Hello! I hope you'll like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 22, 21

Naruto, Sasuke: 16

Shisui: 25

Kakashi: 30

I blinked.

I...was alive. I raised a hand to my chest and realized I was still wounded but the wounds had stopped bleeding and closed a little.

How…

"The Yondaime used the Kyuubi's chakra before he disappeared," Shodai told me.

"Disappear?"

"He said something about his son's seal and disappeared before you were completely healed."

What abo…

I turned my head, eyes wide open at the burning chakra in the air. There was Kurama, lacking his fur, but Kurama, roaring to the sky in the gaping hole he made in the Tower. Golden chains were keeping him restrained.

The floor and whole structure shook at another wave of demonic chakra. I instinctively made a water shield that fell quickly. It protected me but...I didn't have much chakra left.

A piece of the ceiling almost fell on Dad. It was enough to surprise him and he let go of his chains as Kurama was starting to move around a lot, or trying to. Kurama free, he turned his head toward us.

There was a poof of white smoke and Naruto came out from it, panting.

"Crisis avoided." I blinked at oji-chan's voice.

Later.

I stood up and stumbled to Naru, who raised his head.

"Nee-chan!" he screamed, jumping in my arms.

"Easy there, it was close."

"I know, Dad told me he was trying to use Kurama's chakra to heal you." I raised a brow and he waved me off. "I think we have other things to deal with right now." I nodded and we turned toward my dad.

"Suiton: Water Whips." Plural? This jutsu was ANBU, oinins' eve…

I dodged the water whip coming from the lake. Several others joined it and Naru and I were stuck dodging them.

"If you have an idea, it's now or never!"

"On it already!"

"There's something that no one knows."

"What?"

"Ushio kind of developed a Suiton kinjutsu. You see how by lowering the temperature you can freeze the water inside someone's body?" I grunted as I slashed the whip around my right arm with a kunai. "Well he...does something similar. With enough time, he inserts his own chakra in his opponent without them realizing it and controls the water inside the body."

"It's a frightening ability," Hashirama commented.

"In spite of not having an Ice Release, Ushio is part of the Yuki clan, and from what he told me they never really had to learn any Suiton jutsu to control water. They just can." Not entirely true, but not entirely wrong either. "He used it on me back then, but it is a kinjutsu because it requires quite a lot of chakra depending on the opponent, time and precision."

I narrowed my eyes. Dad...was staying back. He narrowed his eyes at me when he realized I was staring at him.

"Naru, behind me!" I screamed at my cousin. He did and turned me around to face the whips coming at us. "Hyōton: Blizzard Breath!" They all froze. I landed on one, Naru on another one.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He made around twenty clones who all slid on the ice to my dad. I gave a marker to a clone before he left.

I went to my dad's left, a Naru clone behind me.

"Suiton: Wild Water Wave Technique!"

"Fuuton: High Winds Technique!" the clone said once I was spitting water. The winds went on each sides of me and straight to Dad.

The clones vanished and Naru landed in front of me as the wall in front of us was destroyed by the attack. Naru was better with wind, I was better with water.

Dad jumped back in front of us, his Akatsuki coat in shreds and blood running down his face. He removed a shard of ice stuck in his leg.

"Okay, I guess kids are playing with the adults now." He looked at Naru, then me. "I don't understand."

"There's nothing to understand, we'll beat you!" Naruto yelled at him. Dad shook his head.

"This world will only destroy itself one day, why do you keep…" I frowned.

What?

"If the solution was to give up I wouldn't be here today, obviously! And when it comes to you I took an oath!" I looked at him in surprise. "I took an oath on Fubuki-nii-chan's grave before coming here!" It seemed to reach Dad. "He wanted his family to live in peace, he wanted people to live in peace but didn't have the time to do that, so I'm gonna be sure his dream will come true myself!" I blinked, my throat tight with emotion when he put his thumb on his heart. "Pervy Sage taught me that we needed to all work together to reach that, Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii always told me that hating back people who discriminate you will never be the answer, so I can't give up! I have a lot of people who want the same thing and that's why I'm not gonna run away! I never go back on my word! That's my nindō, that's my ninja way!" He pointed his finger at Dad as I smiled faintly. "That's why I'm gonna beat you once and for all and finish what my dad started!" I looked at Dad.

