Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Younger Brother: Truth

Why aren't I dead?

Sasuke muddled over that for a while. Was he dead? Was this the afterlife? He was so confused.

With great difficulty he unsealed his eyes that had been shut for the past several hours, trying to make sense of everything.

Didn't Itachi kill me? He must have, he was going to kill me…

The elongated shapes in front of Sasuke very slowly began to make sense. Trees. He was still in the forest. He shifted against the tree trunk that he had been leaning on, feeling a dull ache in his back and a twinge from his left ankle.

Why didn't Itachi kill me? Sasuke couldn't understand it. Did he dream last night? No, his ankle still hurt, and he had gotten that during his fight with Itachi. Although it had healed very quickly – the power of the white snake was formidable indeed – the pain served as an unpleasant reminder of Itachi's besting him.

Sasuke wondered if Itachi had wanted Sasuke to be conscious when he struck the final blow, and thus had waited. Or maybe he just wanted to taunt him some more, torture him like the sadistic devil he was.

But then, why wasn't Itachi here now? Sasuke couldn't feel him nearby. Nothing made sense!

He knew he should have used this to his advantage, either retreat or search for Itachi, but Sasuke didn't think he could. His heart just wasn't in it right now.

He watched the sky, thick and heavy grey clouds threatening to unleash a torrent of rain any minute. Sasuke tried not to feel it but it was impossible to shut away. He felt regret, specifically for sending his Team away. After finding out the truth about his Clan's murder, Sasuke had been too confused, enraged and distraught to think straight. The Team had done their best to comfort their emotionally ailing Leader, but he had, if he remembered correctly, firmly told them to "get lost".

Suigetsu's sharp eyes had narrowed, Karin had staggered as if she had taken a hard punch, and Juugo had paled considerably. Sasuke shook his head at himself. It did no good to dwell on these things.

Was it too late to rejoin with them? Would they even want anything to do with such a monster?

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke jumped and clumsily scrambled to his feet, eyes widening when he saw three familiar figures approach.

"You're hurt!" Karin cried and immediately ran to Sasuke, forcing him to sit back down.

"Were you always so skeleton-y?" Suigetsu drawled, sipping water through his canteen as he regarded Sasuke.

"I found your sword," Juugo pushed the weapon towards him which Sasuke shakily accepted.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked, genuinely bewildered. He had been nothing but cruel to them just before he sent them away. Even before that he wasn't particularly nice.

"Karin kept an eye on your chakra and saw it dwindle a few hours ago," Suigetsu informed him, serious for once.

"But why?"

"You rescued us all from Orochimaru, and we know you were hurting after you found out…about…everything," Juugo said, kneeling next to Sasuke, seeming a little hesitant, as if Sasuke were a big cat, seemingly docile but could snap at any moment.

"Even after you sent us away and threw your tantrum, we'll still come to help you out." Sasuke didn't appreciate the comment but let it slide, wondering how the world had come to a point where it felt nice to hear Suigetsu's voice again.

"What happened with your family and your brother, Sasuke, it's just too horrible. And we want to help you bring that monster to his knees!" Karin said and offered her arm for Sasuke to bite. He did so, grateful for the healing chakra that quickly reduced the ache and agony he had been feeling before.

When he pulled away Sasuke stuffed down his pride and said, very quietly,

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you all." Juugo smiled and shook his head slightly, dismissing the apology as unneeded; he understood. Karin smirked a little, hearing Sasuke apologise for anything was a true rarity, but accepted it silently and with a small pat on his arm. And Suigetsu…had to push his luck.

"I didn't catch that, what did you say?" He grinned toothily.

"I think you heard me," Sasuke replied stiffly.

"No, really, I need you to say it again-" His words gargled as Karin threw a fist to his face, transforming it into water.

"Leave him alone already!"

