The faces of everyone in the room mirrored the shock they all felt at Itachi's request. Even the bodies of the mask covered ANBU left in the room tensed. Sakura watched as her shishou's face twisted with varying emotions. She wasn't sure what Tsunade was thinking but she was without a doubt floored by the request. Sakura made a mental note that when they returned to Konoha, she would make sure to buy her shishou's favorite bottle of sake. Perhaps she would join her in drinking it.
What could have Itachi possibly been thinking?
Well, considering the events she had just seen and the information she was given by Itachi, she supposed she shouldn't be too surprised. Itachi left only only one family member alive that night. He killed dozens of men, women, and children...but he left his brother alive. Now he was admitting that he asked the Third to keep Sasuke safe. Was that his goal all along? To have Sasuke grow up in the village he gave his honor and normal life up to protect?
She knew Sasuke had witnessed at least part of the murders. While he wouldn't openly talk about it she was sure he saw Itachi slaying his parents and he seemed to give him some sort of parting message; a sort of invitation to come kill him one day.
That was it!
That's what he meant. He wanted Sasuke to kill him. Kami, it all made sense. He wanted his life to be taken by Sasuke as an act of justice for the clan. If he did that, then perhaps Sasuke could finally begin to move on from the horrible pain he lived with starting that night.
As for Itachi, he had to live with the guilt and shame of murdering his family. He only wanted to be put to rest for his actions and he wanted it to be done by Sasuke's hands.
She ignored the burning at the back of her eyes and refused to allow the tears to fall. While she still wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel towards Itachi, she couldn't deny the overwhelming pity she felt for the man. Taking on the mission of murdering his family, purposefully leaving his beloved little brother behind and making him hate his existence, living the remainder of his life on the run as a wanted man...how could someone be so devoted to their village as he was?
She couldn't do it.
It wasn't that she doubted herself or her skills, she honestly knew she could have never done what he did. The botched assassination attempt on Sasuke proved she would never have been able to murder the people she loved in order to save the village. If she couldn't kill the man she loved, how could she possibly have taken the lives of her own family?
And now, after the war was won, after all the pain was over, he was asking for the hokage to keep Sasuke safe. Essentially to spare his life for the crimes he committed.
Even if they asked her, begged her, pleaded with her...she would never take the position of hokage. Naruto had better start training now because the shoes he wanted to fill were to large for her to even contemplate.
Sakura watched Tsunade, after a long internal debate with herself, find a small thread of her former composure and begin to speak.
"Itachi...what you ask, it would not be an easy task." she finally said.
"I do realize that Hokage-sama. Unfortunately Sasuke has involved other nations and the decision would not rest with Konoha alone." his deep voice replied.
Tsunade let out a rush of air in mock of a laugh. "That isn't even what I'm talking about. Hell, I'd almost consider that the easy part. The main problem is Sasuke himself." she looked over to the man they were speaking of. "The deciding factor would lie with him."
Sakura glanced over to where Sasuke still sat upright in his cot. Though it appeared he was trying his best to keep the emotions from his face, she could see the warring conflict rolling within his eyes. His shoulders were tense and he kept clenching his fists against the mattress.
"Would you allow me to speak with him?" Itachi asked.
Again Tsunade was silent for a time. While the request seemed simple enough, the fact that Sasuke was still a missing-nin who had attacked the other kages did not allow for a simple answer. She weighed her options carefully.
"I will have to leave ANBU in the room." she finally said.
"I understand and accept that condition."
"Okay then. Everyone else please come with me. I need to speak to you all as well." Tsunade said and walked over to Sakura to assist her. She knew her student would need much more rest before she was functioning normally again. As Kakashi began to help Naruto out of the bed Itachi's voice rang out in the nearly silent room.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Umm...y-yeah?"
Itachi inclined his head slightly to the jinchruiki. "I would like for you to stay."
Naruto's wide eyes bored into Itachi's before he turned his confused gaze onto Tsunade. While she seemed to initially reject the idea, she finally relented with a long sigh.
"It's fine Naruto."
He shook his head, still in shocked wonder, and took his place on the bed once more.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
Sakura did her absolute best to contain the emotions she was feeling and place an indifferent look on her face. It wasn't easy. She'd always been the type of person to be led around by her feelings. However, she didn't want to come across as a dumb kid in the company she kept at the moment.
After leaving the Uchiha's and Naruto alone in the meeting room...well, perhaps not alone, there were three ANBU members in the room and two more stationed outside...she followed her shishou to a separate meeting room within the base. Sakura would have been fine with just Kakashi, Shikaku, Yamato, and Shikamaru but that was not the case. Upon entering the room, she discovered the other kages were already inside awaiting them. The Raikage was sitting in a chair looking none too happy with the abrupt meeting. Though he was pale, he looked much better than before.
