37. The Truth Revealed

"Keitaro."

There he was, in flesh and blood, very much alive. His chocolate brown eyes were partially hidden behind his messy, brown bangs; a look that was so inherently him. I could picture him standing in our kitchen.

While I could do nothing but stand eerily still, staring at a ghost, Sasuke took control of the situation. "Where is he?

"Nearby. He has a few words for you, Sasuke," my brother said, his eyes set on the Uchiha.

"Tell me where he is," Sasuke demanded impatiently.

"Give me Nakao unharmed and I will tell you where he is."

I felt disconnected in a way, like I was watching the exchange through the eyes of another. I was caught between two people whom I had once loved dearly, and who had both deceived me. I couldn't trust either of them, but I wasn't sure which one I should trust less.

Perhaps I would fair better with Sasuke. At least I knew what he wanted, what I was to him. He cared nothing for me; I was his bait, but at least his motives were clear. Keitaro…I had no idea what he wanted. And I wasn't sure I wanted to find out. How could I trust someone who had disappeared to travel with a murderer?

Did I need to fear my brother? Would he try to hurt me? Would I be able to stop him? But Sasuke had said he wouldn't let Keitaro hurt me. Or was that another lie? An attempt to pry some trust from me? But if it truly did come down to it…would Sasuke let him do it? Would he really ignore all those years of history?

"Take her."

I was ripped from my thoughts as Sasuke reached out, his hand gripping my upper arm. I don't know why I was so surprised, but my mouth was agape as he held me firmly before thrusting me forward. Before my mind could catch up to the situation, another hand was grabbing me; Keitaro's.

But I was hardly paying attention to my brother. My eyes narrowed on Sasuke, fury rising in my voice. "You son of a bitch! Once a traitor, always a traitor!"

He didn't even acknowledge me.

"Tell me where he is," he said, eyes set on Keitaro.

The hand that wasn't holding me pointed over his shoulder. "Five miles south of here. Find the cave. He'll be waiting for you."

Sasuke didn't nod. He didn't look at me. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded at his team. A moment later, they were gone, rushing past Keitaro in the direction he'd indicated. I watched him, shaking with fury. He'd abandoned me when we were eight. He abandoned me at fourteen. And as seventeen approached, he'd abandoned me again.

Fucking asshole!

But I had bigger troubles at the moment; brought to the forefront of my mind by Keitaro clearing his throat. I tensed in response.

"Nakao-imouto…"

"Don't call me that!" I hissed, ripping my arm free from his grasp.

I moved away, whirling around to keep him in view. I was already assessing; the area, the weapons I had, the weapons I could see he had. My gloved hands hovered over the handles of my blades. Keitaro didn't move, he just watched me with a sad look.

"Nakao," he tried again, holding his hands out and away from himself. "I am not here to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?" I snapped. "You've clearly lied to me about a great many things."

A flicker of what looked like guilt flashed across his face. "I'm sorry, Nakao."

"You're sorry?" I laughed icily. "You let me think you were dead. You let me grieve for you! You left me with no family!"

To his credit, Keitaro looked pained. "I understand that you're angry, Nakao; and I don't blame you. I'm sorry for how I handled things. But you must let me explain."

"Oh, you have a good reason for abandoning your little sister with no one," I said sarcastically, folding my arms across my chest.

Keitaro sighed. "Nakao, you don't understand."

"Just stop!" I yelled, face flushing with ire. "That's all you've been telling me my entire life! I am not a child! And I haven't been one for a long time!"

Keitaro sighed wearily, suddenly looking much older than he really was. Defeat settled itself on his face and shoulders. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should have let you in. You're certainly no child anymore. You look like mother."

I felt my heart constrict at his words but maintained my stubborn stance.

"I will explain everything this time," Keitaro said. "But I'd prefer to do it on the way."

My spine stiffened. "On the way where? Why should I go anywhere with you?"

Keitaro sighed again. "Please, Nakao. This is important. I know I don't deserve your trust…but I really need you to take a leap of faith right now."

