Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!

Chapter 38: Brothers

Not even two hours after falling asleep, Namiko sat straight up, panicked, startling both Suigetsu and Juugo. She leaned over and shook Sasuke's arm. "We need to go! I sense multiple shinobi and ninken coming toward us. Konoha must've sent a retrieval team after us after Orochimaru's death. We have about ten minutes before they're here." She hurriedly grabbed her backpack and rifled through it. She pulled out a clean black cropped shirt, turned her back to hide her chest from the three men in the room, and quickly pulled off the white one she had been wearing, leaving her in her bra and black shorts.

"What are you doing?!" snapped Sasuke, suddenly wide awake, eyes wide in shock, and wondering why his girlfriend was doing this in front of everyone. Suigetsu gawked at the girl while Juugo politely turned his head to give her more privacy.

"Changing my shirt. It would be best if you changed yours too," she explained matter-of-factly. She threw on the clean shirt and turned back around, crossing her arms over her chest before holding her hand out to Sasuke. "Give me the white shirt you wore yesterday." He handed her the ripped shirt and she immediately ripped it into smaller pieces, before doing the same to her own.

"Red, I think you've lost it. What on earth are you doing?" Suigetsu gave her a curious look before muttering, "Not that I don't enjoy the view…" Sasuke shot him a glare and Suigetsu immediately held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry! It slipped!"

She sighed in irritation as she arranged the strips of cloth. "Konoha is tracking Sasuke and I, and they're using my teammates to find us. Kiba is a skilled tracker for long distances, but if we scatter mine and Sasuke's scents, it'll confuse and delay them."

She turned to Juugo. "I need you to call some of your birds to help out, please."

Juugo did as asked and several small sparrows landed on the window. Namiko looked up at him appreciatively. "Will they let me tie these to their legs?" At his nod, she passed him some of the fabric and they tied the strands to the birds' legs. "Can you tell them to fly in every possible direction from here?" He nodded again and the birds took flight.

Sasuke put on a vest-like shirt and stood. "We need to leave now then." Namiko swung her backpack on her shoulders, prompting Suigetsu and Juugo to both prepare to leave as well.

She bit her lip nervously as they exited the inn and began leaping through the trees. Sasuke noticed her behavior shift and spoke just loud enough for her to hear, "Naruto is with them, isn't he?"

"It's him, Hinata, Kiba, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, Sai, that jounin Yamato, and Shino, who I've only met once before." She forced a shaky exhale.

He looked at her sympathetically. "…you can go to them if you want."

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you. We're so close to completing your goal." She set her expression determinedly. "I'm staying with you and that's final. Naruto can wait."

Sasuke couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. If he wasn't going after Itachi, they would've been back in Konoha already. But was Konoha willing to accept him back? He knew Naruto would with open arms, but what about everyone else? Would he be imprisoned? Executed? He shook off the thought and continued to lead the way to one of the Akatsuki hideouts that Juugo had discovered.

"Shit!" bit out Kiba.

Naruto immediately felt dread wash over him. "What happened? Is Namiko okay?"

"Her and Sasuke's scents are scattering in different directions." Kiba groaned. "She knows we're following her and must've come up with some idea to confuse my nose. Damn it! We can't track them all down at once!"

"Maybe you can't but I can." Naruto grinned and crossed his hands. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" About a dozen or so clones appeared. "Now where do I need to send them?" Kiba gave directions everywhere he could smell their scent and Naruto scattered his clones.

A few moments later, one of the clones felt a presence behind a tree. Naruto quickly hid before peering around the trunk and coming face to face with the Sharingan. 'Uchiha Itachi! I didn't think we'd run into him so soon!'

Itachi stepped out of the shadows, fully illuminated by the sun high in the sky. "Come on out, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Let me guess," said Naruto as he came out of his hiding spot, "you're here to capture me and gain the kyuubi."

Itachi slowly shook his head. "No, I simply wish to talk with you."

Naruto scoffed. "Yeah right, like I'd ever believe you!"

