Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.

Chapter 16

Brothers' Grim

Akatsuki Cave

"We're running out of people. We need more people to strike at the remaining Bijuu. Yeah, there's still Rokubi, Hachibi, and Kyuubi to deal with." Black Zetsu released a sigh of frustration. "Damn the Konoha-nin for making our jobs harder."

"Fret not, Zetsu," a figure shrouded in shadow spoke, his red, right eye glowing malevolently. "I have a few more candidates in mind. Granted, they are weaker than the original ten. But, with the right motivation, they would be strengthened to, at least, delay the inevitable."

"Oh? And who are these candidates?"

"That's a secret, Zetsu," the man teased. "However, have four Akatsuki robes handy."

"You're mean." White Zetsu pouted. "Can't you give us a little hint?"

"Nope, Tobi can't tell you," the figure's voice changed from cold to childlike in a matter of seconds. "It's a secret. And Tobi can't tell anyone else the secret because Tobi's a good boy."

Unknown Fortress

"Not yet," an old man with mid-length, white hair and dark bags under his eyes growled. He stood in front of an advanced-looking computer in a large room. "This much negative emotion is not enough! I still need more! Damn it! Just when I had the perfect weapon, she was taken from me!"

"Would you like to know who deprived you of her," a dark voice asked from behind him.

The old man quickly turned around and saw a man clothed in a black robe adorned with red clouds and whose face is covered with an orange mask with a spiral design originating at the right eye. The old man narrowed his eyes. "That robe…you're Akatsuki. You're that new group that sprouted that wants to collect Bijuu."

"You're well-informed of us."

"I should be. Your group is no pushover. Last I heard, you had Takigakure's Kakuzu, Yugakure's Hidan, Konohagakure's Itachi, and Kirigakure's Kisame. Those four are the most known of your agents and some of the most dangerous nuke-nin that ever existed. But I don't know you, though. Who are you?"

"Call me Tobi. I suppose you can call me the newest member of Akatsuki but I am just as no pushover as the others, Sora no Kuni Shinno."

"So you know of me as well. Now, what was that bit you said about who took my weapon from me?"

"She was taken by someone in Konoha, underneath your very nose. And you'll never get her back. You'll need a new container and more juice for your pet project." Shinno scowled. "Yes. I know that you have a few prisoners captured to harvest such negative emotions but I can provide you with more."

"If I join your merry band," Shinno concluded, "am I right?"

"They said you were smart," Madara insulted, making the old man snarl. "I have a few people in mind."

"And if I refuse," he challenged with a raised brow.

Madara chuckled darkly. "That implies that you have a choice to begin with. This is all formality, this invite and this conversation. But I will humor you. If you refuse, I will beat you to an inch of your life, control you with genjutsu, turn you into nothing more than a puppet, and you'll still be in Akatsuki. The difference between your acceptance and refusal is how I drag you into it. The end result will still be the same."

Shinno scowled even more. "I won't deny that the Akatsuki individuals are stronger than I am. So why would you invite me?"

"Their strength has made them complacent. As such, they were defeated by their own hubris. They underestimated the enemy and paid the price. However, I did hear that Kakuzu died while fighting his full strength against a truly powerful opponent so I can't fault him that. Konoha simply has impressive shinobi. You got the lucky draw, Shinno. You got the honor to be one of the newer members of Akatsuki."

"I assume that there'll be other new recruits then?"

"Yes. You're the first one I approached. Don't worry. You will have access to this fortress but you will deploy its forces on Akatsuki's command. You need to strengthen everything before unleashing them to the world. In the meantime, these new targets will be given to you in a few days' time." He turned around. "Come. Let's get you into your uniform."

Shinno narrowed his eyes as he slowly followed after Madara. This isn't good. I won't allow myself to be used by Akatsuki but, against them, I am no match. Alright, I'll bide my time. I'll get stronger in the organization. Just wait, Tobi, just turn your back on me and I won't hesitate to stab you in the back!

"Oh, there is one more thing, Shinno," Madara stopped as he raised a finger to emphasize his remembrance.

"What is it now," Shinno snapped. He was silenced as Madara swiftly turned around and suddenly appeared in front of him as he jammed a fist onto his torso. Spitting out saliva in response, Shinno felt his hair being pulled up and he glared at Madara, who was similarly glaring at him from his lone eyehole, where a Sharingan shone brightly.

"There can be no mistakes," Madara stated, "I can't have thoughts of treachery these days. You shall be a good boy and follow Akatsuki as a member should."

Shinno was defenseless as his mind was rewired to obey the Sharingan's command. Henceforth, he no longer had any thoughts of betraying Akatsuki and instead has his thoughts focused on twisting his ambition to fit into Akatsuki's goals.

"Yes, my lord," Shinno automatically drawled.

"Good, shall we get going? We need to collect three more people."

Desert Kingdom

"Yes, yes, yes," a thin, middle-aged man cackled maniacally as he knelt in the center of a square platform with statues on the corners gazing down at the very center, where a kunai was stabbed, surrounded by an intricate sealing jutsu. "I almost got it! I can break this!"

"Go ahead. Break it. Break it and unleash something truly monumental," Madara's voice echoed around the room.

The man froze and stood as he exclaimed, "Who's there!? Show yourself!"

"As you wish," Madara said as he appeared in a vortex by the bridge that connects the platform to the rest of the room. "Sunagakure nuke-nin Mukade," he greeted, "I am Tobi of Akatsuki. I have a proposition for you."

"Akatsuki," Mukade shakily muttered, "What does the world's greatest terrorist organization want with me? I don't have a Bijuu with me and I have done nothing to get in your way."

"Terrorist organization," Madara mused as he tilted his head in amusement. "That's a rather extreme view of us, don't you think? Ah, well, it's fine by me if that's how others see us. However, you are correct. You don't have a Bijuu. However, you do have a 4 million ryo bounty on your head by Sunagakure's bounty office; Kakuzu expressed his interest in collecting your head after he finished some of the higher bounties."

Mukade started to sweat heavily while taking a step back. He raised his hand, which held a smoke bomb, and was about to drop it when Madara suddenly appeared behind him and grasped the raised hand. Then, in quick movement, he twisted Mukade's hand until he let go of the bomb, which Madara swatted away, and pinned him to the ground.

"That was rather rude of you," Madara said. "I only want to talk."

Mukade struggled against his oppressor. "Go ahead! Kill me! Take my head and pass it to the bounty office! But whatever you do, I won't talk about the treasure! I found it! It's mine! I won't hand it over!"

"I simply want to invite you into Akatsuki. There's no need to act so worried."

He stopped struggling to look at Madara. "What?"

"You heard me. Akatsuki has needs for your services. If you join us, you will be protected from any lesser organization and you will be given more power than you can possibly imagine. More than that, you can use this treasure of yours to your convenience Akatsuki doesn't care what you do in your spare time."

Mukade stared at Madara. Then, he said with a sigh, "Fine. I'll join your group."

"Good," Madara jovially exclaimed. "Let's celebrate your indictment. To start off, I need to know what you were doing with this advanced fuinjutsu." He looked down at Mukade's eyes, his Sharingan hypnotically spinning as he did so. "Tell me everything."

Cavern

"I know you're there," a soft voice echoed along the barren cave. The speaker sat cross-legged at the center of a ritual circle. He had all-white clothing with sleeves longer than his arms and a high collar, similar to the clothing of those in asylums. His hair was just as white as his clothing, his mouth and nose were covered by bandages, and his closed eyes opened to the dark in front of him to see bright pink eyes. Surrounding him were five crosses, four of which held people.

The first was a Kumogakure shinobi with dull purple hair with two sideburns framing his face. The second was a Kirigakure shinobi wearing a blue bandana and a pair of red sunglasses. The third was an Iwagakure shinobi with sandy brown, spiky hair and green eyes. The fourth was a Sunagakure kunoichi with brown hair tied up in a bun and lighter brown hair for her sideburns.