My lips twisted into a frown. He seemed open and sincere enough, but could I trust that? He was a pretty good actor after all.

"Please, Nakao? I'd rather not do this the hard way."

Which meant I was going with him whether I liked it or not. Which ignited a spark of anger in my chest. But I wasn't a match for Keitaro, even after all these years. In no way could I assume he hadn't improved himself. So with as much dignity as I could muster, I gave a huff of derision.

"Where are we going?"

"Sasuke's old stomping grounds."

"What?"

"We need to visit Orochimaru's former hideout."

This took me aback, and it certainly filled my voice with weariness. "What? Why?"

"There's someone I want you to meet."

"You told me you were going to tell the truth," I finally said, patience worn thin. "So spill it."

We'd been traveling for the majority of the day. There'd been little conversing between us. I was trapped in my own whirlwind of thoughts. And I had not warmed to my brother simply because he was alive. But I was ready to finally understand.

"I need your help," he said after a long moment of silence. "The world as we know it needs your help."

"…What?"

"As you've gathered, there is much I haven't told you," Keitaro finally looked over at me. "And it all has to do with Uchiha Itachi."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Everything you think you know about Uchiha Itachi and the clan massacre is wrong."

"...What?"

Keitaro glanced forward and the setting sun cast shadows across his face. "I'm going to tell you the truth Nakao; all of it. It's up to you whether or not you believe me."

I remained silent, but gazed intently at his profile. He continued to face forward, his face grim. His voice sounded distant when he spoke, recalling memories.

"Itachi wasn't…evil. You remember him, how he was. You and Sasuke tagged after us enough. I will tell you what I know from witnessing it with my own two eyes. Everything started with the Kyuubi attack sixteen years ago."

My brows furrowed. The attack of the nine-tail beast was a well-known event in Konoha history. The attack had happened out of nowhere, not long after my birth. The fourth Hokage had perished to destroy it and save Konoha. But I didn't see how that correlated with Uchiha Itachi.

Keitaro continued. "You see…only the Uchiha Clan can control the Kyuubi. Obvious suspicion against the Uchiha arose in the wake of the attack. The Uchiha Clan was already a segregated entity of Konoha. In the times of the first Hokage, his clan and the Uchiha were natural enemies. As the first Hokage gained control, there was an attempt to fix relations. So he put them in charge of the Konoha police force, but the long history of suspicion still simmered below the surface. The Kyuubi attack prompted immediate suspicion that the Uchiha were planning a rebellion. They were monitored at all times by the ANBU and quarantined in a small corner of the village. The lack of trust gave way to ill feelings and then their suspicions turned to reality. The Uchiha Clan plotted a coup d'etat to take control of the village. In response, Konoha's elders planted a spy within the Uchiha clan."

"Itachi," I guessed.

Keitaro nodded. "He was a prodigy, extremely skilled and loyal to Konoha. A perfect fit. In theory."

I watched sadness flicker across his face. I remembered how Itachi and Keitaro were always together, always tucked away from the world, their heads together. I wondered if they'd been trying to share such a burden.

"Sasuke's father was the mastermind behind the coup d'etat. Itachi, under his father's orders, entered the ANBU as a spy. However, Itachi was actually leaking Uchiha Intel to Konoha. You can't imagine the burden placed on him. Even I could never fully understand. Nakao, you were born at the end of the Third Great Ninja War. I'm glad you never had to witness the horrors of war, but because of that, you can never fully understand it. Itachi and I were four during the war. Still…I remember the bodies…just lying in the road. Blood and flies everywhere…"

I could see it in his face just how well he remembered.

Keitaro shook his head. "We were much too young to go through such an experience. That trauma led Itachi to detest conflict and became a man who loved peace. He placed the stability of the village above everything else and worked for the sake of peace. He loved the village and didn't want to be tied down by the obligations of the clan. The village superiors exploited that. They gave him a secret mission: annihilate the entire Uchiha clan. Itachi had to make a choice. To betray his clan should be an impossible thing to do. But if a clan like the Uchiha sparked a civil war, it would throw Konoha and the fire country back into chaos. Other countries would take advantage of that weakness and invade, effectively causing the Fourth Great Ninja War to ensue. Many, even those who weren't ninjas, would have suffered death due to the Uchiha's selfish ideology.

