Chapter 15

Itachi Uchiha had managed to sneak away when Kisame wasn't paying attention while they were resting, placing a clone to replace him for now. The two were heading back to Amegakure from Konohagakure, but he had also left a crow behind to gather information about the invasion caused by Orochimaru, and not too long ago, he received all the information he needed to understand the situation.

However, an unsettling piece of information was also revealed to him. Sasuke had left Konohagakure to go to Orochimaru out of desperation, believing he would get stronger with Orochimaru faster than if he stayed in the village.

This information filled Itachi with a tinge of guilt. Had he gone too far when they last met? Pushed Sasuke so much that he willingly went to Orochimaru?

Regardless, he was heading to Otogakure to stop Orochimaru from taking over Sasuke's body. A little intimidation, perhaps throwing Orochimaru into the Tsukuyomi realm again, would remind him that compared to Itachi, he was nothing. If he was lucky, the timeframe for Orochimaru's body transfer had already passed, giving Sasuke around three years to grow stronger and either leave Orochimaru or take him out for a while.

Itachi didn't want to reveal the Susanoo or his spirit weapons to Orochimaru, but if necessary, he would flaunt them, even if it cost more of his eyesight and any future surprises. If it ensured Sasuke's safety, it was worth it. It was the least he could do for his little brother. Besides, the less eyesight he had, the better for when they eventually fought. But Itachi's thoughts were interrupted as something came flying at him.

Automatically, he dodged, turning to see a decently sized white snake where he had been, now looking at him and hissing. It seemed he had entered Orochimaru's territory, and Orochimaru now knew of his arrival.

The snake ceased its hissing as its mouth began to bulge. A hand emerged, gripping the side of the snake's mouth, followed by another hand, unhinging its mouth to an unnerving degree, allowing a figure to emerge.

'Reverse summoning,' Itachi thought, noting the occurrence. Who else but Orochimaru would appear from a snake's mouth? And indeed, Orochimaru emerged, but...

'Is this Orochimaru?' Itachi asked himself, noticing this person had many similarities to Orochimaru but looked different. Younger and less creepy. With his Sharingan active, he could tell no technique was altering the features. Was this what Orochimaru looked like under his usual disguise? No, Orochimaru was shorter the last time he saw him as well, unless...

"I thought it would be you, Itachi," 'Orochimaru' greeted politely once fully emerged, dispelling the snake.

"You were expecting me?" Itachi asked slowly, forcing calm as worry and anger grew while beginning to think that Orochimaru had already taken over Sasuke. How else could Orochimaru appear so young?

"Oh, of course. Seeing as your little brother has recently come to me, I was expecting you to visit soon," 'Orochimaru' replied with a faint smile.

This response eased Itachi a bit since it was confirming that Sasuke was still whole. "That still doesn't answer why you thought I was coming."

'Orochimaru' rolled his eyes at Itachi's attempt to gather information while not participating. "Itachi, I know why you're here. You want to ensure I don't take over Sasuke's body and will do whatever it takes to stop me. Like putting me through the Tsukuyomi again."

Itachi furiously thought through what he had heard and played along. "And what can you do to make me believe your words? I don't trust that you suddenly don't want to take over mine or Sasuke's body."

'Orochimaru's' faint smile bloomed some more. "That's where you're wrong, Itachi. My plans have changed for you Uchiha. Now, I simply want you dead. But don't get defensive, I can't kill you since Sasuke wants to. So I'll train Sasuke to kill you, which is perfect, right? You want Sasuke to kill you as well, right? It's a win-win-win."

Deliberately ignoring the last part, unsure how Orochimaru knew that, Itachi still had no reason to trust this snake's words. "That still gives me no reason to trust your words."

"I expected that. I wouldn't trust me either." He placed a hand over his eyes and continued, "So I'll give you a sneak peek."

Separating his fingers, Itachi was stunned to see one of Orochimaru's eyes turn into the Sharingan. Knowing how ocular Kekkei Genkai works on non-clan users, Itachi realized Orochimaru looked this way because his body was now that of a Uchiha. And since he didn't resemble Sasuke, Itachi concluded Orochimaru had found another Uchiha body, which gave the idea of him not wanting their bodies some actual truth.

