No, no, no. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. He was supposed to walk away unscathed, telling him how weak he was. He was supposed to dodge that last hit and incapacitate him.

Damn it, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Itachi was always supposed to be better than him. Sasuke wanted it that way. He would always have a goal. He had never thought past killing his brother besides reviving his clan. What now? Konoha, as forgiving and weak as it was, wouldn’t take him in without restrictions. Besides, no one there was truly strong enough for him.

Still, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. No. He didn’t want to kill him. He loved him. He was his older brother, for God’s sake! The bonds of family were thicker than blood. Now, that blood was staining the ground. It was tainted by the unclean ground. His perfect brother’s blood was tainted. And it was all his fault.

“No.”