A Fated Battle

A Fated Battle

ITACHI POV

He sits there, on a seat designed to look like a throne, with seemingly no worry.

Legs crossing at the ankles, left over right. Hands similarly clasped, dominant right holding onto the left poking out of the top of his cloak. Eyes shut while his head reclines against the top of the throne.

As with everything Itachi Uchiha does, he presents the picture of poise. Of being in control even when he isn't. Despite pain both emotional and physical as well as impending death, this reunion would be handled in the same fashion. So at the sound of approaching footsteps he makes no movement other than to lazily open his eyes, sharingan orbs meeting another pair.

Sasuke…

The precious little brother who could never hide how much he looked up to his elder brother. The so called 'prodigy', the perfect heir and shinobi. Theirs had been a strong bond at one point, weakened by duty perhaps, but always present. Always to be relied on when it mattered most. Itachi still remembers the smiles the shiny-eyed toddler would send his way after any time apart. Be it a few hours apart or weeks due to missions, little Sasuke was always the one bright light in his life. He remains that light even now, but he would willingly admit to missing those smiles. The brotherly love.

Unfortunately, the expression Sasuke bears is completely deserved. The loathing stare, it would forever be a reminder of where Itachi failed his little brother. Of the time when the darkness so prevalent in humanity tried to overcome the one lit corner of his heart. Tried and yet failed. Life may have torn his brother from him, but he would always carry him in his heart and mind. Alas, it is all too common where the gentle approach is not the correct one.

He would have to harden his heart and will one last time to provide a final lesson to his brother

So even as he burns the somewhat blurry sight into his memory, if only to take it with him to the next life, Itachi takes the opportunity and molds chakra. Illusions have always been his specialty so that is what he begins this last confrontation with. Such was his experience and talent that the genjutsu is cast and then weaved with a trio more while his brother hardly feels the intrusion.

Within a fraction of a second of eye contact, the battle had begun.

-GoS-

LEAF SQUAD

The two-team coalition pursuing Itachi Uchiha move rapidly among the forest, flitting from one branch to another.

The original plan, starting at a center point and slowly expanding outwards tracking the rogue ninja by scent, had not worked as intended. Indeed, they'd been at it for hours before Naruto brought news of the Uchiha's shadow clone which actually gave them their best means of tracking him. As skilled as the infamous prodigy was, the forest environment meant he'd left just enough clues for someone who can see down to the microscopic level to detect signs of his passage. The lone Hyuga was more than up to the task so with that, the squads moved as one.

Leading their loose formation is an unusually serious Gai, boisterous and playful demeanor set aside for the mission. Near the center are their two current trackers, Neji and Naruto. The Hyuga with his byakugan blazing as he visually scouts almost a kilometer around them with minute shifts of his head. In his thoughts he once again praises his cousin who's trained her eyes to be able to see several kilometers, such might have been of use for the mission. Beside him the sole blonde casts his awareness beyond his body to sense foreign chakra and negative emotions. Normally blue eyes are yellow with cross-shaped pupils denoting his partial use of the Kurama cloak in what he calls the 'hover' state mixed with sage mode. The two abilities combining to enhance the jinchuriki's tracking capabilities to beyond the vision of his dark-haired counterpart. As such, he is first to sound the alarm.

"I've picked up something." Naruto's eyes narrow as he turns his head, "Seven degrees left of our current direction. A single chakra signature. Doesn't match Itachi's."

"Approximate distance?" Asks Kakashi from where he is acting as the rear-guard. Seeing as how scent was no longer an option to catch their target, he'd sent away all of the ninja dogs aside from Pakkun and set himself at the back of the formation. He trusts his physically superior friend to handle any attacks head-on while he covers their rear alongside his summon.

"Six and a half kilometers." The Uzumaki informs the squad with a frown. "But something isn't right here. He didn't get to that position from outside my range, he just appeared there."

"Some sort of seal barrier that blocked your senses?" Offers Tenten. She possesses a minor knowledge about seals due to her reliance upon storage scrolls. "An encapsulated area that he either left or works best at long distance?"

"Perhaps. Could also be a form of summoning or teleportation technique." Sakura suggests in turn.

"All are possible methods, but with the variety of skillsets and techniques available to the Akatsuki, we can't assume anything as of yet." Kakashi advises. The after-report on Kakuzu and his partner had been an eye-opener as to how esoteric the members of the organization could be. "When we get in range but before we engage, I want you to relay a visual on them Neji."

"Of course, Kakashi-sensei." He nods.

From the front Gai silently adjusts their trajectory while they ready themselves in case of combat.

"Getting close, two kilometers away. And now one." Naruto reports as they closed in. "How much closer Neji?"

"This is close enough," The Hyuga finally speaks out and they slow to a stop. "One person, Akatsuki cloak. They are wearing a mask with seals that prevent me from seeing through it. Would say that they appear to be male in shape. In summary, an unknown."

"I see. This capture mission just became more complicated." Gai frowns.

His miniature clone hums beside him, "How will we advance Gai-sensei?"

"With caution. If he is Akatsuki then he is likely an S-rank nin. Not knowing his identity makes this more dangerous." He turns to his fellow sensei, "What say you Kakashi? Should we go greet them?"

The silver haired jonin voices what everyone is thinking, "We have to engage as going around may leave our backs open to attack. Keep in mind that he could be expecting us and all that that entails."

"I would also like to remind you that the Akatsuki normally move in pairs." Naruto throws in. No one has to question why he said that; there could very well be another S-rank nearby serving as a partner to this one.

"Very well. Use formation C, attack pattern two. Move in!" Kakashi calls and they are off again, slowly splitting into two groups. Formation C means Neji stays out of the direct confrontation to oversee the development while Sakura and Tenten accompany him. One acting as the field medic who mustn't sustain injury while the other watches over the other two and provides long-range support if needed. Resting on Neji's shoulder, Pakkun serves as another scout.

So as called for, mere moments later when the Akatsuki member wearing an orange spiral mask comes into view, the other members of the squad carry out attack pattern number two.

Instantly unlocking the second gate, gate of healing, Gai plants a foot and blurs. A branch off to the side used as a leaping platform barely has time to burst into shreds before his leg is rapidly approaching the rogue shinobi's face in a dynamic entry. Where Gai goes high, Kakashi goes low. The silver-haired jonin leaping forward, anbu-era blade in hand set for a strike to the midsection. His lone sharingan tracks the progress of Gai's leg and his blade as the window for evasive maneuvering closes. It's that close scrutiny that informs him what happens next is not a delusion.

None of the attacks land. Not his, not Gai's, and certainly not the pair of kunai sent by Naruto to complete the full pincer movement. And it's not because their opponent was able to evade them all, rather, everything went… through him? The kick entered one side of his head and appeared out the other while Kakashi ended up on the other side of the nin.

Quickly correcting his balance, he leaps to a safe position to observe the Akatsuki member once again.

"Phew, you Leaf ninja sure are no joke!" The masked figure swipes imaginary sweat off his forehead. Exaggerating the movement. "You guys almost had me!"

Gai, for his part, stares. As someone who's experienced a lot during his time as a shinobi and wears a mask of sorts to cover it up, he has a good eye for such falsities. This opponent is more than meets the eye to stand there surrounded while putting forth an attitude like that. But then again, a technique to avoid physical harm would likely lead to such levity, even if just an act.

