Chapter 37: The Truth of Uchiha Itachi

Chapter 37

FWISSSSHHH! ZWING!

"What the hell is that?" White Zetsu asked as he watched Itachi's Susanoo's blade pierce through Orochimaru's body.

"That's called the Sword of Totsuka, otherwise known as the Sake Cutter Longsword. It is a spirit weapon that is the counter to Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi. It's said that it possesses a powerful sealing technique and all those it pierces will be sealed in a world of drunken dreams for all of eternity." Black Zetsu replied as they continued to watch Itachi and Sasuke battle.

"Now then Sasuke, are there anymore tricks you wish to use?" Itachi said as he slowly walked towards Sasuke in his bloody and tattered form. Sasuke just stared at Itachi and his Susanoo. Out of all the outcomes that Sasuke had imagined, this wasn't one of them. In fact, he never imagined that he would lose. He was so sure that he had everything under control. He wasn't that weak little boy that Itachi beat all those years ago anymore. He trained and worked so hard to get here. He even sought out Orochimaru, absorbed his power, and abandoned all the people he had began to care about in Konoha just for the moment that he foresaw Itachi's death by his hands. So why? Why didn't anything change? Why isn't Itachi dead yet? How come he was still so powerless? As all of his attacks failed to penetrate Itachi's defenses he simply stared with panicked eyes with his back against the wall. At this moment, as Itachi walked towards Sasuke from the distance and saw the fear and panic in Sasuke's eyes his heart constricted. All these years he played the role of the big bad brother, but for once, at least in his final moments, he wanted to do something right for Sasuke.

As Itachi slowly and carefully walked towards Sasuke he gave a warm smile and said, "Sasuke…There are many things I wish that I had done differently now that we are to this point...Cough… Mother...Father...The Clan...All I had ever wanted was for you to walk the right path…Cough...To not be tainted by our darkness... However...After meeting with two particular individuals I have realized that I was wrong in my choices...Cough...I don't regret what I've done til now...But I do think there are some things that I could have done differently. You said that you wanted answers..."

Sasuke just stared at Itachi's slowly dying and walking form with confusion and fear as he didn't know what Itachi was going on about. As Itachi struggled to remain conscious he slowly recalled his conversation with Izaya at this moment.

*Flash Back*

"...You wish for Sasuke to be the one to kill you and return to the Leaf after he has fulfilled his purpose, however, what happens when he finds out the truth about you? It will most likely be Madara who tells him the truth. You loved your brother dearly. Did you not think he loved you just as much? Once he knows the truth he may not return to the Leaf, but instead turn against it. He may resent it for what it commanded you to do. What will you do?...

...In your last moments you need to show and pass onto him everything. If he learns of this from a third party he'll hate everyone who caused you to suffer because he'll think that the brother he loved so much didn't have a choice. But if you are the one to tell him, he may just come to understand your ninja way and return to Konoha. You shouldn't try to do everything yourself…

...Show him. Pass on your will to him. Transfer your emotions of what you feel for the Village and how you lived as a shinobi. Show him your ninja way. Give him all the memories and details of your plans for him. Tell him it was Danzo who gave you this order. Show him that crushing the Leaf would only be a dishonor to you and destroy everything that you stood for. If he truly loves you as a brother still, then after seeing all of this and feeling what you felt, he may decide to finally come to terms with his hatred. The only things you can leave him is your will, your love, your acceptance of who he is, your memories, and your power…"

*End Flashback*

Itachi gave a small smile at this moment as he slowly looked at Sasuke. Both their eyes meeting one another. As Itachi continued to slowly approach Sasuke he said, "Before we part, let me tell you everything. About the night of the massacre. About the hatred and darkness of the Clan. Of the village. There's no need for me to lie anymore. Let me show you the whole truth." Before Sasuke knew it he was seeing all of Itachi's memories as the truth was laid bare before him. Sasuke stood on the grass as he watched a young Itachi set out for the academy. Watched as Itachi contemplated what life and death meant. He watched Itachi contemplate about what a village was and what a Clan was. He watched Itachi and Shisui complete missions and watched Itachi slowly begin to grow up.

