This is the last chapter of Part 1.

It ends like a Season 1, with a season finale, so it makes sense on its own. I'll write part 2 but I don't know when, since I'm working on other projects.

To know more, read the notes at the end of the chapter where I also thank/reply to some guests.

I dedicate this chapter to eeliiii, her amazing art and the many spooky coincidences :)

"When you caught my eye, I saw everywhere I'd been and wanna go to

You came on your own, that's how you'll leave

With hope in your hands and air to breathe" (Editors, An End Has A Start)

The dango shop is closing, nevertheless the waitress welcomes the late costumers and tells them to enjoy their tea and do not mind her cleaning up the tables. She smiles at the two Anbu, one with silver unruly hair and a partially covered face that doesn't hide his charm, the other with noble features, piercing eyes and dark luscious hair tied in a low ponytail.

Kakashi once spotted him standing in front of this shop, looking inside.

He approached him, carefully hiding the anxiety of seeing him too close to the very shop that he visited, after Hiruzen died.

With relief he learned that Itachi was just curious to try their dango after Ino recommended them, during his regular examination.

"You made me read about the Five Countries and how things were before the Shinobi Alliance." Itachi starts.

"Despite their differences they had one thing in common: they all neglected orphans. In the Hidden Mist the weak ones were killed, the others forcibly turned into spies. In Iwa they were sent to suicide missions. In the Hidden Cloud and in the Sand they were assigned the most dangerous jobs. In Konoha they became fodder for shady divisions. A few of them, whose name and potential could not be forgotten, were given a house and some money. From the outside they lived like every other children. Yet they were alone."

The books didn't report this sort of information so clearly, Kakashi remarks. Itachi used his own insight, reading between documents' lines and observing people around him, to describe the situation with an uncanny precision.

"My brother was among the lucky ones: his kekkei genkai made him valuable and our parents died later, compared to other orphans."

Would his reasoning be just as clear if he knew that he killed them to spare Sasuke's life? Kakashi wonders.

"I can't remember my lifelong mission, but that the fact I accepted it was a proof of my loyalty towards the village."

Kakashi nods, eye fixed on Itachi's long fingers curled around the cup.

"The only thing I could vaguely remember, even before Sasuke found me, was a voice. No words, just sound. The sound of his voice. This means that Sasuke has always been the most important person in my life."

More than he can imagine.

Kakashi knows what it's like to sacrifice everything for an important person. Not just because he shielded his friend from an enemy -he lost an eye for that, not his life -but because that friend gave his life to save him, and his last thought before dying was giving him his eye as a last gift, and even when after life brought them together again, fighting side by side, Obito protected him with his life and beyond.

"It's legitimate to infer that before I accepted to leave the most important person in my life, I made sure that he would be taken care of with the same dedication I had for my mission, with the same loyalty I had for my village."

Itachi studies the other man's neutral expression.

"Then why was wasn't he treated that way?"

Kakashi knew that this would happen sooner or later. There is no embarrassment in his tone as he replies, and no hesitation, for he knows that this conversation -this confession- will be for his own good.

"Itachi, I owe you an apology. It's my fault...it's all my fault."

How weird that the words that he never told anyone, not even Sasuke, for he felt too ashamed to even try, roll off his mouth so naturally.

"My mother died before I can remember. When my father committed suicide I had to fend for myself even though I was completely alone. The only thing that kept me stable, that gave me a purpose, was respecting the rules. My father had died because he hadn't respected them, so if I respected them everything will be alright, I told myself. With time, and thanks to a friend, I opened up and realized what really matters. Who really matters...until I lost them."

He sighs, apologetically looking at his former subordinate.

He should have shared a little of his burden during his Anbu days, instead he chose not to look past Itachi's perfect record, as plagues as he was by nightmares with Rin and Obito's deaths.

"Sasuke reminded me of myself as a kid. Unlike Naruto he was good at everything, he was orderly, punctual, disciplined. He respected the rules, just like me, so I thought that he would have been fine if he stuck to the rules and accepted his comrades'...Had I been a better teacher I would have seen that Sasuke hid his pain so not to be considered weak, but he unwillingly showed signs of it all the time. I would have understood that while I wanted to forget about my father, he wanted to remember his family. That while I found stability in respecting the rules, he did so in seeking strength."

He can't tell Itachi that the reason he sought strength was to kill him and avenge his family.