A vortex came to life by the fifth cross and Madara stepped out of it, greeting him with a "Hiruko."

"Akatsuki," Hiruko replied, "what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Akatsuki requires your services."

"What brought this need? Were you running low on members?"

"Why else would I go around recruiting people? We already achieved our ten member quota long ago. However, recent events involving Konoha made Akatsuki lose its members. You are one of the recruit hopefuls that I intend to bring in." Madara paused as he stared at the only door, which was closed, behind him. "I sense three other people outside this cave. I assume they are your subordinates."

"Yes, they are. All three of them were born from my Kimera no Jutsu and bound to me. They obediently follow my orders as per their 'programming.'" Hiruko stood completely and said, "Shall we negotiate the terms of my recruitment?"

"The two recruits before you fought against the prospect of joining vehemently. I assumed you would be the same."

"Joining Akatsuki is more advantageous than not. Moreover, if you wanted me to join, you would have me join whether I want to or not. Akatsuki is rather forceful when it comes to getting what they want. As such, I concede to joining your organization."

"Heh, you are exponentially better than the previous two recruits I had. In honor of that understanding, I will grant you what I denied the other two. Come. Let us talk."

Akatsuki Hideout - Later

"So these are our new recruits," Konan hummed in thought.

Shinno, Mukade, and Hiruko stood before her, their regular clothes covered by their Akatsuki robes.

"Yes, these are Shinno, Mukade, and Hiruko," Madara announced, appearing from behind them.

"How are their strengths?"

"They are A-Rank material at the least and mid-S-Rank at best. However, we need them to become even more powerful if we're to be a match for Konoha. Show them their rooms and inform Orochimaru about these three." Shinno gave a blink at that. "In the meantime, I'll get the fourth recruit. This one takes a while to acquire, so don't wait for me." Then, he vanished.

Unknown Location

It was nighttime. Despite that, there were still people outside, talking with each other about the events of the day and buying supplies for their homes and family. However, this peace wouldn't last long. In the distance, an explosion caused them all to start panicking.

"There she is! Get her!"

"Teehee," a woman covered in a dark cloak ran past another patrol whilst giggling childishly. "You can't catch me!"

"Shoot her, men! Shoot!"

Energy projectiles were released towards her and she dodged them easily. She moved from side to side as she rounded a corner. Then, she jumped to the rooftops and started jumping from one to the other.

Another round of projectiles was headed her way and, this time, she drew her katana and sliced all of them in half. After the last one was sliced, she jumped onto the alley and then dived into the panicking crowd in the town square. As soon as she joined the masses, she took out a person-shaped paper from her pocket and placed it on her cloaked forehead. Writing briefly appeared on it before disappearing. Afterwards, she crumpled the paper and threw it away in the trash as she discarded the cloak, revealing a youthful woman with brown hair and green eyes. She then walked to one exiting crowd as her chasers finally emerged from the alley that she earlier emerged from.

"Find her," one of them shouted to his subordinates. "She can't have gone far!"

The woman giggled softly as she felt in the clear. Separating from the main group and entering another alley, she whispered, "They're so stupid."

"Yes, they are, aren't they?" Madara's deep voice reached her ears.

She turned her head to the conjoining alley and saw the masked Akatsuki member approaching her. "Oh, you're the good boy. It's been a long time!"

"Yes, I am and yes, it has. How about you? I see you've been a bad girl." His voice turned sultry as he said this.

The girl shivered under those two words. "Oooohh, you didn't have to put it like that~ It's making my heart race~"

Then, he channeled his childlike voice. "Momma always said that we good boys must punish the bad girls to make them learn from their mistakes."

"Aahhnn, stop~"

"And you clearly are a bad girl, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am~"

"I'm a good boy so I must follow my momma."

The girl's panting grew heavier with each word.

"So, I'm going to obey my dear momma and punish you."

The girl tensed then slumped to the floor, a small puddle appearing between her legs. "You always know what to say~"

Returning to his deep voice, Madara chuckled at the girl and said, "It's all in the technique, my dear. Now, I believe you wanted more action, don't you? What would you do if I invited you to join my group?"

With a sigh of pleasure, she dreamily added, "What kind of action are we talking about?"

"You'll find opponents even more powerful than the one you desire. I even have a few people off the top of my head that would drive you crazier than she ever could."

"You already had me with 'more powerful.'" She held out her hand and Madara grabbed it and pulled her up, liquid dripping from her bottom. "When do we begin?"

"Patience, my dear," Madara said as he placed a finger to her lips. "All good things come to those who wait." He paused. "Then again, you are a bad girl. I suppose I must make you wait even more."

"You're so cruel," she whispered. "I like it. Can I, at least, have a taste?"

"I suppose I am merciful enough to grant you a few targets to sate you. I have also recruited three others to my cause and they would be a match for you. In a few days' time, you will fight each other in a four-way free-for-all battle to test your skills against each other. At the end of it, one of them shall be your partner."

"Oh, pooh," the girl pouted, "must I have a partner?"

Madara wagged his finger. "It's the rules. Breaking them begs for harsher punishment. You don't want to be punished even more for breaking them and being considered an even badder girl, do you?"

Her pout greatened and she huffed as she crossed her arms. "Okay, you win. But they better be strong."

"Oh, they are. Now, shall we go introduce you to the others?"

With that, Madara held out his arm and the girl grabbed it. Then, they were both absorbed by his vortex.

Sasuke's Group

"Hehehe, none of you shall pass, only Sasuke is allowed to," a blue-skinned man with shark-like features spoke with a grin. To emphasize his point, his right arm held a broadsword-looking weapon wrapped in bandages. He was blocking Sasuke's group from passing through.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," Suigetsu excitedly stated with a smirk.

They were all standing on a rooftop of a small town. They stopped by a cave earlier that Juugo confirmed through his birds that Itachi once rested in. Sasuke alone headed inside and came out, saying that Itachi was in the Uchiha Hideout. Thus, they headed out towards it. As they passed by a village to get to the hideout, they were interrupted by Kisame.

"Get out of our way," Mikoto insisted. "We will push our way through if we have to."

Kisame grinned. "You're welcome to try. Itachi-san made it clear that only Sasuke passes through me and gets to him. Anyone else who'd want to join him would have to get past me."

Sasuke frowned at Kisame as the others dropped to a fighting stance.

Suigetsu gave his own grin upon joining the others in their preparation. "I'll enjoy this."

"Wait," Sasuke suddenly said, "let me go."

"Sasuke," Kakashi exclaimed, "you can't! You don't know how much Itachi has grown!"

"And he doesn't know how much I've grown. I will get to Itachi. If I have to be alone to face him, then so be it."

"As your superior officer, I can't allow that."

"Hehe," Kisame interjected, "that would imply you had a choice in stopping him." Kisame then clapped hands and gathered chakra.

Eye widening, Kakashi exclaimed, "Scatter!"

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu," Kisame shouted. Then, before their very eyes, water appeared out of thin air above Kisame into the form of a dragon. Just as it slammed down on them, the group scattered and landed on other roofs.

Sasuke landed on the highest roof by an antenna and he was about to draw his katana when he felt something grasp him. In shock, he looked up and saw a large crow carrying him forward, away from his team.

"Sasuke," Mikoto shouted as she tried to chase after him. However, she was forced to stop when she saw in her peripherals the bandaged sword was flung in her direction. She planted her feet onto it and pushed herself backward. Landing on a treetop, she glared at Kisame, who withdrew his sword and placed it on his shoulder.

"I told you," the shark-man repeated. "Only Sasuke can go to meet Itachi. Anyone is free to get past me to join him."

Without reply, Mikoto quickly shifted through hand seals and said, "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Suiton," Kisame retorted raising his free hand in a single hand seal, "Suijinheki!"

Out of their mouths came fire and water, respectively. As the elements clashed, Kakashi appeared at Kisame's back, his hand alight with Raikiri. As his hand approached Kisame, the Kiri-nin lowered his sword to his back. Then, the lightning slowly dissipated from his hand and went into the sword.

