How to Have a Heartbeat? (Book Two)

Chapter 9: Konoha's Betrayal

         "I gave you some first aid," Madara said as Sasuke's eyes snapped open. Sasuke lifted himself up in a sitting position.

         "And I gave you a sponge bath," I said, not joking around in the least. My comment was ignored, but the important thing is that I thought it was funny.

         "You won," said Madara. "It was very close, though, and you're still badly wounded. You shouldn't be so reckless with you life," said Madara, not coming from the darkness of the shadows.

         "Sana," Sasuke whispered, his eyes tired and almost sad. I cocked my head to the side, my hair falling over to the side.

         "Shh," I said, putting a finger to my lips. "No talking."

         "We've met once before, as enemies," said Madara coming out from the shadows. "Don't worry about what happened with Deidara. I am no longer your foe. I brought you here to tell you something important."

         "Should you wait until he is more rested to tell him that?" I questioned and Madara shook his head in answer.

         "Don't let you emotions cloud your judgement. Right now is perfect," said Madara, looking back at Sasuke who looked at nothing. "Not interested I see? Maybe you'll pay attention if I say it like this...? It's about Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke looked up at that. I sighed and leaned back against the cave wall. There was no avoiding this. "There we go. You know so much about your brother and at the same time you know nothing. All right, why don't I start by introducing myself." Madara began to take off the mask. "Much like yourself, I'm a living breathing Uchiha, and the man who knows the truth about Uchiha Itachi"

         Just as the mask came off a little and Sasuke and Madara's eyes connected, Sasuke's Sharingan activated, changing its form. It make me stand up in surprise as a flare of the Amaterasu attacked the unsuspecting Madara. Sasuke covered his eyes in pain as Madara's cries of pain ran out through the cave.

         "Are you okay?" I asked dully, and I got a curse from Madara before it was silent.

         "What the hell was that?" Sasuke asked, his Sharingan unactivated. I picked up Madara's mask as the man began to calmly walk out of the darkness of the cave. I handed the mask to the man who put it on quickly.

         "The Amaterasu that Itachi implanted into you," the man answered. "Itachi, Itachi, Itachi, even in death he never ceases to amaze me. Even planning for a situation like this."

         "What are you saying," asked Sasuke, his eyes narrowing.

         "He equipped you with his own Jutsu, as a last ditch effort to kill me. Or perhaps his intention was simply to keep me away from you. I assume that he set things up so the sight of my Sharingan would automatically trigger 'Amaterasu' to activate. It's what you'd call a fail safe, although he only got as far as far as the 'fail' part."

         "Are you seriously making jokes?" I asked, and Madara let out a small chuckle.

         "I have no idea what you're getting at," said Sasuke.

         "Look, Itachi did something to you just before he died, right?" As Madara said this, Sasuke's eyes widened in a memory. "Somehow, at the last second, he transferred all his eye techniques into you."

         "That makes no sense..." Sasuke said, incredulously. "What are you trying to say. Why would Itachi want to-"

         "You still don't know?" Madara interrupted. Obviously he doesn't know. "It was to protect you."