Unanticipated Reunions and Alliances

Sasuke left his team in the forest and made his way over the wall and across the rooftops to Kakashi’s apartment. But as he looked in, he saw someone else, defiantly not Kakashi or Itachi. He remembered hearing the Kakashi still owned his family home and was loathed to sell it, but would not live in it due to bad memories.

The houses of the older families were mostly clustered in two areas, one near the ruins of the Uchiha compound and the other closer to the Hokage mansion. Sasuke headed toward the Uchiha compound.

Masking his own chakra as much as possible while still being able to feel other’s, he searched for his brother’s or Kakashi’s. He felt them both not far from the compound. Sasuke repressed all his chakra, vaulted over the wall, and snuck around the house.

As he came to the back of the house he heard something coming from one of the opened windows. He crept up, looked in, and saw probably the last thing he wanted to see. Kakashi lay on his back, Itachi straddling his hips and bobbing up and down, riding Kakashi’s cock. Itachi had his head thrown back and his naked back arched almost painfully back. Kakashi was looking up at him and kept his hands on Itachi’s slim hips.

Sasuke retreated. So they really were lovers. Sasuke felt a little betrayed, by both of them. Why he felt betrayed by Itachi, he couldn’t fathom. But Kakashi . . . The man had taken him under his wing, taught him his own Chidori, told him that he saw himself in him, praised him, trained him, and for a year or so, raised him. But he never told him that he had known Itachi, and defiantly not that they had been lovers. Why did Kakashi train him? Was it because he saw himself in Sasuke as he said, or was it because of his brother?

After a while he returned to the window. Itachi wasn’t the complete uke he seemed a few minutes ago, which made Sasuke feel a little better. Kakashi was still on his back, but now Itachi was obviously inside Kakashi now. Kakashi moaned when he came on his own stomach. Itachi was a little behind him. He bent his back forward with the power of his orgasm. He collapsed on top of his lover. After a minute of recovering his breath, Itachi twisted around, his eyes racking across Sasuke, but not able to him, grabbed the bedding and pulled it over him and Kakashi. The bedding fell back to cover no higher than the small of his back, but Itachi didn’t mind. He rested his head on Kakashi’s chest and held on to him. Kakashi put his arms around Itachi and kissed the top of his head.

“I love you, Kakashi,” Itachi whispered.

“And I you. I’ll never let you leave again. I’ll protect you, even from your brother. Even from the village if they ever suspect who you really are.” Both brothers froze at that; it was similar to what Itachi had said about Sasuke: his life was worth more to him than the village.

“Just don’t kill anyone for me.”

“That’s up to them. Don’t worry about it; just go to sleep. You’re safe with me, love.”

Sasuke went away silently and carefully. But he wasn’t thinking about not being seen or sensed. He was jealous. Not of Kakashi, but because of Kakashi. The way they held each other, the fact they had someone to go home to, someone to comfort them and protect them. He was jealous because he had no one. He had made himself an island and now an ocean lay between him and the rest of humanity.

Once out in the forest, he walked. Perhaps it was time to think about his own comfort. Who was there? Karin certainly. She loved him without a doubt. But how deeply? Her skills would be a great boon to the Uchiha blood, her ability to sense chakra better than even an Uchiha and her ability to heal others with her chakra. But did he love her?

Sakura. Not as pretty as Karin, no exceptional skills other than her control of chakra. Ino was between them in looks and at least had her mind transfer jutsu to offer his clan.

But there were other options. No woman could make him feel safe the way Kakashi apparently made Itachi feel safe. Who then?

Naruto? Definitely not. He was too sunny and cheerful, too manic and loud. They’d been friends and Sasuke had actually liked the blond, but he wouldn’t be able to live with him. Suigetsu? He was too much like Naruto, manic and loud. But he was smarter and closer to Sasuke’s opinion of beauty, not to mention more kin to his darker side. No, neither of them.

Then there was Juugo. Juugo was bound to him and he was quiet, gentle, protective, respectful, and revered Sasuke with a kind of awe. His wild orange hair reminded Sasuke of flames and his kindness and gentleness was evidenced by the birds and small animals that came to him. Sasuke felt like the shadow to his light. The only animals who came to him or that he held sway over were predators. He was always sure that if he offered a hand to one of the birds that fluttered about Juugo, they would fly away in terror. Juugo made him feel what he’d done: he turned his back on his village, his friends, and even his family. He shunned all that was right, choosing to follow and aide someone who was beyond doubt evil.

He never let himself fall as far as Orochimaru. Or had he? Orochimaru had wanted to learn all jutsu. He was obsessed with immortality and reviving the dead. Orochimaru had been afraid of death. He did everything because he was afraid of death. Who had he lost? Had he lost his entire family the way Sasuke had? Were they really that different?