"Only when he left I realized how different we were, and how differently I should have been with him. I was his teacher, his mentor. He looked up to me because I was the most similar to you, but I was too focused on my own losses to realize it."

Naruto had Iruka who took him out for ramen and paid visits when he was sick.

Sasuke had no one instead. He should have taken him out to eat, he should have taken care of him while he was sick, instead of teaching him a jutsu and scold him when he used it out of anger.

"He wanted to become stronger. I should have kept him closer as my apprentice instead of keeping him at distance, letting him deal with his pain all alone."

"What happened when he left?"

Itachi inquires, only to add, in a lower tone:

"I promised him I wouldn't investigate the past."

He doesn't want to break that promise. He doesn't want to make him suffer.

Kakashi nods, understanding.

"According to official records Sasuke left the village to join and old enemy of the village. He wanted to become stronger, and look for you."

It was unexpectedly easy to come up with a less traumatic version of Itachi's past, one that didn't include the massacre of his clan, by his own hand, forced by Danzo.

It's not hard to isolate Sasuke's movements either. The boy made it clear: as long as Itachi is not told about the massacre, his reputation doesn't matter.

"When you died Sasuke had a...breakdown. Out of desperation he decided to avenge you. He became reckless, aggressive, he attacked everyone who tried to stop him, including the Raikage, thus becoming an international criminal."

Now Kakashi understood that Sasuke was desperate, not crazy like he used to think.

"But he saw the light in all that darkness. He helped the Alliance during the war. He returned."

Sasuke saw the light. He saw you. You changed him. You brought him up into the light.

"Sasuke is unpredictable, especially when it's about you. When he saw what he assumed to be your family I thought he would have dragged you back. On the contrary, despite the joy of seeing his beloved brother alive, he only considered your happiness and decided to avoid interfering in your new life."

He didn't want you to come here and be examined and controlled like an object.

He didn't want you to be used again like a tool.

He didn't want you to threatened by both enemies and unwanted memories.

"I know it's not enough...but since Sasuke is back I gave my best to be there for him, not just to make up for the past but because he is dear to me. He is one of my precious students, the only one I taught my technique. And," he adds, "he is my comrade's little brother. I hope you'll forgive me, Itachi."

Despite the mask Itachi can see that Kakashi is cracking an apologetic smile.

"I can't blame one person for the flaws of a whole system."

I can't blame you more than I blame myself.

"Everyone is shaped by their environment. A society that is frequently at war values self-preservation through individual strength over cooperation, the latter needed only as a mean to fight. Children are the first victims of this dominant mentality: their personality isn't definite yet, it will build itself around those principles, hiding what is considered weakness, being discouraged from offering help and even more from asking for it."

Itachi explains, staring into space, into a past he can't remember but he knows well, somehow.

I must have been the same, he thinks.

Kakashi made mistakes with my precious brother but so did I, abandoning him for a lifelong mission.

"The pain of losing a loved one is unbearable. The way people deal with it is subjective, but whether they wallow in it or try to bury it, it doesn't leave. It attaches itself to the soul. It changes it, sometimes. My brother's desperation made him violent and destructive. Your desperation made you blind and deaf to Sasuke's needs."

His stare descends to the ground, then to the shop, then it refocuses on the silver haired man.

"Ever since I came back I saw your dedication towards my brother. Your discreet support, your silent understanding, your indirect way of pushing him. I thought you were the best teacher and leader he could have, before I knew all this. Nevertheless, I still trust my former Anbu leader, and my current team leader. Everyone needs a second chance and you are honouring yours. I forgive you."

Kakashi exhales as if a heavy load was removed from his chest.

"I won't make the same mistake again. I won't betray your brother and the trust you put in me."

He replies, determined.

"I know you will. I have been given a second chance too. A new life that I've devoted to him."

As if the first one wasn't devoted to him, Kakashi thinks, before a shiver runs down his spine.

"What I said before...I meant it. I won't let anyone hurt my brother. Be it an enemy or a Kage."

Itachi's black eyes show no sign of sharingan but their piercing intensity is the same as the time he came back to Konoha, after Hiruzen's death.

"Or you."

Even though Karin doesn't sense the Lightning shinobi's chakra anymore, Team Taka doesn't leave.

They all know when Sasuke is troubled. They spent so much time with him, silently supporting as he suffered, as he let out his rage, as he fought, to not notice.

