Orochimaru smiles, rising to his feet and approaching Naruto. "We buried you..." the blond man whispers, wide-eyed and fearful.

"No," Orochimaru says, touching his son's cheek. "You didn't. That was a decoy. I was dead, yes, but I came back. Of course, knowing someone wants me dead, I went into hiding. Wouldn't you do the same?"

"Then that means..." the blond trails off.

"After years of experimenting, I have what I wanted," the slimy man says, sounding smug. "Immortality... Or perhaps a more accurate word for it would be regeneration."

"How?" Naruto croaks.

"Your blood," Orochimaru says, causing the blond to shudder. "I don't know what it is that makes you so special, but your blood is the key. Nonetheless, I figured it out before I was murdered. Now I'm just like you – hard to kill."

"But not impossible," Naruto finishes before he can censor himself. This causes anger to flash across Orochimaru. He backhands the blond across the face, causing him to stumble. After that, both Danzo and Kabuto hold him down and he's too miserable to try and fight back.

"I've been watching you and I'm not impressed with the way you've been running my show. Apart from that, I don't like what I've been hearing about you housing a runaway."

Naruto's eyes widen. "You killed him, didn't you...?" he asks weakly before being overcome with another wave of miserable, grief-stricken sobs.

"I don't want strangers from the streets in my house! It's time we take over." The words come out harsh. Orochimaru fetches his kit. "I need to administer the dose before he gets out of hand." He pulls out a syringe and taps it.

"What the fuck is that?" Naruto shouts wetly, eying the needle and growing panicked.

"Sh," his father coos. "Soon enough you'll have everything you've ever dreamed of. Don't you want to rule the land?"

No. That's not what Naruto wants. But now he sees that he doesn't have a choice in the matter. Soon he falls limp.

"What did you give him?" Danzo questions.

"New memories and modified old ones," Orochimaru explains. "I've changed the way he thinks, making him into something else. This will make him come to us. In a way, he'll become a very convenient puppet. Because of his immunity to this sort of drug, we'll have to administer monthly doses... but as long as we stay on schedule there won't be a problem."

"Now what?" the president asks.

"We wait," Orochimaru says simply. "For now, send someone to bring him home."

  ||XxXx||  

When Naruto wakes up, he's in his bed wearing his pajamas. He remembers coming home from work, making supper and heading to bed. He glances at the clock. It's 12 AM. A strange time to wake up. He feels unsettled and the feeling spreads, but he shakes it off and decides to go for a walk. He puts on his slippers and walks outside, only to be greeted with a group of people standing on the side of the road near his house. They're circling something he can't quite see.

"What the hell is this?" he shouts, grabbing their attention. As the group of people turns to look at him, the first familiar face he sees is Suigetsu, followed by Jugo. "You guys again..." he mutters. "What do you want?" They step aside and Naruto stares at the ground – at what they were surrounding. A corpse. "The fuck's this?" he asks tersely, nodding towards the body. "What happened to Sasuke?"

"He's cold, Itachi..." Suigetsu says solemnly, staring at another man – pale with dark hair.

"If you haven't done the purification ceremony it isn't too late," the one named Itachi tells them.

"You're his brother," Naruto says in faint recollection. They look alike.

"I am," Itachi says in confirmation. "I can save him, you know. I thought you'd be more pleased to find out."

"Should I be?" Naruto asks, genuinely unsure. He feels dissociated and he doesn't know why.

"You're Naruto, aren't you?" Itachi pries, all knowing. "I was sure you'd be happier."

Naruto remains blank-faced, staring down at the open-eyed dead body. "You strays need to scatter or perform your little ritual elsewhere," he says. "You're lucky I don't call the cops and have you devil worshippers arrested. Deaths such as these are just simple nuisances for those whose job is to keep the roads clean. I have no sympathy for trash."

"Listen to this kid..." a new voice scoffs. "Don't let him talk to you like that, Itachi. Want me to kick his ass?"

"Kisame," Itachi says in a warning tone, holding up a hand.

Naruto recognizes this man from his wanted poster located around town. He looks like the walking dead, a grotesque sight. "Get on with it or leave." He crosses his arms, emitting an impatient sigh.

"We can't move the body," Itachi explains. "Those are the rules. If we do, it won't work. So, please, stay quiet and stay where you are."

Naruto snorts back a laugh. "This ought to be interesting..." he mutters.

"Itachi..." Kisame interrupts sternly. "You don't need to do this."

"Yes, I do," Itachi argues. "This is how it has to happen. He's my baby brother and I need to make it up to him for leaving him behind all those years ago. He will be worth the sacrifice. Someday, he'll be great." Kisame looks pained, but he doesn't protest further. Itachi smiles serenely, holding out a hand. Kisame clasps it and they share a brief kiss. "Thank you for always being by my side," Itachi says sincerely.

Kisame's jaw tightens and he gives a single nod before letting go of the brunet.

Itachi kneels over Sasuke, leaning down until their foreheads are touching. A moment later, he falls limp. Kisame comes behind him and catches him before he slumps forward, lying him down next to his brother. Naruto watches with mild interest, staring at the two brothers lying side-by-side.

  ||XxXx||  

Itachi is taken somewhere foreign – a place he's only seen in books. It's bright. The skies are blue, as is the water. Here, he sees Sasuke sitting on the sand.

