Hello everyone! Once again I want to thank all you crazy kids for all the love! I'm glad this story is being enjoyed as much as it is!

Warning: Violence in this chapter.

Little fingers earnestly reached forward, grasping in desperation towards the person kneeling in front of them. Pudgy legs shakily supported the little body, a foot hovering uncertainly forward as a young voice happy called forward.

"C'mon Sasuke!" Itachi urged, his small arms held out towards the baby in front of him.

"Taaaa." Sasuke called out, eyes bright with excitement. Itachi beamed at his brother, his own eyes shining.

"Almost!" He excitedly chirped.

"Chii chii." Sasuke babbled and as he stared at his brother's out stretched arms he took his first step away from the low table. One step, two steps, three steps and he tumbled into his sibling's waiting arms. Itachi let out a happy squeal and gathered Sasuke into a hug as the baby's fingers took a hold of his hair and held on. The little boy hugged Sasuke against his chest.

"You did it!" He exclaimed proudly. He felt Sasuke's wet drooly mouth connect to his cheek as the baby giggled. Itachi was unbothered by this and continued to hug his baby brother. At the door, stood their parents smiling warmly at the scene. Mikoto watched her two boys with pride. She turned to her husband who offered her a faint smile before heading out the door for his daily duties. Mikoto's attention returned to her children and watched as Sasuke babbled at Itachi who smile back, his chubby cheek gleaming with Sasuke's drool. This was how she wanted to always remember them. This was nirvana in its purest form. Itachi glanced away from Sasuke to beam up at his mother, his eyes so affection and sweet. Sasuke caught Itachi's attention once again and the little boy placed a little kiss on the baby's chubby nose.

"Good job, otouto."

It was raining in Konoha.

Water poured from the skies above, drowning the earth. Many stayed indoors. Hidden away from the weather. They sat with their families and friends. Some watching the rain, others enjoying the company. Tsunade's office door was locked. Not even Shizune was permitted to enter. The Hokage sat slumped forward, face buried in her palms. She did not touch the sake at her side. She barely moved.

Outside, sitting in the pouring rain, wide eyed sat Naruto. Standing close by and silent was Yamato. he did not speak and made no move to the blonde boy. The rain beat against his blonde head. If he was crying, Yamato could not tell. His own expression was one of sadness.

How fitting that it would rain so heavily on this day.

How very sad.

Itachi's words echoed through the ruined hideout. It resonated with the people present. The boy stood straight back and defiant as he would do in the future. He had the same cold, indifferent expression that he wore when he faced Sasuke in the hotel. There was no mistaking Itachi for the soft spoken, gentle boy he had been weeks ago. He was once again that dead eyed murderer. Sasuke's lips curled into a snarl.

"I should have known you would have never changed." He spat bitterly, eyes spinning a bright crimson. Itachi's own eyes bled the Sharingan as he regarded the enraged Uchiha nonchalantly.

"Yes." He conceded calmly. "You should have." He could see Kisame out of the corner of his eye shift Samehada. The Kiri nin was tense as he awaited the fight. There were too many of them. Once again. He did not want to have to hurt these people. He was relieved to see Naruto was not among them. He could feel Kakashi's eyes on him and he fought not to look at the man he had and still loved with a child like innocence. The man who he would come to love as an adult stood at his side.

"Are you two going to start hacking at each other or what?" Hidan called out. Neither Uchiha looked at him. Shikamaru's attention however was solely focused on the man who had killed his sensei. Yes let the brothers fight. Let Hidan face Shikamaru.

"Just us." Sasuke coldly stated, not looking towards his teammates. Itachi nodded once and glanced towards Zetsu and Hidan who grumbled and sank into the earth. Kakashi and Kisame refused to move. Sasuke's eyes zeroed in on his former sensei's and he glared at him. Kakashi watched his student before lifting his eyes to look at Itachi. Itachi met Kisame's eyes and the Kiri nin shook his head, gritting his teeth. He recognized that look. He would not do this again. Not when he could protect Itachi this time.