"What the hell did you call us out here for Tsunade?" the Raikage demanded.
"Would you give her time to get in here before you start demanding answers?" the Mizukage said.
"Thank you everyone for meeting together once again on such short notice." Tsunade said as she took her seat. The rest of the Konoha shinobi stood behind her though Yamato produced a chair for Sakura to rest in. She thanked him silently and paid attention to the kage meeting going on around her.
"What is this about Tsunade?" Gaara asked without inflection.
"I've called everyone together to discuss Uchiha Sasuke."
While even a few days ago the simple act of mentioning his name would have probably caused those in attendance to begin shouting in outrage and demands for his head brought to them, now it only produced a stunned silence in the hall.
"What exactly do you want to discuss?" the Tsuchikage asked.
"As you all very well know, the only reason Uchiha Madara is dead is because of Killer Bee, Naruto, and Sasuke."
"Yeah...and?" the Raikage asked with obvious disdain.
"I understand the position everyone is in because of his actions during the Kage meeting. I know that he..."
"He fucking attacked us! Why do you think I'm missing an arm? That bastard is mine!" Sakura winced from the anger rolling off the Raikage as he shouted his demands.
"Actually from what I've been told you went after him first thinking he had killed Bee." Tsunade immediately replied.
"He attacked Bee with the intent to kill him. That's good enough reason for me."
"Enough!" the Tsuchikage yelled as he banged his fists against the table. "Tsunade, what is it you wish to say about Uchiha Sasuke."
Tsunade glanced around the table, making sure to catch the eye of every kage present. "I want you all to leave the punishment of Uchiha Sasuke to Konoha."
The Raikage immediately stood up, veins bulging from his neck in his anger. "No! No, absolutely not."
"A..."
"No! This has crossed outside of what can be considered Konoha's problem." he said.
"What other crimes is he charged with?" the Mizukage asked.
"None that are not directly affiliated with Konoha." Tsunade answered.
"Why would you ask such a thing of us?" the Tsuchikage asked.
Tsunade propped her elbows against the table and rested her chin on her steepled fingers. "There are extenuating circumstances behind most everything he has done. Unfortunately those are directly linked with Konoha affairs and I can not speak about them." Sakura mentally praised her shishou's amazing wording of the horrific incident.
"What do you believe he will do now?" Gaara asked with a little more interest than he showed earlier.
"I do not know the answer to that yet. He is speaking with a couple of people right now and I hope that when they are finished he'll have some idea of the path he wants to walk."
"What will you do if he is still intent on attacking your village?" the Mizukage asked.
"Execute him." Tsunade replied.
A sharp pain coursed through Sakura's chest at Tsunade's words.
"Is Naruto one of the people speaking with him?" Gaara asked.
"Yes."
He didn't speak again but Sakura was sure she saw a ghost of a smile cross his normally stoic face.
"You all are actually considering allowing this?" the Raikage asked in wonder.
"Tsunade didn't hesitate at all nor did I feel any deceit in her words when she declared she would have him executed if necessary." the Tsuchikage replied. "Obviously something happened to turn him against his partner and turn his back on the Akatsuki. And you can't deny that he greatly aided the Allied Forces by assisting in the killing of Uchiha Madara."
"And don't try to deny the words your brother said to you earlier." the Mizukage added. The Raikage turned wide eyes to her as she spoke. "Oh yes, I heard you two talking. If Bee was telling the truth, and I see no reason why he would lie, then Sasuke protected Bee more than once during the battle."
"Too little too late." the Raikage replied.
"Let it be aniki." Bee said as he walked into the room behind his brother.
"You have no right to be in here Bee! You should be resting and not crashing a Kage meeting!"
Bee ignored his brother's words and halted only when he came up beside him. "There's much more here than you understand. For once back off and let the village deal with their own man."
The Raikage was furious as he stared his brother down. "I am owed for the loss of my arm."
"And you owe them a life." Bee said without looking away. The brothers held their gazes for a long while before the Raikage finally sat back down with a huff and pounded the table angrily with his fist.
"Let me tell you this Tsunade. If you do keep that kid alive, and he ever crosses me again...I'll kill him and send his remains to your front door."
"Your as forgiving as ever I see A." Tsunade said with a smirk. "Thank you for your decision."
"I'm sure I'll regret it." he mumbled.
"Well, if that's everything I want to get back home. I've got a lot of shinobi to begin moving out, as I know we all do." the Mizukage said as she stood. "I think we all worked together better than I ever imagined and I hope we can continue to do so in the future."
