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Chapter Text

Even the strongest slip up eventually, Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth as he made a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. If death could even claim Itachi, he'd never stood a chance. His chakra obstinately refused to flow, which was the reason he was in this damned mess in the first place. He'd underestimated how reliant he was on his chakra to help him detect and evade traps; this building's wards had severely crippled him.

The wards cut off all chakra flow upon entry, thus preventing the use of destructive jutsu. This was an effective defense, but Sasuke employed some seriously powerful dynamite to finish the job. The detonator he had carried inside with him. Unfortunately, it now lay out of his reach, and the wounds he'd sustained meant retrieving it would be no easy task.

With another grimace, he tried to stand up, but couldn't even manage that. I should have waited for backup. Now, he was regretting his lone wolf attitude. Am I going to die here? He wondered distantly. Alone, unknown, and failing to complete my mission? How long will it take them to realize that I'm dead? To find my body, or whatever remains of it?

He coughed, sending blood splattering across the floor.

Screw this shit, he thought suddenly with a scowl, dragging himself up through sheer willpower and ignoring the pain and flood of blood that resulted from his movement. What the hell was he even thinking? If he was going down, he was at least bringing this place down with him. And he was so close. So very close, with the detonator being mere feet away.

Right here, right now, that distance couldn't have seemed longer. But he wouldn't let his death be useless. He wanted it to mean something. One step at a time. He struggled to put one foot ahead of the other. What did it matter if he was dying? He would go out with a bang.

He could have laughed when he finally arrived, but it was a struggle just to breathe. He reached out a trembling hand.

At last…

How long had it been? Since that day? And now, now he could go home. He could see them. The thought almost made him giddy with excitement.

Finally…

He almost couldn't wait. Since that day, there had been a hollow in his heart, a vacuum, an empty space that yearned to be filled. His comrades had helped fill it, little by little, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough. Family was something irreplaceable, unforgettable, undeniably precious, and you couldn't replace it just like that, no matter how precious your friends were.

I'm sorry, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi. But it seems like I'm leaving you guys behind once more.

But at the same time, he wasn't sorry. Not really. Why would he be? It was his time now, and he had been waiting for this since that day years and years ago. He was ready. And there was a person who he wanted to see again most of all.

I want to see you again, Aniki.

He activated the detonator.

And with that, Uchiha Sasuke died with a peaceful smile on his face.

Chapter Text

~~Entering the Mirror~~

Noise.

What?

A loud voice. A child's?

What?

His body tingled with the power he could feel pooling below his skin, aching to get out.

Sasuke blinked, and glanced around, seeing… genin Team Ten, Team Twelve, and Sakura?

What the hell? he thought, activating his Sharingan. It wasn't a genjutsu, he realized. Or at least not one he could break through with the regular Sharingan. His brows furrowed, and a second glance told him it was the Forest of Death.

This setting… It's exactly the same as what happened after Orochimaru attacked us during the Chunnin exams. Is this supposed to be my life flashing before my eyes? Because if so, it's spending far too much time on this one memory. I'd like to get to the afterlife already, please.

But this was far too realistic to be a memory.

Power once more surged within his body, this weak, young body, and he hissed with surprise. The distinctive power of the curse seal was difficult to replicate unless you were Orochimaru, so the feeling added to his evidence that this was reality. His curse seal had been removed years ago by Itachi; Orochimaru wouldn't have dared to try and implant another one. But that was most definitely Orochimaru's chakra bubbling under his skin, clawing to get out. Considering that, the situation he was in, and the weakened state of his body and chakra, the only conclusion he could make was that this was real.

Irritation bubbled beneath his skin, activating the curse seal's power further. He remembered this power and let it loose with a rush of nostalgia. Right now he didn't have the presence of mind to make any complicated decisions, so he thought, Well, I might as well follow the script and see where it takes me. He could feel the burn of the seal as it crawled across his skin, leaving those distinctive marks he'd been free of for so long.

"Sakura," he said, just as he had before, "Who did this to you?"

And so it began. His words, his actions, the fight, he was able to repeat it almost exactly the same as last time, thanks to the Sharingan's memory. And it would have continued that way, until Sakura spoke up.

"Stop it, Sasuke-kun. This isn't like you," Sakura yelled sharply, firmly.

Sasuke stopped. That did not happen like that last time. He turned around and looked at her. Though her eyes were wary as she regarded him, she wasn't crying, and her voice was strong.

Is she my Sakura? he wondered as he allowed the curse seal to recede, making him almost stumble as the power faded. Did she somehow come with me to wherever this is? He watched her come to his side, glaring at the Oto-nin as she took out a kunai. No, he realized. She's different, but not from my time. If she'd come here with me, she would know how to hold that kunai correctly.

He observed quietly while the Oto-nin handed over their scroll, Sakura questioned them about Orochimaru, and the other teams made their retreats.

Everyone looks like themselves, their mannerisms, their movements – it's flawless. It might as well be a mirror of their younger selves I'm looking at. But underneath it, they're all just a little off. Not fake, exactly, but different.

Is this a genjutsu after all? If it is, it's no ordinary one, considering I managed to break through Itachi's Tsukoyomi. But who would have the skill and power to pull it off? Most of the people that are capable of doing something like this are dead. If I turn on the Mangekyou or Rinnegan, I should be able to break through. Though would I even be able to access them in this time? But that didn't make sense, either. The Mangekyou and the Rinnegan weren't something you could seal away easily, and he should he able to use them even if he was trapped in a genjutsu. Though hadn't been able to use either of them or any of his chakra inside that structure, he had been able to turn on his Sharingan and use chakra here, so it should work. Whoever the weaver of the genjutsu was had to know about the curse seal as well to be able to make it so realistic. More than that, he had to know how the curse seal had worked for him, considering it manifested differently in different people. It wasn't as if the caster could pluck that knowledge out his mind, but–

"SASUKE!" Naruto, who had woken up, yelled right in his face.

He blinked, realizing that he had perhaps spent a little too much time in his head. He replied, almost reflexively, "Nice to see you're finally awake, idiot."

Naruto sputtered and shot back, "Why the hell are you always such a bastard?!"

"I don't know, why are you always such an idiot?" Sasuke replied dryly. Genjutsu or not, I can't show my hand yet. For now, I should just play along. I need to figure out what's really going on here, and what really happened when I 'died'. Remembering that, he brushed a hand over the phantom wound, grimacing. Tch, aren't people supposed to find peace when they die? How much longer will I have to wait?

"Are you okay, though?" Sakura asked, anxious, though there was a strange gleam in her eyes, as if she wanted him to say no.

"I'm fine, Sakura," he brushed off, standing up.

"Oh," she replied, disappointment coloring her tone. Under her breath, she muttered quietly, "Such a pity."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he heard her. Did she want him to be dead? Was she actually the genjutsu caster in disguise? But that didn't make sense, Sakura's chakra felt exactly as it should be. No matter, he would figure this out soon enough. He said casually, "I'm going to go check the perimeter."

"Eh?! I'm not gonna let you show me up! I'll definitely beat you in checking the perimeter, just you see, Sasuke! I'll prove to you that I'm definitely more awesome, you bastard!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke stared. His Naruto hadn't nearly been this annoying, had he? And he'd had a little more perspective, too, he added as he watched Naruto slash at imaginary enemies.

"Stop being an idiot, Naruto," Sakura added with a roll of her eyes, though she sounded a little relieved.

A mental light bulb lit up in Sasuke's mind, and he added offhandedly, "Guess you don't want to stay here and protect Sakura then..."

Sakura shot him a betrayed look, and he had to stifle a smirk. Some things never changed.

