Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1 PROLOGUE
'Damn! I'm running out of time!' thought Yugito as she was limping through the underground dark dungeons. She had no clue where she was going exactly,but she knew this much; the sooner she got out of here, the better.
'How did they find me so fast! I thought they wouldn’t find me here.' She thought. Yugito was sweating as she was running for her life like never before.
The kunoichi had a hand on her bloodied stomach - the one that was stabbed- leaving behind a trail of blood drip-drops on the floor. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to her soon. They had already gotten her once...she couldn't afford for that to happen again. She winced as she continued running at a slow pace - and it was slowing by the minute.
'I have to make it! Before they -'
Before she could even react, there was a movement of speed and a kunai flew past her shoulder, ripping her shirt slightly in the process. Her eyes widened in horror.
'What the - !'
"Looks like you're cornered, little girl."
She chanced a look behind her and immediately regretted it when she did. Yugito saw the outline of the figures pursuing her. There was a light behind them in the darkness and if she squinted, she could make out their faces from here.
"I suggest you surrender now while you still can or you'll be missing some...limbs of yours there." said one of the men.
"Like I'm going to let that happen!" Yugito said angrily.
“Rebellious little girl, isn’t she? Hehehe.”
But in truth, she really was fearful for her life. If they took the cat tailed beast out of her, she would die. There was no escape. When she backed away, her feet met the wall. She was completely backed up against the corner, just like they said she'd be.
'Damn it!' She cursed silently under her breath. 'How could I have let this happen!'
"You're not going to get away this time."
The jinchuriki swore and had her claws out in front of her.
The men saw this and grinned.
"Ah, silly girl. You think that's going to stop us?"
Yugito glared at them, but said nothing.
"Leave me alone. Or else." She threatened.
"Like that's going to stop us."
Two of the men came closer and closer to her and they had her hands chakra hand cuffed.
"Let me go!" Yugito tried resisting against the hand cuffs, but it was no use. She was done for.
”Let go of me!”
"She's a feisty one, that's for sure...." said one of the men. "I wonder if she's like this to all the men who have tried to take that tailed beast of hers...."
"Shut up!" Yugito shouted, but soon had her mouth closed by a big hand. "Mmph -!"
One of the men grabbed her chin harshly and forced her to look up at him.
"Don't try me, little girl. I could kill you right now." He had a blade right up against her neck. "One cut and then your head comes off." She scowled.
"You know...We've got to bring her back one way or another. Dead or alive."
"Let's just take her back now. You know how our Leader doesn't like waiting." The other guy said.
She took this chance and tried to run past them, but one of the men had her in a headlock.
"How dare you, you fools! Let go of me!" She said, struggling to get out as they had her in their iron-like grip.
"You bitch! Did you really think you could get away? Let's face it...even if you did try to outrun us - which is impossible by the way - you can't run very far with that leg of yoursa broken ankle and all that blood you've got on you, now, can you? At the rate you're going, you're going to die."
'I'm...going to die?'
And Yugito gave in.
There was no hope left. She was caught. And now - who knows what will happen next?
"Good girl." The two men said as they started to see her giving up on whatever hope she had left. They started walking away with her. The last of the light in the room went out and now it was dark.
Then there was only total darkness.
At the Sealing Cave...
"Almost finished..."
"I can't believe we found the Two Tails so soon." Konan stated. "What do we propose we do with her afterwards, Pain?"
"We shall dispose of the body."
"Burn it alive! Haha! Then the god Jashin will be proud of me!" Hidan said, smiling.
"That sounds like a bad idea. Why can't I slice her into bits? That'll be more funny, no?"Kisame smirked. He showed Hidan his Samehada sword and Hidan backed against the wall.
"H - hey. That's cheating, you know!" Hidan was sweating like crazy and he looked scared as he backed away. He stared at the sword cautiously like it was going to kill him. Kisame stepped a bit closer and smirked. "Kuku. The body is mine to do with as I please. So don't interfere. Got it, kid?"
Hidan nodded, not wanting to mess with the shark.
"Good."