"It wasn't as horrible as I imagined." the Tsuchikage said and stood as well.
"I suppose we should thank you Gaara. You did an excellent job of commanding the army." the Mizukage said.
"The shinobi were well prepared and fought together fluidly. You have fine shinobi within your ranks." Gaara said in address to everyone present.
"Such a polite boy." she said before she turned to Tsunade. "I do hope everything works out well with your young Uchiha. Such a good looking man. It would be such a waste to lose him."
The kages left one by one until only those from Konoha remained. Tsunade turned to face them and finally allowed the weariness she felt to show on her face.
"Tsunade-sama, what are your plans for Sasuke?" Shikaku asked.
"I suppose that depends on him."
"Are you really going to let him back in the village?" Shikamaru asked.
"Shikamaru, you were in that room as well when I confronted the former council." she heavily stressed the last part. "I brought you in for a reason. Now that they have been arrested I will have to decide on a new council to assist in decision making and support for the hokage position. I already have an idea of what I'm going to do. If that pans out in the way I'm hoping it will, I will begin to rely more heavily on you for your prowess in battle strategy." he groaned at that revelation.
"Don't start with me you lazy thing." Tsunade reprimanded sternly. "You've got that brain for a reason and I'm gonna make you use it. Tell me with an unbiased opinion. Can Konoha afford to lose the sharingan?"
Shikamaru stood silent for a moment, eyes closed, as he pondered her question. Everyone was awaiting his reply when he re-opened his eyes.
"Konoha is a strong village with very talented shinobi. That being said, I don't know if losing the sharingan wouldn't be a devastating loss to any village. It is one of the more powerful blood line abilities and would, of course, be an asset."
"Exactly." Tsunade said.
"But Hokage-sama, what about the fact that Sasuke has openly declared his hatred for the village and his desire to destroy it?" Shikamaru countered.
"We'll just have to wait until Itachi and Naruto are finished speaking with him. Whatever he decides then will determine his fate." Tsunade slumped back against her chair with a bone weary sigh. "I almost wished I didn't know about the mission Itachi was handed. It was so much easier to know how to play it with that angry child before."
"He's been through more than any of us can ever imagine." Kakashi said.
Sakura kept her eyes on the floor during the discussion. She was so conflicted with herself that nothing she could say would be of any help to them. While one part of her was vehemently against the idea of Sasuke returning to the village, another part of her, one that she thought she'd buried too deeply to ever return, was hoping and praying that Naruto and Itachi would be able to get through to him. Sasuke returning home was everything she and Naruto had prayed for. Almost four years of training and searching only to bring back their former team mate.
A team mate who had tried to kill both her and Naruto. A team mate who declared war on his former home. She couldn't forget those two very important details but...but, what if he could change?
Was it possible for him to claw his way out of the darkness and return to some semblance of his former self?
"I know that Kakashi. That's the kicker. When you forget all the mistakes he's made and strip everything away what you're left with is a 17 year old boy who saw the murder of his entire family. A kid who finds out the people he once fought for are the very ones that ordered everything he had taken away from him. You may not realize it but Sakura has a damn good idea what kind of psychological damage those events put on him. How can I not want to give him a second chance? Especially given the fact that in the end, he fought beside Naruto not against him."
She wanted to believe there was still some good left within him. Wanted desperately to hope that there was something left to be redeemed and Sasuke wasn't a total sociopath. Four years of hoping with nothing to show for it left her extremely skittish to try again.
"And if he decides to stay in Konoha, swear allegiance to the village once again...what will you do then? Does he go unpunished?" Yamato asked.
"Hell no. That boy is gonna be making up for everything he's done for a very, very long time should he abandon his thoughts of destroying it." Tsunade said with a slight laugh.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
Naruto sat on the edge of his bed, fingers laced together tightly in his lap, as he watched Sasuke and Itachi stare at each other in silence. He wasn't sure what Itachi wanted him to stay for but he would give them time to speak to each other. At least he understood, somewhat, now what Itachi was trying to tell him that day they met in the woods; why Itachi didn't attack him but instead gave him some sort of power of his in order to help him stop Sasuke.
Itachi knew all along this would happen. He knew Sasuke would one day find out the truth of that night and turn his hatred onto the very village Itachi gave his life to protect. It was odd now. Naruto wasn't sure what to think of Itachi. He murdered his whole clan but did it for the safety of the village? This kind of reasoning was along the same lines that Pain had thought of. Killing the innocents to procure peace for everyone else.
It wasn't right.
