Chapter Text
"I'm sorry for causing you pain. You don't even have to forgive me. And no matter what you do from here on now know this, I will love you always" Itachi gave a smile, the one Sasuke remembered from before he committed the massacre, before he was roped into the clan and village mess, when it was just him and his little brother he loved more than anything in the world.
He watched as tears formed in Sasuke's eyes as his soul left his reanimated body to go back and rest in the pure world. The smile never left his face, happy to have got the chance to meet him again as his beloved older brother. His reanimated host body withered away in the air as Sasuke slumped back onto the ground, defeated and lost. It pained him to watch him like that, it seemed that he's at crossroads with himself. It only confirmed for him that there's still a chance after all.
'Naruto, I leave Sasuke to you. Hopefully, you'll be able to bring him back to the light from the darkness.' He thought as he was called back to the pure world. 'Good luck Sasuke. Your aniki will always be with you'
In a blink of an eye, he was at the gates of the pure world. He looked around and saw souls popping up in numbers he couldn't keep count of. He couldn't help but marvel at the sheer number of souls present and the fact that Kabuto controlled them all.
'Glad i was able to release the reanimation jutsu. I hope Kabuto, you learned a valuable lesson in your defeat.' he chastised.
He couldn't help but glance at the other souls. He saw the faces of the complete strangers, but when he glanced around further he could make out some faces he remembers in passing. Some of the comrades he once fought side by side with, and then later, opposite. Looking at them all, he could make out how they had the look of serene and calm.
"Yo danna, look it's the uchiha. Looks like he too kicked the bucket right after us yeah" he heard a familiar voice nearing him, with a twinge of amusement lacing it.
Itachi turned and looked at diedara who looked smug at seeing him, alongside Sasori who seemed to watch him with lack of interest, but Itachi knew he was very much interested in knowing the how.
"Shut up and go die somewhere else" Sasori deadpanned at Deidara, annoyed at his usual antics and he glanced back at Itachi. "Uchiha" he acknowledged with a nod.
"Sasori" Itachi in return gave a nod.
"So, who did you in?" Diedara ask with impatience. Sasori too looked at him for answer, fully knowing that Itachi was one of the stronger members of the Akatsuki.
"Uchiha Sasuke" he answered in a bored toned. At this, Sasori raised an eyebrow- which Itachi thought was eiree since he was used to Sasori as a puppet- not expecting that, but accepted thinking that he must've been strong to kill him as he's never met him. Deidara on the other hand was livid.
"What?" He sputtered out in shock, wide eyed and mouth agape. "That little Uchiha bastard with the same bastard eyes as you managed to survive my suicide blast? And not only that he managed to kill you as well? I don't bloody believe it yeah." he spat out in a hiss. Sasori merely tilted his head in response. "Seems like you're not as good as your reputation says you are huh Uchiha" his tone turned into a mock as he narrowed his eyes at him.
Itachi stayed silent as he continued watching him with his passive face and decided not to validate his immature jab at him with an answer.
"You exploded yourself in a suicide?" Sasori asked baffled, not understanding his reasons for creating this jutsu in the first place.
"Yeah. We both outta have our last ditch jutsu as our own bodies yeah? You with your puppet and me with my explosion." He said as-a-matter-of-fact, which caused Sasori to roll his eyes and murmur 'Ofcource you're an insufferable and a stupid idiotic moron' which went unheard as Deidara continued-
"Cause you know, ART IS AN EXPLOSION!" he exclaimed, mimicking an explosion with his hands and have a very expressive face which was full of amazement and pride.
"Shut up and go die somewhere else you moron" Sasori snapped.
But already Deidara's commotion seemed to have garnered quite an attention from everyone within earshot.
"Sharingan no Itachi" "Clan killer Itachi" "Akatsuki" they could hear murmures and whispers around them.
Everyone around the Akatsuki trio and instinctively took a step back with their disdain and utter dislike openly showing on their face. Deidara scowled watching this happen and opened his mouth to retort-
"Let them be, it matters not who we are once we pass the gate." Sasori decided to interfere.
Deidara humped and shut his mouth as he swallowed his words and calmed himself knowing it was true. As one passes the gates, every sense of identity is stripped off and there is nothing but eternal rest and peace. But that didn't stop him from glowering at others.
"Farewell Uchiha. It seems you're more notorious than all of us combined." Sasori continued on towards another direction. "When will this damned gate open? It's taking too much time" he whispered to himself but both Deidara and Itachi heard him. Deidara rolled his eyes but followed him nonetheless.
He thought he heard Sasori question Deidara 'Why are you following me? I clearly remember I told you to go die somewhere else didn't i?' and subsequently Deidara's incoherent reply but decided not to dwell upon it too much.
With nothing else to do as he watched others mixing and sharing anecdotes about who they faced as a reanimation. Knowing Kabuto, he mused that he must've picked someone close to them and have them fight with their emotions rather than their jutsus. And noting the tone of their voices and ensuing laughters and smiles all around clearly indicated that they were proud even if they tasted defeat.
He couldn't help but frown as he went over the information Kabuto presented. Madara aiming to cast 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' onto the entire world.
