Chapter 70: Brothers

Gliding his hand along the wall as he walked through the old dilapidated building, Sasuke examined his surroundings with great interest, using his Sharingan to pick out the tiniest of details.

The entire building was under an illusion, one that they weren't able to break… Well, that wasn't entirely true. They were able to break out of the illusion, just not permanently as it would ensnare them only a few moments later.

Through the use of his Sharingan, he'd been able to partially see through the illusion, giving him an advantage when it came to traps… One that Kakashi shared as well. Sakura and Fu on the other hand… They'd been forced to follow their lead, avoiding the brunt of the traps.

There were a few that had been too well hidden… Sealing tags that had been set to go off at just the right time, but they'd ultimately managed to avoid being wounded, although there had been a few close calls. Sasuke had to wonder if it would have been better if they'd brought another member.

The Sharingan was able to partially see through the Genjutsu that enveloped the building, but if they had a Hyuga with them, they'd be able to take the most direct route through the compound while avoiding all traps.

Stopping as Kakashi came to a halt a small distance ahead of him, Sasuke watched as Kakashi reached into one of the walls and ripped a chunk of it out. No longer being in contact with the building, the illusion began to fade, revealing the rotted wood.

"Sasuke," Kakashi hummed softly. "What do you make of this?" He held the wood towards him.

Examining the old piece of wood, his Sharingan picked up the slightest hint of paint that had been shaped in the crest for the Uchiha clan. "This must be one of my clan's old hideouts," Sasuke replied. "From the Warring Clan Era."

There were dozens of hideouts like these littered across the Land of Fire with some extending past the modern day border, this one being one such building that existed somewhere between the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.

With the founding of Konoha, such buildings were no longer seen as a necessity and many had fallen to disrepair. There were still a few that were inhabited by others looking for shelter, but obviously not this one. Sasuke had to wonder if it wasn't because of the seemingly illusionary nature of it that this one was left alone.

Itachi was a genius, but he'd be hard pressed to use an illusion of such scale without completely exhausting his Chakra. He wouldn't be foolish enough to do something like that with what was clearly a trap intended on weakening intruders.

Since Itachi was no longer a part of the Akatsuki, he'd likely be expecting an attack and this was a method to stall them and give himself some much needed time to prepare.

If he was smart, which he was, he'd be using Rōshi as a hostage, preventing the Akatsuki from simply demolishing the house and killing him, which was likely his plan… At least, that's what Sasuke would do if he was in Itachi's position.

Feeling the building rumble and small pieces of debris begin to rain down from the crumbling ceiling, both Kakashi and Sasuke looked back to see that the traps that they'd so painstakingly maneuvered around were being remotely set off.

"We need to go… Now!" Kakashi ordered. "Sasuke, you guide Sakura and I'll take Fu!"

Given only enough time to act, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her through the maze of traps. To Sakura, it would likely seem like nothing much was going on, but to Sasuke, it was a whole other story. Spikes, Kunai, old Jutsu Shiki scripts that launched several small fireballs… His ancestors had certainly gone all out when they created this place.

Pulling Sakura down with him in order to avoid a spear that suddenly jutted out of the wall, Sasuke finally made it to a room at the end of the hallway that appeared free of traps. Kakashi and Fu were quickly approaching, before he felt the ground rumble and give out from beneath him while a spiked ceiling was revealed above, descending rapidly on their forms.

Mid fall, his Sharingan spun madly as he searched for a way. Finding several, his gaze locked on to Sakura and he kicked off a piece of the floor.

Grabbing onto his pink haired teammate, he pulled her close to him and sped through the room to the only exit that existed in this room, one floor below.

Bounding through a new hallway with new traps, he rushed through it and finally came to a stop on a solid stone ground that wasn't under the illusion. Looking back as a large portion of the house collapsed, Sasuke couldn't help but feel that it was done intentionally.

He'd been separated from his team… Well, most of his team.

"Damnit," Sakura cursed as she regained her bearings. "Can we just have one mission where I'm not covered in dirt and blood?" Patting herself down, Sakura's eyes locked on to Sasuke. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine," Sasuke replied. "It's just a flesh wound. Nothing that will slow me down."

"That's beside the point," Sakura sighed tiredly. "C'mon, just turn around and show me where you were hit and I'll check it out."