Then, Kisame's leg shot back and hit Kakashi on the jaw, sending him up into the air. Afterwards, Kisame cut of his water supply and slashed his sword towards the flame. The flame went into the sword and removed it altogether.

Mikoto's eyes went wide at that. What kind of sword is that?

"Ninjutsu won't work on Samehada, lady," Suigetsu piped from the roof near her. "That thing absorbs ninjutsu like a man finding water after days of thirst. The guy holding that thing is even worse. He has chakra that could be considered jinchuuriki-level. His chakra level, combined with Samehada, earned him the nickname 'Tailless Bijuu.'"

"So taijutsu and genjutsu are our best bet," Mikoto summarized. But she frowned at Suigetsu's snickering. "Did I say something funny?"

"Even if you hit him with genjutsu, he has Samehada and his large chakra to snap him out of it. I guess I forgot to tell you. Samehada is a sentient sword, even if it has a brain the size of a bug. If you put its master in a genjutsu, it will snap him out of it. Moreover, he can use his large chakra to get himself out of a genjutsu. Only truly powerful genjutsu can work on him. I doubt that you have something like that."

"Regardless, we need to get past him if we are to help Sasuke."

"Hey, now," Suigetsu frowned, "you guys might want to help Sasuke but my target is the guy we're fighting right now."

"If you guys are done talking," Sakura shouted as she rolled to avoid Samehada slamming down on her, "we need more help here!"

"We're on it," Mikoto shouted as she drew the ANBU sword by her back and charged Kisame.

With Sasuke

Sasuke kept the frown on his face as he saw the three mountains of the Uchiha Hideout coming into view. Justice was near; he could feel it.

Unceremoniously, the crow dropped him from high up. It didn't matter to Sasuke. A drop from any height can't kill a ninja.

He landed on the ground in a crouch. His legs stung from the force but he was otherwise fine. Chakra cushioned his fall. Standing up, he started to head to the mountain that held Itachi's chakra. He passed by the archway entrance and silently walked along the hallway that led to the main meeting ground.

Soon, he reached the doorway to the meeting ground when he heard it.

"What do you see with your Sharingan, Sasuke?"

That was Itachi's voice, as clear as day. Sasuke frowned even more as he finally got in the meeting ground and saw Itachi lounging by the lone throne in the room. He was gazing passively at him with his Sharingan. In reflex, Sasuke activated his Sharingan as well.

"What do I see with my Sharingan," Sasuke repeated. "I see justice being delivered to those who deserve it."

"Justice, huh," Itachi muttered. Then, he moved so quick that Sasuke's eyes can't catch him. He appeared behind him. "Then let's see how good your eyes are."

Smirking, Sasuke whipped around, his hand outstretched in a backhand. Itachi blocked and grabbed it, flinging him over his shoulder. Afterwards, he dashed forward and jumped for a kick at his brother's face.

Sasuke blocked the blow and was pushed a few inches back by the impact. Then, he pushed the limb back and drew his katana. He slashed at Itachi, who summoned kunai to his hand and blocked the opposing blade effortlessly. Then, Itachi quickly twirled forward and planted a kick at Sasuke's torso.

He gasped upon hitting the wall. He raised his head and tilted his head to the right to avoid the kunai hitting him. It was planted into the wall to the left of his head. Then, the area around it shimmered and suddenly an explosive tag slowly appeared as if hidden by some powerful mist.

Eyes widening, he channeled lightning to cover his body. Just as lightning covered his form, the explosion occurred and dust and rubble covered Itachi's view of Sasuke.

Out of the cloud of destruction came an extending sword of lightning. Itachi jumped to avoid it and landed on the ceiling. However, his eyes widened upon seeing Sasuke appear in front of him in a burst of lightning. He was cloaked in lightning armor, although the left half was gone. His left sleeve was also gone and his left face and arm was burnt. But Itachi was more focused on how he got in front of him.

Itachi's mind gave this thought, Raiton no Shunshin, before he was punched by a lightning-encased fist on the stomach by Sasuke. Both Uchiha brothers landed on the ground with Sasuke planting his katana to the ground beside Itachi's neck and angling it until it was dangerously close to his throat.

"You've grown, Sasuke," Itachi softly coughed. "You actually recreated Kumogakure's Raiton no Yoroi. Heh, they might claim you stole their technique."

"Let them rage if they find the similarities. They tried kidnapping Hyuuga Hinata twice to gain the Byakugan for their own purposes. They don't have the right to be angry if someone steals something of theirs."

Itachi smiled and said, "True…true…" Then, he raised his ring hand and pointed to the throne.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked. Itachi was seated by the throne, calmly observing his brother, as the Itachi beneath him slowly vanished like it didn't exist. Sasuke went back to his first meeting with Itachi in that cave.

"You've grown, Sasuke." Then the Itachi who was bleeding from the mouth exploded into a flock of crows.

"Genjutsu was always your main forte," said Sasuke. "However…" Then, Itachi was constricted by a lightning rope that wrapped him tightly. "I can see through such measly genjutsu."

Itachi watched as the Sasuke he was staring at slowly dissipated in lightning and looked down to the lightning rope binding him. "You've gotten a tremendous grasp at your Raiton affinity, Sasuke."

"Practice makes perfect," replied Sasuke from behind the throne, holding the lightning rope in his hand. "Now," he tightened the rope, "I have some questions and I want the truth."

"The truth, huh" Itachi closed his eyes. "I'll indulge you, then. Ask your questions."

"That night, when you told me to go to the Naka Shrine and read the Uchiha Tablet, you said that if I unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan, there would be three people who would have unlocked it. He can't have been someone you've killed because you speak of him as if he's not part of the Uchiha you killed. That also means that he was your accomplice in massacring the clan. Who is he?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'll bring him to justice after I'm done with you."

Itachi chuckled. "You, bring him to justice?"

"Don't mock me. I'm more than capable of doing so. Tell me, who is this third Uchiha?"

Taking a deep breath, he then said, "Uchiha Madara, one of Konoha's founding fathers, the first person to historically awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the first person to control a Bijuu with it, namely the Kyuubi."

"That's impossible. He should be a hundred years old now."

"It's the truth. I won't force you to accept it." Itachi sighed. "People are born in this world bound by their own rules of what they accept to be true. That is what is called their 'reality.' Anything that is beyond these rules is considered unacceptable and wrong. But what is true and what is false, really? They are just illusions created by the same people who categorized things according their own reality."

"What are you talking about?"

"The way you believed Madara was truly dead is so similar to how you believed me to be the saintly brother anyone could ever have."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Back then, I justified that night as a cruel genjutsu someone placed on me. I thought that it would end if I do something about it. That 'something' has already happened. This cruel genjutsu has been lifted off my eyes, leaving them open to greater things. Now, I will use these eyes to shatter through every genjutsu that blocks my way!" He looked to the other side and extended his hand towards it, coursing lightning through it and extending it like a blade. It hit stone: the stone of the throne that Itachi was still sitting in. His head was tilted to avoid the lightning sword but his eyes held a slightest sign of amusement. "These eyes shall pierce through even Madara's genjutsu."

"Hoh, this is starting to look like the first time we met after the incident. You still spouted threats." Slowly, the Itachi and the throne that Sasuke was binding vanished, making the latter stand straight. "Then again, perhaps those threats are now more than mere words."

"Does that mean you're going to take things seriously?"

Itachi stood from his throne and said, "I seem to recall telling you all those years ago to face me when you bear the same eyes that I do. I don't see it in you."

Sasuke was silent at that. Then, he said, "Then, strike me down with your Mangekyo Sharingan. Or are you so confident in your skill that you won't need it?"

"Heh, you're confident, aren't you?" He paused. "The Mangekyo Sharingan has one terrible flaw: the moment you gain them, your eyes begin their descent to darkness. The more you use them, the darker you see. In time, the kaleidoscope will lose its light."

"Blindness: the price paid for gaining such terrible power," Sasuke summarized.