"No." Kisame stated stubbornly. "This is so fucked up."

"Kisame."

"Not this time Itachi." Kisame replied firmly.

"It is not up for discussion." Itachi whirled on Kisame, temporarily forgetting Kakashi and Sasuke were in the room. "You told me everything, remember Kisame? You understand everything. If you are truly loyal to me like you mentioned, you will allow me this. You will not deny me this. Not now." His voice was collected as ever but Kisame could hear that the boy was close to breaking down.

"Sometimes you reach too far." Kisame muttered bitterly. "Further than I am willing to catch." Sasuke wondered if he was witnessing Kisame break up with Itachi. There was a mixture of vindictiv pleasure, annoyance at the wasted time and offense that the Kiri nin would ever leave Itachi. Kakashi looked on in mild interest. The wording both used was almost poetic. What did they mean? What did Kisame understand?

"Then feel free to let me fall." The small Uchiha spat back. Kisame flinched and stared at the Uchiha. Itachi stared long and hard at the Kiri nin who let out a reluctant grunt and made a quick hand sign. He shot Itachi an unreadable look and shook his head. Without another word he vanished from view and Itachi's shoulders slumped slightly. Sasuke regarded Itachi coldly. Now that the drama was out of the way he could properly kill Itachi now.

"You're quite good at tossing people aside." Sasuke sneered. He shot a dismissive glance at Kakashi who took a step back towards the entrance of the hideout. However a single pair of footsteps halted him and Itachi's brows furrowed at the familiar gait. Sasuke watched as the boy swiftly made his way passed Kakashi.

"Itachi!" Sasuke snarled, trying to gain his attention. Kakashi stared at the Uchiha, obviously bewildered by the way to Uchiha was suddenly acting. Itachi did not seem to hear any of them, his feet moving him towards the footsteps. A shadow fell across the wall and Itachi stood very still, his hand gripping the single kunai he had on him.

"Itachi, what-" Sasuke began only for another to cut him off.

"How good of you to wait for me Uchiha." A male voice called out and Itachi closed his eyes for a moment and let out a low breath. He reopened them and calmly met Danzō's smiling gaze.

"Danzō-San." Kakashi greeted genially while Sasuke shot the elder a glare. "What a surprise." Danzō nodded to Kakashi, his lone eye tired.

"When I was made aware of the decision to track down the Akatsuki lair, I felt it was my duty to aid you." His voice was soft. He looked towards Sasuke. "However I find myself concerned with Sasuke's future plans."

"Future plans?" Kakashi questioned. He did not understand why Danzō was here. he did not understand the man's motives.

"Kakashi, surely you understand that Uchiha Sasuke has served as a threat. He has no alliances to Konoha. He has openly declared his disdain for the village. The Hokage should have labeled him a missing nin the moment he defected."

"He has rejoined the village Danzō-san. His reasons for leaving are obvious to everyone. Once that reason in dealt with, he'll come back." Kakashi argued, casting a cold glare at Itachi who stared at Danzō. The elder looked towards Sasuke, sizing him up.

"Do you plan on returning to the village if you manage to kill your brother?" Danzō asked and Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the if in Danzō's question. Kakashi looked on, sure that Sasuke would return after Itachi was finally dead. Naruto was back in Konoha. All his friends were there.

"No." Sasuke coldly stated, casting a bored glare at the elder who sneered triumphantly. "My ties to the village are cut." Kakashi stared at Sasuke.

"Sasuke... you-"

"You heard him Hatake." Danzō stated calmly. Danzō was a man who would seize each and every opportunity by the throat and squeeze. And here was the golden opportunity he had hoped for. Itachi had effectively damned himself and now his fool of a brother was once again on the war path. Take down both Uchiha's before they became too much of a threat or before loose lips could whisper dirty secrets. Danzō had already ordered the nin that had accompanied retreat. Their reluctance to leave their companions was honorable but in the end all Danzō had to do was mention the unexpected death of the Sannin Jiraya to convince them to return to Konoha. Jiraya's death was...unexpected. The Sannin had been a major assent and a protector of the village and the elder did in fact feel bitter to know he had perished to the Akatsuki...