He thought of Juugo again. He might be pure enough to attract birds, but when his murderous alter ego took over . . . Sasuke knew Juugo had killed an entire village once; who knows how many people he had killed. On the other hand, Sasuke thought back and was sure he had never killed anyone. He wondered if that was unusual for a shinobi of his age. Orochimaru didn’t really count; he was trapped in Sasuke’s mind though his body was dead. At any rate, that was self defense. Deidra had killed himself. He wonder how many people his brother had killed; how many members of his clan, how many people before he was thirteen, how many with Akatsuki? How many had Kakashi killed? How many had Suigetsu and Karin? Naruto and Sakura? He’d killed none. Could he really do it?

Juugo had another appeal: he would never leave Sasuke. As Sasuke himself had said, he was Juugo’s cage.

The three members of his team waited around a fire, a few small animals impaled on sticks cooking. They were half way through their meal, choosing not to wait for him, not knowing how long his reconnaissance would take. He sat down without a word and accepted a small rabbit from Karin.

He saw that his bedroll was laid out and Karin had medical supplies waiting in case he needed them. One or all of them were concerned enough for him to make everything ready for when he returned. He felt a little ashamed that he would not have done the same for any of them. They had food ready for him too. He looked around without moving his head, just his eyes; the others were eating squirrels and even some small birds; his was the only rabbit. They had given him the best food. He felt guilty. But there was nothing to do now but accept their generosity. He vowed to himself that he would make it up to them. He would stop staying so aloof, open up to them a little. If his brother could find love, even when his lover had believed him a coldhearted murderer, Sasuke could do the same.

-----

Kakashi woke spooning a thin body in his arms. Waking up to the sight of long, silky, black hair was, to him, the greatest joy conceivable. He smelled the tress and nuzzled his face deeper into the hair. His lips found his lover’s shoulder and he kissed it, delving deeper to his neck, bring Itachi slowly and gently back to the waking world. Itachi pressed back against him and sighed contentedly, his hand covering Kakashi’s on his waist.

Itachi turned his head toward Kakashi. “Good morning,” Kakashi murmured before he kissed Itachi’s lips. It was a brief kiss, but their position was not the most comfortable. Itachi was about to turn his body around to properly say good morning when a voice stopped him.

“So, you’re finally awake.”

Kakashi and Itachi froze for a moment, Kakashi’s eyes opening wider and Itachi snapping open though they could not see. They sat up and looked toward the window behind Kakashi.

Sasuke was sitting on the windowsill staring at them. Kakashi moved to put himself completely between Sasuke and his brother.

“Sasuke,” Kakashi gasped. Itachi panicked, but no one could tell from looking at him. He didn’t want to die, not now. He feared Sasuke had come to take his revenge after all.

“I’ve grown tired of waiting,” Sasuke said. He slipped easily to the ground. “I’ll wait for you in here.” Sasuke walked out the door to the living room.

Kakashi whirled to Itachi, but he was as confused as he was. He got up, pulled Itachi to his feet and they cleaned up and dressed. Wearing pure black, much like he had when he was thirteen, Itachi entered the room with a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder as much for moral support as for guidance.

Sasuke sat on the sofa, his sword sheathed and resting next to him. That put Kakashi at ease; Sasuke was not here to kill Itachi, but Itachi did not have that assurance. There was no malevolent feeling to his chakra, but the best shinobi and swordsmen did not let their emotions show in any way. Sasuke was both.

Kakashi eased Itachi down into a chair facing his brother then drew a chair next to him. Kakashi put his hand on top of the hand resting on the arm of Itachi’s chair.

“I’m not here to kill you, so you can relax,” Sasuke said. “In fact, I came here to thank you, Itachi.”

“Thank me?”

“You may be blind, but your other senses are as keen as ever. I was following you as you left the hideout; even Kakashi couldn’t sense me. I heard everything.” Itachi paled. “And I believe you. Things I remembered seeing and hearing started making more sense, as did the things you said and how you acted. And your words brought back memories I tried to repress because they didn’t make sense. I ran after you that night and tried to attack you. You looked back. You were crying when you looked back at me. But that didn’t fit with everything else so I forced myself to forget it.

“Thank you. You saved my life, you gave me a goal, and you let me hang onto our Uchiha pride. After I woke up, I felt I had nothing left. I went to the pier at the lake where father taught me how to perform the grand fireball jutsu and I looked into the water at my own reflection. I thought about killing myself, or I might have gone insane. But then my reflection turned into yours. I was so filled with hate and anger that it fueled me to keep going to become a great shinobi in order to kill you. And I could hold my head up high as an Uchiha. And I did become a great shinobi and I survived. My life would have been a wreak if you hadn’t said those things to me. You gave me a purpose. Thank you.

