The Angel's Ambivalence [Naruto]

A Caged Bird's Song

"Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?"

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Third Person's POV

After a long and complicated battle that consisted mainly of genjutsu (courtesy of Itachi), yelling (courtesy of Sasuke), and snobby remarks (courtesy of Scarlett), Kabuto had finally been defeated. Itachi had trapped him using the Izanami, the counterpart of the Izanagi that made Scarlett very grateful not to have crossed paths with him sooner, otherwise she'd be the one trapped in an endless loop until she -heaven forbid- had some kind of epiphany, the way Kabuto was right now. She'd managed to come out of the battle with nothing more than a few minor bruises, which she knew was because she'd been fighting with the aid of Itachi and Sasuke. They weren't exactly ideal companions, but she had to admit that together, they made quite the powerful combo.

"So, is it over now?" Scarlett asked. She ran a hand through her curly hair in order to smooth it down, since it'd became rather tousled by the battle. "Will the Edotensei shinobi be gone?"

Itachi nodded in confirmation. "Yes. All I have to do is make Kabuto tell me the hand signs." He removed Kabuto's glasses so he could see his eyes clearly and perform a simple genjutsu that would manipulate Kabuto into undoing the Edotensei. "That should end the war."

"But you'll be gone, too," Sasuke reminded, in a tone that expressed that he was clearly not happy about losing his brother a second time.

"I'll have protected my village," Itachi stated in response. "I am once more Itachi Uchiha of Konoha. I have no more regrets."

"But why?" Sasuke demanded. "Why help the very village that put you where you are now? You may forgive that place, but I will never forgive Konoha! You have no more regrets? What about what you've made me become!?"

"I'm not the one who can change you, Sasuke," Itachi said knowingly. "But I can stop this jutsu. That will fulfill my promise to Minxie. It's nowhere near a substitute for the apology you need to give her, but it's a start, at least." He cast his genjutsu upon Kabuto, who, at Itachi's command, immediately began making the signs to stop the Edotensei.

"I guess it won't matter what I say, will it." Sasuke sighed, letting his Sharingan fade and letting his eyes return to their usual onyx color. "When Scarlett told me you'd returned, I immediately wanted to go after you to confirm the truth of what Tobi and Danzo had said. When I'm with you, I remember things... The feelings I had as a child, of adoring my big brother. That's why... The closer we get to how we were before, as brothers, and the more I understand you... The more I hate Konoha for causing you pain! I hate it more than ever! I know what you want me to do, how you want me to be, who you want me to be with. You're my big brother, so you're going to disapprove, but it's because I'm your brother that no matter what you say, you're not going to stop me! Even if you protect the village now, I will still destroy it someday."

To Scarlett's surprise, Itachi didn't say anything. He merely stood there as a light engulfed him, one that shot up towards the ceiling. Fragments of the Edotensei began to disperse into the air, and she knew that now, the jutsu really was fading away. Itachi surprised her again when he walked over to Sasuke, trapping the younger Uchiha with his Sharingan. For a moment, Scarlett wondered if Itachi was going to use a genjutsu to bring Sasuke to his senses, but it seemed that the elder Uchiha was merely sharing his memories with his younger brother.