Chapter 24: Tsukuyomi

This was it.

I made the Hiraishin jump, and I arrived in a crowded hallway. Sasuke was standing with his back to me, facing the others. Further down the hall was Naruto, looking confused. Beside him were two men, one massive and shark-like. And the other…

He was taller now, his frame hidden by the bulk of his Akatsuki cloak. His forehead protector, once bright and shiny, was dulled with age and scarred with a long slash through the Konoha leaf. His eyes were Sharingan red, only betraying the barest hint of surprise at my sudden appearance out of thin air.

I activated my own Sharingan and wove an auditory genjutsu for his mind alone.

"Onii-chan, the Third Hokage was killed by Orochimaru," I thought in the genjutsu. I wasn't sure how this encounter would go, but there were things Itachi needed to know. "Orochimaru inflicted Nii-chan with a curse mark that's poisoning him. He's not himself. Please, I need your help."

That was all I managed to say before Sasuke screamed with crazed malice, dashing down the hallway with a Chidori in one hand. Itachi casually diverted Sasuke's attack, snagging his wrist and pushing it into the wall. It exploded outward, the strongest attack he'd ever managed by far, fueled by anger and hatred and pain.

"Foolish little brother," said Itachi, almost an endearment though it sounded utterly empty. "You brought her here. Do you really want me to kill her for you that badly?"

Sasuke's chakra spiked and his head whipped around, his expression bleeding from hatred to terror in an instant as he finally noticed me.

Oh right.

The official story was that Itachi wanted Sasuke to kill me. And if Sasuke didn't measure up, Itachi would kill me instead.

Naruto flared his chakra to form a jutsu, but Kisame was suddenly there, his giant sword resting lightly against Naruto's shoulder.

"My Samehada eats chakra," said Kisame, barring his pointed teeth.

"You're in the way," said Itachi as he coldly snapped Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke screamed.

"Let him go!" I shouted, more to telegraph my intentions than anything else. Fights were dangerous under the best of circumstances, and although Itachi might not want to hurt me, he might be forced to if I attacked him directly.

As I'd hoped, my strike toward Itachi's arm was met with him releasing Sasuke and moving away. I pulled Sasuke back out of immediate retaliation range. It wouldn't matter much since either of them could close that gap in a fraction of a second if they wanted to. I ran healing chakra through Sasuke's arm, numbing the pain and mending his broken bone. This was bad. This wasn't a fight we could win. Against Itachi, all three of us working together in perfect unison wouldn't even register as an inconvenience. Sasuke had to realize that, had to see it through his anger.

But his face was twisted into animal-like rage.

Where was Jiraiya? I couldn't sense him at all.

"Now, you shouldn't cause any more trouble," said Kisame, looming over Naruto. "So, what should I chop off? An arm or a leg?"

It was purely a scare tactic, just like with Zabuza. Only, unlike Zabuza, there was no gentle Haku to soften his heart.

Kisame hefted Samehada higher, ready to strike down Naruto. But that was all the opening I needed. I body-flickered to Naruto's side at my highest speed, slapping my hand onto his chest and sending him back to Konoha as Kisame swung his sword down.

There was a burst of chakra smoke.

And then a large, white-haired man and a toad appeared to block the attack. Jiraiya. It had to be. But with Sasuke and me in the hallway, he couldn't go all out. Then again, neither could Itachi.

"So, you really were after Naruto," said Jiraiya.

"No wonder Kakashi knew about us," said Itachi blandly. "You were the source of his information. To abduct Naruto was the order given by the upper echelon of the Akatsuki."

Wow, he really just handed that information over, didn't he? Of course, if Jiraiya knew enough to expect them, this wasn't new information for him.

So, who was it meant for?

Was Itachi warning us that Naruto was in danger? That staying with him was inviting powerful enemies? That Itachi wouldn't…no, couldn't stop his pursuit?

"You won't get Naruto," said Jiraiya. "You will die here by my hand."

"No," said Sasuke. "He's mine."

Itachi regarded him with look of pure disdain.

And yeah…considering how poorly Sasuke's strongest attack had worked, I could understand the sentiment.

"Nii-chan, no," I said. "We can't win against him."

But Sasuke's jaw was set, and his eyes burned. I may as well have been speaking to a brick wall.

"I have absolutely no interest in you right now," said Itachi. He turned back to me. "You will tell me where you sent Naruto."

Something in Sasuke snapped. He let out another scream of rage and charged forward, but Itachi backhanded him out of the way with cruel indifference.

