Chương 64: Happy Shall He Be part 2
Part two is here. Probably two more to go.
Kakashi caught his student before his unconscious body hit the ground, his eyes shut and tear tracks on his face.
'Kami, I never thought Itachi was following orders.' He thought, glancing towards his sensei's daughter.
She had spotted Sasuke running away and had tried to fight the clone Kakashi made quickly to keep her away, but it proved futile.
And she just saw Sasuke at his worst.
"Rin," He looked at her, her sniffles and tears making him feel sick with worry, "Are you okay?"
She shook her head.
"He hates me."
The way Sasuke said it probably validated her terror at being known as a Jinchuriki by her friends, something he didn't need right now. He couldn't juggle two of his students falling apart.
'I'm sorry, Naruto, but I need you to console Rin. I can handle Sasuke better.:
The poison he had on the senbon would knock Sasuke out for maybe a half an hour, giving him enough time to basically confront Itachi with a clone about what the hell happened and come up with a plan so Sasuke didn't completely break.
"Naruto is still at the hospital." He said to the blonde softly, "Talk with him."
Rin didn't even say thank you or anything at all, practically fleeing from everything as she ran to her twin.
Kakashi gently grabbed ahold of Sasuke, carrying him to his apartment.
The thoughts of the silver haired man did him no favours as he finally reached the teen's apartment and pushed the door open.
'I was content with getting rotated out of the ANBU to train Naruto and later Rin. I was fine with him being a menace. I was even fine with him antagonizing the Hyuga at times. But I can't deal with this Hurin crap and everything caused by it. It feels like my life's a cheap spy novel.'
His life ever since the death of Minato and Kushina was an onslaught of problems followed by more problems, but an Uzumaki that gave priceless info, only to request getting killed at the end, wasn't something he could ever wrap his admittedly sharp mind around.
Twisting his fingers to form a cross seal after setting Sasuke down on his couch gently, a shadow clone formed and went to go back to T and I to grill Itachi about what precisely he'd said to Sasuke. If he couldn't speak with the bastard, then he'll speak with the Hokage.
Sitting down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs, Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan and looked around the room, sighing audibly.
"What would you have done if you were alive, Obito?" He asked the dead Uchiha he tried to emulate in the ways he could. "I'm sure you would have handled all of this better than me."
No response, unsurprisingly.
Kakashi didn't know what to do when Sasuke started breaking down. His own Sharingan's ability was extremely dangerous, and Sasuke's eyes had their own pattern to them, meaning they matured. He had to be delicate about knocking Sasuke out and not startling him.
And the timing didn't work out at all
"Damn this all." He muttered again, knowing this was only just the beginning.
They'd successfully killed Orochimaru and came out standing, but he wasn't the only S-rank threat to the village.
Jiraiya-sama and Naruto both had said Ashina was going to murder Roshi, and Iwa would be out for blood when they inevitably find out that Namikaze Minato had twins who were direct descendants of the Shodai Uzukage, combined with a Jinchuriki getting brutally cut down by an undead nightmare who could technically be brought back again.
The fact that Naruto managed to use the Lightning Cloak made it much worse. It gave a possible rumour of Kumo and Konoha working together some validation. The minor villages structured themselves around the rivalries between the Big 5. If the two strongest looked like they were going to become friendly, it could cause whatever government that came out of the Kiri civil war to work with a vengeful Iwa, with the Akatsuki likely hard targeting Naruto and Rin because of Konoha successfully outing them as a threat. That didn't include minor villages potentially turning against them to keep the balance of power constantly shifting to prevent a monopoly of one coalition.
Jiraiya-sama mentioned that the Akatsuki had been contracted out more than once by Iwa.
Kakashi hoped he was simply being cynical, instead of right. He didn't want to go through another war again. He lost almost everything when one happened before. He didn't think he'd mentally survive losing more loved ones.
///////////////////
"Your sister is coming towards you," Kurama said suddenly, causing me to wince at how sharp the sound was in my head, "The Uchiha just had a meltdown and told her he knows about you two."
Ino and Tobirama turned towards me, probably sensing my chakra shift, while Hinata noticed the two react.
"Damnit, Itachi." I cursed in English, focusing my sensing to feel Rin. Sure enough, she was running towards the hospital.
I knew the only way Sasuke would fall apart to that degree would be if he talked with Itachi. Of course I wasn't there to help him.
"I have to go," I said sharply, glancing at Tobirama, "Your pet Uchiha just proved my point."
Tobirama understood what I meant. I said this exact situation would happen when the Uchiha he waxed poetic about, Itachi, would reveal what happened to Sasuke. It almost felt like he saw Kagami in Itachi from how often he talked about Itachi when it was only the two of us.
Ino and Hinata looked lost, so I explained vaguely.
"Sasuke's having a problem. I'll explain later how I know."
I then rushed towards the door and pulled it open, running down the hall to get to Rin.
She was right outside of the hospital when I got to her, tears streaming down her face as she was shaking visibly.
"Rin." I said, my sister grabbing me like a lifeline as she started crying harder.
"Sasuke knows," She managed to choke out in English, my arms wrapped around her shoulders, "He hates me."
I just held her and helped guide us to an alley to get a little more privacy.
It wasn't until I got into the alley that I realized which one it was, the realization making my mouth feel dry. I bit my tongue to stop from turning and leaving, refusing to carry Rin around in front of the villagers as she cried.
I could deal with discomfort for her sake.
"Rin," I tried to soothe her, rubbing her back softly, "Sasuke already knew."
Rin jerked away from me, her eyes wide in shock.
"You..." Her breath quickened, "You told him?!"
The dangerous tone in her voice had me scrambling to clarify.
"No," I said hastily, not wanting her to get the wrong idea, "Itachi told him and he confronted me about it when he was training you. He didn't take it badly though."
"Well, he did now," Rin said tightly, wiping at her eyes, "and I don't know what to do."
"She knows what the older Uchiha did," Kurama said in my head, "The little Uchiha was using his Sharingan subconsciously while he was crying about losing his family."
I fought the urge to tell Kurama to shut up about bitching and moaning about Sasuke. I didn't need his bellyaching right now.
"He just needs time, Rin," I said quietly, "I found out that Itachi followed orders when he hit me with the Genjutsu." I couldn't help but flinch at the memory of how terrified I was when it happened.
"I know he's angry," Rin's voice quivered, "I could feel it."
I tilted my head at how she worded that, making it sound strange.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I..." She wet her lips, wiping at her eyes as well, "I could feel that he was angry and scared. He was yelling and I... I could..." Her breathing caught and she started shaking again.
There was only one way I could think of that Rin could possibly feel that Sasuke was angry.
'Sensing negative emotions.' I realized, my eyes widening in shock that Rin just did that accidentally.
"I think you accidentally just did what great Aunt Mito did," I said slowly, keeping my hands on her shoulders to help keep her calm, even if my own thoughts were racing, "She managed to control the Kyuubi's chakra to sense negative emotions."
Unlike Rin, I read the fine print of the 'boring' parts of Mito's journals. Rin focused on the Fuinjutsu sections.
I could feel Rin's chakra shake in tandem with her breathing, her face paling in shock.
"How..." She tried to find the right words, "I don't know what I did."
