Chapter 18

Truth

"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."

-Buddha

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Sakura was now quite confident she was beyond shocked and in some emotional realm never charted by human beings. But at the same time, she knew whatever confusion she felt couldn't hold a candle to what Sasuke was feeling.

Itachi had killed the whole clan...on orders?

"There was a problem in Konoha...a problem that stretches back to the day it was founded," Madara narrated. "Itachi was used to 'correct' that problem."

"What proof do we have that you're telling the truth?" Sakura asked, unable to help herself from pointing out the obvious.

Though the mask prevented her from seeing Madara's expression, Sakura could practically feel a chill creep down her spine. Apparently he didn't like being interrupted.

Sasuke shifted minutely, muscles coiling, readying for action. Ready to fly at Madara if he made any move towards Sakura. He glared at the spiral surface of the Akatsuki's mask, trying to communicate that he had been completely serious when he threatened him earlier. He didn't care how exhausted he was or what information this man promised – if Madara harmed Sakura, he was a dead man.

The elder Uchiha seemed to realise this, because he resumed speaking without making any sort of move towards the medic.

"I have no proof," he admitted. "It's your decision to believe me or not. But just hear me out – that's all I ask."

Sakura didn't say a word . Sure, she was curious, but this decision was entirely in Sasuke's hands – she didn't have the right to make it for him. There was a moment of silence, then she felt Sasuke nod slowly against her.

"Alright, tell us."

His voice sounded firm, but Sakura couldn't help but notice that one of his arms had disengaged from the blanket to slip around her waist, holding onto her as a child might clutch a stuffed toy for comfort.

Whatever indifference he might pretend, she could tell Sasuke was honestly scared of what he was about to hear.

Sasuke knew that, under normal circumstances, he would probably be rather embarrassed by the way he was clinging to Sakura. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be clinging to Sakura in the first place.

But these weren't normal circumstances. He felt as though he was teetering on the edge of some sort of mental cliff and when he fell...he didn't know what would happen. Holding Sakura like this made him feel calmer somehow, more in control of himself.

He listened to Madara tell them about the time when ninja organisations were just individual clans who acted as mercenaries. But there were two who were proclaimed as the strongest – the Uchiha and the Senju of the forest. Even among the Uchiha, Madara was considered to be unusually powerful – the fact that he had survived so long was living proof of that. He gained the Mangekyou Sharingan and then used his brother's eyes to make it permanent (as Itachi had said) and became the leader of the Uchiha clan.

And in a time when each clan's skill was given to the highest bidder, it was inevitable that he clashed with the leader of the Senju clan – Hashirama.

'I know that name,' Sakura thought, consulting her formidable memory in an attempt to pin down where she'd heard it. 'Wasn't that the name of the First Hokage?'

Madara claimed that the Uchiha and Senju were rival clans, each the only one who could match the other's skill. And as Madara clashed with Hashirama again and again, his name became more and more well-known.

"You took your brother's eyes for fame?" Sasuke's voice was deceptively calm.

"I wanted to protect the Uchiha clan," Madara clarified. "The more powerful we grew, the more enemies we acquired. My brother offered up his own eyes for the good of the clan."

Sasuke swallowed the urge to shout that the story sounded very convenient for Madara – why wasn't he the one to give his eyes to his brother? – and listened as the Uchiha continued the story. Getting into an argument would get them nowhere.

Apparently, the Senju asked for a truce with the Uchiha, and the Uchiha agreed. Their rivalry had pushed both clans to their very limit.

But Madara had opposed the truce, and while he claimed he had done so to honour what his brother had sacrificed himself for, and that he believed the Senju clan would eventually exterminate the Uchihas, Sakura couldn't help but think that Madara was just one of those people who fed off war and battle.

Soon after the alliance, the two clans made a pact with the leader of Fire Country, and for the first time, the system of one ninja village per Country was established. Without warring rival clans, the fighting lessened, and eventually, peace descended.