There was no doubt that the Copy nin would remain at Sasuke's side. Kakashi dying would be a waste. Danzō would have preferred to let the man live, but such sacrifices were needed for the greater good.

He looked between the brothers. "He has openly declared himself a missing nin. He is highly dangerous as he has demonstrated time and time again. It appears that the bloodline will die with him today-"

""NO!" Itachi's scream shocked Sasuke. It was so raw and frightened, he sounded like a child and for a moment the spiky haired Uchiha wanted to destroy whatever had made his brother scream like that. "DON'T YOU DARE! YOU PROMISED DANZO! YOU SWORE!" Confusion filled Sasuke at Itachi's words. Kakashi blinked, staring at Danzō. Sasuke stared at his sibling, open mouthed. He was so focused on Itachi he did not see the attack coming.

A sword burst from Sasuke's stomach, blood spouting from the wound and spraying across the ground. In slow motion everyone reacted. Kakashi looked from the wound to Sasuke as the boy sank slowly to his knees. The sword was yanked out as the attacker kicked Sasuke in the back. Itachi was suddenly running to his brother, a noise that sounded like a cross between a scream and a sob escaping his lips. He reached Sasuke, who gripped his stomach and looked towards Itachi in confusion.

Itachi reached Sasuke, face ashen. The spiky haired Uchiha blinked slowly, shocked at Itachi's reaction. The smaller Uchiha eased Sasuke down just as Kakashi reached them and shoved Itachi aside. Itachi looked toward Danzō, eyes accusing. Danzō nearly laughed. The little fool was so shocked at Danzō's actions. Was he truly expecting Danzō to honor his deal with an Uchiha?

Kakashi continued to attempt to stop the blood flow. He looked towards Danzō in shocked confusion.

"Why?" He could ask no further, still in shock of what he had just witnessed. Danzō shook his head at the Copy nin.

"You have grown too soft, Hatake. It is a shame." Itachi slowly looked towards Danzō, shaking his head.

"Wha-" The Copy nin's words were cut of as Danzō moved forward. Kakashi was struck in the back and flung like a rag doll against the stone wall. He slid down slowly, slumping against the floor and did not rise again. Itachi whispered the Copy nin's name, face drawn. Danzō walked past Sasuke who lay panting on the ground. His eyes drooped and he felt so tired...Itachi clenched his eyes shut horror.

"You promised." He croaked, meeting Danzō's stare. Danzō sneered.

"Such a child you are." He mused. "Your belief in honor and promises...your brother became just as much of a threat as you. Perhaps I could have honored that promise if he had not defected but he is Uchiha...it is not surprising."

"He came back." Itachi managed, his mind reeling. "He returned to Konoha."

"You were kept unaware of what he did when leaving Konoha." Danzō mused. "He joined the Sannin Orochimaru in order to gain power. He willingly attacked his former allies and cut all ties with the village." He watched as Itachi reacted to the news of his brother having joined Orochimaru. The boy's expression became incredibly cold.

"It does not matter. You broke your end of the deal!" The Uchiha argued back. The elder shook his head, looking annoyed by Itachi's outburst.

"You will die before word reaches anyone." Danzō snapped and Itachi titled his chin.

"You truly think I had not covered all the bases? The moment you attacked Sasuke you forfeited Konoha's safety. Soon all the villages will know your secrets. Every last one of them..."

"You're bluffing." Danzō's lips curled into a sneer. Itachi blinked.

'Use your eyes, dammit. Your eyes!'

"You want to take that risk?" The Uchiha offered. Danzō sneered, unsure on whether or not Itachi was in fact lying. The Uchiha's eyes focused on the man, prepared to end it all when white hot agony burned behind his eyes. He fell to his knees, a scream ripping from his throat. He clutched his face in his hands. It felt as if his eyes were on fire... Sasuke flinched, eyes moving to look at Itachi's hunched form.

What was happening?

The old man sighed.

