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I am late... I guess?

Dw, not abandoned :)


Akatsuki III

Chapter 6


The Infinite Tsukuyomi was not known to them.

Sasuke found himself momentarily disoriented, caught off guard by the response from the blue-haired woman. He had come here expecting a swift and uneventful end to his one-man, one-sided war against the most dangerous mercenary group since the creation of Konoha. He had entered the Hidden Rain village wanting nothing more than to eliminate the sole individual capable of resurrecting the Ten-Tails, thereby ridding the world of a looming threat. It would be so easy, so quick to just put a sword and make a clean slice across those fragile necks of his opponents. It would take less than a fraction of a second. Yet—

"We were going to create the Ten-Tails as a weapon for distribution – yet we have no recollection of anything called... Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Staring at the gaunt, crippled Rinnegan wielder in his face, a man who looked like he had been placed in a cage for months without food or water, and his right-hand woman who he knew was utterly terrified of him, Sasuke was forced to reevaluate his position.

"Then... why?" The question surprised even him. Was it a sense of justice, realizing that the man before him was coerced into actions that weren't entirely his choice? Or, perhaps, it was self-projection—a recognition of the similarities in their paths, where both had once believed they acted on their own accord, only to be steered by forces beyond their control.

"What exactly do you mean by... why?"

Sasuke tilted his head in a questioning manner. "What do you know of the ten tails?"

His adversaries took a few seconds to make eye contact with each other, a silent conversation taking place between the both of them before the paper jutsu wielder chose to give him a response. She stepped forward.

"We were going to use the nine tailed beasts to combine and create an aggregate of all the beasts. A weapon capable of immense mass destruction. It would have the power to raze an entire village to the ground. I suppose that this is what Madara called the ten tails?"

"The Gedō Mazō would be used as its main vessel, yes?" Sasuke prodded further, ignoring her question. A pitifully transparent attempt to hide information about the great statue he thought, amused.

"How do you know of it?" The red-haired man demanded harshly, eyes narrowed in visible trepidation.

Sasuke took a few moments to debate the consequences of his next course of action before arriving at a decision. He lifted his hand brushing off the lock of hair covering his left eye and quickly undid the transformation jutsu revealing the Rinnegan.

Was it wrong to relish the shocked exclamations and expressions that followed his dramatic revelation?

"IMPOSSIBLE!—"

"How?! Th-That e-eye...—"

"HOW did you get the RINNEGAN?!"

Sasuke smirked. No, no it wasn't.

He let them stew in their disbelief and astonishment before he regarded the disbelieving faces before him with a cold clarity in his eyes. "The Rinnegan," he began, his voice steady and authoritative, "is not an arbitrary gift. It is not something whose power appears within anybody. It is the final evolution of the Sharingan and can only be achieved in those who are descendants of the Uchiha. I am one of them. You on the other hand? Your chakra and your appearance indicate that you belong to the..." he remembered Kabuto's description of a certain red-haired clan with immense life force. "Uzumaki clan."

Sasuke raised his arm and pointed at the ruler of the Hidden Rain. "The question here is not how I got the Rinnegan, but how you obtained this eye."

Nagato, his face contorted in confusion and rising anger, retorted sharply, "THAT. IS. A. LIE! I awakened the Rinnegan myself, and I am no Uchiha."

He did not deny that he was a Uzumaki.

Sasuke regarded Nagato with a cold, discerning gaze, letting the lone arm fall back on his side. "There was only one other man who awakened the Rinnegan after the Sage of Six Paths and before me," he said. Indra's descendant narrowed his eyes. "The masked man... I'm sure you're familiar with him."

Nagato's face paled, a tremor of recognition passing through him. "No..."

His voice dropped to a near whisper, yet loud enough to convey the weight of his words. Hagoromo did say he had a flair for dramatics. "His name was Madara Uchiha."

The air seemed to thicken with tension as Nagato fell deathly quiet, his previous fury simmering into a chilling calm. After a moment that stretched painfully long, he whispered, almost too softly, the words carrying a weight of realization and despair, yet undercurrents of effervescent rage. "Are you saying... the only reason I had the Rinnegan was because of Madara?"

