AN: Here is the promised longer chapter. Sorry if the flow and overall writing is off. This is the part of the story that just would not be written which is why it took so long. Still, better something than nothing, eh? :) I have only briefly proofread this because I can't look at it any longer, so please be forgiving if it has editing errors.

Chapter 38: Hellfire

"Love has its place, as does hate. Peace has its place, as does war. Mercy has its place, as does cruelty and revenge."

~Meir Kahane

It was a loud tapping noise that woke him. Muffled shouts soon followed through a heavy fog. He struggled to understand the meaning of the sounds as he swam his way into consciousness. A sharp stab of pain shot through his head and he became aware of a voice, louder than the others, shouting at him. Hands grabbed at his shoulders, shaking him.

"Wake up, Naruto. Wake up, dammit! Don't you dare -"

"He's coming to." said another, calmer voice.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open. It was dark and he could only see the silhouette of two figures kneeling in front of him, framed by the light from the doorway. One of them jerked him forward and enveloped him in a hug.

"You're awake. Thank God. I thought…I thought you were…"

Naruto groaned as the embrace sent barbs of pain shooting through his body.

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah. Yes, it's me. Come on, we're getting out of here."

Naruto struggled to sit straight with Sasuke's help. He put a hand to his aching head.

"We?"

"We need to hurry, Sasuke." said the calm voice again. In the faded light, Naruto recognized the man.

It was then the sounds filtered through Naruto's confused mind. The tapping noises morphed into loud shots of gunfire echoing from a distance.

"They came. The Akatsuki." said Naruto.

"And Itachi." Sasuke said in a tone betraying mixed emotions. "He's helping us get out of here, but we don't have much time, Naruto. Let's do questions later, ok? Right now we need to move. Can you stand?"

Naruto nodded, quickly regretting it as his head and the back of his neck throbbed in protest.
Both Sasuke and Itachi took an arm and helped him to his feet. He swayed a little and Sasuke caught him under his armpit, steadying him.

"You hang back with Naruto. I'll clear the way." said Itachi.

Sasuke nodded.

Itachi moved to the door and peeked out, checking the hallways with a black handgun held close to his chest.
He walked ahead with quiet, sure steps down the hallway. Sasuke and Naruto followed behind.
Naruto's head still felt fuzzy and heavy like it had been stuffed with wet cotton balls, but it was clearing up enough for the situation to start weighing in on him. His entire body was wracked with pain, and he leaned heavily on Sasuke for support as he limped along. His nose and left eye felt like they had swollen to twice their normal sizes, and every beat of his heart made his face throb in pain as the blood pumped through.

There was a shout as they rounded a corner, and quick as lightning Itachi had his gun out in front of him. It fired before Naruto had even noticed the man who now stood frozen before them before falling forward, blood soaking across the floor from the newly-formed gap in his head.

"Quickly." said Itachi, stepping over the man's outstretched arm and ushering them down some steep, wooden stairs.

The slats creaked with each step as if to warn of the prisoners trying to escape.
The three of them made it to a small door leading to the outside. Itachi had them stand to one side before flinging it open, craning his neck around the frame to peer into the darkness.
The clamour of gunfire and yells hit them more clearly on the cool night wind, and the smell of gunpowder and burning wood assaulted Naruto's nose. Small black figures dashed back and forth across the fields in front of a large burning building alit with gargantuan flames climbing towards the black, star-studded sky.

"Kyuubi." Breathed Naruto, taking in the hellfire sight.

Sasuke shot him a strange look.

"It looks like someone set the barn alight." said Itachi. "This is the best chance we're going to get while they're distracted. The car is this way. Follow me. Quickly."

They found themselves another set of silhouettes running crouched low across the field. Sasuke and Naruto tried to keep up as best they could, but their progress was slowed by Naruto's weakened state.
"Come on. Just a bit further." muttered Sasuke as he caught Naruto in a half-stumble once again. "You can make it."
Naruto nodded, letting out a huff of breath, and they continued on, the tall grass stinging at their legs as they whipped past.

"We're almost at the car." Itachi called back in a quiet voice after they had gotten some distance away from the farm. "Keep a lookout."

