Perception

Warnings: Rated M for violence, language and sexual situations/adult themes. Naruto and its characters are owned by Kishimoto.

Fanart #6 is on my profile, as well as more from some awesome fans!

It’s all come down to this folks. The final battle. I tried my best to bring both action and emotion to this chapter, and I think it’s safe to say there will be a few surprises, as well as some things you probably knew all along.

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Perception by Cynchick
Chapter 17: When Love and Death Embrace

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The crunching of their boots in the fresh morning snow was the only sound to be heard as the five shinobi slowly and calmly walked out into the wide clearing in front of the old fortress.


They stopped and stood in a loose arc, much the same as they had the day Sakura confronted them in that town…that day now seemed like a lifetime ago. Behind her at an angle stood Itachi, on her other side stood Deidara, and their respective partners stood next to them at either end. The symbolic irony of their formation and her place among them was not lost on her.


She looked so much like one of them, comfortable in their darkness, trusting, intimate. Yet she was not one of them, a fact visualized by the absence of red clouds on her identically tailored cloak. Would they see that, her friends and teammates? Or would they look at her and see a traitor, one who had gotten lost somewhere in the many shades of grey and couldn’t – didn’t want to – come back.


Itachi’s hand held the back of her neck, for all appearances to prevent her from running and keep her in his control. But his touch was gentle, not holding so much as resting. He knew she wasn’t going to run, at least not yet. Her eyes slid shut briefly when his thumb began to softly and absently stroke over her skin beneath the cover of her hair. She wondered if he was even aware he was doing it, as he seemed to have drawn into himself again, and she knew he was feeling for the tiniest hint of movement or chakra from their surroundings.


She watched the tiny white flakes as they fell over the world, her breath puffing small wisps in front of her face, the occasional whisper of wind the only break in the fatalistic calm. It was tragically beautiful.


Three days ago this silent clearing had been filled with laughter as they’d stood in this very spot and thrown snowballs at each other like children. Only three days, and they had come to this. Here they would wait. Here, it would end.


The tension in the air was stifling.


She didn’t know how long they stood there waiting, the moment hung frozen between a heartbeat and eternity. Then, everything sharpened back to reality and the four Akatsuki tensed, their dark and malevolent chakra beginning to curl around them and envelop her as well. They sensed it too; the unmistakable feel of powerful chakra and killing intent approaching fast. Her stomach clenched with sickening dread and her fingers gripped hard into the sides of her cloak. Her entire body was rigid, her face nearly as pale as the snow covered ground. How was it possible to feel so much fear and yet have none for yourself?


Itachi’s fingers tightened slightly against her neck, whether out of reassurance or preparation or his own tension, she couldn’t tell. And then it happened. The approaching chakra separated into individual signatures and three dark shapes flickered into view as they landed across the clearing.

…

…


“…Sasuke…” her lips formed the word, barely a breath of a whisper, and her heart skipped.


There he was, after all this time. He looked so different. She hadn’t known what to expect upon seeing him again, but it wasn’t this. The last time they had met they were still teens, and now he was grown. Gone was the childlike effeminacy, replaced by the chiseled features of a man. He was tall, and beautiful, and every bit as haunted and tired-looking as his brother. He looked like he had been through hell, and now here was here before her.


She disinterestedly appraised the two people standing on either side of him. Sasuke was here, in front of her after six long years, and therefore these two didn’t interest her in the slightest, but she felt she should at least give them a cursory once-over; they may be here to help after all. She began to think otherwise when she noticed the tall, red-haired kunoichi was actually glaring at her. Did she think she was one of the Akatsuki? If they had tracked them all the way here they had to know she was a hostage, so then what was her problem? Without knowing why, Sakura instantly disliked the other woman, and she narrowed her eyes at her before looking over at the other one. He immediately put her on edge. From his shaggy silver hair – or was it a frosty blue? – and pointed teeth she guessed that he was probably a former Mist ninja. For some reason he seemed far more animalistic to her than Kisame ever had, and it probably had a lot to do with the wicked and sadistic gleam she saw in his eyes and face as he leered at them. Her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in anger as she realized he was carrying Zabuza’s giant sword, the sword she and her teammates had placed in the ground to mark the man’s grave where they had buried him next to Haku. She had a strong suspicion he didn’t have it now as some rightful inheritance or other honorable circumstance. Sakura sneered. This is what Sasuke had traded them for?


Her focus returned to her former teammate. If he had looked at her or even acknowledged her presence, she hadn’t seen it. As was to be expected, Uchiha Sasuke’s entire world was right now focused on only one person.


The two brothers were locked in a silent stare-down, and neither had moved so much as an inch. Several endless moments stretched by before the palpable silence was broken.


“Sasuke,” Itachi said quietly, calling his brother by name for the first time she had ever heard. “Finally we meet again.”


The younger Uchiha narrowed his eyes hatefully at his brother. “For the last time…Itachi.” Both men spoke quietly, but their voices carried across the silent snowy field as clearly as a bell.


Itachi’s lips curved in a small smirk. “Indeed.”


“You won’t get out of fighting me this time.”


“I have no intention to.”


They stared intensely at each other for another long moment. “Let’s finish it, then,” Sasuke said, taking a step forward.


Itachi took a step as well, moving in front of Sakura. He paused, and turned to look at her. His hypnotic crimson eyes were calm as the hand holding her neck moved and his thumb grazed softly over her cheek. “No regrets,” he said softly, and she placed her hand over his and gave him a tiny nod. Then he turned, and slowly walked to the center of the clearing.


Sasuke stood and stared in astonishment. He’d seen everything that had just transpired between his brother and Sakura. His first thought was that his brother had done it to anger him, to throw off his focus. But Itachi hadn’t even glanced in his direction at that moment. And Sakura had looked at his brother without anger or fear, her eyes large and soft and full of sad acceptance, and she had returned his touch. His Sharingan had even read the words that passed Itachi’s lips. Why did she look at him like that? Why did she let him touch her like that…like…like a lover. But the question that rang loudest in his mind; why had he done it? Because what his bloodline limit had seen pass over his brother’s face and eyes for a fraction of a second was utterly baffling.


His gaze focused now on the pink-haired kunoichi who stood among the Akatsuki without fear, with no signs of wanting to flee their captivity. As if she belonged there. Their eyes met, and he was even more surprised by what he saw there. Her bright jade orbs were wide and sad…but calm, and completely unapologetic for what she must know he’d seen. They were not the same eyes he’d seen six or even three years ago. They were no longer the eyes of an immature girl, but of a strong-willed and confident woman, and he realized that he didn’t know her at all. Perhaps he never had.


When Sakura saw the confused and angry look on Sasuke’s face as their eyes finally met it sent a sharp pang through her stomach, but she hadn’t fallen apart like she once thought she would. She wanted him to understand, and she hoped she would have the chance to tell him what she knew. But if he never did it would not be the end of her world as it once would have been. She had made choices, and so had he. She was not ashamed of hers. Could he say the same?


Sasuke returned his angry eyes to his brother, and stepped out to the center of the clearing to face him.


