Shat out of hell

Kabuto had to wait four days to get an answer.
He tried to stay as long as he could in his laboratory – pretending to do something on Sasuke.
He hadn't the palest idea of grounds on which Orochimaru could base his temporary rejection to reincarnate in Sasuke.
Kabuto had tried to take a look at Sasuke's state of health or something – anything that could justify Orochimaru's choice.

There was no reason to be found.
The only thing Kabuto could do was wait – Orochimaru was so scheming.
He could come up with whatever kind of plan – that could be either convenient or inconvenient to Kabuto.
Kabuto tried even to picture Orochimaru's current ideas.
He had nearly convinced himself that Orochimaru had to wait for some reason – he had always thought Orochimaru's body wasn't ready for reincarnation yet.
Contented with his hypothesis, he got really puzzled by his master's (owner's) statement, on the fourth day:
"Kabuto.
Use that corpse to do whatever the fuck you want and spread to Akatsuki the news of Sasuke's death.
I gathered enough information.
Itachi is still surviving for Sasuke's sake.
You may understand what I want to do – either if you do or don't, FOLLOW EXACTLY MY ORDERS."
Kabuto said:
"Yes, Orochimaru-Sama. I may study Sasuke's abilities – he was pretty skilled, I mean.
You always considered him as a little genius-"
"I considered him as the beta version of Itachi. His rough copy, to be clear.
Sasuke's genes aren't absolutely in my interest now. You still don't get it?"
Kabuto apologized.
Approving his reaction – as Kabuto had incredibly foreseen – Orochimaru explained him:
"Itachi will kill himself.
That's to be taken for sure.
I want HIS body.
As for this little bitch – the less I see anything related to him, the better it is.
Destroy his corpse and make out of it something useful to me.
Maybe a way to get to Itachi…the fact is I need him alive, to reincarnate.
We have to strictly follow his movements.
I must stop him before he spoils his body like this.
Kabuto, c'mon…you leave this evening.
Try to contact those people you were seeing lately – who was it? Sasori? Well, well.
He has only to make Itachi know that Sasuke is completely dead and gone, and tell him that I… GOT him, in that way, too.
I want Itachi to come here and try to kill me, so – so, okay. Prepare."
"Yes, Orochimaru-Sama."
Kabuto prepared the few things he needed to bring with him.
As he moved around in the laboratory, he thought of bringing proofs to Itachi – that Sasuke was dead.
And he also thought– you know, Kabuto was coward and bastard, okay, but he still had a heart somewhere – he thought about Sasuke's corpse's end.
Wasn't it due – to bring it to Itachi – so that, at least, Sasuke could have a proper burial?
Wasn't it due to let Itachi have at least his brother's corpse – before dying?
So Kabuto thought, and so Kabuto did.
Orochimaru had explicitly asked him to make Sasuke's corpse disappear.
And so Kabuto did.

He met Sasori, informed him and gave him Sasuke's body.
Sasori went 'home', found there Tobi – Itachi was somewhere around with Kisame.
Deidara was waiting for his peer and quarreling with Tobi, as usual.
Sasori informed them all. As far as he knew, Itachi hated his brother – it was only normal to mock him for them.
He threw Sasuke's corpse on the ground, but at the last covered it – he thought of asking Itachi about USING Sasuke to be one of his puppets.
Deidara, secretly, hiding from Sasori (to not be pointed at as 'looser') restored the corpse's dignity, putting it on a table and covering it with his cloth.
Tobi didn't say a word, but watched the corpse all the time.
Itachi came back.
He stopped seeing a body on a table – Deidara beside it, without the uniform.
Itachi asked him, absently-minded: "What's up? Who's him? A sibling of yours? Didn't know you had one…"
"It's that little shit of your brother, man.
Dead."
Sasori had talked. And laughed.
"Orochimaru killed him and fucked him like a little bitch.
Anyway, just to say, can I use it? I think-"
Tobi had covered the hole in his mask and the head in his arm just a moment before Sasori's head exploded.
Deidara was breathless.
Kisame walked to Itachi and patted his shoulder, just saying "Dear God…"
Itachi shivered, swore, spat, and cleared his throat while catching his breath – nearly choking.
"Jesus – fuck off" he mumbled, sinking down on knees.
He stayed there motionless – watching the ground, his hands spread on it right and left – hardly breathing.
Then he howled – he woke up and staggered to the wall, where he vomited.
Kisame went there without saying a word, grabbed his shoulders and – just –waited.
Five minutes later Itachi grabbed his arm in reply – and followed him to Sasuke's body.
He watched it – a dumb, wasted, thoughtless blink.

He didn't say a word – until he and Kisame had finished burying the body, in a nice spot near some waterfall, in some woods.
Big Gingko Biloba trees surrounded and covered him from weather and enemies.
Itachi turned to Kisame and said: "Hello, boy."
Then walked slowly away – slowly but with a certain speed – festina lente, you know. Eile mit Weile.
Something thicker than despair runs upon the midnight air.