Soon the time arrived to that fateful day as Sasuke stood there at the edge of the cliff as he watched Itachi speak to Shisui. "...You're the only person I can count on, my best friend." Shisui said to Itachi as he removed his Sharingan and handed it to him. "Please...Protect this village...And the honor of the Uchiha name…"

Sasuke watched in the dark corner where Itachi met Danzo. "...Whether it results in war or not, the moment a coup d'etat happens, the Uchiha will lock themselves into a fate of annihilation. Including your innocent little brother. Save your little brother before the coup d'etat and help us eliminate all other Uchiha...In all the village, the only shinobi who can be trusted with such a mission is you, a double agent of both the Uchiha and the Leaf. This will be the most painful mission for you. Itachi." Danzo said.

Sasuke stood in the middle of the forest as he watched Itachi and a masked man speak. "..I've kept an eye on your movements. Looked into what kind of character you are and what your ideology is." Itachi said.

"Then that saves me time. You already know that I bear hatred for both the Leaf and my own Clan." A masked man replied.

"...I will help you exact revenge on the Uchiha Clan, but you are not to harm the village itself." Itachi said.

And finally, Sasuke stood in that dark and horrifying room where he found his mother, his father, and his elder brother.

"I see. So you've aligned with the other side?" Fugaku said.

"Father, mother...I-..." Itachi started but was cut off by his mother.

"I know Itachi." Mikoto said.

"Itachi, just promise me this. Take care of Sasuke." Fugaku said. As tears streamed down Itachi's face he gritted his teeth and clenched the blade in his hands as he said, "I will."

"Though our philosophies differ, I am proud of you. You are truly a kind child." Fugaku said with a hint of proudness...

As Itachi finished showing Sasuke all of his memories, passing on his emotions and feelings, he finally reached Sasuke at this moment. Sasuke stood there completely stunned. Unmoving and not knowing how to react. He stopped breathing at this moment as he tried to absorb everything that was just shown to him while he looked his dying older brother, Itachi in the eyes. Tears streamed down his face.

"There's nothing more to say. I have now told you the whole truth. I won't have to ever again. I see now that perhaps if I had faced you from the start. Told you the truth from the beginning. Perhaps you could have changed father, mother, and the rest of the Clan. If I did that at the beginning, then I wouldn't have to stand before you now from above as a failure telling you all of this. So before I part from this world, I want to impart this truth to you...This will be the last time I tell you this...Although I won't be able to fulfill my duties as Konoha's Uchiha Itachi one last time...I will at least be able to fulfill my duties as your older brother, one last time...In my final moments...Sasuke...Don't blame the Leaf for the choices I made...You are the only one who can restore the honor of the Uchiha Clan now...Don't fall into our darkness...That is my wish...Please forgive me...Sasuke...I will always love you...This is goodbye…" Itachi said with a smile as he gently placed his forehead on Sasuke's and transferred his power of Amaterasu into him before he slowly fell and collapsed unmoving on the floor. A smile gracing his lips. Dark clouds began to gather as rain poured down at this moment as if the world were weeping the loss of one Uchiha Itachi.

In a forest not too far away Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, Sai, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Naruto stood frustrated as they glared at a masked Akatsuki member standing on a branch not far from them. Soon after Zetsu popped up from the branch as the masked man turned and said, "How'd it go?"

Zetsu simply replied, "It's over. Sasuke won. Uchiha Itachi is dead." Immediately everyone was stunned. The masked man simply put on an act and said, "That's unbelievable!...Or not. It's just as I thought." His voice changing to a much deeper and darker tone towards the end. It was also at this moment when Izaya appeared in a flash next to Yamato. This further surprised everyone. Zetsu and the masked man narrowed their eyes at my unexpected entrance.

"Izaya? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital? What are you doing here?" Yamato asked.

"I came to provide assistance. And to fulfill a promise to someone." I said which further confused everyone. Zetsu elected to ignore me and said, "Sasuke is down too. What now? He might just be hanging on by a thread." I narrowed my eyes obviously recognizing who the masked man was and also breathed a sigh of relief in my head as I knew I didn't arrive too late. I also gave a quick glance at Black Zetsu in wariness. At this moment the masked man showed his Sharingan to everyone prompting Kakashi and the others to become extremely shocked. He proceeded to say, "I shall continue my fight with you all another time."

Before they could leave I stepped forward and said, "I don't think so." The masked man narrowed his eyes as he replied, "Oh? And who are you exactly?"