Deidara moved to take over as Sakura’s ‘guard’, standing close behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. His hand felt more comforting to her than controlling, and she turned her head to look up at him with large, nervous eyes. He met her gaze and squeezed her shoulder gently, and after a moment they returned their attention to the impending battle.


As the brothers faced off in the center, the savage looking man with Sasuke fixed his pale gaze on Kisame and began to move around the edge of the clearing toward the shark nin. A sadistic, pointy-toothed grin appeared on Kisame’s face and he gave a low sinister chuckle and moved to meet the other Mist shinobi.


“Well, well,” Kisame snickered darkly. “If it isn’t the grave robber…”


The other man curled his lip in a sneering grin and shrugged casually. “He didn’t need it anymore.”


“Neither will you, after today,” said the larger man.


“You’re pretty confident for an old man.”


Kisame chuckled. “You know who I am, boy?”


Suigetsu grinned viciously. “Of course I do. Why do you think I’m here?”


“Couldn’t say,” Kisame said, though he knew full well why. “I’m guessing you came for lessons, because I’m about to teach you how a sword of the Seven is really used,” he threatened, un-strapping Samehada from his back and readying a fighting stance.


The other man brought his stolen sword around and did the same. “Oh? You gonna avenge Zabuza’s honor? How touching,” he sneered.


Kisame snickered again. “That’s not it at all. It’s not about friendship. The Seven Swordsmen were an extraordinary group. A worthless lackey like you doesn’t deserve to wield that sword.”


Suigetsu scowled at the shark, the grin on his face vanishing. “Well let’s get started, senpai,” he mocked. “Maybe you can show me a trick or two before I add your sword to my collection!”


He swung hard at the taller man’s head, and with a loud clash of metal, one part of the battle had begun. Sakura tore her eyes away from the two Mist ninja and focused again on the men in the center of everything.


Neither of the brothers had moved since they had stopped to face off from each other. If they were aware of the swordsmen fighting only a few yards away they gave no indication. It was as if nothing else existed in their world other than them.


Sakura saw motion out of the corner of her eye and looked to see the red haired kunoichi trying to sneak over to them and find a way to attack. Sakura almost snorted in derision at the blatant advance, and Deidara did. She realized at the moment she was acting and thinking a lot like one of the ‘bad guys’, but she still didn’t get the feeling that the two shinobi with Sasuke were ‘good guys’ or that they would lift a finger to help her, even if they weren’t here to attack her. Well…that woman might. Sakura felt nothing but bad intentions from her. Tobi was closest and moved to block the bespectacled kunoichi, and the two of them squared off on the other side of the still motionless brothers. She lunged at him and a second battle began on the opposite side of the field.


Even though they weren’t moving, what was going on in the middle of the clearing was far more interesting to Sakura, and she drowned out the clashing and clanging from either side of her and focused intently on Sasuke and Itachi. The two Uchiha stood motionless amid the surrounding chaos, calculating, each analyzing the other and waiting for an opportunity to strike. One stared with absolute hatred, the other with calm nonchalance.


“Will you finally be strong enough this time, brother?” Itachi’s tone was quiet, almost as if speaking to himself.


Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “You’re about to find out. Twelve years,” he growled. “I’ve lived for this day, for twelve years. I survived. And I hated. Just like you told me to…brother. Oh, how I’ve hated.” He was practically radiating malice and killing intent. Sakura could feel it from where she stood, and it gave her chills.


“Then what are you waiting for?” the elder Uchiha asked calmly.


Sasuke glared venomously at his brother for another moment, and then he vanished. He reappeared a split second later with his chakra blade poised inches from Itachi’s chest, blocked by a kunai in the older Uchiha’s hand. It had finally begun.


Sakura had never seen anyone move so fast in her entire life. She didn’t have a Sharingan, and their movements were nearly impossible to follow. They crashed, flickered, vanished and crashed again and again, blurs of black and red against the white landscape as they collided and broke apart, appearing again several feet away and making another rush.


It was magnificent.


And it was the most frightening battle she’d ever witnessed. They were too fast for each other, too powerful, their Sharingan countering each other’s technique and speed to the point that they were nearly equal. Sakura was scared. She had been so confident before, but now that she was witnessing it for real, the outcome of this battle was not entirely clear. Sasuke may die. She knew what Itachi wanted, but she knew he would make his brother earn it, and if Sasuke didn’t, if he couldn’t, Itachi would kill him.


After several minutes of clashing weapons and colliding jutsu the brothers broke apart and stood wary and tense, several feet of distance between them, both beginning to sweat and breathe heavily.


“I am impressed, brother,” Itachi said.


Sasuke glared. “You’re actually going to fight full on this time?” He ignored the blood dripping down his cheek, and the stinging of sweat as it trickled into the open cut.


“It would be a mistake not to,” he said solemnly. “You’ve become strong, Sasuke. I’m proud of you.”


The younger brother scowled and emitted a scathing, bitter laugh. “I’ve become what I needed to be to kill you, Itachi. And I don’t give a shit about your pride. Anything other than a death-rattle from you means less than nothing to me,” he said darkly, but a small flicker in his eyes hinted that he may think otherwise.


The older Uchiha smirked ironically. “That is to be expected.”


“What are you doing with Sakura?” he asked suddenly.


Itachi showed no reaction to the abrupt redirect. “You know why she is here.”


“Don’t play games with me.”


Itachi’s head cocked to the side a little. “Why do you care, Sasuke? You abandoned her and everyone else who ever cared about you long ago.”


Sasuke’s scowl deepened, but he ignored the reproving words. “What have you done to her, Itachi?” he pressed angrily. Out of the corner of his vision he saw Sakura frown and realized she could hear them. Her indignant reaction only confused him more.


Itachi’s expression became slightly condescending. “You give Sakura far too little credit, brother. She is not the girl you once knew. Perhaps you should ask that question of her, if you live past this day.”


Anger flared out from the younger Uchiha and he readied to attack again. “I don’t know if I’ll live or not, but you sure as hell won’t. Even if I die here, I’m taking you with me!”


Sakura flinched when a moment later a massive ball of flames engulfed the space where Itachi had been standing and she raised her hand to cover her face from the intense heat. She didn’t get to see what happened next because she was suddenly thrown off balance when Deidara threw his arm around her chest and jerked her backward quickly.


A kunai whizzed past inches from where her face had been.


She looked sharply to her left in alarm, only to see Tobi and the red haired kunoichi still fighting back and forth like nothing had happened. It seemed as though an off-mark kunai had strayed in their direction, but she couldn’t help but feel like the truth was much more sinister than that. It was timed too well within the distraction the katon jutsu had created.


“Fucking little bitch. Tobi better kill her soon or I’m gonna, yeah,” Deidara muttered close to her ear, before releasing his hold around her and returning his hand to her shoulder. Sakura’s cheeks heated in anger. If that kunai had been aimed for her and made to look like an ‘accident’…


Her attention immediately returned to the center of the chaos when she heard the crackle of lightning and chirping birds as Sasuke lit his Chidori. He now had a large slash on his arm, and blood was dripping down and mixing with the flare of blue chakra in his hand. She looked to Itachi and saw that the sleeve of his cloak was torn and bleeding as well, and drops of crimson were beginning to stain the pristine snow as they circled each other. Both of them were breathing hard. This fight was getting ugly.