His brown eyes were wide open and he lowered his head. A chuckled came out of him.

"So that's how it is then." He raised his head with a grin, but there was something different. "Then come Naruto." We exchanged a look and nodded. "Come, both of you, and prove me wrong."

Naruto ran at him like I did, but he was distracting Dad while I was leaving markers around. Dad appeared behind me and I teleported away. He followed me but Naruto was there. He caught his fist and kicked him in the stomach. Naruto spat and I inserted myself between them, a kunai in hand. I dived it in Dad's stomach but he moved aside, so I only got his side.

He leaped back as I was on one knee, panting. Naruto came up behind, rubbing his stomach. There was a brief exchange of elemental jutsu that destroyed the ceiling and a part of the Tower above actually crashed in the lake.

"Naru, clones!" I ordered him. He nodded and made a bunch of clones that all went to Dad. I put markers on as much of them as I could.

Dad started to make his way through us, getting rid of the clones along the way. Eventually, he threw one above his shoulder. I grabbed Naru, who had prepared a clone safely with the smoke screen.

I teleported us behind Dad and he craned his neck to look at us.

"Giant Rasengan!" Naruto yelled, slamming his attack in Dad's back.

Yet...he smiled.

He smiled and closed his eyes, almost accepting his defeat.

He yelled in pain when he sent in the floor harshly, going through it and into the room below. Naru and I followed him and landed next to him, both panting.

I checked Dad's pulse. Weak, but here. He was knocked out though from the blow.

"We won," Naru whispered before grinning at me. "Nee-chan, we beat him!" I nodded and looked up.

"I still have one thing to do." I teleported back in the room and made the Claw.

I slammed it in the seal and console. Purple energy made cracks in it and the same cracks appeared in the clear pillars.

They started to crumble and the entire Tower shook.

"What the hell!?" Naru yelled once back next to me. He had Dad's arm on his shoulder, supporting him.

"I destroyed that cursed thing once and for all." The Claw disappeared and I blinked when I saw double. I looked down at my state.

Huh…

I looked at Naru and Dad.

Huh.

I was in a worst shape I anticipated.

The floor shook under our feet.

"We need to get him out of here," I told Naru, showing my Dad with a move of the chin.

"Agree. I know what he did but...if we let him die here we won't be any better than him." I nodded at Naru.

"You're right, and I killed enough Yuki clan members during the Bloody Mist, I don't want any more of my own blood on my hands." He pursed his lips as I put a hand on his shoulder and one on Dad's.

Huh...I didn't have enough chakra for the three of us. The floor shook again beneath us and we went down a level. The lower level must have collapsed on itself, it was a matter of seconds now before the whole Tower collapsed and sunk at the bottom of the lake forever.

I grinned at my cousin and he blinked.

"Goodbye."

"Nee…" he started with wide eyes but I hiraishined both Dad and him to Dai.

I walked to the side of the Tower and leaned my back against the broken part so that I could see the sea. I smiled to myself.

The sun was shining on it, making it sparkle.

It was beautiful.

When the floor disappeared beneath me and I started falling, a rumble hitting my head and making me pass out, the only thing I could think of was how beautiful the sight was.

Everything was in shades of gray and I was walking toward the pond. Something was pulling me to the bottom of it. I knew that place, it was the pond near my old house I went to several times with old Itachi.

I entered it, the cold, dark water reaching my ankles, then knees. I stopped when it reached my waist and I felt like vines wrapping themselves around my legs, like a soft embrace. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Akane!" I knew that voice.

That sinking feeling though...so attracti…

I was pulled back, arms firmly around my waist. Something warm went down my leg…

Black flames?

I screamed and started wriggling in the grasp.

"Akane!" I widened my eyes at the voice and stopped.

I turned around and slipped my arms around his neck, grabbing him firmly to kick the vines. Eventually, I was free and out of the pond, panting. I looked around.

Right, I knew where I was. And if I didn't, Itachi staring at me was the answer.