"You actually read the tablet."

"History dictated that Madara is dead. You claimed otherwise. Tell me then. Who is Madara?"

"He is Konohagakure's strongest Uchiha, whose eyes controlled the Kyuubi no Yoko. He is also the most knowledgeable about the Uchiha's secrets, such that he was the only one who discovered the final secret to the Mangekyo. He is my accomplice and mentor. Immortal and invincible, that is Uchiha Madara."

Konogakure no Sato – Dango Shop – At the same time

"I'm booooored!" Asuna whined as she munched on her dango. "I want a mission to keep myself busy!"

"Please calm down, Asuna-dono," replied Setsuna as she sipped her tea. "As ninjas of this village, we should adhere to Hokage-sama's judgement."

Kotarou swallowed the dango in his mouth before saying, "Also, remember that we just finished beating a bandit camp in a neighboring village a few days ago. We can't be rushing ourselves like this." He then whispered, "We're lucky enough to even be considered to be sent against the Akatsuki the first time by the Hokage. Fate must have pulled through with his old man."

"Still, it's rather unusual." Setsuna sipped her tea, a frown on her face. "Hokage-sama's actions are rather…odd. He made Fate fight against a few opponents to ascertain his strength and yet he made us official ninjas without testing us. Why?"

"Perhaps Fate told him about our abilities?"

"That's just it. A village leader won't just take the word of someone without seeing it personally, even if it was proclaimed by his own son. Moreover," she too started to whisper, "Fate is bound to secrecy of magic to those unknowing of it. He can't have told his father about our magic without unveiling the world of magic. That would be catastrophic."

"Now that I think about it," Negi added with furrowed brows, "it does seem suspect. Why would Namikaze-san make us official ninjas capable of taking high-level missions without seeing our powers with his own eyes?"

"That's because I believe in my son's ability to see the potential in people."

That made them all freeze and jump. They turned and saw the Yondaime Hokage standing by the entrance, looking at them with a smile. "Hello."

Afraid of how much he's heard, Negi said, "Hello, Namikaze-san, did you just get here?"

"Yes, I just did. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd pop in here."

"What about your Hokage duties," Setsuna asked.

"I have a Kage Bunshin in my place. I just need a break from all the paperwork and was feeling a bit hungry so here I am. Imagine my surprise in seeing you guys here. May I sit with you?" The five looked at each other and then gave their affirmation. "Thank you." He looked up and called out to the surprised employee behind the counter. "I'll have five orders of dango and some tea!"

"H-Hai, Hokage-sama," the employee rushed to the back to tell her fellow employees about the order.

"You don't really have to do that," Negi offered. "We're fine with what we have."

"Nonsense," Minato said with a smile. "Nothing can go wrong with some extra food, right?"

"Well…" Kotarou trailed off. Then, he grinned. "Alright, thanks!"

"Thank you for your generosity, Hokage-sama," Setsuna said with a nod.

"You're welcome. Now, while I just did arrive here and caught only the last bits of your conversation, I assume it's about my decision regarding you five as ninjas without testing your skills."

"Yes. We're confused as to why you had Fate fight to show his power but not us."

"Fate told me that he personally tested you all and can vouch for each of you."

"And you accepted it, just like that?"

"Yes." The dango and tea arrived and, as the waitress finished placing them on the table and turned to leave, Minato thanked her with a smile. She blushed brightly and dashed to join her coworkers. "Fate is jonin material and, according to Kakashi, can judge people very accurately, as Naruto. I believe in that."

"I don't understand," Kaede admitted. "You don't know us. You don't even know Fate-han that well outside of recent events. What makes you believe in him that you would take his words with such faith?"

"Does faith need a reason to exist? Do fathers and mothers need a reason to have faith in their child? They believe in the child just because. There doesn't have to be a concrete reason to it. I believe in your strengths because I believe in my son, who saw your strengths for himself. If your strengths were all fairy tales, I have little doubt that Fate would have sent you back to wherever you came from."

"I see," Negi muttered in thought.

"But anyway," Minato piped in, "that's enough on such a serious issue. Let's dig in!"

"Alright," Kotarou exclaimed as he grabbed his new dango stick and started to eat it.

Kaede scrutinized the blond man across her. Then, she calmly poured herself a cup of tea, grabbed the cup, and sipped it silently.

"Hey, Tou-chan," a cheery voice shouted from outside the shop. Minato turned and saw Izumi, Yukizora, and Karin entering the shop with Kushina behind them.

"Ah, Izumi-chan," Minato returned the greeting with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Tou-chan." Izumi tilted her head in confusion. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Tower?"

"I need a break every once in a while, you know? It's fine. I have a Kage Bunshin in my stead for a while. I'll be back after this break."

Kushina took a seat on the table beside her husband's as she said, "I'll make sure of that." Her husband chuckled at that, watching his two daughters and distant family member sit down opposite her. The same waitress who gave Minato his order approached her with the intent on taking her order. After informing the waitress of their desired food, she took off to prepare it.

"By the way, Minato," Kushina started, "why'd you send Naruto on another mission immediately after returning? And it's all by himself, no less."

"He personally asked for it," he replied. "He asked about the status of Kakashi's group and I told him about their change in objective to finding Itachi. Afterwards, he volunteered to go out and aid them in their mission."

"Why'd you agree to it? He might have followed you if you denied his request."

"What reason would I have for denying him? He's shown himself to be more than capable of handling Akatsuki and, according to the mission report after the mission with the Kazekage, he didn't sleep throughout the mission and was still able to fight in peak condition."

"I see. But he should have been with us, bonding with Karin-chan."

"I know. I tried to change his mind but he wouldn't budge. He has your tenacity, Kushina."

Kushina sighed in resignation. "I guess he does." Her food arrived shortly after and she grabbed a stick and took a bite out of it. "That's both a good and a bad thing, I suppose." Then, she perked up, swallowing a chunk of dango. "I told you he takes after his momma! He could even make you cave in! Ha! Take that, Minato!"

Asuna deadpanned. That's…bipolar of you.

Minato laughed heartily at that. However, the truth was that it was Minato who asked Fate to go. Fate simply accepted the mission. Fate, however, was the one who offered the excuse for Kushina. The reason Minato sent Fate was insurance. There's no way that Akatsuki would leave loose ends untied and would undoubtedly dispose of Itachi, whether he was dead or alive after his fight. Fate was to make sure that didn't happen, to make sure that Itachi returns to Konohagakure alive and in one piece. But now's not the time to dwell in such things. He got up from his current seating and moved to sit beside Kushina.

"Kushina," said Minato while drinking his tea.

"Hmm," she blinked in confusion while chewing on her dango.

"It's about Sora, the monk who held some of Kyuubi's chakra and was targeted by Akatsuki."

"What about him?"

"He's recently been cleared by Inoichi in his psychiatric evaluation. I looked at the seal his father made to contain Kyuubi's chakra in him; it's stable now. So now, he's looking for a place to stay."

"And you're thinking of offering him a place in our home?"

"Yes. He hasn't had a favorable life in the Fire Temple and is probably suspicious of anyone who would offer. But with us, he could relax and have a normal life."

"Hmm," Kushina put a hand to her chin, "I would have to increase our expenditures to accommodate the people living under the roof." She shrugged. "Ah, what the hell. I love a challenge. Invite him to our home. He could be a good friend for Karin-chan, Izumi-chan, Yukizora-chan, and Naruto."

Minato placed his hand on top of hers. When she looked at him, he smiled at her. "Thank you, Kushina. You really have a big heart." He used his other hand to cup her cheek and planted his lips onto hers. "I don't deserve you."

She blushed and looked away. "Don't do it in public, idiot."

He softly chuckled and removed the dango stick from her hand. She looked at him strangely but realized what he wanted when he presented the stick to her. Blushing even more by the affectionate act, she opened her mouth and took one dango in her mouth.

On the other end of the table, Izumi and Karin giggled while Yukizora looked away with a dusting of pink on her cheek. On the neighboring table, though, the group was looking at the couple with smiles on their faces.

