Kiss of the Sharingan

Itachi, the name on my lips

You're holding court
With your lips and your smile
Your body's a halo
Their minds are on trial
Love needs its martyrs
Needs its sacrifices
They live for your beauty
And pay for their vices
Love will be the death of
My lonely soul brothers
But their spirits shall live on in
The hearts of all lovers

Chapter 3 Itachi, the name on my lips

It was always Itachi. Itachi this, Itachi that. Itachi's
the strongest, Itachi's the best. He wanted to be at
least the second best, to at least be looked upon.
But no, there was no place for him under that
spotlight. Because it belonged solely to his
brother. He had power, he had fame, he had the
respect, and love. Everybody gave him this. They
knew Sasuke as a younger brother. A little boy,
that even having potential would never reach the
level of someone as perfect as Itachi. It pained
him so much. He wanted to be loved by all these
people too. He wanted them to look at him with
the same admiration, and if not today, then, at
least, one day. He knew that his brother deserved
all that respect, he knew it, and he respected him
too. But first and furthermost, he loved him. He
loved him as a brother loves his family. He loved
him, because even if rarely, Itachi gave him
attention. He loved him, because when his father
forgot about his existence, Itachi was still there.
But then again, he hated him, because Itachi was
everything he wanted to be and he knew and felt
he will never accomplish that. He hated him
because Itachi had everything this village could
give and still there was nothing he wanted to take.
He was so perfect, so kind and at the same time
so heartless that you simply had to love him. You
give, and he refuses to take. You take, and he lets
you do so. You hate him for being the way he is,
and he lets you do that, because he always
understands. You ask him to kill, and he will do
this. You order him do the impossible, and he still
manages that. With time you forget that he's not
god-like, but human. And you hate him for this
even more, because you know that still being
human he crossed the lines that were before him,
and you can't even see them, because he's too far,
and you are left behind. And you curse him,
because being that far, he still comes back, as if
to taunt you that he can do this, and you can't.
He wondered back to times when Itachi smiled.
When he was a true brother, or pretended to be.
It made Sasuke think of the masks his brother
wore. Which one was real? What was the mask,
and what was his true face? He was such a good
actor… Pretend to love, or pretend to hate. For
Itachi, lines and limits did not exist. He could go
far for what he needed, get it and not move a
muscle on his face. Show no satisfaction, no joy.
You could only guess what he felt. He could seem
so emotionless, and yet, you fear him when he
looks at you, and you hate him when he speaks a
word. And you love him at the same time. He will
drive you till the edge and use you, manipulate
you, do anything with you and he wouldn't even lift
a finger… His gaze on you is enough. He will grace
you with one look, and then you're done. So cruel…
And then he moves… beautifully, deadly, like a
weapon. And you can't dodge, nor can you fight.
And you expect the worse, the most humiliating,
death, and then he stops… As if he knows when
the strings he pulls are the last… And he gives you
promises, and he shows his love. And you hate
him, and you love him even more.
Sasuke stood on the branch of the tree and gazed
at what was left of Konoha after it was destroyed
by Pain. It was slowly rebuilding itself, but it will
never be the same. He was troubled. He was
thoughtful. He needed time to gather his emotions,
as he was lost in everything around him. His one
piercing glare was enough to quiet down his
companions, and he let the silence grace him with
answers, as his mind put the picture in front of
him, piece by piece. It formed before him the man,
a person he knew so well, and, truthfully, didn't
know at all. Itachi was young, when he became a
true shinobi. Not the genin, a child that played
games with knifes, but the warrior, that was
ruthless, and games he played were on the
battlefield. He has unlocked the bloodline of their
clan when he was eight, and since then, he was
getting better and stronger, and faster. He… didn't
show his love for parents, or family as a whole.
He only sometimes, showed a bit of affection to
his younger brother, and still it was rare. He was
absent most of the time. He had missions. He
was always busy. He didn't have time for the
social life. He had no friends, no love for his
family, nothing he wanted or had other than his
responsibilities. He was turned into inanimate,
soulless object that existed on orders, and for
orders. Was there ever something Itachi wanted?
He didn't speak of it. But did anyone ever ask
him…? He gave everything for Konoha. This
ungrateful village, that didn't give him anything in
exchange, other than… what? If the true Itachi is the
one who was a loving brother, then all this village
ever gave him was pain and suffering. And if the
true Itachi was a heartless murderer, then this
village gave him freedom. And the true Itachi…
Sorry Sasuke, there won't be next time… was his
loving brother.
And knowing his brother, Itachi would never
exchange his Sharingan with anyone or anything.