Also, while he should be surprised that Orochimaru had found another Uchiha out there, it wasn't all that surprising when thinking about it. Yes, Itachi had killed all the Uchiha members in Konohagakure along with the masked Madara, but was that truly every Uchiha in the world? Likely not. However, for Orochimaru to find one of the last remaining members of the Uchiha bloodline was worrying, as it made it less likely for the Uchiha Clan to ever recover. Mostly, however, he was glad that Sasuke seemed safe from being taken over by Orochimaru.

"How did you know about me wanting Sasuke to kill me?" This was still a mystery, but considering who he was talking to, it wasn't all that surprising.

"Oh, that's simple. I was recently in Konohagakure, as you know, and I learned a lot while I was there. Like why the Uchiha Massacre really happened. Quite the sad tale, taking it upon yourself to kill your entire clan just to keep the village and your brother safe."

Itachi's eyes dangerously narrowed as they morphed into his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Hey, hey, hey, put those things away. I'm not saying I will tell Sasuke about it. Quite the opposite. If Sasuke learns the truth, he will lose all motivation to kill you and direct it towards the village instead. We both don't want that."

Itachi's eyes remained narrowed, his Mangekyō Sharingan still active. "And what about afterward? What's stopping you from telling him everything after my death?"

This situation was evolving and made Itachi consider using Kotoamatsukami on Orochimaru now, as there was no guarantee that after his death, Sasuke wouldn't be told the truth, causing him to actively try to destroy Konohagakure. If Sasuke stayed in Orochimaru's hands, this was the likely future. Orochimaru also wanted to destroy Konohagakure, as evidenced by his recent invasion and murder of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Are you debating whether to use Shisui's eye on me?"

Itachi's train of thought immediately froze, his eyes involuntarily widening. How did Orochimaru know about him having Shisui's Mangekyō? Wait, no, it wasn't all that surprising. Orochimaru and Danzo had worked together recently, and at some point, Danzo could have told Orochimaru many things.

"I don't want to fight you, Itachi, but if you bring that out, we will have one. And I will do everything I can to destroy that eye." The playful tone in Orochimaru's voice was disappearing, sounding more and more serious. If Itachi brought out that damned crow, he would destroy it and the eye without hesitation, though he first wondered if he could take it from Itachi. He speculated on what would happen if he fused his eye with another Mangekyō, but he didn't add this to his previous threat.

"Also, don't think our fight will end with you casting a Genjutsu on me. I've learned since then and can guarantee our fight won't end so easily. I will force out as many Mangekyō abilities from you as I can, making you more and more blind. That is if you come out of our fight alive in the first place."

Neither spoke after that. Orochimaru was letting Itachi think, and weigh his options. And after a couple of minutes, Itachi released his Mangekyō, keeping the standard Sharingan active.

"I will believe you, for now. I will let Sasuke stay with you, but I will check up on him from time to time. If I see you going back on your word, don't blame me for what will happen."

Itachi still wanted to continue this conversation, but he had been gone too long. If they fought, his clone might disappear and give him away to Kisame. He didn't want to explain to Pain why he left Kisame and snuck away. So for now, he would allow things to continue as they were and return at a better time.

So when Orochimaru heard Itachi's words, his face blossomed into a smile, losing the serious tone. "Excellent. The next time you come around, you will be glad you left Sasuke with me."

"Be sure that I do," Itachi responded coldly while his form began to turn into multiple crows and disappear, leaving Orochimaru alone, who felt quite pleased with how things went. No fighting, just throwing around threats. Though he did wonder, if they fought, who would come out on top? He still didn't know if he had Orochimaru's entire arsenal at his disposal, so a fight was best avoided until that was figured out. Now, Itachi was out of his hair for at least a while, and he didn't plan to get on the man's bad side any more than he already was.