The Green Beast glances at his long-time friend standing behind the masked fellow and then to their students standing facing him. He didn't expect otherwise but none seem to have an understanding of what occurred earlier meaning they could retreat or engage further for opportunities to observe. Turning away would not help with the mission, however.

"But don't think that means I'll let you get past me though! Tobi's a good boy and he was told not to let the scary Leaf ninja through." The self-identified 'Tobi' sinks into the branch beneath him and appears on one behind Kakashi, neatly escaping the triangle he was in and likely getting between them and their objective. "There! All better!" He says, voice dripping with taunting cheer.

The four Leaf shinobi take the opportunity granted and quickly regroup, moving back to where Neji and the girls are positioned.

"I don't know what to think of this guy," Sakura shares, eyeing the masked man simply waiting for them rather than engaging. He waves happily. "From here it looked like he completely negated your attacks. Almost phasing through them."

"I believe that may very well be the case Sakura-san." Neji agrees, "Right before contact I was able to see an irregularity in his chakra. It became, blurry, for lack of better word. The areas targeted seemed to lose integrity while the rest of his body was unaffected."

"I felt something similar. His overall chakra fluctuated and then decreased. Like some of it was no longer there. Seeing as how it's back to normal now, I would say it's a technique he's using."

"Indeed." Neji nods at Naruto, "One activated with no handseals."

"Could it be automatic? Like the kazekage's sand defense?" Lee wonders looking perplexed.

"The mechanics behind them should greatly differ but that is a possibility. A very grim one." Kakashi acknowledges, "We need more information before we can draw any conclusions. Same formation, attack at will. Tenten, see if you can target any blind-spots he has. Any hit would mean his defense is not automatic."

"Will do." The weapons mistress affirms.

This time when the four spread out and engage, Naruto takes the lead wielding two kunai. Rapid swipes see the masked ninja leaning and swerving to avoid them.

"W-woah! Be careful or you could hurt someone with those!" Tobi continues his childish act while the blonde takes the time to observe the second largest obstacle in his path to eliminate the Akatsuki.

'Tobi' is fast, as expected of someone trained by Madara and possessing cells from the First, but Naruto knows he's holding back. Both of them are really, each for their own reasons.

He slashes diagonally down to the left which causes Tobi to duck into a crouch and reach out for Naruto's leg. The Uzumaki, knowing what the contact could result in as Tobi is tangible at the moment, pumps the brakes and hops backward. A perfectly timed fireball from Kakashi crashes into the crouched opponent.

Catching his sensei's eye upon landing, Naruto shakes his head. It was well executed but sensing that same shift in chakra signature from before meant their opponent had gone intangible.

Indeed, Tobi appears on a different branch clapping enthusiastically, "Bravo! Such teamwork, no wonder-" Lee appears beside him cutting him off.

"Well?" Kakashi lands near Naruto, both keeping an eye out as Gai and Lee show off their teamwork. Their familiarity and speed not allowing Tobi to dodge all their attacks but instead phase through some.

"Can't say if it's automatic yet but clearly he can choose to physically dodge certain attempts. Could be because he can or perhaps there are limits to his technique." Naruto reports. "I have something in mind that might answer that question for us. You three will have to keep him busy while I summon a couple toads."

"If his objective is to prevent us from closing in on Itachi then I don't think he'll mind us taking our time here. We'll keep him busy." Kakashi promises.

"Thanks. Have you considered using your mangekyou ability on him?"

"I have," Kakashi grimaces. Since it provides no forewarning and is a ranged technique, warping their opponent could potentially be a way to defeat him, but doing such comes with risks. "Even one use would take a toll on my stamina and chakra reserves. Don't want to do that with Itachi and Kisame on the horizon."

"I thought so. This should help with that." Naruto comments, before placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and concentrating. From that point of contact a shroud of red chakra forms and quickly begins to envelop his sensei.

"Oh?" The Copy Ninja raises a hand to his face, analyzing the visible chakra. Internally he can feel his reserves being bolstered while the fatigue and slight strain from keeping the ocular implant uncovered fades. It's a good feeling, the increase in power not to dissimilar to opening the few gates he's capable of. He also takes note of the tail waving in the air behind him. "This chakra, is it…?

"Yeah, it is. Use it wisely." The blonde moves away.

While Kakashi focuses back on the battle now looking for the best instant to intervene, Naruto finds a safe distance to put one of multiple contingencies into effect. He quickly bites the inner side of his lip and swipes a gloved thumb in the ensuing blood before the wound can heal. He runs through handseals and slams a hand onto the wood beneath him which results in a small cloud of smoke before two small, elderly toads are revealed.

"Greetings. Sorry for being abrupt but I could really use your help…"

-GoS-

ITACHI POV

Landing atop the Uchiha hideout building, Itachi takes a moment to breath while waiting to see the status of his brother through one opened eye. The smoke and residual flames disappear revealing Sasuke being protected by unsightly wings growing out of his back.

"Tch, these wounds are nothing," He huffs, rising and leaping onto the roof as well, "they won't slow me down at all."

Silently pleased with his perseverance and ability to push through, Itachi slowly rises from his crouching position with a hidden wince. The blade from the windmill shuriken didn't penetrate his leg all that deep but it is enough to impede his movement. Said wound, combined with his quickly dwindling reserves and twitching left eye caused by the failed tsukuyomi, put him on the backfoot.

This couldn't go on much longer.

Luckily Sasuke is in no mood to stall and prepares another attack. Recognizing and matching his handseals, the brothers each launch a fireball at the other. The ninjutsu that was seen as a rite of passage for any young Uchiha wishing to become a shinobi. Their father had drilled Itachi on it at one point. Same for Sasuke. A shared experience. Who could have predicted that the day would come when they would turn the jutsu on one another?

Regardless of his inner thoughts, the two fireballs meet in the center and vie for supremacy. He doesn't hold back yet Itachi feels the exact moment when his technique starts losing ground. Accepting the truth and not willing to concede, his right eye slowly opens and summons the black flames of amaterasu into being. In almost no time at all the normal flames disappear, having been burned away by his potent ocular ability.

Sasuke seeing this and likely realizing the danger of remaining a still target dashes about, flames pursuing him. If burning him entirely had been Itachi's goal, Sasuke's evasive movements would not have prevented it. Being both too close and too slow to avoid such an outcome. Indeed, it's the hand-shaped wings that Itachi is targeting and sooner than later his dwindled accuracy locks onto them and they catch fire. Sasuke collapses with a cry.

He makes his way over to Sasuke's prone body and bends down before jumping back at the last second. He doesn't completely evade the dragon flame fired from below, but the damage is minimal. Essentially nothing compared to the gaping hole left in the roof. It's what allows him to look down at Sasuke as the marks on his face from Orochimaru's curse seal dissipate.

"That amaterasu of yours, it seems to have taken quite a lot out of you." The younger Uchiha falls onto a knee, matching the eldest's weakened stance.

"Likewise I can tell by looking that you're out of chakra." Itachi comments to his brother. He also deduces that Sasuke used the Orochimaru-style substitution jutsu to hide.

"I don't have any left." Sasuke admits but doesn't look defeated just yet, "I used most of it in that last dragon flame jutsu."

As they speak, the over-abundance of heat from their flames rises up into the atmosphere leading to a chain of reactions. Rain starts falling. Lightning flashing and thunder echoing above them.

