Loyalty (Sasuke Uchiha)

XXXVIII: The Brutal Truth

"At the end, for your sake, he transferred his own ocular powers to you."

"What are you saying? Just... What are you trying to say?! Why would Itachi do something like that?!"

"Don't you get it? In order to protect you."

The look of pure terror and shock on Sasuke's face caused me to retreat further into the shadows as I watched silently.

"Protect? Did you say protect?!" Sasuke's eyes looked as if they were about to bulge out of his head, as he stared at Tobi in disbelief.

Yes, Sasuke. Protect.

"You've got to be kidding!"

"I'll say it once more. You think you know about your brother, but you know nothing."

"If you continue speaking such nonsense, I'll kill you!" Sasuke said in the least threatening tone ever, his eyes looking off as if he was lost, empty of any emotion. I cupped my hand over my mouth, holding back a small cry. It was painful seeing Sasuke like this.

"You're not making this easy, I suppose that's natural.. Suddenly being told such a story by a stranger like me.

But what I tell you now is the truth.

Itachi did mention it, did he not? About his accomplice that night.

I am that Madara Uchiha."

>>>> timeskip

"Afterwards, Itachi appealed to the third Hokage, beseeching him to protect you and Danzo from the councilors. He fled the village after threatening Danzo. If anything were to happen to you, Itachi would leak all the intelligence he had on the Hidden Leaf to unallied nations. He worried about you the most, and yet he could not tell you the full truth, so he told you as much as he could."

It was hard to try and maintain my Invisibility Jutsu as I stood on the furthest corner of this room, ignoring Tobi, well, Madara Uchiha, as all my attention was on Sasuke. I had to figure out how to get Sasuke out of here, and fast, before Tobi could do anything else.

But hearing about Itachi's harsh past, the decision to be forced to choose between his own clan and village, that made the truth even more painful. The heavy burden he carried for many years, and not one even knew the truth of him. He was just seen as a heartless murderer.

And none of this was even Itachi's fault.

It was the Village. The Village caused him to commit his deeds. And for what? For this?

More memories flashed through my mind of Itachi, as I stood there relaxed, examining through each and every one of them.

These memories made it even harder. Itachi was a kind person, till the very end. Even when he had his own conflicting problems, he still came to visit me. He even did take Sasuke to see me.

That was days before he had wiped out his entire village, and grandfather was forced to eliminate my memories of him.

That hurt even more. I can't begin to think of what Sasuke must be going through right now.