To fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise, without being wise: for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For anything that men can tell, death may be the greatest good that can happen to them: but they fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils. And what is this but that shameful ignorance of thinking that we know what we do not know? (Socrates)

The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Fifteen

They were at the park, just like every Friday afternoon. Usually, she'd be playing with Sakura and Ino, but they weren't here, so she was sitting with her brother. Mito was playing with a doll that orphanage matron, Nonō Yakushi, had given her as a birthday present. Nonō-san was so nice, and Mito viewed her as the mother she never had.

She looked over towards Naruto and saw that he was staring up at the sky with no particular expression on his face. He was always like this now, ever since the strange man had started visiting the orphanage, always reading those weird books to them. It had been so long since she had seen her big bro smile, and it made her sad. It was almost as if he didn't enjoy anything anymore.

"Big bro?" she asked tentatively. "What are you doing?"

"Look up at the sky and tell me what you see, Mito," her brother said, ignoring her question.

She looked up as instructed and saw the beautiful blue sky and the fluffy white clouds. Mito didn't really know what it was that her brother wanted her to look for, but to her, it just seemed like the same old sky that she saw every day. She smiled when she noticed that one of the clouds liked like a big Hippo, and that another one looked like a flower.

"I see the sky, and a Hippo cloud!" she answered in between giggles.

"I see the entire world," Naruto said, surprising his sister. "A world that belongs to you."

"R-Really?" she asked. "The world is mine?"

"Yes," Naruto clarified simply. "Everything that exists is yours."

"But why?" she asked, eyes widened in innocence.

Then her brother swiveled his head towards her and gave her a childlike smile before chuckling lightly, "Because I said so."

Mito opened her eyes to see that she was no floating in her mindscape. She could hear the slight echoes of a battle outside of her mind, which told her that the Kyuubi had likely retaken control of her body. Whenever that happened, none of her opponents ever survived. Usually, she'd despise being in such a state, but without the power of the cursed beast inside of her, she'd never be able to defeat Naruto. Her brother was, in her opinion, more dangerous than even the legendary Bijuu.

He couldn't destroy entire mountains like the Bijuu, but he could ruin a person's humanity. Naruto showed a person who they truly were, and his victims were often so disgusted with what they saw, that they would take their lives. Mito was unsure whether Naruto desired for her to die in such a way or not, but it certainly seemed as if he enjoyed making her suffer. He was most certainly the devil; however, if she was the sister of the devil, what did that make her?

How far was she from becoming like Naruto? How far was anyone?

~Break~

Shisui was leaping through the trees of Grass Country at blinding speeds. A few hours ago, he had been greeted with a sight he had not seen in years. He awoke to a crow pecking his side, a crow he immediately recognized as one of Itachi's summons. He had meant to meet up once more with his oldest friend, but it was clear that Itachi must have been undergoing so sort of secret mission, otherwise he would have never joined a group like the Akatsuki.

After following the crow for what felt like an eternity, he realized that there was only one place of significance in the direction he was being led. It was Yama no Sato; essentially, the capital of scum in a world full of emotionless killers.

"Jeez," he muttered to himself as he saw the village on the horizon. "Of course Itachi wouldn't want to just meet in a tea shop or something."

"I figured that you'd find a tea shop rather bland, Shisui," a voice he recognized spoke up from behind him, catching him off guard.

Shisui turned over his shoulder with enough speed to give an ordinary person whiplash. Itachi looked more or less the same, though it was clear that he was no longer a young teenage boy, as he was now a young man. The Akatsuki cloak made him look incredibly intimidating, but Shisui knew what kind of a person his friend truly was, so he was not at all worried. When he saw the small smile grace his childhood friend's face, he realized that he hadn't really changed at all.

Shisui was about to embrace his old friend, but then the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his instincts screamed that something was wrong. He turned towards Itachi, and saw the younger man's Sharingan had been activated, showing that he had felt it too, "This is why I reached out to you, Shisui," Itachi informed through narrowed eyes. "I think we both know what the source of that feeling is. He is here, in the city."

A frown graced Shisui's face as he contemplated the implications of Itachi's words. There was only one person capable of making shivers run up his spine, and it was the very person he had vowed to kill long ago. It wasn't surprising that Naruto was apparently also on Itachi's radar, since the Uchiha missing-nin was always aware of any threats to Konoha. However, Naruto wasn't just a danger to Konoha, and the entire world wouldn't be safe until he was finally dead.