"What?! No way, I'm gonna protect Sakura-chan! Get out of here already, Sasuke!" He screeched, making a shooing motion with his hands. "Leave it me! You can go ahead and do the boring perimeter check, bastard!"

It's kind of hard to believe, but he's definitely more stupid and annoying than my Naruto was at this age. Whoever did this is an absolute idiot. Even though everyone looks and feels the same, their characters are off.

"Sasuke-kun," a voice broke into his thoughts.

"What?"

Sakura smiled shyly, though to Sasuke's eyes it seemed strained, and said, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. For protecting me, I mean. It really means a lot."

And now she's pretending to care about me? Before she sounded like she wanted me dead. What the hell? The genjutsu caster could at least try to keep their characters consistent, or at least not make it this easily noticeable. What, does he think I'm stupid? "Hn." He grunted and started walking again. He needed to get out of this jutsu, and soon.

When he felt that he had reached a sufficient distance, he found a secluded spot and settled in. Mangekyou Sharingan, he thought, trying to activate it. However, nothing happened. His eyebrows furrowed. If he could use regular chakra here, he should be able to use the Mangekyou too, shouldn't he? He tried again more forcefully, and thought he felt something, but then he opened his eyes, it was still the same.

Alright, he thought, let's try this one more time. He took a deep breath, and concentrated, thinking back to when he had first activated it. He remembered Obito's words, he recalled the hurt, the denial, the horror, the distress, the guilt he had felt, he remembered seeing Itachi's body drop, how he was the one responsible for Itachi's death, how it was his fault that Itachi was dead – and he opened his eyes to see the world in shades of the kaleidoscope.

He observed the world around him carefully, looking for any crack or break, anything to show this was a genjutsu.

There was none.

This was definitely not a genjutsu. He had broken Orochimaru's hold on him and Itachi's Tsukoyomi with just the regular Sharingan, and he had used the Mangekyou this time. Nothing short of the Infinite Tsukoyomi would be able to hold him, and he was certain he would have noticed if the Juubi had risen up again.

He went over the facts. This was the Forest of Death, the Chunnin exams were going on, people's looks and chakra matched exactly to that of their past, even if the people themselves seemed a little off, and this wasn't a genjutsu.

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

And if this wasn't a genjutsu, then it had to be reality.

Well, fuck.

Sasuke returned to the team as silent as a ghost, and possibly gloomier than one. Who wouldn't be? When he had died, there had been peace in the Elemental Nations. Everything had been as close to perfect as you could get, and he had been just a step away from reuniting with his family. But now, he had to go through everything over again. Not to mention, if he messed up, the blame was all going to be on him. Even though this probably wasn't his reality; everyone he'd known was here and looked the same, but there were too many differences to be explained by a lapse in memory on his part. He would need to observe more people just to be sure, but that was the most likely and preferable option. At least he didn't have to worry about erasing his future.

"Here," he grunted, shoving a scroll in Naruto's face. Why make things more difficult? The fact that he wouldn't have to put up with Kabuto's face this time around was just a bonus. And it hadn't been that hard, at any rate. Sure, he lacked power, and strength, but he had experience, and these were all genin. Hardly a challenge. A simple trap, and they were like flies in a spider's web.

"WHAT! HOW DID YOU GET A SCROLL, YOU BASTARD?!" Naruto shrieked.

Sasuke winced and thought mournfully, Why do I have to put up with this shit? He hissed, "Just announce it to the whole world, why don't you."

"Sasuke-kun is right, you know, Naruto. You should be more quiet. But I'm curious too. How did you get the scroll?" Sakura piped up.

Like hell I'm telling them I took on a team by myself and won, Sasuke thought. He shrugged. "I saw two teams fighting over it, but then they knocked each other out, so I grabbed the scroll and ran."

A flash of distaste, so quick that he might have missed it, passed over Sakura's face, before she gave a bright, fake, smile. She chirped, "Wow, Sasuke-kun, how lucky!"

Does Sakura dislike me or something in this world? Or was that jealousy? Either way, it doesn't make sense that she's trying so hard to act like a fangirl. "Let's head to the Tower."

"Oi, bastard! Stop thinking you're so cool just because you managed to get the scroll! That was totally mean and rude to the other teams, you know!" Naruto yelled, pointing at Sasuke. "And I'll have you know that doesn't change anything! I can still beat you, just you watch!"

"Hn," Sasuke replied, before jumping into the trees. Behind him, he could hear Naruto sputtering and protesting again. Honestly, he thought with some exasperation. I'm lucky that they don't seem disturbed by my behavior. I guess I must be acting closely enough to their Sasuke. I wonder what happened to him? The curse mark on his neck tingled. The curse mark… It has a one in ten success rate, right? I suppose other me died. That would explain why I don't sense him in my head. Though I wonder what caused me to come here instead of going to the afterlife. Maybe because I died in a place where my chakra paths were blocked...

"Hey! Are you even listening?" Naruto demanded.

"No," Sasuke answered absently. While Naruto dissolved into a rant, he mused, Maybe I should just kill myself, then I would be able to go back to my world's afterlife, right? But then who would they have to protect them from the influence of Infinite Tsukoyomi during the Fourth War? And considering I know the future, I kinda have the weight of the world on my shoulders, so–

"LISTEN TO ME!" Naruto shrieked.

Sasuke winced. Why is he so loud? Why couldn't this Naruto be the quiet type? He thought mournfully. With a sigh, he asked, "What is it?"

Naruto practically beamed.

Sasuke winced again and thought with a whimper, It's blinding me. Help.

Naruto started prattling, "Now that you're listening, I was saying that the Gaara guy we met was pretty strong, so I hope I get to fight him, but his brother was pretty weird-"

Sasuke's mind stopped.

Brother.

Aniki.

Itachi.

Holy fucking hell, Itachi was alive.

His brother was alive.

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME, GODDAMMIT!"

~~Acclimatizing to the Mirror~~

"This could be problematic," the spirit, Ruishi, murmured as he read the report. He exhaled slowly, trying to fight his oncoming headache. Some things didn't go away even with death, like having to deal with pathetic underlings. When he found out who had been responsible for maintaining that base, he would kick them so far down the ladder that they'd be serving tea to the mailroom.

Still, that didn't do anything about the current problem. A version of Uchiha Sasuke, hm? The spirit mused, eyes narrowed. His world's Uchiha Sasuke had died, but instead of showing up as expected, his soul'd had the gall to jump through one of their portals. Just so it could attach itself to the nearest compatible chakra pathways, which just happened to be in another world. How the child had even managed to destroy the base in the first place, Ruishi had no idea, but he supposed there could be no underestimating an Uchiha.

The spirit grimaced. It was so bothersome when things like this happened, and Uchiha Sasuke was important, too, so there was sure to be trouble.

"Where is my brother?" a voice demanded behind his left shoulder, sudden and severe.

And there it was. Uchiha Itachi, the lost soul's brother. It seemed they were connected enough for him to realize something had gone wrong, and had thus appeared here. Why the hell did they have security if any soul could just come sauntering in? Ruishi sighed, looking back, and then immediately blanched.

The Rikudo Sennin. That would explain it. Every soul respected him, so of course the guards let him through.

"I would appreciate any information regarding the status of my son," the Sennin added pleasantly, but Ruishi recognized an order when he heard one.

He sighed. Exposition time, his favorite. "The Shinigami base of this world has recently been having some… corporeality… problems, and the person responsible for it was slacking off and didn't notice it had become visible. Some humans near the area discovered it, and realized something was wrong with it. Too right, considering the whole place reeked of spirits and death. They called Uchiha Sasuke in to deal with it, and he died destroying it."