"That insufferable redhead had the same chakra your mother had," Kurama cut in, his voice sharp, "She had my chakra restrained and managed to steal my ability to sense negative emotions for herself."
Kurama's anger was making my tenketsu connected to the seal itch, the influx of chakra being stopped.
'Please stop trying to force your chakra into my network.' I cut in, 'Do you have any idea how Rin could do that? Mito's notes said she imposed her will on your chakra.'
There's no way Rin accidentally did that, it defied how it was described in the series.
"The Uchiha suppressed my chakra enough where the girl's chakra was able to overpower mine for a moment."
'Stop talking like I can't hear you.' Rin's voice echoed in my head, sounding as annoyed as her face suggested. 'And what do you mean 'suppressed'?"
I involuntarily shivered, as did Rin, when Kurama started growling.
"The cursed eyes of his clan can suppress my chakra and bend it to their will. He did it when he was looking at you. Remember that feeling of struggling to move, girl?"
"He," Rin looked horrified, shaking again, "He did that?"
I was not letting Kurama twist my sister against Sasuke.
"Rin," I pressed my fingers down a little on her shoulders to snap her out of it, "Sasuke didn't know what he did. He just awakened his eyes recently."
"I know how." Kurama chuckled.
'Shut up!' I snapped at him, giving Rin an apologetic look when she backed away from me.
"But," Rin took a shuddering breath, trying to calm down from her previous emotional state at Sasuke doing that, "Why didn't you say anything about Sasuke's brother?"
I couldn't very well say that I knew about it from the very beginning. I didn't want to remember that I willingly let it happen because I was scared of drawing attention.
'Focus.'
'I just," I groaned and dragged a hand through my hair as I closed my eyes and grimaced, "I didn't know whether Itachi did it for the supposed reason stated for a few years. It just didn't make sense. I already talked with Sasuke about possible stuff, and I-" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
"You were overthinking things." Rin mumbled, sounding resigned and genuinely depressed, "I wish you didn't do that."
I swallowed audibly and didn't say anything, the silence being enough.
"I hate this," Rin eventually said, "What did we do to deserve this?" Her hand clenched tightly as she gritted her teeth and started pacing, "Why does Sasuke have to go through this?!"
'Because he's a rival to a protagonist.' I abruptly cut off my connection to Kurama before I thought that. 'Nobody gets to have a happy home life and be powerful at the same time.'
"I don't know," I lied easily, a talent I'd gained by lying to every living person I knew, "I don't know."
I fought the urge to look down the alleyway, specifically the spot where I'd almost died. There was a faint echo of chakra there and it was enough to raise my heart rate.
"Let's go," I eventually said, "We can talk to the Hokage and Jiraiya about this."
I didn't wait for Rin to say yes or no. I needed to get out of here.
Right as I exited the alleyway to get back to the hospital, Kurama decided to speak.
"He used the Mangekyo Sharingan on your sister, boy," Kurama said sharply, "Will you so easily let that go?"
'He didn't mean to.' I shot back, not wanting to talk right now with him. 'Quit moaning and whining because you don't like Uchiha.'
The next thing Kurama said was enough to get me worked up again.
"You're too frightened of your own shadow to protect her. You think you'll be a demon and monster if you protect your own. You're just like another elder sibling I knew." He remarked nonchalantly,
I actually stopped walking, my mind blanking.
'Do not presume that I won't revoke our deal, fox. I can just as easily have you sealed when I'm near death. I do not require your chakra.'
Without any hesitation, I wrenched at my chakra to rattle the cage, causing it to make a near deafening sound. I barely caught the beginning of Kurama's roar of pain before I cut the connection completely, turning to Rin.
"Cut the connection with the fox." I requested coldly, "He's trying to compare me to Itachi."
Rin's face tightened, screwing up in concentration. I could feel her chakra shift the same way it did when she was angry, meaning she obviously didn't like that at all.
I left out that I was pretty sure Kurama wasn't talking about Itachi, nor Hagoromo.
I held Rin's hand as we walked back into the hospital and straight to where Jiraiya and Hiruzen's chakra were.
Right as we got to the door, I used my off hand to make a clone, sending it to try and find Kakashi. A second clone was made by me to talk with Ino and Hinata to let them know everything was 'okay'.
With that done, I pushed the door open and fought the urge to retch when I saw Hiruzen up and walking with Jiraiya's assistance, a hospital gown that didn't cover his bare ass being worn while his back was turned to us.
"What do you want, gaki?" Jiraiya asked without turning around, probably noticing it was me before the door opened, "The old man needs help with not getting clots in his legs."
"I don't care," I snapped, walking directly towards a chair and grabbing it, pushing it towards Jiraiya for Hiruzen to sit in, "Sasuke just went schizoid because Itachi told him what happened with the massacre. Tell Rin and me what happened in its entirety. I only know parts of it from Itachi mind molesting me, and Ashina."
Hiruzen, who was doing much better since Tsunade healed his injury, looked paler than just moments before.
"I don't know if I have the strength to speak of it, Naruto." He said softly, slowly easing into the chair with Jiraiya's help. "I'm not sure I can say it as you deserve."
The state of Hiruzen felt like ice water on my anger at Rin being emotionally hurt by the situation and Sasuke having a breakdown. I reined in my anger at the situation, knowing I shouldn't be dropping this in Hiruzen's lap.
I should've been there as it happened instead of relaxing with two of my friends and talking with a guy I never thought I'd have the privilege of talking to.
"I'm sorry," I muttered, feeling Rin squeeze my hand for reassurance, "But we need to know what happened so we can help Sasuke."
Hiruzen sighed and closed his eyes, slowly opening them.
"You may speak with Itachi. He is at T and I." Hiruzen's eyes flicked towards Jiraiya with an unspoken question.
"The codeword is Flash." Jiraiya answered, the white haired Sannin looking at me sympathetically.
I nodded and left, Rin right next to me.
Today would mark another burden of knowledge I didn't have to deal with anymore. One less mark on my conscience.
////////////////////////
Itachi was fidgeting in his chair as the jutsu ended, Yamanaka Inoichi gazing at him coldly.
"What was said to your brother?" He requested again, "I can do this again if I have to."
Itachi's head felt like it was going to be split open. He'd been interrogated constantly, but he'd been able to resist the Yamanaka mind jumps by forcefully diverting the probes into the most traumatic and painful memories he had, letting all his hatred and anguish rush forward unfiltered.
"Please, stop," He managed to keep his voice steady, but he honestly didn't know if he could endure it again, "I must speak with Jiraiya-sama and the Hokage only."
He couldn't let the information about the Akatsuki be known to others. Right now, he was probably believed dead by Tobi. If information about the Akatsuki started being let out at this time, Tobi could do something unpredictable.
He had to speak with the two of them, not letting a middleman have information as well. If the Hokage believed it was safe to share the knowledge, then fine. But only if his superior agreed.
"A lie." Inoichi said simply, not moving from where he stood.
Before Inoichi could try again, he stilled, glanced at the door, turned around and walked briskly to the door, pulling it open.
"What are you two doing here?" The blond man asked, the figures around the frame of the reinforced door. "You shouldn't be here."
"The Hokage and Jiraiya told us to come here." The voice of Uzumaki Naruto sounded out, his voice extremely clipped. "It's about the circumstances of the Uchiha Massacre."
