Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Shinobi and The Miko ❯ The Brothers Uchiha ( Chapter 15 )

“So? What's happening?” Kisame asked impatiently. He was reclined against a tree, sword laid out at his side. The girl was a few feet away, in a more open area of the clearing, sitting cross-legged as though meditating.

 

She pursed her lips before answering. “Nothing,” she said flatly. “They're just… standing there. They're using chakra though. Mostly from their eyes.” She shook her head as if confused.

 

Kisame, however, understood. “They're fighting using the Sharingan's genjutsu then.”

 

“How does that work?”

 

He shrugged. “I only really understand half of it. They're physically just standing there, but they're fighting each other inside their minds or something. None of it's actually happening.” He plucked a slender stalk of grass and began using it to clean between his teeth.

 

The girl shook her head. “That doesn't make much sense to me.”

 

He laughed derisively. “Yeah, well, it wouldn't, now would it? You don't get what the Sharingan's genjutsu can do to people. Just pay attention and tell me what happens.”

 

She frowned, but didn't speak further, instead seeming to focus on something. “They're still just-” her statement was cut off by a rapid intake of breath. She was silent for several moments, but then she seemed to relax. Kisame was about ready to demand some kind of explanation when she spoke.

 

“Itachi-san almost did something there. I could feel Sasuke's jutsu falter, but he recovered.” She didn't mention that it had been a surge of pure hate that had done it.

 

Kisame was surprised, he leaned forward a bit. “Oh? I wonder how he pulled that one off? Itachi's eyes are stronger.” He threw the piece of grass to the side. “Are they still at it?”

 

The girl's brow furrowed; she was concentrating on the fight again. “No. They're actually moving now. Sasuke's attacking with a large Shuriken. Actually, he's cloned it, but Itachi-san doesn't know that…” She trailed off, looking troubled.

 

“What? What is it? Missy, you gotta do better than this. I want some play-by-play here.” Kisame allowed an edge of irritation to creep into his voice.

 

“Sorry. It's just… difficult to remain so in tune with such feelings as theirs for so long is all. Something strange is happening though. Itachi-san really should have been able to dodge that last attack. But it hit him squarely.”

 

Kisame grunted. “Don't ask me. All I know is that Itachi ain't gonna stop until he has those eyes.”

 

“What?” The girl sat bolt upright, and Kisame could tell he wouldn't be getting any further commentary until he elaborated.

 

He sighed. “Itachi wants Sasuke's eyes. Eventually, overuse of the Sharingan makes `em blind, you know?” Something occurred to him, and he chuckled. “Well, I guess you would, now wouldn't ya?”

 

The girl's shoulder's slumped, she became visibly distraught. Nevertheless, she allowed herself to slip back into meditation. “That explains his single-mindedness. There's no room for anything else.” Kisame didn't really understand what she was talking about, and declined to comment. “It appears they've moved outside,” she continued flatly.

 

Kisame's grin split his face, revealing multiple rows of jagged, pointed teeth. “This is where it gets good.”

 

“By the way, it seems there is someone else watching them. Well, it's more like two people who are also one person…? I don't understand.” She brought her hand to her forehead. “The feelings mixing together like that… it gives me a headache.”

 

“You're talking about Zetsu. Nasty piece of work, he is. Probably recording it all for the boss.”

 

“Boss?” But Kisame would say no more.

 

***

 

 

Kaguya reined in her breathing, allowing her mind to stretch far beyond the borders of her body. It appeared as though something momentous would soon occur; she didn't like the way the chakra was building up in Itachi's eyes. She relayed the information to Kisame.

 

“That's probably Tsukuyomi,” he said. “It's the only one of Itachi's eye techniques I've actually seen. Sasuke better watch out; it's a doozy.”

 

Kaguya shifted her focus back to the fight; it seemed that whatever Tsukuyomi was, it had passed. Sasuke was still alive. There was a lull in the action, enough time for her to examine the combatants. Both of them were starting to feel the effects of prolonged fighting; their chakra levels were depleted, though they still had plenty left. Their feelings were a bit more confusing. Sasuke still burned, but Itachi seemed to be feeling nothing at all. Or at least, he was suppressing his feelings to the extent that she could no longer sense them, something that took a lot of discipline.