"It's called the ocean," Itachi says, coming up behind him.

"The ocean," Sasuke repeats. He's no longer wearing his old cotton robe. He's dressed casually with his pant-legs rolled up.

"It's a big body of water," Itachi explains, sitting down beside him. "It still exists today, but doesn't look this pretty. Too much pollution." He points to the blue sky above them, the clear ocean in front of them and the greenery behind them. "Everything is different."

"What is this place?" he asks, staring off into the great, blue immensity.

"There are many names for it," Itachi says. "But most call it afterlife."

"I died," Sasuke says as if recalling an old memory. "Why am I here?"

Itachi smiles a small, sad smile. He never wanted this life for his brother. He finds if heartbreakingly unfair. "It's different for everyone. This is yours. Try to think about why. You'll figure it out."

"It's just land..." Sasuke murmurs, staring down at the sand between his bare toes.

"Think, Sasuke," his brother reiterates.

A pause. "Wait..." Sasuke murmurs. "Sakura once told me about places like this. I suppose... I thought it would be nice to see it for myself."

Itachi nods thoughtfully. "Do you want to stay here?"

"Aren't I supposed to?" the younger brother wonders. "I'm burdensome. What else is there for me?"

"So much," Itachi tells him. "And... what about Naruto?"

"Naruto..." Sasuke repeats the name. "I love him..."

"I think he'll be needing you," Itachi says, "and it might cause you pain, but you won't feel regret when everything is over."

"If I stay here will I feel regret?"

"You might," he admits, "but that I cannot know for sure. It's your choice. Don't feel bad about it."

"Didn't I already make a choice?" Sasuke wonders. "Isn't that why I'm here and not a ghost?"

Itachi smiles a small smile. "Maybe, but I'm offering you a chance to return."

"How are you here?" Sasuke asks weakly.

"I just am," Itachi says vaguely.

Sasuke lets out a breath. He feels himself growing emotional, but he's unsure why. "Can we..." he pauses. "Can we rest here for a bit? Please?"

Itachi softens, sitting down next to his brother. "Of course."

They talk about the past, the present, the future. They talk about things they never got to talk about and they ask questions they never got to ask. For both of them, it feels like closure – the kind neither of them ever thought they'd get. Itachi can gladly end life on this note.

"How do I go back?" Sasuke ponders.

"Close your eyes," Itachi tells him.

And he does.

  ||XxXx||  

Naruto is growing impatient with each passing minute, but soon Sasuke stirs and sits up. Itachi, however, remains still.

"Sasuke," Jugo immediately says his name, kneeling at his side. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," the brunet murmurs, placing a hand over his chest. The wound is gone. When the initial shock wears off, Jugo helps him rise. This is when he notices his brother, still lying limp on the cold ground. "Why isn't he waking up?" he asks weakly for fear of finding out. He looks at Kisame, demanding answers.

Kisame only shakes his head. He closes his eyes, taking a breath. It hurts, but he refuses to let it show. "This is what had to happen for you to return," he finally speaks. "A life for a life. There was no other way."

Sasuke looks pained, emitting a gasp of disbelief. "No...!" he cries.

Naruto gages his reaction with mild, sadistic curiosity. Kisame bends down and lifts Itachi. "Now you really are the last Uchiha," he says. "Do something with that."

"How?" Sasuke whispers pleadingly. "There's still things I don't know..." He's crying by now, but ignoring the tears swimming down his face. He can't help but find it unfair. He just got his brother back only to have him taken away again.

Naruto chooses now to interrupt. "Sasuke is staying with me," he declares. It's not a question. It's almost a demand, leaving the other men with no choice or say in the matter. "It looks like you guys have enough on your plate as it is."

Sasuke stares at him with wet eyes, making him look years younger than he already does. Kisame, Suigetsu and Jugo look hesitant to leave Sasuke with Naruto – especially with the way he's been acting – but they don't have a choice. Once again, Akatsuki's leader has fallen and they have yet to accomplish their goal.

With his dead lover in his arms, Kisame turns away. "Let's go, then," he says, keeping his voice hardened. Without any more words, Suigetsu and Jugo solemnly follow.

Naruto grabs Sasuke shoulders and brings him inside.

Sasuke's heart feels immensely heavy. He feels like it's sinking, once again shattering into a million pieces. Now he truly is the last of his kind. He doesn't know where to go from here. He lets out a string of miserable sobs as Naruto drags him inside by the arm.

Behind them, Naruto locks the doors and releases Sasuke before wandering upstairs. It makes Sasuke feel even lonelier. He puts a shaky palm over his face, breathing heavily. He feels like he might break.

  ||XxXx||  

Naruto walks into his bedroom and enters his bathroom. He stares at himself in the mirror above the sink, examining himself critically. He feels dissociated still. He doesn't quite know why. He shakes it off for now, blaming it on the lack of sleep. He returns back to his room and crawls into bed, burrowing beneath the covers.

Sasuke crosses his mind briefly. He thinks about the brunet and the things he has shared with him. 'I feel nothing now,' he realizes, wondering why that may be. There is no love. No fondness. But Naruto doesn't mind his presence. He'll put him to use. Naruto won't be handing him anything he isn't used to. Once a whipping boy, always a whipping boy.