Naruto knew that murder, no matter how you labeled it, would never be the key to bringing about peace to anyone. Those events were in the past though and Itachi was already dead, though his soul was still lingering around for some reason. The Uchiha clan couldn't be revived but there was still hope for Sasuke. He swore to himself again that he would help Sasuke carry this hatred he held within himself but perhaps now, after everything Sasuke had learned, maybe he could keep them both alive while he did it.
"This changes nothing Itachi." Sasuke said firmly.
"Why is that ototo?"
"The elders are going to be imprisoned...fine, but that doesn't erase the burden they placed on you. Konoha is to blame for it. They sit there living their peaceful lives while our family is dead!" he screamed at Itachi.
A wry laugh sounded from his side and Sasuke whipped his head around to glare at Naruto. "What the fuck is so funny to you?"
"Peaceful lives? Do you not know anything that's been going on Sasuke?" Naruto asked. A small smile was on his face but it never reached his eyes. He stared back at Sasuke with eyes tinged in sadness.
"Just go back to your fucking village! Go sit in that damn apartment of yours and enjoy the last views you're gonna get of that pathetic place before I destroy it!"
"I would but as of right now I don't have an apartment to go back to." Naruto said solemnly.
Sasuke was shocked speechless as he awaited Naruto to explain what he meant.
"Madara didn't tell you? Konoha was nearly wiped of the map by Pain."
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.
"Pain came and attacked the village while I was away training. He had some sort of jutsu that...pushed and pulled everything around him." Naruto sighed heavily as he remembered the devastation he saw arriving in the village during the attack. "In one go he leveled everything in Konoha. The only way I knew I was home was because the hokage mountain was still intact."
Sasuke processed this information in silence. How had he not been informed Konoha was nearly destroyed? He would speak to Madara often about destroying the village and he never once told him Pain had already gotten there? Why did he allow Pain to even go there when he knew exactly why he had wanted Itachi's eyes?
"I'm sorry Sasuke." Naruto began hesitantly. "The Uchiha district is gone as well."
Surprisingly to him, Sasuke was unsure how he felt about that. While he remembered every building, every nook and cranny in his parents house, he could also recall the blood that ran along the dark wood like tiny rivers. He knew the exact placement of his parents bodies and where he had thrown up on the floor at the sight of then slain. It wasn't as if he even lived in those houses after the massacre. The Third helped him get an apartment after he was discharged from the hospital.
His fists tightened in anger again as he thought about the Third. Of course he helped him; Itachi asked him to and the guilt of what he had ordered done probably prompted him into helping Sasuke out. Everything those bastards did for him wasn't out of pity, it was out of guilt.
"Sasuke?" Naruto called to him.
His teeth clenched in anger before he lashed out at Naruto again. "Even though the council ordered it, it is still the fault of the village that it had to be done. They wanted my family dead so they could keep their peaceful lives! My family is dead so Konoha could continue to live!" He shook with rage as he screamed at Naruto. He didn't even know why he was explaining all this to his former team mate. If he could just get out of the damn seal he could finish what he set out to do. Naruto would be the first to die then he would move onto the village. Itachi would just have to watch as he stopped the cheerful sounds of the happy little villagers. If his family couldn't be here and happy then they damn sure didn't deserve to be.
"Alright then." Naruto said and stood from his bed. He walked slowly over to Sasuke's bedside before crouching down to examine the seal placed around him.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked through his clenched jaw.
Naruto didn't answer but continued to examine the seal. His fingers traced along the writing until he came to a small gap in the words near the end of the bed. Naruto went through a few hand signs and slammed his chakra infused hand onto the writing. Withing seconds, the seal vanished from around the bed.
"What the hell are you doing Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.
"I got rid of the seal." Naruto said matter of factly.
"No shit. Now why did you do that?" Sasuke said darkly.
"Well by your reasoning I should hate Konoha as well. Are we gonna destroy the village or not?"
Sasuke sat in silence once again. What the fuck was Naruto talking about? The almost blank look on his face was confusing him and that alone was pissing him off.
"What reason would you have to hate Konoha?" he finally asked with a little reluctance.
Unexpectedly Naruto laughed. "A reason to hate Konoha? Come on Sasuke! Are you seriously gonna sit there and ask me that when you saw very well how I was treated by them my entire life? I was hated from the cradle. No one would ever talk to me, parents forced their children to stay away from me and they even went so far as to teach them to hate me from a young age!"
Sasuke was familiar with the time Naruto was talking about. His parents never told him to stay away from the young Naruto but he had no interest in talking to anyone else back then except for his older brother.