"Now Itachi. You asked for it so here it is at last." Rain droplets splatter against the roof. The lightning seems to flash even brighter and more frequently, "I'll make your death a reality!"

It's at that point that Itachi realizes Sasuke might have a final effort left in him despite being low on chakra. He casts a quick look into the sky where lightning seems to coalesce, forming a being composed of energy.

"Come!" Sasuke yells out, hand enveloped with lightning chakra, "Kirin!"

Seeing the sheer amount of power poised to descend on him at the speed of lightning, Itachi knows he has to do something. Despite the urgency, his lips twitch the slightest bit: leave it to his little brother to command the heavens like this.

The smile doesn't fade even as he prepares his defense, and the lightning avatar strikes down with all the force of an angry god.

-GoS-

CLONE POV

The clone holds up a closed fist to his fellows, waiting for the best moment to strike. The other hand holds a readied Pandora's Box.

Out of the three created and tasked with taking out the trash, this particular clone came into existence first and therefore obtained the self-given designation of Alpha. Bravo and Charlie are currently waiting behind him for the signal. They didn't necessarily need it with the lightshow being put on by Sasuke, but a chain of command made things more orderly.

They were also bored and pretending to be a squad of black ops made it more interesting. Not that they were just pretending at this point. Being completely off the books and off the radar, they basically were covert operatives. Their clandestine mission having started with sneaking out of Konoha some time after the official squad left and then looping around Naruto Prime and co to reach Itachi's final destination.

They'd taken special care to avoid detection by using aero-step and hiding among the clouds. As such, they were already in position to watch as Sasuke arrived at the hideout and felt more than saw the presence of Black Zetsu. The parasite really needed to be eliminated; never before had they felt something so poignant through their negative emotion sensing. Even without knowledge of his deeds, they would have written off Black Zetsu as evil.

It was repulsive really.

They hadn't remained in the sky for too long after the brothers engaged. None of them wished to see if the lightning jutsu would indeed follow Sasuke's will if there was something else much closer for it to target. So they made another loop to descend while remaining undetected.

Now hiding amongst, but not touching, the treetops via aero-step, the clones wait.

At last, they see the Kirin starting to form and Alpha gestures to his brethren. Making sure not to disturb the environment around them, they slowly close in and stop at the edge of the tree cover. Fortunately, the one they're after made sure to put some distance between him and what would soon be ground zero. Makes this next step much easier.

The lightning construct strikes, heavily obscuring all physical senses.

It speaks to how well coordinated they are that Alpha hardly needs to signal before the squad moves. Just like Prime had practiced, Alpha takes off at an angle while Bravo takes the direct approach with Charlie hanging back. From up above the two, Alpha catches the moment as Bravo arrives upon Zetsu wearing the full Kurama chakra shroud and forms a large hand to scoop into the floor. He then uses all the power granted by that state to leverage the hand and shovel out the plant creature, sending him into the sky towards Alpha. It takes a slight adjustment in altitude but Alpha quickly closes in while avoiding the chunks of building likewise thrown into the air. Before he even has to plan for it, Bravo is on the other side of Zetsu prying open the Venus flytrap-like head covering.

""Wha-!?"" There are two distinct expressions of surprise before the opened top of the box connects with the right side of the being. "No!"

Too bad for the millennia-old chess master, that one touch is enough. Like being vacuumed he's ripped off his favorite carrier and sucked into the contraption. Prime had expected both Black and White Zetsu to be sealed away but the clones were nothing if not adaptable; Alpha shuts and locks the Box with all haste while Bravo punches a fist through White Zetsu's head which turns it into a sapling.

Not wasting a second longer they both body flicker in mid-air to another pre-determined area around the hideout. Charlie joins them a second later.

"All clear." He announces meaning he'd seen no sign of Black Zetsu escaping and that the Uchiha brothers also hadn't noticed anything.

"Good." Alpha replies while not taking his eyes off the Box. The array of seals covering its exterior were still lit up and although he didn't have a heart like an actual person, his mind is kind enough to provide the phantom sensation of it beating erratically.

If this thing failed…

Thoughts of a wild race to throw some litter into orbit slowly die down as the seals go dormant again signifying a successful capture.

"Oh, thank kami," He sighs in relief. Beside him Bravo lets the shroud fade away as the danger passes. Charlie provides the special scroll, and the Box is sealed away. It's Prime's responsibility now. "And that's Operation Pandora's Box done with."

He doesn't have to say much more than that, not when they're all clones of the same person and have almost identical thought patterns. Each of them recognize the importance of what just occurred, and each knows what comes next. They're professionals like that.

"Are you going to keep lugging that tree around with you?" Charlie asks Bravo who still has the accessory hanging off his arm.

… mostly professionals.

-GoS-

POV RESTORED

I maintain my position as Fukasaku and Shima begin the song that heralds their Demoni Illusion: Toad's Confrontation Chant. It will take a short moment before they're fully harmonized so we just have to keep Obito occupied while protecting the two elders.

I momentarily cast my attention outwards, catching the anxiousness and anticipation rolling off our sentry and support squad. Seems Obito's kamui is getting the respect it deserves from them which is to be expected. It's quite frustrating watching Gai and Lee weave in and out attempting to land a hit and failing while Obito pretends to be some airhead. I personally wouldn't be so collected if I didn't have the means to combat him.

Three clones appear beside me before they each transform into kunai which I palm. With my other hand I unseal a few regular kunai and get ready for what I'm expecting.

Obito spins around a punch from Lee, ducks under his roundhouse kick, and then phases through all of Gai's significantly faster and more powerful attacks before managing to clear some space. He hardly lands on an adjacent branch when Kakashi makes his move.

It's the first time I'm seeing his version of the kamui in action and it's somewhat interesting; the dark focal point centered on Obito's chest that quickly starts pulling in its immediate surroundings. It's what I picture a black hole to look like, although much weaker. The sight doesn't rob me of my composure however, acting fast and launching all the kunai in my hands towards Obito while flexing my chakra to turn six into a hundred. The hail of real metal and chakra tools fly across the clearing and blanket the area where Obito used to stand.

There's a pregnant silence as everyone takes in what just happened. No one drops their guard just yet which is good because seconds later, Obito drops back down among us. A little worse for wear but still intact.

"I'm back!" He yells while ignoring the tears and scratches in his cloak. Try as he might, there's no deceiving my emotion sensing. The simmering anger and hatred that had previously been aimed at our group had only magnified. I wouldn't be surprised to learn it's his old teammate he's really upset with now.

Speaking of Kakashi, I pick up the surprise and frustration he feels towards what he probably sees as a faulty usage of his kamui. With what I know and remember, I don't think he messed up there. No, his kamui worked as Obito wasn't expecting it and the rogue was sent back into their shared dimension. Same with the many projectiles and being on the same plane, they were able to do some actual damage to him. Shame that it all looks superficial but my real objective with the kunai was to camouflage my transformed clones with the shadow kunai technique and position those clones in the kamui dimension. Two of the three are now in there.

"Did you mi…" He stops mid-sentence, body ceasing all movement, and I blitz him.

Mangekyou sharingan, years of combat experience, implanted cells; none of them make up for the fact that his timing couldn't have been any worse seeing as how he is now trapped in the toad's unique, sound-based genjutsu. One which traps the victim's mind and renders their body inert until the technique ends, or their body is killed. I was fully prepared to lend the elders chakra cloaks to prolong their song and outlast Obito's intangibility timer but that wasn't needed.

