Prologue:::

Urgent whispers echoed in the secret underground meeting place whilst a whitish green snake encircled the perimeters of the room, attempting to enter but was thwarted by numerous powerful barriers. Not a word could be heard thanks to the sound proof seals cautiously placed outside.

"Well," hissed a low malicious voice two-hundred miles away as a grotesque tongue licked an albino white mouth in depraved rapture, "This just makes it all the more interesting, my dear Madara. Why the sudden need for secrecy?"

"Kabuto!" he rasped, "Bring me the anti-barrier seal and the sensus reversal seal."

The desired items were received and pasty white hands rolled out the forbidden seals with cautious meticulation.

"Now then," he crooned creepily, "reveal your secrets to me like a blushing bride." He bit his thumb and drew the required blood to line the scrolls with, made the appropriate complex hand signs and chanted some ancient verses. His chakra was swiftly drained from the effort, attesting to the strength of the barrier cast. But it was worth it for though the snake could still not enter, he could at last hear the coveted dialogue.

Over at the other end of the room, Kabuto flinched at his eccentric master's always disturbing speech. But he himself was dying of curiosity. Everybody had heard that Madara had a plan for winning the current war that involved Itachi's co-operation but nobody knew what it was. The rumors were such that it suggested it was a very appalling plan indeed for Itachi was not rumored to be open to it. And everybody knew just how much Itachi despised war and everything it encompasses; he would be the first one forward if there were anything that could be done to stop it. But Madara is not interested in stopping wars, only about winning them and the land and power that goes along with it.

"Oh, deactivate your sharingan, Itachi," a deep, lazy and cocky voice drolled and Orochimaru recognized it as Madara's. "You...as to possibly think...you could win...me?"

"Curses!" Orochimaru vehemently hissed. "It's not enough! I can't hear the entire conversation!"

Kabuto came around the table, standing opposite Orochimaru whose head was bent low and eyes closed as he concentrated on his snake's faulty reception.

"I absolutely refuse." a much younger, angry sounding voice rang through.

"Ahhh, Itachi," Orochimaru swooned dragging his tongue all over his mouth again, "My beautiful Itachi...what troubles you?"

Kabuto dug his nails into his palms to prevent him expressing his nausea. Of course no one would argue with Orochimaru; Itachi was drop dead gorgeous but the way he drooled over the young boy was so disgusting. Orochimaru was in his sixties, at least and Itachi was only nineteen.

"Be pragmatic about... ... Young Uchiha," croaked a withering voice, one of the Elders of Konoha, no doubt. Orochimaru had never liked that old bat. Her eye shadow was the same as his.

"How can you possibly expect... ...something so vile?" Itachi had not raised his voice, but his anger and disgust rang clear.

"Sacrifices have to be made," this time it was the voice of the other should-have-been-dead-fifty-years-ago Elder, Danzou.

"Oh, shut the f... ...sacrifices, Danzou, you bastard. Nobody's buying your... ...shit... send them to their ...while you're safe behind your..." the cheery but still indolent voice of Madara carried, "but you know...can't deny that it would be the fastest ... ...end the war, Itachi. You can't enjoy... dying all over the place. Not that I give a ...We need that power, plain and si... ...So suck it up and go f... brother, Itachi."

"Am I to believe there is no other way to activate ... supposedly undefeatable...?"

A mock jaded sign resonated. "Must we embark on another ... discussion of our f... clan's depraved history? Our bloodline is such that... ... unspeakable things to acquire great power... ...kill a ... ... ...away innocence and trust me, Itachi, the power feels ...amazing!"

"I don't care about the power, Madara. There is simply no way I am ever agreeing to do such a thing to my brother."

"Why not?" Madara chuckled, "He is your brother. He's inherited some.. ... ...genes. Hell, if I were in your position I'd summon him right ... ... ... ... till he screams."

There was a bit of commotion after this; a scuffle, a yell, an irritated reprimand... the unclear auditory transmissions were irritating the crap out of Orochimaru who was now a thousand times more curious and eager to know what exactly Itachi would have to do to his brother?

It seemed Madara's comments were not received well by his audience as a whole.

"...so crude." the old hag barked. "It is simply unavoidable...losing many people. Think of ... ... others have brothers just like you do and care for them just as... ... you could be saving and ..."

"Phrase it any way you want, Elder," Itachi replied stiffly. "Your method of ... ... is as bad as... ..."

"There is an ancient power associated with the loss of ... called "Innocence Mortality" an ancient sacred ritual for the cause of... ..."

"Kabuto!" Orochimaru spat "Look for any and all scrolls pertaining to this ritual! The libraries! The forbidden archives! Go, Now!"

Hating Orochimaru for depriving him of the juicy information, he bowed stiffly and left.

"...Common in the ...century, eight hundred years ago where this sort of... was quite common... this will remain in absolute confidence... of course, except the boy... seal your tongues..."

"You touch him, Danzou and I will-" Itachi angrily interrupted.

"Calm yourself young ..."

