tigergirl1723 – I'll let the discussions from this chapter answer your question. I'm sure it'll leave you satisfied.

Anime hotty lover.18 – It makes me so happy to see that you loved it. We're almost at the end of the tunnel so I hope you like this and next chapter just as much as the last one!

Godspeed2000 – I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope this one is received just as well as the last one.

10868letsgo – I know right! I think this chapter is even more beautiful as it will capture just how much Itachi has both changed and stayed the same throughout the story.

Keybladelight – I'm glad you enjoyed the fight! The secret will be revealed, but the suspense has to be built up first. You'll see by the end of this chapter if a wedding is possible for the two of them.

Andresskorskiruiz – That fight scene took a very long time to write. I'm glad most of the people seemed to really enjoy it.

Guest – I'm glad you gave it as long as a shot as you did and I'm sorry that you didn't like the story that much. Can't win them all, lol.

Itachi found himself in a place that was affected by neither time nor space. He looked around to observe the scenery around him and quickly realized that he had been here. Between the dark, yet calm energy that surrounded him, the endless pool of shallow water, and the lack of bloodshed and violence in the air, Itachi knew that he had left planet Earth. He had returned to the plane of existence that The Sage of Six Paths dwelled in.

Itachi didn't know why, but he felt compelled to start walking, so that is what he did. It was very much unlike his first appearance here. The first time he came here, he was lost and without purpose. The Sage gave him a new one and restored Itachi's life. But this time, Itachi knew what his purpose was and sought out the Sage to confront him.

"Sage of Six Paths, reveal yourself to me. I have questions that only you can answer." Itachi called out to the dark void ahead of him.

There was no verbal answer, only a shift that could be felt in the atmosphere. Outwardly, Itachi noticed no change occur, but something within Itachi told him to keep searching for his answers so he activate his Rinnegan. Three pathways of fire that was a myriad of colors could be seen. The pathway to the left was black, the pathway to the center was red, and the pathway to the right was purple. They seemed to be leading Itachi, almost as if the flames themselves were speaking to him. Before him, the flames had even taken the form of people from his past.

"Follow me if you choose to embrace the dark." The black flames took the form of the Crow. It was a plunge back into the darkness and pain. To return to the Hell that had been his life all along. It would lead to despair.

"Follow me if to finally have the desires of your heart." The red flames took the form of Sasuke. He represented his chance of doing settling down and being an ordinary man in the Hidden Leaf Village. It was Itachi's deepest desire to return to the home that was wrongly taken from him when he was just a child. It would lead to joy.

"Follow me restore what has been torn apart." The purple flames took the form of his mother and father, Fugaku and Mikoto. They represented his chance of being reunited with his family in the afterlife. He'd be able to leave all of this pain and betrayal behind to go be with his clan again, even if it meant his permanent death. It would lead to peace.

"What is this?" Itachi asked. He had so many questions about this and no way to get any answers. Just as Itachi started to reach out, his hand was slapped away. He looked and saw that it was a green flame that had taken the form of Hal Jordan.

"Green Lantern…what are you doing here?" Itachi asked.

"Guiding you, of course. You were about to make a decision that would shape the rest of your existence. These aren't just normal pathways. These flames will take you to wherever you truly wish to go." Hal explained.

"But, how are you here? You're dead…Wrath killed you." Itachi reluctantly said as he remembered watching that grizzly scene.

"Itachi, out of everyone, you should know that death isn't the end. Once a Lantern dies, their power ring goes on a journey to find a worthy successor. My ring decided to break the mold, I guess. It brought my spirit to this place and I have been waiting for you to finish your mission. I'm supposed to show you this." Hal said.

The green flames form the shape of three faceless children whom then each turned into three different animals; one turned into a black bat, another turned into a bloody robin, and the last turned into four-eyed raven. They each circled around Itachi before flying away down the path of black flames.

"What was that?" Itachi asked.

"Your destiny. I don't know who those children were, but I believe you have to find and save them. If you don't, then someone else will and they'll be the worse for it." Hal explained. His green fire started to fade away after that and he knew that his time was nearly up.

"Itachi, I've been watching you since my death. Thank you for saving the world that I love. I know it's not perfect, but that's why people like us have to be there to help show it the way. My time is up, but Itachi, you can still do this. All you have to do is pick the right path. It won't be an easy one and will lead you to unimaginable heartache, but that is the cost of being what we are…heroes." He implored.

"Hal…I'm sorry for what happened to you. Your death was my fault. I should've-" Itachi started. Hal interrupted him when he put a hand on the young man's shoulder, "You don't ever have to apologize. You beat him, that's all that matters. I died being a hero. I was wrong about you after seeing your past. I let my emotions get the better of me and allowed it to cloud my judgements. You ARE a hero and you are someone I'm glad I got to know. So go back down there and keep being Gotham's hero, The Crow."

"I will." Itachi replied back.

"Let Guy know that I don't blame him. Wrath was just better that day. He can be a Lantern that the Earth is proud. Itachi, before I go, promise me that you will save those children." Hal asked of Itachi.

"I will save them." Itachi promised. Hal started to cry as his spirit started to leave, "I'm sorry about Carson. Life is too cruel at times. But don't give up on it or your love for her. Both are real to you."

Itachi nodded as Hal faded away. He turned towards the pathways of flames as he contemplated his decision. The red and purple flames started to dim as the black flames burned even brighter than before. It was clear to Itachi what his choice was.

'Down to despair.' Itachi started walking down the path, and walking and walking. It felt like he had been walking for years, yet no progress was being made. It was like time had no place here. Just as he started to get aggravated, the entire area lit up in black flames and The Sage of Six Paths revealed himself.

The old Sage looked down at Itachi with an unreadable look on his face, a look that Itachi returned. The Sage knew Itachi must have had a lot to say, all things considering. He had been watching and listening to everything that was happening. He even heard when Ayumi told Itachi of her origin and the deal he made with his son, Indra. Despite how glad he was to know that her plans had been thwarted, he felt shame about his actions of the past.

"My child, I-" The Sage never got to finish before Itachi interrupted him, "I know what you did to her…to Ayumi. You made her into the monster she is now. All because you couldn't accept how much of a bad parent you were. All of this death and destruction is on you."

"This is something I know. I had hoped-" Itachi cut him off again, "You had hoped that I would clean up your mistake. But I can't heal a heart that I didn't break, not all the way. How could you do that to her? She is the way she is…because of you. And now a plague has been unleashed to this world…a plague of vengeance and hatred. The only light in her life was me…and you had me pitted against her without even the decency to tell me her side of things. I had to find out from her what you did. The only question I have now…is if it is all true…even with what she told me about what and who Carson really is?"

"Yes, yes it is true. I see how wrong I was to do it…all of it." The Sage confirmed. Itachi deactivated his Rinnegan. The truth was that Ayumi may have been an enemy that tortured him and killed a lot of people, but standing before him was the madman that made her the way she was now.

