You're holding court

With your lips and your smile

Your body's a halo

Their minds are on trial

Love needs its martyrs

Needs its sacrifices

They live for your beauty

And pay for their vices

Love will be the death of

My lonely soul brothers

But their spirits shall live on in

The hearts of all lovers

Chapter 3 Itachi, the name on my lips

It was always Itachi. Itachi this, Itachi that. Itachi's

the strongest, Itachi's the best. He wanted to be at

least the second best, to at least be looked upon.

But no, there was no place for him under that

spotlight. Because it belonged solely to his

brother. He had power, he had fame, he had the

respect, and love. Everybody gave him this. They

knew Sasuke as a younger brother. A little boy,

that even having potential would never reach the

level of someone as perfect as Itachi. It pained

him so much. He wanted to be loved by all these

people too. He wanted them to look at him with

the same admiration, and if not today, then, at

least, one day. He knew that his brother deserved

all that respect, he knew it, and he respected him

too. But first and furthermost, he loved him. He

loved him as a brother loves his family. He loved

him, because even if rarely, Itachi gave him

attention. He loved him, because when his father

forgot about his existence, Itachi was still there.

But then again, he hated him, because Itachi was

everything he wanted to be and he knew and felt

he will never accomplish that. He hated him

because Itachi had everything this village could

give and still there was nothing he wanted to take.

He was so perfect, so kind and at the same time

so heartless that you simply had to love him. You

give, and he refuses to take. You take, and he lets

you do so. You hate him for being the way he is,

and he lets you do that, because he always

understands. You ask him to kill, and he will do

this. You order him do the impossible, and he still

manages that. With time you forget that he's not

god-like, but human. And you hate him for this

even more, because you know that still being

human he crossed the lines that were before him,

and you can't even see them, because he's too far,

and you are left behind. And you curse him,

because being that far, he still comes back, as if

to taunt you that he can do this, and you can't.

He wondered back to times when Itachi smiled.

When he was a true brother, or pretended to be.

It made Sasuke think of the masks his brother

wore. Which one was real? What was the mask,

and what was his true face? He was such a good

actor… Pretend to love, or pretend to hate. For

Itachi, lines and limits did not exist. He could go

far for what he needed, get it and not move a

muscle on his face. Show no satisfaction, no joy.

You could only guess what he felt. He could seem

so emotionless, and yet, you fear him when he

looks at you, and you hate him when he speaks a

word. And you love him at the same time. He will

drive you till the edge and use you, manipulate

you, do anything with you and he wouldn't even lift

a finger… His gaze on you is enough. He will grace

you with one look, and then you're done. So cruel…

And then he moves… beautifully, deadly, like a

weapon. And you can't dodge, nor can you fight.

And you expect the worse, the most humiliating,

death, and then he stops… As if he knows when

the strings he pulls are the last… And he gives you

promises, and he shows his love. And you hate

him, and you love him even more.

Sasuke stood on the branch of the tree and gazed

at what was left of Konoha after it was destroyed

by Pain. It was slowly rebuilding itself, but it will

never be the same. He was troubled. He was

thoughtful. He needed time to gather his emotions,

as he was lost in everything around him. His one

piercing glare was enough to quiet down his

companions, and he let the silence grace him with

answers, as his mind put the picture in front of

him, piece by piece. It formed before him the man,

a person he knew so well, and, truthfully, didn't

know at all. Itachi was young, when he became a

true shinobi. Not the genin, a child that played

games with knifes, but the warrior, that was

ruthless, and games he played were on the

battlefield. He has unlocked the bloodline of their

clan when he was eight, and since then, he was

getting better and stronger, and faster. He… didn't

show his love for parents, or family as a whole.

He only sometimes, showed a bit of affection to

his younger brother, and still it was rare. He was

absent most of the time. He had missions. He

was always busy. He didn't have time for the

social life. He had no friends, no love for his

family, nothing he wanted or had other than his

responsibilities. He was turned into inanimate,

soulless object that existed on orders, and for

orders. Was there ever something Itachi wanted?

He didn't speak of it. But did anyone ever ask

him…? He gave everything for Konoha. This

ungrateful village, that didn't give him anything in

exchange, other than… what? If the true Itachi is the

one who was a loving brother, then all this village

ever gave him was pain and suffering. And if the

true Itachi was a heartless murderer, then this

village gave him freedom. And the true Itachi…

Sorry Sasuke, there won't be next time… was his

loving brother.

And knowing his brother, Itachi would never

exchange his Sharingan with anyone or anything.