But there was a dispute over the position of Hokage. The village elected Hashirama and Madara, seeing that the Uchiha were losing their supremacy, chose to oppose him. But none supported him, saying he was motived by his own desire for power alone.

'And I'm inclined to think they were right,' Sakura mused. 'His own clan wanted peace – shouldn't that have clued him in that they were happy as things were? A real leader does what's best for their people, they don't pander to their own ambitions!'

So Madara had challenged Konoha and was defeated by Hashirama in the Valley of the End. Everyone assumed he had died there.

The Second Hokage formed the Konoha military police – run and populated by members of the Uchiha clan – supposedly to give them a position of trust and ensure none became discontent as Madara had.

"But it's real purpose was to distance the Uchiha from the governing of the village, and to keep its members under surveillance," Madara explained.

'So you say...' Sakura had to bite her cheek to keep from saying it aloud.

The Senju retained their position as the supreme power in Konoha...and then the Kyuubi attacked.

"Only the Sharingan is capable of controlling the Kyuubi, so the council suspected an Uchiha was behind the attacks," Madara said. "In reality, it was just a freak occurrence."

'And yet, Itachi said it was you,' Sakura mused. 'And I would not put it beyond you – you've all but admitted to being a power-hungry, war-mongering bastard!'

But the council now suspected that the Uchiha clan had set their sights on controlling the village, or so Madara claimed. After the attack, the Uchiha were closely guarded by ANBU and segregated to one corner of the village.

"Their mistrust and suspicion birthed ill-will," Madara went on. "And eventually, suspicion became reality, and the Uchiha began plotting to take over the village. So the council planted a spy in the Uchiha clan...and that spy was Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura stiffened, and she felt Sasuke do the same.

"Though you were part of the Uchiha clan, you were too young to be involved in something of that magnitude," Madara shrugged. "So you were never told."

He told them that Sasuke's father had been the ringleader, and Itachi had entered ANBU on his father's orders, as a spy for the Uchiha clan. But he became a double agent, and instead spied on the Uchiha clan.

"Why?" Sasuke asked dully. He had the feeling he should be having more of a reaction to this, but he felt strangely divorced from all he was hearing, as though it wasn't quite real.

Sakura's hand brushed over his scalp again, and he closed his eyes.

Sakura listened as Madara told them that Itachi had seen the Third Ninja War when he was barely four years old, and seeing many of his family die at that young age had made him the kind of man who hated conflict. He cared about the stability of the village – about peace – more than he cared about his clan's ambitions.

And when he was given the mission of annihilating his entire clan, he made his choice. If the Uchiha clan had started a civil war, it would have torn Konoha apart...and the other countries certainly wouldn't have wasted such an opportunity. They would have struck, and it would have triggered a fourth war.

Millions would have died...all in the name of the Uchiha clan's self-interest.

So Itachi made his choice.

"At the time, I was bitter both towards the Senju, who had cast me out, and the Uchiha, who had refused to support me," Madara went on. "Itachi was the only who realised I was still alive, and he sought me out to make me an offer. In return for allowing me to get revenge on the Uchiha, he asked me not to harm the rest of the village. I agreed, and Itachi did his duty."

Sasuke seemed to flinch, and Sakura couldn't help but worry about his mental state. It couldn't be good for him to be hearing this so soon after he'd killed his brother.

But Madara wasn't finished. "Killing his clan, leaving the village...it was all part of his duty. And he fulfilled it, except for one mistake."

Sakura had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"He was unable to kill his little brother."

Sakura winced.

Madara told them that Itachi had pleaded with the Third Hokage to protect Sasuke from Danzo and the elders. Then he left the village, but not before threatening Danzo that if he laid a hand on Sasuke, Itachi would leak everything he knew about the village to enemy countries. He gave Sasuke revenge as his goal (and no matter how noble his cause had been, Sakura felt like smacking Itachi around the head for that) and he begged the Hokage not to tell Sasuke the truth, wanting him to believe that the Uchiha clan was a clan to be proud of.