Itachi fought the urge to pull at his restraints again. The last person he wanted to deal with right now was Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke had run off and was probably falling apart as much as he himself had after that night, and Naruto was Sasuke's friend.
Itachi started to doubt whether this was even worth it. He wouldn't have a seal on his forehead, his brother wouldn't be in an emotional state, and he wouldn't have been tortured for information. Being a missing nin and wanted terrorist was easier than this.
Inoichi held back a scowl and let Naruto and Rin in, the redhead looking up at the blond.
"This is private," Naruto said politely, "You need to leave."
Before Inoichi could call Naruto out on his likely lie, the red haired boy said something that caused Itachi to freeze.
"It's about the man who attacked Konoha and unleashed the Kyuubi. We're entitled to this."
Inoichi looked at him silently for several seconds, not saying anything. After moments of silence, the blond shrugged and said he'd be outside, closing the door with a clang.
Once they were alone, Naruto looked around the room, furrowing his brow.
"No cameras," He murmured, still concentrating, "And no listening devices. A bit weird, especially because of how paranoid Shinobi are."
The boy's blue eyes focused on his, holding a calculating look in them that was very familiar.
"Sasuke predictably didn't react well," Naruto said simply, "And Rin tried to console him. You made this mess, so tell us how to clean it up. Tell us what happened surrounding the unleashing of the Kyuubi and you killing your clan."
Itachi didn't miss the command laced in Naruto's voice. He wasn't requesting, he was demanding.
The mind jumps made his normally ironclad emotions feel raw and exposed, as well as a piercing headache.
"Where do you want me to start?" He asked listlessly, resigned to answering the questions by the Yondaime's son.
"The immediate aftermath of our mother and father dying."
And so Itachi told the two Uzumaki nearly the same exact thing he told Sasuke, his voice lacking emotion this time.
He didn't know how long it took, but he finally finished and his voice was hoarse, looking at the two twins silently.
Rin looked horrified and disgusted, wearing her heart on her sleeve practically, but Naruto reacted differently. His reaction was something that gave credit to whoever trained him to act the way he did.
Itachi felt like he was looking in a mirror.
"How could you do that to him?" Rin asked angrily, storming towards him. "You tortured Sasuke because you wanted him to kill you?! You disgust me!"
The older of the two stared at the girl with an unimpressed expression.
"The very thing you hate about me is the exact trait your brother exhibits as well," Itachi replied with little care, "He threatened Sasuke to protect you. The threats he made when I had him in a Genjutsu would surprise you."
Rin's nostrils flared and she lunged forward, grabbing ahold of him.
Itachi noticed her brother tensed, but the blazing violet eyes of Uzumaki Rin was his focus, followed by her hand clenching around his hair.
Suddenly, he felt a fist strike his face, an enraged blonde pulling her fist back from his head.
With his ears slightly ringing from the hit, he stated something rather obvious.
"You...hit me." He blinked, not expecting that to happen.
"Yes," Rin growled, gripping his hair even tighter as she bared her teeth, "And I'm gonna do it again."
Before Itachi could try and pull away, he was jerked downward by his hair and his face struck the table, a lance of pain going through his mouth and nose.
"Naruto is not like you," Rin growled, pulling his head back up by his hair, "He's a better brother to Sasuke than you'll ever be. He helped me be strong without lying to me."
Itachi thought he saw Naruto twitch, but he couldn't be certain.
With that, the blonde let go of his hair jerkily, turning on her heel and walking away.
Itachi waited until Naruto was looking at his sister before he grimaced and felt at his nose gingerly, hissing softly at the blood lightly flowing from it. Call it needless concealing of weakness, but he'd been conditioned to be that way.
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked Rin.
"I'm going to go to Sasuke to put him back together." Rin said simply, pausing her steps. The girl didn't sound doubtful of it, simply stating it as fact. She then said something in a language Itachi didn't recognize, Naruto responding in the same strangely pronounced language.
Rin pulled the door open and left, shutting it tightly.
Now it was just the two of their generation's best prodigies in the room, blue eyes meeting black.
"I bet this hurts," Naruto eventually broke the silence, grabbing a chair and sitting down, "Tramp stamp on your forehead, the village you gave everything for still hating you, and your little brother being irreparably damaged. So much for being an S-rank at thirteen, hm," He scoffed, "I barely hit A-rank, and I'm a Jinchuriki with chakra to burn."
Itachi didn't miss the way it was worded and what order it was said.
"Do you enjoy holding it over me that you weren't forced to hurt Rin as I had to hurt Sasuke?" Itachi asked, expecting the next round of conversation to be a sort of arrogant preaching about his failings as a brother. "I have more important things to do than listen to your constant proclamations of being a superior Shinobi, brother, and overall person."
"I don't need to proclaim that crap to you to prove I'm better," Naruto scoffed, his eyes glinting, "Deeds, not words, and all that."
"Then why bring it up again?" Itachi eyed his restraints distastefully.
Naruto noticed and got up from the chair, walking towards him.
Itachi tensed involuntarily, his survival instincts screaming at him to find a weapon.
Naruto made a point to hush him like a dog, irritating the Uchiha.
"Easy, boy," He said mockingly, stepping behind him and inspecting his neck, "It must be uncomfortable to have your chakra messed with and being restrained. I bet your cattle brand felt bad."
Itachi didn't respond, keeping still as the boy's fingers pressed against the seal painted on the base of his neck where the spine connected.
He did flinch when he felt foreign chakra invade the seal and his chakra stopped being disrupted constantly, making it feel like an obstruction to his breathing was lifted.
"Thank you." He muttered, seeing Naruto nod slightly and grabbing at his restraints.
"No point in making you completely uncomfortable." The younger of the two replied, his fingers glowing gold as the sound of breaking metal came from the lock. "I know you're not some psychopath, so I'm getting rid of these." The shackles broke free and his hands were no longer restrained.
Naruto then pulled a hair tie from his pocket and tossed it on the table, signaling for him to take it.
"I don't like my hair hanging over my forehead," Naruto explained, his own shoulder length hair pulled back off his forehead some, "And you look mangy, which I'm not dealing with for however long we talk. I get to talk with you while Rin puts your brother's head on straight. She'll reach through to him better."
Without caring about keeping an air of detachment, Itachi massaged his wrists and slowly pulled his hair back, tying what was left of the longer portion back so he didn't feel like an unshaved animal.
"You can have some water and a bit of food I have after I'm done talking," Naruto said, sitting back down, "I hope you don't mind instant ramen."
Itachi didn't say anything, but he eyed Naruto with suspicion.
"Good cop, bad cop?" He asked, tilting his head, "A strange choice. You are definitely more vicious than your sister, despite her actions. You conceal your true nature very well. What do you wish to discuss?"
"Oh, the usual," Naruto said pleasantly, not bothering to hide the bite in his voice as he lounged back, "Where you got the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, given that my grandfather gifted me the Sword of Kusanagi, as well as Tobi and how he's definitely not Madara. Oh, and also advise on killing Uchiha. Tobi's one and you're an expert."
Itachi was not amused by Naruto's attempt at unbalancing him, nor did he like that it worked.
"The first two are private," Itachi replied coldly, not wanting to share something that the Nidaime possibly revealed after fighting him, "And there is little I can give in the way of Tobi's capabilities or his actual identity. I truly believed he was Madara until your very pleasant grandfather informed me otherwise."