"But he's not dead. He's alive, just not here. I thought he was dead for a moment, but he's not," Itachi stated, and Ruishi's eyes sharpened. He had stated it like a fact, like it was something he knew. But that was supposed to be impossible, unless...

"...Correct. Since it is a Shinigami base, it was connected to several other worlds. It appears that Uchiha Sasuke's soul, instead of appearing here, was pulled into another world. Now he has managed to safely cross the worlds and attach himself to the chakra pathways of another, younger version of himself. Because of that, it will be too difficult to extract him without killing the original soul permanently, not to mention the headache that'll result from trying to get him safely across the worlds to here. And he might just go into that world's afterlife if we're not careful. But the question is, how did you know that?"

"He's my brother," Itachi said, and the truth of his words echoed clearly in the small room.

Ruishi smirked at the confirmation. At least one problem was solved.

"And how is that useful?" asked the Rikudo Sennin.

"Their strong connection means Itachi can be his brother's guide."

Team Seven managed to get to the tower without further incident; since it still wasn't the last day, teams hadn't yet gotten desperate enough to lay traps. And even if Sasuke was in some form of shock, he hadn't been known as an S-rank shinobi for nothing, and managed to lead them safely through.

How the hell did I forget that this world's Itachi was alive? I can't believe I was thinking about killing myself just to escape when there's a chance I could save him. Like hell I'm leaving him to suffer, even if he isn't my Itachi, he's still Itachi. I have to save him, or at least try.

"So you guys made it through, eh?" Kiba said when they arrived. He called behind him, "Guys! Check it out. Team 7 made it, apparently."

Naruto gave a scoff, "Please, did you think we wouldn't?"

"I sincerely doubted it," Kiba said with a sneer.

Does Kiba hate Naruto? That's another difference. Kiba and Naruto were pretty friendly, weren't they?

"H-H-Hello, N-Naruto-k-kun," Hinata said with a stutter, not meeting Naruto's eyes.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. She's not blushing, he noted. If she had a crush on him, like she did in my universe, she would have blushed. Now though, she just seems like she's afraid of him.

Sasuke stayed silent while his team members chatted, continuing to observe. And from what he could see, his hypothesis on this being an alternate reality gained plausibility with every passing moment. Shino appeared to have a crush on Hinata of all people, and Kankuro seemed to have an inexplicable hatred of children. Temari acted as if she hated her fan and competing in this tournament, and Gaara had a new habit of tapping his fingers in a certain rhythm. The differences were there, hard to notice, yes, but they were there. This world is strange, he thought, Some things are exaggerated, others are diminished, and then there are things which seem to be completely random. But then again, this is an alternate reality, so I guess some strangeness should be expected.

At their core, though, they're still the same. Hinata is still shy and uncertain, Naruto is still the happy-go-lucky idiot. Gaara is still a blood-crazed psycho, normal for this age if I remember correctly. The differences' only function seems to be to confirm that this is an alternate reality. That just means that even if I fail here, my world will still be okay. I'll still do my damnedest, but it's nice to know I have some leeway here..

"What are you going to do now, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked after the two teams parted ways.

"Get some rest," he replied out loud, though that was not his plan at all. He could sleep when he was dead; right now, he needed to plan.

Let Operation Save Itachi begin.

Unfortunately, saving Itachi would have to wait until he managed to get out of Konoha, or until Itachi came for Naruto. Right now he needed to get through the Chunnin exams. Now if only his teammates would stop being annoying.

"Sasuke-kun, don't do it! It's too dangerous," Sakura pleaded, latching onto his arm with an iron grip, "Just forfeit. There's always next time."

I swear, every second I get more and more convinced that she's plotting to kill me, Sasuke thought as he eyed the gleam in her eyes that didn't match her worried tone at all. What did the other me even do to her? Did he kill her puppy or something?

Carefully prying her fingers off, he said dryly, "I'll be perfectly fine, Sakura, there's no need to fret."

"But, Sasuke-kun-"

"I will be fine," Sasuke stressed.

"Bastard! You should listen to Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled.

Not Naruto too, Sasuke thought with dismay. But then again, he was still Naruto, so Sasuke knew exactly how to deal with this. "Idiot, you want to fight me, right? How do you expect to do that if I forfeit now?"

Naruto's widened with realization, "I can't believe I am saying this, but for once you're actually right! Hurry up and beat that guy already, bastard, so we can fight." And he began to eagerly push Sasuke forward.

So stupid, Sasuke bemoaned internally. I didn't even say it that seriously or think that it would actually work. I want my Naruto back, please.

"Sasuke," a voice stopped them.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke has to start the match, you know?" Naruto whined impatiently.

Kakashi gave a pointed glance towards his neck where the curse seal was, and started, "If you can't control it-"

"You'll call the match, right?" Sasuke interrupted, and watched Kakashi nod. "I understand, it won't happen."

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto demanded.

"Nothing to worry about, Naruto," Kakashi assured. When it looked like Naruto wasn't about to be satisfied, he added idly, "I think Sakura's calling for you."

Naruto immediately perked up, saying, "What?! Hold on, Sakura-chan! I'll be right there, yeah!"

Why, Sasuke thought with more than a little despair, before turning around to face the ring.

"Sasuke," Kakashi stopped him again, giving him a look, "I'm serious."

Sasuke gave him a nod. "I know, Kakashi." And then he jumped down into the arena.

"Finally came down here, eh?" His opponent sneered at him. Sasuke just arched an eyebrow in reply.

What to do, he thought idly. It wasn't as if he could flat-out destroy his opponent, Yuri or Yoroi or something, without playing his hand. I guess considering everyone, including the Hokage, Orochimaru, and Kakashi, who would definitely notice if something was off, is watching, I should just let things proceed like they did last time, no matter how irritating that may be.

The proctor called for the match to begin, and Sasuke moved. Things went almost exactly like he remembered, adding more credibility to his hypothesis. The only thing of note was that his curse seal flared up a bit, which was a bit unexpected but manageable. At the end, despite his low chakra levels, Sasuke managed to win.

Afterward, he would have liked to stay and observe more people, but Kakashi decided to whisk him away to seal the curse seal, which was a bit annoying. But keeping up appearances was a necessary evil at this point, so he allowed it. Speaking of evil, he was definitely killing Danzo the first chance he got. Maybe he would be able to go back after the sealing to do some more observations?

Alas, he still got knocked out during the procedure. Tch, it seemed that even if his mind was quite old, his body and chakra levels were not. Annoying.

Sasuke didn't get any other chances to observe the fights, since Kakashi immediately kidnapped him again, this time for the month long training.

"You seem to be making it a habit to prevent me from having social interactions. Should I be worried?" Sasuke asked dryly.

Kakashi blinked, then did a double take. He asked, "Did you – did you just make a joke?"

Oops, I forgot to watch what I say.

Sasuke gave him a strange look and said slowly, "What are you talking about, Kakashi? I just asked you what I should pack?"

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to milk this for all it's worth.

Kakashi stared, then put his hands in a seal and said, "Kai." When nothing happened, he wandered over to the window and stuck his head out. After that, he dropped to the floor and made a show of searching for something.

Despite knowing it was a bad idea, Sasuke couldn't help himself. "What are you doing?"

"Well, first I checked to see if there was a genjutsu, then I checked to see if the sky was falling or if pigs were flying, and now I'm checking to see if either you or I dropped our sanity around here somewhere," Kakashi explained brightly.

"You're ridiculous," Sasuke informed him, fighting a smile. This Kakashi wasn't much different from his own Kakashi, just a little bit more cheerful and happier. It was nice to see someone who was almost normal.