"Nii-chan!" I shouted, body-flickering to his side. I had to get him away, to stop what I knew was going to happen. I reached out to touch him, but before my fingers could even brush his arm, I was pulled back and slammed against the wall, knocking the breath from my lungs.

"Sasuke, you are weak," said Itachi.

He wasn't even looking at me as he held me pinned against the wall by my throat. I could barely breathe, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. I clutched at his wrist and carefully formed my chakra into a diagnostic jutsu. It was difficult to perform without hand signs or the telltale green glow, but I couldn't afford to give any indication of what I was doing to the others watching.

Itachi gave no outward sign that he'd noticed my jutsu, though he had to sense my chakra running through his veins. I quickly analyzed the information I received. Yes. There. It was just as I expected.

"You lack hatred," Itachi continued, squeezing my throat suddenly and flaring his chakra to break the diagnostic jutsu. He finally turned to me, and the tomoe of his Sharingan spun into a horrifyingly familiar pattern. Oh no. I shaped my chakra quickly as Itachi spoke again. "Perhaps this will…motivate you."

"No!" Sasuke screamed. "Let her go!"

But he was too far away, and I stared directly into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Tsukuyomi."

The world went black. After a few moments, the darkness faded away, and Itachi and I were left sitting side by side on the veranda of our old house. It was exactly as I remembered it from all those years ago.

Exactly as Itachi remembered it.

Itachi was wearing his old high collared Uchiha shirt, his ANBU vest, and a katana strapped across his back, the same outfit he'd worn that night. We sat in silence for a long moment. Time was meaningless in this illusion since he could stretch a single second into a literal lifetime.

"You have chakra poisoning," I said without preamble.

There was no surprise Itachi's face. So he had sensed the diagnostic jutsu.

"It's nothing," he said.

"Chakra poisoning will kill you if it's left untreated," I said. I knew it would kill him, in fact. "I want to help you. I want to heal you."

To my shock, Itachi smiled and let out a quiet laugh that was little more than a sharp exhale. His smile was a small chip in his façade, a tiny reminder that underneath everything, my Onii-chan still lived on.

"Kiyo-chan is still Kiyo-chan," he said.

I huffed.

"Of course I'm still me," I said. "Who were you expecting?"

Itachi's eyes softened with warmth. I was suddenly struck by how very young he looked.

But then the moment of levity passed, and his face returned to its stoic mask.

"I am taking medicines to mitigate the effects," he said.

"Medicines won't help," I said. "They'll only mask the symptoms and allow you to keep digging your own grave. But I can heal you."

I could guess at why Itachi hadn't received treatment already. He wouldn't want other people to know that he was ill. Itachi was a soldier. The moment he outlived his usefulness, Obito and the Akatsuki would get rid of him. And even if they did want to help him, Ame was torn apart by generations of war.

I was pretty sure that they didn't have a single functional hospital in the entire country. Hanzo the Salamander, the former leader of Ame, had lived with a poison sack in his gut because he didn't have anyone who could remove it safely. On top of that, Itachi was a missing ninja. Even if he left Ame to find treatment, who could he trust to not kill him?

"There is no treatment for my condition," said Itachi. "Simply rest, which I cannot take."

Of course he would have researched it already.

"It's possible with 100% pure medical chakra," I said. "I know because for a while I suffered from chakra poisoning too. I constantly cycle healing chakra to mimic an immune system, and I theorized that completely pure medical chakra would prevent deterioration. And I was right. It will allow me to heal you without causing further damage."

I was living proof that it would work.

Itachi closed his eyes in consideration.

"Is that why you have not aged?" he asked.

I blinked at the sudden tangent.

"…I have?" I said, half questioning. But yeah, I didn't really look twelve, did I? "I combined my healing chakra with a transformation technique to counteract the aging aspect of constant healing. But…the template I'm using is from when I started…back when I was a little kid."

"…I see," said Itachi, frowning. Then he shook his head. "I am not in imminent danger, but you will be if you try to help me."

I didn't miss the subtle shift of you can't to you shouldn't. It was a win, however small. His comment was also true enough. Danzo wanted Itachi dead. Other Konoha ninjas would see healing Itachi as a betrayal to the village. And anyone who opposed the Akatsuki would want to stop me by any means necessary.

Even Obito was a risk.

"No one has to know," I said. "It's your life. It's worth the risk."

"I will die, Kiyo-chan," said Itachi. "One day Sasuke will grow strong enough to kill me, and I will welcome his retribution."