"Oh come on, I bet this is only, like, the second time anyone's ever heard an Uchiha apologise for anything! I want to savour the moment so I can tell it to my future Grandkids with all the glorious detail! The day Sasuke finally admitted he could do wrong, the aura of remorse that surrounded him as he spoke the words!" Suigetsu cackled as Karin tried to land another blow.

"Sh!" Juugo said, urgency clear in his voice. Immediately the two stopped fighting and fell silent. Karin quickly focused and sensed for nearby chakras. She found several, not that far away. However they were all unfamiliar to her.

"There are several flaring chakras nearby," she relayed to the team, still concentrating.

"Is Itachi among them?" Sasuke quickly asked.

"I can't tell; I've never sensed his chakra before. All of the chakras are really strong though."

"He probably is then," Sasuke muttered.

"So what do we do?" Suigetsu asked. Sasuke stood up and let them stare expectantly while he thought.

Itachi, the elders, Danzo and the ANBU had to pay for their crimes, of that he was sure.

There were two options. Retreat, in which case launching his next attack may be far more difficult as he had revealed his hostile intentions towards the village, would be named officially Rogue and would have a very nice bounty on his head.

Or attack now, unprepared but with the buzz of confusion still shrouding him.

Sasuke sheathed his sword. He made his decision. He didn't want to prolong this any longer. Whatever happened, so be it.

"We attack."

….

Itachi started when he sensed the chakras quickly closing in. He'd been keeping alert for anyone who might approach as he held the sleeping Sasuke next to him.

His brother looked so peaceful that Itachi had been dreading the time he would regain consciousness and that ever-so-blissful aura would melt away. Itachi took one last look at his brother before dashing toward the approaching chakras. He didn't care who it was; right now he wanted no one near Sasuke.

Itachi stopped when he saw the identity of the chakras, as did they. ANBU. Had they somehow known of Sasuke's presence? Or was there some other reason?

"Itachi Uchiha," one of the ANBU shouted, pushing his words forward the way a man who believed his authority was supreme would. "You will surrender peacefully."

"Now why would I do that?" Itachi could feel his palms getting slick. There was something about this number of ANBU that was bothering him. Three of them…

"Our orders are to eliminate you, by any means necessary. I can promise a swift death if you surrender. If not…" Itachi didn't need to be able to see that one's smile to know it was there.

"So what will it be?" one of them barked, a man in a bear mask.

"Who gave you these orders? On what authority do you have my death?" Itachi asked, swallowing hard. He already knew. There was one more chakra lurking in the shadows, and he knew which man preferred to be in the shadows.

"My orders. My authority." Danzo stepped out from behind a thick cluster of bracken, a grim yet gloating look on his aged face. "It's time the Uchiha's left this world for good. Don't worry, you will leave behind a legacy so full of treachery that our future generations will never forget you. This whole thing has gone on far too long."

"Danzo," Itachi spoke slowly, doing his best to stay calm, or at least look it. Danzo seemed absolutely serious, a determined glint in his eye. He was a man used to getting what he wanted and by using any means, anything he had to, in order to get it. "Danzo, this is not necessary. My brother and I are no threat-"

"The brother you just ran off to have a little chat with? I was keeping an eye on you. Itachi Uchiha suddenly bolts out of the village gates in the middle of the night and I wonder what could make such a calm man be in such a hurry. I send out by best spy to check and they find that the prodigal son has returned. But I've been informed that Sasuke wants to, hm, how did he put it? 'Burn the village to the ground?'"

Itachi cursed himself for his recklessness and for not having noticed they were being watched.

"So," Danzo continued, "How did you deal with such treason? Did you capture and detain him? Kill him? Report it back to the village? No. No, you protected a traitor. You, Itachi Uchiha, are also a traitor. And now I'll show you the proper way to deal with them."

Itachi waited but Danzo seemed distracted all of a sudden. The sky finally began to shed its tears. Itachi started when he realised. Sasuke, and three others, were coming. He risked the glance over his shoulder to see his brother halt a few metres away, bright red eyes taking in the scene. Itachi knew what he must be seeing. His older brother rounding up his old Clan-massacring friends. There was no look of betrayal, or hurt, or even surprise in Sasuke's gaze. He'd expected this.