Itachi didn't betray them out of hatred, but he didn't have a choice. The Third wanted to settle with the Uchiha and resumed talks with them, but time ran out and his chance was lost. Itachi had no other option than to wipe out his clan, burdening himself with the dishonor as a missing-ninja."

My mind was spinning trying to take in all that Keitaro told me. It was…horrible. It would almost be less horrific if Itachi had just been a cold-blooded murderer. But then, if all this was true, how could he explain everything that had happened with Sasuke?

I opened my mouth to ask, but Keitaro cut me off. "I know you're thinking about how Itachi has hurt Sasuke. I also know that when he came to Konoha after the Exams that you raced into battle with two S-ranked criminals. What were you thinking?"

I shot my brother an annoyed glare. "Just explain."

Keitaro sighed. "Itachi loved his little brother more than anything. He was able to murder his entire clan, but he just couldn't kill his little brother. After the massacre, Itachi pleaded with the Third to spare Sasuke from Danzou and the other superiors. He threatened Danzou and left the village. Itachi said that if they laid a finger on Sasuke, he would expose all of the village's information to the other countries. He gave Sasuke the goal of revenge to make him strong. He wanted him to believe that the Uchiha were still a proud clan in Konoha."

But Sasuke was racing for Itachi as they spoke. Perhaps they had already met. "So…right now…?"

"Sasuke is indeed meeting with Itachi to fight," Keitaro confirmed. "And Sasuke will win. Itachi planned it out from the very start. He will fight Sasuke until he reaches his breaking point."

"Why?"

"That curse mark on Sasuke's neck seals a bit of Orochimaru inside of Sasuke. When Sasuke runs out of energy, Orochimaru has no other option than to surface. Itachi plans to destroy him and release Sasuke of the mark. At the end of the battle, Itachi will have awakened Sasuke's Mangekyou, a strong Sharingan power."

"But…what about the Akatsuki?"

"All just a cover to keep the Akatsuki away from Konoha."

My heading was beginning to ache a bit. "So why now? Why did Itachi finally decide now was the time?"

Keitaro was silent for a long moment. When he spoke, it was so quiet I almost missed it. "Itachi is very sick. He has been for a long time. He's been prolonging the illness, buying his time until Sasuke was ready."

Keitaro's face was etched in despair. I could feel the sadness radiating from him. I remembered my own pain when I had lost Sasuke, and my heart went out to my brother, despite everything.

"So…is Itachi going to tell Sasuke all of this?" I asked quietly.

"No…that's the problem," Keitaro finally looked over at me, schooling his features into a serious expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked wearily.

"The individual who actually unleashed the Kyuubi on the village goes by the name Uchiha Madara. He is the same Uchiha that the First was enemies with."

I blinked. "What? How can that be?"

Keitaro shook his head. "I don't know how he is still alive, all I know is that he is, and he is dangerous."

"But why would he unleash the Kyuubi if he knew the suspicion would be placed on the entire Uchiha clan?"

"Madara is a very angry person," Keitaro explained. "He wanted revenge on the Uchiha and Konoha. Madara is going to be the one who tells Sasuke all of what I have just told you."

"What? Why?"

"Madara is secretly the leader of the Akatsuki. He will be there when Sasuke is recovering from the fight I presume."

"So why is that a problem?"

"Itachi didn't trust Madara. Neither do I. But Itachi knew I couldn't be there during the battle. I promised I would take care of Sasuke the best that I could but for now, he's on his own."

"Why don't you trust this Madara?"

"He isn't someone to take lightly for one. He has something up his sleeve that he's concocting. I cannot say for sure what it is. I do know that he is collecting all the tailed-beasts and that's why he sent Itachi after Naruto. But whatever's after that…I fear he will try and utilize Sasuke."