Sasuke charged, Itachi vanished into a flock of ravens, and the titanic battle was on again. Sakura chanced a look over at Kisame and saw both swordsmen still fighting hard, and blood stained the snow around both of them, though the sword thief looked far worse for wear and was starting to gasp for breath. Sakura smirked.


Sasuke made three passes at Itachi with the Chidori, and all three missed, though one had come dangerously close to hitting him in the face. The crackling died out and the brothers faced off again. Sakura’s gut clenched when she saw that Sasuke was holding an arm over his stomach and blood seeped through his fingers.


Itachi wiped the trickle of blood from his lip and glared. “Is that all you’re capable of?”


Sasuke snorted. “Hardly.”


Sakura’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw the black streaks of the curse-seal begin to spread over Sasuke’s neck and face. She had thought it would have lost its power when Orochimaru died. Her surprise turned to dismay when Sasuke’s body began to distort and change, and she watched him transform into his second stage for the first time. Naruto had said something about this…but this…seeing it firsthand…was horrifying.


Itachi raised a brow at his brother’s new form. “Is this what you had to become to be on a level with me?” he asked, his tone mocking.


“I did what was necessary, because you left me no choice!” he growled.


“I wanted you to become strong by your own power. I never made you sell your soul.”


“Fuck you! Don’t talk like you even know what a soul is! You have no idea what I’ve been through!” he yelled, anger and hatred pouring out of him.


“I know more of hell than you ever will, brother,” Itachi said quietly, his expression tired and strained.


“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he cried angrily, confusion slipping into his burning crimson eyes. “Don’t play games with me!” he screamed, and lunged full force at his brother.

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Team Kakashi ran at breakneck speed over the jagged, ice-covered rocks, Pakkun running at a rapid pace just ahead of them.


“We’re close now,” the little dog panted, his nose lifting upward to catch a new wave of scent.


No one said anything. They could already feel the massive swells of chakra a few miles ahead of them, and knew that a battle had already started. Had Sasuke found the Akatsuki first? That was the only logical explanation.


Was Sakura fighting? Was she ok?


Kakashi looked over at Naruto as they leapt over the terrain. His eyes had already begun to glow an angry red-orange, the Kyuubi clawing just below the surface and screaming for blood. He hoped with everything he had that the boy wouldn’t lose control.


Naruto noticed Kakashi watching him and glanced over at the older man. “Kakashi…can you smell it?” he asked darkly. “Smells like blood…and…” his eyes narrowed and his lip curled, revealing a flash of sharply pointed canine.


“Chidori…” Kakashi replied.


“Sasuke…” Naruto said in a low growl. “Let’s go! Faster!” he yelled, and the four men and the pug increased their pace.

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Sakura watched the brothers continue to battle back and forth for several tense minutes, still fascinated and horrified by the monstrous change in her former teammate and friend. What had he done to himself?


Suddenly her attention was redirected again when she heard a sharp crack and a loud groan of pain from her left. She turned just in time to see some strange foreign jutsu hit Tobi squarely in the chest, and the masked ninja crashed to the ground.


“Tobi!” she cried, and without a moment’s hesitation, she broke free of Deidara’s loose hold and ran over to his fallen partner. Deidara was right behind her, and the two of them approaching fast made Karin quickly jump away from her downed opponent and stop several yards away.


Sakura reached Tobi and fell to her knees beside him. He was gasping and wheezing heavily, clutching at his chest where it was exposed as the cloth and parts of the skin had been burnt off. “Tobi! Tobi, are you alright?” she asked fearfully.


The masked man managed a small nod. “Yeah,” he rasped weakly. “But Tobi can’t breathe right.”


Sakura placed her ear over his chest and let out a ragged sigh of relief. He was alive, and the wound wasn’t fatal. “You have a punctured lung, Tobi. But you’re ok. Just lie still and breathe carefully, and you’ll be fine.”


“What! You’re worrying and crying over an enemy? How pathetic!”


Sakura looked up with a scowl to see the other kunoichi glaring at her from where she had landed in the distance. She had a large gash in her thigh, and there was blood on her face from a cut somewhere near her temple.


“But then again, you don’t look much like enemies to me,” she remarked derisively.


“Who are you? What is your problem with me?” Sakura asked angrily. Why did this woman she’d never met hate her so much?


“My problem? My problem is that you don’t deserve Sasuke-kun!”


Sakura blinked. Then she laughed outright. “What? What the fuck are you talking about?”


“Crazy bitch,” Deidara muttered from where he stood several feet away, glaring and ready to kill.


The tall woman wasn’t finished. “I saw what went on between you and Sasuke-kun’s older brother back there. You’re a fucking traitor and a slut too from the look of it. I should just kill you here and now and tell Sasuke-kun it was an accident,” she sneered.


“You already tried that,” Sakura replied dryly. Crazy bitch is right, she thought. And she was really starting to piss her off…


“Oh, so you noticed?” she chuckled in a false, over-feminine tone. “It looked to me like you were too busy worrying about your lover, until this guy saved your ass,” she jerked her head to indicate Deidara. “How sweet. Are you fucking him too?”


That did it.


Deidara flipped part of his cloak aside and reached into his clay pouch. He was about to shut this crazy girl’s mouth for her, but Sakura beat him to it. She suddenly flickered next to Karin and punched her squarely in the face.


The bigger girl flew back a good twenty feet and rolled through the snow to land in an awkward heap. She groaned loudly and slowly got up to a crouching position. She brought her hand to her mouth in pain, and shrieked when she saw blood on her fingers. Her shriek turned to a scream of outrage when she realized three of her front teeth were missing. “You fucking bitch!” she spat. “I’m gonna kill you!”


Sakura was not impressed. “I don’t know you. I’ve done nothing to you and I don’t know why you have such a grudge against me. I could have smashed your skull with that punch. Don’t make me kill you,” she said firmly.


Deidara chuckled darkly. He shouldn’t be letting Sakura get in a fight, he was supposed to be guarding her and she needed to stay safe until…well, until whatever was going to happen happened. But it was far too amusing to watch the petite little hellcat beat the living hell out of that stupid woman.


Karin fixed Sakura with a sadistic grin and didn’t say another word. Sakura frowned at her. What the hell was she smiling about? Something wasn’t right…


The hairs on the back of her neck raised and she heard a startled sound from behind her.


“Surprise!” the kunoichi yelled cheerfully, but the woman in front of her hadn’t moved.


Sakura whipped around just in time to see the still-prostrate Tobi stab a kunai into the chest of the kunoichi, and the shadow clone vanished in a puff of smoke.


But not before she had plunged her kunai straight into Tobi’s jugular.


“Tobi!” she screamed, and ran frantically back to the masked man. Deidara’s eyes widened and he launched the five clay homing birds he had been molding at the real Karin, who took off running, before quickly moving to join Sakura at Tobi’s side.


