[One of his hands balls into a fist at his side. What does it mean to him? What does it mean to him?] Everything! [Being lied to for so long... Despising Itachi for so long...]
It means I have a new goal. It means... starting over. From the beginning.
[The shock on his face quickly deflates into exasperation.] Niisan! [He can't believe his brother is trying to drag his ideals! The ones he has the biggest convictions for!]
I'm putting the blame where it should go! What the village did to you... What the leaders made you do! It can be rebuilt. All of it.
What they "made" me do...? [ there's a sigh that's almost a laugh ] No one forced my hand, otouto. I did what I believed was best. The circumstances surrounding my actions can't absolve me of my crimes. [ that's very important to establish, first off. maybe Itachi's actions were misguided (MAYBE), but he went through with it of his own volition. he can address the rebuilding part of it after. ]
No... [Both hands are fisted hard enough to whiten the knuckles.] No! It wasn't right. Asking that of you... wasn't right. [He's resolved. Or so he thinks. This is his goal.] You should have never had to make that decision!
That's why... I'm going to become Hokage and rebuild Konoha. I'm going to fix the broken world of the ninja no matter what it takes.
No, it wasn't. [ he can agree to that much. ] Neither was what the clan wanted. It wasn't a fair situation for anyone involved, least of all you.
[ itachi can't consider himself the victim of anything because sasuke was right there? so. y'know. also alternate universe where both sasuke and naruto saying that they want to fix the ninja world matters at all in boruto
but there's definitely something fond in Itachi's expression now, even as he tries to hide it. He's definitely thought before, that perhaps if he'd told Sasuke the truth from the start, back then... that he could've changed everything. But.
[Both shoulders deflate. The resentment isn't anywhere near as fiery as the anger he had for Itachi for so long, but it's still very Uchiha, still unyielding.] Yes. [He feels... guilty. For keeping the whole truth. He wants to say it.
He wants to say it proudly, as if he's sure Itachi would congratulate him. "I'm going to destroy our village--and rebuild, of course!" His mouth opens, but then shuts.]
I'm going to... [Slowly, he hangs his head.] I'm here to win... so I can fix what all the rest have ruined.
[ he doesn't know what sasuke intends to do with rebuilding, but the wording on that... fixing what was ruined... is troubling, to say the least. so. time for patented big bro lecture ]
Being Hokage... [It's a speech he hasn't yet been able to give Naruto, the one friend who will try to stop him. His feelings, so far, are fresh, new, and haven't changed.] You should have been Hokage. [He lifts his head again, eyes hard.]
You gave up everything for the village. You were a criminal, a traitor. You suffered so much... in the dark, alone. But you never gave any of it up. You never told anyone.
I'm not like you, Niisan. I'm the last Uchiha. I'm alone. I can shoulder the same burden you carried, the one a Hokage should. All of the ninja world's hate, I accept it. So they'll be unified, so they'll work together peacefully.
... So this is what I've done to you, after everything.
[ it's said more to himself than to Sasuke. does he have the right to object to whatever sasuke chooses to do, when he thinks of what he himself was willing to do for his own perceived peace? maybe not. still. ]
You're wrong. While I am loyal to Konoha despite its faults, and always will be... The burden I carried wasn't for its sake. [ well, a little maybe, but. irrelevant. ]
Edited (faults, of which there are many,) 2019-02-18 03:29 (UTC)
[It's so very easy, out of everyone, out of anyone, for Itachi to crush him so effortlessly and completely.]
Niisan...
[He's wrong. He's wrong? He's wrong. The man he admired more than anything, at the start, even in the hate, and after, thinks he's a fraud.] They never deserved your support. They took you for granted.
Just like here. Just like this damn game, too. You were their pawn.
[ Itachi absolutely does not want or deserve this pedestal, please take it away. ]
Do you truly believe me so easily taken advantage of? [ because, like. damn. that is a bit insulting. ... which, admittedly, is probably how sasuke might feel about how itachi treated him. hm. ] I believed in Konoha's ideals. To that end... yes, I did act to the benefit of the village. But you're wrong. I wasn't the kind of person who had what it took to be Hokage. Those who are acknowledged by the village are the ones to become its leader. Do you understand why that is?
I don't believe that. Being acknowledged... doesn't mean someone is capable of doing what it takes to bring peace. You can just look at the history of the village and see that. [Don't @ him.] No matter how many were "acknowledged" by the village, none of them could keep ninja working together.
Didn't I tell you already you wouldn't change my mind, Itachi?!
