No Revenge Is As Complete As Forgiveness

A/N: This chapter took a few days more than anticipated because I was trying to figure out what to do with Nagato. I hope you wouldn't mind the direction this is taking.



CHAPTER 17



“Kakashi, Naruto! Something’s happening!” Bishamon’s cry brought them both out of their reverie. It had been hours since Nagato and Sasuke connected with Itachi’s mind in an attempt to save what was left of his sanity, hours of waiting patiently next to the three still figures – Itachi prone on the ground, Nagato sitting at his side, his hands gently cradling his head, Sasuke curled next to him, his arms wrapped around the slender red-head.



They had waited patiently, both carefully watching the three men for any signs that something was wrong. Nothing seemed to change though – they remained as they were, their chakra still flowing evenly. Kakashi had risked at some point and removed his eyepatch to examine it in greater detail – and while glowing of energy connecting all three figures looked odd to him, it didn’t seem exactly threatening in any way. All that remained to do was wait, so they remained patiently seated on the ground, the sun slowly setting behind them, the its light turning from golden to fiery orange to bloodred, finally fading to dark purple before disappearing entirely. The night was warm and still, crickets filling the silence with their songs, the sweet scent of the blooming honeysuckle bushes around them filling the air.



Naruto had settled his head on Kakashi’s shoulder and was slowly nodding off when Bishamon suddenly called them, both Nin jumping minutely at his cry and snapping to attention.



Itachi was arching and writhing on the ground, his eyes moving wildly under his trembling eyelids, fingers twitching and spasming. Kakashi reached for him, afraid he was having some kind of seizure and worried he’d hurt himself. However, before he could even touch him, the younger man sighed and settled down, his dark, unseeing eyes opening slowly. Next to him the other two stirred as well, Sasuke regaining consciousness with a sharp gasp and shaking his head as if to clear away bad dreams while Nagato blinked owlishly, then leaned over Itachi.



“Itachi? Are you alright?” he asked softly.



“No.” the other responded, voice hoarse as if he had been sleeping. “But I will be.”



Sasuke smiled at those words and reached to caress his cheek. The elder Uchiha leaned into the careful touch and smiled, nuzzling the hand that cradled him so tenderly.



The whole scene was oddly intimate and Naruto watched curiously, wondering how they managed to progress from trying to kill each other to such touchy-feeling expressions of love. His eyes moved to Nagato, who had retreated in order to allow Sasuke full access to his brother. Perhaps he had something to do with it.



‘I’m beginning to understand, Nagato.’ Naruto thought. ‘How you managed to instill such loyalty in the most unstable of characters, how you made them believe in you and follow your lead.’



The red-head attempted to get up but his legs bucked under him and he would’ve fallen over had Kakashi not jumped and grabbed him, wrapping an arm around his waist and holding him up.



“Easy… Are you alright?”



The other nodded.



“Yes. Just tired. This body doesn’t posses as much energy as my original did. Doing the same tasks as before is not nearly as easy.” He explained tiredly.



Naruto watched them worriedly.



“It’s very late. We should all go home and rest.” He cautioned.



Sasuke nodded.



“Nii-san, can you walk?”



Itachi slowly pulled himself up.



“I think so, yes.”



With Sasuke’s help he got to his feet again, and even though he was leaning heavily on Sasuke, he appeared much more stable than Nagato did.



“I’ll accompany them to their house to make sure they’ve settled comfortably and then I’ll come back home, Kakashi.” Naruto said as he turned to look at him lover. Kakashi’s arms were still tightly wound around the red-head, his dark eye warm and concerned. Nagato looked absolutely exhausted, ready to fall asleep on the spot, leaning into the Jounin’s strong embrace.



Kakashi nodded and quietly led Nagato away. Naruto followed them with his eyes and almost started after them when Nagato suddenly sagged in Kakashi’s arms, but the Jounin simply bent and picked him.



“He will be fine, Naruto-san.” Itachi assured him quietly behind him. Naruto turned to look at him curiously.



“How do you know what I am worried about?”



Itachi smiled mysteriously.



“I have to strain all my other senses to compensate for the one I lost. And even without it, I still remain a Ninja. I can tell that you’ve grown to care about Nagato-sama.”



“Oh.” Naruto could feel himself blushing and felt grateful that it was too dark for Sasuke to be able to discern colour on his face. He cleared his throat. “Well, let’s get you home.”