A toothy grin from Naruto practically shown in the slightly dim room.
"Ashina's a hoot, isn't he?" Naruto asked cheekily, "I know that's where I inherited my enjoyment for pissing off Uchiha. Y'all are fun to wind up."
Itachi couldn't imagine Sasuke could tolerate what was possibly a younger Ashina for long, particularly the penchant for harassment and immaturity.
"But Ashina definitely would know that Tobi isn't Madara," All humour left Naruto's voice, replaced by a steely look that reminded Itachi of his own father, "He told me a little story about how Madara used a certain time delayed Uchiha clan secret to survive a kill shot from the Shodai."
Itachi's hands twitched and his thoughts settled on the only thing it could be.
"Izanagi."
"Ding ding," Naruto laughed coldly, grabbing a storage scroll and fishing out a water bottle to drink, "Madara went on to live up until Uzu was attacked. My grandfather found out he survived and discreetly formed a death squad to kill him, consisting of the Nidaime, the Sandaime, Uchiha Kagami, the elders, and Shimura Danzo."
'To think we could have been rid of Danzo before I was even born.'
"They left the village to hunt him and somebody evidently dropped some intel about the mission to Madara, who then gave it to the Kinkaku force," Naruto continued on explaining, "That mission obviously didn't go down well."
An understatement would be too dull of an explanation of the catastrophic nature of Senju Tobirama's death.
"So my grandfather didn't get the chance to off him until right before my clan's village was attacked and destroyed," Naruto's voice was tighter now, his expression dark, "Madara's right eye was the busted one, and he grafted some of the Shodai's cells into his body."
Itachi was paying rapt attention, listening intently.
"Evidently," Naruto looked repulsed, "The increased healing speed we," He gestured towards himself as an example of an Uzumaki, "have can be transplanted by enough cells being introduced into the body, or a graft. I'm not a biologist, but that just sounds impossible, unless only Uchiha can handle it. You guys are weird that way."
Itachi ignored every small comment about his clan without difficulty, focusing on the details Naruto had in his little explanation.
"Tobi still has his right eye," Naruto continued, "But his chakra felt similar to that ANBU, Yamato's, in the same way the Shodai's chakra feels."
'That doesn't make sense.' Itachi thought. 'Unless...'
"Tobi was possibly a disciple of Madara." Itachi surmised after only a few seconds.
"Probably the most realistic," Naruto nodded in agreement, leaning forward a bit as his head rested on his hand, "Who else other than Madara would know how to control a Bijuu and teach someone that knowledge? And who would think to graft the Shodai's cells into his body other than a guy who already pulled it off, or one who learned from him?"
"I assume by how you're speaking," Itachi pointed out, "Madara is definitely dead."
Naruto nodded.
"My grandfather killed him," His hand raised up and a golden blade of chakra came out of his index and middle fingers, "This can be pretty useful when combined with Senjutsu."
The chakra blade reminded him of when Naruto was six, the night he was almost killed and the blast of chakra.
"I didn't think that was an ability of your clan, at least until your grandfather utilized it."
"To be fair," Naruto laughed lightly, "I don't think you were occupied with finding out about a kekkai genkai my clan has when I was coughing up a lungful of blood."
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought over that, coming to a possible realization.
"Is that why you didn't completely believe that I murdered my clan in cold blood?" Itachi asked, "You knew that I was the one that saved you, of course, and you are intelligent enough to notice how I acted towards Sasuke when you attended the Academy."
Itachi hadn't thought of it that way. Being saved by someone had a tendency of engendering positive opinions towards the rescuer.
Naruto snorted, adjusting his posture some.
"Pretty much. I never was able to climb out of your shadow or my father's. I can tell Kakashi noticed a couple similarities between you and me, and Jiraiya wasn't exactly subtle about talking about me being like my dad."
"So, you thought of my motives through the lens of your own lived experience." The Uchiha sighed, "Not surprising."
Itachi then focused on Naruto's face, trying to gauge the next round of discussion.
"I doubt this is simply about you stating our similarities. What else?"
Naruto didn't say anything, simply reaching into his pocket and pulling out another small scroll. With a puff of smoke, another water bottle came out.
"Here," Naruto tossed it to him, "I bet the food and drink here is scarce."
Itachi caught it without issue and popped the cap, taking a drink to quench his thirst.
After finishing a few drinks, Itachi wiped his mouth and refocused on the eldest Uzumaki.
"Do you wish to know what Tobi's abilities are?" Naruto asked flatly, not easing into it at all.
Itachi blinked more than once, confused by that.
"How would you know about his abilities?"
Naruto's expression darkened, his hand grabbing a kunai from his holster and began fiddling with it.
"I assume you know a decent amount about chakra theory," Naruto said with an emotionless voice, no longer making eye contact, "You've probably heard of the theory about more Yin chakra in children and neuroplasticity causing a higher birthrate of prodigious Shinobi in clans with Yin heavy chakra."
That was something Itachi did indeed know about. It was a theory that was extremely divisive amongst his clan, but the evidence of it shown brightly in their own clan, the Nara, and the Yamanaka.
"I am surprised a child of thirteen would know about that." Itachi said, mulling over what Naruto had said.
The redhead didn't change his expression.
"I ceased to be a child the day I comprehended death," His voice was still dead sounding, but his body was tensed, "But I came across it when I was studying the neuro pathways in the brain and what level of electrical stimulation parts of the brain could handle."
The eldest of the two caught on quickly.
"The Lightning Cloak the Raikages of Kumo use."
'It definitely adds up to what I saw when he fought the Suna Jinchuriki.'
That was a surprise to him, and probably a great number of other people as well. Being able to reverse engineer such a jutsu as a thirteen year old was something Itachi didn't think someone could do.
Naruto nodded, letting static dance up his arm.
"Lightning is pretty damn useful when you have more than two braincells to rub together." His eyes flicked towards the door for a moment before going back to looking at Itachi again, "I started studying the brain because of two things, one being the Lightning Cloak, and the other was specifically theories about Yin chakra adjusting the brain structure of individuals."
The part relating to Tobi hadn't even come up, so Itachi politely hurried him along.
"I am quaking in excitement for you to tell me why it interests you and how it relates to Tobi." Itachi deadpanned, somewhat amused by Naruto suppressing a scowl.
"Fine, impatient woman," Naruto glanced at his hair, "I've met girls who'd be jealous of your hair."
After the juvenile insult, Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose lightly, his eyes shutting.
"I studied Yin chakra exposure in infants and how the chakra of the mother influences babies because I have denser Yin chakra than practically any Uzumaki in recorded history."
"And what did it cause?" Itachi could tell it was bothering Naruto, whatever it was.
Naruto sighed, not looking at his eyes. "I could remember being in my mother's womb and being born. Given that I've never found anything about a Jinchuriki giving birth to twins, and scarce information about the children of female Jinchuriki, the Hokage, Kakashi, Inoichi, and I assume it's from my own Yin chakra being higher and prenatal exposure to the fox's chakra caused it to react the way it has."
It wasn't often that Uchiha Itachi could be shocked into being unable to formulate words, but this time was one of them.