I stared back and raised my hand, waving at him like an idiot. He narrowed his eyes at me and sighed.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, standing up. He grabbed my hand, pulled me on my feet and started running, dragging me along.

"Where are we going?"

"Home." I raised my brows and didn't pip a word until I saw…

Oh.

My old house near the border between the Land of Fire and Land of Earth. Was it how Itachi see it? Home?

He opened the door and threw me inside before slamming the door shut behind him. I was leaning on the table. I looked around. It was...the same, everything was identical if not for the glass in front of the couch. It reminded me of how the souls in my seal would watch what was happening.

I turned around to face Itachi. He was leaning against the door, his onyx eyes not leaving me. My eyes darted around and I took a deep breath before finally looking at him.

"...hey Itachi...long time no see." He seemed vaguely amused by this.

"Since your last death." I smirked.

"Yeah." We stared at each other before moving.

We met each other halfway, his arms hugging me tightly as he buried his face in my hair. I had my face against his shoulder, my hands gripping his back. I sighed deeply, almost in relief.

He cupped my face in his hands and made me look at him. His eyes were softer I had ever seen when he was alive.

"You don't have anything to hide once you're dead I guess," I whispered to him. He smiled.

"Nothing at all," he agreed, pressing his lips against mine.

"Naruto!?" Dai screamed in shock. "And...and…" Kisame saw Ushio and left. "Don't pursue him!"

"Nee-chan…" Suigetsu looked at him. Naruto was shaking, starting at the collapsing tower. "She's still inside!" The blond jumped to his feet but Dai kept him from moving. "Let me go! Nee-chan...nee-chan…"

"What can you do exactly now you're out of that place!?" Dai replied angrily, turning his eyes to Suigetsu. "Go tell the team over there Akane's...still there, but we have Naruto and...him…" he finished, shooting Ushio a disgusted look.

As for Kakashi's group, the fighting had stopped when another side of the Tower had been destroyed. Sasuke and Hinata were searching faster, panic settling in when the seal door collapsed along the rest of the first floor.

"At least Ushio won't hinder our plans anymore," Tobi stated to Zetsu.

"He's still alive," the black part said. "Ushio and the jinchuuriki both escaped that place."

"There's no sign of the girl though," White Zetsu continued. "Should we finish Ushio?"

"No, let's leave things as they are today, we're leaving. Go tell Sasori and Kisame." He met Kakashi's eyes. "Until next time." He disappeared in a swirl.

"I…" Kakashi started, but Itachi was already off.

"Hyuuga-san." She turned around toward the Uchiha, Sasuke looked at his brother as well. "Naruto and Ushio are both out, but not Akane. Find her." Hinata gulped under his gaze and nodded.

"They're out?" Sasuke asked his brother, who ignored him.

After a long minute, Hinata gasped.

"She's falling!"

"Show me where," Itachi ordered her. She took off and he followed her. They went around the Tower.

"There are rubble on her but she's still ali…" She couldn't finish her sentence that Itachi had already dived in.

Akane's worst fear was drowning. He was not about to let her drown. He spotted the pile of rubble quickly and activated his sharingan. As Hinata had said, there was chakra buried underneath. Once close enough, Itachi summoned his Susanoo and moved the rubble away. He fastened his pace when he saw legs.

Itachi deactivated his Susanoo and swam closer to Akane. She was unconscious and looked almost peaceful, her long hair surrounding her head. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his chest, pressing his lips to hers as he swam back to the surface to give her oxygen.

He took a deep breath once out of the water and looked at her face. Her lips started to turn blue.

Itachi ran to the shore, Akane in his arms. Hinata was there.

"Go get a medic!" She left as he put Akane on the ground.

Thirty chest compression.

Two rescue breath.

Then back to thirty…

His heart was pounding painfully in his chest. He refused to let her die, he refused to let her go, not now, not when their relation had entered a new stage but he had not had the opportunity to…

"Stay with me," he whispered to her, his hands pushing down on her chest. "Please stay with me." His voice was begging. He was begging her but she couldn't hear him. "Come on Akane, you can't go like that, I won't let you."

She couldn't die like that, not like this, not now. They still needed her around.