He wouldn't trade it, he was Uchiha, and Uchiha

doesn't give what belongs to him. And as different

from Uchiha his brother was, there were traits that

not even he could get rid of. Another question was,

how did this really happen. Jiraiya could, create a

seal that powerful; after all, if the seal could house

the demon fox, who said it couldn't contain the

bloodline? Seals possessed power, and it looks

like that old man knew it well… He still couldn't

believe that his former teammate gained it. And he

didn't do anything to have it. …Or did he? Him

having that bloodline must mean… that Itachi gave

it willingly. But he wouldn't ever give it to anyone,

and even then, in exchange for what? What could

be that much important? Something… that Itachi

truthfully wanted? Did Jiraya give him something

he was craving, longing for? If he did, then what

was it? There were only two people knowing that.

Naruto and… Inoichi. He will deal with his former

teammate that had something that didn't belong to

him later, first…

...

Inoichi going home

He could expect anything. He could think of every

possible scenario, prepare himself for things that

could surprise him, shock him, scare him and

disgust him, but whatever he expected was not

this. Maybe… he thought that he may find out that

Jiraya and Tsunade were lovers. Maybe… he could

find out that Kyuubi is a female and has a heart. Or

that Uzumaki Naruto hated orange color. Anyway,

finding out that Uchiha Itachi was nothing like the

description of him said, wasn't a shock. It was

rather inevitable. After all, he knew the boy from

the times he was still the shinobi of Konoha, and

never believed in him being insane. What was the

shock was the scheme behind the Uchiha

massacre, and the role Danzou, the current

Hokage, played in it. He works for that man; he

bows to him, while in reality this man has very

dark secrets, concerning the past, the present, and

the future. And the role that Itachi played in it,

though was the main, was unsettling. Danzou and

advisors ordered the thirteen years old boy kill his

own family, the guilty and innocent people,

deciding the fate of the clan without discussing the

matter with the council. What a mindless,

thoughtless, cruel and immoral act. And to think

that they kept it a secret for years…

And then, Itachi's wish to keep his brother alive

while making the mentioned believe that he was a

murderer… probably, Itachi knew that if he refused

to kill his clan himself, then it would be done by

shinobi trained under Danzou's command. And he

probably believed that doing everything himself he

would still have some control over the situation…

then again, his decision to join Uchiha Madara and

Akatsuki was a planned, but difficult move…

Ah, Madara has not only controlled the fox when he

fought Senju, but also when it attacked Konoha

sixteen years ago… And now he gained control over

other bijuu, thanks to the power of the rinnegan

wielder, Nagato… What a… powerful, disgusting

and tenacious of life enemy that Madara bastard

appears to be. He should be long dead by now.

Has that Eternal Sharingan given him that much…

power? What should he do with all this knowledge?

Who should he trust with it? Naruto asked himself

that question earlier, but the only answer he found,

was he himself. He gathered his thoughts when he

was in Myobokuzan, and decided to wait. He

wanted to know who would stand on his side once

the matter was up for discussion, but the few

people he trusted were not enough. And who would

believe him anyway? 'Itachi's a good guy, Madara's

alive, Danzou's bad and advisors are senile and

cranky, believe it!' Thinking of that and imagining

Naruto shout it with his fist in the air cheered him

up and he smiled at the simplicity with which

Naruto would act. But… he was in a different

situation. Unlike Naruto, he had people he could

trust with more than secrets…

Inoichi walked down the street, lost in his

thoughts. He walked home, the one he had to

rebuild recently. Ino-chan promised to get back

earlier and open the flower shop. If she's there

then he can leave for the evening and find Shikaku.

He can tell him this and that, and together they

could decide what to do with the troubling matters.

Of coarse he will try to keep Naruto's personal life

and secrets to himself, or even forget them, as he

does with other all the time… But the boy's

behavior and actions amazed him. His big heart,

kindness, loyalty and ability to see and understand

things the way no one else can were… refreshing,

warming. He wasn't as stupid as it seemed. He's

just opened, but not as much as you think. His

mischievous smile sometimes hides emotions,

sometimes thoughts. He always tells you the truth,

but that doesn't mean that he tells you everything.

He may seem carefree and happy, but there are

times when he's sad. You don't see it because he

doesn't want you to. That was very unusual

behavior, but one Inoichi could understand. And in

that Naruto and Itachi were very much alike. They

kept many things to themselves…

Inoichi hummed glancing around. The neighbors

almost finished rebuilding their house, as the

nearby shop owners, and the market district was

slowly turning lively as before. It was afternoon,

shinobi were busy, mostly with protecting the

village borders and missions. Other nations learned

of the destruction of Konoha and there was no

certainty if other ninja will not try to attack the

weakened leaf. And… who knows when Madara

decides to make a move again…

He reached his destination, the two-stored wooden

house, with the nice, flower decorated entrance and

windows. He openly smiled seeing the sign on the

door turned 'opened' and walked inside. The

instant smell of nature lifted his spirits and he

turned to the counter to greet his beautiful

daughter, only to frown at her absence. He pricked

his ears to hear her talking or making steps, but he

was graced with silence. It immediately worried

him and he reached for kunai, to be ready in case

there was the enemy in his house. He narrowed his

eyes understanding that if there was someone, it

was a strong ninja, because he couldn't find

anyone's presence. But his senses never lied to

him, and they said there had to be someone

inside. He quietly, stealthily walked to the back of

the shop, where was a storage room that led to

other rooms and upstairs.