He wanted to argue that they didn't have time for this, but arguing with Sakura was a lesson in futility. "Fine," Sasuke muttered, revealing a small gash that cut through his shoulder. "Just make it quick. We're already on a tight schedule."

Nodding, Sakura's palms lit up with a green glow as she began to heal the wound. "You know, you haven't really said much since we started this mission," She noted. "Itachi was… Is your brother and he's responsible for–"

"Sakura," Sasuke said, cutting her off and causing her to flinch. "…I think you're done. My shoulder feels fine now."

Staring into Sasuke's Sharingan, Sakura sighed. "Just know that we're here for you, all of us. Team 7's your family too. We'll do anything to protect each other."

Staring straight ahead, Sasuke cracked a small smile. "Thank you." Taking a moment, he continued. "We should continue moving forward, we'll meet up with Kakashi and Fu later. For now, we continue the mission."

"…Okay."

Heading down the stone tunnel, Sasuke glanced back to make sure that Sakura was still following him, before picking up some speed. Unlike the house above, this area was completely devoid of traps, seeming more like an escape tunnel than anything else.

Seeing a large open room ahead, Sasuke began to slow down until he was walking. Entering it, he was greeted to a dimly lit bunker that had several tunnel offshoot. Sitting at one end on a stone chair, clad in a dark cloak was Itachi.

"So, you've finally arrived, little brother," Itachi hummed, his voice echoing through the various tunnels. "I knew this day would come, but I wonder if you're prepared for it… After all, you failed to follow my instructions."

"To only face you when I had eyes like yours," Sasuke muttered softly. Seeing Sakura take up a defensive stance with a pair of Kunai, Sasuke stepped forward and held his arm out in front of her. "You know, I've thought about this day for the longest time… Wondering what I'd do and, more importantly, what I'd say when I met you again."

Leaning his head on his fist, Itachi peered at Sasuke from his chair. "And what have you decided?"

Glancing to the side, Sasuke smirked. Slipping a Kunai into his palm he flicked it off to the side of the room, impaling the Uchiha clan's symbol on the wall, replicating Itachi's past actions. "You and I need to have a long talk, Itachi." Feeling a Genjutsu begin to take hold of him, he immediately dispelled it. "You can attack me if you want, but it's not going to get you anywhere."

Eyeing the Kunai, Itachi turned his gaze back to Sasuke. "What's the meaning of this?"

"It should be fairly obvious. Even an idiot would be able to figure it out," Sasuke replied. "I know what really happened that night."

Appearing more than a little thrown off guard, Itachi's gaze locked onto Sasuke. "What has Danzo done?"

"Nothing. I killed him," Sasuke freely admitted. "He had nothing to do with my knowing of what happened that night. The Kyuubi on the other hand… He was conscious during those years and spent his time observing what was going on in Konoha from inside Naruto. There was a lot more going on than even you realize, Itachi."

The bunker suddenly went silent as Itachi contemplated what Sasuke had just said. He glanced at Sakura who'd been staring at Sasuke, only to jump when she realized that she was being inspected by one of the most infamous criminals in the world.

Itachi locked eyes with the pink haired Kunoichi and Sakura suddenly began to sway on her feet, resembling a drunk that was struggling to stand upright. Grabbing a hold of his teammate before she passed out, Sasuke set her down on the floor behind him. It seemed that Itachi wanted to have a private conversation with him and quite frankly, Sasuke agreed.

"I'd hoped that the knowledge of that night would die with me, but it appears that is no longer something that is possible," Itachi said calmly.

"Even if I didn't know, there's still the fake Madara to consider," Sasuke commented. "He was there that night after all… Helping you."

Narrowing his eyes at the bit about Madara being a fake, Itachi sighed tiredly. "Yes, that much is true. Tell me then, Sasuke, why are you here today? You wouldn't be here without a reason."

"I've always intended on confronting you," Sasuke replied. "But you're right. I do have another reason for being here today. Having discovered that you defected from the Akatsuki, the Hokage has ordered for your immediate retrieval."

He'd have still been here regardless of the mission… Although it would have taken him significantly longer without having Fu lead the way. It'd taken him quite a while to realize it, but he really was better off with his team.

"But that's not the only reason why you're here," Itachi guessed.

"No… It's not," Sasuke muttered, taking another step forward. "I've come to ask you why you did it."