"You're alone. Why haven't you run?"

"Why would I want to run? If I capture you, then I get to see Sasuke again!" Naruto didn't dare mention Namiko. He had no idea what information the Akatsuki had access to.

Itachi eyed the blond skeptically. "Why are you obsessed with my brother? He's gone rogue and abandoned his village and his friends. Plus, he has your sister captive."

"That's not it at all. Namiko is trying to bring him home too. Sasuke and I may not be blood, but he's more of a brother to me than he is to you!"

The faintest smile crossed Itachi's lips, too small for Naruto to register. "I have somewhere important to be. Good luck." Without another word, Itachi vanished in a flurry of crows, leaving behind a very confused Naruto.

"Sasuke! Up ahead, I just felt Itachi's chakra on the edge of my senses! It's not physically him though…it's a shadow clone?" Namiko called out as their team leaped through the trees.

Sasuke motioned for her to go in front of him. "Lead the way."

A little over ten minutes later, they came across a dark cave, one that had been marked on the map as an Akatsuki hideout. "I can't feel his chakra anymore; he must've gone inside or dispersed his clone."

"I'm going to check in out. You three stay here," said Sasuke as he walked into the mouth of the cave.

Namiko bit her lip nervously. "Sasuke, maybe I should come—"

"No," said Sasuke firmly. "You are to stay here. And you two," he nodded to Suigetsu and Juugo, "keep her safe." He turned and went deep inside the cave.

Namiko groaned aloud and angrily sat on a nearby rock.

Suigetsu glanced at Namiko with a half-smirk. "Don't take it personally, Namiko. You know how Sasuke is when it comes to you."

Juugo nodded in agreement, his eyes scanning the area for any potential threats. "He's just trying to protect you."

Namiko sighed, her frustration evident. "I know, but I can handle myself. I'm not some helpless damsel."

Suigetsu chuckled. "Of course, you can. But try telling that to Sasuke."

Minutes passed, and the tension in the air grew thicker. Namiko's anxiety began to gnaw at her. She stood up, pacing back and forth. "This is taking too long. What if something happened to him?"

Juugo placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sasuke is strong. He'll be fine."

Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly and the sound of Chidori echoed from within the cave. Namiko's heart skipped a beat and she bolted to her feet. "That's it. I'm going in!"

Suigetsu stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "Namiko, you heard Sasuke. He wants you to stay here." He reached out to grab her wrist, but she used Teleportation Jutsu, maneuvering past him fluidly and scurrying into the cave. "Damn it, Namiko! Why does she have to be so fast?"

Juugo placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head gently. "Let her go, she's just worried about him."

"And I'm worried Sasuke will kill us if she gets hurt."

Inside the cave, Namiko moved stealthily, her senses on high alert. Suddenly, a stone door appeared and Sasuke stood on the other side. The moment their eyes met, he gripped her wrist, pulling her to him before pushing her up against the cave wall. "I thought I told you to stay outside."

Namiko looked away, avoiding his eyes. "I couldn't wait outside. I was worried…"

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "It was a shadow clone. You told me that. Why were you worried?"

"I don't know, I couldn't sense anything when you came inside here and it made me nervous. I don't like not being able to sense you." She finally met his eyes again before glancing down at his lips.

"I'm fine." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "But you can't do this when we find Itachi for real…which is probably going to be sooner than later."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked and Sasuke just walked out of the cave with her following closely behind.

"Everything okay?" Suigetsu asked, his usual smirk replaced by a more serious expression.

"Fine, but next time don't let her escape." Sasuke rolled his eyes before continuing, "Itachi's clone gave me instructions to meet him at an old Uchiha hideout. Now let's go." With that, they all followed Sasuke as he led them to the hideout.

"Oh no…" groaned Namiko. "Naruto has his shadow clones everywhere!"

"Do you sense him or anyone else, or just the clones?" asked Sasuke as he focused straight ahead.

"Just clones."

"Then we keep going this way."