"I, uh," Itachi genuinely tried to wrap his mind around that, but couldn't.
"You're not the first one to react that way," Naruto mumbled, threading his fingers through his hair, "I can tell you it definitely isn't fun getting squeezed out of your mother for hours."
The mere thought was horrifying to Itachi, but another thought struck him, a thought even more hellish than the previously stated one.
"Do you remember the rest of the night?"
Naruto's hand clenching and his jaw tightening was all Itachi needed.
"The Sandaime's wife was holding me when Tobi slit her throat," He scratched at the corner of his eye, blinking quickly, "I could feel her chakra vanish and her blood got all over me. First time I screamed. Here I am, a newborn, but I knew it was unnatural for the pretty lights to vanish."
This explained so many things about Uzumaki Naruto that Itachi had always wondered about. No wonder he was so driven. The first thing he experienced was death.
"The rest of the night wasn't fun either," He kept going on, his voice quivering slightly, "My dad took Rin and me to somewhere so he could paint seals on our stomachs, but not until I got a dose of feeling the fox's chakra. I pissed all over myself, not gonna lie."
'Does he remember it all?'
"I guess you aren't surprised that the Yondaime is my father," Naruto stood up from his chair, looking around at the room like he was trying to avoid looking at Itachi, "You weren't when you took me to your little torture chamber. Probably because your mom and mine were friends."
Itachi nodded mutely, not wanting to speak at the moment.
"So my dad comes back to where my mom is, after he beat Tobi, and went through the process of splitting the Kyuubi to seal it in us." Naruto's voice cracked at the end.
'This is hurting him.' Itachi noticed, shocked by the vulnerability willingly shown.
"It didn't go as planned," Naruto said shakily, wiping at his eyes, "The chains loosened, the fox tried to crush me and Rin, and like any parents should, mine jumped in front to stop it."
Itachi didn't see Uzumaki Naruto in front of him at that moment.
He saw himself.
"I watched them die," Naruto choked out, shaking horribly, "They died because of me. They would have lived if not for me."
Itachi bit down and felt his nails dig into the table, his own memories of a certain night playing in his head.
"My parents told me to protect my sister," The boy that was exactly like him wiped at his eyes furiously, the blue already bloodshot, "And that they loved me so much."
'You are a kind child, Itachi.'
'Protect Sasuke.'
"And then my father sealed the Yin half of the Kyuubi in me," Naruto said with a degree of finality, "That was the most painful experience I'll ever feel, and it didn't help that it threw off my Yin chakra stability. That's why I had memory problems and issues up until I was almost killed."
Itachi swallowed thickly, trying to fight through the images burned in his head. He could almost smell blood.
"And, between the two of us," Naruto leaned closer to him, scooting the chair across the floor, "I knew who my father was the day after I got out of the hospital. I lied to everyone for years because I didn't want Kakashi to feel guilty or Rin to hate our father and resent our mother for loving the guy that sealed a Bijuu in us."
Itachi didn't say anything for a moment, trying to keep his voice and emotions in check. He'd always prided himself on having a tight leash on his emotions and didn't want to show weakness. He was conditioned to not show weakness to potential enemies, and Uzumaki was a potential one.
"You claim to not be like me," Itachi said slowly, keeping his eyes on Naruto, "But you have done precisely what I would have done in your situation. Lie for your sibling's sake and others."
"I didn't torture Rin." Naruto snapped, a respectable level of Killing Intent directed at him, "And I didn't leave the village when I could have."
Itachi's eyes narrowed at the last part.
"I highly doubt you had the opportunity, let alone the will, to leave the village. You cling to familiarity like a child clings to its mother's leg in the dark."
The glare levelled at him was fairly intimidating, at least for an adolescent.
"You'd be surprised by what Orochimaru was willing to do to recruit me," Naruto actually laughed at him, "He wanted to take your brother's body to possess because of how dangerous you were to target."
The death of Orochimaru was enough to annoy Itachi. He wanted to be the one to kill the snake.
"And he would've managed it if not for me." Naruto pointed at himself, "He offered to train me and warned me of the Akatsuki. I refused, knowing full well what I was rejecting."
Itachi could tell something was left out concerning Orochimaru. The snake Sannin always did something for a reason and it was no coincidence that Naruto would be a target of interest.
"Now why would he be interested in you to that degree?" Itachi asked coldly, not amused by Uzumaki's attempt to hold anything over him.
"Jinchuriki," Naruto raised one finger, "Uzumaki," He raised another, "Prodigy. And I'm Ashina's descendant."
Itachi didn't understand the last reason at first, but the conversation with Ashina clicked in place.
"Orochimaru is aware of this supposed vault mentioned."
What could possibly be in this vault, Itachi didn't know.
"Yeah," Naruto nodded, "And I just realized we've gotten off topic of how I know about Tobi's abilities."
Itachi didn't doubt that the conversation was designed specifically so Naruto could talk about whatever he pleased, then talk about what was needed.
But Itachi would accept it. He had nobody to talk with right now and he knew the next few days would be difficult once the Hokage got around to asking for a debriefing.
"Basically," Naruto scooted a little bit closer, resting his hands on the table about a foot away from Itachi's, "My dad fought him and right as he died, or when he first made the seal, I don't know, put some of his chakra in my seal as a failsafe in case the seal started breaking down. It did after I got a free haircut from Orochimaru."
'The Kyuubi was almost unleashed then.'
Itachi tried not to visualize what would have happened if the seal didn't have a failsafe. Thousands would have died.
"The chakra manifested as basically a shadow clone in my mindscape," Naruto explained thoughtfully, "And I'd like to figure out how to do that. But Tousan, being a great parent, told me Tobi's abilities and a specific weakness."
Itachi leaned closer, barely a foot away from the other's face.
'If I know a weakness, I can exploit it.'
"Tell me." Itachi requested quietly.
Naruto smirked.
"His Mangekyo Sharingan allows him to faze out of physical existence, making him immune to any attack. Not sure if it works for Genjutsu, but I assume it would because Ninjutsu doesn't work."
"A very potent ability," Itachi mused, vexed by the thought of being unable to touch him, "The weakness?"
"He can't touch you unless he rematerializes," Naruto replied, "And I'm pretty sure how the mechanics of it work after I talked with the Nidaime about the Mangekyo Sharingan."
If anybody could figure out secrets of the Sharingan that wasn't an Uchiha, it'd be Senju Tobirama.
"And?" Itachi raised a brow in question.
"Tobi can also teleport," Naruto started, "But it's not as seamless as the Hiraishin, where there's no slight displacement of air or anything else, not even a chakra bleed effect."
"How would you describe it? How did the Yondaime describe it?"
"It looked like a type of portal or vortex that rotated in the same pattern the tomoe of Sharingan does," Naruto was waving his hands as an example, "He can teleport objects as well, and there's an air displacement that makes a particular sound."
Itachi thought on that, trying to dissect the ability and how it differed from the Hiraishin in regards to the teleportation aspect.
After a minute, he focused on the smirking Uzumaki.
"Figured it out?" He asked.
"Is he 'stepping back' into a third place in transit?" Itachi asked.