“But my life has been hell since that night. For that I cannot forgive you. At least not now. But I understand why you did it. And some part of me has missed you and loved you all this time. I want my brother back.”

Itachi was weeping silently. “Sasuke,” was all he could croak out. Sasuke approached him nosily to give him warning when it was more natural for him to move silently. He knelt in front of his brother and put a hand to Itachi’s face. He flinched, but did not back away. Then Sasuke pulled him into an embrace.

“I loved you so much, Sasuke. Nothing in my life was more painful than saying those words to you that night. I’m so sorry, Sasuke.” Itachi wept freely.

Kakashi was only mildly shocked by everything thus far, but the look on Sasuke’s face shocked him. Sasuke had never been the best at emoting and Naruto and Sakura had said he was basically expressionless when they saw him at Orochimaru’s hideout. But Sasuke’s face clearly showed his emotional turmoil. He was in pain, but there was a bit of relief and joy in his expression. How Kakashi wished Itachi could see it. He wanted to leave the brothers alone, but feared to break the mood if they noticed him moving. As it was, it was like he wasn’t there.

Finally, the brothers broke apart. Sasuke wiped Itachi’s tears. “You took care of me when we were young; let me look after you now. I’ll help you and Kakashi in any way I can. And we’ll go after Madara and Akatsuki together.”

“I might have to be purely an advisor, but yes.”

Sasuke stood and faced Kakashi. “My team is waiting in your garden. I hope you don’t mind us imposing, but we’ve had nothing but squirrels to eat for over a week. I’ll reimburse you.”

“Forget it; I’ll be happy to take care of your team.”

“We’ll see after we’ve eaten. I don’t have a Choji on my team, but together, they’re just as bad.” Sasuke turned toward the door and called for his team to enter.

The trio entered. “Hôzuki Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo. Kakashi and my brother Itachi.”

Suigetsu eyed Kakashi. “Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan? The Copy Ninja?” Kakashi nodded. “You fought Zabuza-sempai with Sasuke.”

“I did.” Kakashi noticed Throat Cleaver on the young man’s back.

“Were you the one that killed him?”

“No. I wounded him. It took a hundred men to bring him down.”

“Good. I would hate for my sempai to be taken down easily.”

“None of you are Konoha shinobi,” Itachi said.

“Kiri.”

“Kusa.”

“I’m not from a village.”

“You’re all Orochimaru’s?”

“I was captured by him,” Suigetsu said a little resentfully.

“Yes,” Karin said. “You partnered with him in Akatsuki, didn’t you?”

“Briefly. I was the one who cut off his arm and drove him from Akatsuki. Hôzuki? I’ve heard of you. The second coming of Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of Kiri. My sympathies for your brother.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since you were partnered with my sempai.”

“He did speak of you, but heard of you from other sources as well.”

As enigmatic as his brother, Suigetsu thought.

“I’ll start lunch,” Kakashi said, reluctantly leaving his lover.

Itachi had regained his composure and was now projecting an imperious strength to the three unknown shinobi. Even Sasuke’s spine straightened at Itachi aura. Kakashi smiled under his mask and made his way to the kitchen a little easier in his mind leaving Itachi with these strangers.

A thick silence was left in his wake. Itachi seemed quite comfortable, falling into his menacing Akatsuki mindset. Even with his eyes shut, the muscles around his eyes conveyed the withering glare that had become his trademark. Sasuke smiled. “You three, behave.” And he followed Kakashi. Silence remained behind.

“Let me help you,” Sasuke said. He came up next to his former teacher and took over part of the preparations.

They worked in silence for a time. “Kakashi, do you really love my brother?”

Kakashi had been waiting for this. This morning he felt like a man who was caught with his best friend’s sister. Or daughter. But there had been no remarkable expression on Sasuke’s face. But the subject was bound to be broached eventually.

“I do. I was in love with him when we were in ANBU together. I haven’t seriously dated since that night. I had no idea what he was planning. I knew there was something wrong, but I figured it was the pressure your father had him under. I thought at first that he was dead. I was even more heartbroken to learn that he had done it and fled. Even though I believed he did, I never stopped loving him.”

“Is that reason you trained me?”

“No, actually. You were nothing like your brother. But I realized how much you were like me. I was telling you the truth back then, I saw a bit of me in you; I didn’t see your brother.” The sizzle of the stir-fry prevented any more conversation.