"But there's a clone on the path in front of us…"

Sasuke cut her off, "We keep going this way."

"If we keep going, we'll run straight into Naruto! Anything a clone does comes back to him once it's dispersed. If he sees us, he'll know our location!" she exclaimed. Juugo and Suigetsu traded looks at their quarrel but said nothing.

"It doesn't matter. He's not going to stop me," snapped Sasuke.

Namiko recoiled slightly. 'I know a lot is weighing on his mind right now.' She shook her head, trying to calm her anxiety. "He's only one kilometer away. So we have less than a minute."

Naruto came into view and locked eyes with his sister before glaring at Sasuke. "Namiko! Sasuke!"

Sasuke charged his Chidori in his left hand and ran it right through the clone, causing it to disappear in a cloud of smoke.

Namiko exhaled forcefully. 'I hope Sasuke didn't just make things more difficult for us.'

"I found them!" shouted Naruto. "They're traveling with two other shinobi."

"Where to?" asked Kiba.

"This way!" Naruto quickly turned and began running perpendicularly to where they currently were. 'I can't let them get away this time. I'm bringing both of them home!' He led them through the thick forest, hopping over downed trees with ease. He was determined to get to Namiko and Sasuke as soon as he could.

As they rounded a corner, Hinata cried out, "Naruto-kun, wait!"

Naruto jumped up to land on another branch but a man in an orange spiral mask popped out of nowhere. "Howdy!" Tobi said with a wave.

"What the—?" Naruto flipped backward and landed next to Hinata.

"Well now, how's it going there? And there, there, and there?" said Tobi as he stood on the branch. "Imagine running into Konoha folks in a place like this. And it's two, four, six…eight against one! What bad luck!"

Yamato studied the masked man before them. "He's wearing Akatsuki robes."

"But he's not in the roster Kabuto gave us," said Kakashi as he watched carefully.

Tobi chuckled and cheerily responded, "I'm kinda new here. Nice to meet you."

Kiba glared and Akamaru barked. "Think you're funny, huh? Look, buddy, don't waste our time."

"Don't be rash," Kakashi said under his breath, "we need to wait and see, study the situation first. We do have a numbers advantage."

"Oh dear…am I being underestimated? By you guys?" said Tobi, a taunting tone flooding his voice. "Huh?"

Tobi turned just in time to see Naruto coming from behind, Rasengan in hand. "Get out of my way!" However, Naruto passed straight through Tobi, stumbling as he went through. 'I know I hit him…it's like he's a ghost or something.'

Even though his face couldn't be seen, you could hear the smirk in Tobi's voice. "Oh no! Just kidding. You are so full of yourself! I mean, what can a kid like you really do?" Tobi reared back and kicked Naruto straight in the face, causing the clone to disappear. "You Konoha shinobi are pretty smart, but be honest, I'm pretty good for a new guy!" he cackled.

"None of Naruto's attacks are connecting," said Yamato.

Kakashi had his eyes laser-focused on Tobi. "He's toying with us, but why?"

"Now then, what should we play now, Konoha folks?" asked Tobi.

Naruto stepped forward, obviously furious. "We don't have time to play around with the likes of you."

"Everyone let's get this over with," said Kakashi.

Yamato called out, "Formation B." Shouts of acknowledgment rang out around them.

"Oh ho ho, you're getting serious now? Well, I guess I better get fired up too then!" Tobi put his arms over his head, leaning side to side as he stretched.

"You jerk! Stop kidding around!" yelled Naruto angrily.

"Naruto, just focus on the formation," said Sakura.

Naruto's focus was fully on Tobi. "Yeah, I know that."

"Kiba, are you ready?" asked Sakura.

Kiba smiled at her. "Anytime you are. Right, Akamaru?"

"Here goes." Sakura gripped Naruto's arm and swung him around like a doll, launching him into the air.

"Ooo, so high! Look at him go! That girl has some monster power." Tobi gasped. "Oh no, they distracted me with a decoy! And now those three are surrounding me! I don't know which one to dodge!"

Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru charged at Tobi, each one unable to make contact. Tobi looked up just in time to see Naruto coming toward him, another Rasengan in hand. "You weren't a decoy? You got me!" shouted Tobi as Naruto hit him with the attack.

As the dust cleared, Naruto realized Tobi was nowhere to be found. The Akatsuki member popped up from the ground. "Kidding! Ninja Art, Blockade Jutsu." He disappeared again, only to pop out in front of Kakashi. "You said you guys were all going to attack together, and I believed you!"

"Keep it up! Split up and force your way through his defenses!" commanded Kakashi.

As everyone split up, Tobi began popping up randomly in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. "I've got it, I'm going to name this 'Ninja Art Whack-a-mole Jutsu!'"

Kakashi was a little more than curious about this crazed man in front of them. Yamato approached him and he cut him off before he could speak. "I know, unless we finish him off for good, we're not going to be able to move forward."

Tobi chuckled, taunting them, "So what should we play next, guys?"

As they neared the Uchiha hideout, Namiko noticed they were running straight toward a monstrous chakra. "Sasuke, I can feel Kisame's chakra now, but I don't feel Itachi's. Is the hideout underground?" At his brusque nod, she rolled her eyes and muttered, "Of course it is…"

"Why does that matter?" asked Suigetsu.

"It means I won't be able to sense Sasuke's chakra during their fight," she explained. 'I don't like that one bit. I know Sasuke is strong, but he's already fought one Akatsuki this morning. He's maybe at about seventy-five percent strength right now with his injuries and chakra depletion. He was in far worse shape when we were at the inn…'

"Sasuke, are you sure you should be doing this right now? You're still injured from this morning," said Juugo.

"Ever since I absorbed Orochimaru, I've been able to heal quicker. Taking down Itachi won't be a problem."

'He did what?! Is that why his curse mark chakra has been so intense lately?!' She wanted to scream at him, but now was not the time as Kisame approached them atop the buildings near the hideout. "Incoming!"

Kisame jumped down in front of them, casually sitting on a rooftop with Samehada thrown over his shoulder. "Only Sasuke alone may go beyond this point. Itachi's orders, so that's how it's going to be. The rest of you are welcome to wait right here with me."

"Wait with you? You hunted me…how can we trust you?" asked Namiko.

"Don't worry, Namiko, Juugo and I got your back," reassured Suigetsu with a toothy grin.

"I have no intent or interest in fighting all of you, but if you insist on going with him, I will show no mercy," said Kisame.

Sasuke turned to lock eyes with Namiko. "That means you stay put, no matter what. Understood?" Namiko didn't dare answer. She knew that was his way of telling her indirectly to follow instructions and not intervene in his fight. Without another word, Sasuke leaped past Kisame and toward the hideout.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, and his sword, Samehada…" began Suigetsu, though at Kisame's puzzled look, he continued, "I'm Hozuki Suigetsu, the younger brother of Mangetsu."

A look of recognition crossed over Kisame's face. "Oh, I didn't even recognize you. My, you certainly have grown, Suigetsu."

"It would be boring just to wait around for Sasuke, don't ya think? So what do you say we play around and have a little fun, huh, Kisame-senpai?" suggested Suigetsu.

Kisame stood up, obviously interested. "Unlike your brother, you're quite impetuous, aren't you, Suigetsu? So maybe I should cut you down to size." He swung his sword and the two began to fight.

Juugo gently tugged on Namiko's wrist. "We should back out of the way. Suigetsu is a tough fighter." Namiko just nodded dumbly, letting the large man lead her a dozen or so meters away.

Namiko exhaled a shaky breath. Juugo noticed and smiled softly. "Sasuke will be fine." Juugo paused. "He won't leave you. He cares for you too much for that."

Namiko turned to him. "What are you talking about? I'm just nervous because I can't sense their chakra…"

He chuckled lightly. "It's as obvious as your bright red hair. You two need each other, and I swear I won't say anything to anyone else. I promise he'll be alright though."