"My time will be coming to an end soon, Shisui," Itachi suddenly said, cryptically. "Soon, I will be face to face with Sasuke, and I need to know that things will remain stable after I am gone."

Shisui narrowed his eyes, "You're planning on dying at Sasuke's hand, aren't you?"

His question was never answered, as Itachi jumped forward in the direction of the city. Shisui shook his head in annoyance before following soon after. The continued leaping through the trees until Itachi suddenly veered to the right, toward the woods located to the right of Yama no Sato. The closer and closer the got, the more Shisui's heart pounded in his chest. The presence he immediately recognized as Naruto's was deep in the forest, immobile and seemingly awaiting their arrival. This would be it, the climax, the end to the struggle. Naruto would die, here and now.

Finally, they arrived at their destination, landing softly on the ground, in front of a large lake. Sitting at the edge of the lake, looking relaxed as ever was Naruto. He seemed to be looking up at the sky, basking in the sun's rays with his eyes closed. He was still, like a statue, and he made no move to react to their arrival. The first thing Shisui noticed was that Naruto had clearly done some growing up since the last time they met. He was as beautiful as ever, but he looked much older, quite unlike the child he once was.

"You have grown, Naruto-kun," Itachi commented stoically commented, breaking the deathly silence.

Naruto turned over his shoulder and smiled, "As have you, Itachi-san. Though, it is clear that something ails you. You reek of pain and misery. You are not far from death's embrace."

Shisui was getting a bit unnerved. Naruto felt entirely different than he did four years ago, even if the change was subtle. In the past, there was always an air of curiosity surrounding him, which was probably his only human trait. However, now he had the look of a person who had all the answers. There was an almost omniscient gleam to his eyes, the like of which he had never seen, and when those cerulean blue eyes began to glow in a manner he was familiar with, he prepared for battle. Yet, an attack never came. Naruto rose from his seated position and turned to face them, looking completely emotionless, with even his serene smile missing from his face. It was then that he spoke, in his smooth, yet utterly chilling voice.

"You fight and you fight, all with the intention of preserving life, whether it be your own or those of the people you hold close to your hearts," he said, causing the two Uchiha's to narrow their eyes. "The world was full of violence and bloodshed long before any of us lived, it remains that way now, and will never change. In this universe of ours, so vast and beyond our understanding, the existence of a human life is insignificant, to the point where the birth of a new life only marks the beginning of another brief and meaningless existence. Death is the only ultimate force in the universe. It affects all: the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, everything and everyone. Death is the only certainty there is….so why live?"

At that moment, Shisui truly felt sorry for Naruto. It was clear that past experiences had molded him into the monster that he was today, and there was little doubt that his existence was miserable. Had Naruto been nurtured with love and affection, as all children should be, it was incredibly likely that he would have never become something so horrible. In fact, with his incredible mind, talent, and charisma, he could have been the person to lead the world into peace. Now, he stood as the pinnacle of what most would consider evil.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Itachi said while his eyes shifted into his Mangekyo Sharingan. "It is clear that your mind has been poisoned beyond help."

And with that, the clash began quicker than an ordinary human eye could track. Itachi was surprisingly aggressive, attempting to plunge a kunai into Naruto's chest, only for his wrist to be caught at the last second. He then contorted his body mid-air, preparing to deliver a downward kick to Naruto's head. The attack was avoided, as Naruto relinquished his hold of Itachi's wrist and jumped back, creating distance while landing atop the lake.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu," uttered Shisui after he formed the tiger hand seal, signaling his entrance into the fight.

Naruto didn't seem all too afraid of the attack, and surprisingly made no move to counter it. However, once it came within arms reach of his, he extended his right hand, and shockingly, the fireball began to decrease in size. It didn't take Itachi and Shisui long to realize that he was absorbing the jutsu.

"Is there anything this kid can't do?" Shisui asked, somewhat in jest. It made Itachi smile for the first time in what felt like years. Even in a life or death situation, Shisui was still Shisui.

"Perhaps nothing is beyond his abilities; however, before we lose hope, I suggest we try something different," Itachi chimed in, just as Naruto finished absorbing the jutsu. "Follow my lead."

It was then, that Itachi's eye bled, and immediately after, black flames engulfed their target, who predictably began absorbing the jutsu, "Now, Shisui," was all Itachi said.