[He squeezes his eyes shut under the weight of the lecture, refusing. He knows! He knows why... When he closes his eyes, Itachi’s memories are the afterimage burned there.] You’ll know when you go back. You show me what happened... I wanted to confirm what I had been told by Danzo and Tobi. I don’t care if you didn’t tell me when we were young.
I’ll never forgive Konoha for what they put you through.
the only logical conclusion is he came back to life, since he would not have shown that to sasuke while he was alive, ever, and there's really only... one... jutsu for that oh my god was he edo tensei'd back to life he's so tired let him die and be dead ]
You don't have to. You never have to forgive anyone.
[ Whether it be Itachi or the village. It might be better for everyone involved if Sasuke does, but... it's an unfair thing of Itachi to ask of him. He's asked so many unfair things of Sasuke, really. Placing the burden of his crimes on his shoulders alone. ]
If you truly believe you have all the facts, and this is the path you chose... I won't stop you, Sasuke. [ he's spent a lot of time trying to force Sasuke down a path, and maybe that had been the wrong call. Or, well. Apparently it had been. Still. ] But in this place... I can't abide by your request to stand by and let you fight for both of us. [ because they want vastly different things, really. ]
[He won't be stopped? Amazing, Itachi isn't at all like Naruto. Also, yeah, sorry, you got Tensei'd, bro. It sucked.]
You've fought enough. There isn't a reason you should have accepted to come to this place. But... because you're my brother, [because he's got Feels] it's my turn to protect you instead.
Even without the power of these eyes, I'll win. Even if it takes stepping further into the darkness. [His eyes rise, leveling Itachi with a stare far from the gilded look he use to give when he was young.] If you get in my way, I'll put you out of commission until it's over.
[ what Itachi wants, deep down... what he's willing to play for... well, that's neither here nor there, right now. He can't quite see Sasuke's stare for what it is, but he doesn't need to. ]
Depending on the nature of this competition... [ which itachi has pretty much guessed what it must be ] There's a high chance the only way for you to put me out of commission will be something you've done before. I won't make it easy for you, should we truly be at odds. [ he doesn't know which god sasuke is competing for, and neither does sasuke for him. maybe they're on the same side, despite their differing goals. wouldn't that be something. ]
[This Is Fine. Sasuke accepts the challenge of his brother's resistance. It's... familiar, even if the flame of his rage for his brother has long since died.]
Niisan, I...
[Whatever it is, he doesn't finish, his voice, hard at first and then softer at the end. He hadn't expected to be thrown a curve ball from the beginning when he accepted the task.
All he wants to do is murder Naruto, is that too much to ask for?]
[ ... sasuke being... nice(?) to him, like this... it's not something Itachi even dared to dreamed about, after what he'd done. It's not something he'd deserved, either.
But of course his brother would manage to surprise him anyway. ]
... You needn't concern yourself with me, Sasuke. [ say it less fondly, god. ]
You aren't like that. [Sasuke knows the real Itachi, his brother, the one he had known when he was a child. Now that he knows the truth, he knows Itachi had never changed.
He was a fool to believe otherwise all those years.] You never were.
... That wasn't my intention. [ i mean, kinda, but. ] No one person, one thing, is ever without its flaws, Sasuke. There's nothing wrong with realizing that.
I don't understand why you would call yourself flawed when it was the village who made you choose between two evils. [He won't!! accept this!! talk!!] Telling me wouldn't have changed the fact they are the ones who gave you that mission.
[ itachi, slightly more hysterically: now we don't got TIME to UNPACK all of this right now--
which is to say, whew boy, okay, that wasn't even the whole of what he was referring to, sasuke, p l e a s e, he has done so many things wrong in his life ]
...
[ he just sighs, in the end, and then gestures for Sasuke to come closer in a move Sasuke should Probably Guess What's Coming ]
[The pit of Sasuke's stomach drops. He knows what's coming. But it's his brother, and he's grown terribly soft after learning the truth even if there's a lot of hate to go around for Konoha.
So he moves in toward Itachi at the beckon. Except when the hand goes out, gets close, Sasuke is going to grab the wrist.]
[ that's a new reflex, but Itachi jist let's Sasuke grab his wrist, not even pretending to bother attempting to get out of the hold. And also continues with what he was gonna say, like an asshole ]
... You'll understand later, Sasuke. Because we're brothers.
[Another Time, Sasuke is inevitable, so his hold loosens, and the fingers thunk against his forehead anyway before he indignantly pulls the hand down and away.]