"You disappoint me Itachi." He muttered. Slowly, he lifted his hand and began to remove the bandage around his eye. "I foresaw this day coming when you were brought back to Konoha. Each visit we had I had been concerned about what you remembered. I needed to find a way to ensure you would not be able to fight against me. That your Sharingan could not harm me. There was poisons...poisons made specifically to attack Sharingan wielders. But I knew you would never willingly ingest anything I gave you. However there are other...methods to ensure you take in the poison beside orally."

The Uchiha tensed, eyes clenched shut in pain and humiliation. So the old man had outplayed him...had he seen through Itachi's bluff on the information leak as well? He forced his eyes open and looked towards Sasuke. The teen lay in a puddle of his own blood, eyes drooping and looking as if his consciousness was fading. Itachi crawled towards him desperate to reach his brother.

Danzō casually walked behind Itachi as he crawled. What a fitting sight. One Uchiha dying in a pool of his own polluted blood and another crawling with no pride towards him. Itachi reached forward for Sasuke's hand. The other Uchiha did not even notice him. His consciousness fading. Danzō grabbed Itachi by his hair and thre him back. The Uchiha hit the ground with a grunt of pain. Danzō straddled him, stroking the side of his face in mock affection.

"Such a waste...your loyalty to the village came behind your loyalty to that brother of yours..." He wrapped his hands around Itachi's slender throat and slowly began to squeeze. "In the end, you were just like the rest of the Uchiha." Itachi struggled, eyes burning from whatever Danzō had done to him. He fought against the man's hand, but Danzō merely squeezed harder.

"So weak. Your eyes were everything and a little poison and you are less than nothing... the great Uchiha Itachi...reduced to this struggling whore under my hands. How fitting. What would your parents think of you now?" Danzō crooned. He was obviously enjoying himself. Things had turned out so swimmingly. Both Uchiha's would be dead. Kakashi's death would no doubt spark rage through the village. It would unite them as one against the Akatsuki threat. The fool Obito did not stand a chance! The Uchiha name would face away as they should. Konoha's peace was in sight. Danzō could nearly taste it...

Itachi stared up at Danzō's who gripped his throat brutally strangling the life out of him. He gasped, legs struggling uselessly under the man's weight. Danzō sneered, both eyes exposed. Itachi found his attention on Shisui's eye. Would this be the last thing he saw? His best friend's eye glaring down at him... Sasuke was going to die...everything Itachi had done...all for nothing...

Itachi's weak hand moved forward, pushing against Danzō's face. The man barked out a laughter, glancing towards Sasuke who now lay still on the ground, unconscious and near death. He would be an easy kill. The poor boy had been so delirious with pain he had not understood anything spoken between Itachi and Danzō. Thin fingers weakly fell against Danzō's chin and the man regarded the Uchiha proudly.

"You've done the village a great service, Itachi. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Konoha will prosper as you wanted." He watched the boy's lips darken from lack of oxygen. He dug his thumb into into the pale flesh of Itachi's neck. He had been under this boy's boot for nearly a decade. No more. Itachi was no longer as powerful as he thought he was. Danzō had won. The Uchiha's had lost.

"Your kind will never threaten Konoha again. You will die here and with it, your secrets. Your brother will die. The village knows his obsession. When he turned on me for trying to get rid of a highly dangerous missing nin... I had to retaliate. Kakashi was merely caught in the crossfire...so unfortunate. He had such potential...Sasuke will die like a stuffed pig. He will die in his own fluids, just like your whore of a-"

The scream that escaped Danzō was not human. It rose above the ceiling, echoing violently off the walls. The old man fell back, his agonized scream frenzied. His legs tangled together as he fell into a writhing heap. Itachi lay limply on the ground, coughing weakly, eyes fluttering as he tried to stay conscious. His lips were parted as he breathed. He could hear the elder screaming in the distance. Itachi nearly laughed. Instead he allowed the noise to echo through the otherwise silent hideout.

Clutched safely in Itachi's trembling hand was Shisui's stolen eyeball.