Years of fighting alongside his old friend allowed him to pretty quickly understand what he was strategizing. By covering Naruto in the inextinguishable flames of the Amaterasu, he would be learning two things. First, if Naruto was actually capable of absorbing such a jutsu, which he clearly was. And second, the answer to the question Shisui was about to discover just now. He then launched a group of fireballs at their opponent. As they'd hoped, while still absorbing the Amaterasu, Naruto dodged Shisui's attack, confirming what Itachi hoped would be true.

"It seems that you are still a novice when it comes to absorbing jutsu. You can't absorb more than one at a time," Shisui mocked. "And just as I was beginning to think that you were going to present a challenge."

Naruto seemed unaffected by the insult, and once the black flames were now fully absorbed, he spoke, his face wholly absent of any emotion, almost as if he was a puppet or a doll, "Yes, but I am merely at the beginning of my evolution," he explained, his voice absent of the usual faux politeness, coming out as completely and utterly, inhumanly toneless. "It will take more time before I am strong enough to set things into motion."

Itachi, hoping to get some answers, inquired about said motion putting, "And what exactly are you planning, Naruto-kun?"

"Enough trying to speak with him," Shisui interrupted before Naruto could be given the opportunity to answer; though he probably would have ignored the question altogether anyway. "If we kill the little bastard, it won't matter what his plan was, will it?"

As if to agree that the time for conversation was over, Naruto clapped his hands together, and behind him, two giant water dragons rose from the water, each intent on killing the two Uchiha standing by the lakeside. Not ones to be killed easily, they were both able to dodge the attacks expertly, with Shisui using his infamous shunshin, and Itachi using skill and dexterity. Shisui, deciding to move things further along, appeared directly behind the blonde Uzumaki; however, his initial taijutsu attack was blocked, resulting in a stalemated struggle of hand-to-hand combat between the two.

Shisui realized things were different than they were when he and Naruto fought four-years-ago. Back then, Naruto was too small and young to contend with him directly, so he hid in the shadows, using long-range jutsu to put him on his heels. Now, however, he had grown, and was thoroughly capable of going toe to toe with him when it came to taijutsu combat. It was, as Shisui observed, one more of his past advantages being thrown out the window. How was he supposed to beat this kid?

He was soon reminded why he still had a fighting chance, when Itachi rose from the water between them, grabbing Naruto in a vice grip. Shisui was confused at first, but when he felt the chakra inside Itachi begin to become volatile, he knew what his friend was doing. He jumped back as the lake was engulfed in a massive explosion, landing next to Itachi as they watching the result of his shadow clone trap.

"Think he's dead?"

"Of course not."

~Break~

Mito was wading through the water in the sewers that made up her mindscape. Normally, it would be pretty easy for her to identify the Kyuubi's presence, but for once, she couldn't feel anything at all. Everything felt real, to the point that she realized she wasn't in one of her infamous dreams, which only served to make her even more confused. However, her previous bewilderment would be immediately surpassed when she found herself standing in a completely different scene altogether.

It was one very familiar to her, one she encountered a great many times during her dreams. She had just witnessed something horrible, something beyond words. In front of her, lay dozens upon dozens of dead corpses, all of which had been killed right before her eyes. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to speak as the killer stood before her, a man she recognized very well. He was the man who always read books to her and Naruto at the orphanage, old man Hiroshi.

He was wielding a bloody weapon in his hand, but when he noticed her standing in the corner, whimpering in terror, he immediately, remembering she was still in the room, dropped the sword and made to approach her. However, she was afraid, and flinched away from him, with only the wall at her back preventing her from running away.

She had been kidnapped several weeks ago by old man Hiroshi, and put in a pitch black room, only seeing the light when she was fed three times a day. Eventually, she was allowed out of her padded cell, and was brought into the room she was currently standing in. It was filled with people, all of which were seemingly waiting for her. They observed her with interest, and many commented on 'the project being a success' and how 'she was their ultimate accomplishment' or whatever that meant. Hiroshi was standing near the back of the room, watching the celebration take place, but once everyone arrived, and the doors to the room closed, it was when he got to work killing everyone. Now, she feared for her life as he attempted to speak to her, as if he hadn't just killed over fifty people right before her eyes.

"Do not fear child, the violence is now over," Hiroshi said, kneeling before her. "I need you to come with me. So I can protect you."