Since the day he left the village, Itachi had planned to fight Sasuke...and then die by his hand.

Sakura wondered if death had come as something of a relief to Itachi.

"Lying..." Sasuke mumbled, sounding almost incoherent again. "You're lying...you have to be lying..."

He took a deep breath and straightened, peeling himself away from Sakura, though one arm stayed securely around her waist. Sakura chose not to mention that his grip was getting a little tight.

"I was almost killed, more than once," he said, his voice sounding markedly steadier.

"It was all part of his plan," Madara countered. "He had to drive you into a corner to free you from Orochimaru and the curse seal."

Sakura's eyes flew to the junction of Sasuke's shoulder and neck, and with a start she realised that Madara was right – the black marks on Sasuke's flesh had vanished, undoubtedly eliminated with Orochimaru's death.

"And with the death of someone close to you, your Mangekyou Sharingan would be awakened," he went on.

"You're lying!" Sasuke snapped. "Itachi said you unleashed the Kyuubi on the village."

"He lied," Madara said blandly. "I told you – he was afraid you'd find out the truth. He lied so you wouldn't trust me. Everything about that battle was scripted...after all, he didn't rape Sakura, did he?"

Sasuke froze, as did Sakura.

"Itachi made you believe he'd raped her, on the off-chance that you would be so furious at what he'd done to her you would simply kill him without bothering to ask your questions. He wanted to make you angry, and he probably decided she was his best choice."

Sasuke couldn't help but think that was certainly true. If Itachi had raped Karin, he would have been sickened, disgusted...

But it would never have come close to the anguish that had ripped through him when he thought his brother had forced himself on Sakura.

Sasuke shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "No! Itachi was evil! He was a criminal-"

"He joined Akatsuki in order to keep watch on the organisation from the inside. He knew he could never return to Konoha, but when the Third Hokage died he did so anyway. The Third Hokage had sworn to protect you, so his appearance was to warn Danzo and the elders that he was still alive, and there would be grave consequences if you were harmed."

"Liar!" Sasuke snarled, but it was weaker now. He was remembering Itachi's seemingly random comments on the nature of truth before they had truly joined battle.

They seemed disjointed and nonsensical at the time...but when set beside Madara's story, everything began to make a horrible sort of sense.

Sakura was remembering the same thing...but she couldn't help but wonder what Madara's motive was in telling them this.

"Itachi ensured that his death would give you a new power, and that in defeating him and avenging the Uchiha clan you could be hailed as a hero in Konoha. Everything he did...was only for your sake."

Sakura grimaced. Her head was spinning. Itachi had killed the clan, yes, but doing so had prevented a civil war. He'd joined the Akatsuki, yes, but he'd also done his best to save Sasuke's life. He loved Sasuke, but he'd practically made his life a living hell...

And if it was screwing with her mind to this extent, she could only imagine what it was doing to Sasuke.

At least, assuming Madara had told the truth. She was hesitant to believe something as unsubstantiated as this, but her gut told her his story was true – the part about Itachi, at least. She still didn't think Madara's motivations were really as good and noble as he'd made out.

"But I've said what I came to say...so now I'll show you the way out," Madara commented.

That only served to increase Sakura's suspicions. He just told them the story and now he was letting them go? She didn't buy it – he had to have some ulterior motive; he didn't strike her as the type who did something like this just for the hell of it.

"Come on, Sasuke, we should get out of here," she murmured, tugging on Sasuke's shoulders so he stood with her.

He seemed calm and composed, but Sakura knew this wasn't the calm of someone at peace. This was the composure of someone who was minutes, maybe seconds away from a breakdown.

His arm was clamped so tightly around her waist she was certain it was bruising. She slowly, gently, peeled the limb away and draped it over her shoulder instead, where it clung just as tightly. She slid her own arm around his waist, to hold him up in case he collapsed.

