Word Count: 447
A/N: Inspired by Incognito Temptation's ficlet, Advancing. She's a wonderful author, check her out.
Sasuke doesn't mind killing Itachi because Itachi isn't Itachi anymore.
And he's not. Not really; because Sasuke's his little brother, and he knows him just like a little brother should.
So when Sasuke trains and bleeds and fights under Orochimaru (for Orochimaru), he has only one goal in mind. And it's to kill the Itachi-imposter that murdered his family and stole his brother's fucking face.
Sometimes, Sasuke comforts himself by remembering that it's the only thing Itachi-imposter really has; because Sasuke knows Itachi (just like any little brother should), and that man is most definitely not Itachi.
Itachi-imposter might have Itachi's body (the same body that lifted and coddled him when he'd sprained his ankle an eternity ago), he might have Itachi's hands (the very same hands that gently pushed and prodded until he held his kunai just so), but he doesn't have Itachi.
And really, everyone else (the council and even the Hokage himself) are imbeciles, because if Sasuke knows, then everyone else should as well; unless of course Sasuke has some sort of advantage (and he probably does), because he's Itachi's little brother and he knows.
The Itachi-imposter is like a flame, and Sasuke figures that he's a moth because Itachi-imposter draws him in; and absently, Sasuke thinks, whenever Itachi-imposter takes over his mind (just like he does sometimes), his shoulder burns.
Sasuke fought against Itachi-imposter once.
(But it wasn't a fight, because all Sasuke walked away with was a broken wrist, and bile burning up his throat.)
Sasuke fought Itachi-imposter, and he was going to win, would have won if it weren't for his obvious disadvantage; you never charge at an opponent you don't know.
(Stupid, Sasuke. Stupid.)
But the next time he fights Itachi-imposter, he's going to win. Because he hates him. And hate has made him strong.
Strong enough to fight Itachi-imposter and win, because Sasuke knows his little secret and that man is not going to win.
You see, that man in the Akatsuki coat (the one with the Sharingan eyes and copy-cat wrinkles), is not Itachi (because Itachi never had Sharingan eyes), and Sasuke is the only one who knows.
(Itachi never looked at him like that.)
His Itachi had deep, black eyes (just like his mother's shocked expression frozen in place), his Itachi had kind, warm eyes ( just like his kind-faced aunt, stiff and cold), he called his Itachi, "Nii-san" (He calls this Itachi-imposter, "Itachi").
Sasuke doesn't know where his Itachi has gone, but he knows he's not here.
And Sasuke knows (just like any little brother should), because his Itachi didn't have Sharingan eyes.
(Killing Itachi-imposter will be easy.)