"If you've gone so far as to kill Danzo then you should realize why I did what I did that night," Itachi said solemnly. "I killed the clan because not because I was ordered to, but because it was necessary. Konoha was in a precarious position at the time. If I didn't kill the Uchiha clan, the village would have been plunged into a civil war with the Uchiha leading the charge."

Sasuke had already known as much. After he'd learnt what happened that night, he'd done his own research into the Uchiha clan's downfall along with the Senju and Uzumaki clan's. To an outsider's perspective, it would have simply seemed like bad luck that three of the most powerful clans had been all but wiped, but Sasuke knew better. It'd been done intentionally.

"I already know about the tension between the Uchiha and Konoha. The Uchiha were being blamed for the Kyuubi's attack, when it was actually the false Madara who was to blame," Sasuke commented. "What I want to know is why I was spared that night," He stressed. "Why did I get to live while everyone else died? What made me so special? Why not mother or father or anyone else?!"

Realizing that he was all but yelling, Sasuke paused to take a breath. With clenched fists, he waited for Itachi's answer.

"It's simple," Itachi exhaled. "I couldn't bear the thought of killing you. You're my little brother after all. Instead of choosing Konoha or our clan, I chose to protect you."

Taking a few moments to process that, both Sasuke and Itachi looked up as the underground bunker shook violently.

Coming to a stop in a room on the other side of the compound, Kakashi used his time to both catch his breath and figure out what to do. Nearly half of the building had collapsed in on itself, cutting him off from Sasuke and Sakura.

It had been a calculated attack by Itachi to split them up, but for what reason, Kakashi couldn't say for sure. There were just too many variables in play for him to come to a conclusion. Itachi's motivation was difficult to nail down.

There was an upside to the building falling apart, one that Itachi likely hadn't planned on. The Genjutsu was beginning to fade, at least on the collapsed section of the building, as for the part that still stood, the illusion was still in place, but it was diminished to the point where he would no longer need his Sharingan in order to navigate the compound.

Not that he was going to put it away just yet.

Smelling a hint of smoke, Kakashi glanced back into the ruined hallway only to find that it was on fire… Perfect, just what he needed right now.

"So what's the plan, Sensei?" Fu asked suddenly, sounding a little concerned. "How're we gonna find Sasuke and Sakura?"

That was the question. They did need to reunite with the missing duo, but they also needed to find Itachi and complete the mission. It was difficult to pick which to do first, so the better option was to do both at the same time.

"We're not," Kakashi hummed.

Cutting his thumb on a Kunai, he blurred through several seals, before placing his hand on the floor, summoning one of his hounds.

"Yo, Kakashi," Pakkun greeted, raising a paw. "What do you need me for?"

"We've been separated from two of our teammates and need you to find them for us," Kakashi explained.

"The Uchiha kid and pinky?" Pakkun guessed.

"Those are the ones," Kakashi hummed. Bringing his hands together, he created a single Shadow Clone. "Take my clone with you as well. It should come in handy if you run into any obstacles."

"Alright then," Pakkun muttered. Taking a deep sniff, he looked around, glancing at the ruined passageway, before shaking his head. "I've already got their scent. This shouldn't be too difficult." Leaving the safety of the room behind, Kakashi's clone followed after him.

"What about us, Sensei?" Fu piped up

"We're going to take a little detour to see if we can find our other target. I've got a working theory on what's going on here" Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. "You think you can pinpoint Rōshi's location?"

Zoning out for a few moments, Fu suddenly pointed towards one of the rooms walls. "Chomei says he's that way, somewhere near the center of this compound."

"Then we'll navigate our way through the–"

"Sorry, Sensei," Fu apologized as a one tailed cloak engulfed her body. "I don't want to waste anymore time. Sasuke and Sakura could be in danger."

Kicking off the ground, she launched herself through the wall, shattering the aged wood all the while ignoring any trap that she set off. Kunai, Shuriken and more than a handful of Senbon collided with her body, only to harmlessly fall to the ground as the Chakra cloak shielded her.

Signing at her brashness, Kakashi followed after her as she cleaved her way through the compound, ignoring everything that stood in her path. He would have preferred it if she didn't use her cloak… It was risky, especially when they were technically within Iwa's territory, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Hah, found you!" Fu announced as she crashed into a figure, tackling him to the ground.

"What the hell?! Get off me you crazy brat!" Rōshi snapped, shoving Fu off him. "What do you think you're doing, tackling a Shinobi like that? Don't you know it's a good way to get stabbed?!"