[ he can't say that while also accepting the forehead poke AND calling him niisan, come on, that's too much ]
No, you're not. [ even if he still believes in childish things and acts like a brat, Sasuke hasn't been a child since Itachi took that from him. And he has grown, so much, because of and in spite of that. But. ] Yet you'll always be my little brother.
[It actually hasn't been an extremely long time between, No matter what choice you make, I'll always love you and waiting bitterly on top of Madara's statue for Naruto to show up.
The casualness of letting go of being wrong, being angry and speaking like brothers twists the worst kind of hurt in him.]
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moralhyperopia) wrote2019-02-17 05:25 pm
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It means I have a new goal. It means... starting over. From the beginning.
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So you've learned "the truth" and moved the blame. Is that what this is? You're as foolish as ever.
[ it's not-- fond, but it's not derisive, either. it's a very sasuke thing for him to do, after all. ]
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I'm putting the blame where it should go! What the village did to you... What the leaders made you do! It can be rebuilt. All of it.
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What they "made" me do...? [ there's a sigh that's almost a laugh ] No one forced my hand, otouto. I did what I believed was best. The circumstances surrounding my actions can't absolve me of my crimes. [ that's very important to establish, first off. maybe Itachi's actions were misguided (MAYBE), but he went through with it of his own volition. he can address the rebuilding part of it after. ]
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That's why... I'm going to become Hokage and rebuild Konoha. I'm going to fix the broken world of the ninja no matter what it takes.
[Guess why he's here, big bro!!!]
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[ itachi can't consider himself the victim of anything because sasuke was right there? so. y'know.
also alternate universe where both sasuke and naruto saying that they want to fix the ninja world matters at all in borutobut there's definitely something fond in Itachi's expression now, even as he tries to hide it. He's definitely thought before, that perhaps if he'd told Sasuke the truth from the start, back then... that he could've changed everything. But.
To become Hokage and rebuild... ]
Is that why you're here, then?
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He wants to say it proudly, as if he's sure Itachi would congratulate him. "I'm going to destroy our village--and rebuild, of course!" His mouth opens, but then shuts.]
I'm going to... [Slowly, he hangs his head.] I'm here to win... so I can fix what all the rest have ruined.
[#makekonohagreatagain]
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[ he doesn't know what sasuke intends to do with rebuilding, but the wording on that... fixing what was ruined... is troubling, to say the least. so. time for patented big bro lecture ]
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Being Hokage... [It's a speech he hasn't yet been able to give Naruto, the one friend who will try to stop him. His feelings, so far, are fresh, new, and haven't changed.] You should have been Hokage. [He lifts his head again, eyes hard.]
You gave up everything for the village. You were a criminal, a traitor. You suffered so much... in the dark, alone. But you never gave any of it up. You never told anyone.
I'm not like you, Niisan. I'm the last Uchiha. I'm alone. I can shoulder the same burden you carried, the one a Hokage should. All of the ninja world's hate, I accept it. So they'll be unified, so they'll work together peacefully.
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this is a pretty terrible conclusion that sasuke sure has come to and itachi is a little bit floored by it! give him a second! ]
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He's at least... honorable. He keeps his head held high, his face full of the same conviction as before. It's clear he 100% believes in this method.]
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... So this is what I've done to you, after everything.
[ it's said more to himself than to Sasuke. does he have the right to object to whatever sasuke chooses to do, when he thinks of what he himself was willing to do for his own perceived peace? maybe not. still. ]
You're wrong. While I am loyal to Konoha despite its faults, and always will be... The burden I carried wasn't for its sake. [ well, a little maybe, but. irrelevant. ]
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Niisan...
[He's wrong. He's wrong? He's wrong. The man he admired more than anything, at the start, even in the hate, and after, thinks he's a fraud.] They never deserved your support. They took you for granted.
Just like here. Just like this damn game, too. You were their pawn.
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Do you truly believe me so easily taken advantage of? [ because, like. damn. that is a bit insulting. ... which, admittedly, is probably how sasuke might feel about how itachi treated him. hm. ] I believed in Konoha's ideals. To that end... yes, I did act to the benefit of the village. But you're wrong. I wasn't the kind of person who had what it took to be Hokage. Those who are acknowledged by the village are the ones to become its leader. Do you understand why that is?
[ lecture lecture ]
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I don't believe that. Being acknowledged... doesn't mean someone is capable of doing what it takes to bring peace. You can just look at the history of the village and see that. [Don't @ him.] No matter how many were "acknowledged" by the village, none of them could keep ninja working together.
Didn't I tell you already you wouldn't change my mind, Itachi?!