They arrived at a low wall. The loosely-fitted stones looked ready to crumble apart, but it was easy to get a footing. Carefully, they climbed over with Sasuke assisting Naruto.

"I hid it near the gate." whispered Itachi. "Follow me."

The three of them stuck close to the wall as they crept around the perimeter of the dark field.

The only light shone from the distant, orange flames and the cool glow of the half moon above.

The car was almost invisible in the dark, like a black void. Only the moon's faint shine gave it away, reflecting off the chrome roof.

Itachi handed Sasuke the keys, signaling for him to go before jogging to a long, wooden gate a few metres away. He opened it slowly, but it did not stop the painstaking creak and whine of the rusted hinges, loud as a siren in the quiet field.

Meanwhile, Sasuke guided Naruto to the car, and carefully opened the left back door with a soft click. He was keenly aware of their vulnerable position out in the openness of the field without cover.

Bang! Bang!

Sasuke ducked as the whizz of bullets shot past. They hit the car, blasting through the bodywork.

"Get in!" he cried in a hoarse voice, half-shoving Naruto in the back door.

Naruto scrambled across the back seats as Sasuke slammed the door shut behind him.

The teen ran around the back of the car, keeping his head low as the bullets whipped past, quick and angry as bees. From behind the safety of the car, he scoped out the gate. It was open.

Itachi was pinned nearby, crouching behind the wall, gun in hand. The shots ceased for a moment.

"Itachi." called a low voice from the darkness beyond the gate. "You always were so good at sneaking around in the shadows."

Sasuke swallowed, his mouth dry. A tornado of mixed feelings churned up in his gut as he watched his brother shift to a more stable position and call through the wall.

"You're not getting him, Obito. You'll have to get through me first."

Obito chuckled. "So noble. Well, I have no qualms with that."

A gunshot blasted through the night, and Itachi ducked as chips exploded off a stone near his head.

Itachi looked up, locking eyes with Sasuke. He pointed to his gun, then the road, and gestured for Sasuke to get in the car. Sasuke frowned for a moment before his face cleared. His brother was going to lay down cover for them to escape.

A familiar anger welled up in him. He still reeled from all that had happened in so short a time. He had only just met his brother once again, and everything was such a mess. But one thing that was clear to him in this moment. He wasn't leaving Itachi here. If anyone was going to kill his brother, it would be him, like Itachi had promised.

1 hour earlier

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he could last laid on his side like this. The muscles in his neck ached after keeping it raised for so long, and his eyes stung from the effort. If he relaxed, his head would fall to the floor and the chain would tighten cutting off his air supply.

No one had come in since Orochimaru had left with Naruto, and though he knew it would probably be the end of him when someone walked through that door, he didn't want to die this way, strapped to a chair choked to death by his own bonds. He gritted his teeth and hung on.

Quiet footsteps sounded from the hallway, and two thin shadows appeared partially blocking out the light from under the door. Someone was outside. There was a brief rattling and clicking noise before the door swung open revealing a tall, dark figure.

A flash of fear jolted through Sasuke. Then a storm of shame and anger whirled up in him at the sight of his brother – shame to be found in such a weak position, and anger, well, the anger was ever-present, always bubbling just below the surface.

"Come to finish me off?" he croaked out, his voice low and harsh from the abuse around his throat.

Itachi shut the door with a swift motion, and turned on the light. He walked over to his little brother, and knelt down in front of him.

"Sasuke." He said, his voice laced with quiet concern.

An indescribable rage burst into flames within Sasuke at his brother's gentle tone, and he began to struggle anew. No, he could NOT let it end this way. He grunted as he yanked at the chains.

Itachi's eyes glanced over the bloodied and bruised arms. He ignored Sasuke's struggles and hauled the chair upright. Sasuke couldn't resist letting his head fall back in exhaustion, and Itachi pressed a gentle hand to the chain pressing into Sasuke's neck.

"Stay calm, Sasuke. I'm here to help."

Sasuke flinched at the touch. He glared at his brother with hate-filled eyes.

"Don't you fucking touch me. You don't get to-"

He broke off, unable to express the myriad of things Itachi had no fucking right to do.