He grabbed the handle and turned it, praying that

his daughter was inside. He opened the door and

the first thing he saw was… Shikamaru. And it was

only because he was on the floor, and he was

pinned there by someone he never saw before. The

man was pale, young and white haired. But his

teeth… well, they were sharp. He had some pants

on, some sleeveless shirt, some sandals, and a

wide, long and impressive zanbato. He sat on the

Nara's back, and his feet were pinning the

chuunin's hands to the floor, preventing him from

using any jutsus. His sword was stuck into the

ground, too close to Shikamaru's head. On the

other side of the room were other shinobi he did

not recognize, the red haired girl in glasses and…

high boots and an orange haired man that didn't

look like shinobi. Both of them sat on the boxes,

as well as the boy he recognized within a second.

In front of him, in the middle of the room, the

black haired heir to Uchiha clan sat relaxed, with a

narrowed gaze that held fire, directed at him. He

and his companions were wearing the Akatsuki

cloaks, which caused Inoichi to scowl, realizing

what that meant. The boy sat behind his daughter,

as his sword was too close to her neck, and it was

her he held hostage, and Inoichi felt the shiver run

down his spine, knowing that he had never had any

business with any Uchiha… until today, when he

spoke Itachi's name in the hospital room…

------------------------------------------------------

Tenzou casually opened the window, and looked

inside. He was outside of the apartment that

belonged to Naruto, and seeing as the boy wasn't

here for now, the man decided to look around and

maybe have some answers. He wasn't ordered to

do so; it was rather his worry and wish, to know

what happened with the blond and his teacher on

that trip. The only order Danzou gave the shinobi

that witnessed the defeat of the demons was to

keep their mouths shut about the ability and state

of Jinchuuriki. But he didn't say they couldn't check

his apartment… The building was built as one of

the first, and the boy must have made himself at

home already. He curiously peeked inside the

room leaning through the window and then his

gaze fell on the window itself. He checked if there

were any traps for visitors like him and shrugging

not finding anything, he entered.

He closed it after that and pulled the curtains, not

wishing to be seen by someone else. It didn't stop

the warm rays of afternoon from entering the place

and the man looked around the main room for a

second time, feeling that something was out of

place. He was frozen a moment later, when

realization hit him.

It didn't look like Naruto's apartment, though he

knew it was. It was simply too clean.

Instead of the mess he used to identify his new

student and team player with he saw the… order.

No clothes thrown everywhere around the room

and in different strange places, no weapons under

his feet that usually were appearing out of nowhere

on the bed, on the floor or on the chair; no scrolls

that were often gathered in the kitchen or in the

bathroom, and no traps, that he was warned about

by Kakashi-sempai earlier. It was unlike Naruto.

Maybe Sakura came by and cleaned it? He couldn't

recall that happening before. Simply curious,

Tenzou opened the wardrobe and looked inside.

Clothes, orange clothes, jacket, shirts, black, white,

purple… that's strange; towels, boxers, nothing out

of ordinary. Satisfied with it, the man closed the

wardrobe and strode to the drawers.

He opened them and checked the contents. Most

of the scrolls were named and he paid them no

mind, but the ones he wanted to open, were having

a blood seal, so sighing, Tenzou glanced around

the room again, and tilting his head for a moment,

shrugged and then crouched, to look under the

bed. He frowned not finding anything interesting

there. He rose and walked into the bathroom,

turning on the light. Clean… Everything was plain.

One toothbrush, one paste, one shampoo, oh, berry

flavored, washing powder, besom. The man sighed

and turned the light off, and with that went to the

kitchen. The shelves were somewhat empty, but

there was nothing picking his interest. In one of

the shelves below he found the box with the spare

kunai and shuriken, wires and empty scrolls, ink

and the new brushes. Nothing was hidden there. In

the fridge was a normal food. Tenzou shook his

head disbelievingly and was ready to leave, when

he took one last chance and opened the shelf with

the trash bin under the sink. He rummaged in the

bag with a slight grimace and raising a brow after

a minute, took out a small, empty glass bottle that

looked like a medicine.

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