Reaching into his pocket, he brought out the ring taken from the Akatsuki years ago. He planned to give it back to remove one reason for them to bother him, but mostly because he knew the ring was linked with Nagato's Rinnegan, meaning Nagato probably always knew where the ring was, and therefore, where Orochimaru was.

The only reason it was kept in the first place was to study it, but he already knew that it was the Rinnegan that made the ring special, so he did not want this surveillance item. Oh well, he would just keep it for now. Maybe something could come out of it.

—

Sasuke Uchiha lay on his new bed, thinking about the recent things that had happened. Mostly, he thought that he had faced one too many near-death experiences lately. From almost dying to achieve the second level of the Curse Mark, to a fight with Naruto which, while not intended to be a fight to the death, had seen Naruto enveloped in a strange red chakra that made Sasuke shiver just thinking about it. He had no idea when the dunce had obtained such power, but it frustrated him knowing that if Naruto hadn't held back, he might be dead.

Then there was the most recent near-death experience, which had happened when he first arrived here. Orochimaru had practically decided to kill him on the spot to take over his body. Sasuke knew Orochimaru probably wanted his body, yet it happened so fast. The image of the young-looking kid then came to mind. He didn't even know the kid's name, yet he had sacrificed himself when Orochimaru attacked.

He also didn't know what was more surprising. That some random kid saved him or that the kid had the Sharingan. Was he a Uchiha? The fact that Sasuke remembered the kid not having the Sharingan and then, minutes later, suddenly having it suggested he was indeed a Uchiha.

Kakashi was a clear example of what happens when a non-Uchiha has a Sharingan. It could never be deactivated, meaning he had to keep it hidden to avoid its constant chakra usage.

But the kid didn't seem to have that problem, or at least, Sasuke didn't think so. He had only seen the kid for less than a minute, and now he was dead, or at least seemed dead. When thinking about what he witnessed after being pushed out of the way, words couldn't describe it. However, he clearly remembered seeing the kid's eyes transform into ones similar to Itachi's.

He didn't know if Orochimaru had taken over the kid's body or what, but when Kabuto came in and the two talked, Sasuke had trouble following the conversation, but from what he could tell, Orochimaru's takeover had failed but simultaneously succeeded. He just couldn't grasp what had happened and was too tired to care at that moment. It just seemed like he had barely lived to see another day.

Another day, another life-threatening situation was overcome. These were becoming too frequent for his liking. One wrong move and his revenge would be over before it had barely started. It just showed how weak he was in the grand scheme of things. He needed to be stronger.

—

A certain Naruto Uzumaki was lying in the hospital with nearly vacant eyes, different from their bloodshot state from the day before. Along with loads of bandages, he looked like a mummy despite already being healed. Although he wasn't physically injured, the pain he felt inside was far worse than any physical harm he could endure.

The reason was that he had failed. Sasuke was gone, and he had failed to fulfill his promise to Sakura. Maybe he could have just continued trying to bring Sasuke back, something he had planned to do anyway, but recent news halted him in his tracks.

Choji, Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru were dead. If it hadn't been for Gaara, Lee would have been killed too.

And of course, Naruto felt like it was all his fault. Everything that went wrong was his fault. He knew Sasuke hadn't been in the right mind since his encounter with Itachi, but he hadn't thought Sasuke would abandon his home so easily. What were he, Sakura, and Kakashi to Sasuke if he had abandoned them so quickly?

He had promised Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back, but not only did he fail to do that, they had now lost more than just Sasuke. And if Sakura's absence during his recovery meant anything, she also blamed him.

When Kakashi came to tell him everything a few days before, the man hadn't said it, but Naruto knew Sakura probably refused to come. She likely didn't even want to see him, maybe ever again. And it wasn't just her. He was still waiting for Ino and Tenten to arrive at any moment to scream at him, just like Sakura.

At least Lee had been around a few times. With Lee, Naruto had profusely apologized, yet never received a direct response, only a change in topic. He could tell everything had also hit Lee heavily. The usual overbearing enthusiasm he carried was gone.

Sadness and anger came and went for both of them. Now, all that was left was to accept what had happened and move on to the future, right?

If only it were that easy.