Sakura crashed to her knees beside Tobi. The clone had severed the artery. There was blood everywhere, draining rapidly from the man’s neck and staining the snowy ground in a dark pool. “Oh…fuck! Tobi!” Without thinking twice about it, she hastily pulled off the swirling orange mask and neck cover to reveal the wound. She didn’t even look at his exposed face. Her eyes widened in alarm at the massive trauma to his neck tissue, and she pressed her fingers tightly over the gash and poured her chakra into him. Her eyes filled with tears and she squeezed them shut, trying to stay focused and calm and drown out the voice that screamed in her head, telling her what her medic’s mind already knew but her heart refused to accept.


He was dying.


He was losing blood too fast. She could not close the wound in time. He was slipping, his heart already faltering and slowing down. She refused to give up and continued to pump her chakra into the wound as fast as her body would allow, but it was too severe, it was happening too fast to heal. There was nothing she could do.


She gasped and her eyes flew open when she felt his gloved hand come up and weakly touch over hers against his neck, and she looked at his face, the face that none of them had ever seen until now.


God, he is so young. It was pleasant and unremarkable, an honest face. It fit what she knew of him. The left side was scarred and the eye was long gone, but she’d already known that. His single, dark eye stared up at her with rapidly draining focus, and she blinked away the tears to better see him.


“S-sorry, Deidara…senpai,” he rasped weakly, his chest rising and falling in feeble, unsteady gasps.


The blond man’s face contorted and he closed his eyes tightly for a moment. “Don’t apologize, Tobi. You did good, yeah,” he muttered thickly, his hands clenching in fists against his pants as he kneeled beside Sakura and stared at the face of his dying partner.


“Don’t talk Tobi, you’re …” Sakura choked, tears falling freely as she continued to futilely pump her chakra into the gaping wound.


Then he smiled, the most heartbreaking smile she had ever seen. A thin trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and he coughed weakly. “Deidara-senpai…Sakura-san…are Tobi’s…friends,” he whispered. A tear slipped from his eye to pool against the bridge of his nose and he choked softly as more blood leaked from his lips. “Tobi is…happy…” his words trailed off in a sigh as his hand fell away from hers. His eye stared unseeing at the sky. He was still smiling.


“No…no, no, no, no NO!” she sobbed, and her chakra output ceased as she hung her head in bitter, agonizing defeat. She stared at her shaking hands, covered in blood. Her mind knew that even as a skilled medic, there was nothing she could have done. Some wounds were too severe to heal, even by the best. It was how her shishou had lost the love of her life. It just happened too fast. She knew this, but it didn’t keep her from blaming herself.


But she knew who to truly blame, and raised her head to glare pure undiluted venom at the red haired kunoichi responsible. The woman was covered in cuts and burns from dodging and running from Deidara’s bombs, managing to outmaneuver them one by one and drive them into the snow covered boulders surrounding the area. She was panting for breath but still managed to fix Sakura with a gloating, sadistic smile.


“You!” Sakura growled viciously. She had held back before, but now, that woman would die.


She went to stand up, but Deidara was already moving, and she saw the look of absolute fury on his handsome face as he turned away. She had never seen him look so dangerous. He walked slowly toward the kunoichi and stopped several feet away.


Karin smirked. “So you’re gonna avenge your comrade, huh?” she said casually, mocking. She cocked her head as if in thought. “Or is it because of what I said about your pathetic little slut over there?” she goaded.


Deidara smiled at her, and her blood ran cold at the look of pure murder in his eyes. “You’re fucking dead, bitch.”


The tall woman snorted, acting tougher than she felt at the moment. “Not if all you’ve got are more of those stupid, useless birds.”


Sakura heard everything and smirked, her shocked and grief-filled mind abnormally sadistic. The woman had just killed his partner, insulted her, and now she was insulting his art…she wouldn’t live another five minutes. Sakura barely saw it, the tiny object that dropped from his over-long sleeve, white on white as it hit the snow and vanished.


Karin was still ranting with false bravado. “I mean, did you actually think those things would kill me? Please. If I outran them before I can outrun them again…what the-?” her bespectacled eyes widened in alarm as a giant clay snake shot up from the snow and coiled itself tightly around the shocked woman’s torso, pinning her arms to her sides.


“Surprise!” Deidara shouted, throwing her own mocking words back at her with sadistic delight.


Karin’s face only showed one second of pure terror before the snake exploded.


Sakura turned her eyes away from the gruesome scene and gazed sadly at Tobi’s peaceful, smiling face. Fresh tears welled in her jade eyes, and she heard Deidara return and crouch at her side as she reached out a bloodstained hand and gently closed the young man’s only eye.


She felt Deidara stir next to her and she and saw that he was holding Tobi’s mask. He stared at it with a clouded expression for a long moment, and then handed it to Sakura with a meaningful look. She took it gently and leaned over Tobi to place a soft kiss of farewell on his brow. “Goodbye, Tobi. I will never forget you,” she whispered sadly, and carefully replaced his mask.


She ran her hands through part of the unstained snow to remove some of the blood, ignoring the icy bite, and turned to Deidara with a look of pure anguish. “I’m so sorry…” she whispered raggedly. “I couldn’t…”


“Hey!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently, forcing her to look up at him. “Don’t. I’m not a medic and even I could see it was too late, yeah. You did everything you could. Tobi did his best, and he was content. Don’t you dare blame yourself.”


Sakura nodded weakly and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her cloak. Deidara stood, and she took the hand he offered and stood up as well. They both immediately turned in the direction of the still ongoing fights when they heard the loud roar and searing heat of another katon jutsu.


It was Itachi’s, and it partially caught Sasuke in midair. Sakura gasped when Sasuke fell from the billowing cloud of black smoke and crashed to the ground hard, wisps of smoke rising from his singed back. The curse-seal faded as he struggled to remain conscious and she could see the burn marks over his pale, bare back as he shakily got up to a crouch before his brother.


He was exhausted, and his brother didn’t look much better. Both were bleeding and limping, sweating and breathing hard. They were running out of chakra, and soon this fight would come down to brutal, bloody hand-to-hand combat the old-fashioned way.


Instinct told Sakura to look to her right, and she watched wide-eyed as Kisame swung Samehada in a wide arc and brought it down hard, slicing clean across his exhausted opponent’s torso. The younger man fell to the ground in shock, gasping and sputtering as dark blood flowed into the snow all around him. Zabuza’s sword crashed to the ground. Kisame slowly limped over to the fallen young man and bent painfully to retrieve the sword of his former comrade and looked down upon his defeated foe.


“See?” he said quietly, all traces of amusement gone. “You just weren’t good enough.” And with that, he drove Zabuza’s sword straight down into Suigetsu’s chest, and the former Mist-nin moved no more.


Kisame sighed tiredly. He held an arm over the messy but non-fatal wound in his abdomen and drove Samehada into the ground, holding the hilt and leaning against the sturdy sword in exhaustion as he finally turned his attention to his partner’s battle. Sakura could see that the shark’s many wounds, though messy and bloody, were not fatal, and that with his stamina he probably didn’t even need her assistance.


Suddenly she felt another presence a few yards behind her, and a second later Deidara sprang away from her side. She looked down in surprise as several shuriken thudded into the snow where he had been standing and she whipped around to come face to face with her teammates.


Team Kakashi had just arrived at the far side of the clearing, and skidded to a halt when they spotted Sakura. She seemed fine, but that didn’t stop Naruto from flinging sharp weapons at the man standing next to her.