"That's the most likely thing going on," Naruto nodded, "His chakra could still be sensed and there was no shimmer around him. The air displacement points to some type of pocket dimension similar to how the Hiraishin works, except the Hiraishin is a corridor that requires a specific chakra signature as a key to open it. My theory about him dematerializing is that he can quote, 'Take a half step' into a pocket dimension, leaving his chakra behind, but his body in the pocket dimension."
The theory sounded rational, but Itachi simply didn't know enough about it to determine whether it could be accurate or not.
"But then there's an issue not thought about," Naruto mentioned again, a sing song tone to his voice.
"And that is?" Itachi asked with a leading tone.
"When will he go blind?" Naruto said flatly, "Madara nearly went blind, but fixed that problem with his brother's eyes. Tobi has used his ability against my Tousan and used it as transportation when he dropped my grandfather's blood off to Orochimaru. Unless the presence of the Shodai's cells can repair damage to the eye."
"Impossible." Itachi said simply, "Only implanting the eyes of a close relative fixes it."
"I could try transfusing some blood to you," Naruto offered seriously, "Try it out and see if it might even heal some of the damage of whatever it was that's making you sick."
"That is not the way blood transfusions work." Itachi deadpanned, "Uzumaki or Senju blood does not enhance the Sharingan or repair damage incurred by using it."
"You ever tried it?" Naruto responded with an equally deadpan tone, "I'm sure we could experiment."
Whether Naruto meant that in the way that his grandfather would mean it to irritate him, Itachi didn't know. But he knew an easy way to respond in kind.
"I think Sasuke and your sister could 'experiment', as you put it." Itachi smirked when Naruto scowled.
The eldest Uzumaki could be read like a book when his sister was brought up. He obviously adored her and was extremely possessive.
"Whatever abomination is spawned from Sasuke will not be related to me, that's for sure." Naruto grumbled, glaring at him, "He's an insufferable and whiny little duckass and I will not have my clan be cursed with that in its pedigree, friend or not."
Itachi tilted his head at the last word.
"Duckass?"
"His hair sticks up like how a duck's lower half does," Naruto shrugged, "Madara's did too, come to think of it. I saw pictures of him."
Itachi snorted at the pet name given to his brother, expecting him to hate it.
"But, that's about it," Naruto sighed, leaning back into his chair, "Tobi's abilities are known by you, me, the Hokage, Kakashi, and probably Jiraiya."
"Not your sister?" Itachi questioned, expecting her to be informed about it.
Naruto shook his head.
"She's a bit too impulsive on things like that. She'll do something foolish."
Itachi wanted to press, but decided to not for fear of not having anybody to talk with. Sasuke obviously wouldn't be talking to him after what just happened, nobody else interested him, but Uzumaki Naruto could be a decent conversationalist judging by his lack of caring about his reputation as an S-rank nukenin and overall cold demeanor.
"So now that this conversation about Tobi is done," Naruto stood up and poked Itachi in the forehead, catching the Uchiha off guard, "When will you and Sasuke swap eyes?"
Itachi did not enjoy being on the receiving end of that.
"It will depend on whether he wants anything to do with me." Itachi replied, not expecting Sasuke to accept without pressure from Naruto or Rin.
"He'll accept when he finds out that Tobi caused the death of your clan." Naruto said simply, sounding utterly convinced of it.
Itachi took a slightly deeper breath at being reminded of Sasuke and the conversation he'd had with him.
"He'll forgive you, you know that right?" Naruto's voice cut through the air, causing him to look at the redhead.
"You can't be certain." Itachi stated, expecting it to be another thing on the long list of mistakes he made. "I can't even forgive myself for what I did to him. How could he?"
"Because he isn't you." Naruto replied, a look of sympathy on his face, "You're not alone, Itachi. You've got an entire village and Kumo behind us. The Akatsuki will be defeated by the combined might of the two strongest villages and the biggest issue will be us arguing on who gets to kill the one eyed bastard."
'You don't know about Pein.' Itachi thought sadly. 'I honestly don't know if we can defeat someone who has the eyes of the Sage.'
"He... isn't the only one." Itachi finally said, "Nobody, not even Jiraiya, knows about another Akatsuki member."
It wasn't a coincidence that Pein and Konan were not mentioned by Ay when he and Kisame were intercepted by the man.
"And you know this Akatsuki member?" Naruto raised a brow, leaning to within a foot or two of Itachi, "What could possibly unsettle the most prodigious Uchiha since Uchiha Kagami?"
Itachi almost looked forward to wiping the nonchalant air off of the Uzumaki prodigy's face.
"You'll probably be told by Jiraiya when I address the Hokage and the Raikage, so I will let you know early," Itachi cleared his throat, "Tobi is the leader of the Akatsuki, but has another acting as the "face" of the organization. His name is Pein...and he has the Rinnegan."
Out of all reactions, he didn't expect Naruto to start laughing.
The laughter was annoying to Itachi, making him feel like he wasn't being taken seriously.
"You really believe some two-bit terrorist leader has the eyes of the Sage?" Naruto wiped his eyes as he smiled sarcastically, "Kami, you're gullible."
"You have not seen him." Itachi remarked coldly, noticing Naruto stop smiling.
With a swift hand seal, Naruto's chakra shifted around his face and he opened his eyes, revealing two purple and ringed eyes, almost identical to Pein's.
"The legends about the Sage defeating the Juubi, and his magic eyes, are described in children's books, Itachi," Naruto deadpanned, "How close are my eyes to his?"
"Do you forget that I can see chakra?" Itachi scoffed, not sharing how close Naruto actually was in Henging his eyes to look like the Rinnegan. "I encountered Pein in person and the way chakra swirled around him and his eyes was unlike anything I've ever seen."
The colour the chakra that lightly radiated from the Rinnegan eyes, similar to how an active Sharingan and Byakugan were, was totally unique to Pein, nothing resembling it.
"Fair enough," Naruto muttered, dispelling the Henge on his eyes, "You're definitely a skeptical guy about that stuff."
Itachi felt the awkward silence about to come, and so did Naruto judging by him perking up.
"That's about all I wanted to talk about on serious stuff," His hands started rubbing together in excitement, his fingers clenching as he popped them like he were doing a type of nervous tic, "Now's the part where I have a question about philosophy."
Itachi didn't hide the scowl at the thought of dealing with something as unimportant right now as philosophy.
"I expect a juvenile question about what I think constitutes good and evil, yes?" Itachi asked sarcastically, hoping to irritate Naruto enough to hold off on a different form of torture.
Naruto frowned.
"Do you take me for a simpleton?" He asked, untying his hair for a moment, "You'd be surprised by the stuff this noodle of mine has cooked up in regards to reality and existence."
Itachi smirked, leaning forward in challenge.
"Try me."
Naruto returned the smirk.
"What do you think about the linear progression of each generation?"
/////////////////
Sasuke stirred and his eyes opened, confused by what was going on.
'Why am I home? Where was I? I was talking to Ita-.'
Everything struck him in an instant and he started breathing quickly, looking around frantically.
He spotted a flash of silver around the corner and saw Kakashi, standing in his kitchen, silently gazing at him.
"It..." Sasuke was shaking again, remembering what Itachi admitted to, "I didn't dream it?" He asked weakly.
Kakashi shook his head.
Sasuke fought back the tears, but it didn't work as well as he'd hoped.
"Did you know?" He croaked, begging Kakashi to answer no.
Kakashi thankfully shook his head.