I decapitate Obito with a simple wind-coated kunai.

A cut so fine, the body stands there for a moment before the separated pieces fall from the tree and towards the ground.

A beat.

Then another.

"He's still alive!" The horror movie warning comes from Neji, our eye in the sky. Very much appreciated but not necessary when Obito announces his resurrection himself.

"ARGHH!" A sound of pure rage and loss. Chakra surging wildly, refusing to be contained. "Uzumakiii!"

I immediately body flicker from my position, just in time as something smashes through the branch and leaves the limb to be taken by gravity.

My eyes narrow, focusing on the sight before me. It's definitely Obito despite the change. Sticking out from his back and tearing into his robes are tendrils of wooden spikes. As I watch he grows a long thorn from his wrist which falls into his hand, a weapon obviously. It's easy to tell that the once mockingly playful Uchiha is enraged. Too obvious. What isn't so obvious is the reason why. His mask: instead of the one eye-hole it now has two. The original hole and a new one that looks like someone made it hastily. Or with hands shaking from anger.

Oh… could it be?

I once hypothesized that Obito had another sharingan under his mask. It made sense as he contributed to the Uchiha Massacre and no doubt stole a few eyes as 'just' compensation. Knowing what I do about the clan's secret techniques, having fresh eyes on hand for emergency usage of Izanagi would be a logical plan. So Obito would have one in the socket he later used for the rinnegan. The perfect method to avoid death.

That wasn't the case, however.

If he uncovered that eye to now see after performing the Uchiha brand of re-writing reality, it stands to reason that eye is not what was used. Meaning the other one was. The mangekyou possessing the ability of kamui. Something Obito depended on dearly…

I don't quite break into laughter but that's only because of how serious the situation is.

Giving credit where due, I did not expect this. The toad's demonic genjutsu disconnects the target from their body so I wasn't sure Obito would be able to activate Izanagi in that state at all and yet, he did. Somehow. Even despite essentially dying separated from his body and therefore his sharingan. More Uchiha favoritism. Too bad for him and luckily for us, it seems he defaulted to what he was most accustomed to and sacrificed his right eye. Heh, is this what plot armor looks like?

All that runs through my mind as I stare down an enraged Obito who likely blames me for his loss.

"I was going to save you for last," He growls, already moving to attack. "Not anymore!"

Most definitely blames me.

I swing around a tree trunk and then descend to the forest floor before leaping between a series of branches. All that to avoid a charging Obito and the wooden spikes being flung at me. I do note that he's moving faster than earlier. In fact, his eyes and physical amps might have placed him on par with my sage mode.

Can't have that.

"Fall back!" I yell to the other three. For the first time against a real enemy, my Kurama cloak comes into play. Chakra bright and flickering like flames erupts and molds to my body, various black markings breaking up the orange aura around me. It feels great to finally use this but I have an important task to see to.

If he truly is vulnerable right now then I'm going to take full advantage.

I charge him, the shroud providing additional buffs to my considerable capabilities. Appearing inside his guard, I grab hold of his wrist holding another wooden stake and send a brutal knee into his stomach. Aside from cutting his head off earlier, that blow is the first we've landed on him today. Quite cathartic. My free elbow drops down onto the back of his head while simultaneously twisting his wrist making him drop the makeshift weapon. I bat it away and use the movement to spin and plant my sandal into his side, launching him away from the rest of my squad.

As is my custom, I don't let up.

Likely due to the Hashirama cells in his body, the blow to the side didn't kill him. He merely catches himself after going through a couple trees and returns fire with literal fire. A massive stream that widens as it closes in on me, using the forest for further fuel. I mold chakra and release it in the form of my liquid nitrogen technique, the only wind jutsu I know that can trump fire despite the elemental weakness. With the sheer amount of chakra I have to empower the jutsu it narrowly overcomes the flames and blankets the environment in a layer of frost. Something that Obito wants nothing to do with as he withdraws to an untouched part of the forest and drops to the ground.

I already suspect he has wood release techniques so as he slams both hands down and launches countless wooden spears at my approaching form it's all too easy to aero-step to the side and send a rasengan burst back. I harry him with a few more ranged rasengan to keep him on the backfoot and prevent more ninjutsu, but his chakra still shifts signifying the use of a seal-less replacement. I instantly lock onto his new position and body flicker over, avoiding a stab from another piece of sharp wood. If that were a regular weapon then I would not worry about it, but since it's made using wood release I'll take the utmost caution and not let it land on me. I don't think one can be too paranoid regarding that particular blood limit.

So I form a chakra construct of an arm from my back and catch his follow-up attack with it, the large hand covers his arm almost to the elbow. It tightens into a vice before Obito can react, the prosthetic arm being crushed to paste and drawing a muted yell from the rogue shinobi.

From there, the fight quickly comes to an end as I use my physicality to the max. Despite his rage, he does try to run away when he realizes he can't keep up with me. Tries and fails as expected. Even the snake, slimy version of Houdini that he used to be, could not escape me back in Kusa and that was without the aid of Kurama's power. So I catch Obito on every attempt and continue what I do best.

I don't believe in going easy on opponents as one slip up can do you in and that's especially true in this encounter. As easy as this seems, Obito still has one sharingan meaning one last Izanagi. Everything that he learns in this bout will be used to defeat me in the next so what I'm doing is focusing on taijutsu with a few ninjutsu thrown in, leaves everything else an unknown. The fact that he will be down both eyes and blind means nothing.

So after he falls, mask mostly intact as intended but body broken, I once again use a kunai to pierce his brain through the eye-hole he made. This time I go the extra distance of launching a fireball onto the corpse like it will keep him dead. From there I wait, fire crackling beside me while my eyes and senses look for his next reappearance.

Waiting.

Waiting a bit more.

And then some.

"I think he's down for good this time." Kakashi comments, moving over to observe the pyre. Gai and Lee follow on full alert while Neji and company remain where they were. "The other times he returned within seconds."

"Hn." I suppose by other times he means the failed kamui and the first decapitation. Could Obito have actually given up and not use Izanagi? Maybe. Though highly unlikely. There was something else at hand here.

"Your thoroughness is commendable Naruto, but perhaps we should continue with our official mission." Gai suggests, "Each second we waste is one which Itachi Uchiha can use to escape our pursuit."

"You're not wrong." The chakra cloak around me disperses, same with the one around Kakashi. We don't need those right now. "Assuming his stalling wasn't completely effective, getting back on the track should lead us to Itachi eventually."

"Him, Kisame, and perhaps Tobi's partner." I nod at Kakashi.

"No point staying here," With that we turn to regroup with the rest of the squad where I thank the toad elders for their help and promise to visit sometime. Before the clearing leaves our sight I make the plus symbol and mold chakra, shrugging to the questioning looks, "If he does return then I want some forewarning."

That assuages their curiosity, and we continue in silence.

-GoS-

SASUKE POV

Nothing seems to be working!

A last-ditch fire technique? Bounced off the orange avatar.

The remainder of his kunai equipped with explosive tags? Same result.

One final attack with his sword? His blade ricocheted into the distance while he flew back and almost crashed into a piece of wall miraculously still upright.

"No…" Sasuke breathes, desperately standing up and backing away. "No no no. Stay back!"

Itachi pays his pleas no attention.