How dare he show concern. How dare he act like he cared. How dare he act like he hadn't brutally murdered their parents and then left Sasuke reeling, alone and lost for his entire life. And most of all, how dare he poison Naruto into thinking he was anything less than the worst of hell's psychopaths.

He gritted his teeth. There was no way, no way in hell that Sasuke was going to let him pretend now that he was anything else.

"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with. I won't play any more games with you."

Itachi let out a gentle sigh and got to work on the chains. They were bound into knots in various places, not easy to undo.

Sasuke watched him in confusion. His mind raced, a million questions burning the tip of his tongue. Usually so certain and focused, his thoughts had morphed into a jumble of confusion.

"If you're not going to kill me," he said through gritted teeth, "Then why are you here?"

Itachi glanced up, meeting his brother's eyes for the briefest moment before continuing work on the chains.

"Naruto set off his tracking device. Pretty soon Akatsuki's going to be swarming all over this place. I got here first though, and I'm getting you both out of here."

"Why?"

"To keep you safe. Neither Orochimaru or Akatsuki can be allowed to have control of Kyuubi."

"This coming from Akatsuki's lap dog!" hissed Sasuke.

"It was a means to an end." replied Itachi.

Itachi worked the chain free from around Sasuke's neck and it fell to the floor with a soft clinking sound. For the first time in hours, Sasuke felt like he could breathe. He rolled his neck forward back and then side to side in attempt to ease his aching muscles. He stopped and watched Itachi work on undoing the chains attached to the armrest.

"And killing our parents?" he said in a cold voice. "Was that a means to an end too?"

Itachi froze for only the briefest moment before refocusing on the knots.

"Naruto probably told you my reasons for that."

"Bullshit. Just another one of your lies."

Itachi shook his head, freeing Sasuke's right arm.

"I've told many lies in my life, Sasuke, but not to you. Never to you."

Blind rage pumped through Sasuke's vision at the sound of such brotherly love. He let out a bitter laugh and swung out with his free hand. Itachi caught Sasuke's fist in his own.

The brothers stared at one another for a moment – the younger breathing heavily, his lip curled and face red, the older with a placid expression, only his eyes displaying any emotion. Sasuke flinched away at the sadness radiating from Itachi's eyes. It was…unnerving.

"I'm going to undo your legs now." said Itachi quietly. "I'll leave you to do the right arm."

He released his grip on Sasuke's hand, and without even thinking Sasuke dutifully began to work on his left arm, willing himself to calm his shaking fingers.

Itachi finished unbinding his legs and stood back, watching as Sasuke worked. The final chain fell to the floor, and Sasuke shot up, ready to leap at his brother only to find himself facing the barrel of a gun. He froze, glaring hatred at the man before him.

"What a surprise." he said sarcastically.

His hatred did then turn to surprise as Itachi let loose his grip on the gun, spinning it in his hand so that the barrel faced himself and the grip faced Sasuke.

"You can kill me." He said. "If that's what you want."

Sasuke stared at him dumbfounded.

"It's what you've always wanted. You'll do it the first chance you get anyway. Besides, I deserve it. I know that." said Itachi. He paused for a moment, then said, "But you should do it later. I can help you get Naruto out of here. I don't want him in the Akatsuki or Orochimaru's hands anymore than you do."

Sasuke snatched the gun out of his brother's hand and aimed it at his head. He breathed heavily, trying to clear the confusion in his mind. No, he didn't get to use Naruto as a way to weasel out of this. He had been there when Akatsuki had kidnapped him. He had worked with Akatsuki for years, and maybe Orochimaru too.

But he rescued Naruto, whispered a quiet voice in the back of his mind. He never hurt you.

The gun in his hand shook. He wanted to cry, and he hated himself for it. Never in any of his fantasies had it been like this. He should be cold and calculating, facing his brother as an equal, no, a superior. His brother should have been begging his forgiveness or laughing like a psycho, or giving him a reason, any reason, not…this.

He shook the doubts away. No, this was the man who had brutally killed his parents, who had shot them in their own living room and waited for Sasuke to come home and find their corpses strewn across the furniture, the man who had left him without any apology or explanation.

Your parents who were sacrificing innocent lives, said the quiet voice.

Shut up!