"Why would he do that?" but the hairs on my arms was already beginning to rise.

Keitaro's grim expression did nothing to lessen the growing dread in my gut. "Once Sasuke takes in this information…he is not going to be happy. His vengeful heart will still need to be cured."

"You think he's going to take it out on Konoha?" I whispered.

"Maybe, or maybe just the superiors. I really have no way of knowing. That's why I need you, Nakao."

My eyebrows scrunched together in thought. I had so many questions, so many concerns. And why did he think I could help with any of this? How could I even know this was all true? Although, anyone who could just invent this story would be a genius.

"Itachi told you all of this?" I asked.

Keitaro smiled bitterly. "I was his best friend."

"You talk about him as though he is already gone…"

"Maybe he is…" Keitaro bowed his head slightly and my heart contracted at the sight of his pain.

"Is this why you left?"

Keitaro raised his head and glanced at me. His lips were twisted in a frown, his eyes searching mine for a moment.

"I just…wanted to help. I had always wanted to help, to free him of some of his burden. But I didn't know how. And he would never have let me. But…I ran into him on one of my missions before the Exams and…he needed me. Even if he didn't want to get me involved."

It was then I noticed the bags beneath his eyes. I chewed on my bottom lip. "Why didn't you just tell me all of this?"

Keitaro shook his head. "I couldn't tell you about Itachi. I couldn't risk Sasuke finding out the truth. If you had told him…he may have believed you. That would have destroyed the framework Itachi had laid out. And without you having a reason for my absence, I couldn't just tell you. I'm sorry that I left you like that, really Nakao, I am. But I had to find Itachi. With the Third dead…we could sense the beginning of another war."

"Another war?" I echoed, alarm flashing through me.

"That is our guess as to what Madara is planning. We needed to get as much Intel as possible. We had to let Sasuke choose his own path and we had to plan accordingly. He…He probably didn't need me; he had always been fine on his own…"

"But…"

Keitaro refused to look at me and I thought I saw tears in the corners of his eyes. "In our lifetime we get one person who completes us. That keeps a part of us if they are gone. Our person. Mother used to say that."

I knew what he meant, every word of it. Understood the completeness, and the emptiness. And I saw why he left. I don't know that it made it easier. It certainly didn't erase the pain he had caused me. But I understood.

Keitaro's head suddenly perked up. "We're here."

Keitaro jumped down from his tree branch and I followed. We landed on the ground and I gazed up at Orochimaru's hideout. It was just a small, cement hut which I imagined encased stairs that led to underground dwellings.

"But why do you need me?" I asked as my eyes assessed the area.

He looked over to me. "Nakao…all this information is going to be a devastating blow to Sasuke."

Of course, it would be. Sasuke had shaped his whole life around revenge. He'd left his home, joined Orochimaru in his dedication to kill Itachi; his once beloved brother. This was going to kill him.

"You need to be there with Sasuke once he finds out," Keitaro said.

My face scrunched in confusion. "Me? Why?"

"You are the only one who can offer him any kind of comfort and stability."

"…What?"

But Keitaro seemed to have lost his focus. His eyes had slid over to my left arm and his mouth parted in surprise. "That's my headband."

Silently, I glanced to my arm. Reaching over, I untied the headband before handing it to my brother.

Keitaro stared at the headband in my hand for a moment. Carefully, he reached out and grabbed it. I watched as he tied it around his forehead, where it had been absent for three years. It pushed the bangs out of his eyes and he suddenly looked just as I remembered him. And I couldn't help but smile. I reached into the back pouch around my waist and pulled out my own headband, its cloth folded neatly beneath the metal plate. And for the first time in three years, I tied it around my arm.

"Are you ready?" Keitaro asked.

I shook some brown locks out of my eyes and nodded.

"Did he copy this design right out of a horror book?" I asked dryly, glancing about myself.

Orochimaru's lair consisted of few rooms but a maze of hallways. Some that I was convinced led to nowhere. They were dimly lit with hazy, yellow lights that barely illuminated Keitaro's face. There was an ever-present sound of water dripping but I could never find a source.