When they came out to place the food on the table, they heard Suigetsu grilling Itachi on Kisame. Itachi was indulging the young mist-nin, telling him everything about Kisame and his sword.

Sasuke’s team were drawn to the real food. Kakashi was going to Itachi to lead him to the table, it being too soon for Itachi to have learned the layout of the rooms perfectly, but Sasuke beat him to it. He led his brother gently around the furniture and to a seat between he and Kakashi. Itachi and Kakashi were both surprised at the gentleness and care Sasuke was exhibiting.

“Eh, Sasuke,” Suigetsu said, “so what are we going to do now? I joined up with you to get Samehada. You found your brother without having to deal with Kisame.”

“We’re changing objectives; we’re going after Akatsuki. This isn’t the mission I recruited you for. If any of you want out, you can go.”

“Going after Akatsuki means getting my hands on Samehada; I’m with you,” Suigetsu declared as he stuffed his mouth.

“You’re the only one who can control my urges to kill, I’ll stay,” Juugo said.

“You need someone to offset this kappa,” Karin said, indicating Suigetsu.

Sasuke surprised the three of them by smiling. “I should perhaps present myself to the Hokage and ask for clemency. Although, not being connected to a village gives us more freedom. And the three of you . . .”

“I think it may be best to remain independent for now,” Kakashi said. “I don’t know what Tsunade plans, but you may have a reckoning to pay. Not to mention, there will be people in this village who will not trust you.”

“If Naruto and Sakura heard you say that, they would kill you.”

“Probably. Will you see them?”

“No. I don’t need the two of them weighing us down.”

“Naruto has become very powerful.”

“I don’t want him involved in this.”

“Bringing him along would be dangerous,” Itachi offered. “He is a target. My target. Now that I’m gone, the mission will likely be given to Pein. He is the most dangerous beside Madara himself.”

“You can give us detailed information on all of them, correct?”

“On Kisame and Madara, but not on the other three. Pein and Konan are very secretive and Zetsu . . . I know what he looks like—like a venus flytrap—and I know a few other things, but as for his skills . . . I’ve never seen him fight. He’s mostly acted as a scout and clean up.”

“Clean up?”

“He’s a cannibal. He eats any bodies left behind. Someone suggested he was from Konoha, but I had no knowledge of him while I was here.”

“I can’t say I’ve heard of him,” Kakashi said.

“I’ll give you all the information I have.”

“Akatsuki doesn’t trust each other,” Sasuke said.

“Never. Why do you think I ran when I found I was blind? I don’t think they would have killed me. They are running low on members and I have the chakra and stamina to help seal the Bijuu.”

“Bijuu?” Suigetsu asked.

“The tailed beasts. There are nine. We—they have six. Naruto is the ninth. I’ve been making excuses for three years. Luckily it seems that sealing the Kyuubi early would be risky.”

“Why did you come to Konoha three years ago, if not for Naruto?” Kakashi asked.

“The Third, who was the one who agreed to my terms for the slaughter, had died. I came back to remind the elders I was alive and ready to betray them if they betrayed me. It was to ensure your safety, Sasuke.”

“Of course you ended up breaking my wrist, shattering my confidence, nearly putting me through a wall, and using Tsukuyomi on me, sending me into a coma for a month.”

“But you were alive.”

“That and seeing that Naruto had mastered the Rasengan was what drove me to Orochimaru.”

“That was not my intention. I knew what Orochimaru was after—he attempted to take my body not long after I joined Akatsuki. That’s when I cut off his arm. I knew I couldn’t stop you from going to him without showing my hand, but I was standing by to delay you if need be. You’re being too late gave me three more years.” Itachi had more to say, but he would not say it while among these others.

Sasuke smirked. “I never had any intention of letting Orochimaru touch me. I made the first move.”

Itachi smirked. “Jealousy was his downfall.”

Karin, sitting across from the brothers, felt a chill seeing these two Uchiha smirking over Orochimaru. Part of it was how well matched they seemed, a deadly pair. If Itachi could see, they would probably be invincible.

-----

Sasuke allowed his team to listen as Itachi detailed the entire story, including Madara’s rise, the taking of his eyes, the attack of the Kyuubi, and Akatsuki. No one spoke when he was finished.

Sasuke was silent for a minute, thinking. Then, “Itachi, you said Madara was blind when he took his brother’s eyes. And you wanted me to take your eyes even after you were going blind. Would I still be able to take your eyes? What if we were to exchange eyes? Would we both be able to see and retain our powers?”

Itachi brightened. “We might. It could work.”

“Kakashi, is there someone who we can trust who can perform the procedure?”