"You were wrong. You and Indra were both wrong for doing that to her. It doesn't matter what her blood was, she was just a girl and you made her go through something that cruel, for your own selfish desires. And now, that same girl has turned into you, the very thing she hates the most. But why, even with all of that, why did you let this madness touch Carson too? I…I love her…but this…this means…." Itachi couldn't finish the thought.

"You have must noticed it by now, right? Who the girl reminds you of the more you think about it. The process has already been started and the vessel has been properly nurtured. The girl is merely a doll that does nothing but wait for it's time to die at the hands of the man it loves. Ayumi has started the countdown. Once Carson's time has run out, what she truly is will be set free and emerge to create a catastrophe that not even I will be able to stop. You have a choice to make and we both know what your options are. To keep her alive out of love knowing what she will become or end it now out of love to spare her and the world from all of the death to come. Despite what you may think, neither I nor Ayumi are the true enemy of peace. The one that truly threatens that peace…the one who is your true enemy is Carson. It seems no matter what you choose, you will never know peace and for that I am sorry." The Sage said with true sorrow in his voice.

"Why am I back here?" Itachi asked The Sage as rage began to seethe through him. Hagoromo sighed in return. The Sage held his hand out for three flames start hovering around in. They were red, purple, and black just like before. The Sage shed a tear at having to do this, "The last mission. You are gone from the plain of the living, but you can return. But this time, only if so choose to. I am done making decisions on behalf of others. Even God needs limits, even if it is just for himself. You can go back to your village with your brother, stay here and be reunited with your Uchiha Clan, or go back to the world where only darkness and despair awaits you."

Itachi saw the spirits of his family behind The Sage of Six Paths. He walked past The Sage to face them one last time, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait till next time…father and mother."

"We know. We've always known. Itachi we are still proud of what and who you are. I can still see the world through your eyes my son because now you have my eyes. I have seen your pain and your suffering since embarking on this new mission. I also saw the truth of our origin. I'm sorry that burden was thrusted only upon you. And I am sorry about the truth of your love." Fugaku said.

"My son, please don't give up. Life is still good. Even with all of the death, betrayal and pain, life can still be good. Don't give up on them. Don't give up on her." Mikoto added.

"But how can there be life for me after this. All these eyes see are darkness and black flames." Itachi replied.

"Ask Sasuke about his life. Ask him if he is happy and you will see that there is life after this, my son." Mikoto responded.

"I will. Mother, everything that happened with Ayumi…I-" he couldn't even finish before tears welled up in his eyes from the shame he felt.

"It's okay, son. You don't have to explain to me. In the end, I wasn't there for you. I don't get the right to be mad at you for seeking a mother's love elsewhere. But Itachi, please know that nothing you did or could do would ever stop me from loving you as your mother. I gave birth to you. You're my first born son. I thought…after you killed us, that you would only live in suffering and pain. My heart broke for you in death. But looking at you now, I can see the light in your eyes again. Itachi, you are still a kind boy." Mikoto said through a teary smile.

"Go save those children and that girl you love, Itachi. It is not too late for her. We'll be watching and waiting until the very end. We may be gone, but our faith in you will never die. It is plain to see that you were born to save others. Now go on, you have friends that are shedding tears for you. Make them happy." His father said.

Both Fugaku and Mikoto then disappeared along with the purple and red flames. Itachi knew what his choice was. He did miss his village, but thanks to the bonds he made with the others, the Team was his new village.

He put his hand in the black flames and watched as it slowly burned away at his body. Itachi could feel himself leaving this plain of existence. Before he left though, he parted with a warning to the Sage, "If I were you, I'd make sure you and I never meet again."

"We won't." The Sage replied. Itachi disappeared finally and left the Sage alone as he turned his attention to the offspring of one of Asura's reincarnation. An interesting development was happening with him regarding his fellow Otsutsuki Clan that required his attention. He figured that Itachi was more than capable of watching over that that universe without his meddling now. He knew that Itachi would need all of his power, though, to face off against the New God terrorizing that universe.

"Good luck, my child. For Darkseid has now heard of you…and he is coming."

Itachi found himself back in the world of the living. When the white light in his vision finally dimmed, he was in a room by himself. It didn't take Itachi long to figure that he was in the infirmary wing of The Cave. He saw his Crow mask at the foot of his bed.

"I'm back. I have to get out of the habit of dying just to comeback." Itachi noted to himself. As soon as he finished his sentence, a whirlwind of people came rushing through the door. They all had eyes filled with tears like they had been crying. Itachi suddenly remembered what his parents said about his friends earlier.

They were all bombarding him with all kinds of questions. Itachi didn't want to be rude, but he was only interested in one thing right now, "Where is my brother?"

"He's downstairs. Sasuke never had any doubt that you would recover. Even when we told him about you flat lining days ago, he just said to wait and that you'd come back when you were ready. Looks like he was right. Itachi, we were so scared. When you didn't wake up, not even after Doctor Fate tried to heal you, we thought you were truly dead. We were beginning to mourn and accept it when M'gann heard your thoughts. We thought it was just wishful thinking, but then Conner heard you talk and we knew you were back!" Artemis explained.

"I see. Ayumi…did you find her afterwards?" Itachi asked.

"No, Batman and the Leaguers are doing just that thing. They haven't been able to find a trace of her. It's like she vanished off of the face of the Earth. Only Canary and Red Tornado stayed back to watch over you. Both of them are downstairs with your brother." Robin answered.

"I see…and Carson?" Itachi reluctantly asked.

"She's resting in the lounge. We…were just about to wake up to give her the bad news when you woke up. After your big fight we took her and James to get their injuries looked at. They both survived. James is with his old unit. The news that he had lost both his legs devastated him so he needed time to adjust. Carla went back to Gotham to mourn her husband. Carson refused to go anywhere unless she knew you were okay. She's been here waiting for you to wake up this whole time. Do you want to go see her?" Artemis asked.

"No, not at the moment. Let her rest. I want to talk to my brother." Itachi replied. Itachi slowly stood and the group immediately went to give him a giant hug. While Itachi appreciated the love and affection, he still was not the hugging type, "Get off, now."

"Okay, dang. Nice to know you're back to normal, Mr. Sourpuss." Wally commented.

"Ignore the idiot. It is good to have you back with us." Conner said as he held a hand out. Itachi reciprocated the gesture and shook his hand, "Thank you. I'm glad to see that all of you are okay. Thanks for coming to rescue me from Ayumi."

"You are our friend. No thanks is needed. We know you would have done the same for all of us." Kaldur responded.

"Well, let's go see your brother. You know, your brother is very much like you. He's kind and caring and hardly says a word. After he recovered from the fight, he made sure that he stayed here to look after us in case Ayumi tried to attack again. He said he wouldn't let any harm come to people Itachi holds as precious." M'gann added.