Keitaro grunted lightly in agreement while he looked about himself carefully.

"What are we looking for again?"

"Not 'what', 'who'," Keitaro clarified.

I glanced over to ask for an explanation when Keitaro came to a stop. I halted beside him as he gaze at a door in front of him. He concentrated on it for a moment before he spoke. "This is it."

Keitaro pushed the door open and we stepped inside. The room was fairly bare. Like the rest of the lair, it was constructed from cement and was dimly lit. In the center of the room sat what appeared to be a throne-like chair. Talk about a superiority complex. Sitting atop the chair was a young woman.

She remained relax as we walked into the room, not bothering to glance up at our arrival. She was slouched in the chair, her back against one arm rest, her legs draped over the other. Long blonde hair spilled past her shoulders but I could not completely see her face as it was buried in a leather-bound book.

I peeked over at Keitaro in question. Clearly this is who we had come to see. But he didn't speak as he gazed at the slim figure before us. She ignored us for a long moment before she finally spoke. Her voice had a chiming quality about it, though it was a bit muffled due to the book.

"Orochimaru was brilliant- creepy- but brilliant."

I blinked. I wasn't really sure what I'd been expecting, but it wasn't that. The woman waved the book in the air and I caught a glimpse of hand-written pages. A journal maybe.

Whoever this young woman was, she was beautiful; gorgeous really. She smiled playfully and her shocking, cerulean blue eyes twinkled. Her golden hair was not quite as curly as mine, but still tumbled down in waves.

In one swift movement, the woman sat properly in the chair. She closed the journal and placed it on the left armrest. She got to her feet and moved over to us. She moved with a feline-type grace.

"Nakao, wonderful to actually meet you in person. I'm Cherushii. Charmed," Cherushii stuck her left hand out.

With a quick glance at my brother, I hesitantly reached out, grasping her hand to shake it. Her porcelain skin was soft. "How-?"

"Do I know who you are? I know a lot of things," Cherushii's eyes glinted as she turned her back and glided back to her seat. Once seated, she shot me a smile, hands on her knees. "I've known who you were since you were little. I've watched you accomplish many things."

"I-what?" who was this strange woman Keitaro had brought me to? "You've been…spying on me my entire life?"

"Ehhh, something like that," Cherushii shrugged, quickly checking her well-manicured nails.

I assessed Cherushii carefully, my eyes taking in every detail. She wasn't much older than me, maybe about Keitaro's age. She was dressed in a blue tube-top and black shorts. The angle of her face and height of her cheekbones looked so familiar, though I was sure I'd never met her before; and Cherushii had just confirmed that. But her eyes…they were a different color, but the shape was unmistakable.

"You're-"

"Related to Natsuo? Yes; I'm his twin sister," Cherushii said matter-of-factly, finishing her examination of her nails and returning her gaze to me.

I was growing a bit annoyed that Cherushii kept completing my thoughts, but I had bigger worries at the moment. I rounded on Keitaro. "You knew about this!?"

Keitaro attempted to avoid my heated gaze. He shrugged. "Sort of."

"Sort of!?"

"I knew she existed," he replied a bit sheepishly. "But that was about all at the time."

I opened my mouth to argue further but Cherushii cut me off. "Allow me to fill in the blanks for the two of you."

I shut my mouth and glanced at the blonde.

"My mother was kind enough to pledge both Natsuo and myself to Orochimaru's service at a very young age. I grew up here and this was my life. Orochimaru took Natsuo to be his apprentice; probably because he was a boy," she sniffed in derision. "But he had use of me. I was trained as a spy and I am quite good at it. You came into my life after my brother's failed assassination mission. I was tasked with keeping Orochimaru informed. Did you have potential? Did you graduate from the Academy? Who were your teammates? Were you entering the Chuunin Exams?"

My blood ran cold. "You…You told him I would be there. He knew exactly where to find us…"

Images of our fight with Orochimaru in the Forbidden Forest flashed through my mind. How he seemed to know things about me.

