Chapter 17 - I'm alive...

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{Itachi pov}

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"Are we... too late?" The woman spoke with a heart broken tone as her gaze fell upon the limb in his hands and covered her own mouth in horror. "Is that...!" she covered her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks and made sure not to let mito see it.

Without answering her question itachi refocused on the ceremony and took the dark limb towards the grave as hiruzen made his way over.

"What are the two of you doing here!" He whispered angrily as her eyes flinched at his tone.

"We... we came to-" but she was cut off by a hand grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the gathering to which Minato and the others followed suit.

"You have no right coming here! Beside... aren't you suppose to be hiding in the capital!" Hiruzen spat as she looked down in shame. He was right... she had no right to be here after what they had done to houzu...

But regardless of what the old man spoke she deserved to mourn her first born's death!

"We came to honor houzu's sacrifice and be welcomed back home! The plan... was all for nothing..." Minato spoke up on her behalf. "A noble within the daimyo's court leaked the lords travel route. Further interrogation revealed he was in league with the masked individual who attacked us two years ago. He knew where we were the whole time..."

The old man remained silent as they all looked on at itachi move closer to the grave.

Even when they were a few feet apart she could feel the elders growing anger but that rage soon dissipated and replaced with a look of a professionalism befitting a hokage.

"Do what you must, but know you are not welcomed here..."

Kushina's grip around her daughter became tighter as she nodded her head and walked on towards the crowd to blend in. In doing so she came face to face with her long time friend.

"Mikoto.. i..." but her words caught in her throat as the look in the uchiha's eyes was one of indifference. As though she were a stranger...

"Please do not speak to me with such familiarity. Even though i was made aware of your survival by lord 3rd it matters very little to me. As far as I am concerned..my friend is dead." Mikoto spoke without emotion as kushina felt as if her heart sank into her gut.

"Ahhh!?" A child's shout rang out as she directed her attention to the little boy carrying the remains of her lost child.

To her and the crowds shock the limb was twitching erratically in the child's arms as if it was having a seizure. In moments flesh from the appendages severed stump bubbled to life as it grew and expanded, causing the boy to drop it unceremoniously to the ground.

As the flesh continued to grow all the people in croud could do was stare in disbelief.

...

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{Itachi pov}

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Itachi activated his mangekyo sharingan to see the calm energy that surrounded the limb before was now flaring to life like an inferno as the growing flesh began to take the shape of a torso and as more time passed so to did an arm and legs.

Then, he felt it. Houzu's chakra signature. It was growing slowly at a snails pace but it was there. Once the body was completely revitalized its neck began to regrow as well. But at a much slower pace.

Hearing someone running over he looked to see the tear filled eyes of the same red haired woman and a lady with a large bust and pale blond hair rush forward. Leaning down the blond propped up the nearly regrown body of his friend into a sitting position as she looking on in fascination.

The first to grow was his spine and brain, then the skull and muscles which bore his signature black teeth.

The moment the brain fully developed everyone felt his massive chakra reserves spike.

'He's alive! Houzu's alive!' Itachi thought with hope as the skin took less than a few seconds to return showing his thought to be comrades unconscious form.

"Is...is he alright?" Itachi asked the blonde who was examining the pale boys body for imperfection as houzu's eyes shot open.

...

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{Houzu pov}

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"Aaaaah~!" Houzu cried out as he instantly got to his feet and looked around in hysteria. "Oh god! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! That was so scary!? I thought i was actually dead! Dark!Everything was so dark! Am i dead!?"

Everyone looked on in both shock and astonishment at the spectacle before them all as hiruzen walked over to the shook child and covered the boy in his kage cloak who looked up into the old man's relieved and tear filled eyes.

Without warning the old kage brought the boy into a hug as he responded in kind.

"Old man? W-what the hell is going on!?" Houzu asked as itachi ran over and hug him in kind. "Houzu!" A girls voice cried out as he felt some run into him and cling for dear life. Darting his eyes to his surroundings he saw a crowd of people in black kimonos standing a fair distance away he grew even more confused.

"I'm not dead, I'm alive.. it worked! Suck it you bastards" He shouted as he felt a blow strike his stomach. Although it didn't hurt it still surprised him. Looking down he saw both itachi and Hana repeatedly punching him in anger and relief.

"You idiot! We though you died! Do you have ant idea what we've been through! You idiot, idiot, idiot!" Hana screamed as tears poured down her cheeks as houzu's eyes widened in shock at his brash actions. The feeling of guilt only increased as he looked into itachi's eyes to see his mangekyo sharingan.

"You guys... I'm so sorry... I'm.." he choked out as he pulled them into his embrace as tears pricked his eyes. In front of many witnesses he sobbed. Showed he actually had a heart. That he was emotionally vulnerable.

"I'm so sorry..." he cried as the four had their moment.

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