"All the more reason to be healed!" I said, a little desperately. "Nii-chan is strong for a genin, but he can't stand up against you. He might not be ready for years. If you die before then, he'll never get the chance."

Itachi was silent for a long minute because I was right, and he knew it. Sasuke would one day surpass Itachi, but that day was still a distant dream. After Sasuke's failed attempt on his life, Itachi knew exactly how far Sasuke still had to go.

"I will consider it," he said. "Maybe next time, Kiyo-chan."

That didn't sound like a yes.

"If you don't come to me for healing, I'll come to you," I said.

I knew Itachi's history with promises he didn't intend to keep, and this sounded too similar to a brush off. Itachi looked at me with the faintest trace of disbelief. I squared my shoulders against his doubt and my own.

"You will never find me," he said.

That might have been true except…

I reached over and took his hand, the one he had wrapped around my throat in the real world. I flipped it palm-up to reveal two concentric circles with the kanji for Light in the center. Itachi stared at it, and I wondered if my subconscious mind had included it in the illusion.

"It's my Hiraishin formula," I said. "The visible markings will fade in a day or so, but the mark will still be there. It cannot be erased. No matter where you go, I will find you. And I will heal you."

Itachi sighed.

"I understand," he said. "It seems that you are well prepared. But how did you know where to find me today?"

"Naruto and Nii-chan are my teammates, and Kakashi-sensei is our sensei," I said. "I um…saw what you did to him. I wanted to find Nii-chan and to stop him before he found you."

Before Itachi could hurt him too.

"And when you saw me, you decided to ask for my help," said Itachi. "Tell me about Orochimaru and this curse mark."

Ah...

So that was why he'd used Tsukuyomi on me. After telling him about Orochimaru and the curse mark, obviously he would want to know more. But normal genjutsu wouldn't allow us enough time to talk.

"Do you know much about Orochimaru?" I asked.

Of course he did. They were once partners. But that didn't necessarily translate into practical knowledge about his techniques.

"Some," said Itachi, which was frustratingly vague, but I couldn't fault him for that.

"During the Chunin Exams, in the Forest of Death, Orochimaru attacked Nii-chan," I said. "He put a curse mark on Nii-chan. His chakra… It's poisoning him. Kakashi-sensei used a seal to repress the bad chakra, but the seal breaks when Nii-chan needs more chakra in a fight. And each time it breaks, it poisons him more."

I clenched my fists in my lap.

"I can't fix it," I admitted. "Sensei can't undo it. But Orochimaru said that he knew Nii-chan would come to him for power, so I think—I know—there has to be a way to stop it. Orochimaru wants Nii-chan for something, and if Nii-chan doesn't go to him, Orochimaru will take him away. He infiltrated the exams like it was nothing. He killed the Third Hokage. If he comes back…"

I couldn't finish that thought.

If he came back, Sasuke's descent into darkness would become inevitable.

Then he would put me under the curse mark which had the potential to kill me. And even if it didn't, he was well known for his genetic experimentations. He would have plans for me and my eyes, I was sure. I shuddered at the thought, and Itachi put his arm around me, drawing me close and stroking my hair.

I buried my face in his chest and breathed in ragged gasps.

"I don't know what to do," I said. "I'm sorry. I can't protect him. I can't heal him. I can't do anything. Please, Onii-chan, is there anything you can do?"

There was, in fact, something Itachi could do, something that would remove the curse mark cleanly and easily.

The Totsuka blade.

We just needed to stage a fight where Itachi could use it without Sasuke suspecting…

"No," said Itachi, derailing my train of thought. "I have no ability to remove Orochimaru's curse marks. Sasuke must seek out Orochimaru and advance the curse mark to the second stage."

But…but…the Totsuka blade…?

Oh…

Wait…

Did Itachi even have the Totsuka blade? It was a part of his Susanoo, but Orochimaru spent years seeking for it. Was it possible that Itachi hadn't acquired it yet? Was he supposed to learn of Sasuke's curse mark and then seek it out? But…that could take years!

Oh no...

"Did he mark you as well?" Itachi asked, his voice soft but firm enough to pierce the growing tide of panic rising in my chest. Despite the gentleness of his tone, there was an undercurrent of steel and a hint of Intent.

I shook my head.

"No, he…he said that he would come back for me later," I said. Sasuke had told me as much. As I spoke, I had a sudden, horrible realization. "I…I think me might have tried already. I was just in the hospital and two ANBU tried to take me. They must be…"

I stopped and frowned. Were they working for Orochimaru? Kabuto pretended to be an ANBU during the invasion, but would he need that ruse just to get to me?