Namiko stared at the hideout as she felt Sasuke's chakra vanish as he entered. "I hope you're right, Juugo, I hope you're right."

Sasuke stepped into the dark underbelly of the hideout, his Sharingan active and ready. Itachi sat on a throne, his legs crossed nonchalantly and his Sharingan primed for action. "How much can you see with that Sharingan of yours?"

"How much can I see?" Sasuke's voice was cold and even. "I see you dead at my feet."

"You see me dead, do you? Well then, go on and make it happen." Itachi whirled past Sasuke, whipping out a kunai which Sasuke quickly deflected with his sword. They traded blows with practiced fluidity before Itachi landed a great hit, knocking Sasuke back several meters.

Sasuke quickly activated his Chidori and charged at Itachi, stopping a couple of meters away and placing his palm on the ground. "Chidori Stream!" He then leaped over Itachi and ran him through with his sword, pinning his older brother to the ground. "Listen to me. I have one final thing to ask of you…"

Itachi pointed at him with his first two fingers and gestured for Sasuke to look to his right. Sasuke saw Itachi still sitting on the throne. Sasuke's expression remained impassive as he stood up. "It's the same genjutsu as before. You're losing your touch, Itachi."

"What do you want to know? It won't be the last thing, but I want to hear what you have to say." Itachi said right before Sasuke's sword burst through his chest. "You avoided any vital spots. Well done."

Sasuke ground his teeth and ripped out his sword, walking around to face Itachi. "Who is it? Who else has the Mangekyo like us and is the third living Uchiha?"

"Why do you want to know who it is?" Itachi hesitated before adding, "…and what do you mean 'like us'? Since when do you have the Mangekyo, my dear otouto?"

"It doesn't matter when I got it. You told me to come find you when I had the same eyes as you and now I do. Now answer the question because after I kill you, I'm going after him since he would have had to be a co-conspirator in the massacre. There's no way you could have taken down the entire Konoha Police Force alone."

Sasuke's eyes shifted from the three-tomoe pattern to that of his Mangekyo Sharingan, and for a split second, Itachi froze in place. There was no sense in using genjutsu anymore to fight and he dispersed the façade, allowing them both to return to their original positions standing facing each other.

Itachi never thought that Sasuke would be able to acquire the Mangekyo Sharingan on his own; he always expected the end of this battle would be what forced it to appear. He told Sasuke to kill his best friend for the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he knew his kind-hearted little brother could never bring himself to kill his best friend. So how did he achieve it?

"So, you managed to kill Uzumaki Naruto?" asked Itachi, ignoring Sasuke's question and feigning ignorance. He had seen Naruto earlier that day, so obviously that was not what happened, but he had no idea how Sasuke would've gained Mangekyo Sharingan otherwise.

Sasuke looked at him condescendingly. "I killed no one to gain this. I didn't have to sink to your level." He'd never admit to Itachi that Namiko nearly dying on him was what had been the catalyst; it put her too much at risk. Sasuke would do anything to keep her safe. Itachi would never hurt his family again.

"So, how much have you used it?" When Sasuke didn't answer, Itachi continued, "From the moment the Mangekyo Sharingan awakens, it continually progresses to darkness. The more you use them, the quicker they become sealed. They eventually lose their light altogether."

"I know. Blindness…that's the price for controlling the kyuubi." Sasuke was getting fed up with his brother's stalling. "Now answer me, who is the third Uchiha?"

"Uchiha Madara."

"He was a founder of Konoha. He should be long dead by now. Do you think I'm a fool?!" snapped Sasuke.

"Believe me or not, he is alive."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, remembering when the kyuubi had said he looked like Madara. "Who and what is he?"

"The first person to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan and tame the kyuubi. An immortal man who is both my comrade and mentor." Itachi paused to take a breath. "And the man who helped me complete my mission…"

"Mission? Killing our whole clan was a mission?" Sasuke scoffed. "Now I know you're full of shit. And now that you're done playing with your illusions, let's get down to business."