"The Rinnegan takes years to awaken," except his own, "something Madara found out far too late in his life. As such, he was too weak - too old to use its power. He needed a temporary vessel, someone strong enough to handle its power. That vessel, most likely..." Sasuke simply inclined his head, affirming Nagato's fears with a single, grave nod. "... was you."

There was silence in the room, palpable, drowning silence that wrapped around the people present like a gloved hand. Sasuke didn't have to read the Uzumaki's mind to figure out that it was a whirlwind of unspoken accusations and shattered beliefs. Nagato's face went blank, a mask hiding the turmoil undoubtedly raging within. Slowly, the environment began to respond to his growing fury, small rocks levitating as a visible aura of chakra flared around him, his eyes burning with a terrifying intensity. The wind picked up and suddenly the very ground they were upon shook with the anger of a man who had been served nothing but injustice throughout his life.

Sasuke stood completely at ease, knowing he was far too powerful to be even remotely threatened by a possible fight.

"Nagato!"

Seeing the dangerous escalation, Konan, her voice laced with panic and fear for Nagato's life, shouted. "Nagato, calm down!" Her plea seemed to pierce the bubble of his rage, reaching him just as he teetered on the brink of losing control.

"Nagato, please! You have to stop. This isn't helping."

She eyed Sasuke out of fear, not for herself but for her friend's wellbeing.

Friends. They were friends.

Sasuke's chest tightened before he ruthlessly shoved those unwanted feelings. He did not need to start contemplating the pleasures of life when the fate of the world was at stake.

Nagato took a deep, shuddering breath, and as he exhaled, his face morphed from anger to deep sadness. The rocks clattered back to the ground, and the eerie shaking of the tower ceased as he reined in his immense chakra. "All this time... it was him," he murmured, his voice a ghost of its former strength.

Once again, a heavy, uncomfortable silence enveloped the group, the air thick with the implications of Nagato's words. It stretched on, each second ticking by like the slow drip of water in a large cave.

Sasuke felt nothing but pity for the man broken by the revelations at hand. No doubt in those long-lasting seconds of contemplation, he had realized some very uncomfortable truths about himself and his life. Hence, he did nothing to interrupt the hushed ambiance of the room. He would grant mercy to the wronged.

Finally, the woman, Konan decided to break the silence regaining some semblance of bravado. "Why should we believe you? How do we know that you're not just doing this to break up the Akatsuki?"

He raised an eyebrow and vaguely gestured toward the other male in the room. "Look at him. He has come to a conclusion that he does not like." Sasuke inclined his head forward ever so slightly. "Have you reached your own?"

"I have, yes... and its—" she suddenly stopped herself before taking a deep breath. "I do not understand. You speak of these impossible truths, but... how you know all this?" she demanded, her voice tense with suspicion and fear of the unknown. "Did you interrogate Madara before you killed him? What are you not telling us?"

Enough was enough. He had given enough intel, far more than what was necessary.

Sasuke's expression hardened, and he took a step forward, his presence imposing. He withheld a scoff at the chakra that suddenly gathered at the woman's fingertips. As if that would help. "I have already shared more than I should have and - considering you both withheld critical information about the Gedo Mazo from me," he retorted, his voice cold and unforgiving. "You are in no position to demand answers."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are at my mercy, not the other way around. From this point on, I will be the one asking the questions.

"Very well."

The sudden, soft declaration did not come from Konan.

"We will tell you... everything."

"Nagato, what are you—"

"Konan, you do not need to ask. You already know what I am going to say."

"But Nagato, if you tell him it may spell the end of our dreams."

"Or... it could be the beginning of it."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. That had been said intensely, almost as if the red-haired man had come to a revelation. But Nagato did say he would explain everything. So, regardless of the outcome, he would have his answers.

That was what mattered the most.

It took a few more seconds of deliberation before Nagato and Konan turned to him a decision made. The sickly-looking self-proclaimed god turned towards him, his expression the very picture of resignation and lost confidence. "Before we begin, I believe you must know why the Akatsuki was formed before the gathering of the tailed beasts...