"N-No!" Mito shouted. "You're the one that made big bro act funny! It was your stories that made it so he doesn't smile anymore! He used to be my best friend, but now it feels like I don't know him. It's your fault! You're a monster and I hate you!"

She attempted to run, but then Hiroshi gripped her right arm tightly, begging for her to listen so that he could explain. However, she was too persistent, and managed to escape; yet, in doing so, her arm was scratched by his hand, leaving cuts clearly left behind fingernails. He didn't make any effort to chase her, but as she fled the building, he shouted one last thing, something that would unknowingly affect the future of the entire world.

"You and your brother are beautiful gems, both of you. And that is why you must never become monsters!"

At the time, his declaration meant little, so she ignored it in favor of running. She ran and she ran, away from the mysterious building and through the woods of Konoha. It took a while, but eventually, she made it back to the village, though it was late, so nobody was around to help her. Not that it mattered though, since her brother was always available to help her, no matter the time or day.

Mito looked down at her right arm and saw the nail marks and winced as she saw the evidence of old man Hiroshi trying to stop her against her will. As she passed one of the shops, she saw her reflection in the window and noticed that her tiny five-year-old body was littered with small cuts, likely from running away through the woods. She then gazed at the Hokage Stone Faces and felt herself calm down a little bit. Much like she did with her brother, she always felt as though those stone carvings were looking out for her.

She continued walking for several minutes, and she finally made it towards the outskirts of the village, which was where her destination was located. As she walked through the trees, she felt spooked by all the shadows and hoped that there weren't any monsters lurking about.

Finally, she reached the orphanage and hoped that her brother hadn't gone to sleep like the rest of the children. However, she knew that he would wait for her forever if that were what it took. As she approached the door, she could almost feel the fear leaving her body. Her big bro would be here, and he'd take care of her. She opened the door and gave a greeting.

"I'm home," she said, hoping not to startle her brother in case he wasn't prepared for her arrival.

However, standing before her was not her brother, but a perfect copy of herself. "Welcome home," the figure said.

She was completely unsurprised to see what seemed to be a clone standing before her, and the two walked toward each other, before sitting down on the floor. Upon looking at the girl sitting across from her, Mito couldn't help but notice a few subtle differences that only she would be able to discern. First of all, the girl was a bit paler than Mito, and her eyes were different, hiding a level of intelligence beyond their years. But most of all, the main difference between Mito and the girl who looked just like her, was that the other 'girl' wasn't a girl at all.

The 'girl' reached her hands toward her head, and grabbed her red hair, before pulling it off, revealing it to have been a wig. After doing so, it became apparent that it was her big brother, Naruto, who had been in disguise as his sister. For the longest time, the matron, Nono Yakushi, wanted to hide the existence of Naruto from Danzo and Root. Therefore, Naruto and Mito would only ever be allowed out of the orphanage at separate times, and whenever it was Naruto's turn, he'd be forced dress exactly like his sister, assuming her identity so that Danzo's men wouldn't learn where he was located. After a while, Nono began to make him wear the disguise more frequently, until it was always, even while he was in the safety of the orphanage, and had him sleep alone in a secure room. For all Root knew, Naruto and Mito had been separated at birth, and so far, it had kept the boy safe from their clutches, but only for now.

Naruto looked at her, clearly curious about what had happened to her, "Tell me everything," he asked.

And she did, she explained everything that happened during her short-term imprisonment. However, she forgot to mention one crucial detail, one that would affect the way Naruto would develop as a human being as he grew up. She forgot to mention the very last things Hiroshi said to her before she fled.

You and your brother are beautiful gems, both of you. And that is why you must never become monsters!

Mito's eyes widened in shock as she was thrust out of the memory. She collapsed to her knees, breathing a large breath as she attempted to regain her bearings. Just now, so many of her questions had been answered. All the dreams she had been plagued with in the past, were from that day of her childhood, and now she was able to see them all from start to finish. However, while initially she thought regaining her memories would make her happier, she didn't feel any different.

In the end, Naruto became exactly what old man Hiroshi was trying to warn her about. Despite how much she hated him, he was correct. Being able to look at the bigger picture, it was clear that the people who Hiroshi killed at the party were probably his colleagues, the only people in Konoha who knew about the experiments being performed on Naruto and Mito. Therefore, by killing them in that single room, he was trying to make up for his past mistakes, by eliminating all those who knew the truth about them, in the hopes of allowing them to live normal lives. However, he never accounted for the fact that Naruto was already too far gone, with the time he spent in Orphanage 8 later on in his life finishing his transition into the monster he was today.