"I see…" Itachi replied as they made their way to Sasuke. When they got downstairs they could see that Sasuke was staring at the holographic memorial made of Itachi when they believed that Wrath had killed him. Even from a distance, anyone could see by how intently Sasuke was staring at the monument that he still deeply cared for and admired his brother from the bottom of his heart.

"Sasuke, your brother is here to see you." Zatanna called out. The man didn't even turn his head when speaking, "I see you finally decided to stop sleeping. Did you get the answers that you were looking for?"

"No, I didn't get what I was looking for…only the truth. I also got my next mission. As soon as I'm done here I'll start prepping for it." Itachi replied much to the shock of others.

"Wait, a mission? From who and to where?" Robin asked frantically.

"Will…will you be leaving us?" Conner asked nervously.

Itachi ignored their panicked looks as he addressed Sasuke, "Follow me. There are things we need to discuss in private. I have questions for you."

Sasuke nodded as he followed after his brother. Canary and Red Tornado went to the young heroes to ease their worries as they all started to think that Itachi would be leaving them to go back to his world.

"If Itachi leaves, it is his right. Be happy for him. Don't make this harder than it has to be." Canary said gently to M'gann who was starting to be sad.

"But we just got him back. I don't want him to leave. None of us do." Artemis replied.

"Neither do we, but we still don't even know if he actually is going to leave. Please just wait and have faith in your friend. When he returns, ask him yourself. But please, don't just rush to reckless speculation." She implored.

"I just hope Itachi goes with whatever makes him the happiest, he deserves it." Rocket said.

"We'll talk here." Itachi stated. They were in the same room Batman once took Itachi in when they spoke in The Cave. That seems like so long ago now. It was as if that was in a completely different world. So much has changed since then.

"Why did you have me come here to talk? Is there a purpose to this?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't want anyone to hear this conversation. The boy with the red S on his chest…his name is Conner." Itachi started.

"I know. I know all of your friends' names. They were very persistent with trying to get to know me." Sasuke responded.

Itachi sighed when he heard that, "That sounds like them. Too friendly for their own good. Conner has most of the abilities as his genetic template, Superman. That means he has super hearing. But he also has all of Superman's weaknesses too, which means he can't see or hear past Lead."

"And this room is made of Lead I assume. I take it you don't want to take any chances of what we talk about in here getting out." Sasuke deduced.

"That's correct so when we leave this room be sure to keep what we talk about out of your mind. M'gann can read our thoughts and she will do it against our wishes if she senses that something is wrong." Itachi instructed his brother.

"Okay, so what's so important that it warrants all of this secrecy?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke, what did you decide to do after I left you in that cave?" Itachi asked.

"After you left, I sought out answers. I summoned Orochimaru from your Totsuka Blade and had him reanimate all of the previous Hokage so that I could ask them about the origin of the Leaf Village because up until that point, I had no idea what it even was. I wanted to hear from them before I decided whether to go through with destroying the Leaf or not. Lord First told me of his and Madara's origin and how they came to create the village and what it meant to be Hokage. After hearing their side and returning to see what the Leaf Village was, I chose to be you…the Hokage from the shadows. I wanted to be the leader that united the world through hatred. After you died, I planned on assassinating all of the Kage and Tailed Beasts in the world. I wanted to make the entire world fear and hate me in the hopes that they would unite and take me down. That was my goal. Thankfully, Naruto was there to help show me the way. He saved me from the darkness." Sasuke revealed to Itachi's shock.

"So he actually managed to save the village without killing you. I'm glad to see that the man you are now is someone mother and father would have been proud have. You make me proud as well." Itachi responded.

"I realized that Naruto would never stop being my friend no matter how badly I fought against him. Our fight is the reason why I lost my arm. We both did. I could've gotten a replacement, but I decided against it so that I could have a reminder of what true friendship looked and felt like." Sasuke answered.

"I'm glad you made a friend in Naruto. So, it was you that freed Orochimaru. Did he try to take your body again?" Itachi asked.

"No, he has changed. He no longer lusts for power and jutsu. His time in your sword seemed to change him. From what Artemis and M'gann told me on the way to this universe, the time you spent there changed you too. Nowadays, Orochimaru mostly stays to himself and watches over his son from a distance." Sasuke answered.

"He has a son? It must really be different back in our world." Itachi noted.

"Yes it has. Not only does he have a son, but his son is also close friends with my daughter. Together with Naruto's son, they are their own shinobi squad." Sasuke revealed.

Itachi's face visibly changed from a solemn look to one of shock, "You…have a daughter. I…I have a niece? What's…what's her name?"

"Sarada. Her name is Sarada Uchiha. She is mine and Sakura's daughter. I wised up and realized how much she cared about me and how I cared about her too. It hasn't been easy. I can't be around to be the husband and father I should be, but I still love them both with all of my heart. I try so hard to be someone that they can be proud of. After Naruto showed me the error of my ways, I had to redeem myself for all of the pain I had caused. I spend the majority of my time away from the village. I make sure the peace stays as it is not just in the Leaf Village, but throughout the Shinobi World since all of the village are at peace with one another. The children won't grow up like you or I did; in a world ruled by death, war, and shadows. Just thinking about who I was and the pain I caused… and the last image you saw me as. I was of a hurt and angry version of me that made you feel like a failure." Sasuke said looking down at the ground in shame.

"Sasuke, are you happy?" Itachi asked after a long pause.

"Yes, I'm happy." He answered. Itachi walked up to his brother and embraced him, "I love you, little brother."

"Itachi, being your brother made me happy too." Sasuke said. They released from the embrace but Sasuke kept his hand on Itachi, "Brother, are you at peace?"

Itachi's face got cold again, "No, I can never be at peace. I gave that up to come back."

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked. Itachi then told him about everything that happened to him after the fight with Ayumi. How he got sent to see The Sage of Six Paths and how he was confronted with a choice. Itachi could choose to abandon this universe and his friends to go back to his original universe, to stay dead and be with their clan, or to come back to this world to do things that would only lead him to despair either way.

"I gave up peace to come back here. I could've gone back home with you or stayed dead with my parents, but I've chosen to fight in the darkness. I have to see this through to the end. I think you know what that means, brother." Itachi said.

"I do. I hope they understand as much as I do. They seem to still act like teenagers." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, I'm still working on that." Itachi said with an amused smile. Sasuke shook his head, "I see we both deal with children then. Whenever I come back to the village, I check in on my daughter's team. I even have taken on Naruto's son as my student. Seeing them as they are now reminds me of how your Team is now. Even though we are worlds apart, we still seem to share our hardships."