He wouldn't trade it, he was Uchiha, and Uchiha
doesn't give what belongs to him. And as different
from Uchiha his brother was, there were traits that
not even he could get rid of. Another question was,
how did this really happen. Jiraiya could, create a
seal that powerful; after all, if the seal could house
the demon fox, who said it couldn't contain the
bloodline? Seals possessed power, and it looks
like that old man knew it well… He still couldn't
believe that his former teammate gained it. And he
didn't do anything to have it. …Or did he? Him
having that bloodline must mean… that Itachi gave
it willingly. But he wouldn't ever give it to anyone,
and even then, in exchange for what? What could
be that much important? Something… that Itachi
truthfully wanted? Did Jiraya give him something
he was craving, longing for? If he did, then what
was it? There were only two people knowing that.
Naruto and… Inoichi. He will deal with his former
teammate that had something that didn't belong to
him later, first…
...
Inoichi going home
He could expect anything. He could think of every
possible scenario, prepare himself for things that
could surprise him, shock him, scare him and
disgust him, but whatever he expected was not
this. Maybe… he thought that he may find out that
Jiraya and Tsunade were lovers. Maybe… he could
find out that Kyuubi is a female and has a heart. Or
that Uzumaki Naruto hated orange color. Anyway,
finding out that Uchiha Itachi was nothing like the
description of him said, wasn't a shock. It was
rather inevitable. After all, he knew the boy from
the times he was still the shinobi of Konoha, and
never believed in him being insane. What was the
shock was the scheme behind the Uchiha
massacre, and the role Danzou, the current
Hokage, played in it. He works for that man; he
bows to him, while in reality this man has very
dark secrets, concerning the past, the present, and
the future. And the role that Itachi played in it,
though was the main, was unsettling. Danzou and
advisors ordered the thirteen years old boy kill his
own family, the guilty and innocent people,
deciding the fate of the clan without discussing the
matter with the council. What a mindless,
thoughtless, cruel and immoral act. And to think
that they kept it a secret for years…
And then, Itachi's wish to keep his brother alive
while making the mentioned believe that he was a
murderer… probably, Itachi knew that if he refused
to kill his clan himself, then it would be done by
shinobi trained under Danzou's command. And he
probably believed that doing everything himself he
would still have some control over the situation…
then again, his decision to join Uchiha Madara and
Akatsuki was a planned, but difficult move…
Ah, Madara has not only controlled the fox when he
fought Senju, but also when it attacked Konoha
sixteen years ago… And now he gained control over
other bijuu, thanks to the power of the rinnegan
wielder, Nagato… What a… powerful, disgusting
and tenacious of life enemy that Madara bastard
appears to be. He should be long dead by now.
Has that Eternal Sharingan given him that much…
power? What should he do with all this knowledge?
Who should he trust with it? Naruto asked himself
that question earlier, but the only answer he found,
was he himself. He gathered his thoughts when he
was in Myobokuzan, and decided to wait. He
wanted to know who would stand on his side once
the matter was up for discussion, but the few
people he trusted were not enough. And who would
believe him anyway? 'Itachi's a good guy, Madara's
alive, Danzou's bad and advisors are senile and
cranky, believe it!' Thinking of that and imagining
Naruto shout it with his fist in the air cheered him
up and he smiled at the simplicity with which
Naruto would act. But… he was in a different
situation. Unlike Naruto, he had people he could
trust with more than secrets…
Inoichi walked down the street, lost in his
thoughts. He walked home, the one he had to
rebuild recently. Ino-chan promised to get back
earlier and open the flower shop. If she's there
then he can leave for the evening and find Shikaku.
He can tell him this and that, and together they
could decide what to do with the troubling matters.
Of coarse he will try to keep Naruto's personal life
and secrets to himself, or even forget them, as he
does with other all the time… But the boy's
behavior and actions amazed him. His big heart,
kindness, loyalty and ability to see and understand
things the way no one else can were… refreshing,
warming. He wasn't as stupid as it seemed. He's
just opened, but not as much as you think. His
mischievous smile sometimes hides emotions,
sometimes thoughts. He always tells you the truth,
but that doesn't mean that he tells you everything.
He may seem carefree and happy, but there are
times when he's sad. You don't see it because he
doesn't want you to. That was very unusual
behavior, but one Inoichi could understand. And in
that Naruto and Itachi were very much alike. They
kept many things to themselves…
Inoichi hummed glancing around. The neighbors
almost finished rebuilding their house, as the
nearby shop owners, and the market district was
slowly turning lively as before. It was afternoon,
shinobi were busy, mostly with protecting the
village borders and missions. Other nations learned
of the destruction of Konoha and there was no
certainty if other ninja will not try to attack the
weakened leaf. And… who knows when Madara
decides to make a move again…
He reached his destination, the two-stored wooden
house, with the nice, flower decorated entrance and
windows. He openly smiled seeing the sign on the
door turned 'opened' and walked inside. The
instant smell of nature lifted his spirits and he
turned to the counter to greet his beautiful
daughter, only to frown at her absence. He pricked
his ears to hear her talking or making steps, but he
was graced with silence. It immediately worried
him and he reached for kunai, to be ready in case
there was the enemy in his house. He narrowed his
eyes understanding that if there was someone, it
was a strong ninja, because he couldn't find
anyone's presence. But his senses never lied to
him, and they said there had to be someone
inside. He quietly, stealthily walked to the back of
the shop, where was a storage room that led to
other rooms and upstairs.