Uzumaki Karin was a person with no purpose of her own.

She had come from a lowly rat, her entire childhood defined for her as a tool, a human vessel made and born for the sole purpose and benefit of healing others. This singular aspect of her existence overshadowed any semblance, any possibility of a normal childhood. Each bite, each drawing of her unique healing chakra, was a transaction that increased her self-assurance that she was nothing else but a commodity for those in power to use. That was until Lord Orochimaru had found her.

Of course, if there was one thing that reality had beaten into her, it was that she had no purpose of her own. Hence, she had expected the same from him too. If anything, with how creepy and disgusting the man looked, she had in fact, expected much worse.

And she had gotten exactly what she had expected... except... more. Orochimaru had allowed her to lead the Southern hideout. Orochimaru had given her... power. The authority to make decisions, to lead, and to be seen as someone of importance within Orochimaru's operations, preyed upon a sense of self-worth that had been absent from her life.

And by dear God that power was intoxicating.

For once in her life, she wasn't just a vessel to be drained, but a person with a title, responsibilities, and most importantly... value. It was ironic however that her captor's twisted acknowledgment of her abilities provided Karin with the validation she had craved for so long. It was only due to this feeling that Orochimaru had brought out a sense of partial loyalty and devotion in her. Of course, the Uzumaki wasn't a complete fool. She was astute enough to recognize the reality of her situation. The power she held was an inherently fragile one and completely dependent on the whims of Orochimaru.

"It's still something." she sighed sadly, idly watching a prisoner try and fail to escape her cell.

"Please, please!" the woman in the enclosure screamed and moaned pathetically. "You have to let me out of here!"

Karin turned to face the large prison, cramped and squalid with cold, hard, stone ground. It housed fourteen prisoners, each of them wallowing in despair and trepidation as they awaited their fate. Orochimaru designed the cells not just to imprison but to break the spirit, with the overcrowding contributing to discomfort, and often, conflict among the inmates.

She nodded calmly at the woman in the cell. "No."

"W-What?"

"I said no - what are you going to do about it? Escape?"

The man sitting next to the resigned woman placed a shoulder on her and shook his head. "I told you it was useless. Don't bother."

There was a whisper, telling her, pushing her to show the slightest empathy to these people but as always, self-preservation won out. She refused to betray the Snake Sannin no matter how cruel she had to be. It was just survival instincts, nothing personal.

"But why?! How can you stand there, look at this, and do nothing? Are you even human?!"

The words struck a chord, and Karin's gaze hardened. "Annoying woman. Shut up will—"

She fell to her knees.

An all-powerful, crushing, overbearing force brought Karin to her down low. She felt as if the gravity of the entire world had been concentrated at a single point on Earth and compelled to submit. Her breath hitched and she was forced to take deep uncoordinated, broken breaths to stabilize herself.

Orochimaru's killing intent didn't even hold a candle to what she was sensing just now.

"Ha-ha, look at the pathetic cow! She's bowing down!"

"Kneeling more like. Not unlike the whore she is."

"Shut up! Do you want to be tortured?!"

Kneeling on the floor, her hands placed flat on the ground spread at shoulder width, she somehow managed to keep her composure just enough to realize that none of the prisoners were affected. Understandable, since none of them had the extraordinary sensory capabilities she had.

It took a few more seconds to regain a very basic sense of balance, enough to recognize that she was shaking uncontrollably. Wh-What is going on?

Her eyes went wide as she looked up, her sensory abilities giving her the information needed. Lightning chakra, about 100 meters away from here, on the left side of cell number six.

The distance wasn't the only problem. The real problem was that the chakra signature was closing in... FAST.

She should have without a shadow of a doubt nor an ounce of hesitation, moved. She should have run away as fast as she could, as far away as she could, away from a possible chance of death... but she didn't. There was something that stopped her. Not because she was suicidal, but because she recognized just who the powerful presence was.

He's here.

