The Dark Side of Akatsuki. Chapter 2

Title: Last Words

-Many Years Later-

-The Uchiha Clan Compound-

Uchiha Itachi sat with his back to a tree, feeling his blood trickle down to the ground. He'd failed, and now his death was certain. Worse still, he couldn't even say for sure that he had made the right decision. The Uchiha clan had been contemplating rebellion after a century of mistreatment and mistrust by the village at large. Danzou, Elder of Konoha, had offered the dutiful Itachi a choice. Either he could silently assassinate the entirety of the Uchiha Clan and take the burden of their dishonor upon himself, or Konoha's forces would eradicate the clan and the Uchiha would be known far and wide as traitors.

Danzou, head of the shadowy Root division of Konoha's secret police, had always been a hard negotiator.

In the end it had come down to a careful balance. If he agreed to do the village's dirty work, he could bargain for his brother's life. If he fought, there were no guarantees.

Still, he had fought. Was that right? Would things have been better if had made another choice?

The carnage was almost over now. Itachi had wounded Danzou in their confrontation, and the leader's bodyguards had pulled him back to the safety of Root's headquarters. Unfortunately, Itachi had not escaped unscathed. He knew, too, that his mother and father had been killed. Itachi couldn't call any of this a victory.

Well, maybe there was one small victory. As he watched, young Sasuke crept tentatively out from the house basement's secondary exit. His brother had survived. Mother had shielded him from a blast, but Sasuke was peppered with burns. His face was a bloody mess, his left eye destroyed by shrapnel.

Now, Sasuke approached, almost unable to believe what he saw.

"Sasuke," Itachi spoke, slowly and painfully, "I need you to come here... I need you to listen to me."

Sasuke nodded, tears running down his face, and approached.

"Listen, my little brother... I'm so glad you're safe… I have something I need from you… Consider this your first mission as a shinobi... I know you haven't yet graduated from the Academy but... agree to do this for me, and in my eyes you'll already be... a fully-fledged ninja."

"W-Wha- I- Yes, I'll do it, I'll do anything! Just promise to stay alive!"

"Good. Good... I need you to do what I couldn't, to keep you safe... This is a high-rank, deep-cover assignment... You know how important that is, right?"

Sasuke nodded fiercely, eyes wide.

This would be messy. There was no way around. The village elders had wanted a clean break with the Uchiha Clan, something that would have saved face for the village. The reputation of both Konoha and the Uchiha clan would remain the pristine, pure-white of funereal robes, and young Sasuke would live a pitied, but treasured, existence as the last of the glorious Uchiha.

He twitched with a spasm of pain and guilt. He had ruined that. Konoha would certainly lose face for this open infighting, but it would be the Uchiha as a whole who would bear the resentment of the villagers. The Hokage would have no choice now but to disclose the Uchiha plans of rebellion to justify this botched assault to the other noble clans, such as the Hyuuga and the Aburame. To do otherwise would tear the village apart at the seams.

Sasuke would live life being doubted and mistrusted every step of the way. This could only end in his younger brother's death. Itachi took a deep, shuddering breath before he spoke.

"These are the principles you must follow… Graduate from the Academy. Train hard. Learn well. Become strong. Be the loyal Konoha ninja that everyone will want to see. Do not disobey orders..."

"Yes! I was going to do that anyway!"

"There's more..." another deep breath, wracked with pain. "When you are ready, leave. Leave the village. Go far away. Erase your presence. When Lord Hokage dies, so too will your protection... The village will be glad to seal away the final memories of the Uchiha clan." Itachi became quiet for a moment, a genuine smile seeming to cross his face.

"There was a man who I looked up to. I don't know why I even remember him now. He was just passing through and I must have been two or three years old at the time, but I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. His name was… Roger… and he told me things that seemed like an impossible dream." Itachi paused, lost in thought for a moment. "Sasuke, the world is so much larger than this. So much larger than this village, and you'd never even know it. Even if they send you on missions outside the country, the only thing you'll learn about the people there is how to kill and deceive them. I wanted to see the world... and I thought I might meet that man again some day, but... " Itachi began coughing painfully, before silencing his younger brother's cries of horror with a raised hand.

"Sasuke... see the world. Do it in my place. Promise me that you'll get away from this before you get hurt."

"Big brother! Don't talk like that! I can't live without help! I won't! Don't make me do this!" Sasuke slammed his fists into the ground as he screamed.

Itachi fixed his eyes upon Sasuke who was now so distraught that he no longer clutched at his ruined eye. "Help? Yes, I can help you... I want to give you something. Consider it an early graduation present. Or... an apology."

"Just- stop! Stay with me!"

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