Sasuke screwed his eyes shut for a moment, willing the thought away.

"You killed them." He said.

Itachi nodded, that sadness still haunting his eyes. Those eyes reminded Sasuke of the night he had hugged him only to come away covered in blood. But no, those eyes had been callous, cold lumps of charcoal laughing at his pain. Hadn't they?

"You left me." whispered Sasuke.

"I did what needed to be done."

"That's all you have to say? After 13 years?"

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "You destroyed my life."

"Would it help if I said sorry?" said Itachi. "Would it really make any difference?"

Sasuke didn't reply, couldn't reply. It was like his brain had malfunctioned, and he couldn't bring any coherent words to his lips. Where was his eloquent speech, the things he would say that would have his brother crumbling to the ground before begging for mercy? A hurricane of emotions raged inside him, fighting for dominance.

And it was anger that won.

He steadied his shaking hands, aiming the gun squarely at Itachi's disgustingly calm face.

"You think I'm trying to manipulate you." said Itachi. "Using Naruto to gain your trust and cooperation. I understand. But you need to understand if I only cared about acquiring Kyuubi, I could have taken Naruto and left you here."

"You're my little brother." said Itachi. He gave an almost imperceptible smile. It tickled at a memory in the back of Sasuke's mind, something long forgotten. "All I've ever wanted was to keep you safe, to keep you out of this."

The smile disappeared.

"I failed. For that, I am truly sorry."

Sasuke grit his teeth, his finger twitching on the trigger. He couldn't trust this man. He would never be able to trust this man. And more than anything he wished that he could stop wanting to. But what did it matter? For now, he had no choice.

He relaxed his grip, and let his arm fall.

"You get us out of here." He said, "I kill you then."

Itachi nodded.

"Let's go."

Present Time

Sasuke silently shook his head at his brother. Like hell he was going to leave him there just to have him disappear again.

Itachi didn't get to call the shots anymore. His brother appeared to give a silent sigh of frustration, and Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly. Some things didn't change. Even after all this time he could annoy him.

Sasuke's reverie was cut short as a bullet whipped past, clipping his arm. He let out a cry of surprised pain, and scrambled to get under the car for cover as bullets rained down. Another shooter had arrived from a separate vantage point in the field, striding quickly in his direction. The man's eyes glinted almost golden in the dark like a fox caught in headlights. He grinned as he pressed Sasuke under the car under the hail of fire.

In the backseat, Naruto let out a yell and curled into a ball as bullets flew the back window.

He grabbed at the handle, and flung open the car door.

"Sasuke! Get in!"

But Sasuke was completely pinned, shifting as much of his body under the car, he was a sitting duck.

This is it, thought Sasuke. This is how it ends.

It was his last thought before the man froze in the middle of the field staring up in surprise. Several more shots fired in the night. The man let out a coughing gasp and collapsed on the ground.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he scrambled out from under the exhaust, crawling under the cover of Naruto's door and into the car. Naruto grabbed him, pulling him in.

"Sasuke." said Naruto, but didn't finish the sentence, staring out the front windshield.

Sasuke froze as he looked up.

His brother stood in front of the gate, well out in the open having abandoned the cover of the wall to get a clear shot. His gun was still aimed at the man who had fallen, and he smiled at the two boys in the car. Sasuke frowned. Why was he just standing there? Why wasn't he running towards them?

That was when Itachi's gun arm dropped and he fell forward, collapsing to his knees. A rush of something akin to fear rushed through Sasuke, a strange lightheadedness as he watched his brother go down.

Obito strolled towards them from the road waving his gun in a friendly wave.

"Hello, boys. Coming out to play?" He called to them in the car.

Obito reached Itachi who was on the ground hunched over. He kicked him, and Itachi fell onto his side, choking as he tried to get back up onto his knees. Obito kept his gun aimed firmly on the man and picked up the one that had fallen at Itachi's side. He straightened up and grinned at the boys in the car.

Then he turned and aimed the gun at his former colleague.

"No." mouthed Sasuke, the words not escaping his mouth.

Bang! Bang!

Sasuke flinched at the sound of each bullet blasting into his brother's back. Itachi fell forward onto the ground unmoving. In the car, there was silence, and a cold, terrifying numbness crawled up from Sasuke's stomach, enveloping his lungs and seeping into his neck and brain. It wasn't possible. This wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.

