Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor am I affiliated in any way with it, other than being a fan. Those rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: I am sorry to tell all of you that this will be the last chapter in Brothers in All But Blood. I really just don't have the motivation to continue this story, see my reasons below…

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PSYCHE! Happy April Fools Day, suckers! Well, it is April Fools where I am, so if it is not where you are, sorry about that, I just could not resist, lol. Now on with the chapter!

Chapter 9: Wrath and Pain

Naruto roared like a beast as Itachi discarded the katana that the boy had snapped like a twig in his Kyuubi fueled wrath, and Itachi was hard pressed to avoid getting hit by Naruto's blows. He activated his Sharingan after a moment, and began easily dodging, and started to hit back, knocking Naruto into buildings, and onto the ground, but each time, Naruto simply got back up almost instantly, and ran at Itachi, who realized that he was at a slight disadvantage. Killing all of the clan had used up a good portion of his chakra, and he would be feeling the fatigue soon if he was unable to end this.

To that end, Itachi knew that he had one hope in stopping Naruto without causing him serious harm, and that was to use his Mangekyo to enter his mindscape and repress the Kyuubi. "N-Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he tried to rise. "W-what… how are you…" He fell back down again with a grunt.

Naruto could not hear Sasuke, he was too busy trying to eviscerate Itachi, who tried to stave him off by casting a few hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" The large fireball raced at the blonde, who then inhaled a great amount, and roared right at the fireball, extinguishing it, and blasting Itachi back against a building with enough force to destroy the wall, and put him through the support beam, coughing blood. As Itachi tried to rise, Naruto was on him again, slamming his fist into the older boy's gut, shattering his ANBU breastplate, and sending him flying back with more blood coming out of his mouth.

Naruto did not hesitate to follow up his attack, he rushed straight at the one he had called his older brother, but Itachi looked up and caught Naruto's eye at the last instant. "Tsukuyomi!" he said, and Naruto froze.

….

Itachi found himself in a sewer, next to the unconscious blonde, who was floating in the water. "So this is the seal the Yondaime used," Itachi said, as he walked down the corridor, leaving Naruto behind.

He eventually came to the steel bars that made up the Kyuubi's cage, and stopped at them. "You… you are not my host…" a deep, menacing voice rumbled. "Come here, closer."

"Sorry, but I have no desire to come close enough for you to reach me," Itachi said. "Yopu are the Kyuubi I take it?"

"Hah, you are smart, for a human," the Kyuubi said as he approached the bars, showing himself to Itachi. "Why have you come in here?" Itachi did not answer, gazing at the Kyuubi with the Sharingan, making the Kyuubi flinch a little. "The Sharingan… so you are an Uchiha then… you are here to steal my power, is that it?"

"No," Itachi said, deactivating his eyes, to the Kyuubi's surprise. "I am merely here to keep you from killing me, since your host has unwittingly drawn on your chakra."

"Heh, so the seal HAS cracked a small amount more than it should have," the Kyuubi said. "I thought for a moment that I was just imagining things… I could use this…"

"Why?" Itachi asked, confusing the beast for a moment. "If you do get free, then what? Human beings will just continue to come after you, and eventually, some will succeed in sealing you again."

"Huh, what kind of logic is that? Stay sealed, so I don't get sealed again? I thought I saw the most foolish humans out there already."

"Not really," Itachi said. "I see your point, but tell me, what kind of life is it to always be on the run, imprisoned for your power at times, always alone? You, as a sapient being, deserve far better than that, though most of humanity may never understand that."

The Kyuubi squinted at Itachi, and laughed. "You know… for an Uchiha, you actually don't seem that bad! Never have I known one to even pretend to consider me as more than a mindless beast to be used for my power, and I can't sense any sort of dark chakra off of you! Mind you, I do sense a deep sadness in you, but no hatred at all. I never thought I would meet one who overcame his Curse of Hatred to this extent. You interest me Uchiha."

"Tell me, do you have a name other than Kyuubi?" Itachi asked, and the Kyuubi paused for a moment. "It is simply a thing that many sentient things have the habit of doing, giving names to offspring, or if they never had someone give them a name, they will often name themselves. Kyuubi seems more like a title, a name for a species, not a single living being. Calling you Kyuubi would be like calling me Human, or even Uchiha. Perhaps it is because we always call you Kyuubi that you call us by or species or clan name."