"Guys. Be quiet. Both of you." Itachi stood between the two of them looking tired.
"Sorry, Itachi-san." Kisame said sheepishly as he reluctantly sheathed his sword and backed away from Hidan.
"Hmph. Whatever." Hidan crossed his arms and looked at anywhere but at Kisame.
The statue beside the jinchuuriki extracted the bijuu out of Yugito and she screamed in pain as it was literally sucking it out of her.
"You - You bastards! You may have killed me, but there are more of us out there! And we will kill you! We will come back. And when we do, you Akatsuki will all die!"
"Shut up...you should know your limits, jinchuuriki." Pain said, with an evil smile,"This is goodbye."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Yugito screamed as the pain was too much for her to bear and she died.
There was a round of applause as everyone stared at the dead body and what was left of the dead jinchuriki.
"Finally...it took three freakin' weeks!" Hidan shouted. Kakuzu his partner said nothing and ignored his idiot teammate.
Kisame licked his lips. "If only I could have ripped her skin out from the insides. Then that would have been so much more...fun. Kukuku."
"Hm...she died." Sasori said, stating the obvious and sounding bored. This time the puppeteer wasn't wearing the Hiruko puppet. His foot was on her face before he kicked her face in. "Wonder how long the next one will last."
"Itachi...how many are there and where are they?" Nagato's Deva Path Pain asked.
"From Konoha, there is the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki Uzumaki Naruto. And there are nine of them. But where are the rest? Is unknown."
"Hm. I see." He seemed to consider his words for a moment before turning to the person beside him.
"Konan, I want you to research the whereabouts of the other jinchuriki for me. See if there are any other jinchuriki that are from the Uzumaki clan."
"Yes, as you wish," The woman's body turned into paper until she disappeared leaving behind paper flowers. The other Akatsuki members watched her go before Pain decided to speak up.
"It's getting fairly late outside..." He said, watching the moon out of the cave with his rinnegan. He turned to face Kisame.
"You will dispose of the body, Kisame?" Nagato asked him while still staring at the night sky.
"Yeah." Kisame said. "She's a goner, all right."
"Hey! I wanted to dispose of her body!" Hidan said angrily. "She's the perfect sacrifice for Lord Jashin!"
"Sorry, Hidan. But I got her first." said Kisame with a smug smirk.
"Aww man. No fair!"
Deva Path Pain sighed and turned to face Itachi.
"Itachi. Do you have any other information on the boy?"
"Well, he'll be the one to shout and run at you." Itachi said with a small smile as he said that.
There was a moment of silence before the Akatsuki rounded on him.
"What the hell, man?! That was so unhelpful!" Hidan shouted at Itachi. He pointed a finger at him accusingly, as if it was his fault. "I know you know the Leaf guys better than anyone in this room, but what the fuck?!"
"Huh? Seriously? Nothing more specific than that? Mm?" Deidara asked.
"That is all. My apologies." Itachi said with a sigh, not wanting to tell them about Naruto Uzumaki's kage bunshin no jutsu/shadow clone the forbidden technique - or anything about him, for that matter. That was for them to figure out all by themselves.
There was a swish and Itachi disappeared.
"Geez. Freaking coward." Hidan sighed. "Couldn't come out here like a man and tell us. Weak people like him are the ones that get sacrificed for Jashin-sama and are the first to go."
"Mm, maybe he just doesn't know?" suggested Deidara.
"Doubt it." said Sasori boredly.
"I'll be waiting for you, Itachi." Deva Path Pain said.
"Well then. Which of them is the jinchuuriki. Mm? The Uzumaki?" Deidara asked.
"Yeah." Sasori said. "Why? You know something about him?"
"Well, here's a word of fair warning. It's said that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is considerably strong...mm. So be careful if you cross paths with him, mm."
"I see. Thank you, Deidara. You can all go now." Nagato said with a small smile.
'This wasn't exactly what I had planned, but...'
'We will find him. Soon...'
"Ya - I mean, Nagato?" Konan appeared in a swoosh of paper. She corrected herself before she could say their old teammate's name.
"Yes, Konan?" He asked.