He needed her around him.

"You've been watching thanks to that then." Itachi nodded as we were both on the couch. He touched it with his hands and I blinked at the familiar scene. "I know that scene."

"Are you sure?" I rolled my eyes and watched myself trying to keep Itachi from leaving, then passing out. Itachi caught me and…

I blinked and leaned toward the glass.

His cold facade completely shattered and he buried his face in my neck. I only woke up the next day back then but…

He kissed my forehead. Itachi lifted me up and put me on the couch, placing a blanket on me before staring at me. Eventually, he kissed me.

"I love you." I blushed a little. "Forgive me." He caressed my cheek before putting his mask back on and leaving.

"I don't blame you for doubting that," Itachi told me quietly. "It wasn't nice to hear, but I can't blame you. Especially after Sasuke showed you my memories. Thinking I did all of this because of Shisui and...said I loved you because you were in love with me...it's something I could have done." He smirked sarcastically. "It's something I've done." I pursed my lips.

"Izumi?" He nodded.

"We were friends and people naturally assumed we were dating because I was a boy and she was a girl. She was in love with me...maybe with time I would have developed feelings for her, but back then it was the least of my worries. I killed her first because she was my friend and held me in such regards, so I made her live a life where we married and had children." I gulped.

"It's a lot for someone you claim not feeling anything for," I commented quietly. He smiled faintly.

"Yet it is true. I think somehow, I still had a five year-old girl mistaking me for a girl in mind." I blushed.

"What are you saying?" He looked at me.

"You didn't care," he whispered softly. "About me, being an Uchiha or a genius. You didn't care at all, it was new. It felt good. I...had a crush on you." I was stunned and pointed at myself. He chuckled.

"You've had a crush on me. Since we were five?" He nodded. "But when we were traveling…"

"It turned into more." His eyes lingered on my lips for a second. "A lot more." I looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "But I couldn't show you the extent of it. I'm not sure I would have been able to even if I had wanted to." He pursed his lips. "Our relationship...watching you these past nine years, it made me realize no matter how much I love the times we spent together, it...wasn't really healthy."

"The conditions wouldn't have allowed a healthy relationship Itachi." I shyly took his hand. He squeezed it and kissed my fingers. "It's not as if any of us really thought it would lead somewhere either, it...we took what we wanted and needed from it. It doesn't mean we didn't love each other, just…"

"We both took what we wanted and needed from the other's issues," he finished for me. I was alone and saw he wanted...somewhere to go back to, so I let him come back to me. He saw I was alone and would let him do it so he kept coming. "I wanted to come back you know." I blinked. "As time went by, I wanted to stay more and more, but the path Sasuke was walking...I had done too much to him to drop everything and stay with you." I smiled faintly and cupped his cheek with my free hand.

"I know that. I resented you at first because I thought I just wasn't enough but...I know now." His gaze was relieved. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"I don't agree though." I raised a brow. "You said our relationship didn't lead anywhere. I don't agree." I smiled.

"They're perfect, aren't they?" He reciprocated my smile.

"They are." He pecked my lips. "I'm sorry you had to raise the twins on your own." I pursed my lips.

"It was hard but...I handled it." We gazed at each other lovingly for a few seconds. I bit my bottom lip. "But you're an idiot. You shouldn't be here Itachi, you…"

"I know what the risks are but you didn't keep your promise." I blinked. "I saw you die, but you didn't join me. You died too soon and didn't join me and I couldn't let you go through all this without any way to know how it was going." He kissed my knuckles. "I left you alone to raise Shisui and Akiko, I wasn't going to leave you alone again, even if you can't see me. I see everything." He kissed me again.

I enjoyed the feeling of his lips against mine. It felt so nostalgic and brought back so many memories. Yet, there wasn't this passion or overwhelming love I felt toward the Itachi I was now used to.

"You'll always be the love of my life Akane," he whispered against my lips.

"Damn, now you're open with me," I mumbled weakly. He smiled.

"I'm dead, I have nothing to lose." I caressed his cheek. "The day you'll break your seal we'll see each other again, but until then you have a right to enjoy your life. I know you came to the same realization on your own, but don't forget it. Nothing will take away what you lived before and the relationships you had. You'll forever be the mother of my children and nothing and no one can take that away from us." I smiled and nodded.