Itachi is late: their former leader is worried because his mission took him too close to the Raikage who hates them all.

By now what happened between them is no longer a cause of distress and frustration and everything Sasuke can think about is Itachi's safety.

As the hours passed, Itachi's rejection, his refusal to kiss him again, his silence, matter less and less, and he scolds himself for having wanted more, for having become selfish and greedy now that his brother returned.

When the Uzumaki girl senses him the sky is still dark, even though it's almost dawn. Only then the noisy group is relieved enough to storm back to their apartment, next to Naruto's.

Itachi doesn't announce his arrival like he usually does. It's late and his body feels tired, but at the same time his mind can't rest.

Sasuke rushes in the entryway as soon as the door opens.

Even though he spent the last day thinking about his brother and his mission, seeing him wearing the Anbu gears hits him in a way he didn't expect.

It doesn't matter if he is carrying a small bag, not a sword stained with the blood of their parents.

It doesn't matter if his expression is caring and his smile warm, nothing like the apathetic look and sadistic smirk he wore that night.

It doesn't matter if he's taller and like all adult Anbu his broad shoulders are not covered by sleeves, it doesn't matter that Sasuke is taller and older as well: the action of running to open the door, the sight of Itachi in Anbu uniform is so overwhelming that it takes over his mind, screaming that it's just like that night, that it is that night.

It's like a nightmare where a part of the mind knows it's not real, yet the sensory impression and the feelings are so strong and horrifying that it doesn't matter.

It's like everything that happened after the massacre disappeared, and all he can see is that scene, all he can feel is the fear and confusion and sadness, all he can be is his weak ignorant child self.

As his brother takes a few steps to take off his shoes he recoils, his back hitting the door, his eyes wide open, his mouth half open but no words coming out.

Itachi ignores the reason why Sasuke is in shock but it's clear that it has to do with him: his beautiful dark eyes, so similar yet so different from his own, are fixed on him but they don't see him, or maybe they see beyond him.

Itachi puts the bag down. Despite the instinctive drive to rush towards his little brother, hug him and reassure him that everything is fine, he chooses a different approach, for the boy reminds him of a wild animal, injured and frightened.

"Sasuke, it's me. Just me. Your brother."

The one who slaughtered their family. The one who left him alone.

The one who just said he'd protect him against everything and everyone.

The one who wonders if it's him the one his brother must be protected from.

"The mission was longer than expected so I stopped to buy something to eat. I figured that we would run out of groceries after the party, even more so after your guests stayed here. Karin isn't a bad cook, despite you and Suigetsu's critical comments. I'm sure she managed to make all of you a good meal despite there wasn't much."

Itachi's tone is calm, his words seem casual, their purpose is not to force a reply out of the boy, but to let him get used to his voice and his gestures.

"Something told me you didn't eat much today, so you should be hungry by now. Or maybe not, but you should eat something anyway. I brought your favourite onigiri, with umeboshi. You don't like sweets, I know, but I also brought dango..."

Sasuke's eyes frantically wonder between Itachi and the door, Itachi and the stair separating them, Itachi and everything else, as if he were looking for an escape route, as if his brother was about to throw a kunai at him, and do much worse if he dared come closer.

"Anyway if you really aren't hungry it doesn't matter. I won't force you to eat. I won't force you to do or say anything, Sasuke."

I won't force you to tell me why you are scared by the very person you love.

"Now I'll remove my arm and shin guards and I'll put the mask away too," he describes his actions one by one, letting the objects fall on the pavement, "then I'll remove my shoes and come in...if you want, that is."

He stops talking to observe his brother whose eyes are still seeing beyond him, although they don't look as frantic as before.

"It's alright if you don't want me to come in. You remember everything while I forgot."

Slowly, he climbs the small step and comes towards Sasuke. He is holding his breath.

Itachi's hand tentatively reaches out to him. It's a light touch but Sasuke flinches, enough for the elder to blame his present eagerness and the past that he, only, has forgotten.

Just like in a nightmare Sasuke sees the Itachi who brought onigiri and dango, who once promised that he'll never leave him, but he also sees the Itachi who cursed him to live an unsightly life of hate and misery, turning his back on him and leaving him all alone, when all he wanted was to follow him forever, no matter where he'd go.

Just like in a nightmare Sasuke would like to move but his body is paralyzed, he would like to say something but he has no voice.