"The sad part? I never even knew why I was hated. Everyone else...well, the adults at least, knew exactly what I was but they never felt the need to tell me. No one would even tell me who my parents were." Naruto's voice began to lower with the sadness he felt. "No one ever told me who my father was. Kaka-sensei wouldn't even tell me who my father was. I always thought I was just some pathetic orphan child that the village took in." Naruto stepped back and sat heavily on the edge of his bed.
For some reason, Sasuke found himself rooted to his spot in the bed. Though the seal was now gone, he couldn't force himself to get up and flee the room. Naruto had thin trails of tears running down his face but Sasuke couldn't look away from the pathetic sight. He knew the sadness that now gripped his former friend. The pain of not knowing what others did. The burden you were forced to carry unknowingly. Sasuke himself had shed tears in the same manner when he learned of Itachi's sacrifice.
"Wh...who was your father?" he found himself asking.
Though tears still poured form his eyes Naruto's face split into a wide smile. "The Fourth Hokage."
Sasuke's mouth dropped in astonishment and he struggled to find his voice. "N-no way. There's no way the Yondaime was your father!" he shouted.
"Eh? Why would you say that teme?"
"Are you kidding me? Hell, all through the academy they would talk about the Yondaime. His great jutsus, fighting techniques, how respected he was as a hokage...there's no way a dobe like you could be his son!"
Naruto shot to his feet and pointed his finger accusingly at Sasuke. "I am too his son! I'm gonna surpass him real soon too!"
"Che...whatever." Sasuke said and turned away from him.
"It's true."
Both Naruto and Sasuke whipped there heads around to look at Itachi.
"If you could have seen Minato-sama you wouldn't be able to deny Naruto is his son."
"See, see teme! I told you!" Naruto shouted with glee.
"Then why aren't you a Namikaze?" Sasuke asked.
"Dad said he figured the Third gave me mom's maiden name to keep his enemies away from me. If they knew he had a son they all would have probably come after me." Naruto replied. His earlier excitement having worn away. "My mom was the jinchruiki for the kyuubi before me. Madara pulled him out of her when she was giving birth to me. My parents sacrificed themselves to protect me and the village by sealing the kyuubi within me that night. Madara is the one who is most responsible for their deaths but the village is as well seeing as how they died to protect it. So I guess I'm supposed to hate Konoha like you do, huh?"
"This is completely different." Sasuke said.
"How?"
"The village ordered my clan to be killed!" Sasuke shouted.
"No! The council gave that order!" Naruto shouted right back. "The old bastards are the ones to blame for that! The villagers, the shinobi...no one else knew anything about it!"
Sasuke turned his once again hated filled eyes on Naruto. "The village has been ignorant of the sacrifice forced upon my clan for its own happiness! Every one of them will die! I will purify the Uchiha clan's name!"
"I already did that Sasuke."
"You killed our parents!"
Sasuke sat back in the bed, chest heaving from the harsh breathing his screams produced. His eyes wide as he registered what he shouted at his brother in a fit of rage.
Naruto, wisely, kept silent as Itachi now had Sasuke's focus. The rage coming from his friend was so thick he felt as if he could reach out and touch it.
"Has your memory changed so much in the past decade Sasuke?" Itachi asked in his smooth voice as he continued to sit, almost motionless, in the chair facing his brother's bed.
"What?" Sasuke bit out.
"Have you forgotten how father was? Or have you just decided to ignore the demands for perfection he pushed on us?"
"Stop it." Sasuke whispered.
"Do you not recall how he ignored you as he constantly sought me out to try and push me to betray the village in favor of the clan? How, when he finally gave up on me, he would push you endlessly often criticizing you harshly about how slow you were to learn the fire jutsus of the clan?"
"Stop it."
"Do you know how mad he was when I insisted on going to your initiation to school instead of doing some trivial mission for the clan?"
"Just stop it Itachi!" Sasuke screamed as he gripped his head painfully in his hands.
"I won't." Itachi said without remorse. "You have built this wonderful little world around our clan that is completely false. Perhaps it is because you were so young when I killed them but you don't seem to want to remember how much the clan only strived for power. Nothing else mattered to them. Not the village, it's people, the rest of family...nothing mattered except getting stronger. They looked down on the weak and would ignore them favor of another."
"Mother was nothing like that!" Sasuke said from behind his hands.
"True, our mother was a kind woman."
"Then why? Why the hell would you..." Sasuke broke the sentence off as he felt his chest tighten and his throat clench with the need to shed tears at her memory.
"It had to be everybody. I took her life quickly and painlessly. Madara would not have been so generous."