The younger Uchiha nodded and they headed for the graveyard’s exit as well, Sasuke’s arm securely wrapped under Itachi’s shoulders so that he could be sure he’d catch him if he decided to keel over. Bishamon followed them without a word, casting curious glances at the blonde from time to time.



Itachi was, indeed, a lot more stable on his feet than Nagato and soon it looked like he would be able to walk without aid, even though Sasuke didn’t seem to care much about that. Naruto guessed that he clutched him like that in attempt to reassure himself that he wouldn’t lose him again. He seemed entirely focused on his older brother, almost oblivious to everything else around him. Under other circumstances he would’ve felt a little jealous – alright, quite jealous – but given the day’s events he felt happy that things between them finally seemed to be working out. Perhaps their situation in Konoha wouldn’t be such a burden if they had each other as support.



“What was he like, Itachi-san?” Naruto asked suddenly.



“Who?”



“Nagato. What was he like as a Leader of Akatsuki?”



Itachi remained silent for a while as they walked.



“I knew that he was a figure-head for Madara from the moment I joined.” Itachi said thoughtfully. “I resented him at first, looked down on him, despite the formidable power he possessed. Perhaps I resented him exactly because of that power – he was so strong and yet he yielded to that horrible man. I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t understand the hold he had on him.”



“Hold? He blackmailed him?” Sasuke suddenly piped in. So he was listening after all, despite the single-minded focus on Itachi.



“…Not in the figurative sense of the word.”



“What do you mean?”



“In his youth Madara might’ve counted on his fists more than he counted on his wit – and that’s probably what cost him the leadership over the clan – but experience taught him to be cunning and manipulative.” He turned to Sasuke “You know how he was like.”



Sasuke’s expression darkened.



“Yeah.”



“I still don’t follow.” Muttered Naruto. “Nagato doesn’t seem stupid at all… How could he have allowed that man to manipulate him?”



“It was never a matter of stupidity. From what I’ve gathered they first met when Nagato was deeply vulnerable emotionally and Madara took advantage. Then stand by and watch them fall.”



“So it’s a habit of his. Find someone who is on the verge of an emotional and mental breakdown and give them a little push in the direction he wants them to go.” Sasuke sneered.



Itachi nodded grimly.



“It’s what he did with Nagato, and what he did with you.” He turned to Naruto again. “I am grateful that you managed to help Nagato, so he could help Sasuke.”



“He helped me?” Sasuke sounded confused.



There was a long, tense silence.



“Sasuke, you don’t remember how you went from trying to destroy Konoha to waking up in Amegakure?” Itachi asked quietly. Naruto remained silent, sensing they were treading on dangerous ground.



“No.” was the flat answer. Sasuke paused. “I really don’t. I’ve never thought about it until now, actually…Wait, are you saying that he somehow influenced me mentally? That he manipulated me?” his voice was rising with each word, tone completely outraged.



“No! Not at all!” Itachi hurriedly reassured him. “He simply removed the compulsion and Madara’s mental influence. He did so at my request, because I was no longer in any condition to do so.”



“But how? He doesn’t seem to have the sheer power necessary to defeat Sasuke as he was… when we met.” Naruto said finally.



“Hoshigaki.” Sasuke finally remembered. “I was at Madara’s base… we were eating and… and then I don’t remember.”



“He drugged you and carried you back to Amegakure. Kisame, for all his bestial appearance, was no fool. He knew that even he couldn’t face you head on and survive. Madara trusted him enough to allow him full unsupervised access to his bases and my partner took full advantage of that.” Itachi explained with a wistful smile.



Kisame’s loyalties had been torn between his former Master and his lover, but in the end, he had chosen Itachi. He paid for it with his life when Madara realized his betrayal and that was one of the many things the elder Uchiha would never forgive himself. He tried to shake off the painful memories as they walked, sensing that they were approaching the compound.



“If you wish, you can move in Konoha proper in a few weeks.” Naruto said suddenly. Sasuke tensed next to him.



“The Council would never agree.” He pointed out.



“They’ll have to. I am trying to bring people together, not keep them separated. Segregating the two of you from the rest of Konoha’s population was a mistake.”



