A/N: This story is on , so it should be obvious they're not characters of my creation.

At any rate, this is a one-shot about Itachi. It explains my theory about why he wiped out his own clan. Hopefully you'll get what I'm trying to say. Of course, you can always let me know if my theory makes sense or not by leaving reviews. grin I may revise this later, depending on the response I get.

This was written before Kishimoto explained about the whole Uchiha massacre, so my theory is obviously wrong. It seems like Itachi is just a good, old-fashioned evil nutcase, after all, which is too bad. But, I can still keep this posted because I can always pretend it's an A/U. Hooray for fanfiction. Anyhow, hopefully you'll read it anyway, and let me know what you think of my one-time theory.

Thanks!

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I am legendary, too.

I walk the roads of this world, my legend far heavier on my shoulders than anyone could imagine, my heart scarred by my own sense of responsibility. I have long since gone cold. Feelings that could have touched me in the past have since abandoned me, for to feel is to succumb to madness. Despite my actions, despite my history, I have never been mad.

I am a genius. My capacity has shaped my life in ways I could have never predicted. I rose through the ranks of shinobi quickly. Not since the sannin had the world experienced talent like mine, not even with the prodigious Kakashi. My power was unmatched; my skills were unbelievable. They still are. People fear me; they fear not only my power, but what I have become.

I am a criminal. I have slaughtered many, including my own clan. I have killed both in the name of justice and for money, even out of compassion, but never out of hate or anger. Death is freedom or punishment, and I am its instrument. I always have been, and so I shall remain. Freedom is unknown to me, and will continue to be unknown until my own death.

I adjust my kasa as I walk, my eyes dark, their depths hiding my slumbering sharingan. The bell attached to the brim of my hat rings slightly with my movement. My fingernails, painted, contrast with my pale skin to make it even more pallid, more deathlike. I do not glance at my companion, even though I know his shark-like eyes slide over me every few moments. He is the closest person I have to a friend, and yet he is aware that I am Death walking on human legs.

The mist rolls around our bandage-bound ankles. Dawn has passed, giving way to the splendor of a sunny day, the rays of light just barely beginning to penetrate the canopy of trees. I wonder where you are, little brother. I wonder if you have found something to fill the void I left you with.

Will you ever understand? You will have to grow so much before you can begin to comprehend my strengths and my weaknesses, and only then will you be able to defeat me. Sasuke, you are the only person alive that is able to end my life, to finally give me peace. You must earn it, though. You must be the man I never had the luxury to become.

I fear for you, even now. You are my weakness, and I have left you behind. Orochimaru, the evil one, is most likely after you even now. He cannot touch me, for I am stronger than he, and so you are left to be his only target. I am sorry I was not strong enough to end your life, little brother.

I rose to Anbu status early, and through my missions there learned about the heinous crimes Orochimaru has committed. He is legendary for his strength as well as his evil. My squad monitored his movements for a while. That shinobi is capable of unspeakable deeds. It became clear to me that his hunger for knowledge would never cease, and he had come to realize that the easiest path to retaining jutsu would be through the bloodline of our family. With the might of the sharingan, Orochimaru's power would continually grow.

It was a choice between death of the soul and death of the body, brother. My power was such that he could never claim my body and use me to his vile ends, but not so with the rest of our clan. I killed them all to save them from him, for if they had lived, surely one of us would have been caught and used. I killed them to save the world from our power, which would have been terrible in its magnitude if it fell into his hands.

I slaughtered them all. I tried to do it quickly. I couldn't stand the thought of our family suffering under his horrifying torture.

I made only one mistake. I left you alive. You are my little brother, my responsibility since your birth. I love you above all others. In the end, it was my love for you that made me soft, that made me leave you alive. I apologize for the emptiness I put into your life. I am deeply sorry that I have caused such pain to my most precious person. I regret that I left you to be a target for the legendary evil that is Orochimaru.

I know that you hate me, and I do not blame you. I had already murdered most of my heart, just to do what I had to do to keep the world safe from the powers of our clan. The rest of it died when I realized the hate you must feel for me. Now, however, I depend on that hate. That dark feeling must keep you alive, must make you strong. I can only hope and pray that it also keeps you out of the hands of the man from whom I had to kill our clan to save it.

I have hunted him, joining organizations he belonged to, and always he flees. He fears me. He knows what I know, and he knows I will kill him. Although I am dead inside, I cannot rest until his evil is gone. It is what I sacrificed our family for. I will not also sacrifice our country, our world.

And so, my dearest brother, I think of you as I wander the world, adding more evils I have done to the heap already on my soul. I will kill Orochimaru, and then I will wait for you to kill me. Please avenge our family. Please punish me for the dark deeds I have done. I cannot die unless you are the one to put me to rest. Such a burden I have placed upon you. I have wronged in an attempt to make things right, but in the end, only you truly have the power to do such a thing. I hope you find love in your heart, as well as hate, to give you strength and allow you to understand why I did what I have done. I hope that, in killing me, you can forgive me.

It was my love that killed our family, and it is my love that kills me.

I am legendary, too. But I am the lesser of two evils.