"Hah, my brother, the Yonbi, would get along quite well with you I am sure," the fox chortled. "He is very particular about his name, and insists on telling it to every human he meets, and gets mad when they don't bother with it. As for my name though, I only share it with humans who have earned my utmost respect, and you have not, despite my initial interest."

"I suppose not," Itachi sighed. "Regardless, I will part ways by telling you my name at least. I am Itachi."

"You share your name despite my refusal to do the same? Huh, you ARE interesting."

"I do have a request for you though," Itachi asked.

"Hmm, name it, and I shall grant it, within reason if I can," the Kyuubi said.

"I ask that you give your host, who is my surrogate brother a chance to earn your respect, and keep an open mind with him for a while," Itachi said. "He is the type of person who puts others before himself, and does not let the mistreatment he has suffered at the hands of the villagers fill him with hatred. And while I have given Naruto reason to utterly despise me today, I have faith that he will not give himself over to a path of vengeance."

"Hm, you presume that what you have done won't change him… I can see in his memories now what you have done, and that is the kind of hatred that shatters a person's psyche. However… I will see how he acts from here on out."

"I ask nothing more," Itachi said, and the flow of chakra from the cage ceased as he extended his hand towards the Kyuubi, and Itachi was once again in the outside world, and Naruto collapsed, now suddenly cut off from the Kyuubi's chakra.

"How… what just happened?" Naruto asked, panting.

"It seems that you tapped the power you hold within you," Itachi said, rising.

"Power… inside of me?" Naruto growled, trying and failing to rise. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you not realize exactly why the villagers have hated and shunned you?"

"How… should I know? I never did anything to them…"

"Let me tell you a bit about the history of this village," Itachi said. "Nearly seven years ago, the beast known as the Kyuubi appeared and nearly destroyed the village, and was killed when the Yondaime Hokage, who gave his life. That is what history says anyway."

"Why are you telling me something I learned about in the academy?"

"Because, this is a false telling of history. The Yondaime could not kill a Bijuu, so instead he sealed it, but in order to seal it, he needed to not only sacrifice himself, but also, the only suitable container was a child, which undeveloped chakra coils. And do you know who that child was?"

"No… don't say it," Naruto begged, already realizing what Itachi was getting at.

"That's correct. You Naruto, are the one who holds the very same beast that once tried to destroy our village! That is why the villagers despise you, and call you a demon! They believe that you are the same as the beast you hold, but in reality, you simply do not have the power to control the Bijuu in you. You are not even worth killing at this point. Nor is Sasuke," Itachi finished, and he caught Naruto's eye, and made him sleep with another genjutsu.

"Itachi…" Sasuke said, as he staggered out of the house, a kunai in his hand, and he glared at his brother, but was too scared to throw the weapon.

"Don't bother Sasuke," Itachi said, turning away. "I can see that despite your hatred, your fear is greater now. But you do hate me, so now you have the will to get stronger. Like me, you have the power to awaken the final level of the Sharingan, the Mangekyo Sharingan. But there is a catch."

Sasuke just looked on in fear. "You must take the life of one you hold dear, though killing Naruto would deny you one avenue of killing me, for the Mangekyo has the power to control the Kyuubi that he holds. If you were to find someone else to murder, then you would quite possibly be able to use the Kyuubi against me. Regardless of how you acquire the eyes though, once you possess the same eyes as me, then come and face me. Try to kill me then. If you can." Itachi then turned away, and started to leave.

Sasuke stood silent for a few seconds, before he worked up one last burst of courage. "Wait!" he cried, dashing after Itachi, and throwing the kunai at him. Itachi turned in time to see the weapon coming, and it deflected off his headband, which came loose, and hit the ground. Itachi paused long enough to pick it up, and as he put it back on, he looked back at Sasuke, who collapsed a second later, though the younger Uchiha thought he saw Itachi crying then, but would later come to believe he had imagined it.

….

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he shot upward, realizing he was in a hospital. "What… why am I…" he started to ask, and he turned to see Sasuke in the next bed. His eyes watered as he recalled all of the events of the last night, and he threw his face into his pillow. "No… it was a nightmare… it has to have been a messed up dream!" he begged the heavens.