Kakashi gave a wry smile and replied, "Well, if I knew that taking your training seriously was what it would take for you to crack a joke, I would have done it ages ago, if only to see the look on your teammates' faces."

"Hn," Sasuke answered noncommittally.

"Well, whatever. Just pack standard long-term mission gear. Any other questions?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke hesitated, debating whether to ask, and then decided to risk it. He said carefully, "Have you noticed anything strange about Sakura?"

Much to his surprise, Kakashi actually snorted.

"What?" Sasuke demanded.

"So you finally noticed that she hates your guts like she hates pretty much all other clan kids for – what did she say again? – oh yeah, 'stealing the spotlight', and possibly wants you dead?" Kakashi mused. "I had been wondering how long it would take for you to realize it."

"But she always acts like a fangirl," Sasuke pointed out, a little confused.

"And why do you think that is, Uchiha? What do you have what would be valuable to someone like her?"

It took Sasuke only a second to put the pieces together. He frowned, saying, "Are saying she's after my name and money?"

"Obviously. She probably plans on marrying you, having a kid, and then poisoning you by putting arsenic or cyanide in your breakfast," Kakashi revealed cheerfully.

Sasuke stared, "That is… oddly specific."

Kakashi shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "I may or may not have overheard her once. Or twice. Or a couple dozen times."

"Why are you only telling me this now?" Sasuke asked warily.

"Because I never liked you before today. Plus you had already half figured it out anyway, and it's gonna be so much fun watching you be paranoid around her now. " Kakashi explained, giggling a little.

I take back what I said about Kakashi being almost normal. He may be better at hiding it, but he's completely psycho, him and Sakura both, Sasuke thought with dismay. To Kakashi, he just said, "I see."

"Well, go ahead and pack, and I'll see you soon," Kakashi waved once before jumping out the window.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his eyes. So Sakura was out for his blood, Naruto was a complete moron with no redeeming qualities, and Kakashi was a psychopath. Apparently.

He muttered, "This team is a train wreck."

"What. The. Hell," Sasuke spoke flatly, glaring at the offending object, which he had found after snooping around his apartment. He was Sasuke Uchiha, former (future?) S-rank shinobi, and he did not do stupid things like keep a journal. I mean, what kind of shinobi would keep that kind of weakness around? You're basically handing your enemy a guide to your vulnerabilities. As stupid as some the decisions I made may be, I would never, ever do something like that.

But apparently, alternate Sasuke would. He was starting to understand how the other Sasuke had managed to be oblivious to Sakura's homicidal tendencies for so long, and why Kakashi had seemed so delighted by him finally noticing it. With a sigh, he gingerly poked it open.

And there aren't any protections on it, either, he lamented. Well, considering it's going to take Kakashi forever to return, I might as well skim through it.

He opened it, flipping through until a word caught his eye. Aniki. He began to read the childish scrawl.

Today I had training with Aniki! It was fun! He threw the shuriken and it was like, KA-POW and then KA-BOOM! And then he showed me how to do it! It was awesome. I couldn't do it as good, but Aniki says I'll get better. I want to train with him again soon, but Aniki said he'll be busy…

Sasuke smiled fondly. Even in this crazy messed up universe, Itachi was still Itachi. Itachi's difference would probably be something like instead of poking his forehead, he probably ruffled his hair or something. As Sasuke flipped through the dairy, he realized that nearly every entry had something to with Itachi, though there were plenty about his pre-massacre daily life too. Sasuke ended up going back and re-reading each entry in detail, reliving those happy, oblivious days. He wondered if other Sasuke continued writing after the massacre, but didn't need to wonder for long.

Well, he thought once he found it, That's pretty distinct.

The diary made no mention of the massacre, but he could tell it had happened because after what seemed to be an ordinary entry, on the next page was written in large letters 'ITACHI WILL DIE'. He flipped through the rest of the book, and it was pretty much the same, containing messages like 'I WILL KILL HIM', 'I WILL AVENGE THEM', 'HE WILL DIE BY MY HAND', and other similar messages.

"This certainly isn't healthy," Sasuke muttered. He felt Kakashi's chakra closing in, though, so he quickly shoved the diary inside his desk and picked up his mission pack.

"Ready to go?" Kakashi asked from the window.

"But you're so early, if one defines early as 'three hours late.' How could I possibly be ready?"

"Oh? So I'll just go off by myself, then?" Kakashi shot back.

"So that when Orochimaru is mysteriously able to kidnap me, it'll be your fault? No, I don't think you will," Sasuke retorted.

"Ouch, I almost liked it better when you didn't have a sense of humor," Kakashi said, putting a hand over his heart as if wounded by Sasuke's sarcasm. "Go back to being dumb and angry."

"You would lose your entertainment, then." Sasuke pointed out.

Kakashi stared for a moment and then decided, "Definitely preferred it when you were dumb." And then he took off.

"What the–! Kakashi, don't leave your student behind, goddammit!"

~~Reflections in the Mirror~~

Dealing with Kakashi did not get any easier, unfortunately. This Kakashi seemed to be incapable of taking things seriously, and Sasuke had a hard time believing that Kakashi had been actually training them prior to the Chūnin exams. Kakashi led him on a merry chase around the whole village before finally heading towards the training ground. And when they had at last gotten there, instead of beginning Sasuke's training, he just disappeared, leaving Sasuke to set up camp. Sasuke was irritated at having the work dumped on him, but complied, realizing that perhaps working with Kakashi would have been more annoying.

Now though, he had finally managed to force Kakashi into agreeing to actually training him the next morning. Tch, and Kakashi had been the one who wanted to train him. With how reluctant he had been acting, you would have thought it was the other way around. Oh well, at least things were finally looking up.

"So I'm going to teach you my signature move, Chidōri, and increase your speed, and watch, this is how you do it." He made the hand seals and had barely finished when Sasuke spoke up, planning to have fun with this.

"Okay, I think I got it, let me try." And he performed it perfectly.

"Wait, how did you get it so fast when I haven't even explained it yet?"

"Sharingan."

"Life, why must you be so unfair?"

"Said Kakashi of the Sharingan. Hypocritical, much? At any rate, you would have taught it to me anyway."

"It's a pity how your newfound sense of humor can't seem to cure your face, Sasuke."

"Sasuke, just because you mastered Chidori doesn't mean you should try to kill me with it–"

"Just stand still and let me tear your damned heart out!"

"It's very uncute to try to kill your sensei, Sasuke–"

"Well it's 'uncute' to make horrible jokes about my tomatoes! And to make up stupid words like 'uncute!'"

"Why are you so sensitive?"

"If you don't stand still and let me hit you, I will burn your entire collection of Icha Icha, Kakashi."

"You won't be able to find them."

"Oh yeah? Then what are these?"

"...I take back everything nice I said about you. You are the most uncute being on this planet."

"Pst, Sasuke, I think you have a stalker again."

"You're the adult here. Be responsible for once and do something."

"Mother wants your blood, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yeah, he seems much more interested in you. How about you handle him?"

"Gaara, you know, if you wait until the official match, you'll have the opportunity for more blood?"

"More blood?"

"That's right. If you become the winner, you'll get my blood and the other contestants'. Kill me now and you'll get deported for murder."

"Very well, then. But you better show up, Uchiha. Or else I will hunt you down."

"I will, but if I don't you can blame this old man over here."

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm in my twenties. But you know Sasuke, I never knew you spoke the language of psychopaths."

"I have experience from talking to you."

"...You're getting uncuter by the day, Sasuke."

"I'm shocked that you think I give a damn about that."

"Well, it's nice to know that despite numerous mishaps, death threats, and stalkers, we have almost managed to get through this in one piece, and have only a day or so left."