“Sakura-chan!” he cried anxiously.


“Naruto!” she called back, her voice a mixture of happiness, relief and…fear? Her heart soared at seeing them, but soon crashed back down as she realized with dread that they were now in danger as well.


“Kakashi, I’m going,” Pakkun informed. Without waiting for a reply from his master, who was too caught up in what was happening, he vanished in a puff of smoke.


Sakura looked pale and worried, and there were tears on her face and even a tiny streak of blood. She seemed ok, but even though she was standing alone she made no move to run to them. Whose blood was that? Why was she crying? What the hell was going on here?


Naruto turned to look at Deidara, who had landed several feet away and was glaring at the new group dangerously. “You!” he growled at the Akatsuki.


Deidara chuckled darkly. “It’s been a while, Kyuubi.”


“If you hurt Sakura-chan, I’ll fucking kill you! Actually…I’m gonna kill you anyway!” he shouted, and moved into a fighting stance.


“Naruto,” Kakashi said urgently, stepping slightly in front of the boy. “You already know you can’t fight him, he has the advantage on you.”


“I don’t give a shit about that!” he argued angrily.


“Make sure Sakura is ok. Let me handle him.” He turned his attention to the blond Akatsuki, his Sharingan spinning and locking down on its target.


Naruto grudgingly agreed and started to move toward Sakura. He jumped backward quickly as two kunai came straight at him from the explosives master’s direction.


“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, yeah,” Deidara warned, then jumped aside to avoid the shuriken launched at him from the Copy Ninja.


“You can’t afford to worry about that right now. I’m your opponent from here out.”


“That’s fine by me, yeah,” he smirked. “I have unfinished business with you anyway.”


“They say holding grudges is unhealthy you know…mentally,” Kakashi said with well-practiced nonchalance, his tense posture belying his casual air.


Sakura’s heart raced as she watched Kakashi and Deidara square off to do battle, fear and anxiety so strong that she felt sick and was afraid her knees would give out. This couldn’t be happening! They couldn’t be about to kill each other. Not like this! This wasn’t even necessary! She had to do something…


Deidara laughed at the masked ninja and flipped the sides of his cloak back to reveal his clay pouches. “What do I care about that, hmm? The magnificence of my art defies rational thought!” he shouted mirthfully, then reached into his pouches and began molding clay.


Sakura’s eyes widened in fear. “Kakashi!” she cried, taking an instinctive step forward.


Kakashi saw her move and called out to her without taking his eyes off of his opponent. “Sakura, stay back!”


She shook her head frantically. “No, Kakashi you don’t -”


“Sakura-chan, come over here to us! Hurry!” Naruto called out, standing with Sai and Yamato some distance away. His brow furrowed in surprise when she didn’t so much as look his direction.


Deidara brought his hands out of his pouches and opened them to reveal a dozen tiny homing birds. He grinned sadistically at the Copy Ninja. Kakashi drew several kunai and readied to attack.


The members of Team Kakashi’s eyes went wide with alarm as Sakura suddenly began running full tilt not to them, but toward Deidara, slipping in the snow and nearly falling in her frantic attempt to reach him in time.


She reached him a second too late, grabbing his arm just as he released the homing missiles in Kakashi’s direction.


“Deidara! No!” she cried, pulling on his arm desperately to get his attention. “Please don’t do this, it’s not necessary! Deidara!”


The blond Akatsuki pulled his icy eyes from watching the Copy Ninja leap and dodge his missiles and glare at the frantic pink haired woman. Sakura flinched slightly at the cold killer she saw in those eyes. “Deidara…don’t do this,” she pleaded, her voice cracking. “We don’t know what will happen yet…please…just wait…”


Deidara let out a frustrated huff and glanced at the evasive Copy Ninja, then back to Sakura, then to his opponent again. He looked one last time at Sakura in angry indecision as her bright eyes stared fright-filled and pleading up at him. Then, he turned his head away and fixed a vicious, lip curling sneer on Kakashi.


Sakura tensed when it looked like Deidara wasn’t going to listen to her, and she was achingly debating if she had to hurt him to get him to stop. Her heart leapt into her throat with a gasp when all of the Akatsuki’s remaining missiles refocused and made a dive straight for Kakashi, and she mechanically drew chakra into her fist and painfully prepared to do what she must…


Kakashi’s eyes widened in alarm as he realized there was no way he wasn’t going to get hit by at least one of the bombs, and he began to make rapid hand seals for shadow clones and jump away, when suddenly the missiles dispersed and dropped to the ground harmlessly.


Kakashi stared at the duds in a moment of shock before jumping away anyhow in case it was a trap. He landed next to his three dumbfounded teammates and joined them in staring amazed at the blond Akatsuki and their pink haired teammate clinging to him.


Deidara fixed Sakura with an exasperated glare. He couldn’t believe he had just done that. He had backed down. For her. It was ridiculous. He had been looking forward to continuing where he’d left off with the Copy Ninja and the Kyuubi three years ago. But now for some reason, he didn’t want to do it in front of her. What the hell had she done to him? She did have a point, though. This wasn’t his mission, and whether it succeeded or failed, it was no real skin off his back. Oh, Leader wouldn’t be pleased with him, but the ultimate responsibility would lie on Itachi’s shoulders. And if Itachi died…then they would have to figure out something else, and that was just fine with him.


Sakura stared up at Deidara with grateful, slightly surprised eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered brokenly, and let her head fall exhaustedly against his shoulder, the deadly chakra in her fist dissipating.


Naruto saw this and frowned, not understanding what was going on or why the guy had held off from fighting Kakashi. Sakura begged him not to…and he listened. And now she was leaning against him…Could some of what that old hotel matron said be true? No…”Sakura-chan!” he called again.


Sakura looked up at hearing her name and fixed her watery eyes on her teammate. “Naruto…” she started, intending to go to them at last, but Deidara grabbed hold of her and held her back.


Kakashi tensed, and Naruto jerked forward but was stopped by his team leader. Deidara’s hand tensed over his clay pouch, then relaxed slightly when no one made another move.


Sakura stared at Deidara in confusion and mild indignation. She knew she could break free if she really tried. Powerful as he was he was no match for her chakra. But if he really intended to hold onto her she would have to hurt him to get loose, and she still didn’t want to have to do that. He gave a tiny shake of his head. “I can’t let you go to them yet, Sakura. Not until this is over, yeah. Just wait it out, ok?” he said quietly, using her same words to reassure her. “I held back once, yeah” he continued, this time loud enough for the others to clearly hear. “But if they try anything else, I wont hesitate,” he glared malevolently at the four Leaf ninja.


“I understand,” she nodded. “Naruto, Kakashi…everyone,” she turned to her teammates. “Please just stay there for now. I’m ok…really,” she forced a smile. “Just wait…please.”


Her teammates stared at her bewildered and slightly suspicious. They all looked at each other uncertainly, and then Kakashi turned and gave her a wary, curt nod of acceptance. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do.


What a strange sight they all were; mortal enemies standing side by side in a wary time-out, a temporary truce as they understood that they were witnessing history. This epic battle between the estranged brothers, the last of the mighty Uchiha, was a legend in the making. All else was insignificant next to this profound event.