Sasuke continued to hide his head in his hands as he felt the first tear streak down his face. "Why...why would you agree to it Itachi? How can you be okay with killing our entire family?"
"The clan disgusted me. Their want to isolate themselves from everything that had nothing to do with the clan, their search for strength and power...it was endless. I knew I would never be allowed to live a peaceful life. Leaving wasn't an option as they intended to overthrow Konoha and kill anyone in their way. And I could have never left you to that fate."
Silence reigned on the room after Itachi's words. Naruto watched as Sasuke's shoulders trembled with the emotions running through him. He didn't know what to do. While he wanted to offer his support to his best friend he also knew it wouldn't be welcomed at the moment.
"Do not misunderstand my words Sasuke. Regardless of the man I have become, I could never be okay with the acts I committed that night."
Sasuke lowered his hands just enough to peer at Itachi through his red, watery eyes.
"Everything I have done since then has been in order to stay alive so that you could one day take my life and obtain justice for the clan and for yourself."
Sasuke no longer had words to express the pain he felt, the sorrow coursing through his body for both his clan and his brother. What was the right way to feel? The village council ordered his family's death...Itachi murdered his family...the council forced his brother to live as a criminal...his beloved brother was the one who slit his parents throats.
"Sasuke?" Naruto began as he slowly walked to his friends bedside. He couldn't stand to see him in pain like this and do nothing. Though he wasn't sure what was the right thing to say, just as he was unsure of what to say to Pain that day, he felt the need to reach out to his best friend.
He could see what Itachi wanted in the end for his little brother. The means in which he went about to obtain it, Naruto did not agree with but that was over and done and could never be changed. He did agree with his wishes though. More than anything Naruto wanted Sasuke to come back to Konoha. He wanted to try and help Sasuke get over this all consuming anger he felt and help rid him of the hatred that threatened to destroy his soul. Sasuke was the first friend he'd ever had. The first bond he'd been able to create in his short and lonely life. He couldn't turn his back on him. No matter what he'd done and no matter how much it hurt.
"Sasuke, please try to think about what Itachi is asking you to do. What he wants for you." Naruto's voice pleaded with him to listen.
"I hate you Naruto." Sasuke mumbled heatedly from beneath his hands.
A sad smile came upon Naruto's whisker scarred face. "That's okay too. The kyuubi is nothing more than a being of pure hatred. If I can deal with his, I can deal with anyone's."
Sasuke groaned. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" he shouted.
"I'm never gonna leave you alone, that's a promise. For now though, I'm gonna annoy the hell outta you until I get you back to Konoha."
"I already told you I don't want to go back to that traitorous village!"
"And I told you none of the people there now knew a damn thing!"
"Fucking hell Itachi!" Sasuke screamed as he turned his blazing red eyes on his brother. "What the hell do you expect me to do?"
Itachi rose gracefully and walked towards the door. "Live happily ototo."
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
Walking back towards the room they left Naruto and the Uchiha's in, Sakura could feel the overwhelming tension hovering around each member of the group. The discussion earlier weighed heavily on all their minds. While only a few of them had personal feelings about the fate of Uchiha Sasuke, all of them had strong feelings about the situation. When it came down to it, they could now understand a small part of his hatred for the village. Each shinobi had their own disgust at their village councils actions. Not that it was enough to shake their foundation of loyalty they held towards Konoha. In fact, watching their current Hokage hand the punishment to the council and loudly declare that not even she was above the law forged an even stronger love for their home.
Wrongs had been committed but they could learn from the experience and move on. A new council would be formed and they would never let such a tragedy occur again. Now, if only they knew how to handle the situation with Sasuke better.
Kakashi was confused as to which direction to take. He could all to clearly remember the anger, hatred, and madness that filled Sasuke's eyes as he fought him after he tried to kill Sakura. Without a doubt, Kakashi was certain Sasuke meant to kill them both that day. Four years he'd spent chasing his student who he failed so miserably. Not only him...Kakashi felt he failed his team in general. The first team he'd ever passed and it fell apart so shortly after it began.
What was the right decision to make? What choice would be the best for everyone involved?
He fought the urge to sigh and stared straight on after the hokage as they made their way back to the room that held the boy in question. No matter what he felt, he knew everything would depend on what Sasuke's next choice of action would be.
The group came to a stop at the end of the hallway and stared in question at Itachi who lounged against the wall facing the two ANBU members standing guard at the door.
"Why are you out here?" Tsunade asked.
Itachi nodded respectfully to her before answering. "I said all I needed to say to Sasuke."
"Then where is Naruto?" she asked. Her question was answered by the muffled shouts coming from the room. Everyone present could hear both Naruto and Sasuke's screams at one another from beyond the walls.