"I researched some information about the jinchuuriki." She stated.
"Good."
She told him the rest of the story.
"The Uzumaki...
Are a clan known for containing tailed beasts. Supposedly, their clan was wiped out a long time ago. But there should be some left. Find the other Uzumakis like Naruto...and the tailed beast they contain. That is your mission."
Konan had told them.
The Akatsuki stood over the Village Hidden In The Grass. Deidara and Itachi were sent to search for a jinchuuriki, specifically an "Uzumaki" that contained a tailed beast. After searching for countless hours for a tailed beast to capture, the two team members agreed to hide under a henge and search the place of any hidden jinchuurikis in sight. The village had had close affiliations with the Leaf and close allies to the Third Hokage Itachi had known so well. They had walked a good four hours through forests of nothing but mushrooms, bamboo, and rivers. Sometimes they spotted streams of water or fresh springs, other times they didn't. You could get lost in this forest if you weren't careful. Currently, they were walking through shrubbery and senbon traps, trying to sense any jinchuurikis or any "Uzumakis" close by. But so far, no such luck.
Itachi and Deidara hopped tree to tree, their eyes searching but not finding anything.
"Un...the sun is setting. We're running out of time. We should head back...un." Deidara spoke up.
"Hnn..." Itachi agreed.
"One Tails...Two Tails...and I'm Tobi! Hee hee!" Someone said from behind them. They lost balance and fell off of the branch they were on. Tobi hopped down from the tree to them.
"WHA - Madara?!" Deidara shouted. He glared at the newcomer angrily and Itachi came to a halt. "What the hell! You're not supposed to be here, un!" He pointed an accusing finger at the masked man. "And what do you mean, 'Tobi'?! You're Madara, right?"
Deidara was new to the Akatsuki - sooner to be expected, really -, but apparently he and Madara were new members of the Akatsuki. He was glad he wasn't paired up with him, because he heard he was loud and troublesome and acted like a complete idiot.
"Well, you can call me Tobi from now on. Rolls off the tongue easier, you know? Anyway, when I heard you were coming, I just to come running. Tee hee!"
"Maa Maa where are you guys going, anyway? You seem to be in a hurry. Hmm...could it be you guys are trying to find the "
"Yes, we're trying to find a jinchuriki. An Uzumaki jinchuriki, preferably." said
"Ahhh, I see." Tobi moaned. "Well, I'm sure my Deidara-senpai can do it! Ne ne, Deidara-senpaaaaai?"
"Shut up! You're so annoying, un."
"Aw, but Deidara Senpai~! I'm like a little school girl falling in love~! Aha haha ha!" Tobi swooned his hips. "I missed you sooooo much!"
Itachi raised an eyebrow at Tobi's weird behavior. 'What?'
Deidara's eyes twitched as Tobi said that. "Do you want me to kill you?! Stop acting like a child! We're in the middle of a mission, mm! Now is not the time to mess around!" He said angrily.
"Aww, you wanna blow stuff up, don't you, Deidara-san?" Tobi asked. Deidara cringed and mentally slapped himself. "No no no. That's not it. To me, the essence of art is...the most important thing in the whole world! If an artist doesn't get high motivation, then his sentiments are low and shallow."
"Hehe. Oh, Deidara-senpai..." Tobi giggled. "Well well well. What do you know, my Deidara is so cool! As expected of my Deidara-senpai~!"
Itachi stood between them and sighed. He was wondering why he ever agreed to coming here. But he had to finish the mission. Even with the two foolish idiots, he had to find the jinchuuriki and hopefully find Naruto Uzumaki.
"What - hey! Do you want to die...mm?" Deidara licked his lips at the thought. He couldn't wait to use his explosion and Tobi would be the perfect test subject. The annoyance deserved to die after all the humiliation he had put him through.
"Ohhh, Deidara-senpai! I love you!" Tobi said with a laugh. "This is a test of love! It has to be! We all know True love conquers all!"
"Hmph. How lame. Stop talking so much and act cool." Deidara showed him his mouths out of his hands. "Cool=art. Mm. See?"