There was a loud clash and ringing of steel on steel and Sasuke went stumbling back and fell to his knees, but managed to keep a hold on his sword. Itachi stood several feet away holding his own sword, slightly bent and bleeding heavily from a large gash on his leg. Sasuke spit blood onto the ground and shakily attempted to stand.


“Sasuke…!” Naruto called urgently, lurching toward the fight. He was grabbed on either side and held back by Kakashi and Yamato. “Let go of me! Can’t you see Sasuke needs our help?” he yelled, struggling against the older men’s hold.


“Calm down, Naruto,” Yamato urged.


“That’s easy for you to say! He’s not anything important to you!” he argued angrily, jerking roughly to break free. However, Yamato and Kakashi were doing the holding, and short of a full on Kyuubi transformation, he wasn’t getting free any time soon.


“Naruto, listen to me,” Kakashi urged. “I know how you feel, but you can’t go over there. You can’t get involved this time.”


“Why not?”


“Because,” the older man sighed. “Some things are a matter of pride.”


Naruto paused, remembering a time years ago when he had seen the brothers’ clash, and Jiraiya had said something very similar. Finally he relaxed with a frustrated sigh, and the restraining arms were lowered.


“You can’t save Sasuke by fighting beside him. He doesn’t need you now,” Kakashi spoke again, and met Naruto’s troubled eyes with a meaningful look. “He will need you after.”


Sasuke slowly got to his feet and chanced a glance around the clearing, briefly registering the lifeless bodies of his companions and then casting a slightly more lingering look at his former teammates. His body was screaming in pain and exhaustion. He had very little left in him, and Itachi looked just as worn down as he knew he did. It was almost over, one way or another.


“I may be injured, but is it really wise to turn your focus from me?” Itachi remarked in a strained voice.


Sasuke looked back to his brother with an exhausted glare. He ignored the question and offered one of his own. “Why?” he asked in a low, pained voice. “We’re here now, finally…at the end. No more mind games…tell me why.”


Itachi looked very tired suddenly. “I did it for you, Sasuke,” he answered quietly.


Sasuke was shocked. “What the fuck does that mean?” he asked angrily. “You killed our clan, our parents…for me? You’re saying it was some sick attempt to make me stronger?”


“Only partly for that. It did make you stronger, but that was not the only reason. I did it so you would be free.”


He couldn’t believe Itachi was finally giving him a straight answer. But it couldn’t be the truth. It was the logic of a madman. He didn’t want to believe it. “Free?” he scoffed. “How am I free? I’m a slave to this vengeance, because you made sure I could have nothing else! You took everything from me! You ruined my life! I fucking hate you for what you did to us, to our family, to me!”


“What I said is the truth,” the elder Uchiha answered evenly.


“I don’t believe you!” he screamed in outrage, his eyes wild. “I will kill you, Itachi! This ends now!” His right arm flared blue-white and extended down the blade of his sword, lighting crackling and spitting. He had one last shot. This pass would end it. He ran full speed at his brother.


Itachi brought his katana up and deflected the chakra blade and threw himself inside Sasuke’s reach, grabbing him by the head and forcing him to look directly into his eyes.


Sakura gasped and lurched forward in fear, but Deidara once again held her back.


“Sasuke!” Naruto shouted in alarm. But Sasuke couldn’t hear him.


The Chidori fizzled and sputtered out and Sasuke stared wide-eyed and unfocussed, already trapped in the Mangekyou Sharingan.

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Sasuke crashed to his hands and knees with a sharp exhalation, his head spinning. What the hell just happened? Disoriented, he shakily pushed himself to a sitting position and opened his eyes.


His blood ran cold.


He was filled with an overwhelming fear, a feeling nothing else in the world could give him. There was no mistaking where he was. The walls of the Uchiha compound were bathed in a bloody glow from the light of an eerie red moon, casting stark unnatural shadows across the nightmare rendition of his family home.


Itachi stood not far from him, watching; the master of this hellish world.


He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the moment it would come, the tearing of his mind, the screams and the blood and the fear as his once-loved brother forced the events of that night upon him over and over. He had failed. He had come this far, had given up everything, even part of his soul, and now it was over. Itachi would torture him until his mind finally broke for good and then kill him.


But Itachi didn’t move.


What was he waiting for? “Why do you do this, Itachi?” he raised his eyes to his brother. “Don’t you realize that I already live with this nightmare every waking moment, that the memory of that night haunts my every step? Do you enjoy torturing me?” he asked bitterly.


“No,” Itachi replied quietly.


His brother had never been honest with him about any of it before, so he would take advantage of it while he still had time. There was no one in this world but them. No one else would ever hear this conversation. “Then why did you do it? How could you do it? How could you just kill them all, for no reason? I know father was a bastard…but how could you kill our mother?”


Itachi frowned at that. He wouldn’t tell him that that had been the hardest part. It would serve no purpose to reveal to his little brother that his sword had hesitated, just for a second, before dealing that blow. It would do no good to reveal that afterward, as he watched the light drain from their mother’s eyes, so like his own, his hand had shook.


“Because it was necessary,” he said evenly. “Because our clan was corrupt, twisted, drunk on their own power and superiority. But they were stagnant and weak, so weak that they had to resort to despicable methods to regain their power. I put an end to their false arrogance.”


Sasuke stared in disbelief. “You’re insane if you think something like that justifies the murder of our entire clan!”


“They brought it upon themselves. You read the secret clan archive, you know what I say is the truth.”


Sasuke was speechless for a moment. He had read the secret records and he did know. But this had to be some sort of sick game his brother was playing. It couldn’t be the truth. What he was implying was too unexpected and…and just…he had to know.


“Our clan….the training methods…you’re saying…you did it to spare me?” he rasped, still not wanting to believe.


“Yes.”


Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, anger and confusion racing through him. It was so simple…so simple it had to be a lie. All of the pain…the loneliness, the torment, the sacrifice…all for that? All for…


“You’re lying! I don’t believe you! This is another sick game of yours!” he yelled frantically.


“It is the truth. You are my brother, Sasuke.” And I love you, the unspoken words rang in the silence around them as clear as if he’d said them aloud.


“Brother…my brother…” he whispered to himself. This man before him was not Itachi; it couldn’t be. Not this man who looked so tired and worn, speaking to him as he hadn’t in so many years, telling him things he didn’t want to believe. Things the lost and lonely little boy deep in his heart had wanted to hear all his life. But the man before him could be no one else…his brother…


“You didn’t have to kill them…” he said in a strained voice. His eyes burned, but he ignored it. “If they were so bad…you could have taken me away! We could have left together! You’re my brother; I would have gone with you!”


Itachi frowned and closed his eyes. “There was no other way,” he said wearily.


Sasuke bowed his head, defeated, fingers digging into the illusionary earth of this silent underworld. “Just kill me already, Itachi,” he rasped. “I don’t want to hear any more. Don’t make me see it again…just kill me.”


The older Uchiha was silent for a long moment, his expression clouded and almost troubled as he gazed down at his brother. “That is not why I brought you here,” he said finally.


“Then why?” Sasuke asked, raising his head to meet his bothers gaze.