"You three take care of Sasuke Uchiha and his accomplices!" Danzo barked and the three ANBU instantly sprang towards the four Rogues. Sasuke's team retreated, launching away with the pursuers on their tails.

"I'll deal with you now," Danzo said and unwrapped the bandage from his right arm. Itachi felt sick. Implanted in his arm were eyes. Red eyes. Sharingan.

Hatred coursed through every vein, burst alive in every blood cell Itachi had.

"I'll kill you!" Itachi screamed and their battle to the death began.

...

It was perfect. Almost all the people that needed to pay for their crimes were in one place. It was almost as if some higher power had everything arranged, just so Sasuke could take his revenge. He thanked his ancestors, who he believed were helping him pave the way so they could all be avenged.

However, Sasuke wasn't stupid. He could not take on Itachi, Danzo and the ANBU all at once. He leapt through the trees with his team, occasionally dodging the weapons hurled at him by the ANBU as they gave chase. When Sasuke thought he was far enough away from Danzo and his brother, he abruptly turned around and readied a Chidori.

His attackers also halted. Sasuke watched them carefully. Three of them. Could these be the three…

Karin seemed to be on the same line of thought and asked the question before Sasuke could:

"Are you three part of the group responsible for the murder of the Uchiha Clan?"

For a moment the group stayed silent, then one wicked voice cut through.

"I wouldn't call it murder. More like putting down. Like how you put down a troublesome dog."

Sasuke lost it. He launched Chidori senbon at the three ANBU who all swiftly leapt out of harm's way.

Juugo partly merged into his Second State Curse mark and charged towards one ANBU. Suigetsu picked his target, the ANBU with a reptilian mask, unsheathing the Executioner's Blade. Karin hung back, analysing the battles. Sasuke glared at his opponent.

"Sasuke, you can surrender and have a painless death," the man behind the bear mask spoke. He said the words as if he were talking to a small child, trying to tempt them into not to acting up with the promise of a reward.

"I would like to make you the same offer, but it just wouldn't be justified for your death to be painless," Sasuke sneered and made the signs for a Fireball jutsu.

The ANBU countered with a water technique. Sasuke pursed his lips. His fire and lightning styles wouldn't be particularly effective against this opponent. The slits in the masks the ANBU wore made it difficult to meet his opponent's gaze, so Genjutsu wouldn't be much of an option. Sasuke drew his sword, and the ANBU mirrored his actions.

Sasuke managed to fool his opponent once with his blade. The man tried to block a lunge but the Kusanagi bit through it. However the damage Sasuke dealt with that blow was nowhere near enough to put out the ANBU, who was far more cautious from then on. It was infuriating, the way the man wove out of Sasuke's reach, ducking and side-stepping his blade, fluid as water. It was like being given a taste of his own medicine, Sasuke thought bitterly, knowing this was how he preferred to fight; evading instead of blocking.

He drew back and saw his chance. Between the slits in the white mask Sasuke saw brown irises and black pupils staring directly into his. A grin split his lips as he cast the Genjutsu. It was quite possibly the cruellest one he had ever cast. Sasuke wasn't normally one to toy with his enemies, preferring to give them a quick end. But not this one.

Sasuke made him crawl through blood, gouged out his eyes, his brains, listened to him plead for him to stop. He had phantom wolves tear him apart, the fires of dragons melt his bones and his skin peeled off as if the man were a vegetable.

In the real world the man screamed so violently he caused everyone to direct their attention to him for a moment. Sasuke finished him while he was stuck in his fabricated torment, decapitating the man. Blood sprayed from the neck like a fountain from Hell.

"Sasuke…" Karin murmured quietly. She'd never seen Sasuke torture an opponent before. The scream from that man indicated that Sasuke had just put him through something dreadful.

