The Dojutsu Gap

"Sasuke, who told you the truth?"

Itachi Uchiha kept his eyes on Little Sasuke's face, trying to read something in her expression. His hands hung at his sides, and the bandages beneath his sleeves were crumpled where he'd clenched them.

"That has nothing to do with you."

Satsuki's gaze swept over Itachi's face, then returned to him. "I've been asking the same question this whole time. Is it really that hard to answer?"

Itachi lowered his head, the corners of his mouth pulling into a bitter smile.

His eyes fell to the ground. His weary eyes, tired from years of strain, held something else now, something he couldn't quite name. The younger brother he cared about most knew the truth. He knew the whole story behind what had happened back then, and what Itachi had been thinking when he did those things.

And yet, when Sasuke stood before him, he was still like this-cold and distant. Itachi couldn't help feeling hurt.

He believed everything he'd done was for Sasuke.

He'd slaughtered his clan for Sasuke, joined the Akatsuki for Sasuke, lived for Sasuke, and died for Sasuke.

He'd staked his entire life on his younger brother, giving him everything he could and everything he couldn't. And what had he gotten in return? The person at the heart of it all had completely rejected his path. Sasuke didn't want the future he'd arranged, the protection he'd presumed to offer, or anything he'd traded his life to give him.

Itachi suddenly felt lost. Was it really impossible to be like they'd been as children, even before he died?

Had that child who followed him around calling him "Big Brother," who clung to his clothes and wouldn't let go, who said, "Big Brother is the best," really never coming back?

"...All right. I'll