“To make you see.”


Sasuke tensed, and then he felt it rush over him. Images flashed like a slideshow, voices echoed in his mind and feelings that were not his own washed over him. But these were not the images and sounds of his clan’s massacre he had seen so many times. Itachi showed him things he’d never seen before, things he’d never known. Things he didn’t want to know. He showed him the truth. About their clan, about their father and the elders, about himself and the things he had seen and been through as a tool of the Uchiha dynasty. Flashes, images, conversations, moments of fear and loneliness, no sense of identity, depression, anger, insanity, hatred. There were also flashes of him, many things he didn’t remember himself or was too young to know. Training, sitting together on the porch in summer, moments of brief peace of mind that bordered on happiness; the entire truth about his brother and his life and what he had done, and why he had tortured and driven him to his path of vengeance.


Sasuke saw all of it, and it was more painful and wrecking than any vision of the massacre could ever have been.


“No…no, stop it!” he yelled, grasping his head in his hands. “Stop! No…no…!”

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“Nooooooooo!”


Sasuke felt a sharp jerk and his eyes flew open, and he realized that last scream had been out loud, that he was no longer in the Tsukiyomi. What happened? How did he get out? Did he break it? That wasn’t supposed to be possible. Did Itachi let him out? His vision focused, and he knew his hearing had returned when he heard Sakura’s strangled gasp. He didn’t look at her, but at the sword in his hand.


Buried to the hilt in Itachi’s chest.


Everything seemed to stop. He stared in shock at the dark blood flowing from the wound and down the unguarded hilt to cover his hand, then to his brother’s pained but calm face. Itachi took a slow, staggering step backward. Sasuke tried desperately to mentally block out the sick feeling of metal sliding through flesh as his eyes continued to stare in shock and disbelief at what had happened, still not knowing how. Itachi took another faltering step and fell to the ground.


The chakra blade dropped from Sasuke’s nerveless fingers as he stared down at his dying brother. This moment was what he had been working over half his life to achieve. This is what he had wanted with every fiber of his being. But now…he didn’t feel the sense of accomplishment he’d thought he would. He didn’t feel pride, or grim satisfaction. He felt sick…and empty, and wracked with a deep, bitter despair. His clan was avenged; their souls could rest in peace at last. He had always known that it was his duty to bring them justice. But he had adored his brother…and what had happened between them had broken his heart.


He fell to his knees beside him, numb with shock and an unexpected sense of grief. Itachi looked back at him, his eyes dark as his body no longer had enough chakra to keep the Sharingan active. He breathed weakly, his chest rising and falling in short uneven intervals. The brother he had once loved was dying before him, and Sasuke couldn’t think of a single thing to say.


“Sasuke…” Itachi said, his voice low and weak “You are not like me. You are…better. I set you free. And you became strong.” His dark eyes were calm, accepting. “Now…you must learn to live.”


Sasuke’s expression tightened painfully, and his eyes burned again. Why was it happening like this? Why now? Why had he told him the truth? He wished he would have just let him end it in hatred, like he had wanted. He wasn’t prepared for this. Now it was too late. “…Aniki…” he choked out, the word he hadn’t used in so long felt bitter and painful on his tongue.


Then Itachi smiled; small, pained, and tired, but it was there. His arm rose slowly toward his brother, unsteady as the last of his life-force drained in a dark crimson pool beneath him. Sasuke flinched and his face contorted as he recognized the motion, detested yet secretly sought after by the little boy who had only ever wanted his big brother’s attention.


Two fingers tapped lightly against Sasuke’s brow, like so many time before…in another life. “Live…Otouto…” Itachi whispered, and then his arm fell away, his chest rose and fell one final time, and he closed his eyes. Sasuke hung his head.

The world was silent amid the falling snow.

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It had taken every ounce of control Sakura had not to run to them when she had seen Sasuke get pulled into the Mangekyou. Deidara held onto her still, his grip a curious mixture of comfort and control. She had noticed Kakashi and Sai were holding on to Naruto for the same reason.


When Itachi had fallen, she suppressed her strangled cry and fought every screaming instinct inside herself not to run out there. This was not her battle, and tragic and heartbreaking as it was it had to happen this way. She watched with tears streaming down her face as the brother’s had their final moment, and reached an understanding at last.


And now, Sasuke was going to break. She could see it coming. Now was when he would need them. She tensed against Deidara’s hold, and with a small tired sigh he let her go. She sprinted across the field but paused several feet from reaching them, slowing to a cautious walk so as not to startle Sasuke because he didn’t seem to be aware of his surroundings yet. Although he may be angry with her, furious even, for what he’d seen earlier, she somehow knew he wouldn’t hurt her. It took enormous control not to look at Itachi just yet, afraid she might break as well.


She slowly crouched next to him, their knees touching, and she cautiously placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Sasuke…?” she whispered, her voice strained with emotion.


For a long moment it looked as though he hadn’t heard her, as he continued to stare unseeing at the ground before him. Then he slowly, almost dazedly looked up and met her eyes. His ebony eyes were haunted with dark shadows, and her heart wrenched at the desperate pain she saw there, still mixed with confusion as if he couldn’t understand how things came to be like this.


They stared at each other for a long time, then he slowly and mechanically reached out a bloodstained hand to grasp the front of her cloak and tugged, moving himself toward her as much as to pull her toward him, and with a ragged sigh he doubled over and his head fell against her collar. Sakura gasped and held back a sob as he clung to her, shaking, his hands fisting tightly in the thick material of her cloak. She brought her arms up over his burned and bleeding back, cradling him even as her chakra flared and began to unobtrusively tend to his wounds. He didn’t seem to notice, too caught up in a lifetime of pain and grief, and she offered him whatever comfort she could knowing that he needed this release, that he couldn’t control this breakdown even if he wanted to. It was long overdue.


Eventually she heard the sound of boots crunching in the snow and looked up to see Naruto running toward them, followed at a less frantic pace by the rest of her teammates. She was surprised he had waited this long, and was relieved he had the composure to slow to a walk before he reached them. He kneeled down next to them both and Sakura looked up at him. His bright blue eyes were filled with relief that they were both ok, but also troubled and slightly hesitant. Helping Sasuke beat his brother, or simply beating Sasuke until he came to his senses was as far as he had gotten in his planning, and he was not quite sure what to do in this situation.


Emboldened by his former friend’s acceptance of Sakura’s presence, he tentatively placed a hand on the other man’s arm. “Sasuke…”


Again the stricken young man showed no reaction to an outside presence. Several moments passed, and Naruto was about to self-consciously remove his hand when suddenly one of Sasuke’s hands let go of Sakura and grabbed Naruto tightly by the sleeve. Naruto’s own grip tightened and his eyes watered, and he brought his other arm around Sakura’s shoulders and she exhaled a soft, tearful laugh.


After several long, emotional moments between the three best friends, Sakura looked up to see Kakashi, Sai and Yamato watching them with mixed expressions. Yamato and Sai were mostly keeping a wary eye on Kisame and Deidara, who had watched the entire thing, and now the two remaining Akatsuki met up in the distance and began to talk while eyeing them just as warily.