Cherushii must have noted the look on my face for she frowned, holding her hands out in front of her. "You have to understand…this was my life. I didn't know why Orochimaru was so interested in you. I didn't even know my brother had been sent to kill you until many years later. I think your escape from death was enough to pique his interest. He never ordered me to interact with you. Never made an attempt to kill you. I did what I was trained to do. It was only after my brother's death that I truly learned the full story of our histories."

My mouth was dry. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do. Had she given Orochimaru the information he needed to alter my life? Likely he could have found it anyway. Regardless, I wasn't sure if that made me feel better. Natsuo had been…an awful chapter in my life. He had killed my parents, orphaned me. Caused the hole in my heart that had never fully healed. And this was his sister.

But she didn't remind me of Natsuo. She in no way appeared mean spirited, let alone half-crazed with vengeance. And currently she was staring down at her hands, a troubled expression on her face.

"I'm…sorry for what he did to you. Natsuo and Orochimaru. I'm sorry for my own part in your life. I'm sorry for everything you went through."

I remained silent. What could I say? I didn't even know what to think.

Silence hung around the room for a long moment before Cherushii glanced up again. This time, her gaze was set on Keitaro. "So, what's this about? I assume you're not here for a family reunion."

"Naturally. We need your help."

"We do?" I asked skeptically.

His eyes remained trained on our cousin. "She neglected to mention the other way she serviced Orochimaru."

"That's because I didn't service him," Cherushii narrowed her eyes, her voice dropping several degrees. I watched her face flush with ire and her fists grip at her the fabric of her shorts. "I was a victim of his experimentation."

"Experimentation?" I echoed, glancing between Keitaro and Cherushii. Keitaro had once informed me that members of the Makase Clan made excellent test subject for Orochimaru's projects. It was why he had hunted me down in the first place.

Cherushii didn't meet my gaze, which was just as well because her eyes hard as ice. "Gene splicing."

I didn't like the sound of that.

She explained. "Mixing two sets of DNA together in order to create an entirely new being."

I wasn't surprised, but I was still unnerved. It wasn't natural. And Cherushii certainly didn't make it seem like she had been a willing subject.

"Then you know why you're a valuable asset," Keitaro said to Cherushii.

She shot him a critical stare and I could not all together blame her. Keitaro was here to exploit what had been done to her.

But I was growing tired of feeling two steps behind everyone. "Why?"

Cherushii turned her blue eyes on me. "Orochimaru was intent on creating the perfect weapon, if not become one himself. It was his primary motive for luring that Uchiha prick here. As you're well aware, our kekki genki requires water to work. If we deplete ourselves, we run out of power. So Orochimaru decided that if we couldn't run out of water, we'd be unstoppable."

"But how is that possible?" I found myself asking.

Cherushii adverted her eyes, settling them on a far wall. "He mixed my DNA with someone from the Land of Waves. A ninja by the name of Suigetsu."

"Suigetsu?"

"You know him?" Cherushii glanced back to me.

"We ran into each other," I muttered.

"Well, he has the ability to turn his entire form into water. Try to stab him with a sword and he'll just turn to water and your blade will not hurt him."

"That's incredible," I murmured.

"Orochimaru thought so as well. Imagine if the Makase Clan had the ability to change into water. The water molecules needed for our kekki genki would be substantially available. If we were fighting around water, we could draw that to us and our supply would be unlimited. We'd be unbeatable."

"That kind of ability is extremely powerful," Keitaro interjected, his meaningful statement directed at Cherushii.

Cherushii turned her own meaningful gaze on Keitaro. "What is it that you want from me?"

"There's going to be a war," Keitaro said bluntly. "The greatest ninja war the world as ever seen. We need you to fight beside us."

"Why should I care?" Cherushii sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aside from the obvious?" he rolled his eyes. "Your presence would be valuable when we confront our fellow clan members."

"What?" both Cherushii and I asked in surprise.