Afterwards, Negi twitched and then blinked in confusion.

Mahora Academy – At the same time

"Tell me, again, one more time," Evangline gritted out, "why are you all in my resort!?"

"Come now, Evangeline," Albireo Imma chortled. "Let the children relax. It's their summer break. It's their fun time."

"Why did it have to be in my resort? Damn it, there are tons of better places than this!"

"Last time I checked," Albireo commented with a smile, "a resort is a place for people to relax in, nothing else."

Evangeline growled at the blue-haired man sitting across her. She then looked at the open area to the side, where all of Negi's students were lounging about, gossiping away, or whatever teenage girls do. On her side, seated normally in a circle surrounding a table with a tea set were Fate's Ministra. "At least those five are quiet…and know how to drink tea." Evangeline added the last part with appraisal. "Fate must have taught them well."

Having overheard her, Tamaki emotionlessly replied, "He didn't teach us. He allowed us to drink our tea at our own pace. We watched Fate-sama drink his tea and we learned from him."

"That's some devotion to him," she replied.

"E-Evangeline-san," the timid voice of Nodoka reached her ears and she turned to see the librarian standing before her.

"What is it, girl?"

"I was just wondering. Out of all of us, you know the most about Pactios, right?"

"I pride myself in knowing lots of things, yes." She raised a brow. "Do you want information about your Pudica Bibliothecaria? I will admit this. Your Pactio is rare. In fact, the majority of the Pactios the boya has with his students were mostly rare. As such, my knowledge in your Pactios was from books and theoretical research. Don't be disappointed if I can't provide you with much information."

"Yes. In particular, I want to know if I could use my Pactio's powers on someone using that person's connection to a Ministra."

The loli-vampire shrugged. "You just had to ask a tough question. I don't have an answer for that. The books didn't say anything about using its powers to read a person's mind indirectly." She stared at the slightly-disappointed Nodoka. "Do you want to try it?"

"It's worth a shot."

"Now, the main thing is," she looked at the calmly-drinking Ministra of Fate, "which one would be willing to let you read their Magister's mind?"

"Don't even think about it," Koyomi exclaimed as she placed her teacup on the table. "We won't let anyone in Fate-sama's mind!"

"I'll do it," Shiori softly volunteered. Almost immediately, Koyomi and Homura turned on her.

"Shiori," the former shouted, "what are you thinking?! You want someone to get into Fate-sama's mind?!"

"Of course not," she replied.

"Then, why would you allow this," the latter scolded. "This is invasion of privacy! Not to mention, they already did it before!"

"Umm," Nodoka interrupted, "I won't do anything bad with Fate-sensei's mind. I just want to try it out. Please," she pleaded. Then, she offered, "If you still don't like it, perhaps I can use Shiori-san's Pactio with Negi-sensei instead."

Shirabe scowled at the purple-haired girl upon the reminder that one of their own became a part of their enemy's Ministra. Granted, Negi Springfield was no longer an enemy, but in regards to quality of man, to the Ministra, Fate and Negi were enemies.

"I'm watching you," Homura warned. "Delve even an inch into Fate-sama's mind, I'll burn that book."

Nodoka smiled and nodded.

Later on, Nodoka, with her Pactio activated, and Shiori stood in the center of the gathered group who wanted to see what's going on.

"I don't know why we're doing this at all," Haruna huffed. "I just turned off the camera in their badges. We can see what they're seeing easily."

"This is more than seeing what Negi and the others are seeing," replied Yue. "This is research. Nodoka's Pactio has a limited range. This is to see if we can use a conduit for her powers to use to get to someone far away."

"But now that you've mentioned it," Ku Fei piped in, "you should turn on your cameras and see what Negi-bouzu is up to, aru."

Haruna snapped her fingers and said, "Alrighty! Let's do it!"

"Activate it after Miyazaki-san has established a connection with Negi-sensei." Ayaka grabbed her raised hand. "It might distract her." Haruna pouted but relented.

In the center, Shiori took out her Pactio with Negi and placed it on her forehead. It glowed bright upon contact. Nodoka placed a hand on the card and said, "Negi Springfield."

For a few minutes, nothing happened. Nodoka's and Shiori's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The glow on the card brightened and everyone could feel the power being outputted by the duo. Even more forcefully, Nodoka repeated, "Negi Springfield!" Still, nothing happened. They intensified their efforts. This time, they focused their thoughts on the boy they want to connect to. This time, Nodoka shouted, "NEGI-SENSEI!"

"Nodoka-san, is that you?" The sound of their teacher reached their eyes. The group gasped at that. Nodoka looked down at the book. She saw a picture of Asuna, Setsuna, Kotarou, and Kaede looking at something. "What's going on? Is there something wrong?"

"Negi-sensei, it's good to hear your voice. We're fine here. Nothing's happening. I was just testing something. I wanted to see if I could use a Pactio's connection to use my Pactio on. The results were great! It's as if you're on speakerphone!"

"That's great, Nodoka-san! Hello, everyone! How are you all?"

Most of his students replied, "Hi, sensei! We're all happy to talk to you!"

"What's going on right now, Negi-sensei?"

"Oh, we're all recovering from our most recent mission in a dango shop. They have great dango here! Anyway, we were also joined by the Fate's family!" He paused a bit. "Fate, however, is away on a mission. His parents and his sisters are here, though." The pictured turned to a picture of a different table with Minato and Kushina on one side acting lovey-dovey and Izumi, Yukizora, and Karin on the other side reacting to them.

"Aww," the girls cooed at the sight. "That's true love!" Albireo smiled as he bookmarked his book. It's almost opposite of how Nagi and Arika regularly express themselves.

"We don't have much to go on here. Perhaps you should look into Fate instead? He's on a mission right now. You could look into him."

"I promised his Ministra that I wouldn't. It's invasion of his privacy."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He would be interested in finding out what you've discovered, Nodoka-san. Out of curiosity, were you using your own Pactio to connect to me?"

"No, I'm using Shiori-san's."

"Oh, thank you, Shiori-san, for helping Nodoka-san in her experiment."

"It-it was nothing at all, Negi-san," she bashfully replied. "U-um, do you really think Fate-sama wouldn't mind?"

"He won't mind in the slightest! I know him enough to know that. But if your comrades are still uncomfortable with that, perhaps, instead of saying Fate's name or his number, Nodoka-san could just call on 'Uzumaki Naruto.'"

"O-okay," she nodded. She then looked at her four friends. Homura and Koyomi narrowed their eyes. Tamaki's face remained stony. Shirabe was cool and collected.

"I suppose it wouldn't do any harm," the purple-haired Ministra of Fate slowly suggested. "It is an interesting discovery."

Koyomi glared at her. "Shirabe, do you know what you're saying?"

"Yes, I do, and I believe that Fate-sama would want to hear about what Miyazaki-san discovered. It is a rare item. As such, its full potential has yet to be realized. Since part of that potential has been uncovered, Fate-sama would want to know about it."

Her glare remained for a few minutes. Then she sighed. "Fine, go ahead and call Fate-sama with that thing."

Nodoka added, "If Fate-sensei turned out to not like our intrusion, I would end it immediately." Koyomi huffed and didn't reply. She turned back to Shiori, who now had her Pactio with Fate in her hand and placed on her forehead. Nodoka split her Pactio into two smaller books, one of which was still connected to Negi. "Okay, Negi-sensei, I'm going to connect to Fate now."

"Okay, have fun!" Then, the connection ended and the two books fused into one.

Nodoka repeated the procedure she used to connect to Negi to connect to Fate. This time, she and Shiori focused their powers to the Pactios and focused their thoughts on Fate. Then, Nodoka announced, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

The book opened and they were greeted with a different voice from Fate's.

"What is Pudica Bibliothecaria doing in my container's domain?"