“It wasn’t at the time.” Itachi said mildly. “And to be honest, Naruto-kun… I doubt either of us will be ready to move back into Konoha any time soon. We’re okay as we are for the moment.” He could feel Sasuke nodding.



Naruto sighed.



“Alright. But we’ll talk about this again eventually.”



“As you wish, Hokage-sama.”



“Don’t be like that, Sasuke. I am not saying this as the Hokage, but as your friend!”



Itachi chuckled.



“Sasuke is just yanking your chain, calm down.”



The young man sputtered with indignation, but then laughed too.



“I’m glad to see that some things at least have become as they once were.”



“Me too.” Sasuke said softly, as if surprised at himself for admitting it.



They stopped.



“Well, now that we’re here I’ll let you to three go home…uh, what was your name again?” Itachi guessed Naruto spoke to the cat.



“Bishamon.” Was the indignant answer. “Hokage-sama” the cat added in a moment in a much more polite way.



“Oh…Uh, I’m pleased to meet you.” Rustling of clothes again. Had he just bowed to the cat? Kakashi’s mutts had trained him well, it seemed. Or his own toads had, for that matter. “I’ll be going now.”





Kakashi was not a very large man, yet he still carried his body with ease – he wasn’t even remotely winded as they approached Naruto’s house. Nagato’s head was pillowed on his broad shoulder, warm breath puffing softly against his cloth covered throat. The red-head was slipping in and out of consciousness, the huge effort of bringing Itachi back to normal had drained his limited chakra reserves.



The irony of the situation was undeniable – a few short years ago he had completely dominated the Jounin on the battlefield, and had ultimately taken his life and now he was at his mercy. Had Kakashi been any other man, Nagato would’ve been afraid that he would take advantage of his helplessness and exact revenge for all he had done to him and his village. But the Jounin had no such thoughts as he carefully set him down on the steps of his house and let him lean against the wall while unlocking the front door – he had made a promise to Naruto to get in their house only through the door, unless there was an emergency – and then picked him up again and carried him in.



He made his way through the darkened corridor and living room and headed for their bedroom. While Nagato had occupied their couch up to now, the Jounin decided he could make the sacrifice for one night and let him sleep on a real bed, considering what the other man had done for Uchihas and for Naruto. Sasuke’s happiness seemed to depend on Itachi’s condition and Naruto’s happiness depended on seeing his friend safe and content. Nagato had helped all of them tonight.



Kakashi lowered the still form in his arms to the bed and arranged him so he’d be resting comfortably, then reached down to remove his sandals so he wouldn’t soil the sheets. When he was done with the sandals he removed his jacket as well and covered him with a sheet. He turned and was about to leave when something grabbed his shirt and tugged him back weakly.



“Please… don’t go.” Nagato whispered in the darkness. Kakashi turned around and looked at him, seeing a tired, youthful face and dull grey eyes. Nagato wanted him to stay? What for?



“You need your rest, Nagato.”



“Please, Yahiko, don’t leave.” He whimpered again and his hand tightened in Kakashi’s shirt.



Yahiko? Kakashi blinked in confusion.



“Please don’t leave me.” The plea was so pitiful and desperate that Kakashi just couldn’t bear to leave him even if it wasn’t really aimed at him.



‘He must’ve spent more chakra than I believed at first.’ The Jounin thought. ‘And he’s delirious now. I wonder who is Yahiko…Hadn’t Naruto mentioned a Yahiko when he spoke about Nagato’s past?’



He looked down again and reached for the hand clutching his shirt, ready to tug it off to free himself from his grip. He didn’t want to care about this man, he didn’t want to feel concerned about him. He didn’t want to trust him. He still had nightmares sometimes about Konoha’s destruction, about being trapped, powerless, Pein towering over him, merciless rippled eyes staring down at him with cold disinterest. There had been no mercy in those eyes, nor warmth, nor passion, just a cool, calculating menace. The eyes were grey now, and filled with pain and despair, his expression open and eager. How could this possible be the same man, the same… monster, who had brought so much suffering? How could have this pitiful creature on the bed been capable of controlling a the individuals that had comprised Akatsuki?



Nagato’s eyes welled up and his full lips trembled under Kakashi’s cold scrutiny.



“Yahiko?” he whispered hoarsely, voice barely audible.



Kakashi reached and gently covered the hand on his shirt with his own.



“I’m here.” He said haltingly. “I’m here, Nagato.”