Namiko was pacing back and forth anxiously. It had felt like hours since Sasuke entered the hideout, but according to the sun's position, it had been maybe half an hour. The lack of activity was driving her crazy. No signs of their battle's status at all. No chakra for her to estimate. She suddenly wished she was Hinata and could peer through the walls to watch.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ground causing everyone to stop what they were doing and watch. A hole had been blown through the top of the hideout and Itachi jumped backward through the hole before blowing out the Uchiha clan's Great Fireball toward Sasuke as he broke through the hole, the curse mark wings lending him aid as he landed almost gracefully.

Namiko could feel both men were low on chakra but otherwise seemed okay. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Whatever happened in there seemed to have been more mental than physical, but given that the Sharingan and Uchiha clan excelled at genjutsu, it wasn't a surprise.

However, it was apparent that they had switched to ninjutsu as both blew out Great Fireball which matched evenly. Sasuke had more chakra thanks to the curse mark, and soon his flame began to push Itachi's back. Namiko felt a spike of chakra from Itachi as black flames began to swirl within the Great Fireball and it seemed to swallow the orange flames whole.

Sasuke took to the sky and flew circles around Itachi as Itachi chased him with the black flames. Namiko held her breath again. 'Fire that can swallow fire…what will that do if it catches Sasuke?!' Her worst fears were soon realized when the black fire caught hold of Sasuke's wings, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Namiko gasped as Sasuke's chakra suddenly vanished. She panicked momentarily before remembering that chakra doesn't disappear immediately if you die. 'Where is he? Back in the hideout?'

A monstrous dragon made of fire burst through the rooftop of the hideout, quickly followed by two more. The dragons seemed to bypass Itachi and disappear right into the sky. With the hole in the hideout enlarged, Namiko could finally feel Sasuke's chakra again which had taken a nose-dive into almost nothing. 'What is he thinking? He just blew through his chakra like Naruto eating ramen! He won't be able to use any more ninjutsu.'

The sky turned dark as thunder rolled in and rain began to pour. Namiko couldn't see Sasuke, but she could feel him, which was far more important to her now. A bright light shone through dark clouds as lightning crackled over the entire hideout like a plasma ball. She could barely make out Sasuke flipping out of the hole he made and onto one of the large walls on the very top of the hideout, his Chidori charged within his hand.

An enormous dragon made from lightning burst from the clouds and dove toward Itachi with a deafening roar. The resulting explosion shook the earth, causing Namiko to lose her balance and fall on her backside. Juugo was by her side in an instant. "Are you okay?"

"I don't even know right now. I just want this all to be over." She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed the bile that threatened to rise. Her voice was a whisper, barely audible over the heavy rain, "…he might die and I don't think I could live with myself if that happened."

She felt Sasuke activate his curse mark again and Namiko jerked her eyes open to see an orange glow surrounding Itachi and began to form what appeared to be a giant skeleton standing probably fifty meters tall. It transformed, adding skin and armor over the skeleton.

Without warning, colossal white snakes shot out from Sasuke, and Namiko was overcome with the feeling of Orochimaru's sinister chakra. 'No, no, no! I thought Sasuke killed him! Could he have come from the curse mark?'

The ethereal being cut off the heads of the snakes before beginning to suck in the snakes. Once the snakes were gone, Namiko could no longer feel Orochimaru's presence or any remaining chakra stuck to Sasuke. She breathed a small sigh of relief before seeing the orange figure advance toward Sasuke and panic flooded her.

Sasuke was completely out of chakra; he was no better than a sickened civilian right now. Itachi was almost out of chakra and the orange figure began reverting until it was just a ribcage surrounding Itachi. Namiko didn't know what it could do if it came into contact with Sasuke. She wasn't taking any chances.

She was done sitting on the sidelines. Kisame couldn't fight her if he couldn't catch her. 'Sasuke can hate me later, but I won't let him die!' She quickly got to her feet, her lips pressed together in determination.