"You've gotten sense of humor since we last met." Itachi replied. He then sighed. Itachi told his brother of the secret that Ayumi told him before she escaped. It didn't make sense to him, but then Itachi continued by retelling the story of her origin. Her painful past shocked Sasuke to the point of him not wanting to believe it but, Itachi told him of how The Sage of Six Paths confirmed her story and the deal he made to create the Uchiha Clan. Unfortunately, it also confirmed Ayumi's secret.

"Itachi, you don-" Itachi stopped him. He had made his mind up, "Yes, I do. You saw how powerful Ayumi was. If what Ayumi says is true, then what other choice do I have?"

"The same thing you did with me." Sasuke then showed Itachi an image of how the new Leaf Village. Itachi almost didn't believe how beautiful and prosperous the village had become. But then he had an image of his own, the image he saw when he first opened his eyes. Carson came to his mind. He remembered how beautiful and innocent she was to him, and he knew he wanted to preserve that for as long as possible.

"I'll do it. I'll lie to her if it means she can stay true to herself for as long as possible. That's what I will choose." Itachi decided.

"I know it doesn't seem right or fair, but it is the best option not just for you…but for both universes. What will you do…if she ever finds out the truth and acts like how I did?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm not like Naruto. I don't believe that talking it out can fix anything. I know what I said back then in the cave with you regarding our parents, but this different. She is different. If she ever finds out the truth of her origins, I will take full responsibility." Itachi swore.

"That's good enough." Sasuke responded. They both started walking towards the door as Sasuke brought up something else, "So, are you going to go after the children?"

"Yes, I promised Hal that I would save them, so I will. And I believe I know who two of them are; Cassandra Cain and Jason Todd. The Black Bat and the Bloody Robin. After I defeated him, Wrath had me promise to find and take care of them. Cassandra and Jason are in danger of following the dark path we both wound up taking as children. I have to save them from that, especially if it was a clone of me that put them on that path." Itachi explained.

"Do you know where to find them?" Sasuke asked.

"I know that Jason is in Gotham. If he becomes anything like Wrath fears, he'll want to stay in the city in the hopes of finding Wrath and killing him. I'll just have to go to the streets in order to find him. With Cassandra, he gave me the person who is currently in custody of her. I have a way to get in contact with the guardian. I'll start with Cassandra, then I'll go find Jason, and finally I will find whoever this four-eyed raven child is." Itachi answered.

"You seem to have already given this a lot of thought. Will you include the others?" Sasuke asked.

"No, they stay out of this. I've involved them enough in my business." Itachi responded resolutely.

"I see. Let's head back. I'd like to say goodbye to them before leaving to go back to the village." Sasuke announced.

"I see. If that is what you wish, go on ahead." Itachi replied. He knew his brother couldn't stay forever. He was glad he got the time and closure that he did with him.

They made their way back to the others who rushed them as soon as the brother made it to the lounge. Sasuke picked his sword up and activated his Rinnegan before letting them know the news, "I'm leaving. It's time I returned to my world. I have to report on what's happened here. I'll leave out the part about my brother being alive and just explain how there was an Otsutsuki that threatened this universe. Together with you heroes, we were able to fight off that threat."

"As much as we want you to stay longer, we understand that you have to go back home. Sasuke, you have done not just the world, but our entire universe a great service when you came to help us. If you are ever in need of help, the Justice League is yours as an ally." Canary said to him.

Sasuke nodded before using his eye to open a portal back to his universe. He saw the concerned looks on the children's faces and paused, "Is there something wrong?"

"Mr. Sasuke, we were just wondering…if you were taking Itachi with you?" Wally asked. Both Sasuke and Itachi looked at one another. Kaldur elaborated on their thoughts, "You were both talking for a while and when you came out, and M'gann indicated that both of you had heavy hearts when you left that room. Like you had bad news for us."

"We don't want Itachi to leave! We know it's your home and you're his brother, but he's become like family to us as well. We don't want our family to be broken up." Conner added.

"Please, just give us one more day with him. It's all we're asking for." Zatanna said.

Sasuke gave an amused smile before turning back to his brother, "Just like teenagers. Looks like you do have your hands full, brother. I'll let you tell them the "bad news". Itachi, Sarada has asked questions about you, but all she has is what is available to the public. If you ever want to meet her, you're always free too. Just be discreet about it. I have this universe remembered so if any trouble with Ayumi Uchiha arises again, be sure to let me know and I'll come. Hopefully, we'll never need to meet like this again, but if we do, you'll have an ally in not only me, but the Leaf Village as well. "

The others had dumbfounded looks on their faces at Sasuke's reply. Itachi shook his head at how embarrassing his friends were, "Thank you for the offer. Keep protecting the Leaf, Sasuke."

"I will. And don't give up on peace Itachi. You've made good friends, now go live a good life." Sasuke said in reply before heading into the portal. It quickly closed behind him once he entered it. Itachi turned to see the embarrassed looks of his friends' faces. Wally verbalized what they all were thinking, "Oops."

"We're sorry. We didn't mean to jump the gun like that. We were just so worry that you were leaving us." Artemis admitted.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to hijack your goodbye to your brother." Wally said. Itachi shook his head, "I never said I was leaving this universe. This place…I may not have been born here, but it is my home now. You guys are my home now. If I ever did choose to leave this world, I'd tell you all to your faces beforehand. I owe you that much."

"Thanks…so what's next?" Robin asked. Itachi sighed. This is where the bad news came, "I go check on Carson and then I look for Ayumi. She's still out there. I have to find her before…before any more damage is done. That will be my main focus."

"We understand and you have the full support of The Team behind you, Itachi." Kaldur said to the shinobi. They all nodded in agreement.

"You have the League's support, too." Red Tornado added. Itachi nodded at them before going to Carson's sleeping form on the couch. He lifted her up and went for a Zeta-Tube, "I will be taking Carson to her apartment. There are things we need to discuss in private. If you need me, just listen to the sound of criminals crying out in fear in Gotham. It'll most likely be me causing it."

"Good luck, Itachi. With everything." Artemis said to her friend. She didn't know why, but she felt there was more to what Itachi was saying. It felt like he was hiding something. As much as she wanted to pry, she knew it was none of her business at the end of the day and decided to trust in Itachi's judgement.

"Thank you. And congratulationas on you and Wally finally dating. It took long enough." Itachi said with his dry sense of humor. Wally stood there embarrassed as the others giggled at them. Artemis, like usual, was just her usual self.

"Oh bite me!" Artemis replied as Itachi and Carson teleported away. She hoped that whatever they had to talk about would end in them finally being happy together.

Before Itachi left, he sent a telepathic message to M'gann. It was one that only she would be able to hear, "M'gann, I have a favor to ask of you. I won't pressure you to say yes but if you do, this has to stay between you and me."

"What do you need? I'll help in any way possible." She mentally replied.

