...Naruto? No… no I don't own Naruto…

Chapter 17: Blood Defines Nothing

His blue eyes opened to a blurred scene of chaos. Barely aware of where he was, Naruto shook his head groggily and tried to clear away the disorientation that pounded through his mind

"S-Sasuke?" he whispered, vaguely aware that his former teammate—who had been on the floor in front of him—was not there now.

A loud crash caught his attention, and he turned to see what caused it. A brief glimpse was all he managed as a strong pair of hands grabbed his upper arm and dragged him across the floor and out the doorway.

"Hey! What the hell…"

"Quiet!" Tsunade's pale face appeared beside him. "Naruto, pull yourself together!"

"Granny Tsunade?"

The Hokage didn't respond immediately, her eyes trained on what was happening in the room before them. She couldn't fit all the pieces of the puzzle together yet, but whatever happened had clearly caught the oldest Uchiha by surprise.

She placed a finger to her lips and motioned to Naruto. They both watched as Sasuke and Itachi tumbled away from the injured form of Sakura.

She wasn't sure what had shattered the sharingan user's hold over them until she saw the gaping hole in Itachi's chest.

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The force of Sakura's upward kick sent Sasuke off balance as he tried to pull Itachi away from her. He stumbled backward and managed to catch himself.

Itachi, however, hit the floor and remained there. He propped himself up enough to glare at Sakura, who also remained on the floor. The pink-haired healer's breathing came in short, quick, breaths as she lay on her back. She moved her arms and legs carefully, and winced with pain from the cuts Itachi had inflicted upon her.

His eyes still locked on the slight form of the healer, Itachi's raspy words were directed to Sasuke. "Well, little brother? Are you going to finish me off? This is the moment you've been waiting for isn't it? Killing your own brother… just as I killed my own mother and father. I guess more than blood ties us together."

"I am nothing like you," Sasuke said quietly. "Blood is the only thing we share, and it does not define who I am."

"You're wrong. Your blood is what makes you an Uchiha. It is the strength you have sought all along, and it will be what makes you who you are until the day you die."

"You've said enough." The younger man summoned another chakra manipulation. "Be glad your pathetic life did not last longer than this."

The hint of a smile touched Itachi's lips. He'd won. His death would not provide Sasuke with the relief he hoped for. It would only leave him filled with another kind of emptiness.

Sasuke raised the chidori blade.

"Sasuke-kun…"

He looked up, his gaze meeting Sakura's. Her emerald eyes were tired, but they spoke just as loudly as any words she could have uttered.

He couldn't kill his brother.

After all the years he'd spent training, after all the time he'd lost searching for the power to defeat Itachi, he just couldn't do it.

It all went back to that day three years ago when he'd fought Naruto. He couldn't kill him at the end. He claimed it was only on a whim. But that wasn't the truth. He couldn't kill someone he cared about. He'd seen his loved ones murdered, and it had torn him apart.

He just didn't have it in him to do that again. He still hadn't forgotten the bond he'd shared with Itachi.

The older Uchiha had been right. Bonds were what made him weak. Yet, as he looked at Sakura, he realized that those bonds were the only reason he'd continued to fight. Love of his family had driven him just as much as hatred for his brother.

It was what gave life meaning.

It was what made him human.

And it was the thing that would prevent him from being alone for the rest of his life.

The blue glow from chidori vanished from Sasuke's face. He ignored Itachi's growl of triumph and stepped across the sprawled Akatsuki member toward Sakura. Sinking to his knees at her side, he let his gaze trace the lines of her wounds. She did this for me. She risked her life. He felt slightly guilty for doubting her in the beginning; for thinking that she'd side with his brother. The thought of her willingly going anywhere with Itachi still made his stomach churn.

"Sakura." He barely managed to whisper her name. "Can you move?"

She nodded. "I'll manage, Sasuke-kun."

He ignored her reassurance, knelt and gently lifted her up, and then turned to leave the room. The disappearance of Naruto and Tsunade was curious, though he didn't doubt they were nearby. The sannin would be able to heal Sakura enough for her to be able to travel on her own.

"If you leave me alive, Sasuke, this will never end." Itachi's voice echoed in the damp room. "I'll come for you both. You'll never be able to walk down the street without wondering if I'm watching. You'll wake up and wonder if you're really alone. She'll go to sleep wondering if I'm waiting for her."

Sasuke paused in the doorway, his back to Itachi. The words his brother let hang in the air rang true. He knew it would never end. And he was concerned that he may have saved Sakura this time only to put her in greater future danger.

He would have reconsidered his decision to let Itachi live if he hadn't seen the figure striding toward him down the hallway.

"No, Itachi," Sasuke stepped out into the corridor, "I won't be worried about that at all."

The youngest Uchiha cradled Sakura to him as he passed Kisame. The shark-man entered the room where his partner lay in a spreading pool of blood. Sasuke didn't turn around to watch, but he heard the blue man utter, "So, you thought you could kill me, eh?"

Itachi's protest died in his throat as his partner's legendary sword made Sasuke the sole Uchiha survivor.

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In a small room slightly farther down the hallway, Tsunade sank down against the stone wall. "Well, Naruto?" she asked the blond. "Did he do what I thought he would?"

The young man nodded, his eyes fixed on Sasuke and Sakura walking toward them. "Yeah. Yeah he did, Granny Tsunade. How'd you know Kisame wasn't dead anyhow?"

She shrugged. "I can't imagine someone as strong as Kisame dieing so easily. The shock to his neck simply pinched enough nerves to make him black out."

"And how did you know it was Itachi who tried to kill him?"

"I didn't. It was just a guess. Who else would have been able to catch him so off guard?"

Naruto nodded. "So it's over then?"

The Hokage rubbed her face and sighed. "Let's go meet up with your teammates. It's been a long day. I could use a drink."

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Exiting the lair, he chanced a look behind him.

No one had followed. It wasn't a surprise. No one other than him and Orochimaru knew about the secret doorway.

Kabuto smiled.

"I will see you again, Sakura-san," he said quietly, making his way deeper into the forest of Sound.

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Coming soon: Epilogue

Author's note: Just FYI: Blame fanfiction for my late update. I've been trying to post this thing for almost a week.

Also… I guess just a huge 'thank you' to all of you who review and keep me going. I do apologize again for the delay in chapters, but I promise I will get the epilogue out before the week is over. And sadly, I've got another good story idea. Heaven knows when I'll find the time to write it.