I scoffed. "And who are you? Shall I call you Tobi? Or perhaps you prefer Uchiha Madara?" I said with a hint of an undertone towards the end of my sentence. This prompted Tobi to have a hint of an alarm go off in his head as he furrowed his brow through his mask. Who is this kid? Why does it seem like he knows about me? Did they get this information through Hidan? Tobi thought to himself. Everyone else stared at me in wonderment as well trying to understand the flow of the conversation. Before anyone else could say anything Naruto yelled, "I don't care! Where the hell is Sasuke!"

Tobi turned his head and said, "You don't need to worry about Sasuke. I'll make sure to take good care of him." I however fired back, "I don't think so. Your plans for Sasuke won't go the way you planned."

"What do you mean?" Tobi inquired warily.

"Itachi has already told Sasuke the truth. Your leverage over him has waned. He'll most likely rather kill you now instead of joining you." I replied curtly.

"The truth? Why would Itachi do that? You imply that you know the truth about Uchiha Itachi." Tobi replied.

"That's why I'm here." I replied.

"If Sasuke knows the truth then he would rather join me instead of return to Konoha with you." Tobi said.

"Perhaps...If he heard the truth from you first. However, Itachi was the one who showed him the truth and passed everything that he was onto Sasuke. If Sasuke truly loves his older brother then there is no way that he would join the likes of you who helped slaughter the Uchiha Clan." I said with confidence. After my words left my mouth everyone was even more stunned and didn't know how to react. They were all confused at where this conversation was headed. The only thing they could discern was that there was likely a huge secret behind Uchiha Itachi and the Uchiha Clan massacre. Another thing they didn't understand was why Izaya seemed to know about this secret.

"Oh? You even know that I helped? Not even the Leaf higher ups knew about me. There is only one way you knew about me and that is that Itachi told you himself. I'm quite surprised about this. No wonder you know about me. I never thought he would reveal my existence to some random outsider and even less the truth about himself." Tobi replied while becoming extremely wary of me. "You've peaked my curiosity. Who exactly are you and how did you arrive here so quickly undetected?" Tobi asked.

I smirked. "My name is Karasuma Izaya. I'm simply a Chunin of the Leaf village that happens to be good at what I do. As for how I got here so quickly? Perhaps you'd like to trade blows for a bout or two. Familiar with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu?"

Tobi widened his eyes in shock. His heart race quickened just slightly before he managed to calm himself back down. He stared a good while at me before saying, "Are you a reincarnation of the Fourth Hokage?...No, that would be impossible."

I smiled and said, "Heh. You're right, I'm not. You scared?"

Tobi stared at me for a long while until Zetsu broke the silence and said, "Oi, Tobi. Let's go. We can't be wasting our time here." Tobi let out a scoff and said, "Hmpf!...We'll meet again. Farewell." He then proceeded to slowly disappear, however, in that moment I also disappeared. I arrived before Itachi as he still had my special kunai hanging on his waist area. I put my hand on his body and he disappeared in the next instant as if he were never there. I turned and saw Sasuke unconscious sitting on the ground with his back leaning against the wall. I noticed the destruction around us and noted that the battle was indeed quite fierce. Just as I walked next to Sasuke, Tobi and Zetsu appeared not too far from us. Tobi and Zetsu were instantly shocked that I was also here and that I had made it here faster than even the both of them. Before they could say or do anything I scoffed at them and placed my hand on Sasuke's shoulder teleporting us away.

"NO!" Tobi screamed but was too late. Tobi and Zetsu just stood there as they stared at the spot where Itachi and Sasuke were supposed to be.

"Well that was unexpected...What now?…" White Zetsu asked awkwardly.

Puff.

A plume of white smoke filled the air as Hiruzen just sat in his chair, staring at the special kunai laying on the floor in front of him wondering why Izaya wanted him to put it in a secure room. What exactly is Izaya going to send me? Hiruzen mentally thought as he tried to think of all the possible things that might appear at any moment. Just as he was lost in thought a body instantly appeared on his floor prompting Hiruzen to immediately stand up and cough a few times from inhaling smoke too fast. He walked over to inspect the body and widened his eyes in shock. "Th-This is! U-Uchiha...I-Itachi?!" Hiruzen said in complete and utter shock. Before Hiruzen could move any closer to Itachi's body Sasuke and I appeared in that room as well. "W-What?! Izaya-kun? Oh? And Sasuke?!" Hiruzen exclaimed as he clenched his heart. "You are going to give this old man a heart attack with all of these surprises Izaya!" Hiruzen said as he took a few deep breaths to steady his mind and body.