"It seems that you have finally remembered what you had once forgotten," a voice she recognized suddenly boomed in front of her. As she looked up, she found herself standing before the cage door of the Kyuubi. His mighty form towered over her behind the bars, and his sharp fangs and red eyes glistened in the darkness.

"K-Kyuubi?" was all she could manage to ask in her shocked stupor.

~Break~

The lake practically exploded from the force of the battle. No longer was it a standard engagement between shinobi, as it was now more akin to a conflict of gods. In the center of the lake, there stood a hulking orange etherial deity. It resembled a long-nosed tengu, but it wasn't a living entity, but rather an avatar that fought on its user's behalf. It was called the Susanoo, a jutsu that could only be utilized by someone who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in both eyes. This one belonged to Itachi Uchiha, who stood inside of its ethereal form, clearly feeling the pain of its usage. Every cell in his body felt like they were on fire, but he still continued onward; otherwise, they'd surely lose.

Standing right next to the Susanoo was Shisui, whose clothing was singed, hair was disheveled, and body was littered with cuts. Due to Itachi's illness, he took on a supportive role while Shisui did more of the direct fighting. It resulted in his old friend taking the majority of the damage, but thankfully, he hadn't sustained any significant injuries. However, they'd need to end this soon, since it was apparent that battle of attrition against Naruto wouldn't go in their favor. The kid had astounding chakra reserves, an equally impressive healing factor, and not to mention his arsenal of lethal jutsu.

"This kid is a huge pain in the ass," Shisui commented after inhaling a deep breath. "And people used to call us geniuses."

Itachi nodded in agreement, his humbleness allowing him to acknowledge a superior opponent, "Yes, he is indeed special. But admiring him won't help us. We need to discover a weakness before I lose the ability to sustain my jutsu."

Eventually, the turbulent water settled down, and their opponent was in full view once more, simply standing in the distance. Shisui couldn't help but notice that Naruto's fighting style had changed completely since they last fought. Back in the day, he was young and small, and needed to take advantage of any opportunities presented to him if he wanted to win. Now, he didn't use stealth, or 'cheat' as some would say. He stood in plain sight at all times and allowed his opponents ample opportunity to recover and formulate strategies. Such was his arrogance.

Shisui, realizing how dire their situation was becoming, decided that he'd need to use one of his new trump cards. Looking back toward Itachi, he made extended eye contact with his friend, allowing him to communicate his plan via an advanced genjutsu. He would create an opportunity for Itachi to land an attack that Naruto wouldn't be able to absorb.

After hearing the message, Itachi nodded, and his Susanoo raised one of its hands, summoning the Yasaka Magatama in its palm, a long-range jutsu that exploded on impact. The Yasaka Magatama took the form of three magatama bound together by a single, circular thread that were created from the Susanoo's hand, which Itachi would then propel toward his target as a single combined projectile. The speed of the attack and explosion would prove too fast for Naruto to absorb at his current level, especially with Shisui clearing the way.

"This could be it, Itachi," Shisui spoke up as they both prepared for what would be their last ditch effort. "If it is, I was honored to know you, my best friend."

Itachi merely nodded, with a rare smile, "It has been an honor fighting with you."

Shisui then turned his attention back toward his enemy, glared and shouted, "This is the end, Naruto!"

In response, Naruto merely closed his eyes and smiled his classic angelic smile, before opening his eyes and looking up at the sky. It was cloudy and dreary looking now, and he was confident that it would rain any moment now. It was a fitting setting for a battle.

"What exactly is the end?" he asked to no one in particular, with a slight head tilt. "The end. The end. The end. I've seen the end over and over. What is the end?"

Shisui' only response was to growl in anger before vanishing in a flash of sheer speed. In a cinematic way, as soon as they launched their final plan, the skies began to weep. Naruto, still looking up at the clouds, despite the rainfall, shifted his head just in time to dodge a fire encased hand that almost impaled his skull. He then expertly avoided two attacks of a similar variety, absentmindedly noticing that Shisui was now putting caution to the wind, even more so than he usually did. It made sense, since this was his final stand, so Naruto continued to weave through his opponent's attacks while waiting for an opening to counter.