"Nakao and I are going to travel to the Wind Country and gather what's left of our clan. They will make a valuable contribution to the war."

"I thought you said our clan was massacred and wiped out," I shot at him, narrowing my eyes. I felt that resentment at keeping me ignorant building in my chest. It was like I was thirteen all over again.

"Most of them. Some still remain," Keitaro quickly said.

"How do you know how many?" I stared him down. Just how much did he know?

Keitaro sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Because…"

"Well?" I asked impatiently. "What else have you kept from me?"

Keitaro loosed a sigh, glancing at me wearily. "Because…Because Itachi was the one who massacred the Makase Clan."

"W-What?" I sputtered. "Why?"

"Because I asked him to. He carried out this favor after he left Konoha."

My mouth hung open in shock, my eyes wide. "Why would you do that!? Keitaro that's…that's madness! You're responsible for the death or our people!"

But Keitaro's expression had grown hard and the set of his jaw told me his opinion would not waver. "Because they were nothing but a bunch of traitors. Merely vessels for Orochimaru to turn into weapons. An army at his disposal. A very deadly one."

My mind was racing as I stared at my brother in a new light. How could he have ordered the extermination of our clan? Why had that been the only option? I couldn't argue that an army of Makase Clan members would wreck havoc under Orochimaru's command. But had there been nothing between allowing them to work with Orochimaru and murder?"

"And you really think they're going to come to your aide after that?" Cherushii challenged, a thin eyebrow arched.

I saw a flicker of uncertainty in Keitaro's brown eyes, but he quickly banished it. "I don't see how they would have known it was me. And Nakao and I are the last members with direct ties to our nobility. Rightfully, we would be in charge."

Cherushii watched Keitaro for a long moment, studying him. She didn't seem entirely pleased to be associated with this mission. But then her lips puckered in annoyance and she sighed in defeat. "Oh alright. I guess I owe you guys."

"Wonderful," Keitaro smiled smugly. "But there is much to do before the war starts and I'm afraid you'll have to tag along."

Cherushii's expression turned weary. "Like what?"

But Keitaro had turned his gaze on me. "First, we need to find Sasuke. He'll probably be awake and have learned about Itachi by the time we arrive."

"Oh no," Cherushii whined. "Not that jackass!"

"He's not the most pleasurable of company but we have to see him before we go to the Wind Country," Keitaro told Cherushii.

Cherushii was not pleased but a paid little mind. I felt woefully overwhelmed. In a short span of time I had learned that my brother was alive, the truth about Itachi, that my own brother had ordered the extermination of my clan, I had a cousin who'd been spying for my enemy for years and now I had to meet with Sasuke whom I was still very angry with. Part of me wanted to fall asleep and discover that this was all a dream. But this was folly.

Somehow, I needed to come to terms with what my brother had done. Did I forgive him for abandoning me? I wasn't sure yet. I tried to put myself in his shoes. If our positions had been reversed and it was Sasuke who needed me, would I have left my brother behind? I uncomfortably found that I didn't have an immediate answer to this.

And then there was the entire matter of his decision to end the lives of so many others. It made me queasy to think about. I…understood…his position. But was it justification? He may very well have prevented a war or an uprising. Were the lives of our clan members a small price to pay for the safety of countless others? I found I didn't have an answer for that one either.

Could I say I even knew my brother anymore? There seemed to be more secrets than ever; although at least he was sharing them willingly now. Still, the man I thought I knew wasn't…well…such a soldier. But maybe that was my own perception. Of course he was a soldier; he was a Konoha jounin. But at home he was just my brother, my caretaker. Perhaps my perception had been skewed.

My eyes switched over to Cherushii. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of her. She was willing to work with us to make up for whatever ill tidings she had brought upon us, which I supposed was good. Part of me wondered if I could even blame her. She'd been taught her way of life from Orochimaru; she was a product of his world. And still, she clearly was not always a willing tool.

But my thoughts towards the blonde were hardly troubling compared to what lay ahead of me. Sasuke. The boy who had broken my heart. Who had stabbed me. Who had taken me from my home and used me without remorse.