"Ahhh. I see." Tobi nodded happily.
"Ahem." Itachi cleared his throat. He felt like he was interrupting something. What it was, he didn't know. He didn't think he wanted to know, anyway.
"Oh, Itachi-san! Sorry, I didn't notice you for a second there! Tee hee!" Tobi laughed.
"Hn," His eye flickered to the other man's eye. He stared at the hole through the mask Tobi had There was something...strangely familiar about it. But he had never properly met him aside from the Akatsuki meeting. He was new to the Akatsuki. So why was this stranger so...
He shook his head. "Hey. Are we getting out of here or what?"
"Oh yeah!" Deidara stopped a. "Looks like it will take awhile to get out of this forest. So..."
"Now you will finally appreciate my clay art!"
Seeing as how the trip could take several hours at most to travel by feet, Deidara summoned C2 a giant flying clay dragon for them to ride on. They flew high above the forest and finally spotted a small village further out. They landed at the village square where shocked and surprised villagers gathered around them in crowds.
And now they were here. The fools. They actually believed them to be Leaf nin. The henge/transformation jutsu even fooled the head of the clan members there. The meeting and interrogation went surprisingly well. They were able to not give too much away about who they were and get away with trespassing the village.
Now that they had found the
"Let me go! Please! I'll give you anything, so please
"Tell us where the Uzumaki Jinchuuriki is, mm. And we'll let you go freely." Deidara said
"Kushina? I - I...don't know.
"Kushina died during the Attack...
"I...I don't know. Please...
Itachi stared down at the dying body before him. The woman lay in a puddle of her own blood. Pathetic. Didn't she know that this was bound to happen? He wasn't the prodigy rookie ANBU he used to be. The Uchiha wasn't the popular or kind boy who loved his brother dearly or the boy that made his late father proud anymore. He was a cold blooded murderer with a heart of stone.
At least, that's what he tells himself. He has no heart.
He had never wanted this life. He had never wanted this to happen. Then again, who would? Who would want to kill their mother? Or their father?
Shisui had given him this accursed eye. He had killed his best friend - his closest bond - and all for what? For the Mangekyou Sharingan?
But was it all worth it? He had did it all to protect Sasuke.
If Sasuke learned the truth, he would never ever forgive him. Sasuke didn't need to know he was an innocent man. He didn't need to know the whole truth. If word got out, he wouldn't know how to handle the truth. The stone hard
He had lived with his mistakes for far too long. His illness would soon kill him, and the strain on his eyes would blind him for sure if he wasn't careful.
"P - Please, have mercy..." The Uzumaki healer choked on her words, and coughed out blood. "Please, I beg you...don't hurt my daughter. Please, anyone but her. Don't hurt my daughter, Karin, please...she doesn't deserve to die. She's only a child...She has a special...
"Power? Ha. Why should we keep her alive when we can kill her now? Mm.
"Wha - Wait! Bite her...bite her and she can heal you, any of your wounds. Just don't hurt her, please," she pleaded.
"Are you crazy, old woman?! Why should we listen to you?
Itachi told him to shut up
"You're the one of the last Uzumaki, hn?" Itachi asked, staring down at the red haired woman with steel gray eyes. "Next to that Naruto I've heard so much about."
"Y - yes. You're an Uchiha, aren't you? H - how -?!"
Itachi's eyes widened in realization. This woman - had to be an Uzumaki. The woman he saw on one of her travels to the Leaf would talk to him under a henge to hide her identity. But her voice was painstakingly familiar. It had to be her - she had to be the one. He just knew it.
"Mito Uzumaki." He remembered.
The lady named after the First Hokage's wife and one of the first few kunoichi of the Uzumaki clan. He had read about her in ancient documents hidden away in the Uchiha library only he and Sasuke could access. She had been a strong shinobi and was also a sensory-type like a lot of other Uzumakis, supposedly, and was also a jinchuuriki of sorts that once contained Kurama the Nine Tailed Fox. Supposedly, the Uzumaki clan was wiped out because all of the other villages feared their powers and the clan's sealing jutsus. And fear was their worst enemy. That's why the whole village was wiped out in the first place.