"Kakashi, I swear that if you make me miss my match due to your obsession with buying me new clothes, I will end you."

"So uncute, Sasuke. But fine, we'll go clothes shopping now, how about that."

"Why do you always call everything uncute?"

"Because it is uncute, Sasuke."

"...You know, if I ever become a missing-nin, it'll be all your fault because I am just so done with your shit."

"So uncu– Hey! I thought we agreed not to try to murder each other with Chidori! Why did I even think teaching you was a good idea?"

"Because you're an idiot, obviously."

Somehow, they still managed to be late despite Sasuke's threats. He shouldn't have expected any better.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara spoke with an eerie smile, "I am very glad you came. So very, very, glad. Mother will feast on your blood."

"You'll have to win before you can do that," Sasuke replied dryly, though internally he was just as excited. Soon. Itachi came for Naruto soon after this. Soon, things will begin to change. I haven't been of much use, since the village was already preparing for the invasion, and it wasn't like I could do much else with my current chakra levels, considering the Mangekyou eats up chakra like nothing else, and I can't even use the Rinnegan since I don't have Indra's chakra right now, but soon, I'll see Itachi.

And I promise that this time, in this world, I won't let you die.

I will save you, Itachi.

"Begin!"

Sasuke had been a little worried about Gaara's and Naruto's fight, since Naruto was even more of an idiot in this world, but as it turned out Naruto was perfectly fine. Sasuke didn't know why he even bothered to worry, but apparently Gaara and Naruto were now best friends, just like last time, which was good. Things were progressing just as they should be.

In the meantime, while he waited for Itachi to come, he prepared. He nagged Kakashi into teaching him the Shunshin, so he would have an excuse for where he learned it, and he practiced sensing chakra and reviewed tracking to make sure it was up to par. After all, how else was he going to track down Itachi?

In his spare time, he read his diary again, trying to figure out what was different about Itachi in this world. While he wasn't too worried, since the differences in people didn't seem to affect their overall character, it would be nice to know what to expect. However, he couldn't really find any differences in this world's Itachi, who seemed exactly the same as his, right down to the forehead poke. While that was reassuring in some ways, he couldn't help but wonder.

And since he finally had a little time to himself, Sasuke decided to do something he had been wanting to do since he activated the Mangekyou here.

Sasuke wasn't planning to fail. But just in case he did, just in case everything went wrong and someone like Danzo or Orochimaru got their hands on his eyes, he was going to put a seal on them. A self-destruction seal to be exact, one that would both destroy his eyes and the one that stole them. If he ended up switching his eyes with Itachi, then of course he would need to take it off, but just in case someone managed to kill him and steal them in the meantime, it would be a good idea.

After drawing out the array, he activated the Mangekyou Sharingan. He let out an exhale, and pushed as much chakra as he could into the array, causing it to spiral into his eyes. The process was excruciatingly slow, and he immediately deactivated the Mangekyou after it was complete, but he still fell to the floor from the effort.

The Mangekyou combined with the fuinjutsu really took a lot out of me, even though I didn't do any jutsu with it. These childhood chakra levels are ridiculous. As it is, I can keep going for ten to twelve minutes at most before facing chakra exhaustion, which is just not good enough.

He sighed, thinking, This sucks, and to think, I have to go through puberty again too. Could things get any worse?

"Hello, Sakura." Sasuke greeted her politely after meeting her on the street. He was still wary about what Kakashi had said about her wanting to kill him, but that was no reason to treat her unkindly.

Again, there was an flash of distaste in her eyes for a split second, before she turned into a complete fangirl. "Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here? Are you shopping like me too?"

"Just looking for a few supplies. How about you? Are you going to buy a new mirror?" Sasuke asked flatly, trying to be as courteous as possible while remaining in character.

Sakura's eyes widened, and she said, "Um, yeah! How did you know?"

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. He pointedly looked to the stall they were standing in front of, which was selling various mirrors, and then glanced at the mirror in her hand.

"Oh," she said with a small flush. "You're so smart, Sasuke-kun! Just as I expected of you."

"Find anything interesting?" he asked, ignoring the sheer amount of sarcasm she spoke with.

"Hm, well. I like the outer design of this mirror, but the reflection isn't that good," Sakura explained, putting it back and picked up another one.

Sasuke tilted his head curiously. "Don't all mirrors show you the same thing?"

Sakura gave him a look which clearly conveyed that she thought he was an idiot, and then answered, "Well, there's a lot of different types of mirrors, y'know? Convex, concave, different metals, all kinds of shapes… each one shows you different things. Like, um, at civilian fairs, sometimes they have a mirror house. It'll show you all kinds of different reflections. It's fun, but also a little creepy. They all look the same on the surface, but looking deeper shows you completely different images. And most of them are lies. At any rate, you could say that I'm just trying to find one which shows me the reflection I like."

Sasuke blinked, staring at her. "That was surprisingly deep."

Sakura flushed again, confusion in her eyes, and stammered, "Uh, well, it wasn't really supposed to be. Anyway, nice seeing you Sasuke-kun. Bye!" And saying that she rushed off.

"Hey, wait!" Sasuke called after her. "Didn't you need to buy a mirror…?"

"What does Kakashi want now?" Sasuke grumbled, seeing the summoning. "I have a life aside from serving as his entertainment, you know. To go or not to go?"

Well, I do have to go grocery shopping anyway, he thought as he opened the fridge, which was rather sparse. But Kakashi is always late anyway, so I can go.

On his way to the store, he ran into Kakashi, who was at a dango stand for some reason. Kurenai and Asuma had been there too when he first saw Kakashi, but they'd Shushined away by the time he got there. Curious.

"Should I start worrying that the sky is falling, or where your sanity is, considering you're actually early?" he asked innocently.

"Very funny, Sasuke, so funny that I can't stop laughing and you must drag me to the nearest hospital," Kakashi said dryly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't tempt me. So, what did you call me for anyway?"

Kakashi blinked. "Well, you see… It's, um."

"What?" Sasuke pressed, sensing silliness.

"I think I might've surprised myself so much by showing up early that I actually forgot what I called you here for."

Sasuke growled under his breath then said, "Are you serious?"

"Yup," Kakashi affirmed brightly.

He probably got called by ANBU or something, and is not allowed to tell me, Sasuke thought. He replied, "Whatever, then. I'm going grocery shopping."

"Okay, see you!" Kakashi chirped. "Try not to accidentally die before you get home!"

"Hn," Sasuke said, but there was something nagging him about this scene, something important… He frowned, then shrugged. He would remember it soon enough.

"GUESS WHAT, SASUKE!" Naruto yelled at him, jumping down from a roof.

Sasuke blinked, wondering if they had to do this now. He had actually managed to finish grocery shopping, but had no desire to see this Naruto… who was packed for a trip?

His mouth went dry and his eyes widened as he suddenly recalled why meeting Kakashi at that dango shop had been so important. "Naruto, are you going somewhere?" He asked, though his voice was a little unsteady.

"Yup. Ero-sennin is going to teach me a new jutsu, so you better watch out, 'cause when I return, I'm gonna kick your ass with it!" Naruto said with a wide grin.

It was time.

"Tch, don't be so sure. I'll beat you any day, dead last," Sasuke said with a smirk, seemingly composed. In his mind, though, there was a hailstorm of excitement to meet this world's Itachi, a potent mix of longing to see his brother's face, of fear of failing, of impatience to just be there already. His heart beat fast, his blood thrummed with the need to run, and his mind buzzed with a thousand thoughts.

"Oh yeah?! Just you wait, Sasuke, I'll definitely beat you!" Naruto declared indignantly, his eyes burning.

"We'll definitely need to have a match when you get back, then."