Sakura could swear a smirk developed on Itachi's face. "He is still speaking with my ototo."
Tsunade opened her mouth to question him further when the three ANBU members who'd been in the room scrambled out of the door, ran through a series of hand signals, and threw up a strong barrier around the room. Sakura watched in awe as a large golden shield raised around the wall, disappearing into the ceiling and floor.
"What the hell is going on?" Tsunade demanded angrily.
One of the ANBU members turned to kneel before her. "Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are still...talking Hokage-sama."
Sakura fought the urge to laugh while Tsunade developed a tick above her right eye. "What happened to the seal?"
"Uzumaki Naruto removed it Hokage-sama." the ANBU answered.
Tsunade crossed her arms angrily under her well developed chest before murmuring darkly. "I'm gonna kick that little brat's ass all the way back to Konoha."
The walls pounded furiously as the battle within the room raged on. Their muffled shouts at each other still came in between the sounds of battle. Sakura saw some of the Raikage's guards come to question what was going on but Yamato took them aside and explained the situation. Chunks of wood began flying away from the walls, hitting the barrier, as the obvious remains of a chidori and a rasengan fizzled away.
Sakura felt the nervousness begin eating away at her. With the strength the two of her team mates possessed, surely one of them – perhaps both of them – would be dead before the match ended.
A large explosion shook the hallway and the crumbling remains of the wall fell. Sakura was astonished at the damage that laid before her. Smoke billowed around the room showing where each encounter took place, pictures laid destroyed on the floor, tables were overturned, chairs lay in broken splinters, discarded kunai and shiruken were scattered about...
Standing in the middle of the room, the two most important men in her life faced each other. Both were bleeding and panting for breath.
"Stop being an annoying loser!"
"You stop being a stubborn ass!"
She winced unconsciously as they ran at each other again, kunai striking kunai. More than ever she was glad they removed Sasuke's kusanagi and left it in the care of ANBU.
"I get it your pissed at yourself for Itachi's..." Naruto's sentence was cut off as Sasuke landed a hard blow to his stomach, throwing him backwards into what was left of the back wall.
"Shut up!" he shouted.
"Are you really gonna spit in Itachi's face like this?" Naruto asked as he pulled himself back upright.
Sasuke's hand clenched around the kunai he held.
"After everything your brother did to keep you safe are you just gonna get yourself killed because of your damn pride?" Naruto shouted as he ran at Sasuke once again. They threw blows at one another, some finding their mark as blood splattered the floor around them. Sasuke caught Naruto's hand as he prepared to hit him again and wrenched the kunai from him. Naruto took the opportunity and flipped Sasuke over his shoulder. As he landed, Naruto snatched the kunai Sasuke still held and flung it away.
The young Uchiha jumped to his feet and stared his friend down once again.
"What the hell do you expect me to do Naruto?"
"I expect you to stop acting like a coward and quit running!"
This time when the men approached each other no weapons or jutsus were used. The sounds of their fists meeting flesh reverberated around the room and out into the hallway. The onlookers gawked at the punishment each was dealing the other. Even Tsunade winced at the damage they were both taking. Neither backed down as they continued to field out their aggression on the other.
"You...are...so...stubborn." Naruto wheezed out between punches.
"Just...quit...trying...to...help...me." Sasuke replied in kind.
With a final blow to each others face the opponents dropped to the floor. They panted heavily as they lay near each other covered in both their own blood and the others. Naruto turned his head to face Sasuke.
"I'm never...gonna stop." he managed to say as he gasped for breath. "I'll never...give up...on you returning."
Sasuke glanced at his former best friend. The image of Naruto right then was so similar to when he found him after he fought Gaara the first time. He could clearly remember Naruto dragging himself towards the other jinchruiki spouting off such non-sense as he was now. Why did Naruto have to be so damn persistent? Why couldn't he just leave him be? If Naruto left him alone he could...
There was no end to that sentence in his mind.
What would he do?
He had never planned for anything after he gained his revenge. Wether it was against Itachi or Konoha, he simply stopped his plans at both of their destruction's.
Did he not think he would survive either encounter?
That wasn't it. Sasuke just never knew what kind of path he would take after he accomplished the goals he set for himself. All he ever knew was revenge. But in truth, his revenge was completed. Itachi was dead, though now that thought brought pain instead of joy, and the people who had a hand in the death of his clan had been dealt with. The people of Konoha may not have known about the truth behind his clans massacre but their happy existence infuriated him.
Although, if what Naruto said was true, times had been rough in the village as well.
What should he do? What was it Itachi wanted him to do?