The deepness of the voice made them all shiver. It was something they weren't prepared for. The book labelled 'Uzumaki Naruto' suddenly glowed red and then opened completely against Nodoka's will. The picture that appeared featured a bright red eye with a slit pupil. It moved around before focusing on Nodoka's surprised face.

"So who are you morsels that you have an artifact in your grasp?"

"K-Kyuubi no Yoko," Evangeline whispered. The eye focused on her and everyone could see the recognition in its eyes.

"Ah, the vampire, it's been so long. How've you been? Did you get stronger since we last met?" She glared at the eye. "I'll take that as a 'no.' Hmph, at least you still had the same eyes as last time." Then, the eye blinked. "Did you shrink? I recall you were…taller."

"Shut up, you overgrown rabbit."

"Big words from a little cat," Kyuubi replied in a snarky tone. Evangeline twitched. "But insulting you lost its fun if I'm not in the outside world. Now, can anyone answer my question? What is Pudica Bibliothecaria doing in my container's mind?"

"Y-You've experienced th-this before, K-Kyuubi-san," Nodoka asked.

"I've met someone who had this artifact long, long ago. It was pesky at first but I succeeded in overcoming it." Kyuubi huffed. "You are one lucky girl if you gained this as your Pactio."

"Hey, big guy," Asakura immediately jumped in the conversation, "would you mind answering a few questions for the people?" Before the Kyuubi could answer, she raised a finger and winked. "Thanks! Now, where did you come from? How old are you? How'd you meet Eva-chan?"

"…" Kyuubi was silent and the eye looked at her as if she was crazy. "You're rather nosy, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Chisame, who stood off to the side, rejoiced. "Someone actually said it!"

"Kyuubi, who are you talking to," a different male voice spoke from near Kyuubi.

"There are some mental intruders in here. I'm conversing with them."

"Oh, cool!" The picture shifted to the picture of a smiling blue-eyed blond. "Yo, what's up, everyone?"

"Is that Uzumaki Naruto?" Albireo joined the conversation. "I thought he and Fate Averruncus are one and the same?"

"Oh, you could say that I'm his other side, his Naruto side. To be more specific, I'm what he was before he became Tertium." He smiled "Thankfully, his return here started his road in assimilating me. Soon, he and I would be the same person with a combination of each of our quirks. Anyway," he grinned, "how'd you come by this place?"

"Umm," Nodoka replied, "I used Shiori-san's connection Fate-sensei via his Pactio to use my Pudica Bibliothecaria." Naruto had his eyes shut as he scrutinized Nodoka, making her nervous. "What is it?"

"You remind me of Hinata," he grinned, "You're even as cute as she is!"

Almost immediately, Nodoka's face erupted in a bright red blush. "C-Cute," she whispered.

"Hey, now," Haruna interrupted, going to her friend's side, "she's taken."

"Well, whoever that guy is, he's a lucky guy."

"Yes, he is," Haruna grinned.

"This is interesting," Fate's voice joined the group. The picture shifted to Fate with his hands in his pockets, looking as cool as ever. "I'm on my way to Sasuke-kun's position but I sensed something odd in my subconscious. To think that you've seen more of Pudica Bibliothecaria's potential. Negi-kun chose well."

"Yo, Fate," Naruto smiled wide. "Negi's girls are really great, aren't they?"

Fate raised a brow. "I agree that Negi-kun's are responsible in that they seek to improve their abilities but, in the grand scheme of things, I favor my Ministra."

"Fate-sama," Homura, Tamaki, and Kiyomi looked starry-eyed at his proclamation.

"Oh, hello, girls," Fate added, upon hearing their voices. His brows furrowing, he also added, "Kyuubi, could you lend Miyazaki-san some of your power so that she could peer into Sasuke-kun's mind? I want to see if Bijuu chakra could enhance a Pactio's abilities."

"Hmm, going the extra mile, eh, Naruto," Kyuubi smirked at that. "Let's do it. Let's see how much Pudica Bibliothecaria can be pushed."

Red energy materialized around the book and Nodoka flinched at the malevolent feel of it. Around her, Fate's Ministra, the hanyou students of 3-A, and Evangeline flinched as well.

"Get to it, girl," Kyuubi barked, making her jump. "I haven't got all day."

"H-Hai," she rushed to perform the next phase. She split the book in two and everyone watched as the red energy moved from Naruto's book to the empty book. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "Uchiha Sasuke."

His name appeared on the cover and the red energy covered it entirely. However, as soon as Nodoka opened it, she yelped, let go of the book, and fell the ground with tears in her eyes. All around her, the squeamish of 3-A and Fate's Ministra shut their eyes and covered their ears; the more experienced of the class and Fate's Ministra flinched, and Albireo frowned deeply.

Why?

Because the book erupted in a bloodcurdling scream.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Hey," Kyuubi shouted afterwards, "What happened? Who screamed?"

"That's why I told you, Sasuke, your regular Sharingan cannot compare to my Mangekyou."A calm voice came from Sasuke's book.

Fate said, "That's Uchiha Itachi. He must have severely harmed Sasuke-kun. I'm going to kick my speed up to overdrive. Kyuubi, keep me posted on recent events."Then, Fate's picture changed to Kyuubi's eye.

On Sasuke's book, it featured a bloody hand. However, his depth perception was wonky and messed up, as if Sasuke was looking at it through one eye. Then, the picture changed to Itachi with his hand raised in front of Sasuke's face.

"Now for the other one," Itachi continued.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" The view was obscured by a large skeletal hand. Then, it changed to a further-away Itachi. The girls gathered around the book after recovering from their shock. Their horror returned when the book now showed Itachi holding a liquid-filled cylinder with something inside it, a Sharingan eye.

Noticing that Itachi had both eyes and that Sasuke had terrible depth perception upon looking at his hands, they came to one conclusion: the eye in the cylinder was Sasuke's.

"This is the difference in our strengths," said Itachi, "the difference between our eyes."

"Gack," Sasuke gasped out as the picture showed another Itachi over his shoulder. Then, it changed to Itachi with his hand outstretched to Sasuke's other eye.

"He's taking his eyes," Ako shakily muttered before she ran to the nearest garbage can and threw up on it.

"No! I won't let him take my other eye!" Sasuke shouted in his mind. "I WON'T!"

"Grrrr," Kyuubi growled. "Curse those blasted eyes!"

Then, the whole picture turned black and white and disassembled and rearranged before their eyes.

Color returned and now the book showed Sasuke glaring at the standing form of Itachi ahead of him.

"What happened," Makie asked. "Why did the picture do that?"

"I think it was an illusion," Albireo concluded with a hand to his chin.

Itachi was grasping a side of his face while glaring at Sasuke. "You actually broke through Tsukuyomi."

With Sasuke

"It doesn't matter if you wield an advanced Sharingan," Sasuke spoke as he stood up. "My will shall turn my illusion to reality."

"Heh," Itachi gave a small smirk, "so your will is powerful such that an illusion can become reality. I will turn those words back to you." He lowered his hand and finalized, "In Tsukuyomi, you saw me gouging out your eye. I will turn that illusion into reality."

Sasuke gave his own smirk. "Very well, let's see whose will is stronger."

Itachi made a single hand seal and unleashed his chakra. Sasuke's eyes widened at the power his brother exuded.

His chakra somehow grew larger and more powerful since the last time we met! Orochimaru must have done it.

"Katon," the Uchiha Akatsuki started, "Goka Mekkyaku!" A large fire the size of the entire room emerged from his mouth. Sasuke's eyes widened at Itachi's use of one of the Uchiha's strongest Katon jutsu.

However, Sasuke retaliated, "Chidori Eiso!" A lightning sword emerged from his hand and pierced the fire wall. Then, he sliced it in half vertically, sending them to his sides. Itachi was behind the flame and aimed a kick at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised his other hand and blocked the kick. Retracting the lightning sword to his fist, he went for a lightning punch at Itachi.

He grasped the wrist and twisted it. Sasuke winced but changed the Chidori's form back to its spear. Itachi tilted his head to avoid it and turned around and threw Sasuke over his shoulder.