Noticing that as soon as he removes his hand the boy breathes again, Itachi turns his back on him, to reach the door. He'll be better without him, at least for now.

Even though he's tired, he will stay outside the house and keep watch, in case his brother needs him.

His brother touches him and his child self is scared that he'll kill him, his adult self is scared that he'll reject him. Both are scared that he'll leave.

"Niisan no…"

Sasuke whispers as the elder is about to go.

"Don't leave..."

"Don't leave me…" he repeats.

His voice is broken, his eyes less scared, almost awake when Itachi's smile illuminates the room -and his heart- and tries to touch him again, lightly brushing his waist then lingering he shows no signs of discomfort.

"I won't."

He's back.

They both are.

Sasuke's back leaning on the door, he tugs at Itachi's tight top. The older Uchiha understands that he can finally hug him, encircling his waist with one arm, caressing the back of his neck and his unruly hair.

"Don't leave me..."

He's not a child anymore and this is not the compound anymore; he's in his new house, his safe house, there are no dead bodies around, it's only him and his brother who's back from a mission with a bag of food, because he didn't forget about him.

Nevertheless his heart is still tightly gripped by fear. Itachi could leave anyway, because of what he selfishly did and demanded him to do.

"What I did...what I said...I'm sorry. Forget about it all. I'll respect that border. Just. Stay..Please."

Itachi lifts Sasuke's chin.

The elder's doubts are dispelled by Sasuke's desperate, selfless plea.

Wouldn't it be hypocritical to preserve his purity but hurt him in the process?

Wouldn't it be cowardly to keep himself free from judgment, instead of facing his feelings like his brave brother did?

Wouldn't be selfish to stay by his side, putting boundaries between them, instead of giving all of himself to heal the one he scarred in a past he conveniently can't remember?

"I won't ever leave you, Sasuke."

He strokes the boy's jaw and cheek with his thumb.

"And I don't want to forget."

I forgot too much already.

"You opened your heart for me but I didn't. May I do it now?"

He asks, his other hand brushing all the way from Sasuke's nape to his face.

In a lower tone, almost a whisper, he adds: "It's alright if you don't want to, Sasuke. It's alright if you want me to forget about it," but the boy wants him to go on, he can read it in his eyes, red and swollen, as if he rubbed them too much, trying to get some sleep or trying to stay awake. His cheeks are hollow and he looks so tired, his shoulders are drooping and his back is leaning against the door. He could fall on his knees if he moved, the shock taking its toll on his body.

"What you told me this morning...I feel the same way. And it scares me."

Somehow Sasuke can't picture his perfect older brother scared.

"I love you, Sasuke."

Sasuke never saw such an emotional, even desperate look on Itachi's face.

He can tell how tired he is too, his tear troughs looking deeper in the faint light.

"I love you more than words can express. I love you in a way that has no limit and no boundaries. I love you in a way that scares me because I feel that I wouldn't be able to restrain myself once unleashed..."

Sasuke's hands crawl over the elder's waist and settle on his back.

"It scares me because this love I feel is so strong and overwhelming that it might suffocate you."

A slight pressure from Sasuke's fingers urge him to come closer.

As starved of his love as he is, Sasuke is not afraid of to be suffocated by it.

"It scares me because I don't want to repeat past mistakes. I don't want to return to be the person I was, someone who made you suffer so much that you still bear the scars."

"You were a hero," Sasuke interrupts him, his voice strained, "You were the best shinobi. You protected the village and you protected me."

We are shinobi, we all did things, Kakashi once told him. Itachi knew well that those "things" were part of their job and their lives, yet it's hard to justify his actions, no matter how noble their purpose, when they hurt his brother so much.

"I don't want to cause you pain, Sasuke. I don't want to scare you again."

Sasuke pulls Itachi towards him ever so lightly, in a completely different manner compared to the ardent hungry gesture he did that very morning.

So much time seems to have passed since then. So much life. After hearing the Raikage's slander and Kakashi's explanation, in Itachi's soul a stronger resolve is born, an even stronger need to protect and cherish the most important person of his life, the one who made him feel human, the one whose voice was in his head since he came back to a new life.

"It scares me because I'm your older brother. I am supposed to protect you. I am supposed to let you go. I am not supposed to claim you for myself. I am not supposed to want you. I am not supposed to want to...make you mine."

Sasuke nudges Itachi's chin with his nose. The elder cups his brother's pale face with both hands.

"I feel that I could do anything for you..."