"Obviously I'm gonna win it anyway, but it's a promise," Naruto bragged.

"Hn," Sasuke said, and started walking back to his apartment.

"Where are you going, you bastard?!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke's back, but his mind was a mile away so he didn't respond. He was going to see Itachi. He was going to see Itachi.He suddenly stumbled and had to be a bit careful maneuvering to make sure the groceries didn't spill. He looked down at them with a frown.

He was going to see Itachi.

But first, he needed drop off these groceries.

Ruishi had been having a wonderful day. A wonderful, practically stress-free day. He was even going to be able to leave early! Then the representative from the world Uchiha Sasuke had went off to appeared out of nowhere and demanded he do something about the problem. He had tried to explain to her the situation, but alas, fate was cruel.

"Why the hell is this supposed to matter to me?" Mishi, he thought her name was, hissed. "There is a foreign soul contaminating my world. There is a foreign soul contaminating my world, and you want me to just leave it alone?!"

"When you put it like that, it sounds a lot worse than it is," Ruishi muttered, irritated. How had he ended up in charge of this case again?

"If we wait any longer, both Uchiha Sasukes' souls could entwine and they'll end up in the same afterlife, my world's afterlife. The only reason it hasn't happened yet is-"

"I've told you I've taken care of it," Ruishi interrupted. "Uchiha Sasuke will end up in the correct afterlives."

Mishi glared and threatened, "If he doesn't-"

Ruishi patience snapped. "Listen, this is my office, my afterlife, my souls to guide. If you can't respect that, then get out."

With a glower, Mishi slammed her fist into the desk, leaving a large crack. "No, you listen. It's not your afterlife that risks contamination, not your world being invaded. If, when your Uchiha Sasuke dies, he does not immediately head toward your afterlife, I will personally grind his soul into oblivion."

And with that, she left.

Ruishi sighed, and massaged his forehead. "Itachi is not going to be happy."

~~Leaving the Mirror~~

Sasuke runs like he's on fire, like the sky is falling, like he's being chased by the hounds of hell. He runs through the trees, and begins to follow the path through the river, where he manages to finally catch a faint trace of Itachi's chakra, remnants of a path already traveled long ago and fading fast with the flow of the river. Breathe, he reminds himself. Breathe.

It's too loud. Everything, from the rushing of the water, to the rustling of the leaves, to each breath he puffs out, to the thoughts in his head, clamors inside his mind and vies for his attention. But one thought alone stands out in the midst of the chaos and madness.

ItachiItachiItachiIwillsaveyouIswearPleasedon'tdieItachiIneedyouDon'tleave-

His legs are on fire, burning fuel as fast as possible in a desperate attempt to keep up, and for a moment, he fears. Fears that he has not trained enough, fears that he will not see Itachi, fears that he will not be enough. And then he senses Itachi's chakra, and it's like the cloudy skies parted, like rain after a drought, and he can't help but smile, because he is so very close that he can almost taste it.

But because he made no effort to hide his pursuit, Itachi senses him, and speeds up. Sasuke can't help but laugh at this, because it is just so like Itachi – trying to avoid meeting him so that he wouldn't have to hurt him. But Itachi didn't know that he knew, that it would be okay.

Everything would be okay.

He speeds up even more with a smile, not allowing Itachi to move ahead of him, and within a few seconds, he sees him in between the trees. Itachi.

"Itachi!" he calls out, feeling his lungs burn with the need for air. "Stop!"

And miraculously, they stop. Sasuke stops too, ready to collapse, chest heaving as he pants and tries to breathe.

"Oh? What is this, Itachi-san? This boy, he looks a lot like you. And he has the Sharingan, too. Who could he be?" Kisame asks, a shark-like grin on his face.

"That," Itachi says, without any inflection, looking straight at Sasuke, "Is my foolish little brother."

Sasuke shivers, because although this man looks exactly like Itachi, his eyes are so, so cold.

"Well, isn't that strange, considering I heard that you had wiped out your entire clan?" Kisame questions, grin never fading.

"Itachi," Sasuke begins, determination clear in his eyes. "I know why you left me alive. The real reason."

"Oh?" Itachi asks, interest flicking through his eyes for the first time. "You go ahead, Kisame, I'll catch up."

Kisame's eyes sharpen, flicking from Itachi to Sasuke, both of whose faces are unreadable.

"Kisame," Itachi says sharply, his voice a warning.

If Sasuke hadn't been watching closely, he would have almost missed the slight, almost imperceptible flinch that Kisame gave. At last, Kisame says, "Very well, Itachi-san. But please, do not be late." And with that, he disappears into the trees.

And then they are alone. Sasuke watches Itachi, whose eyes remain cold. He hates it. He wants to tear off that mask, to see Itachi as he really is, not this cold face that might as well be carved from stone.

"Why are you here, foolish little brother?" Itachi asks.

"I told you, didn't I? I know what happened, what circumstances led you to doing what you did," Sasuke says, his voice serious.

"If you know why I left you alive, then you must have Mangekyou, am I right? You would have needed it to read the tablet," Itachi observes.

Sasuke jerks, surprised. He replies, "Yes, I admit that I do have it, but that has nothing to do with-"

"You are foolish, little brother, to come before me, thinking you can defeat me simply because your eyes match mine. Either that, or you do not realize why I told you to get them. Though you may have potential, you are still an idiot for coming to me like this," Itachi interrupts, not a hint of warmth in his face or eyes.

Sasuke flinches at the tone, pained by his brother's act. Even after all this time, Itachi's cold-hearted tone is still enough to hurt him. He tries to say, "Itachi, that's not what I'm–"

"Show me," Itachi demands.

Sasuke rears back, confused and bewildered by this strange behavior. If Itachi would just let him speak, they could have a proper conversation. He clenches his fists and asks, "What?"

"The Mangekyou, of course," Itachi answers condescendingly, making Sasuke feel so small, like he is still that tiny child just stumbling around in the dark trying to figure out where to go. After a moment passes, Itachi adds, "Or do you not have it?" and his tone is dangerous.

"If I show it to you, will you finally listen to me?" Sasuke asks, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he clenches his teeth to stop them from falling. He just needs to talk to Itachi, and then everything will be okay. Once Itachi realizes that he knows everything, once there are no more lies between the two of them, they won't have to pretend anymore, and it will be okay. It has to, because it is Itachi, who said that he would love him always, so it has to.

Itachi's eyes narrow, and he replies slowly, as if it disgusts him in some way to grant Sasuke this, "Alright."

Relief floods through Sasuke, and it's almost enough to make his knees buckle. He smiles, and says, "Okay."

He activates the Mangekyou, and sees Itachi's eyes widen with surprise.

"Yes," Itachi breathes, and the unease in Sasuke's heart is stronger now than ever, but Itachi is looking at him as if he respects him, so he pushes away the doubt, and decides that he has waited long enough, that it is now time for them to talk to each other. No more lies, only the truth, and then they would be okay.

It would be okay.

But then Itachi laughs, and it's not a nice laugh, it's cold, and mad, and something about it makes Sasuke take a step back.

But still he tries, because it is Itachi, his brother who swore to protect him, and speaks, "Itachi? You said you would listen, so-"

"Oh, foolish little brother," Itachi interrupts yet again, his voice holding something a little like satisfaction now. He's smiling but nothing touches his eyes.

"Itachi?" Sasuke asks again, because things are not supposed go this way, and– what is that?!

With his eyes he can see it approaching, but his inexperienced body is too slow to do anything but flinch, and how is that supposed to help in the face of a chakra-reinforced kunai? And even if he could have dodged, he doesn't think he would have, because this Itachi, and that kunai is going towards his heart, but this is Itachi, and Itachi's not supposed to be like this, so why, why, why is this happening?!