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[ but will he still do it? yes. ]
But if you truly wish to shape yourself following what you believe to be my path, you should understand why I failed, Sasuke.
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[He squeezes his eyes shut under the weight of the lecture, refusing. He knows! He knows why... When he closes his eyes, Itachi’s memories are the afterimage burned there.] You’ll know when you go back. You show me what happened... I wanted to confirm what I had been told by Danzo and Tobi. I don’t care if you didn’t tell me when we were young.
I’ll never forgive Konoha for what they put you through.
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? ??? ????? ?????
the only logical conclusion is he came back to life, since he would not have shown that to sasuke while he was alive, ever, and there's really only... one... jutsu for that oh my god was he edo tensei'd back to life he's so tired let him die and be dead ]
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You don't have to. You never have to forgive anyone.
[ Whether it be Itachi or the village. It might be better for everyone involved if Sasuke does, but... it's an unfair thing of Itachi to ask of him. He's asked so many unfair things of Sasuke, really. Placing the burden of his crimes on his shoulders alone. ]
If you truly believe you have all the facts, and this is the path you chose... I won't stop you, Sasuke. [ he's spent a lot of time trying to force Sasuke down a path, and maybe that had been the wrong call. Or, well. Apparently it had been. Still. ] But in this place... I can't abide by your request to stand by and let you fight for both of us. [ because they want vastly different things, really. ]
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You've fought enough. There isn't a reason you should have accepted to come to this place. But... because you're my brother, [because he's got Feels] it's my turn to protect you instead.
Even without the power of these eyes, I'll win. Even if it takes stepping further into the darkness. [His eyes rise, leveling Itachi with a stare far from the gilded look he use to give when he was young.] If you get in my way, I'll put you out of commission until it's over.
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[ what Itachi wants, deep down... what he's willing to play for... well, that's neither here nor there, right now. He can't quite see Sasuke's stare for what it is, but he doesn't need to. ]
Depending on the nature of this competition... [ which itachi has pretty much guessed what it must be ] There's a high chance the only way for you to put me out of commission will be something you've done before. I won't make it easy for you, should we truly be at odds. [ he doesn't know which god sasuke is competing for, and neither does sasuke for him. maybe they're on the same side, despite their differing goals. wouldn't that be something. ]
I look forward to seeing how much you've grown.
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Niisan, I...
[Whatever it is, he doesn't finish, his voice, hard at first and then softer at the end. He hadn't expected to be thrown a curve ball from the beginning when he accepted the task.
All he wants to do is murder Naruto, is that too much to ask for?]
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Otouto.
[ finish your sentence, foolish little brother ]
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Nothing. [Sentimental things he should probably forget. For now at least.] If you... need something, you can ask me.
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But of course his brother would manage to surprise him anyway. ]
... You needn't concern yourself with me, Sasuke. [ say it less fondly, god. ]
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I know. [ he'd offer similar, honestly, but-- ha. ] We are alike in those ways, I suppose.
[ wanting to go it alone for the most part ]
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He was a fool to believe otherwise all those years.] You never were.
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... I'm a flawed man, Sasuke. I always was.
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...I am. And as your brother, I was flawed, then and now, as well. [ he's. so. why is sasuke this way. why did he raise him this way*.
*killing a child's entire family and then telling them to kill you is not raising them in any way, shape or form. ]
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Don't. Why is it so hard for you to understand you won't change my mind?
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... That wasn't my intention. [ i mean, kinda, but. ] No one person, one thing, is ever without its flaws, Sasuke. There's nothing wrong with realizing that.
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which is to say, whew boy, okay, that wasn't even the whole of what he was referring to, sasuke, p l e a s e, he has done so many things wrong in his life ]
...
[ he just sighs, in the end, and then gestures for Sasuke to come closer in a move Sasuke should Probably Guess What's Coming ]
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So he moves in toward Itachi at the beckon. Except when the hand goes out, gets close, Sasuke is going to grab the wrist.]
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... You'll understand later, Sasuke. Because we're brothers.
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I'm not a little kid anymore, Niisan.
[he's a MAN]
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No, you're not. [ even if he still believes in childish things and acts like a brat, Sasuke hasn't been a child since Itachi took that from him. And he has grown, so much, because of and in spite of that. But. ] Yet you'll always be my little brother.
[ emphasis on little you piece of shit ]
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The casualness of letting go of being wrong, being angry and speaking like brothers twists the worst kind of hurt in him.]
...Always.
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[ in lieu of vanishing in bits of dusts or like, turning into crows, itachi is just going to have to walk out like a normal human being
This is awkward. ]