"I knew nothing of it," Kakashi's voice sounded less steady than usual, "I sent a clone to speak with the Hokage. Naruto and Rin confronted Itachi about what he said to you and my clone wasn't let in."
Kakashi was probably trying to reassure him that his friends cared about him, but it did the opposite.
"Rin." He said her name, shame filling him, "I need to get to her. I have to tell her I'm sorry."
Sasuke tried to stand up from his couch, but his legs felt like jelly and he fell back down.
Groaning as his legs gave out and his back pushed into the couch, Sasuke saw Kakashi walk towards him.
"I had to knock you out," He explained quietly, his posture stiff, "You were having a panic attack."
'He stabbed me with a senbon.'
"You had no right." Sasuke growled, his eyes flashing.
Kakashi stooped down and pulled up his headband, revealing his transplanted Sharingan. His jonin sensei then hissed under his breath, blinking the eye.
Sasuke gasped as the three tomoe shifted into a pattern that was familiar, but not.
A Mangekyo Sharingan.
"How did you..." Sasuke couldn't breathe, barely keeping it together. "When did..."
Kakashi's eyes shown with emotion.
"When my Rin was killed."
Kakashi explained how Nohara Rin, his friend, died by his hand. Obito's death and gifting of his Sharingan, and how it burned Rin's death into his mind.
She was also a Jinchuriki.
"You killed her," Sasuke mumbled, his vision swimming with images of his friends dying, "And your eye matured."
Kakashi nodded sadly, closing his eye to conserve chakra.
"I've known for months about this eye, Sasuke," Kakashi pressed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to comfort him, "This eye creates a singularity that can swallow up anything in an area. It's extremely dangerous and I know what you heard from Itachi was traumatizing."
Sasuke quivered as he connected the dots.
'He was protecting us.'
Sasuke still didn't know what ability his eyes could do, and it scared him. Could he have accidentally killed Rin if Kakashi hadn't knocked him out?
Sasuke was scared enough to not want an answer.
"I need to tell Rin I'm sorry," He repeated what he said before, "I didn't mean it. I can't lose them too."
He didn't mean to say such a horrible thing to Rin. The pain of what had happened made him say it, and he knew the reaction if his friends found out about what he said.
Hinata would turn away from him, Rin might break his bones and then turn away, while Naruto would make sure no body was found.
"Sasuke, you need to try and remain calm." Kakashi tried to help, but Sasuke knew he was beyond helping.
"I can't," Sasuke said shakily, "Everything I knew was a lie. Itachi killed everyone but me, because he loves me."
Sasuke wished it was a dream, his mind almost exactly like it was after that night, constantly begging for him to wake up from the bad dream so he could talk to his nii-san about doing some training.
With a gentleness that defied his profession, Hatake Kakashi sat next to his student, wrapping an arm around him.
"Talking helps," He whispered, "I know it does from experience."
And so, Sasuke did. He repeated everything Itachi told him, including how he was in tears as he delivered their parents' last words.
"Why me?" Sasuke asked, having broken down into sobs more than once and was clinging to the older male, "Why was I worthy of saving and not anyone else? Why am I special? Why my family? Why my brother? When will the nightmares end?" He was rambling and started crying again, clinging to Kakashi like a lifeline.
After the latest round of crying subsided, Sasuke felt Kakashi stir, looking down at him.
"How did you survive losing everything, Sensei?" Sasuke begged the man he knew suffered loss, but kept on moving through it.
Kakashi took a deep breath, sighing audibly as he looked down at him.
"I'll share something that I heard," Kakashi still kept his arm around him, holding him together, "I can't even remember where it came from. I think it was from a missing nin from the Third War, but that doesn't matter. My Sensei heard it and told me. I took it to heart and it kept me from giving up after I lost everything."
Sasuke was grasping ahold of this moment, needing it, anything, to help him to carry the pain.
"Please, don't lie to me like Itachi." He begged weakly.
Sasuke no longer believed in anything. His one truth was a lie and he only had Kakashi right now because his closest friends had been possibly alienated forever.
Kakashi nodded.
"There is much to be skeptical of in this world, Sasuke," Kakashi's hand was still rested on the boy's shoulder as he seemed to see the inner turmoil of Uchiha Sasuke, "So it no longer surprises me to learn how many people don't really believe in anything."
Sasuke's eyes refused to leave Kakashi's. Was Kakashi talking about him right now, or himself?
"What's the point, you might ask," Kakashi continued, "For many of us, the road is a difficult one. But the path is always there for us to follow, no matter how many times we may fall."
'I can't see you without seeing it anymore.' He had told Rin, his despair speaking and trying to destroy him.
"The good news," Kakashi actually removed his mask, his face finally revealed to Sasuke as he smiled to his student, "Is that we can help you find your way back."
The shock at seeing Kakashi wore off quickly, but the show of trust brought a warmth to Sasuke that he desperately needed.
"I don't even know what the right path is," Sasuke mumbled, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he sniffled, "Do you get lost?"
Was Kakashi's laid-back joke about being lost on the Road of Life born from something more tragic than he thought?
Kakashi didn't do anything other than speak.
"Every day," His voice took a tone whose sadness felt immeasurable, "Naturally, some days are... harder than others, but I must try."
'Try... Not succeed. Not win. Try.'
"We all have doubts," Kakashi used his free hand to push his headband off completely, revealing his entire head, "The light of the mind alone cannot burn away all darkness."
'I have no light. I still want to hate Itachi because I have nothing left now.'
"What light?" Sasuke asked, taking a shuddering breath, "I have nothing now. No vengeance. Danzo is dead. What else can I do?"
Kakashi simply smiled reassuringly, holding onto him like his father had before.
"Think on it, Sasuke, and look in your heart."
Sasuke truly wanted to, but he couldn't, not after everything that happened today.
The first several months after Itachi tortured him felt like a dream he'd wake up from. Itachi had loved him, then suddenly broke him. And now, after finally mustering the strength to not blindly attack Itachi, his brother was revealed to have been just as loving as he once was.
"When the walls come tumbling down, and you lose everything you have," Kakashi's voice cracked and he blinked rapidly, "You always have family."
'What family?' Sasuke seemed to ask with a look. 'I have no one.'
Almost as if he knew again, Kakashi answered.
"My team was my family. The fire that had kept me alive," A tear fell down from Kakashi's face, his eye full of emotion, "Was love. Their love." He seemed to trail off, maybe not even talking about his team at all.
But they were gone. Sasuke had no one, not even Itachi could be what he once was to him, and Kakashi lost his team.
It evidently showed on his face, because Kakashi chuckled lightly.
"I know it may sound strange, but it's true. Even in my darkest moments, I only needed to reach and I wouldn't be alone."
Sasuke's emotions were a little more stable, but he didn't think it would hold.
"Who," His voice was quiet, "Who do you have left? Your team is dead."
Kakashi smiled wildly, another tear coming free.
"What are you talking about? You're right here."
The jonin then pulled Sasuke into a hug.
"I don't have a family of my own by blood, Sasuke," Kakashi said, "But I have another family."
Rin. Naruto. Hinata. Kakashi.
Sasuke hugged Kakashi in return, holding tight like the man would disappear if he didn't hold on.
"It hurts," The Uchiha mumbled, still holding on, "So much."