"I need you to help put something back together that was broken a long time ago. I'll talk to you later in private with more details. I have to confirm some things first before I have you help me. I'll keep in touch." He replied before leaving her confused about his strange behavior. She hoped that whatever it was, that it wasn't as serious as he was making out to be. Too bad she knew her friend. It probably was very serious.

It was nightfall before Itachi made it back to Carson's apartment. He didn't run into any criminals surprisingly, though he didn't use any of the shady parts of the city for travel. Itachi placed Carson on the couch and just took everything in. Here he was, after everything that had happened, right back where he started in this journey; in Carson's apartment.

"Itachi? Oh my gosh, Itachi!" Carson ran to embrace him as soon as she woke up. Itachi returned the favor. This was the first time they had seen each other since Ayumi's reveal and attack. She used her hands to cup Itachi's face and brought him down to kiss him.

"I was so worried about you. Itachi, I thought…I thought you were dead. The whole time I was hurt all I could think about was how scared I was." Carson revealed.

"Carson, I'm sorry. You got hurt because of me. James lost his legs and even Phil lost his life…because I wasn't good enough. I'm such a failure. You have a whole in your chest as a reminder of that fact." Itachi said in a vulnerable moment with Carson.

"No, no you're not! You tried your best. Sometimes the bad guy is a step ahead, but that doesn't mean it's over and you're a failure. I'm here because you fought and won for me. Itachi, this whole in my chest isn't a reminder of some false failure of yours, it's the place that holds the heart of someone who loves you. Can't you see that?" She asked.

"It is hard to see it that way with all of the damage that has happened since I came to this world. All of this death happened only because I got here. And it will keep happening for as long as I stay here." He replied. Itachi thought of the choice of despair he made. The choice to keep fighting even though he knew that people would die because of it.

"All you seem to use your eyes for is just see the bad in you. Itachi, I only see a good man when I look at you. A good man who put his life on the line to stop a madwoman that he had a deep relationship with. You saved my brother and me countless times, along with the people of our city and the world. When you left, the reason I was so scared was because I thought I'd have to live in a world without you again. That world was way too dark for me to ever want to go back in. I know you feel otherwise, but you brighten my world." She told him.

Itachi knew that at this point, he was at a crossroads. He could either tell her the truth about everything and risk losing her forever, or lie and hope that this secret never reaches the light of day. Either way, it would only lead to the despair of either having to lie to her, or to lose her. He put on an emotionless face before speaking again, "You brighten my world too. I don't want to lose you, but there's something I have to tell you."

"W-What is it?" She asked nervously. Itachi sighed, "While I was captured by Ayumi, she…told me some things. Very disturbing things that could change a lot about how we move forward."

"She's a vile liar, Itachi! Nothing she could ever say about you would change how I view you or us." Carson replied in defiance.

"What she revealed to me can. For instance, I am the reincarnation of her first born child." Itachi revealed.

"Wait what? How is that possible?" She asked with confusion. Itachi held her hand in his, "The same reason why I came here…why I came back even though I had the chance to go home; because The Sage of Six Paths willed it. He took her son away from her tragically and as a means to try and make up for it, he reincarnated him as me. Ayumi, as much as I want to hate her, I can't because what happened to her wasn't her fault. She's just as much a victim in this as all of us are."

"Itachi, even if you are her reincarnated son, that won't change anything. I still love you." Carson said. She tried to kiss him but he brushed her off. This was confirming something Ayumi told him about Carson.

"Carson, she also told me something about you. What I'm about to show are like stones in my heart." Itachi warned her. Before she could ask him what he meant, Itachi put her in a genjutsu. Inside of it, she was shown the portion of his and Ayumi's conversation where she revealed to him what was done to Carson. How she was brainwashed into being devoted to him via Cadmus's experiments. Black Mask went after her and her family because Ayumi ordered it. Even her first meeting him was set up by Ayumi. It revealed that her feelings were all a manufactured lie that was created by Ayumi and The Light.

Carson broke down in tears. She couldn't believe what she had just seen and vehemently denied it, "No! No, that's can't be true. Itachi, I truly love you. That's real. You have to believe me!"

"Carson, I want to believe you, but I can't. And as much as you don't want to admit it, you can't either. I know the love you feel is there, I just don't know if that love is your or Ayumi's." Itachi replied to her. It hurt him to know that he was making her cry again.

By the look of Carson's face, Itachi could tell that she was becoming distressed by it all, not that he could blame her. This would be troubling news to anyone. She mustered as much of her composure as she could before asking the big question to Itachi, "So, what's next for us?"

"I've arranged for a friend to help you. One of my teammates has the ability to peer into other minds. I'm going to have her undue the years of brainwashing that you underwent prior to my arrival. There's no telling what all they have programmed into your mind. Once she clears your head, and if you still love me, we can move forward and try to make this work. But if after your mind is fixed, and you stop loving me, I won't force you to stay or bother you for the rest of your life." Itachi revealed.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt like her world was turning upside down all over again, "You'd really leave me like that?"

"Yes," Itachi responded coldly. Carson's heart skipped a beat from hearing his answer. While she was glad Itachi was being honest with her, Carson still felt hurt from the sting of his words. She held his hand again, "At least you're going to be with me through it all…right?"

"No, I'm leaving tonight. There's a mission and a promise to keep. I just wanted to see you one more time before I leave." Itachi revealed to her.

"B-But why? How could you leave now of all times?! I need your support." Carson responded with frustration.

"Because of the nature of and the subject of your brainwashing, I think me being there would only impede your progress. Carson, this is for the best." He replied.

"Yeah? The best for who, because all I'm hearing is me suffering and possibly losing everything." Carson vented.

"Carson, you being like this because of me hurts me too. I don't think you'll ever know just how much you mean to me. If you stopped loving me, I'd truly never have peace. Please, just wait for me because you aren't the only one fighting for us." Itachi responded as he made his way towards the door.

As Itachi made his way towards the door, Carson called out to him. He turned to see that she had tears in her eyes and a very sad smile on her face. Itachi then saw Carson point to her heart before speaking, "Let's make a promise to each other. I promise you that I won't forget about my love for you and you promise me that you will honor what you said on the night of our last date."

Itachi smiled before pointing to his heart, "I promise."

He then disappeared out of the doorway. Once he left, Carson felt the weight of everything he had just told her and fell onto the couch and cried. As she wanted to feel hopeful, it was hard considering that all of her hope was walking out of the door. But then she remembered the promise they had just made to each other and started practicing the hand signs for the Fireball Jutsu.

'This isn't the end of us. It can't be. I refused to let it be.' Carson thought with a renewed determination as she kept practicing.

When Itachi left Carson's apartment, he made his way to an address that was divulged to him a long time ago. The shinobi made sure to switch into his Crow attire before making the transit. He was once told that one day he would seek her out, Itachi just couldn't believe that she was right. Itachi looked at the address that was written on the letter Cheshire gave him long ago to double check if he was in the right place.