"There's no need for all that sealing of tongues shit. Itachi knows how to shut his pretty little mouth. And who cares about morality? We are... war here, in case you haven't noticed... it's bound to get a little dirty, of course.. ... more of the pleasurable kind..." Madara's tone got lecherous towards the end which had Orochimary peeling woodchips of the table as he gripped it tenaciously, straining to hear more, willing that something significant will be revealed.

What was it? Spit it out already! Madara, you bastard, hogging all the fun. He was... teasing Itachi, wasn't he? Taunting him and tormenting him if that tone was any indication. Orochimaru wanted to see Itachi all angry and bothered; he had overheard two girls giggling about it saying that Itachi looked even "hotter" if possible.

"Oh, stop glaring, Itachi, you're scaring me, " Madara scoffed mockingly. "Are you telling me you've never thought of bending- whoa!"

Orochimaru staggered back at the explosion noise he received directly in his ear. He was fairly certain his eardrum had burst. Trying to shake the ringing in his head to quickly resume his eavesdropping, he leaned forward and pressed his ear into the scroll, to hear as clearly as he could. He was fairly certain he had just missed a crucial piece of information. What was the last thing Madara had said? He asked if Itachi ever thought of bending...Mmm. Well, Orochimaru most certainly thought of Itachi bending a lot. That boy was too damn attractive for his own good.

After drooling for a while, Orochimaru snapped to and deciphered that Itachi had somehow or the other attacked Madara... not a very wise move, considering the only person alive that was stronger than Itachi was Madara. There was a lot of noise and disturbance and it was a while before cogent conversation resumed.

"Fine, Itachi." Madara snapped. He didn't sound so laid back and amused anymore. "I didn't want to... ... Sasuke is, of course, still a member of our clan but make no mistake... I will personally see to it... ... tortured endlessly... can perhaps protect him ... only so long and definitely not from... ...is your weakness, Itachi... do you think I don't...? ...Precious little brother..."

A resounding silence met Madara's threat. Orochimaru smiled evilly. Well, well… do something unthinkable to Sasuke himself or let his little brother be tortured endlessly? Those were Itachi's options, eh? He chuckled.

"Aw, my poor Itachi, caught between the Devil and the Deep blue Sea... so which will you choose? And for goodness' sakes, voice out in detail your choice."

"With this, we are assured victory," Danzou claimed confidently. "And what's more, Madara says the arbitrary powers bestowed may even grant us supreme power over not only the Land of Skies but the entire Nation... ... Conquer the world if we so..."

"Shut it, you piece of... ... let the ones who actually understand these matters talk, eh? ... covet as much as you like... are trash compared to the Uchiha."

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. Oh, the Uchihas and their superiority complexes. Itachi was the only good little boy he knew of who didn't think commoners should drop to their feet before him because of his superior bloodline.

"Or maybe the Uchiha themselves are trash." Itachi said softly and defiantly in a deadly tone.

Orochimaru laughed once again. "Ahhh, Itachi, my sweet. So brave, so noble... I wish I could lick you up and down..."

Madara was quiet for a moment... then, "You'll thank me tonight, you'll see."

"Tonight?"

"Well, you want him to wait till the war is over or something? So, Itachi are you going to break the news," he chuckled evilly, "Or shall I do the honors?"

Dead silence.

"Oh, if looks could kill." he drawled sardonically."But, wait... I'm immortal. Little Sasuke is lucky. There are people who would kill to be in his shoes... most disturbingly Orochimaru-"

Oh? It was always a pleasure to be mentioned... even if the adjective predecessing your name was unfair and untrue.

"Speaking of Orochimaru, one of his snakes-," Itachi said emotionlessly.

"Ah yes, is outside right now, right?"

"What? Madara, you! This is a matter of absolute...!" The elders were in an uproar.

"Yeah, yea ..h..I l ll... t..ak..e...ca...r...e" and that was it. So, they had noticed the snake. Damn, but still... How interesting... How very, very interesting.

Kabuto returned an hour later panting but holding only one scroll in his arm.

"A sharingan is needed to activate it, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru waved a dismissive hand and drew out a bottle from a cluster on the shelves in the room, that was emitting a sickly green light from the fluid within it and contained a bobbing eye.

"The spoils of war, Kabuto," Orochimaru said, or more accurately slurped.

After the jutsu was performed, the seal rejected the sharingan, shattering the eyeball to bits.

"Soils of snakeskins!" Orochimaru cursed. It was sooo difficult to obtain a sharingan!

"Perhaps the mangekyou is needed?"

"Curse that elitist clan and their coveted juicy secrets!" Orochimaru hissed. "Oh, my dear Itachi... and my sweet Sasuke... what is to become of you'll?"

"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto called drawing his attention to the seal, which was now self-destructing in flames of black.

But a single word in kanji was revealed before all that was left of the scroll was the finest dust, almost indiscernible.

A foreboding and menacing word as it devoured itself with the flames.

FORBIDDEN.

.

.

.

TBC

Let me know what you think!