As horrible as Sasuke feels, his older brother looks worse. Staggering forward with a limp while blood runs down his chin as he coughs wetly. Even the arm stretching out towards him is covered in severe burns and bloody at the fingers. Despite it all, Sasuke's the one retreating until his back meets the wall. He's the one fearfully pleading as death comes ever nearer.

Could it really end like this? Was this all his ambitions would lead to? Death at the hands of the monster who'd mercilessly slaughtered his family? Would he leave this world the same way his mom and dad did?

As Itachi slowly comes closer to touching him, Sasuke accepts the truth: yes, this was the end.

Unbidden, memories and thoughts forcibly suppressed flash before his eyes. He sees his younger self, fresh off the loss of his clan and foolishly deciding the lone path of vengeance would he his. Pushing away all and any attempts at friendship because stuff like that would only make him weak. But then his teammates, Naruto… they got through to him, just barely. It didn't stop him from betraying them for a better chance to kill Itachi. How assured of himself he'd been. How easily he lied to himself that he'd made the right choice to leave them and be alone. That they were a weakness.

And now here he is. About to die. All alone.

The realization makes his shoulders slump further in defeat.

What a failure…

Itachi's avatar breaks down allowing him to touch two fingers to Sasuke's forehead. Wide, fearful eyes meet hazy red and his world shifts. A genjutsu!

One which he's in no state to break out of.

He doesn't know exactly where the following visions take place, but he recognizes the architecture of Konoha. The first set consist of meetings in a dimly lit room. Various adults, young and old, bearing Uchiha wear sitting around and discussing changes in the village. Discontent and mistrust regarding the village proper. Plans to address the issue, plans of a coup.

His mind can barely comprehend what he is seeing before the images change. Now they consist of the Third hokage and another elder. They learn of the clan's planned revolt and use young Itachi who seeks peaceful resolution as a double-agent. Time advances and bloodshed becomes inevitable. The other elder approaches Itachi with an order, kill every Uchiha and be branded a hero. Itachi opposes, chooses to wipe out the clan except for his little brother and live life as a rogue instead. Threatening to expose village secrets for his safety.

The influx of images stop there thankfully but Sasuke feels his world breaking down. All he thought he knew is no longer true.

Or… maybe this is one last lie at his expense? Yes, that makes more sense.

The Uchiha, it wasn't likely that they would plot to overthrow the Third, was it? It hadn't been his focus but the village treated his clan right, didn't they? They were respected by everyone, shinobi and civilian alike. They were a welcome addition to the village. In fact, he was treated like royalty in many of the places he deemed to visit. Uchiha-sama is what they called, always paying respect to his slain family. Sometimes they would even…

Oh… Realization hit.

His clearest memories of village interactions were after that night. As the pitiful survivor of a massacre.

So what were they like before then?

Try as he might, he can't properly recall. He does remember they were somewhat distanced from the village proper, however. Likely of their own choice as most Uchiha were reserved individuals. Probably wanted to be alone rather than some slight from the village. Yes, as co-founders of the village, the Uchiha deserved the right to some privacy. Their sweat, blood, and tears given for the Leaf called for no less.

Sasuke can't ignore the quiet voice questioning why no Uchiha ever took the position of hokage. Surely their sacrifices warranted that? Instead, a line of Senju and their allies held a monopoly on the hat.

Was that purposeful?

The more his mind wonders, the more he can see why some might suspect foul play against the clan. Perhaps the arguments he'd just witnessed weren't completely baseless.

But were they enough to inspire a revolt? To have the Uchiha turn on the village their ancestors helped found? Was it possible?

The broken body of Naruto lying in the valley comes to him suddenly. He'd done that hadn't he? Almost killed a pseudo-friend while abandoning the same village he couldn't believe his clan would turn against. In that light, was it really so impossible?

No. No it wasn't.

He could see it now.

As if waiting for that cue, the setting changes and Itachi appears before him. Together they stand in a world under a red sky. Neither show the toll their battle had taken on them but that's not to say both are unscathed. Sasuke didn't know just how to feel at the moment while Itachi looks unbelievably saddened.

"Is it true?" He did not appreciate how weak and imploring his voice sounds but he had to know. Had to hear Itachi's take on what was currently turning his world upside down.

"It's the truth, little brother." Itachi sighs. "Our clan wanted a revolution… it wasn't meant to be. I-, something had to be done and there were no other options before me to maintain the peace. A battle between the village and the clan would have destabilized everything. Put us at risk of extermination should the other hidden villages take advantage. It was the only way"

Looking into his eyes, Sasuke could find no hints of deception. Only tiredness and an expression that he only used to see back when they were young. It- it hurt, honestly.

"Why?" He asks, "Why did it have to be you? Why didn't you take the first option?"

What he really wants to ask is why didn't Itachi kill him and live a hero, but he can't quite put it in words. His brother smiles sadly.

"Because I was their best option. Rather than risk the news behind our clan's treachery reaching the village or beyond, I could operate in silence. Limit the number of people aware. And it had to be me because that was the only way to keep you safe." Itachi blinks as the illusionary world shudders, cracks starting to form. "My time is not much longer so let me just say this please… I did what I did because you were my precious little brother. I could not kill you if I tried and I couldn't let whoever they chose in my stead kill you either."

How is he supposed to react to such news?

"My intention was always to protect you but in the end, I went too far. I didn't want to darken your perception of our clan, of our father, so I became the villain. One you could hold responsible and slay for retribution. In an attempt to push you to become strong and to one day free me from the burden I placed upon myself, I tortured you, Sasuke. There is no other way to describe the horrors I made you witness."

The memories of that night flit across his mind, yet at the same time, "It did push me- it motivated me to become stronger." Sasuke doesn't know why, or maybe he does, but the sudden revelation makes it hard to watch his brother place even more blame on himself. Not when he went through something even worse.

"Perhaps it did," Itachi exhales, "Yet it also forced you to walk a path that I hadn't wished for you. All I wanted was for you to be safe and to have the strength to defend what was yours. Happiness, love, and acceptance; I wanted all that for you. And I hope you'll find it someday. You deserve it."

He closes the distance then and Sasuke allows it, too numb to do anything as Itachi leans his forehead against his in a brotherly embrace.

"My time is up Sasuke. Know that although you won't see me, I'll always be with you. Right here." He taps the spot over Sasuke's heart, "I'll always love you, no matter what. Don't you ever blame yourself for this. I wanted to end things on my terms and I have so don't burden yourself further. I want you to live on little brother, live the life I was never able to give you. I love you."

And with that, the illusion shatters. It comes to a seemingly abrupt end leaving them on an overcast battlefield littered with debris and raging black flames. But Sasuke's attention is on the smiling face of his brother, expression locked even as the life leaves his eyes. After the corpse slumps and falls to the side Sasuke's body finally gives up and he likewise collapses. Mind and emotions in turmoil.

Itachi lies at his feet dead, but he feels no satisfaction from the sight. How could he, knowing what he does now? His brother took on the burden of killing their entire clan for the sake of Konoha and more specifically him. His brother loved him enough to leave the village and become a rogue ninja. In the face of such realizations, Sasuke feels nothing but remorse. The understanding that during their battle Itachi had never seriously injured him made it worse.

"Itachi?" His voice is weak.

If only he'd known earlier… why hadn't anyone told him?

"Itachi, don't leave me too…"

Why did it have to end this way.