Physically, he was reasonably healthy, of course, but mentally was quite another story. And Sakura had seen enough breakdowns to know that mental and emotional strain could be a thousand times more debilitating than physical exhaustion.

If Sasuke collapsed, she wanted to be ready for it.

Madara led them out into the sunlight, and Sakura was startled to realise they were on a beach. They must have been in one of those seaside caves shaped by the tide.

Madara watched Sasuke and Sakura emerge from the cave, clinging tightly to each other, and felt the first stirring of disquiet.

He had thought that, after telling Sasuke the truth about Itachi, it would be easy to persuade him to join the Akatsuki against Konoha. To be honest, he hadn't imagined much persuading taking place – he'd believed that Sasuke would simply take the initiative and begin his crusade against Konoha on his own. Yes, Sakura was from Konoha, but he hadn't thought she would be capable of dissuading him.

He had brought her along in an effort to determine her effect on Sasuke, though he hadn't anticipated her influence being very high. He had assumed Sasuke had taken her with him to use her medical skills, with perhaps a vague sense of nostalgia for his old teammates...

But the way Sasuke was holding her now, his reaction when he'd believed her threatened, their interaction in the cave; it was all telling Madara that he had severely underestimated this woman's importance to Sasuke.

Perhaps he should make a roundabout suggestion?

Sasuke blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, wondering what all this meant. What did he do now? He'd just learned that he hadn't slain a monster, he'd murdered a loving brother...

He felt his throat grow tight at the thought. There was no one now – he was alone, alone...

"Sasuke, that's a bit too tight," Sakura muttered from beside him.

Sasuke relaxed the tight grip his hand had taken on her shoulder, sucking in a breath when he realised that it wasn't true – he wasn't alone.

He wasn't alone, Sakura was with him. Still. Even though he'd set her free, even though she could have made a run for it during his battle with Itachi, even though she could have left him in the cave...

She was still with him.

"Sasuke." Madara's voice broke in on his thoughts, and Sasuke instantly resented it. He didn't need any more revelations dropped on him – he just wanted to be left alone.

Or rather, he wanted to be left alone with Sakura.

"Leave us!" The imperious tone of Sasuke's voice made Madara grind his teeth, but he knew a dead end when he saw one. If he pushed, Sasuke would have nothing of it. If he left the boy to stew...then maybe everything would turn out as it was meant to.

And if it didn't...Madara thought he knew who would be responsible. Sakura's presence wasn't merely an annoyance, her presence was a danger to his plans.

Madara mused on eliminating her right then and there, but then dismissed the impulse as far too hasty. Sasuke was too attached to her, too protective – if Sakura was killed, Madara would have to make sure it couldn't be linked to the Akatsuki in any way. Something told him that if Sasuke had even the merest suspicion that he was involved in her demise, the younger Uchiha would devote his life to destroying him.

So he teleported away, leaving the pair alone on the shore.

Sakura huffed a soft sigh of relief when the Akatsuki acquiesced to Sasuke's request (well, more like order) and left them alone. She didn't like the man.

For long moments, Sasuke didn't move, staring out at the waves. Sakura stayed silent, knowing he was trying to work everything out in his head, and didn't envy him the task. It was mind-boggling enough for her, she hated to think what it would be like for him.

"He loved me..." Sasuke said distantly. "He loved me...all along..."

Sakura could practically hear an emergency siren wailing in her head – complete mental meltdown imminent!

She turned, and was left stunned as she saw the tears trickling from Sasuke's eyes.

She had never seen Sasuke cry before. Ever.

His shoulders began to shake with sobs...and that was when Sakura lost it. She twisted in his grasp and clung onto him like a limpet, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling herself to him, holding him as though she could somehow encompass all of his sorrow and make it better.

When she felt tears begin to sting her own eyes, she didn't fight them.

Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. Even as he watched his tears fall to cling to Sakura's hair in tiny droplets of salt water, the fact that he was crying didn't seem real. He could feel the weight of sorrow on his chest like a physical pressure, crushing his heart and lungs and everything around, making his breath seem too sharp and his heart beat too hard.

It still didn't seem real.

He could feel Sakura's arms around him, holding him so tightly the side of her face was pressed against his bare chest as though it had been glued there. He could feel her hair banked against his skin, and the dampness of her own tears on his flesh. She was crying for him...why didn't that surprise him?

It still didn't seem real.

He could feel her ragged, uneven breaths puffing against his tear-damp skin, and felt it when she took a deep breath to speak. For a moment, he wondered what she'd say, if she'd try to mouth platitudes in an attempt to calm him down. What could she say?

"I'm here," Sakura whispered. She wasn't about to say 'it's okay' or 'it'll be alright' – she didn't know if it would ever be okay or alright, and she knew it would do no good to lie to him.

"I'm here."

But she could say that.

"I'm here."

And Sasuke realised it was the truth. She was here with him. She was crying for him. For some reason he would never understand, she cared about him.

Sasuke moved. His arms reached down and closed around her, pressing her against him as though seeking to pull her straight through his skin.

Sakura squeaked softly when Sasuke clutched at her, with such desperate strength in his grip that he actually lifted her off the ground. She didn't protest – on the contrary, she just held him tighter. His face was pressed into her hair, and she could feel his tears wetting the top of her head and sliding down her own face until she didn't know which tears on her cheeks were hers and which were his.

Some part of Sasuke was still utterly bewildered by his actions. He'd never been a very physical sort of person – prolonged contact like this usually made him edgy, eager to end it...not desperate for more.

Sasuke wondered if the events he had just lived through had snapped something in him. But strangely, he didn't care if they had. He didn't care about anything except the burning sorrow in his chest and the woman in his arms.

"I'm here," she whispered again. "I'm here..."

"Thank you."

Sakura was unable to help herself from tensing at the memory of the last time he'd said those two words to her. One of her hands on his back curved until her fingertips were resting against his spine.

"You try to knock me out, I'll hit this nerve cluster and I swear you won't be walking for a week," she mumbled wetly, just to be cautious.

Sasuke was struck with the sudden, bizarre urge to laugh. He huffed an amused breath that sounded more like a sob.

Sakura giggled through her tears and Sasuke realised that the sorrow that had crushed his chest wasn't quite as sharp anymore. It was still there, but...lighter somehow.

He slowly lowered Sakura to the sand, not really knowing what had happened, but aware that their relationship had changed. Or perhaps changed was the wrong word – it had shifted, in the same way turning a gem in the light revealed different facets of it.

Something told him that this shift had been building for a long, long time. Had been happening for a long, long time, and he was only now aware of it.

She met his eyes, and he realised she could feel it too.

"So, uh..." Sakura wiped at her eyes, cleaning the last of the tears from her cheeks. "What now?"

Sasuke considered it. If he had killed Itachi, and never learned the truth, he might have been able to return to Konoha. But now that he knew what those council members had done...no, he couldn't go back. He had to honour Itachi's memory – he had to bring down the cause of his brother's unhappiness...

"I will destroy Konoha," he said softly.

Sakura's eyes widened, and she looked startled. But couldn't she see that it had to be done? The council was corrupt and evil – they had to be destroyed. He couldn't allow them to get away with what they'd done...

Sakura had heard the story herself, surely she understood?

Apparently not, because she was just staring at him as though she couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth.

Sasuke sighed and turned away. "Come on – we need to get back to the others-"

"YOU STUPID, SELFISH, ARROGANT, THICK-SKULLED PRICK!"

Sasuke turned around just in time to see Sakura's fist flying towards his face.

-xxx-

"It is one of the severest tests of friendship to tell your friend his faults."

-Henry Ward Beecher

-xxx-

AN: Thanks to the wonderful justcallmefaye for beta-ing this!