"Well I couldn't exactly see what was going on with all this dust around," Fu argued.

"And whose fault is that?" Rōshi asked. "The hell is a Konoha Kunoichi even doing up here anyway? And a Jinchuriki to boot? Are you trying to start a war?!"

"We're trying to prevent one, actually," Kakashi announced, stepping through the ruined wall. "Although, I could ask you the same question, seeing as you're actively helping one of Konoha's most notorious missing nin."

The amount of Chakra necessary to put an entire compound under an illusion was far more than the average Shinobi could muster. Even someone as renowned as Itachi couldn't do it for long, but a Jinchuriki wouldn't even work up a sweat using this much Chakra.

Seeing the faded Jutsu Shiki on the floor, it would appear that all Rōshi needed to do was provide the necessary Chakra in order to activate the illusions… And the traps too.

Grunting, Rōshi patted down his clothes, dusting them off. "Better the devil you know. Without his help, I'd have been caught by the Akatsuki and killed," He muttered. "The brat's an interesting one. Not quite what I expected of the one who put an end to the Uchiha clan. There's more than meets the eye with him. So you say that you're trying to prevent a war?"

Kakashi nodded. "Iwa's blaming Kiri for the attack instead of the Akatsuki."

"Heh, I guess that old goat's finally gone senile," Rōshi chuckled. "So you need me to help clear things up then?"

"Yep," Fu answered. "And Itachi… You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"Word of advice, girly," Rōshi replied. "Just leave him be, you don't want to start a fight with a doomed man. Since he has nothing to lose, he won't need to hold back."

That was ominous. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't just forget about this one. Itachi needed to be brought back to Konoha. "We appreciate the heads up," Kakashi hummed. "But we're still going to need his location. There's a good chance that our other teammates have already found him."

"You're here with others?" Rōshi muttered. "Anyone noteworthy, like little miss impatient over there?" He asked, gesturing towards Fu.

"Hey! I'm just trying to look out for my teammates!"

"Something like that," Kakashi nodded slowly.

Rōshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're playing this awfully close to your chest… Interesting."

Sasuke was feeling conflicted. He loved his brother, he truly did, but that didn't change what happened when he last saw him. The image of Itachi standing over their parents was forever burned into his mind. It was difficult separating that from the man before him.

He almost wished that Itachi had gone mad with power. At least that way he would know how to feel about him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the way it played out. Both love and hate raged inside of him in a chaotic maelstrom of emotion.

"It would seem that our time here has come to an end," Itachi sighed tiredly.

"I still have questions," Sasuke complained. He was finally getting the answers he needed and he wouldn't stop now.

"Sorry, Sasuke," Itachi murmured. "Some other time."

Heaving himself off his chair, Itachi stepped to the side as a trio of Shinobi entered the room from one of the tunnels, only for one of them to break stride and zoom past him.

"Sasuke, you're alright," Fu said, sounding relieved, before turning towards their third member. "And Sakura…"

"Under a Genjutsu," Sasuke answered, glancing down at Sakura's unconscious form.

"Oh, we should probably wake her up then," Fu mused.

Now that everyone was here, that would probably be for the best. He wouldn't be able to continue his conversation with Itachi… At least not right now, but he'd be sure to get his answers once they were back in Konoha.

"Uchiha Itachi," Kakashi said calmly. "You're a difficult person to find."

"If I wasn't, I would already be dead," Itachi replied. "But you seem to have found a way."

"I make do with what I have," Kakashi hummed. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a scroll that he flicked over to Itachi who snatched it out of the air. "By the way, you might want to take a look at that."

Reading over the scroll, Itachi didn't give any outward reaction, not that Sasuke expected him to. He'd read what was on the scroll himself, they all had. It was simply the mission parameters, stating that Itachi was to be brought back to Konoha in secret alongside the Yonbi Jinchuriki.

Beyond that, there was a short message from the Hokage acknowledging that she was aware of the position Itachi was put in and that she wanted to, in short, make up for the mistakes of the Sandaime Hokage and Danzo.

"I see," Itachi said softly. Winding the scroll back up, he tossed it over to Kakashi. "This is a generous offer… Far more than I deserve. Unfortunately, it is one that I'm incapable of taking."

"And why exactly is that?" Kakashi asked cautiously.