He easily recovered and looked up to see Itachi rushing towards him. He performed a backflip, which hit Itachi with his foot on the way up. As he finished, all he saw was a flock of ravens in front of him.

Karasu Bunshin, Sasuke realized and saw the shine of shuriken past the flocks. His hands went to each other's wrist and ripped out some bandages, revealing some seals on each wrist. Then, his hands blurred back and forth as shuriken came and go from his hands. The clangs of shuriken clashing with shuriken filled the room as the brothers repeatedly fired off shuriken to the other. However, in the middle of it, a second Itachi jumped over the first one with his hands set in a hand seal.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu," the second Itachi shouted, releasing small fireballs at Sasuke.

In response, the younger Uchiha sibling stopped his throwing and placed his palms forward, his wrists touching each other, as he said, "Raiton: Kyokusei no Kabe (Lightning Release: Polarity Wall)!" Lightning emerged from his palm into the form of a circular shield large enough to cover his body. The shuriken and fireballs impacted the shield and protected Sasuke. He closed his eyes and activated his Raienhei. Jumping high with his lightning shield, he then spun around and threw the shield at Itachi. As he landed, he finished his hand seals, formed an 'o' with his fingers, and placed it to his mouth, saying, "Katon Raiton: Goka Rakurai (Fire and Lightning Release: Hellfire Thunderbolt)!"

Fire came to life from his mouth before a lightning bolt emerged from his mouth and drew the fire with it towards Itachi.

Itachi had his clone take the thrown shield, causing both to dispel. As he saw his brother's attack, he couldn't help being impressed by his brother's progress. However, fancier jutsu won't win against him. Crows emerged from his cloak and gathered at his two sides into his exact likeness. Then, the two clones puckered their lips and produced a torrent of water while the original clapped his hands and pointed both palms forward, where an equally powerful gust of wind gathered.

Wind and water combined and clashed with the fire-encased lightning bolt. Then, the impact caused an explosion that brought down the roof.

Outside, Sasuke and Itachi stood on opposite sides atop the two, standalone walls on the roof. To their credit, neither brother looked winded, one due to heavy eating and equally heavy training, the other due to experimentation.

"You've gone long way since we last met, Sasuke," Itachi praised.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Itachi," Sasuke snapped back.

Both brothers went through the same handseals and said, "Katon: Gokakyuu!"

Fire burst from their mouths and collided with each other in a marvelous display. In addition, both brothers had the same idea to make a set of seals while they were expelling fire. An exact copy of themselves appeared at their sides.

Clone Sasuke clapped his hand and closed his eyes, as little sparks started to appear around him. Clone Itachi, on the other hand, bit his thumb, wiped it on the other hand, and cast a jutsu as he slammed the bloodied hand on the ground. A jutsu array appeared on the ground and smoke covered the area.

As the fires slowly died out, Sasuke saw a few crows take to the sky and scatter and that Itachi didn't seemingly do anything else. Beside him, clone Sasuke touched the original's shoulder before dispelling. Afterwards, Sasuke raised his left hand, which was coated in lightning, high. Lightning slowly gathered at a spot above his hand and suddenly enlarged to the size of a full grown summoned creature.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at his brother's Raiton jutsu. "Prepare yourself, Itachi." Sasuke smirked. "I call this jutsu 'Kirin,'" he announced, bringing his hand down.

The gathered lightning flashed and struck at Itachi. The light that occurred in impact died down. The attack destroyed the entire hideout. Sasuke was now kneeling by a piece of debris, wiping his sweaty forehead and taking deep breaths. He thanked his mother for forcing those harsh training regiments on him.

"Eat and exercise, eat and exercise, eat and exercise," she would insist on him. "Heavy eating may fatten you but by burning off the fat, you increase your stamina and chakra reserves. It's how I was able to keep up with Kushina when she and I sparred. She's lucky because her energy and chakra was from her Uzumaki heritage. Add her being a jinchuuriki and she never seemed to stay in one place for long until she became an adult. Man, talk about energetic. Naruto got his massive energy from her."

He raised his head to look at Itachi's fallen form. He didn't react when it slowly dispersed in a flock of crows.

"You expected it," Itachi asked from far behind him. Sasuke turned around and saw him by a treetop.

"Those crows who left during our clash of Gokakyu told me that you have some failsafe prepared."

"Still, you wasted a big amount of chakra trying to oust my actions through that trump card of yours. I suppose you still retain some of your old personality. You shouldn't use such heavy techniques if you don't know if it'll hit."

Some distance away, Zetsu was observing the battle with awe.

"Wow, Sasuke is still not completely dead from that last jutsu. He must have not pulled any stops to prepare for this battle."

"Of course," Orochimaru's voice reached Zetsu's ears. Zetsu turned and saw a white snake beside his hidden head. The snake opened its mouth and spoke in Orochimaru's voice, "Sasuke-kun is driven by his desire to go after Itachi. Still, I'm impressed by his progress. I never would have expected this. Such a jutsu must have been draining to any second-rate shinobi and Sasuke-kun doesn't even look like it."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm observing this battle like you are. Itachi was the one I spent most of my time and effort to improve. It's already shown fruit by returning his eyesight to him and making him a challenge for Sasuke-kun."

"You restored his eyesight? How is that possible? The Mangekyou permanently loses its light the more you use it."

"I collected some chakra from the Ichibi when I was planning on destroying Konoha. I studied it immensely and discovered that it had some incredible healing properties like its more powerful brethren. I then experimented on it to isolate its healing ability from its harmful qualities. I used a portion of it on Itachi-kun. It restored his eyes somewhat and it gave him the side-effect of improving his Futon affinity."

Back with Sasuke, he stood up and faced his brother. He strengthened his lightning armor and the shield and sword appeared on his arms. "Raienhei" Then, he appeared behind Itachi with his sword prepped to slash.

Itachi took out a kunai and channelled chakra to it as he blocked the fire sword. His feet shot up and kicked Sasuke in the stomach, sending him flying to the next hideout.

He recovered and landed on the wall before he ran up to the top. As he did so, he flung the shield of fire towards his brother. Itachi jumped to avoid it and went over to the other hideout to join Sasuke. Sasuke, however, wouldn't give him time to recover; he fell to the side of the wall and pushed himself off to Itachi's direction. Itachi rolled to dodge and charged at him, his kunai humming with chakra.

Sasuke raised his sword to parry it and punched at him with his shield hand. Itachi caught it and his parrying arm and twisted both limbs to spin him. When his front hit the ground, Itachi went on top of him and pinned him by putting his knee on the square of his back. In response, Sasuke pointed the fire blade at Itachi and extended it, making him release his hold on him and fall back. Standing back up, Sasuke threw both the shield and the sword at Itachi, after which he prepared his next jutsu.

Itachi dodged the shield and parried the sword but was too late to stop Sasuke from casting his next jutsu, which was, "Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!" Large fireballs shaped like dragon heads were thus headed his way. He might have been late to stop Sasuke but he still prided himself in his speed for making seals.

"Suiton," he exclaimed, "Teppodama!" He repeatedly expelled large bullets of water to clash with the dragons. Simultaneously, he threw numerous shuriken after it. The result was steam that covered the brothers' view of the other. The shuriken pierced the mist and continued unimpeded to Sasuke.

Channeling lightning through his fingertips, Sasuke made throwing motions with his hands, which produced lightning needles. Chidori Senbon, he announced. The shuriken hit the needles and fell to the ground. Afterwards, he released another jutsu, "Katon: Goenka!" Fire materialized above him and rained down through the mist. However, he wouldn't allow Itachi the chance to retaliate after that jutsu. Therefore, he unleashed another jutsu, by using the same high-power jutsu that Itachi used on him the first time, "Katon: Goka Mekkyaku!"