"So you wouldn't have minded if I had went to Shisui?" He pursed his lips.

"Hard to say, he is different from the Shisui I knew." I chuckled. "Ultimately, if you're happy, it's all that matters."

"But you're rooting for yourself." He smirked, an interested glint in his eyes.

"Of course I am." I shook my head and looked at him in confusion.

"I don't understand though." He raised a brow. "Why he would...feel anything toward me. I know you told me you had a crush on me when we were kids but…"

"We fell in love with each other because we knew we had been through a lot and were not over it. We were less lonely that way," he explained to me as I moved back.

"I know that."

"Well then, it's the same for you and him." I frowned. "I died, and the woman who was not over her past is long gone as well. From the moment you both had to go through these therapy sessions together, the same feeling of companionship appeared." I widened my eyes. "You were fixated on giving him a future and he was a kid back then, you didn't see it, but as he grew into an adult it changed. He never killed his family, but it doesn't mean you didn't go through anything together." I looked down. "After all, you didn't love me because I killed my clan, did you?"

"Of course not." He smiled at me.

"You fell in love with me for who I was, and this Itachi you've fallen in love with is the same, if not for a few things he realized I only realized when I was brought back with the Edo Tensei." I gulped and put my hand on his heart.

"At the core you're the same person," I whispered. He nodded.

"And this one knows he can rely on people and that Konoha is safe with Sasuke's generation. He knows his brother has solid support outside of his family."

"...I see." He kissed my forehead.

"No matter what version of me it is, no matter what version of you it is, I'll always have feelings for you, fall in love with you, one way or another. I just know it."

I blushed hard, which made him chuckled and kiss my cheek. Once my face got its regular color back, I pursed my lips and looked at him.

"Did you...feel relieved when you died?" He pursed his lips and sighed.

"Yes, I did." I looked down. "I wouldn't be in constant pain anymore due to that sickness, and I would be done with my guilt." I clenched my fists.

"I'm not relieved," I whispered. "I know my mission has been over for a while but...dying like this means none of us will see our loved ones again."

"So?" I blinked. "What are you gonna do about it? Fight to stay alive?"

"I...I don't know," I admitted. "I mean...I finally managed to look at what I thought was a curse in a positive way but...thinking about what's coming is frightening. What do you think I should do?"

"I think you should fight." I tilted my head. "I'm more than happy to finally be able to talk to you, but it's limited. You can't stay here forever. I don't want you to stay here forever."

"Not much to do around here?" His stern gaze remained, not enjoying the joke.

"I know it's hard Akane, I've seen more than once how you struggled, and if I could help you more I would. If I could swap my place with you, I would."

"I'd kill you for that, you've sacrificed everything once already." I smile faintly. "You wouldn't be able to handle Naruto like the other you does anyway." A smile appeared on his face.

"Point for you on this one." I laughed and felt like a weight on my shoulders.

"God, what…"

"Akane?"

"I...there's something pulling me down." He frowned and touched the glass once more.

"Breathe," Itachi said. Not the one next to me, but the one I was now used to.

"Is it weird to see yourself?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"You get used to it. He's been trying to reanimate you since he got you out of the lake."

"Oh," I said, feeling warm inside. I was touched. Of course he wouldn't let me die but…

Still.

"He may not have my emotional baggage, but he has the same feelings." He took my chin between two fingers and kissed me lovingly. He leaned his forehead against mine when he broke the kiss, looking deep in my eyes. "I'm proud of the woman you've become, no matter how painful it was and will be." I cupped his cheek and pecked his lips.

"The Konoha I lived in was peaceful. It was not always easy but...thanks. For everything, for loving me, for giving me the twins and a place to call home and a family." He grinned at me, eyes shining almost. "I...should go now, shouldn't I?" He nodded.

"I'll see you later."

I stood up, smiled one last time at him and ran outside the house to the hole I used on the Eastern Continent.

Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter! Thanks to Amaterasu53 and 123lamiko for the reviews!

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