Anything for him. Even obey to the worst order and sacrifice his clan so that his brother would live.

Sasuke parts his lips. No words or movements follow, a silent invitation for his brother to act.

His eyes, still bearing a trace of the previous haze, are fixed on the elder's.

Only for a moment, hiding behind the curtain of long dark lashes, they wonder to his lips.

Itachi is in a different sort of haze: he just confessed his love and his fear to his beloved who accepted them, he could go ahead and take what his brother is offering him, he could taste those lips again but he waits.

They stare at each other for a long time -or a short one, they can't tell the passing of time, as the world stopped around them the moment their eyes met- until the force that reunited them gets stronger and resisting becomes impossible.

Just like Sasuke can't shut the fear to lose him, Itachi can't shut the guilt for tainting him, but his need for the boy -his need to love the boy. His need to make the boy feel loved- is stronger.

In his past life they lost each other. He left Sasuke alone for years then died on a mission.

In his present, miraculously bestowed life, they were lost and yet they found each other.

Love, the one thing that transcends time and space, life and death, like gravity pulled his brother towards him when he had no memory.

Love, like gravity, pulled his brother closer to him, so close that Itachi can feel Sasuke's hitched breath on his skin, so close that he can hear his heartbeat.

Maybe his past self was strong enough to resist, but he is no longer that person.

Itachi bends forward, as Sasuke is slouched against the door. His head tilted, he brushes the boy's lips while his hands don't let go of his face. He kisses Sasuke's upper lip, then the lower one, then he stops for a moment -to make sure Sasuke wants it, to make sure he memorizes every detail- before claiming the boy's mouth in a long, intense, burning kiss that only ends when the elder withdraws to let the younger breathe.

Itachi leans his elbows against the door, not wanting to put weight on Sasuke, but the younger locks his arms around his back and pulls him closer, until their chests are touching, and the elder's thigh rests between his legs.

Sasuke wants him closer. He wants him to get closer, the Itachi who won't leave him, the Itachi who loves him, the Itachi who initiated the kiss because he wants him as much as he does.

Itachi nibbles and gently sucks Sasuke's lips, while his fingers entwine his brother's, holding his hands up above his head.

"I could do anything for you…"

He whispers in the boy's mouth, drinking the other's breath.

"And I could do anything to you..."

He whispers again, in a lower, huskier tone, in the boy's ear, eliciting a moan.

"But...not tonight…"

They have all the time in the world.

Sasuke doesn't protest when Itachi hoists him up and takes him to his room, insisting that he has a good sleep. He can tell that the elder is visibly tired too.

When he asks his brother to sleep there with him -an innocent request from a pure soul- Itachi accepts.

It happened before, although not in a bed, and not by choice: the first nights he was back they used to fall asleep on the couch after hours of endless conversation, where Itachi asked Sasuke about everything and the boy was happy to satisfy his curiosity.

The elder used to cover his brother with a blanket and put him in the most comfortable position, not at all bothered by how uncomfortable he would be, caught between Sasuke and Shiro, curled up beside his lap.

As he cradles Sasuke in his arms, Itachi stares outside, at the ever changing colours of the sky at dawn. Orange and pink hues tint everything with their dreamy warmth.

Even the morning star, that he stared at so many times as he roamed around the earth without a name or a past.

Towards it, his lips voice a silent prayer, expressing gratitude for the second chance he has been given.

Towards it, his heart takes a silent oath. No matter what happens he will protect Sasuke from anything and anyone.

No matter what happens he will listen to the command he heard within his soul the day his brother found him.

The boy must not suffer.

A/N:

With this chapter I close the first part of this story. See it as the ending of season 1. Part 2 will be uploaded under the title "In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated 2", simple as that, even though it will continue narrating this AU with no timeskips or anything. The reason why I decided to split it in 2 parts is because I feel that part 2 is like a second season for themes and a slightly darker content, and the writing might or might not be more drabble oriented, as I first intended, since I wanted it to be a collection of fragmentary drabbles following this plot, but as I started writing not just Sasuke and Itachi but other characters had a voice and a story to tell, so it got longer.

Other than that, part 2 will describe the new development of the relationship between Itachi and Sasuke, so Itasasu fans will have something to enjoy. And to be anxious about, because..uh, of things.

I am also writing 2 more fics, and the way I write is a slow one anyway. Even if I have it all planned, I wait for the dialogues and the scenes to fully form in my head before I write them down.