And the way he hinted that things weren't exactly going as planned as Madara wanted meant that the man in the mask isn't actually Madara Uchiha as he led himself to believe.
'Whoever he was, was more craftier and resourceful than I gave him credit for. He fooled me all this time. And I thought I was living my whole life full of half truths and lies' he chuckled at himself.
'It matters not now' he shook his head as he reminded himself. 'Either way the war goes, this one is going to be the end of all wars.'
A loud metal sound brought him out of his thoughts as everyone's attention went to the gates to enter the after life which went ajar and then slowly and steadily started opening. He saw that the souls have stopped emerging entirely. 'Everyone must be here then'
'This is it' he thought with a wistful smile on his lips. 'I have many regrets, but it matters not. Mother, Father, Shishui, Sasuke... Izumi, I love you all' he said to himself as he too started walking with everyone.
He saw the souls started entering the gates with a smile etched onto their faces. He watched with awe as they converted into tiny specks of particles in the air of mesmerizing colours as they passed the threshold of the barrier of the gates and vanished inside in vivid patterns almost in glee, never to be seen again.
After waiting and watching the spectacle in anticipation for good few minutes he got nearer and nearer to the gates as his heart started beating faster and faster. He watched many familiar faces vanish in the same mesmerising way as before, but still managing to awe him every single time. The tiny specks of particles are made up of different vibrant colours, each managing to fascinate him beyond anything. His eyes glistened up with tears as he reached the threshold barrier, knowing this is his last moment.
He took a step forward and was going to step in when-
"Uchiha Itachi. You will not pass" a voice stopped him midstep. The words were spoken with such authority that he only ever heard from Pain before. He knew it was not a request but a command.
He immediately looked around but could not discern the one that spoke to him, as everyone else seemed unaware that someone even spoke. He took a step back and moved aside to let others continue ahead, knowing better than to not follow the order. Everyone else gave him a puzzled glances once and twice but he disregarded those like he always did and closed his eyes.
"Who are you?" He asked with curiosity and caution mixed, hoping to get an answer.
"My job is to oversee the pure world. Some refer to me as the shinigami among many things." the voice replied. Itachi's eyes blew open wide in shock as he reeled back a step hearing the reply. He knew of the shinigami ofcourse. But he never thought he'd meet them, and atleast not in these circumstances. He still couldn't see them. He searched around but to no avail.
"You cannot see me. No one here can." He assured him. Itachi nodded in understanding, but soon he started frowning remembering the command. He closed his eyes again, knowing it would make himself feel better to talk to someone with his eyes closed than to remember that he's talking to someone who's not visible.
"Why did you stop me?" He asked with slight annoyance which managed to creep into his voice unintentionally.
"You, Uchiha Itachi will not be allowed in the pure world." Itachi frowned and burrowed his brows at that revelation. "You have committed a great misdeed. Your actions were a violation of one of the important rules of the pure world."
"And what would that be?"
"You sealed away one of the pure world bounded soul. That is not acceptable, nor forgiveable" he answered
"You mean Nagato? I simply had no choice. The caster was using him for his control over life and death"
"That may be, however laws are laws. There is no choice in this matter, neither for you, nor me. I also am bound by these laws. So you will release his soul from the eternal Genjutsu you sealed away him in"
"That is not possible. I do not have the ability to release him from my eternal Genjutsu that i sealed him in." He argued for the sake of argument. But he knew he had no choice and wouldn't like the outcome of this argument.
"You simply have yet to learn it" he dismissed his argument as nothing but a childish tantrum, which irked Itachi a bit. After going through all he went through, he thought he'd be taken a bit seriously, but he supposed in the shinigami's eye he's just a soul that broke a rule. He calmed himself down and tried to analyse the situation.
"Very well. How shall I learn it?" He asked, giving in, knowing that he had no choice in the matter.
"When you return to the world of living, activate your Sussano, with your sealing sword and gourd manifested and then perform the Jutsu signs I tell you. Now listen carefully."
Itachi was reeling from hearing the first statement, which turned into a seething rage as he clenched his teeths and fists. He already died two times and lived his entire life being disgraced and hated. And yet he will have to go through it again? He pushed his thoughts aside to concentrate to the hand signs as he listened to them carefully and committed them to his memory.
It was a complex jutsu with many parts intertwined. Firstly, It summons the shinigami without needing to seal him away. Then the second set of jutsu in the series allows himself control over the release of the souls trapped in his sealing gourd if he chooses so. And third set in the series, the shinigami will grab the soul of Nagato and bring him back to rest in the pure world instead of swallowing him inside it's stomach.
"Now go back. And release him." He bellowed.
"What happens after i release him?" He wanted to clear that part first.
"You will continue to live your pitiful life until you die for the third time. Consider that to be your punishment. Begone"
He didn't have a moment to react and ready himself as he felt a sudden pull on his soul. It stretched and thinned and ballooned him on all places. It was worse than anything he ever felt. He groaned as he felt like air was pushed out of his lungs. He didn't know if he could survive this trip. He was sure he was losing consciousness. He allowed himself to scream as a release for something, but soon even his voice couldn't be heard by him. And with a sudden jerk he blacked out.