"Please… I'm sorry…"

Exhaustion creeps in then and his mind succumbs like his body did moments earlier. Sasuke Uchiha, now the very last of his clan, passes out.

-GoS-

CLONE POV

After sending Pandora's Box to Prime, Alpha and the other clones sat around for a bit waiting. During that time they were able to see the snake's huge, hydra-like body break out of the curse mark and do battle with Itachi's Susanoo. Alpha knew he likely wasn't the only one who'd wondered where that form was when the real snake faced Prime just a couple months ago.

Not that it would have saved him.

In the end, Itachi won so they got to watch the second to last horcrux be destroyed. That enjoyable scene essentially marked the conclusion of the battle between brothers with Itachi's signature quickly disappearing and Sasuke's dimming after a surge in negative emotions.

The clones move in as one, taking special care not to disturb anything as they navigate through ground zero and finally reach the two who'd caused so much damage. It's clear Itachi is very much dead while Sasuke sits against a wall only an arm's length away out cold. It's what Alpha expected to see but the sight is somewhat unpleasant all the same.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry it had to happen this way." He sighs.

Sasuke may have been a jerk to Naruto, on top of likely killing him, but the kid did just lose a brother who was also his sole living family member. Alpha couldn't miss the tears on the younger brother's face and combining that with the faint shift in chakra he'd felt earlier… Well, it's safe to say Sasuke was not having a good time before falling unconscious.

During one of Prime's more melancholy moments, he'd entertained the idea that people in this world were more attuned with their feelings. That they felt emotions more vividly than he was accustomed to. He'd attributed that to a combination of having chakra, a physical and spiritual energy, and the way of life in the Elemental Nations. An example more so for shinobi than civilians, but one had to really cherish their loved ones while they lived because death was an ever present factor. The difference in average life expectancy here and back where Prime first lived proved that point well.

Of course love wasn't the only magnified emotion present in this world, but it was what Prime, and therefore Alpha and all the other clones, used to their advantage this day. They'd counted on the love Itachi held for Sasuke to make sure no real damage befell the younger Uchiha while also relying on Sasuke's previous love for Itachi to make an appearance and then result in grief strong enough for a mangekyou activation. It was honestly similar to something Black Zetsu would do. Sure, excuses could be given like pointing to this event happening in the original storyline or even saying that this is what Itachi wanted, didn't change the fact that they're excuses. Getting Sasuke's sharingan benefited them so they allowed, pushed, events to turn out the way they did.

No need to sugarcoat anything.

"We'll make sure it was worth it in the end… and try to lend a hand in the aftermath." Alpha promises before gesturing Bravo and Charlie forward. "You know what to do."

The clones move forward, with Charlie opening the second scroll they'd prepared ahead of time. They lay the supplies between the patients and clean their hands before getting to work. It doesn't take long to prepare the two for an impromptu operation, simply having to flip Itachi onto his back and position Sasuke in the same fashion and then applying antiseptic to the target sites and a local anesthetic to the younger brother. It's their first time doing this on a human, so they start with Itachi.

The extraction process goes pretty well, in Alpha's amateur opinion.

He steps up to the body once the eyes are out and the clones focus on Sasuke with their newfound expertise. His gaze roves up and down, weighing the possibilities.

"Should be something that's always near him. Hard for an opponent to separate. Maybe of certain importance…" Lightning is faintly reflected off the scratched forehead protector. "Hmm…" The old thing slips off with a tug and ignoring how unhygienic it is, Alpha holds the metal slab between both hands and channels a small amount of chakra into it. "Oh?"

Looking at the inner side of the plate, he sees it. A seal. A rather simple looking one for storage. Focusing chakra directly onto it this time results in a small puff of smoke and a nondescript scroll which he quickly unrolls to analyze. There's another more complicated seal there but it can't stump someone who had to study the science behind storage seals in order to create a new one. Nope, he figures out how to open this one too. Just need to apply blood to two specific areas. Only, after getting two drops from Itachi and applying them, nothing happens.

"Huh?" He wordlessly looks between the scroll and Itachi until something hits him. "Hey, I need one of you to bring me a drop of Sasuke's blood." Bravo ends up being the one to answer the odd summon, "Okay, drop it onto that matrix there while I do the same on this one. On my count. Three. Two. One…"

The smoke is thicker this time, but Alpha doesn't mind. Means they did something right. Very right.

Before their eyes lay two objects. The first is a plain looking gourd made of clay. Only about forty-five centimeters from head to base, the gourd has no stopper but looking down into it reveals a complete darkness. Even the light around them makes no difference in seeing what's inside it. Somewhat foreboding. The other object is even harder to explain; a flat piece of something gray with no discernable edges. It seems to blur making it hard to tell just what shape it is. It's a good thing Alpha had names and functions to assign to these objects or he would be completely lost at the moment.

The first is the Sword of Totsuka. A jar filled with a liquid that gains the form of a blade when released and can seal whatever target is pierced by it. They just saw it used on the snake. The second is called the Yata Mirror and should be able to negate any attack. Although both are classified as ethereal weapons and can't be used in their current state, the mirror is said to have no set form or property which explains why 'some flat gray thing' is the best explanation for it right then.

Alpha reaches out to touch the mirror, very hesitantly, and makes contact with the center. Immediately he feels a pull on his chakra before it stops. He gets the feeling of being weighed and found wanting for some reason.

"Okay. I'm going to assume these things bind to an owner after absorbing some of their chakra. After that the owner can summon them from wherever they leave them." He theorizes.

"And I'm guessing that chakra has to come from a living being. Not a clone?" Bravo asks. Likely thinking Alpha had just experienced an attempt to absorb chakra from the mirror.

"Probably, it definitely didn't bind to me." He shrugs before putting the mythical weapons back into the scroll, without touching them. "We'll store this in ours. Make sure you get a sample of Itachi's blood and another of Sasuke's. I'm going to set up the smokescreen."

For the sake of secrecy, certain measures had to be taken to cover their presence. The clones would do their part while the rest would be left to Prime.

Alpha just hopes the dead can't watch the living world wherever they were. Some things simply can't be explained.

-GoS-

KARIN POV

People from the Hidden Mist are really weird.

She's only really met two Kiri nin but that seems to be a constant.

On one hand is Suigetsu of the Hozuki clan. The idiot really needs to learn to read the atmosphere as she can vividly remember all the times he's gotten between Sasuke-kun and her. The boy was probably jealous. Shark teeth and everything…

The second person is Kisame Hoshigaki who she's heard about and is just seeing in person. A tall, muscular freak of nature with huge chakra reserves. That skin tone couldn't possibly be real could it?

The two make quite the sight killing time sparring as everyone waits for Sasuke-kun to finish up with his fight against Itachi. They repeatedly clash large butcher knife against oddly alive shark sword, also large in size, in a bout of kenjutsu. On the surface level it looks like no one takes any real damage, but she feels the difference in Suigetsu's chakra pool after taking a hit in his water form. Kisame's sword can absorb chakra apparently.

A fact that adds to her growing worries.

Despite herself and the faith she has in her dark haired crush, Karin doesn't feel comfortable and that's what pushes her to make jokes about how Kiri shinobi are compensating for something with their over-sized swords. It helps her stress less about Sasuke-kun who'd left her sensing range and the S-rank Kiri nin who at any time might stop playing around and decide to kill them.