And yet he was the thing my heart yearned for if I ever gave it the opportunity to dwell. He was the lost piece of me I had been unable to fill. And he was surely hurting, possibly drowning in his own guilt over Itachi.

But it didn't matter that all of these thoughts swirled in my brain, that they exhausted me. Because if Keitaro was to be believed, war was coming. And war would not wait for me to sort out my thoughts and feelings. And so I looked my brother in the eye and tried not to sigh.

I laid in my bed, gazing blankly at the ceiling. A blanket was pulled up to my abdomen, which was wrapped in bandages. My face, too, was dotted with bandages, as well as my arms and legs. I was in pain, but it was distant, almost welcoming. If the pain was bad enough, it might take away the despair in my heart.

My hospital room was quiet, aside from the incessant chirping of birds outside my window. I'd pulled the light blue-colored curtains over the window in an attempt to block out the light, but it still shone through.

A knock on the door interrupted the otherwise ringing silence. I turned my head against my pillow in time to see the door handle push down and Kakashi-sensei step into the room. He shut the door behind him and I turned my attention away. I didn't want him here.

He'd been the one to find us, Naruto and me. He'd come along before either of us regained consciousness and brought us back to Konoha. Naruto was fine, but I'd needed a blood transfusion just to be cautious. I couldn't look at my sensei without feeling shame.

Kakashi-sensei's footsteps echoed off the polished floor and he came to stand beside my bed. He was silent for a moment as I continued to advert my eyes. "Inuzuka Kiba is awake."

I kept my eyes on the ceiling. I spoke, my voice scratchy from a day without using it. "That's good."

"Akamaru too."

I didn't reply.

"Nakao…"

"I failed, Sensei," my voice cracked and I felt my eyes moisten. I didn't want him to make excuses for me. I didn't want his pity. "I let him get away. I failed."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it? I let myself…get distracted."

I was unsure if Kakashi had discovered what had truly happened between Sasuke and myself. I couldn't see how. But it was obvious that I'd let him close enough to stab me.

I heard my sensei sigh. "They're going to release you tomorrow morning."

"Oh great," I replied flatly. "I can't wait to get back to my empty house."

I couldn't bring myself to care about the self-pity I was throwing out. I just wanted the misery to consume me, suffocate me so I could be free. I wondered if one could die from a broken heart, and I hoped that I could.

Another sigh from Kakashi, but not another word. I heard him turn and walk away. I heard him open the door, but it was a long moment before I actually heard it close again. I squeezed my eyes shuts and begged for the sweet release of sleep.

I pushed the door open gently. I felt…strange doing this. Like I didn't belong here. Shouldn't be doing this. But I stepped into the room anyway and pushed the door closed. I didn't let it completely shut, I kept it cracked. I took in the room.

It looked like a storage room, crates stacked high to the ceiling. Other boxes and items hidden beneath tarps occupied the room. But the wall to my right was free of crates. Blankets were laid out on the floor here and a familiar figure sat atop them, back against the wall. His head rested on the crossed arms resting atop his knees.

I moved over to him tentatively. Part of me wondered if I was walking straight towards a tiger poised to strike. But when the figure lifted his head, I realized there was no fight in him. The raw pain in his onyx-shaded eyes was enough to make my heart ache; despite the memories that had consumed me the minute Keitaro had brought me here.

But I pushed them back as Sasuke let his gaze wander to the wall opposite him. Sighing inaudibly, I edged closer to him. He didn't glance at me as I sat down beside him, pulling my knees to my chest. And together we searched that wall for some kind of answer.

Author's Note:

Dialogue heavy chapter; sorry about that.

I find that I'm now very nervous about posting. As I edit this arc, I find myself detesting it more and more; like this one isn't as good as the previous arcs. I deeply apologize for this. I am working very hard to create chapters worthy of you guys. The plot remains the same but I'm doing some serious overhaul. For this reason, expect more delay between chapters.

Thanks for being here. Sending lots of love.