Suigetsu noticed the look on her face and called out to her, "Red, I see the wheels turning in your head. Don't do anything stu…pid."

Before he could finish his word, she disappeared from Juugo's side and reappeared next to Sasuke, slamming her Adamantine Sealing Chains in place, creating a barrier between them and Itachi.

Sasuke was on his knees, trying to regain his breath. "Namiko…what…the hell…are you doing?!" His words came out strained like he barely had the strength to speak.

"I'm trying to keep you alive since you blew through all your chakra creating that lightning dragon," she hissed back. She could feel their Konoha friends' chakra on the edge of her senses and fast approaching but didn't say anything to Sasuke; it wouldn't be long before they were here.

"So, you come to Sasuke's defense just like you did three years ago," Itachi said with a laugh that suddenly had him doubled over and coughing, blood spilling over the sides of his hand.

"You're in far worse condition than Sasuke. You're dying and you know it." Namiko stood her ground as Itachi came closer. "You may have more chakra than him at the moment, but you're sick. Your body can't heal itself and your chakra is fading rapidly. If you keep up that—creature or whatever, you'll only kill yourself faster."

Itachi faltered and let his Susanoo fade. "You're right…" He stumbled forward until he was just outside her barrier. "I need to tell you something important, Sasuke, I was telling the truth. The massacre was a mission."

He paused and coughed heavily, more blood pouring from his mouth. "Ever since the kyuubi attacked the village sixteen years ago, the Uchiha clan was put under surveillance since it was rumored that the Sharingan could control the kyuubi. Seeds of mistrust were sewn between us and the village. We were segregated and the Uchiha clan planned a coup to overtake Konoha's leadership to regain their freedom."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he stood, placing a hand on Namiko's shoulder to steady himself. He scoffed at his brother, "I don't believe you! Who would've been stupid enough to start a coup?"

"Our father." Namiko felt Sasuke's grip tighten on her shoulder as Itachi continued, "But I knew that if a coup did happen, it would only lead to civil war and that was something I never wanted you to see. I wanted to protect you."

"Protect me?! Some fucked up job you've done of that!" lashed out Sasuke.

"I was ANBU, so I agreed to act as a double agent between the Sandaime and the Uchiha. We tried to find a way to negotiate, but the clan, especially our father, wouldn't agree to that." Itachi took a shaky breath as if to prevent another cough. "Danzo, one of Konoha's elders, explained my choice: let the coup happen and everyone die, or I could assassinate everyone before the coup took place and in exchange…spare your life."

"You killed everyone…for me?" Sasuke's voice cracked and Namiko glanced up at him to see his face filled with conflicting emotions. Mistrust and a hint of sadness, before anger took over. "Are you insane?! Why would you agree to that?"

"Sasuke," said Itachi with a mournful smile, "they were all going to die anyway. At least this way, you got to live."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "I…I can't think of this right now…I—"

"Sasuke! Namiko!" a familiar voice called out. Naruto and the rest of the team landed surrounding the three. Relief filled Namiko. Sasuke was alive and Naruto was here. They could go home.

"Itachi…" Kakashi stepped closer, only a couple of meters from him. "It's been a while."

"You can cut the small talk Kakashi; I'll come back to Konoha willingly." Itachi let his Sharingan fade, his eyes going back to their normal black. "I need to tell the Hokage what I've learned from the Akatsuki. If I wait any longer, I will no longer be able to share what I know."

Kakashi tried to hide his surprise but nodded once in understanding before producing a pair of chakra limiters from his pocket and placing them on Itachi's wrists. It was obvious that the two Uchiha would need medical attention. "Sakura, you'll need to heal him and Sasuke before we head back to Konoha. Not fully, but enough to transport them back. Namiko, are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" She finally let down her barrier and collapsed on her hands and knees to the ground.