Kisame had understood, in some way. We don't know much about fishes' instinct – but his animal part probably told him 'that animal is going to die'.
Kisame left him there – he went back to his peers, in Akatsuki's hideout.
He scarcely informed the others about Itachi's soon departure – he would probably be killed the same, having he killed Sasori.
Only Deidara was actually interested in it.
He was afraid that Itachi could do exactly what Kisame KNEW he would do. Kill himself.
Kisame only hoped that, before, Itachi would screw the shit out Orochimaru.
Thing that also Itachi had thought.
He walked preparing a strategy, mentally.
He decided things had to be done properly – Orochimaru shouldn't do a fucking thing like this again.
Itachi suddenly realized that he couldn't kill Orochimaru.
He hadn't got the strength.
Moreover – Orochimaru would surely come towards him.
Itachi felt it – it was all so strange. That the body appeared there – he didn't even ask anyone about it.
Orochimaru had sent Sasuke's corpse to him.
This was more than a menace.
Itachi suddenly realized what he actually had to do.
He had to get away from Orochimaru, he had to hide and find SOMEONE to help him.
Help him against Orochimaru. Could he count on Tobi again?
After what they did – yes, and Itachi still could racket him in some way.
Apparently, then, Tobi was worried about Itachi's health.
Itachi thought that he would soon find him – he certainly was already following him.
But then – they ABSOLUTELY needed someone else.
Against Orochimaru. Someone – WHO?
Who could actually do…okay, involving him – surely it would be helpful! EVEN – it was impossible!

Jiraya had always chosen to AVOID Orochimaru – his worst nightmare, his worst guilt.
Orochimaru was Jiraya's failure – as Jiraya thought.
Of course he wasn't: Orochimaru was Orochimaru's failure.
Quod erat demonstrandum.
Jiraya would help Itachi, yes. But even Jiraya wasn't able to KILL Orochimaru.
So the only possible thing was to attack Orochimaru and use their skills to SEAL or BLOCK him.
Itachi went to Konoha.
It was easy to reach Jiraya without being noticed – getting rid of Akatsuki's uniform and of his hair – cutting it at ground zero. He didn't even LOOK like himself.
He also, of course, took off the headband – hiding it in some pocket.
He found Jiraya.
He had to work hard to be recognized – the Anbu mark, the scarred headband and a close inspection proved Jiraya he was him.
HIM.
Itachi didn't talk of anything else than "Sasuke's murder".
He told Jiraya that he already had a companion – "Tobi" – and three was always better than two.

Jiraya accepted.
But he interrogated Itachi so hard that eventually Itachi talked also of the rape.
Jiraya, bewildered, had an outburst of anger – Orochimaru had come down to THIS level!
He planned a certain malediction with Itachi.
They would curse Orochimaru – in a way that would primarily act on a certain part of his body.
Impairing his possibility of being thus dangerous again.
They left to his hideout – Itachi already knew everything about its location and defences; or well, Tobi knew.
Walking there, Tobi managed to take so much information out of Jiraya that Itachi wondered about the latter's real skills.
Was this really one of the three Sannin?
But then he understood – Jiraya was skilled and intelligent, but too much CONFIDENT.
That was why he failed to correct Orochimaru – he didn't punish Orochimaru, he never scolded Orochimaru because he thought the other would simply come back on the right path.
No one is so shameless to walk BACK on the right path, having willingly left it.
Itachi KNEW Orochimaru would never do such a thing.
However – better having defences than not – he listened to all their conversations, trying to infer from them a. Jiraya's information and b. Tobi's ways to drain it.
They arrived by Orochimaru, finding him hidden and waiting for them.
This was Itachi's pride: he changed direction all of a sudden and led the other two all the way round Orochimaru's hiding.
It was a matter of predictable choices.
Itachi would choose logically which way to walk; and logic is predictable.
Orochimaru had computed the same data Itachi would compute – getting the same result.
Orochimaru had understood that Itachi would come there that way.
Luckily, Itachi had tried to prevent Orochimaru's moves the same – and in return dodged his goal, to take it aback.
Orochimaru and Kabuto were next to each other, standing before the other three – watching them silently.
Orochimaru giggled.
Itachi went out of his head.
He attacked him bare-handed, forcing his allies to attack – first Kabuto, to knock him out, as Jiraya did – and then Orochimaru altogether.
This wasn't going as they had planned.
Jiraya had to make a harsh malediction – hitting surgically the spot, however.
Tobi had to rescue Itachi from Orochimaru's hands – apparently the bastard had studied his skills, getting info somewhere.
Right in this fucking mess, Kabuto woke up.
Orochimaru was just hissing "The smell of blood, the taste of prey – feel it, dear?" as Kabuto stood up and tried to fire Tobi off the battle.
Itachi fired Amaterasu on Kabuto – Jiraya attacked Orochimaru – Kabuto took the flames and let them consume his clothes.
He evidently was preparing something, trying to hide his hands.
Orochimaru giggled – everyone else waited – Itachi laughed like a fool.
He ended up howling, more than laughing – Jiraya sighed by pity looking him and prepared to receive Kabuto's whatever.
The whatever came.
The only one to say "Whew, cool this shit!" was the only one, of those three, that ACTUALLY survived.
Tobi.
Kabuto had simply opened a little box – and you would have seen, were you there, enormous flows of chakra slithering, on air, in it – Jiraya and Itachi's chakra.
Tobi commented, sighing, when he had put a sufficient distance between him and them.
Jiraya and Itachi were practically two bodies moving.
Without chakra, without mind, without soul.
What we actually call Zombies.
Orochimaru laughed.
"Kabuto.
Bring this thing down in your place and make sure that it stays alive" he said, pointing at Jiraya with his chin.
"As for you" he continued looking Itachi "WELCOME HOME, darling."
He licked Itachi's forehead and walked in his 'house', following Kabuto.