So...so...
He was wrong. Why else was Naruto Uzumaki still alive and why else were the mother and daughter still alive? Of course, this woman was nothing like Mito the First, at least appearance-wise. She had to be a distant descendant of some sort.
Itachi looked down at the dying body of hers. A flicker of something - Regret? Remorse? Guilt? - crossed his dark, cold eyes, but just as soon as it came, it was gone.
"I will make this quick and painless." He told her coldly, activating his Mangekyou Sharingan with all three tomoes. He activated the genjutsu and her whole world shattered right before her very eyes. The once blue sky with white clouds turned into a blood red sky with black clouds.
She screamed in the inverse looking world she was in. She watched her husband die right in front of her, with nothing but kunai, senbon, and shuriken stuck to his body.
"Save - save Karin," he told her in a choked voice. He fell to his knees and she rushed over to him, trying to heal his wounds. His eyes went grey and his now lifeless body was in her hands.
Tears streamed down his face and she screamed.
"Please - please, stop!" She begged on her knees, turning to Itachi. But she was blind, blood poured out of her eyes.
He had to end her misery. Blood splattered on his black robes with the infamous red swirly clouds. He stabbed it right through her chest and her breathing stopped.
Another innocent life taken. One that could've easily been avoided.
I'm sorry, he wants to say. I'm sorry it had to be this way. But he know he can't. The Akatsuki didn't feel sorry for assassinating their victims. They weren't human. They don't cry over a simple shinobi's death. They don't so much as shudder when they slaughter the young or the elderly. The don't feel regret when they wipe out a whole clan. But Itachi did.
And he had to live with his mistakes. He was now an enemy to the Hidden Leaf, as he should be. Sasuke could be safe, now.
The hopped onto C2.
"My explosions will be a blast!"
Deidara smiled and threw an explosion tag down to the village below. There were screams as it exploded and blasted parts of the village.
He laughed the whole time
"Hn? You call those explosions fine art?" Itachi asked, staring down with wary eyes.
"What? Fine art is explosion and involves the same skilled labor as real art. It is eternal beauty. And it lasts forever."
Itachi sighed.
I made you angry...mm?
"Yes!
Deva Pain
"We have now passed judgement."
"We are Six Paths of Pain. We are...God!"
"Tobi is so happy!"
Itachi rolled his eyes. "Is that all
"Tobi doesn't know what to think...Tobi thinks you were amazing~! Tobi thinks you were awesome~!"
"That was a close call!" Tobi said
"Aw, man! I'm so hungry! Let's go eat something!" He said all of a sudden.
"You're...not listening to me, are you?" Itachi asked.
"No! Bye!" he sped off before he could
"He's always like this."
"Tell me about it.
"I see."
"Oh my...that sure hit the spot!"
Tobi ate his dango and Deidara glared at him.
"You totally kicked their butt, Deidara-san!" Tobi said happily.
"Mm. Don't thank me. It was all thanks to my exploding art, mm.
"Well, you are always amazing, Deidara-senpai!"
"Great. Now that we finished our lunch. Let's head back.
(TO BE EDITED/REVISED)
After the team meeting, Itachi needed to go see Kisame. He had to be close by, but before he could go, he went to Tobi and Deidara.
"I've got to go, mm. My hands are hungry." He left them alone.
"So we go after the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki next?" Tobi asked Itachi. "Hn." Itachi replied, not knowing what else to say. They had left the village awhile ago and now the two were standing out in the rain.
"What are your reasons for wanting to destroy the Leaf?" Itachi couldn't help but ask. Something about the man seemed...off.
He was hiding something...and he had a strange eye.
Where do your loyalties lie?
"The same reason as you...Tobi hates them for what they did to Tobi! Tobi has waited too long to crush the Leaf." In emphasis, he clenched his gloved hand as if the entirety of the village was within his grasp and crushed it in the palm of his hands. He cackled with glee behind his mask.