"Onii-chan…?" I asked hesitantly. "Is there…someone in the village who might want to hurt me now that the Hokage is gone? Someone who can control ANBU?"

I hadn't thought of it in the heat of the moment, but it seemed so painfully obvious now. Itachi had come to Konoha and fought four jounin. Of course Danzo would want to secure leverage against him. And I was easy prey.

Itachi's eyes hardened and he shifted his gaze to our clan symbol on a nearby wall.

"Perhaps," he said, and he let out a quiet sigh. "Konoha may no longer be safe for you."

A knife-edge of fear slid down my spine.

That was…bad.

Very bad.

If I tried to remain in Konoha, Danzo would take me. If I tried to flee, Orochimaru would do the same. That didn't leave many options. Even if I tried to run, where would I go? Where could I hide?

Nowhere.

I had nowhere to go.

And Danzo was a village Elder. As an enlisted kunoichi, I was technically at his command. If he told me to join Root, I didn't have the authority to tell him 'no'. No one did. Not until we had a new Hokage. Maybe someone as powerful and respected as Jiraiya could stand against him, but there was no way Jiraiya would agree to let me tag along with him when Itachi was hunting Naruto.

I could always fight, but the idea that I would survive a match against someone like Orochimaru or Danzo was laughable. Danzo had all of Root and an arm full of Izanagi-capable Sharingan. Orochimaru was, well, Orochimaru. Like Sasuke, I was strong for a genin, but they were on an entirely different level.

There was no way out. There were only different variations of the same bad ending.

That realization didn't hit me quite as hard as I was expecting it to. Then again, I'd already come to terms with my death once before. I'd always known that I was living on borrowed time. But if I knew that the end was coming, at the very least, I could meet it on my own terms. I could make it mean something.

"Onii-chan?" I asked. "Nii-chan told me what you said to him that night. If Nii-chan became stronger, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to hurt him. Will you…make him stronger? Will you help give him eyes like yours? It's okay if you have to…hurt me."

If Sasuke gained the Mangekyo Sharingan, he would have no reason to seek out Orochimaru. He would never become a criminal. He'd gain the power he needed to stay safe from Danzo. And with Naruto at his side, they could defeat Pein and Obito together.

He'd be a hero.

I cleared my throat.

"Anyway, do whatever you need to, and I'll forgive you, okay?" I said.

Itachi released me and turned away, leaning forward until his bangs hid his face.

"Do you hate me?" he asked.

I blinked.

"No," I said. "I don't hate you, Onii-chan. I just want to help you and Nii-chan. I told you before that I will love you forever. And it's still forever."

"What you feel is a naïve and childish love," he said, and the coldness of his tone felt like a slap. "If you want to help me, then remember what I am and what I have done. Remember. And hate me."

I flinched.

And then I felt a stab of anger.

"No," I said, loud and forceful enough to make Itachi look up. "You are not the one who decides how I feel. You think my love is childish? You think that I don't remember what you did? That I didn't spend all those years living with it? You think that I wasn't there to calm Nii-chan when he woke up screaming night after night? You think I don't still have nightmares about it too?"

It was Itachi's turn to flinch, but I went on relentless.

"I know what you are," I said. "I remember what you did every single day. And I know that you want me to hate you. But I don't. You're still my big brother. I still love you. And that will not change. So…so don't try to use me to hurt yourself more."

Itachi looked away.

The silence hung heavy between us.

"…I'm sorry," he said at last. "I should not have asked that of you."

And just like that, my temper was snuffed out like a candle flame.

Right. Itachi was suffering too, only he'd had to do it alone. At least Sasuke and I had each other.

"…It's okay," I said, scooting back to his side, though still keeping a breath of distance. He practically radiated do not touch. But I was there nonetheless. "I...shouldn't have asked that of you either."

It was cruel of me. Selfish.

"I wish that you had never become a ninja," said Itachi. "Perhaps you could have been spared all of this."

Why did everyone always say that?

Spared?

Really?

Fumiko was a seamstress. Asumi-Obaa-chan was a medic. Mikoto was a house wife. Had that spared them? Itachi knew that his hopes were lies. If he'd thought for one single moment that Sasuke and I could live peaceful, happy lives as civilians, he would never have gone to such lengths to drive Sasuke mad with hatred. He knew the dangers that existed in this world. He knew better than anyone about the cruelty that lived in the dark.