"Live happily ototo."
How could he possibly be happy? The last time he was happy was when his clan was...well, maybe every second he spent with team seven wasn't horrible. There had been some moments he could say he almost enjoyed. Fighting with Naruto, Kakashi teaching him the chidori, the adrenaline he used to get in the middle of a mission...they weren't all bad but he couldn't possibly get those times back. He'd gone too far down the road he'd taken.
"Look out in the hall." Naruto said beside him. "What do you see?"
Resisting the urge to scoff at the dumb ass beside him, he reluctantly turned his head a fraction to see what he was talking about. During their fight, the walls of the room had been obliterated and the ANBU had placed a sealing barrier around them to contain the fight. Through the golden shield encasing them he saw his brother leaning against the wall and watching them with discerning eyes. Kakashi, Yamato, and the Nara's stood near him while the Hokage and Sakura were closer to the barrier – just behind the ANBU. Sakura looked slightly worried but also pissed off. While the expression was not one he remembered seeing often in his youth, it was one he was rapidly becoming familiar with now. Tsunade had her arms crossed while her eye twitched spasmodically. His brother's face was it's usual blank canvas.
What the hell was Naruto talking about?
"Do you see a single weapon drawn?"
Sasuke's eyes widened considerably. There were no weapons pointed at him. While the barrier was strong enough to keep the fight in, it wouldn't stop him if he chose to bring it down and run for it. Everyone standing outside the barrier knew it as well yet they were just standing there; seemingly awaiting the end of the battle between the two inside it.
How could they just stand there?
What did they want?
"It all depends on you Sasuke." Naruto sat up slowly and faced his friend. "Don't you see? They're giving you the choice. Itachi asked it of baa-chan and she's letting you make the decision this time. Do you want to keep running knowing that every nation will chase you down until they kill you...or will you give the village another chance? Give Itachi's wish for you another chance?"
Sasuke looked directly into the cerulean eyes of the first person he ever willingly took a blade for and saw nothing but the unspoken plea's for his co-operation. He cut his glance to his brother and for a moment, just a moment, he saw the same look in the onyx eyes of his brother.
This would be bad. There was so much they had to punish him for, so many things he had done that went against the code of what 'they' considered right. But...where else did he have to go? If he left and ran again he knew the words Naruto spoke to be the truth. He would be hunted the rest of his life until someone finally took him down in battle. That was not what Itachi wanted.
He knew exactly what his brother wanted him to do. Itachi wanted him to return to Konoha and be a shinobi again. He wanted him to live out a happy life in that damn village!
Sasuke closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He didn't know if he could do it. Walking along those streets, feeling the eyes of everyone on him as they whispered around him. Whispers that, he knew, would be filled with his deeds and rumors of his family. Could he possibly do that without pulling out his sword and running it through each and every one of them? The civilians wouldn't even be the worst part.
The rest of the shinobi of Konoha would no doubt try and fight him every opportunity they got. Not that it would bother him that much. He almost wanted to smile at the thought of putting every one of those weaklings in their place.
In truth, it would probably be easier to just live the rest of his life on the run. Unfortunately, one of the words Naruto shouted at him echoed through his mind with that thought.
Coward
His anger flared at the mere idea of the dobe calling him a coward. He wasn't afraid of anyone in that village! And he wasn't afraid to walk into it either. Running was just the easier option.
A whisper of his past echoed in his mind as he recalled his fathers words at one time.
"The easy path is always the one cowards will take. You are an Uchiha, I don't expect you to be a coward."
Konoha was where the Uchiha settled themselves and they helped build the village from the ground up.
Konoha was once again in need of being built.
He opened his eyes once again in the direction of his brother. Itachi met his gaze unfailingly; the unspoken request was once again present in his eyes.
Sasuke sighed loudly as he closed his eyes once again.
"Kami I hate you." he uttered in a defeated voice.
Naruto simply threw his head back and laughed.
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A/N:
Wow...that was a handful. I really hope I managed to keep everyone in character throughout this chapter. This was easily one of the hardest chapters I've written in any fic. I truly hope it is up to par.
As for me not using the kages names...sorry, but I never even think of them with their names. I always use their official titles and just ran with that in the story. For clarification:
Mizukage – Terumii Mei (Mist)
Raikage – A (Cloud)
Tsuchikage – Oonoki (Rock)
Kazekage – Gaara (Sand) okay well I use Gaara's name but I just adore him!
Oh and just in case you're wondering...when Bee makes the remark about the Raikage owing Konoha a life he's referring to the Hyuuga Incident that resulted in the death of Neji's father.
Please review! Thanks!