"Tobi plans to destroy them all...and obtaining the Tail Beasts is just part of the process. Also, Tobi wants to catch one jinchuuriki...you've heard of him, no? Naruto Uzumaki." The name rolled off of his tongue, and Itachi recoiled at the name.
The Nine Tailed Fox...
Itachi sighed, holding the bridge of his nose. Soon the time would come when he would have to kidnap the kid. He wasn't looking forward to - like all of his past choices - capturing him. The extraction would take a week, but hopefully he will live. Hopefully...
But it had to be done. It was his duty. He was an "Akatsuki" now.
Itachi shook his head. He would protect Naruto from their leader Pain. So they wouldn't catch the Nine Tails.
He sighed. He really didn't want to kidnap Naruto. That was not his number one priority.
"They say he's something special. He is the most powerful jinchuuriki of them all, aside from the bijuu Ten Tails. Guess we'll have to find out if he's as powerful as they say! Teehee hee!" He says with false enthusiasm. "Hn, Tobi?"
"Yeah?"
"Hmm, so you call yourself Madara, now, do you?" Itachi raised an eyebrow at the man with the orange swirly mask. Despite his cheery attitude, he knew it was all an act; a front. Because at one moment he would be deadly quiet and at others he would be serious. The guy was a phony to be had, that's for sure. He was hiding something and Itachi was going to find out sooner or later.
Before he could say anything,
"Orochimaru! Kabuto!" Tobi called.
'Damn it...' Itachi swore, '
"Greetings, gentlemen," Orochimaru smirked.
Kabuto's glasses glinted as he stared between the two of them.
"I assume you two have finished your mission, have you not?
Itachi nodded.
"We killed a sensory-type healer. She was the last of the Uzumaki clan." Itachi refrained to say anything else, they didn't need to know that there was one still alive out there somewhere. And she was currently missing.
"Goody goody!" Tobi clapped his hands together. Itachi shot him a look and crossed his arms. He wanted answers, but it appeared he wouldn't be getting any anytime . The masked man had slipped through his fingers...
"Hmm. I see. Anyway, I couldn't help but overhear your little - ah - conversation you had earlier." Kabuto says, his glasses flashing slightly.
"Oh?" Itachi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. This didn't sound so good...
"According to my archives, Madara has died ages ago. He is long dead by now." The nin said, his glasses flashing as a sick smile stretched across his face. "The fact that you say you are Madara Uchiha is astonishing. Unless you are him revived, somehow, then that is astounding to even the many who do know of you."
"I know." Tobi says, dropping his referring to himself in a third person and his act altogether. "You are clever, aren't you? Yes, I am not the infamous Madara Uchiha. But I go under his name now around here. So you should get used to it by now or your blood just might spill all over Orochimaru's robes of his. Akatsuki or not. Is that clear?"
Kabuto glared at him from his position through his glass, but said nothing.
"You aren't Tobi, that's just a fake alias. I can see right through you. Isn't that right," He turned back to look at him square in the eye,
"Obito Uchiha?"
Everyone but Itachi and 'Obito' gasped. Obito clapped his hands together and laughed.
"That's right. I am Obito. And I am still alive."
The swirly orange mask disappeared and showed Obito's real face. The one that had one Sharingan guy had had.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
"My Old Man gramps brought me back. The real Madara Uchiha. You did me a big favor, Itachi..." Obito said, "But I will purify my clan my way. The way Madara would have wanted...I work for him, now. And we will destroy the Leaf. Nothing will stop me."
After the big reveal, everyone settled into an awkward silence. The whole time Itachi was wondering what the hell was going on. So, Sasuke is not the last Uchiha it seems...
"Ah, Itachi~!" Orochimaru came behind Itachi and a long slick tongue licked the side of his face. If Itachi cringed, then he didn't show it. He just stood there and let the snake man have his perverted ways with him.
Tobi - no, Obito stepped in and saved him -thank the kami!- and said, "Orochimaru, I'm afraid you will have to cut this visit short. The Akatsuki are looking into the other villages and you are getting in the way of that. Please leave."
"Hmph. Fine." The ex-Akatsuki member said with a sigh.
"Kabuto, come along with me." Kabuto accompanied him and they left.