And I knew what was coming. The Akatsuki. Obito. The Fourth Shinobi War. Kabuto. Madara. Kaguya.

"You left us," I said as gently as I could. "I had to learn to fight. There was no one to protect us anymore."

I couldn't blame him, but it was a truth he needed to hear. Quitting was no longer an option, not with everything that would happen. I very carefully did not mention Sasuke's intentions for my future.

"Yes, I left you alone," said Itachi, almost to himself. "But I am here with you now. And I will not allow anyone to hurt you."

It was a nice sentiment, one eerily reminiscent of Sasuke's, but he what could he do? He was currently a missing ninja undercover as a merciless kinslayer. Any attempt to help me would risk the Akatsuki discovering his truth.

I couldn't let that happen.

"Onii-chan, I don't want you to do anything dangerous because of me," I said.

I didn't know what would happen. Was I was going to become one of Danzo's brainwashed minions? One of Orochimaru's experiments? One of his host bodies? I shuddered, but it didn't matter. No matter what happened to me, it was better than seeing my brothers get hurt. I couldn't stop it but...

No.

No, that wasn't right.

What was I thinking?

I couldn't give up. I couldn't just die. I still had to look after Sasuke and Naruto. I had to make sure that Sasuke didn't abandon the village and that Naruto continued to grow strong. I had to heal Itachi. I had to make sure that the Root ANBU hadn't just killed Haku to get to me. I had to help Sakura become Tsunade's apprentice. I had to help Haku find his dream and to reassure Karin that she was safe within Konoha. I had so much to do.

I couldn't die.

And I wouldn't.

I was not a helpless child.

Not anymore.

I might be as cold and hard as a fresh-baked muffin, but I was not weak. I had the Hiraishin, the Sharingan, genjutsu, and shadow clones. I had seals and weapons training. I was a sensor and had medical ninjutsu that I could probably modify into combat ninjutsu.

I also had friends. Allies. Sasuke. Naruto. Kakashi. Haku. Maybe Karin and Jiraiya too. Not only that, but Tsunade was coming. I couldn't defeat Danzo alone, but I didn't have to. I just needed to last until Tsunade returned and took her rightful place as the Hokage. Then Danzo wouldn't be able to move against me. At least not out in the open. I didn't even need to fight him. I just needed to stall.

As for Orochimaru, as long as I had the Hiraishin he would never be able to hold me. And so what if Sasuke needed to go to Orochimaru to survive the curse mark? Sasuke was already marked with my Hiraishin formula. We could work together. He would pretend to defect and then the Sound Four would get him to the second stage of the curse mark. Afterwards I could Hiraishin to his side, grab him, and bring him home.

Easy.

Well, maybe not easy, but it was doable. I had everything I needed.

I could do this.

I could do this!

I gave Itachi my brightest smile.

"I'll be fine," I said. "So don't worry about me, okay?"

With everything else he had to deal with, I didn't want him worrying about me too. Itachi regarded me for a long moment, his face blank and giving away nothing.

"No."

I blinked.

"What?" I asked.

Itachi pulled me into his lap and held me close.

"It was difficult for you, wasn't it?" he asked. "You did well to survive on your own for so long. But I'm here now. You don't need to fight anymore."

"Onii—," I began, but at his words, a sudden, bone-deep weariness settled over me like a thick blanket. I slumped into his embrace, and he stroked my hair soothingly.

"Sleep," he said. "There's no need to be frightened. You're in my hands now."

The world of Tsukuyomi faded in and out of focus, growing darker as I struggled to stay awake.

What did he mean?

But no matter what he was planning, it was clear that our time in Tsukuyomi was coming to an end. Soon we would be back in the hallway with Sasuke, and I already knew what would happen then.

"Onii-chan…Don't hurt Nii-chan," I mumbled. I wondered if he could even understand me, but that was silly. This was just an illusion, little more than a waking dream.

"Forgive me, little sister," said Itachi quietly as my eyes slid closed. "But Sasuke must become strong. And if Konoha will no longer protect you then I will do it myself."

What…?

How?

But I didn't have a chance to ask as Tsukuyomi faded away. I was distantly aware of Sasuke screaming and of Kisame and Jiraiya's chakra clashing.

Through the distant chaos I heard Itachi's soft words, spoken with cold promise.

"If you will not make use of her, little brother…then I will."

And I fell into darkness.

AN: Wow, I've been waiting for this reunion since I decided to write the continuation. Itachi is such an interesting character to write. He wants to look after his little siblings but always does it in the worst possible way.