"Sasuke! Go on ahead and finish Itachi and Danzo! We'll take care of things here!" Suigetsu yelled, sharp teeth on full display as he gleefully smiled, battling his opponent.

"No!" Karin shouted quickly. "We should stick together!"

"Itachi and Danzo might be getting reinforcements. I can intercept them if they're heading back to the village. Take care of things here," Sasuke said. He trusted his team to give the other two ANBU the ends they deserved. Or at least he trusted Suigetsu to, who had shown no remorse for any death he caused. And part of him wanted to face Itachi alone. This was between them.

Sasuke hurried away, ready to make others bleed.

…

Danzo was a tricky opponent. He could use the Izanagi to rewrite fate, reverse his own death. Itachi had killed the man several times over yet there he still was, like a ghost continuing to haunt him.

"You know, I had you all wrong, Itachi," Danzo spoke as if they were discussing a trivial matter over tea. Itachi panted, stooped into a half crouch. "I thought you were a true ninja, someone who could work in the shadows, do anything for the village and abandon his feelings. Someone with a heart of stone. But it turns out you're soft."

"Tch. So having compassion is a weakness?" Itachi bit out.

"Compassion is a luxury we ninja cannot afford. Your attachment to your brother is your undoing. If only you could have cut that tie, as you did with the rest of your family. Tell me something, Itachi. If Sasuke had never been born, he never existed, would you have exterminated your entire Clan, as per my orders?"

"I was going to go through with it in the first place! That day I was ready to kill my Clan. I was going to do it. It wasn't until you interfered that things started going wrong! Why couldn't you just let me kill them all, like we had planned! Then none of this mess would have happened!"

"What?"

Itachi's heart froze. Oh no.

He turned around. Sasuke was looking at him with wide eyes. He looked so tiny, like a child, lost and afraid. His hair was sodden and dripping from the rain, his clothes soaked through. Sasuke glanced between Itachi and Danzo, his sword tight in his grip.

"Yes," Danzo said, "Itachi here was going to be the sole assassin of the Uchiha Clan. He would have put an end to the coup and defected from the village, a traitor to all except a select few who would know the truth."

"You were going to…kill our Clan? With your own hands?" Sasuke spoke so quietly Itachi had to strain to hear him over the sound of the rain falling. He blinked a few drops out of his eyes.

"That was the plan. I would kill our family. But not you, Sasuke. You were innocent, you knew nothing, and one day you would kill me. That was the way I wanted things." Sasuke said nothing.

"Listen to me, Sasuke," Danzo called. "You are nowhere near strong enough to kill Itachi. However, I'm sure we can bring him down if we work together. And then you can try and take your vengeance on me." So that was Danzo's plan, Itachi thought. He didn't think he could take Itachi down alone so was trying to enlist Sasuke's help.

But would Sasuke accept that offer? Itachi didn't think he could handle both of them at the same time, especially if he was trying not to kill Sasuke while also trying to kill Danzo.

He waited for Sasuke's reply.

Edited 5/7/15

Thank ever so much for all the reviews, they really help to keep me going: gentleflam51,dreamer EM, Guest and jmtothemusic.

gentleflam51: Haha, true, no one likes Danzo! Thank for reviewing, hopefully I'll eventually solve things between these two brothers.

dreamer EM: Aww, thank you so much! I'm also quite guilty of not always leaving reviews. But seriously, thank you, it's really great to hear that people enjoy this fic. I know this chapter isn't my best but hopefully future updates will be more intriguing!

Guest: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter Both brother's stories are so interesting in the canon and it's always very morally grey which I find interesting.

jmtothemusic: Haha, then more torture there shall be! As horribly sadistic as it sounds I enjoy writing about the conflict between these brothers. They're both such interesting characters, although I might make them a bit ooc. Thank you so much for reviewing, they always make my day. I think I have two reviews from you for this chapter but that just makes me twice as happy

Thanks for reading,

Cipher.