#hawksedits

AU where after Itachi seals Orochimaru, as he’s using his last bit of strength to wobble towards sasuke to give him amaterasu and smile at him again, something goes wrong: Orochimaru’s chakra has attached itself so deeply to Sasuke’s that freeing him from the curse mark causes an unexpected collapse of his vital system.

Sasuke is in an unbearable pain, he screams and claws at whatever he can reach, while his body transforms back and forth. Somehow Itachi forgets about the stabbing pain in his chest, the impossibility to breathe, the blindness and his head spinning and everything about himself and runs, his last bit of strength magnified by panic, he runs towards Sasuke and grabs his hand then tentatively hugs him. 

Although he never trained sage mode, he tries to expand his chakra and merge it with Sasuke’s, to take the curse mark residuals upon himself. It will kill him but it doesn’t matter. He’s dying anyway. 

Sasuke doesn’t understand what’s happening, he only feels his brother’s vice-like grip on him, and the pain, the confusion, the utter fear of the elder ripping his eyes out, the sadness for having only been his spare, overwhelm him. He thrashes and screams and tries to get free but his brother’s arms are strong…and warm. So much that he doesn’t struggle anymore. Then, their chakra touch, and memories flood his mind.

Itachi's memories, the truth about the massacre, his real feelings towards him, his love, so strong that he sacrificed his whole clan to keep him alive, that he abandoned and lied to him to keep him safe in the village.

Itachi never wanted him to KNOW but he can't repress them, as his chakra flows from him to Sasuke and Sasuke’s curse mark tainted chakra flows to him. Saving his little brother comes before anything else. 

When Sasuke doesn't shake anymore, when his hair and skin stop changing back and forth, Itachi knows he made it. The boy is about to collapse but he catches him; he expects to collapse on the ground next to him, exhausted, waiting to die.

To his surprise, he doesn't.

-Where Sasuke has waited years, training alone or with everyone bored enough to spend time with Itachi’s little brother -and reckless enough, as Itachi’s protectiveness over the boy was no mystery.

Finally there comes the day he’s considered worthy enough to become an Akatsuki affiliate -Obito pressured Pain to give him a chance: after all some of their members had external underlings and helpers of many kinds, such as Orochimaru’s Kabuto or Karin, although some of his so-called assistants are more similar to test subjects.

Finally there comes the day his brother considers him ready to become his partner -Itachi wouldn’t want him to risk his life, as Akatsuki targets and enemies are much stronger than average shinobi, but he can’t treat Sasuke like a child anymore. Besides, if his brother spends too much time without him, around certain other Akatsuki members, he might face an even bigger danger.

Thus, an Uchiha 2 man team is formed. It’s not easy at first: despite Sasuke’s years of training, despite the missions he already took with Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo, those assigned to full-fledged Akatsuki members are tougher. Not that he complains. How could he? He finally has the chance to work, travel, do everything with the strong, perfect together whose strategies are clever, whose techniques are flawless, whom he admires so much. 

Someday soon, he tells himself, Itachi won’t have to shield me anymore. Someday soon I’ll protect him. Someday soon he’ll be proud of me.

Or maybe it’s all in Sasuke’s head. Maybe he’s travelling alone, fighting against the pain and loneliness of having lost everything, of having seen his dreams of justice crumble, of feeling guilty after Konoha’s brainwashing, and he’s reliving past moment, imagining his brother beside him, so much that at some point his whole life becomes unreal and distant, and the one in his head, started with a simple question (What if niisan had taken me with him?) is more real, more vivid.

After all what is reality anyway? Itachi beside him: this, only, matters.

Akatsuki has top members, wearing the red clouds cloak, and lower affiliates, who are direct subordinates of top members. Like random informers for Kakuzu, Kabuto, Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo for Orochimaru, and Sasuke for Itachi. 

Itachi keeps Sasuke as a minor affiliate for as long as he can because he doesn’t want him to get in trouble with risky missions, but he has his own missions with Kisame so he can’t always control him. Orochimaru, who has a creepy interest towards Sasuke’s body (same reasons as canon~), keeps an eye on him instead, training him and fueling his ego a little.

(basically manipulating him into trying to separate Sasuke from Itachi, so that Sasuke will feel stronger and will get in conflict with Itachi who protects him instead. Like: “Big brothers always see their younger siblings as young weak children who need protection. Especially someone who controls everything and everyone such as yours, Sasuke-kun…”)

Once he sends Sasuke on a mission with his subordinates. He says that they’re hard to deal with, but Sasuke is hard to deal with as well so they might work fine.

In this AU Sasuke has never worked in a team, he has never been a genin either. His only mission experience is obeying to Itachi, or Orochimaru, or whomever brings him along. Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo have no teamwork experience either, as their past is troubled like Sasuke’s and they are all free spirits with strong personalities: Suigetsu refuses anyone’s authority, Juugo is bipolar and Karin can’t stand the others. Sasuke enters the team as their leader, as he can control Juugo with his sharingan, and his lightning element is stronger than Suigetsu’s water one. After an initial rocky start though, they succeed in the mission and in finding a way to get along, in their own way. After all, they know no one else being in the the same age group as them.

(Deidara is only a little older then them, but he is a full Akatsuki member and he constantly teases Sasuke because of this so~)

Sasuke calls the team Hebi, but as they are given more missions he renames it as Taka. Their missions are mostly stealing secret documents and similar stuff, but the kind of things Akatsuki might steal are heavily guarded so they do risk a lot. 

Consider this scenario: a particularly difficult mission where the information they gathered were incomplete and they have to fight more enemies than expected. So much that Itachi and Kisame end up saving them, Kisame being snarky on Suigetsu (“you’re not much of a challenge, kid. Your brother was way stronger.” “If I had his sword you’d see how strong I am, senpai!”) and Itachi being silent and kind of intimidating but inwardly having been worried for Sasuke.

Karin scolds Sasuke for being all battered and bruised after a difficult mission. Then Suigetsu teasing her like: 

“But Karin..everyone knows you like sasuke?”

Karin: “S-shut up! I don’t! He’s not even a full Akatsuki! His bother is way stronger and also prettier!

Suigetsu: “Oooh..could it be that can’t decide which brother you like better?” And so on and on and on. Meanwhile Juugo you like both brothers and can’t decide which one you like best?,and so on and on. Meanwhile Juugo thanks Itachi and carries Sasuke towards him.

They’re very good at them though, so they’re proud of their results, especially Suigetsu, who constantly picks at Kisame (he chose him as senpai anyway and he lost his brother, so). Itachi acknowledges Sasuke’s ability as well, although sometimes he frowns at his startegies, too reckless in his opinion. He does like Team Taka anyway, and he’s glad that his brother has trustworthy. Or, something close to friends.

Itachi often feels guilty for having taken Sasuke along, taking away from him the stability of Konoha, his independence and a future there, not totally risk free, but certainly not as dangerous as a rogue life, as Sasuke and Team Taka too become Bingo Book material. But when he sees his little brother scoffing at Suigetsu’s challenges, following Karin’s suggestion and calmly tending to Juugo, he almost feels like he did the right thing, after all.