A man appeared out of existence forcing Karin to whip her head so fast enough to nearly snap her neck. It was then she saw exactly who she had been sensing.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she stammered out.

The clothes were certainly new. Purple jacket, black pants, bandages tied around the ankles, and arm warmers that she sensed to be hiding some sort of... seal?

It wasn't just the attire that was distinct, his chakra signature had a completely different tinge to it. Whereas before it had been nothing but barely controlled rage with an undeniable color of underlying madness, now it was iron-clad, resolute determination. It was like a blazing inferno that somehow had been shackled, grabbed under a gloved hand ready to be unleashed precisely at a given target. And that wasn't even counting the sheer volume and potency of his chakra; it was far beyond anything she had experienced in her entire life and she had been around one of the most powerful rogue ninjas since the reign of the First Hokage.

Sasuke turned to regard her with a look. She felt herself freeze like the little girl she once was. "Karin."

Whispers broke out at the sudden unexpected arrival.

"Wait, isn't that... Uchiha Sasuke..?"

"What?"

"He's alone."

"Where is Orochimaru? Is he—"

"Has he come to set us fr—"

"Don't be fools." The most pessimistic amongst the prisoners said, his voice echoing louder and stronger, completely taking over the hushed exclamations of the others. "Orochimaru is impossible to defeat. Have you seen how strong he is? There is no way we have our freedom just yet."

Karin detected an underlying hope amongst the bitterness that nearly engulfed the man's tiny chakra levels.

"The worthless snake is dead." Sasuke replied casually as he stepped forward toward the prison gate.

The prisoners flinched, stunned into silence when the Uchiha mentioned this statement as if he was talking about the weather. The master had fallen to the student.

The woman who had previously requested for her release gained some bravado. "What will happen to us now?" she questioned in a whisper almost, sounding utterly defeated.

"Now?" Karin saw lightning dance between Sasuke's fingers. "Now, you go free."

Sasuke grabbed a single metal bar from the cell and Karin braced herself knowing what precisely was about to happen next. Chakra exploded from his fingers sending metal debris flying all over the place. The majority of the material had been vaporized like ice next to a volcano.

Freedom, however, hesitated at the threshold of their cell, the prisoners momentarily paralyzed by the suddenness of their release, silence once again overtaking the entire general vicinity. No one moved. No one spoke. No one so much as breathed.

Then—

"What are you doing?! Move!" Sasuke's voice cut through the tension like a hot knife through butter.

They needn't have been told twice.

The captives scurried away like hungry rats, some tripping over the others as they desperately made their way through the hall opposite her, though not without sending a few glares and insults toward her. Some brave man even spat in her general direction. Karin felt righteous indignation and fury consume her entire being.

She rushed to choke the man for having the audacity to commit such a brazen act. "How dare you—!"

A hand was placed in front of her, obstructing her path. Karin turned to look at the assailant who prevented her from enacting her vengeance.

"A-ah, Sasuke-kun." she stammered, taking many steps back in utter mortification and growing realization. "I-I didn't mean to do that..."

Karin blinked and tried her best to swallow the overwhelming embarrassment that had taken over her. She had actually forgotten that Sasuke was still there and now she had just humiliated herself in front of him. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID!

The Uchiha ignored her as usual, his attention seemed to be grabbed by something else, his eyes going unfocused for a few seconds. He's sensing something she realized, her sensing capabilities easily deducing the reason for the brief flare of chakra from his being. When had Sasuke of all people develop chakra sensory techniques?

She didn't have time to deduct the exact reason due to Sasuke's unexpected turn and a small outburst of lightning from his fingers. "Wait!"

Orochimaru's executioner did not give her so much as a glance. Still, Karin pressed on.

"Where are you going?"

"The Northern Hideout."

She frowned in mild confusion. "Why would you even want to go there?" Don't tell me he's actually going to free—

"Jugo. I intend to free the rest of the prisoners, just like I did here."

Karin didn't even bother to steel her emotions at the shock that ricocheted through her when Sasuke spoke about freeing that unstable man. "What?! Not only is that hideout full of monsters from Lord Orochimaru's experimentation, but you're going to free him. He's the most uncontrollable among them. Are you out of your mind?!"