"Sorry about that." called Obito to the boys in the car. "But he just killed Zetsu. You can understand why I'm a bit peeved."

The numbness in Sasuke turned then, from a cold horror to a burning fire. He scrambled into the front seat, and shoved the key into the ignition with shaking hands.

"Sasuke-" said Naruto, but whatever he went on to say, Sasuke didn't hear it. The engine roared to life.

Obito grinned at Sasuke as he cocked his gun straight at him.

"Don't do anything stupid, little Uchiha." He said. "Out of the car, nice and easy."

Blood pounded in Sasuke's head. He cranked the lights up to the highest level before shoving his foot down on the accelerator.

Obito blinked at the blinding light, automatically putting his hand up to shield his eyes, aiming a few haphazard shots at the car before turning to flee.

He got a few feet before his body hit the bonnet with a dull thud. He flew up into the air and crashed into the windshield blocking Sasuke's vision, but Sasuke didn't stop. He shot across the field, braking as he came to the gate. Obito's body rolled off, limp as a ragdoll.

Sasuke sat staring ahead at the still form lying in the pool of headlights, his hand tight on the steering wheel and his breath coming out in quick, short pants.

He jumped as something touched his arm and whipped his head round.

Naruto pulled his hand away as if it had been burned, looking back at Sasuke with wide, scared eyes.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke.

"We should go back."

Sasuke nodded. Barely aware of what he was doing, he pushed the gearstick into position and maneuvered the car back into the field. Every movement was automatic. He stopped the car, and the two boys climbed out. Itachi's body lay prone on the ground. Sasuke walked over to him and sank to his knees, pressing a finger to Itachi's neck to check for a pulse. Itachi coughed, blood dribbling down his lips and shifted under the touch.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"He's still alive." He said in a breathless voice.

Naruto looked up and off into the distance. Shouts carried across the field coming from the direction of the farmhouse. He dropped down quickly as gunshots sounded through the air.

"More are coming." He said. "We have to hurry."

"Get him in." said Sasuke, hauling Itachi up by his arm.

"No, Sasuke." said Itachi in a breathless voice, choking around the blood. "Just leave me."

"No chance." replied Sasuke. "You're not getting off that easy."

Under the shield of the car door, they managed to drag Itachi to the car and maneuver him inside. Itachi groaned in pain, but helped by pulling himself up onto the car seat with his elbows. Naruto clambered in ahead and pulled Itachi in until he was lying across the seats.

Sasuke slammed the door and ran to the driver's seat. Gunshots fired into the opposite side of the car and he could see dark figures running towards them from across the field.

Naruto's breath hitched in his throat, but Sasuke made it, stumbling in and clumsily shoving the gearstick into position. The gears creaked in protest.

"Get your head down!" yelled Naruto as a bullet splintered through the window.

Sasuke ducked his head down and slammed the accelerator to the floor. The wheels span before the car lurched forward and sped off. The loud pops of bullets hit the car's body as they twisted sharply onto the road. There was a bump and sickening thud as the wheels rolled over Obito's body.

And then they were out, away from the farm, speeding along the narrow dirt road - away from the flames and the yells and the fights and the death – a solitary car flying towards the distant city lights on the horizon.

AN: Thanks as always for the reviews! I just want to reply here to Arw165's review. You bring up a valid point. :D To explain, Kabuto did modify the chip so that it was only traceable for him. However, he was unaware of Itachi's failsafe (an Akatsuki-wide alert upon destruction) since that was a secret feature. He kept the chip in Naruto in case of any chance of escape in future. Although he probably would have considered the possibility of Naruto trying to dig it out if he escaped, escape was highly unlikely, digging it out extremely painful, and, overall, the advantage was to leave it in Naruto's neck since it was no loss either way. What he didn't know was what would happen if Naruto destroyed it. It was not planning, but pride in his own ability that caused his blunder. I didn't explain the details well in the story though, and may try to find a way to make that clear in future. I hope this makes sense, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are any plotholes I've missed. ^^; Here's hoping Naruto doesn't get tetanus!