Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ What are these Memories? ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 25

“How does she have anything to do with this? This is just between you and me alone. Leave her out of it,” Sasuke said, not taking his eyes off his elder brother.Itachi looked toward Sakura.

“You still haven't told him?” he asked her, mild irritation in his voice.

“God damn it Itachi! I told him!” she angrily shouted back, tired of his questioning. She was about to swallow, but then she remembered she had a kunai close to throat and one gulp could kill her, whether it was intentionally or not. Sakura heard the rest of the ANBU squad struggling with the Akatsuki in the background.While his older brother's attention was diverted, Sasuke decided to take advantage of the opening and swiped his kunai at his brother's neck. Itachi moved his head, easily dodging the attack.

“After all these years, I think you would know me better than that, Ototou,” an amused Itachi said to his brother. “Do you really think I would let you catch me off-guard? You're still the foolish seven year-old little brother I once knew.”

“Don't mock me!” Sasuke hissed in response.Sakura quickly glanced around. Maybe while they were arguing she could make a break for it. She instantly scrapped that thought. At the rate at which he had shifted his attention to Sasuke, she'd have no chance of a successful escape, and she highly doubted that he'd like getting bitten in the armagain. Still, maybe she could;if only she could… She discretely trailed her hand downher leg until she laid itacross a kunai in her weapons pouch.

“You attack me with that kunaithat you have in your hand, you won't like the consequences,” Itachi stated tonelessly, not even looking at her. She sighed. She was a fool; thinking she could get away with such an elementary trick. Sasuke drew his katana and pointed it at his brother.

“If you don't let her go, that's not my problem. I have absolutely no problem of her dying if it means getting to you,” Sasuke said. Sakura looked at him in utter shock. How could he be saying such things when he was holding so close just about a half-hour ago? Sasuke,she thought, that had better be a bluff…

“Then come at me, Ototou. What else have you to lose but your life?” Itachi replied, egging his brother on. Great, now she was in a lose-lose situation. If she tried to escape, she'd die. If she stayed where she was and did nothing, then she'd still die. Either way, the result would be the same. Sasuke hesitated.

“What's the matter, Ototou?” Itachi asked. “Are you going back on your words? Your intent was to kill me, was it not?”

“What do you think you bastard?” Sasuke spat.

“Did Okaa-san not teach you anything at all? That's no way to talk to one's elders,” Itachi replied mockingly. Sasuke growled. He was toying with him.

“Okaa-san's dead and you know it. You don't need to rub salt into my old wounds.” Sakura raised an eyebrow. Was he going to do something or not? So far, the two brothers had been talking for about five whole minutes now.

“Yes, I know she's dead and it's probably the only thing I regret doing.” Both Sasuke and Sakura looked at the elder Uchiha in amazement. Did he justsay what they thought they heard him say?

“How is that possible?” Sasuke asked, lowering his katana a bit.

“Looking back, it wasn't really her fault to begin with with,” Itachi replied.

“But you never regret anything! So why…” Sasuke stopped abruptly in mid-sentence at the pain that tore through his gut.

“Foolish little brother. You're so easy to kill.” Itachi wrenched the kuani from his younger brother's stomach, the blood still warm. “Again Ototou, you should know me better than that.”

“Damn you!” Sasuke swore, clutching his wounded abdomen in pain.

“I am damned Sasuke,” Itachi replied. “Ever since I earned the Mangekyou Sharingan, I've been damned.”

“I don't need your fucking lectures!” Sasuke shouted to him, charging towards his brother, intending to stab him with his ANBU katana. A swipe of a kuani against Sakura throat made him stop in his tirade.

“That's a warning, Ototou,” Itachi said coldly. “Next time she dies.”

“Why won't you just die? What do I have to do to kill you?” Sasuke growled, now thoroughly frustrated with his attempts at failing to kill his brother.

“I wish I could, Ototou,” Itachi said, “but death just won't come.”

“If this is another trick, I'm not falling for it.”

“It isn't a trick this time. I do want death.”

“I don't believe you.”

“Think what you will, Ototou. It doesn't matter to me as I now realize you're quite incapable of killing me.”

“That's not true!”

“Then prove me wrong, Ototou. Prove me wrong.”Sasuke had had enough. He charged at his elder brother again this time, pushing all thoughts of Sakura and her safety out of his mind. He was going to kill his brother and nothing could stop him. Again, the kunai ripped across her throat. She managed to move her head away to avoid the cut getting deeper. She then provided a low kick that diverted Itachi's attention away from his younger brother. Sasuke's katana slashed across Itachi's shoulder where he just barely moved out of the way.

“I'll kill you for killing my family!” he shouted.

“I believe we've already established that fact, Ototou,” Itachi said, quickly looking over the damage on his left shoulder. He wasn't too worried about it. It wasn't enough to severely hurt him. He'd tolerate the pain, just like he had learned to tolerate all the other kinds of pain that had been inflicted upon him before. Itachi glanced over to an approaching Sakura.

“I'm not too terribly worried about you, kunoichi as you do not pose much of a threat. I warn you though, the roof under our feet is very weak, so if you are going to attack me, I suggest doing it wisely.” Sakura looked down at the roof of the Uchiha estate. He was right. It was weak. Sakura growled in frustration. Itachi dodged yet another strike from his brother and slashed his kunai across his already wounded stomach. Sasuke fell to the ground in pain, rolling across the slanted roof. The pain was just too much for him to bear.

“My work here is done,” Itachi stated. “I'll leave you to your own devices. As for you, kunoichi, maybe we'll see each other again. He gave a bow and then jumped off the roof. Sakura looked over the edge. He was no longer there. Well, that came as no surprise. A groan of pain from Sasuke diverted Sakura's attention away from the ground. She quickly ran over to him, parts of the roof caving in under her feet.

“Sasuke, come on! We have to get out of here!” she said, pulling him up to his feet. He weekly wrenched himself out of her grasp.

“No, Sakura. Just let me die. I promised myself I would kill him this time and…damn it,” he replied.

“But…”

“If I can't defeat him, the next best thing would be to join my family in death. Just leave me alone Sakura.” She raised one had and slapped him across the face.

“How can you talk like that?” she demanded. “There will be other times! We need to get moving now! I will allow myself to stand here and watch you burn up in flames along with your home.”

“Sakura, I said to just leave me…” She knocked him unconscious. She hefted him over her shoulder, mindful of his wounds. She too now jumped off the roof and started to run towards the entrance of the Uchiha district. She gave a nod to Naruto as she passed by him, indicating for him to call everyone back. Now that the Akatsuki was gone, they were no longer needed. They couldn't do anything about the burning Uchiha district except watch it go up in flames. Naruto called everyone back and they all headed towards the exit. When they were outside of the Uchiha district's gates, they all turned around and watched Sasuke's home being engulfed by flames. Smoke curled towards the sky, covering up the moon. There was nothing they could do for it now…