"My last fight took too much out of me," Itachi replied cryptically. "I'm out of time. Even if I returned to Konoha, I wouldn't be much help." He shot a quick glance towards Sasuke. "I would simply be a burden, weighing you down… But, perhaps there is a way to leave you with the tools you'll need."

Not liking the sound of that, Sasuke stepped forward, activating his Curse Mark. "You're coming back to Konoha, even if I have to force you."

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but this is the last time," Itachi apologized, smiling softly. "Watch closely, this will be important."

Rushing forward with Kakashi following a fraction of a second later, Sasuke was thrown back by a massive skeletal hand as a reddish orange ribcage manifested itself around Itachi. Flipping, Sasuke's feet made contact with the ground and he skidded backwards.

Coming to a stop, Sasuke began rushing back to Itachi in the hopes of stopping him. It was easy to see what he was doing. He was already fatigued even before he came here and now he was using what appeared to be an extremely stressful technique… Then there were his words to consider… Giving him the tools he'll need.

Itachi wasn't planning on surviving this encounter.

Sasuke couldn't… Wouldn't accept that.

"Sasuke, stop," Kakashi ordered, appearing in front of him. "You're not going to get anywhere if you keep charging at him like that."

"Get out of my way, he's going to–"

"I know," Kakashi interrupted. "You need to keep a cool head. Acting hastily isn't going to get you anywhere. Now I've got a plan that'll stop him, but you need to focus, alright?"

"I… Yes," Sasuke muttered.

"Good," Kakashi smiled. Reaching into his pouch, he retrieved the other scroll Tsunade had given him. Unsealing it revealed a set of syringes. "Fu, I need cover!"

"On it," Fu called out.

Taking a deep breath, the former Taki Kunoichi exhaled a stream of powder that engulfed the room before exploding in a bright flash of light, momentarily blinding its inhabitants.

Having managed to partially shield his eyes, Itachi blinked the spots of his already limited vision away, only to see the space in front of him twist, taking a chunk on his Susanoo with it, leaving him vulnerable for a handful of moments.

Catching a Senbon that was undoubtedly coated in some form of mild poison, Itachi glanced towards the group, only to see that Sasuke was missing. Realizing his mistake too late, the Senbon suddenly exploded in a cloud of smoke, revealing Sasuke's form.

Bringing his fist down, Sasuke managed to land a direct hit, causing Itachi to stumble backwards. "I've had enough," Sasuke growled.

"Sasuke, I…" Stumbling to the side, blood leaked from Itachi's mouth as his Susanoo dispelled.

"Mission accomplished," A muffled voice announced below him.

Looking down, Itachi found a needle jammed into his leg, held in the mouth of a dog. Looking back up at Sasuke, Itachi smiled proudly as he began to lose consciousness. "Well played."

Catching his brother before he fell over, Sasuke placed him on the ground while the rest of his team approached with Rōshi in tow. Sakura kneeled down in front of him, already beginning diagnostics. He would need to be somewhat stable before they transported him back to Konoha.

The strain from using the Susanoo had been immense, but it seemed that they'd stopped him in time. Itachi's breathing evened out as the drug he'd just been injected with began to take a hold.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Sasuke glanced up to see Kakashi standing behind him. Slipping one of Naruto's Kunai into his hand, he threw it to the side, embedding it in the bunker wall. The sooner they left the better. Fu's use of her Chakra cloak was bound to draw some unwanted attention and they technically weren't supposed to be here.

And that's chapter 70.

In which Sasuke has a bit of a heart to heart with Itachi. Fu demolishes several walls, Pakkun makes a timely appearance, helping to save the day and Itachi is taken down through teamwork and misdirection and the mission to retrieve the duo is completed.

Not as big of a fight scene as you'd expect, but Sasuke was explicitly trying to save Itachi who appeared to have one foot in the grave.

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 77 on the P word website. We're approaching the final arc of the story there. There's only a handful of chapters left before this story comes to its conclusion.

P
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I go by the name of ThatKircguy. Just copy the name and paste it in the Patty Rio On search bar. It'd help me out immensely, but don't worry if that's not your style. I will be uploading weekly, so it's not going to be stuck there permanently.

Also, I post my original stuff there as well. It's nothing much, just two short stories for now, but I'll post more as I write them.

The next chapter will be posted on the 2nd of May.
See you all then, dudes and dudettes.