His eyes flicker, searching desperately for a crack, for a way for it to break through, but he finds nothing. This is no genjutsu.

This is reality.

No, Sasuke thinks, and manages to move his body just enough that that the kunai strikes his sternum instead of his heart, just barely enough to keep the wound from being immediately fatal. The blade skitters along the bone with a sound worse than nails on a chalkboard. Itachi's eyes narrow in displeasure as blood splatters from Sasuke's body, staining Itachi's hands and both of their clothes, but the blade is so sharp that he hardly feels it. No, the pain he feels now is purely emotional, because this is Itachi and Itachi isn't supposed to kill him, and this is like the massacre, the betrayal, all over again, and he just can't take this, he has to know why.

No, he repeats in his mind, there has to be a reason.

"Oh, foolish little brother," Itachi chides with mock disappointment. "Why must you make things harder than they have to be be?"

"I-Itachi," Sasuke rasps, trying to make sense of it all. His gaze blurs as he looks upon Itachi's face, so cold and dispassionate.

"Tsukoyomi," Itachi breathes, and while Sasuke tries to push back, the world twists.

The world is made of crimson and black, but where there should have been two, there are three.

This is not supposed to be.

"Why are there two of you?" Itachi asks sharply, mind no longer on mere torture. This is far more interesting.

And they are different. Both of them are Sasuke, both look similar, but they are not the same. One is trembling, not even looking at Itachi, practically reeking of fear and hate. The other gazes at him, Mangekyou clear in his eyes, frozen still and horror written all over his face.

"Itachi," he chokes out, something like desperation staining his voice. "What have they done to you?"

He had been foolish, he realizes. So very, ridiculously foolish, and it would cost him his life. Hate surges within him, but it is not against his brother. Never again against his brother. No, it is against himself, for failing to connect the dots sooner, for failing to kill Danzo sooner.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his alternate, and surprise flickers through him. He had thought his counterpart dead, but the child had probably been pushed into a corner of his mind by the curse seal, and later, shoved even further back by the seal containing the curse seal. Now, because of his failure, his alternate would die as well. He screwed up his own life, and now was doing the same to another.

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asks, looking at him with mild interest.

Itachi is not what holds Sasuke's attention, though. No, his gaze is fixed on the black, diseased vines winding all across Itachi's body, binding him like chains.

Sasuke is no Yamanaka, but he knows exactly what those mean.

"Can't you see it?" he still asks. "Can't you see what binds you?"

Itachi merely tilts his head, his eyes never wavering, and replies, "Nothing binds me."

"Wh-what does it m-mean?" his alternate stutters out, finally looking up. He's still trembling, and his chest is stained with blood, much like Sasuke's own. Whatever happens here, they will both soon die.

"He's being controlled," Sasuke says, his throat dry. "Has been for quite a while. Years."

His other snaps around to look at him, eyes wide. "You don't mean-"

"Yes," Sasuke confirms. He can almost feel the turmoil rolling off like waves from his alternate from the mere thought that maybe, just maybe, Itachi hadn't wanted to kill his family, hadn't wanted him to hurt.

Itachi blinks once, then looks at them with cruel amusement. "Foolish little brother. I am immune to such jutsu, and thus would know the second someone tried that against me."

Sasuke shakes his head, thinking of when he last saw his brother, during the fight with Kabuto. Itachi was only able to fight with him, and not against him, for one reason. "Not all jutsu, Itachi. You should know."

He stares at the vines, and extends his senses, then almost gags at the vile chakra that brushes against his senses. He knows this. Danzo. God damn Danzo. Shisui's chakra is there alright, but simply tainted. It seemed Danzo is, once again, responsible for pulling the strings. "Remember Kotoamatsukami?" he says hollowly.

Itachi's eyes narrow.

"Koto- what?" the other Sasuke asks, bewildered.

"Cousin Shisui's Mangekyou power. It can control anyone and everyone," Sasuke explains.

"But Shisui-nii died alone on a mission months before the massacre! Itachi was at home then, so he couldn't have ordered Itachi to kill-"

"No, that was someone else," Sasuke interrupts, his mind working furiously as he pulls together the pieces. Shisui's eyes were taken by Danzo during that mission, then, though when he actually died is up for debate. Danzo could have kept Shisui alive to be killed by Itachi for him to gain the Mangekyou, or Itachi could have gained it from the deaths of his parents. Although, that raised the question of why Sasuke was allowed to live in the first place, if Danzo had both eyes. Wait, no, that must be for Itachi to gain the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, thus making him even more useful to Danzo. This had always been convoluted, but allowing Danzo both of Shisui's eyes meant he was far more dangerous in this world.

Itachi sighs, and Sasuke can almost see him dismiss his brother's claim, and then he says, "You haven't answered my question. Why are there two of you?"

"No," his alternate says, refusing to shift the topic. "I want, I really, really, want to believe that it wasn't you. I can see them too, you know."

"Foolish," Itachi says in disgust. His eyes shift, and Sasuke feels the corresponding shift in his surroundings. Itachi is preparing for an attack.

If this were the physical world, Sasuke wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell to beat Itachi. But here, in Tsukoyomi, it isn't about physical strength, but mental, about their will. And in that area, at least, he is on the same level. Though his Tsukuyomi does not have the breadth of Itachi's, with his brother under someone else's control, deadlocking the kaleidoscope world is actually almost easy. Instead of Tsukoyomi shifting to Itachi's wishes, Sasuke fights, and keeps them all in the same place.

Itachi glares, not backing down, but Sasuke grits his teeth and stands strong. He is not that scared little child anymore, and he sees when Itachi realizes it and actually steps back.

His alternate inhales sharply, sensing that something is happening, but not able to see what. His eyes flicker between the two, and he murmurs, voice stained with something a little like grief but more like desperation, "It really wasn't his fault, was it?"

"No one controls me," Itachi snaps, getting a little agitated.

"It wasn't," Sasuke says with certainty, ignoring Itachi's words. They are only a cover, after all, and he is much more interested in Itachi's actions, as his brother has now shifted to trying to break Tsukoyomi instead. In the real world, Sasuke would easily die within the minute. He can tell Itachi is regretting his decision to cast that genjutsu, but he doesn't allow Itachi to break it. Instead, he sinks more of his chakra into the world, making it stay frozen and trying not to count the clock. Twelve minutes. He had twelve minutes to fix this.

His alternate exhales, and closes his eyes. When he opens them, there is only determination in his eyes. "I don't know exactly who you are, but I know enough. I trust you. You're me, after all. And… you can save him, can't you?"

Sasuke nods, but his eyes shifts to the wound on his other's chest. But I can't save you.

His alternate gives a bitter smile, but turns to look at Itachi. I don't care.

And at the moment, Sasuke can't help but feel proud of his alternate's choice. He knows the feelings: the sheer hope in his heart, the fear of death, but acceptance for their fate because at least this time they could save Itachi.

Itachi would live.

Their life isn't worth much. But for Itachi, they would do anything.

"Itachi," his other states. "I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough to help you before. But for what it's worth, I love you."

And then they move, in synchronicity like they are the same person, bleeding into one another until Sasuke isn't sure where he ends and his other began.

Itachi fights back, of course, trying to wrest control of Tsukoyomi, to break it apart, but under their teamwork, it does not crack. It is a battle of their will, and their will to save Itachi is stronger than the flames of the sun. They keep Tsukoyomi active, the younger Sasuke's chakra joining Sasuke's and pooling together to give them time to save their brother.