Deidara smirked. "Took them long enough, mm.
"Exactly! Hee hee hee!" said Obito.
Itachi sat on his bed thinking.
What would life had looked like had I not killed my mother and father? Would they love me and still be alive. No. What am I saying. I had no choice but to. To save my own clan from further destruction. I had to kill them from within. He remembered the words the Third hokage had told him.
What if I was someone else? Then I would have lead a normal life as an ANBU and follow my father's footsteps. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts.
What am I saying? Itachi shook his head. I wish I'd never been born with this burden.
But wishing didn't do a damn thing, now did it? He sighed and slumped against the wall. He was going to die soon. He had a few years . By then his little brother would
"Good night, Sasuke..."
I miss you, my little brother.
"Father...Mother..." They stand there in the light, waving at him in welcoming.
Itachi reaches out a hand to the silhouettes of Mikoto and Fugaku. Their image is distorted slightly, and, as a hand goes through their shoulder; he knows why.
It's only a dream, he realizes a little too real. A surreal and realistic one. But a dream, nonetheless. They would never be the real Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. It was only an illusion, and visions weren't real, no matter how desperately he wanted them to be. He desired them. Longed the feeling of seeing them again, as Itachi this time. Not as an Akatsuki.
But they wouldn't. His real parents wouldn't ever forgive him. They'd sooner burn in hell than to see his face. And that thought saddened him.
They stare at him with warm smiles, no hatred or coldness on their eyes, in their faces. They just stare at him lovingly like the monster in front of them is their son.
"Welcome back, my son." Fugaku said with a warm smile.
Itachi felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't bear to see them again. To speak with them again.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He said the words over and over and over again. He shook his head, "For far too long I've been in the darkness...far too long than I should've." His voice cracked as he tried to contain the overwhelming emotion of seeing them again.
His heart ached as he said these words. Buried away feelings of longing resurfaced again. They smiled at him, welcoming him back, with open arms. There wasn't a look of hate or hurt or betrayal... as if he didn't murder them. Simply happy to see their own son once again. But why? Shouldn't they shun him or - or something?
"I always wanted to be the big brother Sasuke never got to have. I wanted to be there for him. But look at me now. I am nothing more than a monster...the one who killed both of you. How can you ever forgive someone like me...for what I did to you?" Itachi asked.
"We are proud of you, my son!" Fugaku clapped him on the back good-naturedly with a smile.
"You are too kind, Itachi," Mikoto says and embraced him motherly like one would to a child. Fugaku hugged him just as lovingly as well, as he sobbed into her shoulder.
"Think of it this way. Maybe you could've changed. Maybe our lives might have been saved. But, Itachi...it had to be done." Fugaku said.
"I failed. I failed to protect the one thing I sworn to protect."
"Why? Why are so nice to me? After everything I've done?" Itachi cried, "How dare you! How dare you be nice to me! Stop! Stop doing this, please, I don't deserve you or you. I don't deserve any of you."
"It's because we love you. We always will." His mother soothed. "See, son. We both love you so much. More than you could ever know."
Itachi stared at them with wide eyes, sadness in his expression. Tears trickled down his cheeks and he wiped them away. "You still haunt me in my memories...you're always reminding me what we could have been had I not...had I not...
"What happened was in the past. You had to stop the war, didn't you?"
"B - but I wasn't good, now was I? I made a lot of mistakes...and I failed you as a son." Itachi spat bitterly, unable to look them in the face without wanting to cry or burst into tears.
"Of course not! How could you say that? You are our child! You did your best."
"T - thank you. I don't deserve your love after everything I've done to you. But thank you. Mother. Father."
"But I'm happy...to have been part of this family." Itachi closed his eyes and his mom and dad disappeared.
Sasuke...
May you live on on whatever path you choose; light or darkness.
You are my most precious little brother.
I will always love you and watch you from afar. Know this, Sasuke...
You will always be loved. Don't you ever forget that. You will do great things in life. I'm sure of it.
And Itachi slept on, a small smile on his lips. Sleeping without a sound.
Something he hadn't done in years.
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