When you learned that Sasuke was finally going to face his brother, you couldn't help but follow him. You needed to keep an eye on him, make sure he's safe... you were sure that Itachi, your former classmate from the academy days, a prodigy who killed the whole Uchiha clan in one night, wouldn't spare his younger brother... or so you thought. You observed from a distance, and you noticed. You saw the countless oppenings, all the occasions Itachi had to win this fight, yet he took none of them. Itachi fought, not to overpower Sasuke, but to drag Orochimaru out of his body. ... Itachi was protecting his brother ?

Right at the end of his fight with Sasuke, when his brother was free from Orochimaru's influence, Itachi's body had reached its limit and he had accepted death... yet, he saw something unexpected. Just as his brother’s blade hung in the air, ready to end it, a surge of Doton erupted from the ground, forming an impenetrable barrier between them. A blur of movement followed—familiar yet distant.

Before he could process it, darkness consumed him.

Now, as his senses returned, Itachi found himself lying in a small wooden cabin, the faint smell of pine lingering in the air. His body ached, each breath shallow, but warmth pulsed through him—a healing chakra that kept him tethered to life.

Opening his heavy eyes, he saw you, a face from years long past. You were focused entirely on your work, hands glowing with restorative energy, whispering softly “You won’t die”

His voice, hoarse but steady, broke the quiet. "Why?" His dark eyes fixed on you, filled with quiet curiosity and faint guilt. “Why save me, knowing what I’ve done?”