She caught Kakashi’s eye and smiled. His eyes crinkled as he smiled back and she beckoned him over. This was his moment too. The silver haired man approached slowly and somewhat awkwardly, stopping when he stood behind Sakura. She smiled up at him and leaned her head against his leg, and his mismatched eyes gazed down at her with relief and deep affection. She looked away and returned to healing a still oblivious Sasuke, and after a moment he gently placed a gloved hand on top of her head and tenderly threaded his fingers in her soft hair. He stared for a long moment at the bent form of his former student. Then in an uncommon display of feeling, which he blamed entirely on the emotional atmosphere of the moment, he reached his other hand out to the dark haired boy, then hesitated, his hand clenching into a fist inches above the spiky hair. Finally he relaxed and let it rest lightly atop his head in a paternal way. It was not as they had expected, not as they had imagined or wanted, but here on this bloody battlefield, Team Seven was reunited at last.


Sasuke finally stirred, sitting upright and releasing his grasp on Naruto and Sakura. His dark, red-rimmed eyes moved to stare hollowly at the face of his brother. Sakura took a deep, shaky breath and finally allowed herself to turn and look at him. Tears welled in her surprised eyes but did not fall when she saw the tiny, accepting smile still on his lips. He looked younger than she’d ever seen him. He’d told her not to cry for him, and she would keep that promise. Slowly, she reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from his closed eyes in silent farewell. Sasuke watched her do it, his eyes following the movement of her fingers, and said nothing. The others looked at each other uncertainly but no words were spoken. No regrets... She gazed for another long moment at Itachi’s almost serene face, and then turned away. Wherever he was, she hoped he had finally found some peace.


But it still wasn’t over. There was sound and movement to her left and she looked over to see Kisame and Deidara standing next to one of his giant birds. They had placed Tobi’s body along the back and were now watching them warily, as if they weren’t quite sure what they wanted to do next. A moment later they began to move toward Sakura and her teammates, slowly, wary like wild animals approaching a strange new object. Kisame was covering a limp, but his sword was still drawn and Deidara’s cloak was open for easy access to his pouches. Were they still going to try and take Naruto?


Naruto saw them coming and jumped up, backing up to gain distance in case they tried to attack him. Everyone tensed except for Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t seem to notice or care about anything at the moment, and Sakura wasn’t afraid of them. They stopped a few feet away and the two sides stared each other down.


“So what happens now, hmm?” Deidara asked curtly, surprising everyone.


“I guess that depends on you,” Kakashi said after a pause. Kisame was already injured, and the two Akatsuki would be hard pressed if they wanted a fight with four fully capable elite jounin and it seemed as though they knew it. For some reason he didn’t include Sakura in that equation, after what he’d witnessed today.


Kisame straightened and looked at the lifeless form of his partner. Things didn’t look good for them at the moment. Leader would be pissed that they couldn’t take the Kyuubi, but he would be even more pissed if all four of them died here and only three Akatsuki remained to carry out their goal. “Give us Itachi, and we’ll leave,” he said gruffly.


“Kakashi, we should take the body back to Konoha,” Yamato said quietly.


The two Akatsuki tensed, and Kisame looked like he was about to start swinging. They were willing to leave, but it was clear that if they didn’t take Itachi back with them, there was going to be a fight. Sakura’s pulse quickened nervously again as she watched the tense interchange.


Kakashi thought for a long moment, never taking his eyes off the enemy pair. “Take him,” he said finally to Kisame.


“But the bloodline limit…we can’t let enemy shinobi-” Sai began, automatically following his ANBU training.


“Let them go,” the older man cut him off with a tired sigh. They didn’t want his body to study his bloodline or for any other sinister reason, other than perhaps that ring they all wore. They wouldn’t risk their lives walking up to them if it was simply an order or matter of procedure. He was their comrade. It was as simple as that.


Yamato and Sai backed off and stood near Naruto, who was glaring daggers at the enemy nins. Kakashi also backed up to a respectful distance, though he made sure not to get too far from Sakura, who had no intention of moving.


Sakura’s eyes brimmed full as her hold on her barely suppressed emotions threatened to break when the two men she had spent so much time with in the last several weeks stopped before her. Kisame kneeled down to retrieve Itachi’s body. Sasuke started and glared malevolently at the shark for a long tense minute, and it wasn’t clear if he was going to let him take his brother without a fight, but finally he sighed and looked numbly down at the ground. Kisame carefully set his partner over his shoulder and stood up with a mildly pained grunt.


He looked at her as he turned to walk away. “So long, Sakura,” he said, using her name for the first time. “I hope we never meet again,” he grinned with a flash of pointy teeth. She would always remember that creepy grin of his. She understood his words; if they ever met again, they may have to face off as enemies.


She nodded with a small, sad smile. “Goodbye, Kisame.”


Finally, she looked up at Deidara. Her heart wrenched painfully and the tears spilled over as she looked for the last time at her friend. She met his eyes and forcibly gave him her biggest, brightest smile.


She couldn’t know that that smile had just broken the heart he didn’t think he’d had into tiny little pieces. She looked so beautiful right now it was ridiculous, sitting there in the blood-spattered snow, tears staining her pale cheeks and crystallizing her brilliant jade eyes. He would never forget her and her imperfect, temperamental beauty. But she was with her family again, back among the light. She was where she belonged. With more willpower than such a simple thing should need, he forced himself to smile back.


He reached out to her, proof of his nerve and recklessness as her male companions looked ready to kill at any second, and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. “Goodbye, Sakura…” he said softly.


Sakura closed her eyes for a brief second when he touched her, her heart constricting painfully. His fingertips grazed gently over stray strands of her snow-dampened hair and she felt the lips on his hand press softly against her cheek in farewell. “Goodbye, Deidara,” she whispered. Then he turned and walked away.


The two Akatsuki secured the bodies of their partners along the back of the bird and leapt up. With a great lurch and a gust of wind from the flapping wings, they lifted off and began to fly away.


Sakura watched them drift away and fade to a tiny speck in the winter sky, until they were only a memory.

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A/N: Tissue anyone?

That was so hard to write.

From the very first chapter I had this planned, because realistically how else could it end? The relationship between Sakura and Itachi was never destined for a happy ending, and that’s part of what makes it beautiful. They both found some small measure of happiness with each other while it lasted, and that’s what matters.

Itachi and Sasuke…I wanted it to end that way, and I hope everyone understood it. The people who have the greatest power to hurt you are the ones you love most, and the degree of Sasuke’s pain and hatred is directly related to how much he once adored his brother. And Itachi is not the absolute, undiluted embodiment of evil. We are seeing that now more than ever in the manga (though it was always there if you look close). The idea of there being more to him than a cold killer is not seen often in fanfiction, and I wanted to explore one of the possibilities into the mystery, because we all know there’s more there than meets the eye.

I wrote their final confrontation the way I did because I believe based on their history and the nature of the bad blood between them, to portray it as simply hack and slash without the deep emotional trauma that feeds their hatred coming to the surface is not only unrealistic, but an injustice.

Anyway, I hope this chapter had an impact, and that you felt a bit of everyone’s sadness. Though sadly the Akatsuki are gone it isn’t over yet, there is one more chapter to tie everything up.