Sasuke's words were cold, unyielding. "I don't have to explain myself to you," he stated flatly, his voice devoid of any emotion. Turning on his heel, he made to leave, his steps firm and decided.

"Wait!" Karin's voice cracked, echoing in the now empty space. Sasuke paused but did not turn to face her. "What... what about me? What will happen to me?" Her voice was small, a stark contrast to the authority she once wielded under Orochimaru's care.

"You are free," Sasuke said without looking back, his voice carrying a finality that chilled her to the bone. "Do as you wish."

Free.

She was free.

The word echoed mockingly in her mind, once again remembering her earlier thoughts before Sasuke's dramatic break-in. Free to do... what? The more she thought about that question, the more her existential dread coursed through her veins. What exactly did she have left? Without a purpose, without direction, what was freedom but another cage? Karin felt a surge of panic, desperation clawing its way up her throat. She couldn't live like this.

Uzumaki Karin was reminded of a single fact: she was a person with no purpose of her own.

The room was suddenly filled with the ear-piercing crack of lightning. Soon after, the sound of rocks splintering echoed through the space, and beams of sunlight streamed through a hole created by Sasuke's technique, illuminating the hard, stone floor of Orochimaru's hideout. He's leaving she realized.

Karin had come to a decision. She had to make her move... fast.

"Sasuke-kun, wait - please wait!" Her plea was raw, a bare exposure of her emotional turmoil. Karin didn't care if she had his attention, she needed to forge on. "Take me with you. I... I have nowhere else to go."

Sasuke still refused to pay any attention to her, but she could detect a small amount of curiosity tinging his chakra signature. "No."

A single word felt like a knife, a syllable that cut deeper than any blade could ever. But Karin was past the point of pride, past the point of fear. She was empty, a shell hollowed out by years of use and abandonment.

"I have no purpose, Sasuke-kun," she admitted, her voice trembling. She wanted to hold it in, her story, her life as a useless person that she so desperately wanted to forget, to reign in and bury deep into the deepest darkest corners of her memory was forcibly lurched out of her mouth. "I've never... I've never had a choice. Always someone else's will, always someone else's tool. Orochimaru gave me something, some sort of.. control - control over my life. But, he's dead. And - and now, without Lord Orochimaru, I'm... I'm lost," she continued, her voice rising in pitch, a hysterical edge creeping in as the gravity of her situation bore down on her. "You, you're offering freedom - you said I was free. But free to do what?"

Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!

She could hear the dull roar of her mind telling her to stop talking, to stop this word vomit, to stop this rambling.

Her mouth, however, refused to listen to her brain.

Karin felt her knees buckle, the impossibly large weight of her emotions, her fears, and the dark reality of her situation pulling her down. She collapsed, her hands clutching at the ground. "You - you have a goal, a path you're following. I can see that, even if I don't understand it. But me? I have nothing, Sasuke-kun. No direction, no... no reason to exist if not to be used by someone. And I know, I know its... wrong - I shouldn't want that, but it's all I've ever known!"

Slowly, meticulously, almost as if her neck was made out of granite that couldn't move like a normal neck, Karin raised her head. "I'm begging you," she whispered, the hysteria giving way to a resigned, hollow ache. "Just please - let me follow you, even if I'm just walking behind, even if I have no purpose on your journey. At least, then, I'll be somewhere, not just... not just nowhere."

Silence. Nothing but silence in the wake of the unexpected outburst.

What had she done? Why had she said this?

What is wrong with you?

It took a while but finally, Sasuke turned to her. The single Sharingan that gazed at her was truly terrifying. Having Sasuke look at her, stare at her as though he was trying to figure out something, with that perfect hair and chiseled chin, and the eyes which ominously glowed red –

He studied her for a long, silent moment, his expression unreadable and she felt herself slowly but surely shake under that heavy gaze.

She couldn't even breathe. She didn't dare to breathe.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

She was too busy listening to her heartbeat and her brain screaming at her for running her mouth like an immature child.

