Bring the Hammer Down

24

Itachi took a deep breath as he glanced around the room. Some of the most powerful ninjas in the Nations were gathered around him. He locked eyes with his chosen opponent and his eyes flickered dangerously. Naruto didn't flinch, but he noticed the madness behind Itachi's eyes. It was always there, right below the surface, waiting to come out.

"I disposed of Konan when she saw me come out of Pein's room. I had been looking for more clues as to the best way to go about things when she walked in. To keep her quiet, I ensnared her in Tsukiyomi, impaling her with swords for three days. Her brain shut down, thinking she had been stabbed to death."

Jiraiya nodded his head slowly and coughed into his hand.

"Are you sure you disposed of her, Itachi? Konan was said to have most extraordinary powers, being able to disperse into paper and get away."

Itachi just blinked and kept his voice monotone.

"Her paper ability did her no good against Ameterasu. If she was not dead after Tsukiyomi, she was dead after being burnt to ashes. She is no longer a problem."

Jiraiya was still not sure. He didn't trust Itachi and was about to voice his opinion when the Uchiha spoke up.

"I made sure she was dead. I knew her chakra signature. Trust me, Jiraiya-sama, she is dead."

Jiraiya sat back with a huff and TenTen leaned forward.

"What else happened? You didn't contact us for months. What the hell were you doing?"

"I was under scrutiny by the organization. Madara did not fully trust me any longer and Pein has never trusted me. When Kisame and Zetsu were killed, I was not allowed to go on missions unsupervised anymore. Madara kept me under close watch."

Naruto had sat quietly for a while now when something clicked with him.

"Wait a minute. What about Tobi? Where is he? Did you kill him too?"

Itachi cocked his head to the side in slight confusion.

"I thought I made it clear that he was still alive. Tobi is Madara just as Madara is Tobi."

The group gasped and TenTen went pale.

"So...when I was fighting him that time..."

Itachi nodded his head in affirmation.

"Yes, that was Uchiha Madara. You scared him though, TenTen-san. Your weapon confuses and confounds him. When Samehada was under Kisame's control, it never bothered him. The sword has changed somehow...in more ways than one."

TenTen simply swept her hand over her seal and Keppaku appeared in her hand. Itachi reached out to touch it and was shocked when it immediately began to pull on his chakra. He jerked his hand back and frowned at TenTen. She shrugged and sat Keppaku on the ground, tip down, while leaning on the handle.

"She doesn't like you. She says your chakra doesn't taste good, that it is foul."

Itachi's eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch, but he let it slide for the moment. He turned to Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, now is the time to strike. Pein and Madara are the only ones left. Then...we go after Sasuke."

"No. You will wait."

Everyone turned to find Sanosuke standing in the corner of the room, his hands behind his back. The bearded angel stepped further into the light and smiled at all the occupants.

"Hello everyone. It's good to see you all again."

TenTen, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all smiled at him while Itachi and Naruto remained stoic. Naruto rose from his seat and frowned at him.