On the other end, Itachi sensed the fireballs approaching and moved quickly to avoid them. He winced at each fireball that hit the roof because they exploded like Deidara's bombs, causing more and more of the hideout's roof to be destroyed and crumble. He sensed the last of the fireballs fall and Itachi found himself with his back to the standalone wall of the hideout roof. That was when he saw Sasuke's next attack. Narrowing his eyes, he copied the jutsu and fired off his own "Goka Mekkyaku" to combat Sasuke's. At first, the flames were equal. Then, Itachi noticed that Sasuke's was gaining more ground; it started to overpower his for some reason.

I'll have none of that. Itachi activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, taking the form of a three-pinned pinwheel, and closed his right eye, which started to bleed out. Then, he snapped it open, showing that the pupil of his Mangekyou Sharingan dilated and the scleras were joined by red veins. Amaterasu!

Black flames came to life by the twin fire jutsus and now overcame Sasuke's jutsu. Just as it swallowed the flame whole, Itachi cut off his jutsu and black fire vanished.

Sasuke's eyes were wide at his brother's ease at destroying his jutsu. Then, he ran like a man possessed in a circle around Itachi, who activated his Amaterasu again, this time to chase after Sasuke.

Flame-like markings crept up his face and covered his body completely, turning it dark grey. His sclera turned pitch black and two, large, skeletal hands emerged from his shoulder. In addition, black bubbling chakra coated him. He stopped running and allowed the black flames to hit him. He frowned in discomfort at the heat but the bubbling chakra protected him from severe harm, much to Itachi's shock. Sasuke then looked up and fired another set of "Goenka" to the sky.

The sound that the fireballs made when they exploded reached the ground. Feeling Amaterasu starting to break the chakra cloak, he resumed his running and purged the burning part of the cloak from the rest of it. Upon reaching the wall, which blocked Itachi's view of him, he ran up it and reached the top.

He looked down at Itachi, who was grasping the right side of his face, narrowing his eyes at him. The skies darkened and it started to rain. "Let's try this again, Itachi," he muttered as lightning coursed through his left hand, which he raised to the sky. "The first one was artificial, thus making it slower than it actually is. However, the real thing should strike you down way quicker. I hope you have something up your sleeve, Itachi. This will be even more powerful and quicker than the first one."

"Why is that," White Zetsu asked.

"Unlike Sasuke's first Kirin, which he created with his own chakra, this second Kirin would be made with the thunder from the clouds." Zetsu looked up. "Lightning strikes at 1/1000th of a second, hundred times faster than the speed of sound."

"And artificial chakra," Orochimaru added, "isn't. As it stands, Itachi can't dodge it, unless he has access to the Hiraishin no Jutsu or the Raiton no Yoroi that Sasuke-kun has. It's a shame. I haven't foreseen this of Sasuke-kun. I didn't improve Itachi in speed. I guess we'll have to consider Itachi dead."

Sasuke shouted, "Come!" A small bolt shot up to the sky. Then, lightning broke the sky, flashing the group on the hideout. Then, the lightning once more gathered atop his hand. This time, instead of just enlarging to the size of a summoned creature, it actually became a creature, looking like a dragon. "Begone with the thunderclap." Sasuke brought his hand down and the dragon of lightning roared as it descended towards Itachi.

Once more, light covered the area. When it calmed down, the hideout was in just as destroyed as the first one. The only thing remaining was the standalone wall atop the roof, which Sasuke was standing on. Beneath him, on ground level, was the fallen Itachi, partially hidden by the dust procured by the bolt. As Sasuke forced the lightning in his hands to dissipate, he fell to his hands and knees and took heavier breaths. I might have gotten overzealous in my efforts. I just hope he is only on the brink of death.

Connected to his mind, the girls at Mahora concluded that Itachi was dead. There's no way anyone could have survived a bolt of lightning.

"Is this the justice you desired for me?"

Sasuke went wide-eyed at that, so did the girls connected to his mind. That should have knocked him out, at the least! How could he still be capable of speech?!

He looked back at Itachi, who was struggling to stand back up. "I wanted to avoid that but lightning is too fast for me and Amaterasu tired me out." He looked up at Sasuke with his Mangekyou Sharingan and said, "You've truly become strong, Sasuke." He smiled. "If I didn't use this at the last minute, I would have been dead." The dust slowly settled, revealing the upper body of a skeletal avatar that protected Itachi within its ribs. Its four arms were resting on the rubble beside it and its skeletal head was staring emotionlessly at the surprised, younger Uchiha. "If I didn't use this at the last minute, I would have been dead." Before Sasuke's eyes, and by extension, the eyes of those in Mahora, muscle and cartilage crept from the body's hinges and covered up the bone it was made up of. Then afterwards, the avatar was cloaked in a flowing robe, whose head area resembled that of the Tengu, with narrowed eyes glowing within its mouth area. The front, left hand was wielding a shield, appearing just as smooth as the robe. In its front, right hand was a yellow hilt-like ethereal object connected to a sake jar, which was wielded by its back, right hand. "Behold my trump card, an ability given to those who awakened the powers of the twin Mangekyou, Susanoo!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He's making it difficult to hide my greatest trump card! I can't match that thing with any of my normal techniques!

"It seems as though you're out of ideas," whispered Itachi, "I guess it's my turn then." The Susanoo's back, right hand rose up and summoned three comma-like markings spinning on the same axis. "Get down from there, Sasuke…Yasaka Magatama!" He released the rotating magatama at high speed at Sasuke, who was too weakened to react quickly.

It exploded powerfully and crumbled the wall to dust. A body fell from the dust and onto the rubble.

Itachi knew it was Sasuke's body and slowly walked to it. However, as he was about to grab Sasuke with Susanoo's hand, he heard something that chilled him to the bone.

"Amaterasu"

The outstretched hand spontaneously burst into black flame and Itachi jumped back to avoid any further damage as he recalled the hand to purge the flames and re-summoned it.

"Sasuke, I can't believe it." Itachi's face showed his shock. "You were hiding this from me since the start?"

"I've been hiding this from everyone." A piece of debris was pushed aside by the hissing-in-anger Sasuke, who was now encased in a purple, ethereal ribcage. "Itachi, the cost of acquiring the Mangekyou was killing your best friend, right? In essence, I did kill him for something I inadvertently did. Do you know what that feels like? My entire being was twisted with regret over what I had done to Naruto. Because of my desire for revenge, it was manipulated by Orochimaru's juinjtsu and made me desert my own village. And it resulted in Naruto's banishment and eventual death."

Itachi winced. He knew Naruto was banished. He and Kisame attacked him before he vanished in a desperate display of time-space manipulation.

Sasuke, however, continued, "I didn't discover I had these eyes until I was training by myself beyond my limits in the Naka Shrine a little over two years ago. Hidden there, I practiced on these eyes endlessly and until my eyes bled as penance for my hand in Naruto's death. I didn't want to show this to anyone. The eyes I have are for my atonement alone. But guess what? You forced me to show it. I will now show you how far I've trained these eyes for the past two years. This is no longer a battle between mere Sharingan. This is now a battle between kaleidoscopes."

That's a wrap!

And another one joins the 'long chapter' club!

Twelve thousand words!

Damn!

I wanted to add Jiraiya's side-quests before infiltrating Amegakure but that will have to wait for a few chapters from now. In this one, I wanted to expand on how the other characters have been since the previous chapter, like Akatsuki, who, as you can see, gained some new recruits to aid them in their quest. The fourth one, the rather sadomasochistic one, will remain a secret until later on. Guess if you'd like.

I also wanted to expand on the development of some character's powers. As I recall, a Pactio's telepathy only works between the two people it's connected to. It can't be on speakerphone. So, I combined its telepathy with Nodoka's Pactio to provide that feature by using someone else's Pactio connection and joining it with her ability. Why? It's my fanfic.

Also, I did say that Sasuke is a good guy in this fic and he felt regret for Naruto's death, his best friend's death. So why wouldn't he gain the Mangekyou Sharingan?

Anyway, next chapter would be the finishing touches to the Sasuke vs. Itachi battle and I will now include a necessary arc to this that is not in canon.

Read and Review.