Sasuke tried catching her, but his reflexes weren't quick enough and he just ended up falling to his own knees next to her. Instead, Naruto sprang forward grabbing his sister's shoulders. "Imouto! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He looked her over, scanning for hidden injuries.

"Just a bit low on chakra. I'm okay otherwise, I promise," she reassured him with a smile.

"You're more than a bit low and you know it. Using Flying Raijin four times in a day and your sealing chains…" Sasuke scoffed, but his facial expression had relaxed some.

Naruto turned his attention to the Uchiha. "Good to see you, Sasuke. Now are you coming back home willingly, or do I still have to drag your ass back?"

Sasuke smirked. "I'll come back willingly, though you may still have to drag me back."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Was that an actual joke?!" He turned to face his sister. "What did you do to him while you were gone?"

"He actually talks now too." Namiko laughed, the slightest blush tinting her cheeks. She reached forward and pulled her brother into a hug. "I missed you, nii-chan."

"I missed you too," he replied as he squeezed back tightly, almost afraid that if he let go, she'd disappear again. He helped her to her feet and Sasuke slowly stood as well.

Yamato walked over and presented two more sets of chakra limiters. "Sorry to do this, but even though you're willing to come back on your own, we have orders."

Sasuke understood and held out his wrists, but Namiko hesitated. She could no longer feel Suigetsu, Juugo, or Kisame, meaning they most likely all fled when they saw Konoha incoming. She sighed before allowing him to snap them around her wrists, effectively shutting her off from her chakra sensing yet again.

Namiko saw Hinata and Kiba both anxiously standing off to the side. She glanced up at Yamato for unspoken permission and at his small nod of approval, she ran over to her teammates, throwing her arms around Hinata. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I should have listened to you and Ino—"

"Namiko, it's okay! I'm just happy you're coming home!" said Hinata, her voice tainted with unshed tears.

"Yeah, and this time for real…right?" said Kiba, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Yeah, this time for real," she replied. She knew Kiba was teasing her, but the guilt of abandoning her teammates was eating her up inside.

Sakura stopped healing Itachi and turned to Kakashi, whispering under her breath, "I've healed his critical injuries, but he'll need a lot more medical attention once we're back in Konoha. I don't like what I found." Kakashi gripped Itachi's upper arm and helped him on one of Sai's large birds with Sai.

Sakura walked over to Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto beamed at her. "Hey, Team 7 together again!"

"Yeah, I get the feeling that's not going to happen once we get back. I'm a rogue shinobi, remember?" reminded Sasuke as Sakura began to scan him with her chakra. "I'll be imprisoned the second we get back."

"We'll get you out ASAP! Right, Sakura?"

"…right." Sakura wasn't sure how to act around Sasuke. When she saw him at Orochimaru's base, he was so different from the boy she had a crush on. The boy she confessed her love to. The boy who was currently watching a certain redhead intensely. She felt a pang of jealousy go through her. What had happened between those two?

She finished her scan and went back to Kakashi without another word to her teammates. "He'll need more medical attention when we get back to Konoha, but he's mostly just chakra depleted."

"Alright, it looks like we're ready to head back. We're using Sai's Super Beast Scroll birds to transport everyone back to Konoha. Sai and I will transport Itachi while Yamato and Shino will transport Sasuke." Kakashi turned to face the rest. "Namiko, I want you to ride with Hinata so she can keep watch. Naruto and Sakura on the last one, with Kiba on Akamaru. Any questions? No? Okay, let's get back to Konoha."

Namiko climbed onto the creature and Hinata jumped on in front of her. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. 'I'm finally going home, and Sasuke's coming too. But…is what Itachi said really true? Or is this just a way of torturing Sasuke more? And what's going to happen to Sasuke when we get home?'

A/N: Things have shifted! Itachi is alive…how will this change everything? I'm thankful I was still able to get this chapter out this week. I hit some major inspiration late in the week and pulled some late nights, but I think it was worth it.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this development! I'll see you all (hopefully) next week.
Love, Eriisu

PS: Comments are my tip jar!