He found himself in front of an abandoned shelter. Itachi would always skip over it while on patrol since trouble rarely found itself in this part of the city. Plus, nothing about it gave any indication that someone occupied this space. The windows were all shattered and the door looked half broken. He mentally shook his head as he went to enter.

"She is not going to let me live this down." Itachi said to himself.

"Oh, no I am not. Hello handsome, it took longer than I expected, but I knew you'd come. Aren't you a little overdressed for the occasion?" Itachi turned to see Cheshire Cat, who was in a very seductive attire. She was in a sheer, see-through sleeping gown with lingerie that looked like it only served to help the imagination of whoever she was trying to seduce. She wasn't even wearing her mask.

Itachi ignored her and got right to what he came here for, "The girl, Cassandra Cain. Where is she?"

"What's it matter to you?" She asked back at him. He stopped her as she went to remove his mask, "I will be taking custody of her from this day forward. Is that a problem?"

"Oh no, no problem at all. Well, maybe just one. I don't have custody of her anymore. The League of Assassins do now." Cheshire revealed.

"And where is the League of Assassins located at the moment? I'll get her from them." Itachi replied.

She walked up to him and placed a hand on his mask, "That's not how this is going to work. If you want this information out of me, I need to get something from you first."

"Or I could put you in a genjutsu and just make you tell me where she is." Itachi offered as a rebuttal. She cackled as she took his mask off. Itachi had no idea what game she was playing at, but he was not entertained in the least. She went to touch his actual face but he stopped her before she could. She fake pouted when he did that, "Yes, you could just use your mind control to just make me give you the information, but would that really be wise? Do you really think it would be that simple?"

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked. She almost purred at his response, "You see while it's true that I do know where the girl was being kept, I had a bit of a falling out with the League of Assassins. We just didn't agree on how to move forward. I wanted her to have a normal life and they wanted her as a weapon for Ra's al Ghul. They threatened to kill my mother and Artemis if I didn't give her to them so it didn't leave me much of a choice. Giving her to them was my only way of keeping them alive. I know where she was sent to, but there's no guarantee that I can tell you where she is now. I might still have a contact, but if I act like anything other than myself, they'll definitely be tipped off and would send the order to have my family killed. There is a way for all of this to end in a win for both of us though. It all depends on you doing me two favors."

Itachi was trying to process what she was telling him. Cassandra was gone but that wasn't even the worse of it. Depending on how he goes about doing this, Artemis and Paula's lives could be at stake. Itachi forcing her to tell him whatever information she had would mean nothing.

"What are your favors? I can at least hear you out before giving my answer." Itachi said.

"I can get her location from my contact, but when I do it'll initiate a contract being executed on my family. That's just how the League works. The only way out is with an offer of life and any attempt to get that life back means the sacrifice of another. So when I get the information to you and you go and get her, you have to promise to kill everyone there. No one can be left alive. If they are, they will reach out to the other branches of the League and they'll send every assassin they can think after Artemis and Paula. I won't put their lives at risk, not even for the girl. Crow, if you really want her that badly, you will have to kill for her." Cheshire said to him.

Itachi remembered being in the afterlife and choosing the paths of black fire. He was told then that it would lead him to despair, but save those that were closest to him. Itachi knew that scaring them wasn't an option like it was with others. People who swear to kill without discrimination won't be afraid to die or suffer great pain. Itachi knew he would have to kill them, but if he did this, and the others found out, they'd never view him the same way. He'd just be a murderer to them. But willingly letting a little girl grow up to be a killer is the same as being a killer himself. It all led to Itachi having to make an impossible choice.

"Fine, I'll do it. But you had better swear to never speak a word of this to Artemis or anyone else. This deal stays between you and me." Itachi threatened.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it handsome. This will just be our little secret." She said as she closed the distance between the two of them so that their bodies were now touching and her face was only a few inches from his. She had a seductive smile when she spoke again, "But that's just one of my favors. The other is more personal and can be done right now. I want you to kiss me."

Itachi didn't even dignify that with a response. He simply glared at her and her smile kept getting bigger, "I need the kiss as an insurance policy that you won't come after me anymore. If you ever try to, I'll let your little girlfriend, Carson, know about everything, including the secret you're still keeping from her. Don't be surprised. It's my job to know things that other people don't want me to know. Oh and don't try to use your little genjutsu trick on me. You may be able to make me forget, but the source I got it from won't be as easy. You should know who I'm talking about since you are her son."

Itachi put a hand to her throat after hearing that, "Where is the Masked Stranger?"

Cheshire shook her head, "Let…me…go…so I…can…talk." Itachi dropped her as the former assassin gasped for air. She looked up with another smirk on her face, "I didn't know you liked it rough. I can do rough. But to answer your question, I don't know where the Masked Stranger is. I was only told that you would seek me out and that this information would be the difference between life and death. That was over a year ago."

"I see. I'm sorry for doing that to you." Itachi said. She gave him a confused look, "Never apologize for defending what you love. No matter how cruel you have to be to do it. All I care about is protecting my family. You, Crow, have to help me protect them if I am to help you."

"Fine, you have my word that I will look after Artemis and Paula as if they were my own family. I will also promise to take care of Cassandra as well. I won't let my childhood be hers. But I won't kiss you. That's out of the question. I have a promise to keep to Carson." He resolutely said.

"You must really love that girl. Even knowing what she really is, you still are willing to make it work. Be careful that you don't throw out too many lies in the name of keeping her safe. You just might choke on them. But fine, the kiss won't be needed. Just give me a means to contact you in case things go bad for me and I'll let that suffice." She responded.

"Things go bad?" Itachi replied. Cheshire nodded, "You know as well as I do having live the same life as me that you always need a safety net should things go bad."

"Very well," Itachi summoned a crow that flew over to her shoulder. She had a look of disgust on her face, "Really, you give me a stupid bird?"

"That crow is a means of contact. It'll serve as a link between you and me. If you were to ever find yourself in a situation where your life is in danger and you feel you can't escape, the crow will flare up and summon me to help. Where I'm from, it's called a reverse-summoning." Itachi explained.

"Fine, that will suffice for now. I'll get started with finding the girl's location. When I find it, I'll use the crow to summon you since technically my life would be in danger from that point onwards." She replied.

Itachi nodded at her before turning to walk out. Just as he left out he called out to her, "Make sure to put some clothes on the next time we meet. And let Roy know when he wakes up from whatever you and he were doing that his secret is safe with me. Don't be so surprised, I never go into a space without knowing everyone that is inside. That was what I was referring to when I said that you'd never let me live this down. Roy will be my insurance policy to make sure you keep this just between us. Wouldn't want him to know that you were trying to see me behind his back."