Shisui, on the other hand, felt his chakra slowly being depleted. He was putting quite a bit of concentration on his current jutsu, encasing his hands in fire, in a bastardized version of Kakashi Hatake's signature jutsu. It wasn't nearly as lethal, but it was more deadly than an ordinary punch, so he'd take. He also got to work laying a subtle genjutsu, to make Naruto lose focus of what Itachi was doing. A powerful genjutsu would almost always be noticed by a mighty opponent, but it was the unnoticeable, lower rank ones that tended to get past their senses. It was like using a pebble to destroy a mountain, but hey, if it worked it worked.

Then, out of nowhere, it happened in an instant, but to those involved, it felt as if time had slowed to a crawl. Naruto twisted his body to avoid one of Shisui's attacks, and just as quickly plunged his blade into the Uchiha warrior's chest. He would have been disappointed if he was a normal person capable of human emotions. It seemed that Shisui had planned to distract him while Itachi prepared to finish him off, or perhaps seal him. However, the difference in their skill was apparent, and like all the plans others had used to kill Naruto in the past, it failed.

He then turned and prepared to finish Itachi off as well, but suddenly felt his arm in a vice grip. He had yet to pull his sword from Shisui's body, and the Uchiha took hold of his sword arm, actually pulling the blade deeper into his chest. At that moment, Naruto realized their strategy and smiled politely, "Ah, I see. Well done, Shisui-san," he complimented, unaffected by his predicament.

Shisui only smiled cockily, with blood trickling out of his mouth, and squeezed even tighter so that his opponent had no hope of escape, "THIS, is the end, motherfucker," he explained, answering Naruto's earlier question. "For both of us."

In the distance, Itachi noticed that Shisui had gotten hold of Naruto, and took it as his chance to command his Susanoo to throw the Yasaka Magatama, and they approached their target at breakneck speed. Shisui, who was already prepared for what was going to happen, closed his eyes in acceptance. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed incredibly relaxed, and made no move to dodge, seemingly coming to terms with his fate.

The attack hit them with a thunderous roar, creating an explosion that could have been felt from miles upon miles away. Itachi, realizing the fight was now over, dispelled his Susanoo, and collapsed onto his knees from the pain. He coughed up a little bit of blood, but all in all, he would probably be alright. Currently, his body still had one good fight left in it, so he'd still be able to have his showdown with Sasuke after all; now with no loose ends left behind after his death.

Finally recovering, Itachi managed to stand back up on shaky legs. He panned over the battlefield and noticed that most of the nearby environment had been ravaged. The heat from the explosion had created a slight cloud of mist in the distance, though it was fading in the breeze with every second. It was then that Itachi saw the shadow of a figure approaching him from the mist. With great soreness and effort, he managed to arm himself with a kunai and get in a defensive stance. Had Naruto survived their attack?

However, he was shocked when he saw Shisui appear, looking as if he hadn't taken any damage from the explosion. At first, he thought it was an illusion being used to trick him; however, when he saw his friend's eyes, he knew that it was him. Shisui's left eye had turned almost milky white, while his still remaining Sharingan eye remained the same. A side effect of using a particular forbidden Sharingan genjutsu.

"You used Izanagi?" Itachi asked, relaxing his stance, inwardly happy that his friend had managed to survive.

Shisui nodded with a cheeky grin before scratching the back of his head, "Yep, sorry I didn't tell you about my whole plan, but the whole self-sacrifice thing felt pretty cool, so I decided to milk that for a bit."

Itachi, merely happy that his friend was alive in the first place, couldn't even bring himself to get mad, "You'll never change," he commented, his voice laced with exhaustion.

Shisui was about to respond, but then a particularly powerful gust of wind blew away the remainder of the mist, allowing him to see further into the distance. It wasn't long before Itachi saw it as well, and they both looked upon the corpse of Naruto with a bit of pity. The younger boy had been launched back by the explosion, causing him to be rocketed into the nearby rocks. His upper body had penetrated the solid stone, with only his lower body protruding from the cliffside His legs were mangled, and bent at extreme angles.

"He's dead," Itachi informed, able to see the absence of chakra in the body with his Sharingan. He and Shisui finally deactivated their Sharingan eyes, finally relaxing.

"Phew..." Shisui responded casually. "Glad that's over with." He turned toward Itachi and looked as if he was about to speak further.