 

As she observed, Itachi gathered the chakra in his eyes again. This time, when it was released, she felt that there was still a connection, as though his eyes controlled the jutsu. She felt Sasuke's curse-mark flare up in response. A whisper of a thought passed through her mind.

 

“Ameterasu.”

 

“What?” Kisame sounded confused.

 

“Itachi-san just used something called Ameterasu. He controls it with his eyes. Sasuke tried to counter with a fire-based jutsu, but it missed.”

 

“Heh. They're getting serious now, aren't they?” Kisame cackled.

 

***

 

Laughter aside, what the Hell was actually going on? Itachi should have been able to kill the runt by now. Kisame tapped his feet impatiently. If he was going to be forced to wait around, he could have at least been allowed to watch. He looked over at the girl. She hadn't said anything in a while. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that she was shaking. Trembling head to toe.

 

“Hey. What's happening?”

 

She swallowed. “Sasuke, he… he's created a thunderstorm. I think he means to channel the lightning. Something like that… it's incredibly dangerous.”

 

“Heh. You think either of them cares about the danger? Let me tell you something about revenge, missy. It gets to be deep. Deep in your bones. It's a slow burn, but it doesn't leave anything behind. Sasuke doesn't care if he dies, as long as he takes Itachi with him. I don't have to know about feelings to know that.”

 

“And Itachi?” Her voice quavered slightly.

 

Kisame shrugged. “Only way to get what he wants is to kill Sasuke.”

 

The girl looked like she was about to argue, but it seemed that Sasuke had chosen that moment to use whatever jutsu he was cooking up. Kisame saw the flash in the sky and whistled.

 

“Heh. That does look dangerous.”

 

But the girl shook her head. “It didn't work.”

 

“Say what?”

 

“Itachi-san summoned…something. They're both about out of chakra now. But-” she cut off sharply, and a hand flew to her mouth. “Oh no…no! I can't stop it from here!” A note of hysteria crept into her voice. She made to stand up, but Kisame stopped her.

 

“Whoa, whoa, hold it. You're not going anywhere. What's going on?”

 

“It's Orochimaru. The part of him that's still in Sasuke has taken over!”

 

Kisame sat back, crossing his arms. “Well, that makes things interesting, doesn't it?”

 

***

 

Kaguya tried without success to calm the hammering of her heart. She was simply too far away to suppress Orochimaru. Unless Itachi managed to destroy him, he'd have Sasuke's body for sure. It was certainly unexpected, but she found herself silently beseeching him to do just that.

 

She felt a surge of terror as Orochimaru clashed with what was left of Itachi's jutsu, and then a strange sensation as Itachi moved the last of his chakra into some kind of weapon. He slashed Orochimaru with it, and the latter ceased to fight at all.

 

She lowered her hands to her lap as all of the jutsu on both sides faded, neither combatant having enough chakra left to sustain them. Sasuke couldn't even maintain his Sharingan. Itachi drew close and placed a hand near Sasuke's eye; she was about to sever the connection, unable to bear the fear and loathing in her friend's heart and the pain he was about to feel, when she distinctly heard a thought.

 

Do not… flee.

 

It startled her enough to allow her to feel as Itachi passed the last of his energy to Sasuke, then collapsed.

 

You…girl. I know you can hear me. He needs healing. Help him…

 

The thoughts faded, and only the ghost of a feeling remained. Kaguya knew Itachi's emotions at last, and had she tears, she would have wept. So many things had been mistaken. How could this have happened?

 

“He's… dead.” She said to Kisame, voice flat.

 

“Who's dead?”

 

“…Itachi. I have to go now…” She picked herself up and started walking in the direction of Sasuke's depleting life force. Breaking into a run, she leapt into the nearest tree, willing her legs to carry her faster, leaving a stunned Kisame in her wake.