“The Hokage is the best medical-nin, but her reaction to you is unknown, and her reaction to Itachi . . . She’d sooner kill him, I’m sure. Shizune, the same. But Sakura is Tsunade’s apprentice. She’s very good and she’d do anything for you.”

“How soon do think Pein will come here for Naruto?”

“Madara may be evil, but he has honor. I made him swear not to attack Konoha. That’s void if I die. As long as he believes I’m alive, he will not send Pein to Konoha. We must make sure he knows I’m alive. That will hold off Pein’s attack.”

“Then we do have time to do this. The four of you must guard us. We’ll both be blind for several days, if not weeks.”

“It would be best if you had the Mangekyô Sharingan.”

“I do. You don’t have to kill your best friend. It’s the emotional trauma of killing your best friend. I went through that pain. Over hearing you tell Kakashi the truth ate at me until my emotions snapped. I have it.”

“I can bring Sakura as soon as you wish,” Kakashi said.

“Not today. Tomorrow. We can rest today, if you don’t mind, Kakashi.”

“Not at all.”

-----

Sasuke spent the next day with his brother, playing nursemaid as long as possible before he was put in the same position.

As they would be guarding the Uchiha brothers together and eventually fighting Akatsuki together, Kakashi spent the day with Sasuke’s team, learning their moves as much as analyzing their personalities.

Suigetsu. There was no doubt why Sasuke choose this man. His water-like body was reason enough. But while Karin saw him as a lay about idiot, Kakashi saw his was cunning and potentially vicious. No doubt a valuable ally. And he was motivated to kill Kisame.

Karin was like Naruto and Sakura put together: loud and abrasive at times, but skilled at chakra control and totally smitten with Sasuke. Her sensor ability was incredible. Kakashi challenged her to sense further than he could and she blew him out of the water. She was an excellent choice for searching for Itachi and now for searching for Akatsuki.

Juugo was unflappably loyal to Sasuke, very calm, quite, and spent a good portion of the time with birds on his shoulders. He didn’t seem much like a shinobi and not one Kakashi would have expected Sasuke to choose for his team; he must have had at least a hundred shinobi working for or captured by Orochimaru to choose from.

Then Juugo should him his partial transformation. It reminded him of the Akamachi clan’s jutsu. Then he reevaluated Juugo’s kindness. Sasuke was never overly concerned for his comrades; he’d help them, but he expected them to take care of themselves. Suigetsu and Karin seemed hostel to each other, yet Juugo seemed like he would help anyone. He balanced the others nicely.

Later in the day, the three of them went about separate business: Suigetsu practicing with his sword, Juugo sitting contentedly outside with the birds, and Karin taking a long bath. Kakashi joined the brothers who seemed to just be happy to be in each other’s company again after so many painful years apart, but they were talking. Or rather, Sasuke was reminiscing about his time in Konoha before he left.

Sasuke didn’t mind Kakashi joining them. When he came to the night he left to join Orochimaru and told Itachi about how Kakashi tried to stop him, he turned to Kakashi and sincerely thanked him for his effort and said he wished he’d taken the advice.

Sasuke explained the second stage curse seal in detail, more than what Naruto could describe of it. Itachi seemed uncomfortable by the idea.

“Juugo is the origin of it. Orochimaru used him to synthesize the compound in the curse seal.”

“So you have some of his ability to transform your body.”

“Orochimaru and Kabuto said I had the most control over it. I think that’s thanks to the seal you placed over it, Kakashi.”

“You can control it? Unlike that time during the Chunin exam?”

“Yes, but I think it was mostly because of your seal.”

“And from what I gathered just after you defeated Orochimaru, you absorbed him rather than killed him.”

“I was planning on killing him. I had no choice but to absorb his consciousness. I was unprepared for him to trap me in his soul transfer jutsu. But it wasn’t difficult to overcome. The Sharingan and the curse seal, ironically, made it an easy matter to turn the process on him.”

“But there is danger in it,” Itachi said. “You need chakra to keep him contained, if you run too low on chakra, he will emerge.”

“Perhaps. I have control of his, don’t worry about it, nii-san.”

Nii-san. Itachi warmed at the word. But he did worry about it.

Kakashi was struck by the word as well. He noticed how close Sasuke was sitting to his brother. Sasuke’s face was still under strict control, but Kakashi could see he really wanted to feel his brother, be close to him, and with him being blind, he wanted to protect him, much like Kakashi did. Maybe he could let himself show Itachi the affection he wanted to if Kakashi left.

It was nearly sunset, so Kakashi started heading over to Sakura’s. But Sasuke couldn’t break his reserve, not sure how he should interact with his older brother as an adult.