He grabbed the handle and turned it, praying that
his daughter was inside. He opened the door and
the first thing he saw was… Shikamaru. And it was
only because he was on the floor, and he was
pinned there by someone he never saw before. The
man was pale, young and white haired. But his
teeth… well, they were sharp. He had some pants
on, some sleeveless shirt, some sandals, and a
wide, long and impressive zanbato. He sat on the
Nara's back, and his feet were pinning the
chuunin's hands to the floor, preventing him from
using any jutsus. His sword was stuck into the
ground, too close to Shikamaru's head. On the
other side of the room were other shinobi he did
not recognize, the red haired girl in glasses and…
high boots and an orange haired man that didn't
look like shinobi. Both of them sat on the boxes,
as well as the boy he recognized within a second.
In front of him, in the middle of the room, the
black haired heir to Uchiha clan sat relaxed, with a
narrowed gaze that held fire, directed at him. He
and his companions were wearing the Akatsuki
cloaks, which caused Inoichi to scowl, realizing
what that meant. The boy sat behind his daughter,
as his sword was too close to her neck, and it was
her he held hostage, and Inoichi felt the shiver run
down his spine, knowing that he had never had any
business with any Uchiha… until today, when he
spoke Itachi's name in the hospital room…
------------------------------------------------------
Tenzou casually opened the window, and looked
inside. He was outside of the apartment that
belonged to Naruto, and seeing as the boy wasn't
here for now, the man decided to look around and
maybe have some answers. He wasn't ordered to
do so; it was rather his worry and wish, to know
what happened with the blond and his teacher on
that trip. The only order Danzou gave the shinobi
that witnessed the defeat of the demons was to
keep their mouths shut about the ability and state
of Jinchuuriki. But he didn't say they couldn't check
his apartment… The building was built as one of
the first, and the boy must have made himself at
home already. He curiously peeked inside the
room leaning through the window and then his
gaze fell on the window itself. He checked if there
were any traps for visitors like him and shrugging
not finding anything, he entered.
He closed it after that and pulled the curtains, not
wishing to be seen by someone else. It didn't stop
the warm rays of afternoon from entering the place
and the man looked around the main room for a
second time, feeling that something was out of
place. He was frozen a moment later, when
realization hit him.
It didn't look like Naruto's apartment, though he
knew it was. It was simply too clean.
Instead of the mess he used to identify his new
student and team player with he saw the… order.
No clothes thrown everywhere around the room
and in different strange places, no weapons under
his feet that usually were appearing out of nowhere
on the bed, on the floor or on the chair; no scrolls
that were often gathered in the kitchen or in the
bathroom, and no traps, that he was warned about
by Kakashi-sempai earlier. It was unlike Naruto.
Maybe Sakura came by and cleaned it? He couldn't
recall that happening before. Simply curious,
Tenzou opened the wardrobe and looked inside.
Clothes, orange clothes, jacket, shirts, black, white,
purple… that's strange; towels, boxers, nothing out
of ordinary. Satisfied with it, the man closed the
wardrobe and strode to the drawers.
He opened them and checked the contents. Most
of the scrolls were named and he paid them no
mind, but the ones he wanted to open, were having
a blood seal, so sighing, Tenzou glanced around
the room again, and tilting his head for a moment,
shrugged and then crouched, to look under the
bed. He frowned not finding anything interesting
there. He rose and walked into the bathroom,
turning on the light. Clean… Everything was plain.
One toothbrush, one paste, one shampoo, oh, berry
flavored, washing powder, besom. The man sighed
and turned the light off, and with that went to the
kitchen. The shelves were somewhat empty, but
there was nothing picking his interest. In one of
the shelves below he found the box with the spare
kunai and shuriken, wires and empty scrolls, ink
and the new brushes. Nothing was hidden there. In
the fridge was a normal food. Tenzou shook his
head disbelievingly and was ready to leave, when
he took one last chance and opened the shelf with
the trash bin under the sink. He rummaged in the
bag with a slight grimace and raising a brow after
a minute, took out a small, empty glass bottle that
looked like a medicine.
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