"I'm sorry Hiruzen-sensei. It was an emergency situation. Sasuke needs medical attention right now. I suggest we ask Lord Fifth to look over his condition and have Anbu stationed around Sasuke's room as guards. As for Itachi, it'd be best to have Shizune handle his body, but I would like to request to also be present as Shizune performs an autopsy." I replied apologetically and quickly. Without having to say anything further Hiruzen quickly agreed as he arranged everything. I also told Lord Third and Lord Fifth about being wary of a masked man within the Akatsuki that has the ability to use the Space-Time Ninjutsu to travel great distances and nearly undetected and that he may try to use that ability to abduct either Sasuke or Itachi's body. Lord Third placed powerful seals and barriers around Itachi's body per my request as I told him of my meeting and promise with Itachi. Though he was surprised when I told him that I knew the truth about Itachi, I simply told him a little white lie about finding some evidence in some of Orochimaru's lab and confronted Itachi about it when we met allowing me to confirm the truth. Hiruzen just let out a deep sigh in shame at the fact that I now knew part of Konoha's dark history. I reassured him that I destroyed what evidence I found in those labs so as not to have such a dark part of Konoha's history leak to the outside world to which he just let out another sigh. Of course I wouldn't tell him that there wasn't actually any evidence to begin with...

Pitter Patter Pitter Patter

Rain continued to fall from the sky at the site of Itachi and Sasuke's battle as Tobi sat dejectedly on the wall where Itachi and Sasuke had fallen earlier. At this moment Kakashi and his team arrived but immediately became extremely wary after only finding Tobi sitting there with no sign of Itachi or Sasuke.

"Yo." Tobi said dejectedly. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and said, "Where are Sasuke and Itachi?"

"Hehehehe-Hahahaha!" Tobi just laughed. Naruto gritted his teeth and shouted, "What the hell is so funny you bastard! What did you do with Sasuke!" Tobi just continued to laugh a little while longer before calming himself down and stared at Kakashi's group. "What did I do with him? I should be the one asking you that question."

Kakashi furrowed his brow, "What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious? Where is that fellow by the name of Karasuma Izaya? Haven't you noticed that he's gone?" Tobi said.

"Of course we know. But Sasuke takes precedence right now. Where is he." Sakura said. Tobi just sighed as he turned his head up and looked at the cloudy rainy sky. "Well...I must say that Konoha sure has some capable shinobi. The First Hokage Senju Hashirama. Touted as the most powerful shinobi in all of history. The Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato. Touted as the fastest shinobi in all of history. Both of them were quite capable shinobi of Konoha. You Konoha shinobi even managed to kill Kakuzu and capture Hidan, and to think that in this generation a child by the name of Karasuma Izaya would be able to master the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Jutsu and beat me to both Itachi and Sasuke."

"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Then...Does that mean that Izaya was able to get to Sasuke first?" Naruto asked in shock and hope.

"Sasuke is safe then?" Sakura asked.

Is that true? But how? In order for Izaya to fly to this location means he either had to have a marker around here or he had marked either Itachi or Sasuke. When did he manage that? He did mention before that he met Itachi. Was it then? There's too many unanswered questions, but the fact remains that Izaya was able to get to them first. That means Sasuke is most likely in Konoha already. Kakashi thought to himself.

Tobi just waited for all of them to take in what he said for a moment before saying with interest, "Tell me. What kind of person is this Karasuma Izaya? He's quite the capable shinobi. He was able to discern the truth about Itachi, gain his trust, convinced Itachi to tell him the truth about me, prepare countermeasures, and even beat me in a game of speed. This puts a bit of a damper on my plans."

"There's nothing else that needs to be said about Izaya. He's a Leaf shinobi and one of our comrades." Kakashi replied as he stared at Tobi with caution.

"Hahaha! Very well. I see. Then I suppose there's nothing left for us to discuss. Farewell." Tobi said as he disappeared into thin air. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they just gained the knowledge that Sasuke was most likely safe and with Izaya. After letting everyone take a moment to rest Kakashi turned to them and said, "Let's return to Konoha."

"Mn." Everyone nodded in agreement and in high spirits.