She gave him a dumfounded look that soon turned into a smile as his figure disappeared in the darkness. Roy was in her bedroom asleep after they had some intimate time together, but she was sure that he was well hidden. It just goes to show that even when she thinks she had it all figured out, the Crow flipped it all upside down on top of her. It was both infuriating and such a turn on for her

They had only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but thing got physical quick. As much as she preferred the Crow, she decided that Red Arrow wasn't a bad plan B, plus he was more willing.

'I so want you.' She seductively thought towards Crow before returning to Roy in bed.

Itachi got in contact with M'gann the day after his meet with Cheshire Cat. Itachi told her to meet him in Gotham at Ayumi's now abandoned mask shop. He told her of his situation with Carson regarding her brainwashing due to the Light. He left out a very important detail to her since it was still a touchy subject. He asked M'gann to promise that if she did this, then she would do it in secret. It was of the upmost importance that this was to be kept as secret as possible.

"But they are our friends. Itachi, Artemis would be so hurt if she found out that you kept something like this from her." She said.

"Then make sure she doesn't find out then. I won't let issues of my world be burdens to you all. As my friends, I want to spare you from my despair. Look, can you do this or not? If you can't it's alright, I can find someone else but I still need you to not tell anyone about this." Itachi responded.

"I'll do this, but I don't agree at all with hiding this from our friends. How can you keep working with us knowing that you are hiding such a big secret?" She asked. Itachi gave her a serious look as he put his mask back on. M'gann gasped. She didn't have to read his mind to know what Itachi's answer to that was, "You don't plan on staying on The Team, do you?"

"It has to be like this. M'gann, you saw my past, but you didn't see my future. You all weren't part of it. Only a black bat, a bloody robin, and a four-eyed raven. It won't be forever, but I need to distance myself from you all until I find what I'm looking for." Itachi explained.

"But we can help you." She argued.

"You already are. Just help Carson, please. I want to have the peace of mind from knowing that you will be there for her. She…she's precious to me. You all are. M'gann, you and the rest of my friends are my new family. Just like with Sasuke, I wish to spare you from the despair that will come my way. You all have such bright futures that would only be tainted by me." Itachi replied.

"So what am I supposed to tell them? That you just up and left because you didn't want us to be 'tainted' by you? They'd never accept that. I don't know how Carson accepts this. This is irrational." M'gann said out of frustration.

"All I can tell you is what I told her; that it won't be like this forever. Just wait on me and no matter what I do from here on out, know that I do it so that none of you will ever have to." Itachi said before walking out.

After that, M'gann didn't see or hear from Itachi again. It has been six months since Itachi met with Cheshire Cat and M'gann. No one had seen or heard from Itachi after that day. It was like he was never there at all. The worst part of it was that the shadow he casted loomed over everyone.

For the Team, they all felt hurt and confused. M'gann had sworn to keep Itachi's secret only because he wound up promising to eventually tell them why he left. At first, the missions were hard to adjust to without him. The Justice League were all still spread thin because of the damage control needed due to the public losing faith in their ability to protect them. As a result, the burden fell on The Team to pick up the slack. That meant more missions that got progressively harder and harder. Over time they learned to adapt and get better, but the emotional blow dealt from Itachi's absence never healed.

After a group meeting, they all eventually gave up and decided that they couldn't wait on Itachi forever. They'd have to move on just like he did. All they could do was hope he'd find his way back to them. Artemis grudgingly agreed but not without first stating that when Itachi eventually did come back, he'd be welcomed back with open arms sine he was family. They all agreed to it. It helped that since most of them were in relationships now, it led to less time thinking about Itachi.

Gotham felt the Crow's absence too. It was underestimated just how much of the criminals in the city feared him. It took a month for the criminals to notice that The Crow was gone and when they did, the flood gates opened up. The crime rate spiked to a historical high and Gotham had returned to being the epicenter of crime. Batman and Robin tried their best, but not even their combined efforts could help close the gap. It led to their relationship, both work and professional, being strained from the stress of it all. Batman kept comparing Robin to Itachi, which led to Robin openly lashing out while on the field. The whole thing made Batman consider bring someone new into the fold.

Carson also felt the absence of Itachi. M'gann came to do their scheduled mind therapy sessions. They met every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. They sessions were intense and would lead to Carson being exhausted which is why they were spaced out. Progress was definitely being made. More and more Carson felt whatever was done to her by Cadmus being broken down. She could see why Itachi felt this was needed. She only hoped that her love for Itachi was not one of them. Every night Carson practiced the hand signs of the Fireball Jutsu after her sessions in hopes of finally mastering it.

Eventually, M'gann's friends started to notice how she left on certain days and her excuses were starting to not be believed. Canary, Conner, and Artemis all confronted her about it and asked where she was going. Artemis had feeling that it had something to do with Itachi and that she'd been hiding it the entire time. Conner and Canary was more willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but Artemis just knew that M'gann was withholding information about Itachi. What tipped her off was that Carson seemed to always ask about M'gann whenever they hungout despite them not ever having a conversation to her knowledge.

It was that and the guilty look that would pop onto her face whenever Itachi or something about him got brought up. M'gann, to her credit, categorically and emphatically denied the allegations. That was all it took for Conner and Canary to believe her, but Artemis wasn't so convinced, which left a layer of distrust in the group as about half were on her side of thinking with the other half believing M'gann. The whole situation made her feel so awful because she knew she was lying to her friends, but she wanted to keep her promise to Itachi.

So where Itachi is and what has he been doing for the last six months was the two big questions on literally everyone's mind. The answer to that was on a training facility near Mt. Fiji and using a sword to bisect a man's head in half. The gurgling that could be heard from his mouth would disturb most people, but Itachi just stared down at him as the man took his last breath.

Itachi quickly turned to see a female ninja sprinting at him. He dispatched her easily by taking the sword of the bisected man and using it to cleave her right leg clean off. She screeched in pain as the blood flowed uncontrollably. Itachi ended her suffering by stabbing her in the chest.

"Don't let the Crow get away with this! Soldiers, charge!" One of the lead captains shouted. After six long months, Cheshire came through and gave Itachi the location of the League of Assassins base that was currently housing Cassandra. Remembering his end of the deal, Itachi chose to kill all of the members there to avoid retaliation happening against Artemis and her family.

Itachi noticed that a group of assassins had circled him, all of them even having bladed weapons on them. Itachi shook his head before addressing them, "None of this is personal. It's just how it has to be."

"You murdered our teachers and comrades, then dare to say that this is not personal. It is for us! You burned our head commanders to death in their sleep. You desecrated our hollowed training grounds and our home. You must die, Crow!" One of the recruits shouted.