Honestly, this was not going how she'd imagined it would go. Probably because the specifics had never seemed important at the time. In her dreams the younger Uchiha would win and then they'd go 'celebrate' together, just the two of them. Realistically however, Kisame could pose a huge threat if Sasuke-kun kills his partner. What was the point in fulfilling one of their ambitions only to be killed afterwards by a living sword? That would certainly not be the happy ending she wanted.

"…" She startles as the senses she's pushing as far as possible pick up something. Multiple signatures, one very familiar. She could never forget the chakra she'd felt that day. If he's really Sasuke-kun's old teammate then that makes the others with him Leaf ninja. It's obvious who they're here for. Thinking quickly, she makes a possibly rash decision. "Suigetsu!"

"What?" He barks back angrily, narrowly avoiding another hit from the chakra absorbing sword.

"Get over here!" After over an hour she'd think their mock fight would have lost any entertainment value. Kiri nin, honestly.

"Ugh." The purple-eyed teen hops back from Kisame with a huff. "You'd better have a go-"

"What is it Karin?" Jugo interrupts him.

"Don't you have birds looking out? We've got company, seven Leaf nin and what feels like a summon animal. One of them could possibly be connected to Orochimaru-sama's death." As she speaks she moves the huddle away from the Akatsuki member. Differentiating themselves from that organization is the first part of her plan to not be killed by the Leaf squadron. The huge, overpowering chakra comes closer. She doesn't have much time! "We should surrender to them."

"What?!" The expected person immediately blurts out. "Why? If they're here for Sasuke then we should fight to hold them off. Prevent them from interfering with his battle."

"Don't use that as an excuse!" She retorts knowing the idiot just doesn't like the idea of surrendering to anyone, "I know for a fact you're not willing to die for Sasuke-kun's goal." Suigetsu opens his mouth and then closes it after some thought. "Exactly. Odds are that their battle is over already and fish-face just hasn't gotten the message yet so fighting the Leaf would be pointless. If we cooperate they might not kill us."

"Do you hear yourself? You don't know for sure if giving up would save our lives and even then, we would end up as prisoners! Do you know what their torture and interrogation division does to prisoners from other villagers? Do you?!"

She admits that he is raising some good points. Ibiki Morino was quite infamous for his work and as underlings to Orochimaru-sama, they'd possibly be looking at an extended stay in his care. Yet at the same time, Sasuke-kun might not have outright said it but this teammate of his had gotten one over him recently so it wouldn't be impossible for it to happen again. Especially if they outnumber her crush who is likely exhausted by now. That means the soon to be last Uchiha could end up in Konoha again where he would be out of her reach indefinitely.

"Just-" Her response dies off. She'd been paying close attention to the approaching group, so she noticed when they'd sharply turned in their direction and now she also senses how the group splits up less than a kilometer away. Four continue towards them while three and the summon branch off in an angle that will likely take them towards Sasuke-kun. Notably, he isn't part of the four humans.

"Look, I was conscious when that guy raided the base I was kept in. I know he's powerful." Suigetsu relents in her silence, "But I think you're forgetting something," He nods over to Kisame who's just standing there grinning, "Kisame-senpai is currently their enemy too and crazy strong. We could join forces against the Leaf."

"We could retreat instead. Let Kisame fight them?" Jugo starts to offer when a bird lands in his hair and chirps. He blinks and turns, "Or not."

The four Leaf nin emerge from the forest and stop, forming a triangle consisting of the three parties. The newcomers look like the typical four-man group led by a man in a garish green outfit with three younger subordinates. It's the man who Kisame narrows his eyes at.

"I remember you," Kisame laughs, bandages falling off his sword revealing spikey scales and a mouth. "The Green Beast. Looks like we can have a proper rematch."

"Uuhh, do I know you?" The man asks in confusion.

Karin doesn't get to comfortably observe them as the three teens turn to her and the others. A Hyuga, another green outfit, and a girl with her hair in twin buns. To her side Suigetsu raises his cleaver sword and attacks, likely seeing victory against these three. Jugo transforms and likewise charges the boy in green. And that's how she found herself facing the Leaf kunoichi unfurling a large scroll.

"…I surrender?"

-GoS-

SAKURA POV

The rain was the first sign.

They ran into it a few minutes after Team Gai split off from them with Neji having identified Kisame Hoshigaki. Itachi wasn't with him, a trio of strangers there instead, so the teams had separated after making the assumption that the Uchiha would be further down. They really couldn't afford another delay, so they back-tracked and pushed on before running into something else.

If the downpour hadn't been ominous enough, the black flames certainly were. They covered a great expanse of land and the falling rain seemed to do nothing to it. She didn't have to be told this fire wasn't normal.

"So two things; first, we're on the right track. Only person I've seen create fire like this was Itachi." Naruto reports as they stand a safe distance from the conflagration. "It will likely continue to burn for days."

"Jiraiya-sama recounted something along those lines when he first encountered the Akatsuki duo." Her sensei muses.

"The rain and fire doesn't help but I can confirm this Itachi's scent is present here, along with another that feels kind of familiar." Pakkun adds in.

"Familiar?" Kakashi-sensei asks to the dog version of a shrug.

"Yeah. Like I said, the environment isn't helping."

"What's the second thing?" She asks, beating the others to the question.

"I sense someone in the center of all this. Without my sage mode all I can tell is that they're not moving."

"Oh…" That's certainly an issue. Maybe Neji should have come with them, at least then they could have potentially gotten a visual of the unknown person and plan accordingly. Now they had to risk the flames to confirm who was among them. "Do we have anything to deal with the fire. Your wind jutsu maybe?"

"I have something, it's not a jutsu, however. Jiraiya taught me the fire suppression seal a while back." The blonde nods. Out of his left armguard comes a scroll which reveals a complex seal when unfurled. Sakura knows he only has so many storage seals on those things, so odds are he prepared that scroll just for this mission. She could respect proactivity like that.

He creates a clone who takes the scroll and moves over to the flames. Her eyebrow rises when the flames nearest to the scroll warp and are slowly absorbed. It takes a while before a safe path is available and after a round of glances, they venture forward.

The only word to describe what she sees then is devastation. There had obviously been a structure of some sort but all that remains is rubble. Debris, scattered pieces of metal, and bits of black flames litter the area.

As she makes her way inwards following Naruto she ponders just what could have happened here. It's all too clear that a battle took place but who did Itachi face? Did Itachi win or is the signature they're closing in on the victor?

The universe reveals the answer in a way she'd rather it hadn't.

"Sasuke?!" Indeed, lying near what had once been a wall is her old teammate. Even after almost three years, the distance between them, and a change of outfits; she still recognizes him. Just like she recognizes that the shape a short distance from him is a human body with its upper body being consumed by black flames. Mere feet from his comatose form!

She doesn't remember when her legs start moving. All she knows is that she's closing the distance when Naruto appears beside Sasuke and touches him. The same red shroud he'd covered Kakashi-sensei in while fighting Tobi lights up around the Uchiha, it envelops him fully when she finally lands beside them.

"I don't see any serious external damage, but this should help," He explains while glancing at the corpse to the side. A clone forms and disperses. "Can we move him?"

She doesn't respond right away, too busy running a diagnostic technique on the thankfully living Sasuke. The chakra shroud creates a bit of interference, but she doesn't notice anything that would create any complications. In fact, she can feel the shroud healing their teammate and replenishing his chakra.