It was then, in that brief moment of contact, that she sensed it—a flicker of guilt in his chakra. It was fleeting, but it was there, and it gave her the smallest glimmer of hope. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of unspoken thoughts, he relented. "Meet me at the Northern Hideout."

And then he was gone. Just like that.

Just. like. that.

No sound, no grand proclamation, no indication of his existence in that same spot he stood as he had tried to discern her thoughts. One fraction of a second he was there, and the next he wasn't.

Karin took the deepest breath she had ever taken in her life.

"Jerk." she said slightly annoyed, though not unkindly. The Uzumaki understood the situation she was now in. She was being allowed to follow, not as a comrade, but as a tag-along—a distinction that stung, but one she accepted. For now, it was enough to have a direction.

And it was all that mattered. It was all that mattered.

At least... that's what she told herself.


Yahiko. Nagato. Konan.

Three Orphans.

Three like-minded individuals, all fighting for peace.

Three individuals whose lives ended up in a tragedy.

Hanzo's betrayal had ended the vision of the original Akatsuki. The death of Yahiko marked a rebirth, a new beginning for the Akatsuki. With the aid of Madara by their side, the two living members of the founders of the notorious organization eradicated the message of hope from the vision of the Akatsuki.

"The Akatsuki's ultimate goal was to be achieved in three steps. We required an immense amount of money to complete these stages."

Nagato continued from where his right-hand woman left off. "Once we obtained the necessary capital, we moved to phase two of our plan. Shinobi villages make their money by taking part in conflicts - both inside and outside their borders. Having a powerful shinobi village is a key business aspect for any nation, playing a central role in the nation's profit structure. As such, war is often used as a way to generate immense wealth by these societies."

Sasuke knew all of this through Orochimaru's rants about how hypocritical 'Sarutobi-sensei' was for daring to judge him for his actions when the Hokage had ordered much worse. It made the Uchiha wonder if the snake had known about the massacre.

He would find that out from his clone.

"The current era has been relatively peaceful beyond a handful of skirmishes across country borders. It is due to this reason that many nations have resorted to cutting down their villages eliciting a lack of jobs for shinobi." Nagato gave a cutting smile. "Of course, because of trust and sheer power, the Five Great Nations remain as stable as they could ever be. The smaller nations on the other hand..."

"They reduce the number of shinobi they have. They suffer the consequences." Sasuke whispered completing the sentence.

Money. The smaller nations needed money.

This new information would have to bring change to his plans.

"Indeed. Due to the overwhelmingly smaller number of troops, the weaker nations are unable to respond to conflict often instigated by the Great Nations. They are caught in the crossfire and used as battlefields by these shinobi to wage war. As such, it is not surprising that the smaller nations are often impacted negatively - far more than their more powerful counterparts. That is where we, the Akatsuki come in."

"The Akatsuki planned on taking hold of all conflicts, regardless of who and why we were hired - small nations, small shinobi villages, poor payment - none of that mattered... Eventually, once we had a monopoly over hired firepower, we would use the Tailed Beasts to create a weapon powerful enough to erase an entire nation in the blink of an eye. Then we would utilize this weapon to create conflict with ramifications so severe that the Great Nations, out of their own will and understanding of... Pain, would unite to put a stop to their suffering. The third step."

"I was going to show this world true Pain, to stop any war, any minor skirmish, any inconsequential battle through sheer terror alone. People will begin to yearn for stability and peace through a shared understanding of their suffering. Then... eventually, once that era of stability and harmony ends, the Akatsuki would once again be hired by those willing to instantiate more conflict. The world would once again experience a short period of immense suffering and their desire for peace would return full force."

"That is my dream, my sole purpose to exist - to create short durations of peace that interrupt the endless cycle of hatred. Or at least... it was."

For the first time, throughout the conversation, throughout the explanation.

For the first time

Anger burned in Nagato's eyes.

"To know that it was all a farce, that all of it was nothing but dictations from him. Every action I took, every kill I made, no matter how violent or cruel - was done for that dream. My reason to live - That is what you and he - have taken... from ME!"