It's true that this all started when one of the recruits smelled fire coming the commanders' sleeping quarters. The recruit, to her horror, found that all of her commanders were being burnt alive by black fire. Itachi quickly exited to the training ground and watched as the flames started to spread across the entire upper portion of the League's tower. Itachi got the jump on them thanks to using the blizzard as cover.

Most of the recruits either exited the building to fight Itachi, or hid in the underground chamber to seek shelter. Itachi was betting that that was where Cassandra was. Itachi used a Fireball Jutsu to demolish the upper rings of the tower, thus killing all of their higher ranking members since the League's traditions were that the higher ranking members always were on the upper floors. Only the few captains that were on watch downstairs survived. Cheshire told him about their routines as she was briefing him on the location and all of its access points.

Itachi surrounded the entire facility with his Amaterasu and caved in all of the underground entrances, making sure that no one could either escape. The final nail in the coffin came when one of the captains sent a recruit to report this massacre to the leader of the League of Assassins, Ra's al Ghul. The recruit found, though, that all of their messenger hawks were decapitated, meaning that they were all on their own against the monster that was The Crow.

Itachi summoned his Susanoo in its Skeletal, Half-Body form much to the horror of the surrounding assassins. Thanks to the shroud of the surrounding blizzard, all they could see was the demonic glow of its orange eyes, making it seem like a real demon was in their midst. He proceeded to crush every one of them with ruthless aggression. After the last severed limb finally slid off of its astral blade, Itachi retracted his Susanoo as its job was done. The building collapsed and fell down the mountainside after Itachi's Amaterasu completely burned down its structural integrity. The once proud dojo of the League of Assassins had been reduced to a graveyard out of a horror movie. Severed limbs, internal organs, and corpses could be seen everywhere.

There were only a few survivors left. Itachi, unfortunately, had experience with conducting massacres. It made him very thorough at it. He looked to his left and found a recruit who was just barely alive. His intestines could be seen dangling from out of his stomach from being cut there by Itachi earlier. He could tell that the young man was suffering and decided to end it by throwing a shuriken at him. It went through his left eyes socket and killed him instantly. Itachi looked down in sadness.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way." He said to himself. It went like that for the rest of the survivors. Itachi gave them all swift deaths since having them suffer would have just been cruel and unneeded. What this worse was that none of them begged for death or even swore at him with rage, they just thanked him for setting them free from their cages.

Only the captain expressed rage at Itachi, "You will pay for this. On my life, you will pay for this!"

"I already am." That was what Itachi responded with as he stabbed the man in the chest to kill him quickly. Itachi surveyed the battlefield one last time and took in all of the blood, death, and destruction before going inside to deal with what should be the lasT of the assassins. When Itachi made it to the underground chamber though, he found that the survivors were already dead.

'What happened in here?' He thought to himself. Itachi got his answer when a child could be seen running towards him while screaming for his life, only for the child to be impaled by a thrown sword from behind. Itachi looked up and saw that it was a young girl that was around the boy's age that did it. In fact, the entire chamber was filled with the corpses of dead children and elderly. It didn't take Itachi long to figure what happened here based on the look on the girl's face. It was the same look Itachi had on his face underneath his mask; one of despair.

"You Crow. You here to kill me too?" The girl asked. Itachi knew that this was who he was looking for, "You must be Cassandra. I'm not here to kill you."

"But you kill everyone else. Why not me?" She asked as kept in a defensive stance. Itachi took his mask off to show the sad smile on his face, "Because I made a promise to someone who cares very much about you."

"Jade gave me away. She no want me." Cassandra said sadly. Itachi slowly walked towards her and knelt down, "She didn't send me. Wrath sent me to get you and bring you home."

Her face lit up at first, but then she remembered what Jade told her when she first was under her custody and her face got cold again, "You killed Wrath. He hated Crow. Said he'd kill Crow. If you here, that means Wrath…is dead."

"Yes…he is dead." Itachi confirmed to her. He could see the tears starting to well up in her eyes so he told her another truth, "But I wasn't the one who killed him. Our fight had no winner. The one known as The Stranger dealt the killing blow to him. Before Wrath died, he made me promise to save you from the same darkness that corrupted him and me. Out of all of the things to think about, his last thoughts were about you, Cassandra."

She didn't know how to respond to that. This whole time she thought Crow had murdered him because that was what Jade told him, but by the sound of Itachi's voice, she just knew that he was telling the truth. She dropped her sword and took a look into Itachi's face for the first time since he took his mask off.

"You and Wrath have same smiles…warm." She told him. Itachi held his hand out to her as a tear escaped his eye, "Why did you kill the others? You didn't have to do that. No child should have to do that."

"They feared painful death by you. Heard stories about you. I kill them quick so they no suffer and pay it with my death. Some them…my friends. They had no choice. Wanted freedom." She answered sadly.

"I'm sorry you felt you had to do that. The darkness of killing is something no child should know. I was around your age when I had to make a decision like that as well. I think it's time someone save kids like us." Itachi offered.

She took his bloodied hand in hers as she asked the question on both their minds, "So what is next?"

"First, I'm taking you back to Gotham. The League of Assassins has no power over you and no one will know what happened here. I made sure of that. After that, it depends on you. I'll drop you off at the Wayne Foundation Orphanage if that is what you desire. They will take care of you and make sure you go to a good, ordinary family who loves you. But…if you allow me to, I will fulfill my promise to Wrath and take you into my care. I will raise and love you and make sure that I do everything in my power to take the darkness from out of your heart and replace it with light. Cassandra, I want your permission to adopt you." Itachi answered.

Itachi remembered what his brother said about having a family and specifically, about having a daughter. It made him a better person and gave him peace. Itachi hoped that not only would this give him peace, but also Cassandra as well.

She gasped. Cassandra didn't know what say to that. All she could do was cry and run to embrace Itachi with the biggest hug she could muster. While she wanted it to be Wrath who saved her, Cassandra was willing to accept Itachi since it was Wrath that sent him. She only had one condition to saying yes, "Promise not hurt me…ever. Treat me like daughter, not weapon."

"I promise. You don't have to be like me. You don't have to be what they made you. Thank you for letting me save you." Itachi said through tears of joy. He then lifted her up as they left out of the underground facility, "Let's go home, Cassandra Uchiha."

That's it for this chapter! The next chapter will be the final one of this story. Having spoken to the Sage of Six Paths, his parents, Hal Jordan, and even Sasuke; Itachi has made his decision on the path he will take. He will walk the dark path so that no one else has to and in doing so has now caused rifts and created secrets. Despite all of that, Itachi will still stride towards the joy of his friends and now, Cassandra. He even gave her his last name. The final chapter will be about whether or not the ends will truly justify the means. Itachi will have to choose what he is willing to live. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the support since day one. We're almost at the finish line. You make all of the time and effort worth it. If you haven't already, please favorite, follow, review, or PM me. I love hearing your thoughts on the chapter. Thanks again and until next time guys and gals!