"I know," Kakashi replied sadly, "I know."
The two damaged prodigies sat next to each other on the couch for an unknown amount of time, a third person arriving later.
Based on the rhythmic knocking, Sasuke knew who it was.
Rin.
"Do you want me to tell her to leave?" Kakashi offered quietly, not moving from where he sat.
Sasuke pondered it for a moment, weighing the option.
'I can't let her think I hate her. I can't hurt her again.'
"I need to apologize." He said quietly, hoping he could avoid making a fool or a bastard out of himself again.
"Okay then." Kakashi nodded, slowly extracting himself from Sasuke. The silver haired jonin then stood up and walked to the door, opening it.
////////////////////
Rin was fidgeting in fear at what awaited her, now that she was at Sasuke's door.
One of her worst nightmares came to life when Sasuke said such a hateful thing, his eyes blazing as he said it.
The fox had been thrashing around, shouting about how the "Little Uchiha spawn" was using his Sharingan, causing her chakra to vibrate under her skin painfully.
And that was when she started to feel Sasuke.
It terrified her. She wasn't a sensor, she had no way to know what was happening to her. She just felt something that wasn't her sense of taste, sight, hearing, smell, or touch was burning her.
Emotions shouldn't feel like that, except for bad ones.
And that was exactly what Sasuke felt like when he was shouting at her.
She may trust her brother completely, but that small, little, traitorous voice in her head told her Sasuke really did mean it, that nobody would see her for anything other than the Kyuubi.
'Please,' she didn't even know who she was asking, maybe whoever Naruto randomly said the name of when he was exasperated, 'Let me be freaking out like Naruto does.'
For once, she hoped Naruto's stupidity rubbed off on her.
The door opened and she saw Kakashi, his mask looking hastily put on and his headband off.
"Hey, Rin." He said quietly.
"Kakashi-sensei." Rin's voice was timid from worry, "Can I... uh, come in?" She asked awkwardly, her fingers pinching her sleeves.
Kakashi turned to the side, letting her pass through the doorway.
She stepped forward and saw Sasuke on the couch, his face ashen as he looked her.
"Sasuke." She could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she waited for him to respond.
Eventually, he swallowed and blinked as he looked at her.
"Hi, Rin." He mumbled, looking uncomfortable.
She took that as an affirmative and she walked towards him, sitting next to him.
Whatever self-restraint Sasuke was imposing on himself came crashing down as he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, shaking noticeably.
"I'm sorry," He said shakily, trembling violently, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. Please, I didn't mean it." He was babbling nonsense after that, being barely understandable.
"Sasuke," She tried to get him to calm down, overwhelmed by his reaction, "Sasuke. It's okay." She tried to return the hug to assure him, but he pulled away.
"No," He shook his head, still looking pale, "I hurt you. I said something horrible. Please."
Rin silently wondered if this was how she looked to Naruto when he was in the hospital bed after being nearly killed.
"I shouldn't have said it," Sasuke looked desperate, his eyes holding a cracked look to them, "It's not true. I don't blame you or Naruto. I just," He sighed and closed his eyes, "I don't know what to do now." His voice adopted a brittle sound to it.
Sasuke truly looked lost. His reason for training to kill Itachi was now pointless and he'd been thrown into a sea of uncertainty.
"Sasuke," She fought her own fear and uncertainty, seeing the fragile look in his eyes, "I know you're hurting. I talked with Itachi."
She spotted the flash of fear in his eyes as he heard her.
"Kakashi told me." He said quietly, his hand reaching out to hers.
Surprised by him reaching for her like that, Rin accepted his hand and held it, looking directly into his dark eyes.
"I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, Sasuke," She whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she saw her friend look ready to fall apart again, "I'm so sorry."
"He was my brother," Sasuke choked out, running his other hand through his hair shakily, "I loved him, and he betrayed me."
He then looked up at her.
'And now you're going to leave me," Sasuke starting breathing louder, "Naruto and Hinata are. I'll be alone again!" He started hyperventilating, his breaths coming raggedly.
Rin grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder and pulled him close to her, their faces just inches apart.
"I'm not going to turn my back on you," She promised, squeezing his hand reassuringly, "Don't let anyone, not even me, tell you that."
Rin wrapped her other arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. Sasuke didn't resist, letting her hold him close.
She faintly heard Kakashi exit the room, probably trying to give a little bit of privacy.
Not knowing what else to do, Rin decided to try and be like Naruto when she was depressed from the cruelty of the villagers or when she had a nightmare.
She sang.
A soft lullaby that Naruto came up with flowed softly from her mouth as she held Sasuke, faint tremors wracking his frame.
'He's crying.'
She held him close and still sang, tears coming from her eyes as well as she held her closest friend.
'I'll always be here for you, Sasuke. You'll never be alone.'
Rin felt Sasuke still after some time, not making a sound. She looked down and saw his eyes were closed, his breathing slow and steady.
She decided not to move. Sasuke cried himself to sleep and she didn't want to wake him up. He looked so peaceful currently. Gone was the flat or cold look he constantly had when he was focused. He looked like any other thirteen year old boy now, his features soft.
Rin heard a slight rustle and noticed Kakashi looking at her perceptively.
"I'm not leaving." She said quietly, staring at her Sensei in challenge.
Kakashi didn't say anything, only nodding.
"You remind me of your mother," He said, barely above a whisper, "And your namesake."
Kakashi made a clone and had it wait in the other room, out of earshot.
"Do you want to be alone?" Kakashi asked, his eye flicking towards Sasuke's sleeping form leaning against her side.
Rin thought for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"I'm not okay," She said, running her fingers through her hair shakily, trying to keep it off her forehead, "I'm still scared about everyone else finding out about..." She pointed at her stomach.
The fox was in a timeout after the stunt it pulled with Naruto, so she wasn't going to talk with it.
"That doesn't answer my question, Rin." Kakashi remarked, his tone sympathetic.
Rin sighed, her mind still wired towards fear because of Sasuke's initial reaction and worry over the most recent one.
He was clinging to her, in a way that scared her because it was unfamiliar. Hinata was her close girl friend, while Naruto was her twin. Sasuke was something she didn't know what to categorize as.
"Alone." She murmured, resting her hand on Sasuke's head gently.
She didn't know what prompted her to do it, but it seemed to do good because Sasuke seemed to relax further.
Kakashi acknowledged her answer and pressed his hand on her shoulder, trying to probably be helpful.
"Talk to the clone if you need me," Kakashi told her gently, mindful of Sasuke, "I'll be speaking with Jiraiya-sama."
The student of her father and her own Sensei let go of her and left, his shoulders slumped. He closed the door gently, making minimal sound.
Rin turned how focus back to Sasuke, her fingers running through his hair lightly.
Naruto's hair was more coarse than Sasuke's, and her own hair spiked out more. But the contrast was interesting to her, especially how much darker his hair was. She wondered what it looked like to have her peripheral vision constantly coloured black instead of the bright blonde that was hers.
Sitting in that spot, just her and Sasuke, she started talking to herself, repeating words Naruto had said. The story Naruto made up was a beautiful one, being one of her favorites.
'But I wonder where the names came from. They sound so beautiful.'
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This is the end of part two. Part three comes out tomorrow. Hope you enjoy.
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