Suddenly, the calmness was interrupted when the stillness of the water was disrupted. Itachi could only watch in silence as a blade came out of the water, being held by a bleeding arm. The weapon met its target, and for the second time today, Shisui was impaled with a sword, though this time from behind. Before Itachi could move to help him, Naruto rose from the water entirely, and with his left hand, he mercilessly ripped Shisui's right eye out, preventing a second use of Izanagi.

Itachi's body was then wracked with severe pain from his mysterious illness, causing him to collapse into a coughing fit once more. While he began coughing blood into his hand, he looked up at the rocks and saw what they had thought was Naruto's corpse. He now saw the legs of a dispelled wood clone. He cursed himself as he realized Naruto had placed it there so that they would let their guard down. It worked, and now Shisui had paid the price, and Itachi was all but defeated as well.

He saw Shisui collapse face first into the water and watched as the water around his old friend became murky with blood. His body was void of any movement, and Itachi was quick to realize that Shisui was dead, this time for good. His vision became blurry as he realized that his eyesight was on the brink of leaving him forever. Overuse of his Mangekyo had been the cause, the curse of the power of the Uchiha Clan. With what vision he had left, he looked up toward Naruto, and saw that the younger boy hadn't come out unscathed. The blonde's body was covered with lacerations and burns, and his entire right sleeve of his kimono shirt was missing. His face was once again absent of any emotion, and his eyes were wide and unblinking. He didn't move an inch for several moments, looking like a puppet whose strings had been severed. He then slowly shifted his body until he was facing Itachi's direction, and began to slowly approach him.

Itachi felt no fear whatsoever, only regret that he wouldn't be able to see Sasuke once again. His mind then thought of all the great moments of his past, the time he spent with his family as a child, the day he met Shisui, and the times he would walk his little brother too and from the Academy. It was then that he realized that now wasn't the time to just lay down and die, so, despite his body screaming at him to stop moving, he brought himself to a standing position once again, kunai in hand.

Naruto was still slowly toward him, with the tip of his sword dragging behind him, leaving a trail in the water's surface in his wake. Further back, Shisui's body began to finally begin sinking to the bottom of the lake, causing Itachi's determination to increase tenfold. His Sharingan activate once again, and as Naruto came into arms reach, he prepared to defend himself. He still needed to see Sasuke one more time before he died. He needed to prepare his brother to deal with the dangers of the world, a world that created a person like Naruto in the first place.

However, surprisingly, no conflict took place, as Naruto merely walked past him as if he wasn't there, ever so slightly brushing shoulders with him along the way. It hadn't been what he expected, and he stood in place for several minutes until he felt that Naruto had finally vanished in the treeline behind him. He deactivated his Sharingan for what felt like the tenth time today, and allowed himself to fully collapse onto his back. He felt his body float on the water as he stared up at the stormy sky. Rainy was landing on his face, occasionally hitting him directly in the eyes, but he didn't flinch. Pain and discomfort had become the norm for him lately.

For a few more minutes he remained in place, allowing his deteriorating body the rest that it needed. Eventually, the rain finally stopped as the storm passed on, almost as if it had noticed that the battle had ended. However, despite the water no longer falling from the sky, Itachi still felt it trickling down his cheeks. He raised his hand to wipe it away, and only then realized that it wasn't rain, but his tears. It was the first time he had shed tears since he murdered his family and left the village. He supposed that watching your best friend get killed would do that to a person and noted that Shisui's body was now out of sight, likely all the way at the bottom of the lake. They had failed in their attack, an attack that Itachi had proposed in the first place. Shisui had died for nothing.

He then stopped the flow of chakra along his back, which allowed him to slowly sink into the water. His body had been given enough rest for him to be able to swim, and eventually, he found Shisui's corpse, resting along the rocky lakebed. With tremendous effort, he managed to drag his old friend back to the surface and out of the water. He took a few moments to rest after the strenuous task, laying next to the body on the lakeside while he regained his breath. Eventually, he stood, and looked down at his best friend with his normally expressionless face. He then weaved through a multitude of hand seals, before spewing a torrent of fire from his mouth, fully engulfing Shisui's body in the process. Everyone deserved a proper burial, but the last thing the world needed was Shisui Uchiha's corpse getting into the hands of someone like Orochimaru.

"...I'm sorry..." was all he could say as he watched the body burn.

~End~