A feeling rose from his stomach, an ugly, sad, melancholic feeling. A sentiment he hadn't expected himself to feel once more.

Pity.

Sasuke felt pity for the man. After all, who was more familiar with having impossible truths shatter any dreams and aspirations than him?

"I did not take anything from you. I simply told you what you did not know."

Nagato stared at him for a long moment before reigning in his anger. "Yes - yes, you have. I cannot begrudge you for that." He closed his eyes for a second before reopening them. "However, now that you know everything about us, our purpose, our organization - I would like to know what you will do?"

A raised eyebrow was his response.

Narrowed eyes stared at him with unbridled curiosity.

"What is your goal beyond your... revenge? What will you do after you have killed your brother?"

"Peace."

The response caught everyone in the room off-guard, including Sasuke himself. He hadn't intended to reveal this, hadn't planned to give voice to the thoughts that lingered in the back of his mind, shaping every move, every decision.

Why was he telling them this?

What am I doing?

Nagato was suddenly much more interested. "Oh? Do continue."

Sasuke stared at the pair rolling the potential consequences of telling them his plans. As he pondered, a realization crystallized within him—even if the world knew about his plans, about his reasonings, about his ideals—

It would make no difference.

What were they going to do about it? Stop him?

No, no they could not. No one can. Not anymore.

He was too powerful to stop anymore and he did not intend to stop growing, both in power and knowledge. He would only get stronger.

And so, with a faint, almost imperceptible nod to himself, Sasuke decided to lay bare the depths of his ambition. He decided to tell them...

Everything.


"Bounty Hunter Outpost 47, the closest to the Hidden Grass, Today. This is the location where we will meet."

Itachi stared at the scene before him.

Bodies lay on the stone path that signified the existence of a bounty hunter outpost. They were all out cold.

Sasuke's handiwork no doubt.

He had misled Kisame and left the man to his devices to wherever his trusted summon had chosen. There was a slight amount of guilt he felt at betraying a comrade but that feeling was swiftly replaced by detached apathy at the man's plight. After all, what was a little treachery when he planned to die in the battle against his little brother?

Sasuke. The name echoed in his ear.

Itachi and Sasuke once had a strong bond, but were only prevented from growing stronger because of duty. Itachi still reflected on the smiles the doe-eyed toddler would send his way after any time apart, the cute little laugh he had. Regardless of how dark life had gotten, little Sasuke was always the one bright light in his life. He remains that light even now, and will continue to remain as such. Yet, the kin-slayer would willingly admit that he missed those smiles, the brotherly love. He wondered if he could ever get that back.

A false hope Itachi thought bitterly. I made sure that version of my brother was dead. If only the clan hadn't forced his hand.

Itachi could not help but feel a sense of foreboding and trepidation, trepidation for the coming battle. He was finally going to put an end to this, an end to his long life of suffering, and lastly, pass on the mantle of the Uchiha to his little brother. Not the Uchiha clan that his father preached about of course. Not that accursed clan, his impulsive, easy-to-anger, arrogant clan. No, his version of the clan was truly one with the village, a pillar for Konoha to stand on.

It was only as the air gradually filled with the low moans of consciousness returning to the fallen shinobi scattered across the stone path did he found himself breaking out of the memory trance. Among them, a woman's voice rose, groggy and tinged with confusion.

"Where - where am I? What is going on - YOU!"

Itachi raised a confused eyebrow at the sudden exclamation.

Anger burned in the woman's eyes as she got up to her own two feet, the man behind her following suit. "You!" she exclaimed, her voice sharpening with accusation. "You betrayed us!"

Itachi's face remained impassive. "I do not understand what you are implying." he replied coolly, his mind running a mile a minute. She's confusing me for Sasuke...

From the ground, a man who had been gradually regaining his senses chimed in, his voice tinged with irritation and vexation. "It wasn't him. Look again. The boy was shorter - he did not wear a headband - also the... cloak." he said, nodding toward Itachi.