"We can now." She decides and they do so, not very far but enough so the fire doesn't pose an immediate threat. His head is positioned lying in her lap.

"Does he need that for much longer?" Naruto asks. She assumes he means the shroud.

"No. Either exhaustion was the worst of the damage, or your chakra transfer works fast, either way he'll be fine."

"Good." The shroud gradually fades, and the blonde lays a hand on Sasuke's chest through the open collar. When he moves his hand, a seal is visible for a second. "To restrict his chakra. It would also be best if he regains consciousness back in the village."

She heeds the politely worded command and taps an area on her patients neck. Naruto nods and moves to join Kakashi-sensei and the fire suppressing clone near the corpse. Leaving her alone with her childhood crush.

"That's Kakashi's other student, right?" Mostly alone.

"Mhmm." She mindlessly answers Pakkun, "It's Sasuke-kun…" The whisper is barely audible, as if anything too loud might disturb his slumber. Lack of consciousness really seems to soften his features.

Sakura looks up, noticing the other members of Team Kakashi approaching. Their grim expressions warn her of bad news incoming.

"Missions over. Prepare to provide support to Team Gai."

It takes her only a second to understand what her sensei means by that. Itachi was their priority, not Sasuke. Just because they have the younger Uchiha now that doesn't mean they would stop pursuing the eldest. Not unless something drastic happened. Something like Itachi Uchiha being killed before they arrived would count as that something drastic.

They'd failed the primary objective.

-GoS-

KURAMA POV

"When you said delayed Izanagi, I did not expect it to be so… delayed." The millennia old fox grumbles. "This is frustrating."

'True. But you have to admit, the only way Madara could have fooled Hashirama is if he were truly dead for however long it took the First to walk away from his friend's corpse.'

"Hn." Absolutely bored, Kurama starts pacing on a branch overlooking the pile of ashes that was once an Uchiha. The physical movement is enough to take his mind off the impatience for a while.

Even after months of experiencing it, this style of the shadow clone technique holds a unique fascination to him. To be in the form of a bipedal creature while also holding dominance over the body's actions, almost to the point of the body being his. It's not obviously, he can faintly feel his real form inside the real Naruto, yet by merging his consciousness with that of a complaint clone's he can come as close as possible to living like a human.

Normally he would never desire such a thing but this state comes with many benefits. The semblance of freedom after being passed through three generations of containers and the ability to lash out against those who sought to use him for their own purpose. To extract vengeance on those cursed Uchihas. The frailty of human flesh took the first wretch from him but the pretender would be his soon enough.

In a sense, this delay is a good thing because otherwise, Naruto would have slain the Uchiha once and for all. Kurama would have witnessed it close up but it wouldn't have provided the same satisfaction doing the act himself might. So yes, he should be content. And he was. Half an hour ago. At this point the Uchiha was just being a plain nuisance.

It's as he contemplates checking in on the original that he feels it. The sudden negative emotions along with the chakra signature that hadn't been there previously. Kurama ceases all movement, even tries to further suppress his presence in case the Uchiha is a capable sensor.

From down below the sound of agitated breathing can be heard. The pretender doesn't scream or vent his burning anger in any way aside from ripping off his mask and throwing it to the ground. Kurama assumes the Uchiha is aware enough to realize the danger he's in and doesn't want to draw any attention. Smart of him really; the milky white orbs in place of red sharingans paint a picture of vulnerability. Any altercation would come with an added element of danger.

The target makes his way over to a tree and touches it, a pulse of chakra originates from that point. Kurama doesn't know what the purpose behind that action is but he makes up his mind. Naruto easily overwhelmed the Uchiha so although he lacks the natural energy to enter sage mode now, the blindness of his opponent should balance it out.

He drops down to the forest floor, meters away from the second to last living descendant of Indra who spins to face him. Far too late.

A wet squelching sound echoes around the partially destroyed forest.

"Wha-ack!" Blood erupts from his mouth, the result of Kurama pulverizing his chest cavity on the way to his heart. The fox in human form withdraws and allows the Uchiha to slowly collapse. Leaking vital fluid into the grassy earth.

For years, Kurama had been looking forward to this. A decade spent alone in the seal while the other half of his being languished in the stomach the Shinigami, rage and hatred had been his only emotions regarding this specific human. Finding out he was not actually the first Uchiha who used him and left him to be sealed by the wood user's wife did not dampen the frustration. Indeed, having it happen a second time was altogether worse. But now? Standing above the dying sharingan wielder?

The personal satisfaction is there and yet... it doesn't quite feel how he imagined it.

Naruto's fore-knowledge no doubt; adding another dimension to what would have been a moment of self-gratification. It doesn't invalidate his emotions on the matter, just makes this act... deeper. Meaningful for more than just him and his reasons.

"I… I know you considered yourself right. That your actions were justified. A hero in your own retelling." He doesn't know if the Uchiha hears him, doesn't care either. He just has to get the words off his chest. "But the truth is Uchiha, similar to how I was a tool for your goals, you were a tool for another. A means to a ruinous end. So this, is for more than just me." His blood covered hand clenches into a fist, "I get retribution today. The many innocents you've killed get theirs. The ones you would go on to kill get theirs."

"I will not apologize, spawn of Indra. Nor can I genuinely offer condolences. Yet all the same, when you cross into the Other, I hope you find what you were after… Obito Uchiha."

…

Sometime later, his conscious returns to his body.

'Kurama?' Naruto asks, likely feeling the shift.

"It's done." Is his simple response. The memories from the shadow clone would have returned to his partner already so no details are needed. The question is more to test his state of mind than anything.

'I see. That's good then.'

And for the moment, that's that.

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A lot happened this chapter:

Fight with Obito. I feel like it was a little too easy, but with the MC's abilities he shouldn't really have an issue against an Obito without his kamui or a rinnegan. And I also think the MC was a couple steps ahead of Obito which I hope was clear while reading the scenes; he had plans for Kakashi's MS ability, chakra cloaks he could share to make sure Kakashi wasn't too fatigued, the Toad's audio genjutsu which worked on a couple Pain paths in canon, and knowledge about Obito's kamui and Izanagi. I will admit I might have taken some liberties about how those last couple of techniques functioned but overall, nothing was too AU.

Itachi vs Sasuke. Didn't bother to rewrite the whole fight since it was mostly canon but I think seeing a bit of it from Itachi's POV was useful and helped make the end more impactful. Or I'd like to think so, perhaps reading Itachi's death with the Naruto OST 'Sadness and Sorrow' playing in the background might make it more tear-inducing.

Clones on a mission. Beside piercing Madara's ten-tailed jinchuriki state using Obito's body, Black Zetsu doesn't really have notable physical feats so I believe him being blitzed by the clones is possible. For now the parasite will remain in Pandora's Box until a more permanent solution is found. Operation Rinnegan you all knew about and there's really no other way I could start it off besides extracting some eyeballs.

Itachi's mythical weapons. I suspect that this might create some arguments but I think it all checks out. In canon Orochimaru and Black Zetsu both recognized the sword and the snake was even looking for it for some time. This points to the fact that it and the mirror shield existed in the physical world and that Itachi found them rather than his Susanoo always having them. If he could find and take possession of them then someone else could take them from him, which I portrayed in my own fashion. And besides, an Ashura avatar covered in perfect Susanoo armor wielding the Sword of Totsuka and Yata Mirror is too nice to pass up.

That's long enough of an author's note, let me know what you all think.