In reply to blackwolfsasuke: thanks. And nope I don't abandon my projects. "only" put them on hiatus after giving them a season finale though. Hope you'll wait. And I'm not gonna kill them off, I swear.

Also thanks to xXxTophxXx, Random Guest (yup I wasn't aiming at anything The Sound Of Music related but I like TSOM so xD), DRagon77,

About this chapter: finally it happened. The kisses they exchanged before were amazing but different. Now Itachi has a different awareness of himself and the world around him, and this gave him a different resolve.

Needless to repeat it, he doesn't remember his past. He knows he did something bad but he assumes it's a result of infiltrating a terrorist organization, committing crimes with it, and leaving Sasuke alone.

He is loyal to Konoha but not as a concept, as he used to be. He is loyal to the people who welcomed him as he returned, and to the village that kept Sasuke safe where he wasn't there.

He takes responsibility for these actions, but he is much more critical towards Konoha now. And he's smart, so he points out the flaws in the system, after admitting his own mistakes.

And once he sees the extent of the damage he inflicted on Sasuke, both by doing this horrible something he has no memory of, and putting distance between them again, the love he feels for Sasuke, that he kept restrained in order to protect him, is no longer restrained. He wants to protect Sasuke, and to love him fully.

Sasuke is not the forceful one that is a too common trope now. He actually isn't forceful with Itachi in canon: before Edo Tensei Itachi left, he tried to tell him that he was his responsibility, that he would destroy Konoha anyway...as if he would stay and fix him. It was not forceful though. Most of it all it last a short moment, and he soon accepted Itachi's decision, even though it broke his heart. during the fight against Kabuto Sasuke's behaviour towards Itachi expressed admiration, love, reverence for his older, perfect brother who led the fight so well.

Even moreso in this story, where Sasuke has Itachi back, no matter how much he would want their relationship to not be just brotherly, he loves Itachi, so much that he doesn't want to lose him, so much that he would accept to not cross the brotherly border if it meant that Itachi would stay by his side, although I'm pretty sure he'd try something at times...but keep in mind that the way I see and portray Sasuke is someone who loves Itachi so deeply, so strongly, that he doesn't really separate one thing from another, one expression of love from another. He is pure, so his actions would not be lewd, but acts of love, and he would never force himself too much anyway.

In case anyone recognized it, I quoted the movie Interstellar when I wrote that love is the one thing that transcends time and space.

On a lighter note, I headcanon Sasuke as a vegetarian, because he loves animals and he saw too many dead bodies during the massacre, to eat meat as he grows up, so his favourite onigiri flavor is umeboshi. I also headcanon Itachi as a vegan, refraining from dairy products and eggs. He was the one who butchered those bodies, so in him I see that same disgust.

Writing this fic is something I love (Itachi defending Sasuke against the system is something every fan would want I guess), but at the same it tires me because every time I start writing a scene with even minor characters, they come to life so vividly, with glimpses of scenes and dialogues, that I can't stop giving them space and trying to give them justice with the best portrayal, highlighting their best characteristics that they used to have, and that were forgotten along the way. Because naruto used to be a beautiful manga, deeper than most shounen. Kakashi was an extremely interesting character, a troubled soul who cared about pupils in his own way. Naruto was self centered but not selfish or insensitive. Taka wasn't just comic relief, they were deeply hurt people who sincerely and deeply bonded with each other.

Kakashi was terrible in the ending, even worse than Naruto. I never considered his pre-shippuuden relationship with Sasuke perfect (as a Kakasasu shipper it's part of the charm...) but sure the ending and the horrible way he treated Sasuke made everything worse, so writing the best parts of Kakashi's personality is something I care about a lot. His clever way of pushing the characters, his discreet way of showing affection. His mistakes were caused by his own suffering and trauma so he is a victim of the system as well. It doesn't justify what he did in canon, but it does in a scenario where he realizes his mistakes and changes.

It's a waste of potential that Itachi and Kakashi were in the same Anbu team but Kakashi never brougth that up, not even in his head, when dealing with Sasuke. So I'm fixing it, with an Itachi that is finally involved in the lives of the two Uchiha brothers.

Speaking of change, in this AU Konoha does take change seriously. Other countries in the Shinobi Alliance don't see things in their same way.

Thanks to everyone for reading, and I hope you'll also read part 2.