history isn't repeated." Without saying anything and with a smile on his face, Itachi stands closer to his little brother and pokes him in the forehead. "Hey!" he yells out, rubbing his sore forehead.
"I was hoping that you would never learn the truth because I was afraid that you would be consumed by hatred and would turn your back on the village. Seeing you now makes me proud to be your brother. Forget about what I told you all those years ago, let go of all your hatred, become strong so you can protect your special someone."
"I understand."
"Good, now if you don't mind there are some things I want to talk about with your older self."
"Okay," he turns to leave but looks back and smiles at his older brother, still not being able to completely understand what happened, but happy to discover that his older brother loves him and is proud of him.
"I'm sorry Sasuke," Itachi says when they were finally alone. "I'm sorry for making you hate me."
"I know brother…When you and I met and started our battle I wanted nothing else but to kill you so that I could finally avenge the clan. But the moment I learned the truth I would have given anything to turn back time to stop me from killing you."
"Who told you the truth?"
"He calls himself Madara Uchiha, but in actuality he is Obito Uchiha. He told me everything."
"What did you do after you learned of the truth?"
"Many things that I am not proud of, even if some of the people deserved to die," Sasuke says quietly, turning away from Itachi, too ashamed to look him in the eye. "I killed Danzo and then joined with the remaining akatsuki to start the fourth shinobi world war so that I could destroy Konoha and make everyone pay for what they did to our clan. But I was stopped by a certain someone and sent back here."
"Sasuke…I am disappointed that you have fallen that far. I told you to hate me so that you could get strong and take your hatred out on me, not the innocent people of the village. Yes Danzo is a snake that deserves to die, but what I did was a necessary evil. I knew what would happen to me the moment I was given my orders, kill a few to save many and be forever exiled from my home, or save a few and let many die. I've made peace with what I have done and I accept the consequences. But you, I dreamt that you would grow up and live a normal life, sometime in the future fall in love, get married and have children but I see that didn't happen."
"But I've come back to change that."
"Yes, I hope with all my heart you have. Tell me, how is it you managed to travel back in time?"
"It was all Naruko's doing. I don't know the specifics but as I was headed to destroy the village she intercepted me," his voice quiet, "we had been fighting and I was almost out of chakra. I formed a chidori with the last of it, she could have easily dodged it, but instead she let it destroy her which activated the jutsu and sent us both back in time."
"She is here as well?"
"Yes, she went with Jiraiya to train her younger self for the chuunin exam finals."
"Truly amazing. How long do you both have here?"
"I don't know."
"You two have made your peace?"
"Yes we have."
After a long moment of silence Itachi speaks, "I need to go now or else my partner will come looking for me. Thank you for telling him the truth. Now that Sasuke knows everything I don't have to worry about him so much, but just as I have been doing I will secretly watch over him. I am disappointed in you for the things you have done, but I am proud that you are trying to fix your mistakes. Hopefully this new future you and Naruko are creating is a brighter one that isn't filled with war and hatred."
"I understand. Goodbye brother."
"Goodbye Sasuke," Itachi says with a smile as he closes the gap between them and places his hand on his brother's shoulder and poking him in the forehead with his other hand. "Goodbye little brother." Just as Itachi was turning to leave, Sasuke grabs his brother's shoulder again and wraps his arms around him and hugs him tightly, even if doing so was completely out of character. They stay like that for several minutes as tears begin to leak out of both their eyes, but finally Itachi breaks the embrace, smiles again and disappears. After wiping the tears from his face and with the burden and guilt of everything that had happened lifted off his shoulders, Sasuke returns to his younger self.
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! There aren't many chapters left to this part of the story but I already have the second part mostly figured out. I hope that Itachi and Sasuke's meeting wasn't too out of character for them. But now that little Sasuke has learned the truth and talked to Itachi hopefully he won't jump off the deep end…lol. Thanks again for the reviews!