The woman took a long moment to regard him. "Oh."

"Yes... Oh."

"Are you serious? You mean there are more of you red-eyed nutcases out there. Why weren't we warned of this? But most importantly... who was that?"

Itachi's gaze hardened, his eyes narrowing slightly at the perceived disrespect. "Who he is does not matter. You will tell me where the attacker went, or I will be forced to extract that information myself." As he spoke, his Sharingan activated, the crimson swirls of his eyes taking on a menacing glow.

The only female in the room rolled her eyes at his intimidation attempt. "You're not the first one to threaten us like that. Just get your... illusion nonsense over with."

The man stared back at him dryly, shrugging with a mix of resignation and disbelief. "Besides, we were knocked out. How could we even possibly know where he went?"

"So, this is the man Lord Sasuke wanted."

All conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a third... creature? It was a large, grayish-blue snake, with scales adorned with a geometric pattern of diamond-like shapes, and a smooth underbelly. Narrow eyes with vertical pupils suggested that it was a predatory snake. Yet, the ability of speech was only found amongst summons indicating that it was not part of the local fauna that inhabited human-occupied areas.

However, what truly bothered him was not what the creature was but the fact that it had managed to sneak up on him without his notice. Had he been alone, there was a chance that it could have ended his life then and there.

"And now we got talking snakes? What's next? Actually - never mind, I don't want to know. Keiichi, let's get out of here and let the two weirdos duke it out. I don't want to be involved when these two blow up the place."

"For once I agree."

Itachi ignored the sounds of scraping boots scampering away. He had more important things to focus on.

"You will tell me where he is." his demand came out more emotional and harsh than he intended. Itachi takes the opportunity and subtly molds chakra. Illusions have always been his specialty and that was what he had chosen to begin this battle with.

But as he exerted his will upon the snake, his vision was unexpectedly filled with a grand kaleidoscopic pattern. The three commas within it began rotating, accelerating with a mesmerizing rhythm that seemed to pulse with the beat of his own heart. It was a sight he knew all too well. How could an Uchiha not be familiar with the Sharingan?

That was where the problem lay.

He most certainly did not intend that.

Itachi immediately disengaged with a jarring snap as the illusion shattered into fragments, like glass struck by a sudden force.

Impossible. How could the summon resist?

"Rest assured my master has taken the necessary precautions to bring you down." the snake hissed in an unbearably smug tone.

His eyes, still burning with the power of the Sharingan, searched the snake's form for any sign of the technique it might have used to break his genjutsu. It was a rare occurrence for anyone—or anything—to overcome the Uchiha's famed visual prowess so abruptly.

"You wished to see him Uchiha?"

The snake, sensing Itachi's confusion and frustration, raised a portion of its body close to its tail, a deliberate, almost theatrical gesture. There, a white covering stark against its dark, shimmering scales caught the light. With a smooth, swift motion, the snake removed the white sheet that harmlessly fell on the floor.

"This is a summoning seal." Itachi murmured under his breath, observing the intricate patter, his voice barely a whisper as the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place.

"Allow me to grant your wish."

There's already blood there, which means -

Smoke covered the sheet abruptly.

He's here.

A beat and the smoke disappeared revealing the one person who he had come here for.

As with everything Itachi Uchiha does, he presents the picture of serenity. Of being in control even when he isn't. Yet, no training, no experience, and no occasion had ever prepared him to come face-to-face with—

"Sasu..ke?"

The Rinnegan.


It's been a while... hasn't it? I've been busy, very busy. Just haven't had the time ya know.

About Karin, her entire reason for existence in Karin seems to be a person to be used by everyone (yes, I think that backstory of hers was filler; its a nice filler though).

I'm sure you've noticed that I've cut off the conversation between Nagato, Konan and Sasuke. It's deliberate. You'll find out more in the next chapter.

Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will drop. Still have a lot going on in my life rn.

Quick question. Since I do plan on using Third Person POV at one point, would ya'll like it pointed out? Also, would you have a problem if I added a little bold text on top, highlighting the location of where the current conversation is going on?