They fight to break apart Kotoamatsukami, to tear it to pieces and purge it from Itachi's mind, but it is in a league all of it's own, and it will not go quietly. It regrows and rebinds, Itachi still oblivious to it all, and after a few moments, they realize they will have to take drastic measures.

"Amaterasu."

The black fire attacks the vines with an unparalleled viciousness, but they do not allow it to touch Itachi himself. It is tricky, but Sasuke's chakra is an extension of his will, and Sasuke will never, ever allow Itachi to get hurt.

And then finally, as the last traces of the vines are burned, Tsukoyomi falls.

"Shit, shit shit! The souls are entwining– fuck, Itachi, get over here now-"

Something is tugging at the edge of his consciousness, something sweet and warm and gentle, but their eyes are open, so he pushes it aside in favor of the Itachi that is here. They gasp as reality snaps into place, feeling dizzy and hurt from the pain, and knowing they are going to die. I'm scared, the other whispers. It'll be alright, he comforts. Our parents couldn't be more proud, you know. You've done it. You saved Itachi.

They are dying, but there is something important that he needs to do. They focus, and can hear faint crying. Itachi?

"Don't be sad," they try to say, but it came out garbled.

"Don't die- gods, Sasuke, don't die-!" Itachi weeps freely, holding them, hands glowing with a green light as he tries to heal them. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

With labored breathing, they struggle to speak as they shakily raise their hand. "Live," they breathe, their fingertips gently touching Itachi's forehead.

They smile weakly as their arm loses its strength, but give one last caress before it falls, leaving a bloodstained streak across Itachi's face. With an exhale, Sasuke finally allows himself to be separated from the other, and gives in to that gentle tug on his mind.

"Thank the Shinigami, we managed to separate them. He should be on his way here now, I think. Just keep doing what you're doing, Itachi."

"But I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"Sasuke, no, please!" Itachi practically begged desperately, realizing that Sasuke was giving up. His hands shook, and as he realized that there was no way to heal Sasuke, the green glow of his medical jutsu faded.

"Not yer faul'," Sasuke mumbled, his eyes closing. "'ove you."

"No," Itachi whispered in horror, shaking his dead, watching helplessly as Sasuke stilled and his heart slowed to a stop.

"No," he repeated in denial. "NO!"

But this was reality. Sasuke was dead. Dead by his hands. Dead, freeing him from Danzo's grasp. He killed Sasuke. He killed the only light in his world, the only person for whom he lived. He killed his brother. His dear, dear, brother.

Itachi screamed in despair, not caring who heard or what happened. For a long time, he simply sat there, weeping as he held onto his brother's cooling body.

God, Sasuke…

Sasuke had told him to live, but how could he do that?

How could he do anything, fully aware for the first time in years of the horrors he had committed? His Clan, his family, why had he killed them? Bile rose in throat as he thought of them, as he thought of the numerous atrocities he had done.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry…"

His, brilliant, trusting brother. His hands raised to touch where Sasuke had poked him, where he could almost feel the skin still tingling with warmth, and he wondered where Sasuke had learned to transfer information by touch.

Sasuke's Mangekyou Sharingan… Could he really take it? Could he accept his brother's last gift? One of them, at any rate, he thought, thinking of the other information. How had Sasuke known about such things? About Danzo, and Madara, and Zetsu? Ganted, they were merely whispers, but still powerful. His dear, clever little brother.

He had handed him the tools to either save or destroy the world as he saw fit.

Itachi wiped his tears and rose, pushing aside his grief, his sorrow. Sasuke deserved better. Sasuke had deserved to live, not him. Nonetheless, he lived and Sasuke didn't, and that wasn't fair.

Sasuke...

He thought of Sasuke's adoring smile, Shisui's mischievous grin, his mother's gentle touch, his father's proud looks. Grief crashed into him like a tidal wave, relentless and powerful, but he refused to fall, instead turning that emotion into hate and righteous fury.

He knew whose fault this was, and with the knowledge and power given to him by Sasuke, he would make them pay.

Danzo, Tobi, Konoha - they would all pay.

Chapter Text

 "You want me to do what?"

"Sing, Itachi. It's not that difficult."

"Will that even work?"

"Well, it's not like this is an exact science. Better safe than sorry, right?"

Sasuke awoke in a sea of darkness, suspended in nothingness. He blinked, once, twice, before realizing that the dark was all that he could see. A cold stone dropped in his stomach, and he fleetingly wondered if he was fated to drift through here, in this darkness between the worlds, forever. A shiver wracked through his body, and he hugged himself tightly, curling up upon himself.

Cold… So cold...

Suddenly, he heard something, as a soft melody reached him through the nothing. Though it was faint, it carried in its notes a sense of warmth and safety, like a lullaby. It reminded him of happier times, of when his family was whole, when everybody smiled and the sheer stability of home was never a doubt. It swept into him, gently caressing him and flooding his body with warmth, and he couldn't help but gasp as it all clicked into place.

This power… it belongs to Itachi.

A smile broke out on his face, and all his doubts vanished, swept away by the tide that was his brother.

Following the path from which he could sense the melody to be the strongest, he put one foot forward, smile widening when he felt solid ground. One foot, and then another. The first steps were unsteady, still testing the ground, and slowly, they increased in tempo, quickening in their steps until he was a little less than a blur.

I will see you again, Aniki.

He wasn't sure how far he ran, or how long, it could have been one mile or a hundred, he didn't know. But no matter how long it took, did not hesitate, because he knew. He knew who was waiting at the source, he knew that even here, he wasn't alone. He was never alone, and never would be.

Is that… a light?

Squinting, he realized with some measure of satisfaction that it was. He was so close, and it was like the melody could almost sense his excitement, and increased in tempo and volume. His face broke out into a full out grin, and he went faster and faster until he was practically flying.

The light expanded, slowly covering more and more of his vision until suddenly, the darkness wasn't there anymore. And in front of his eyes…

"Aniki," he breathed, feeling all the tension leave his body in one fell swoop.

Itachi smiled warmly, "Otouto." He moved forward, his arms wide open, but before he could even take a step forward, Sasuke was there, crashing into him into a flying embrace and almost sending them both to the ground.

"Oh, Sasuke," Itachi chuckled fondly, returning the embrace.

"I've missed you," Sasuke said, his voice somewhat muffled.

Itachi's eyes softened, and he replied, "I've missed you, too. Though you've had quite the journey arriving here, haven't you?"

Sasuke laughed, and answered lightly, "I'm blaming Kakashi for that one. His lateness rubbed off on me enough that I was even late to the afterlife."

"Let's try not to get lost again, alright?" Itachi teased.

"I'll try," Sasuke replied with a grin. Then, becoming a little more serious, he added, "You know, for a while I wasn't sure what would happen. But then you showed me the way." With a smile, he added, "As always, you're my saving grace, Itachi."

Itachi's hold tightened, and he replied, "Thank you. But I wish you hadn't had to go through that in the first place."

Sasuke shook his head, "I don't care about that. I'm just happy to see you again, I'm happy just be here."

"I am too, Sasuke," Itachi replied, finally releasing Sasuke, and then added softly, "And so is everyone else."

For the first time, Sasuke looked past Itachi, and his eyes widened as he saw his family awaiting him. His mother, father, his family… How long had it been since he had seen them? Everyday of his life, he had been waiting to return to them, and here they were, waiting for him to. Past hurts didn't matter, what mattered was that right now they could be together again. They could be a whole family again.

His smile was wide enough that it hurt, and his cheeks were suspiciously wet, but with happiness swelling in his heart, he murmured, almost awed, "I'm home."

Itachi clasped his brother's hand tightly in reply, and together, they begin to walk. He answered gently, "Welcome home, Sasuke."