They were not listening.

A/N: I like how this turned out quite a bit to be honest, Itachi having some trouble with Naruto, and having a talk with Kurama himself. Let's see the Reviews for last chapter!

nikki1314:

I am not good with reviews. but I have to say. this really different and pretty Good. Cant wait for the next one! :) I know (or i assume) that you're a NaruHina Fan, thus I respect you for making this fic a NaruSaku! And as for the One's asking for a YAOI, I share your opinion and views on this matter. :D Have a G'day!

rasEnshur1Ken:

Yes, I am mainly a NaruHina fan, but I do like a good NaruSaku.

Konoha's Crimson Fox:

You ruined the story with the same Uchiha massacre. I was hoping that you would have Itachi talk his father and the Uchiha clan out of it but no. Thanks a lot and I will discontinue this story.

rasEnshur1Ken:

Well, that is your choice. But the whole purpose of this story was to explore what would be different with the bond between Naruto and Sasuke if they were brothers, through good AND bad times. Taking out the massacre would be counterproductive to that, so sorry if I disappointed people like you. At least you know that if you don't like, you don't have to read, but if you are reading this, then I will be telling you that this is pretty close to a flame.

Amaturnoveldude:

Nooooo! A cliffhanger? :P great job with this story i like naruto and sasukes relationship, and i really hope you finish this story really liking what im reading so far. Keep up the good work

rasEnshur1Ken:

Yes, I will finish this, I like this story myself as well, and it would be cruel to keep it all in my head, now wouldn't it?

otakujijo:

This is getting reeaaally exciting! Since naruto is already using kurama's chakra will he find out sooner about the kyubi? Maybe sasuke will find out too? Really great chapter and I can see you setting up the plot little by little. Can't wait for the next chapter! Bye

rasEnshur1Ken:

Yes, they now both know.

ahmadaziz:

Gahh . . .That is so unfair. Punishing people who do review for those who don't. We want faster updates dammit and you are going to give them to us whether you like it or not. :P

Anywho, some really important sh_ happened this time around. I am glad that you didn't make Danzo into a typical villain who everybody wants to hate. His actions are despicable, his motives aren't. They are perfectly understandable and I hope you continue with this theme. Wrong and right, for the most time on a grand scale depend on the perspectives rather than the acts.

Similarly, Itachi's actions are also pretty believable and completely logical. Naruto without a crush on Sakura seems a little OC but I understand the relationship needs to be built over time. I just hope that you don't go overboard with it. Don't make him stoic or a brooder. He isn't Naruto if he isn't goofy, outspoken and rash. Similarly Sasuke is stoic, cool and collected. A change in their history helps decrease these characteristics but not erase them.

I hope this review makes you update faster. Seriously, update faster !

rasEnshur1Ken:

I agree with almost every point, but I am not punishing anybody for lack of Reviews, because as long as I get a few, I will be updating once a month, but if I get a lot, I will update twice.

Cha0ticM3ss:

I was kinda hoping you wouldn't have Itachi kill the Uchiha...But it will be interesting to see Kurama influenced Naruto/Sasuke fighting Itachi...This is defiantly going to make the series different if you go somewhat along with the canon. Question though, who will be the third team member for team seven? Hopefully Shikamaru? Considering he is very level headed for the two protagonists? Lol.

rasEnshur1Ken:

I will be keeping the teams the same this fic, sorry!

So next chapter, we will see how the three siblings act after the massacre. The story will continue, and as long as there is a good flow of Reviews, I will try to update twice a month, not just once.

So, we stopped the big SOPA bill, but the people trying to pass it still will not give up, and are trying to slip a few policies that will do the job into another sort of bill, called Notice and Staydown, which is really just SOPA in disguise, using the fact that the first SOPA bill in 2014 was stopped as a cover for this attempt. While this one does not directly shut sites down, it will do things like hold sites accountable for security software that they cannot afford. Google Stop SOPA-like policies in the Trans-Pacific for the petition against it, I don't know why this site hates URLs, though I do have one you can copy and paste on my profile. And spread the word, so their attempts to slip this past us do not go unnoticed!

Please Review!