-That same day-
Toru has returned to Amegakure. He is walking with hurried steps through the corridors of the largest building in the whole village. He looks from side to side, searching for a certain person. It doesn't take him long to find him.
Pain was in the observer, watching the rain next to Konan. Apparently, he was already waiting for Toru's return, so he turns around and sees him.
"You arrived before the agreed date."
Toru keeps his face expressionless and takes a few steps, approaching Pain.
"My research isn't over yet. There's only one thing left for me to do. Is the lab finishing already?"
Pain nods his head.
"I understand. Then I need five test subjects. Each subject must have an incurable disease that associates the symptoms that are written on this list. When you have found the test subjects, send them to the lab."
Toru hands a small sheet of paper to Pain. Pain accepts it and reads it. He thinks for a few seconds and then looks at Konan. He hands him the sheet of paper as well.
"I won't do any more experiments involving more lives and pain. This time, what I want to do is to develop a drug to cure a disease, that's all I can say, all I'm going to say."
Having read the list, Konan closes her eyes, sighs and the sheets of paper begin to cover her body. She looks at Toru casually and then at Pain, who nods his head, giving his permission to search for test subjects.
"In any case, I'll go to the lab. I don't have time to waste, the two months are about to end and surely you already have plans to get everyone in Akatsuki back to being more active in the hunt for the Bijū. That includes me, doesn't it?"
"Yes. When you're done, you should be prepared."
"I guess I will be."
After that, Konan flies off in some direction. Toru looks at this and sighs, he heads to the lab that had just been built next to the main building where Pain takes shelter.
-The next day-
"I remember it going this way. Maybe I should avoid using the Kotarō to excess, after all I only have a few samples I was able to buy from Reishi."
Toru looks into the microscope lens. The bacteria do their job and the cultivation of the first version of the medicine begins. It seems that the bacteria combined with a certain substance from the Kotarō are stronger and faster to develop. It only took a few hours for the first version of the drug to be finished. Toru is proud of his work, he felt nostalgic and sad in a way.
Now, to test the first version of this drug, Konan brought in five test subjects, all of whom had symptoms related to the disease that, in Toru's past life, was called "Tuberculosis".
So, Toru takes the first samples of the fully developed bacteria and compacts them into small round pills like spheres. Having done this, he goes to the patients' rooms and chooses a random door. Inside the room he finds a middle-aged man. The man was coughing over and over again, spitting up more and more blood.
Not caring about this, Toru puts on a mouth cover and walks over, laying on the metal tray the pills and a glass of water.
"You are my patient. My job is to cure you. Swallow one of these pills using the water in the glass."
The man is surprised by the rudeness with which Toru speaks, however, he recognizes this guy as a doctor, since this one, over the Akatsuki cloak, had a lab coat. So he simply obeyed and swallowed the pills.
Toru leaves after that and continues with the next version of the drug.
***
The next day, the new version of the unnamed drug is finished.
Toru goes to the first patient's room. Upon entering, he notices that the man had stopped breathing. The effect of the drug was too aggressive, so that caused his death.
Toru laughs at this, as he imagined Itachi taking one of the pills.
'The first version of the drug failed. It's good to know that I greatly reduced the effects of the second version, so there won't be any problems again.'
Taking one last look at the lifeless man, he closes the door and heads to the next patient's room.
-Days later-
The creation of the drug had been getting complicated, for just when Toru thought he had succeeded, cold, stupid failure smacked him in the face. Three of the five test subjects had died, only two remained. Toru was already about to ask for more people to serve his experiment, but....
'Haa... At last. I made it.'
Toru saw the fourth patient. It was a little boy, maybe seven or eight years old. The boy had regained color in his face, was breathing normally and had stopped coughing up blood. He was sleeping peacefully, with peace on his face.
Compared to the first day the child arrived, his condition was excellent. Good health was returning to his body, so this was the end of this stressful experiment.
'Konan, uh...'
Recalling the day Konan brought the test subjects, Toru touches his head in pain.
-A few days ago-
Toru was already about to start with the development of the drug, the only thing missing were the subjects that would be used in that experiment. To his good fortune, Konan arrives along with five people wearing mouth covers and all kinds of precautions against contagion.
She enters the laboratory and leaves the people in front of Toru.
"Five patients... They look just the way I want them to."
At Toru's words, Konan frowns slightly. She looks at Toru for a long three seconds until the latter notices. He also looks at her and says, "You... trust me?"
Konan replies, "No..." Leaving the lab after that.
"I see..."
Toru smiles and leads the people to the rooms where they will be for the next seven days. Somehow, the claws of death could be seen, Toru's claws wrapping around the bodies of each person who will be used in the development of the drug.
-Present-
Thanks to this child that Konan brought, Toru achieved his goal. The drug is finished. He decided to call it "Pyrazinamide", a drug which is able to kill Tuberculosis from the root. Without leaving any after-effects as far as Toru experimented.
"Kami-sama... you... cured me?"
That boy, who has no expression on his face, looks at Toru with empty eyes. He saw light in the middle of the darkness, he saw the eyes of someone who was able to bring him out of the darkness he was submerged in.
"Kami...-sama?"
Toru is confused. This is the second time someone called him "Kami[God]" so he didn't know how to react.
Suddenly, the boy gets down on his knees, his forehead on the ground. "Thank you so much for saving my puny life, Kami-sama."
The boy, despite having no emotion on his face, was able to convey what he felt through his trembling voice and gesture of thanks.
"You keep calling me 'Kami' - why?"
The child looks up.
"Because until now, no one has been able to cure my illness. Everyone said there was no point in taking care of me and my mother anymore, that we should just go away from society and die quietly, but then... an angel appeared, Pain-sama's angel. That angel brought us here, in front of you, Kami-sama. You were the only one who was able to cure me... you didn't ask me for anything in return. That's why you are Kami-sama, because Kami-sama helps those in need without asking for anything in return. Kami-sama until now decided to show himself to us to give us his mercy. Kami-sama... it is you, you are my salvation. Kami-sama is a true god who heals the sick and faces death."
Toru was silent, for he had no words to reply. In fact, he had never seen himself as someone merciful, he always killed whoever crossed his path. So the word "mercy" is something that does not go with him.
"I did not cure you. You are not cured yet, since you still have to take the medicine every night, otherwise, the symptoms of your illness will return. Even so, if you follow my instructions, by the end of the year you will be completely cured."
"Hehe... I knew it. You really are Kami-sama"
"I am no god. If I were to be one, I would be a false god."
"No. Kami-sama is no false god. You are a real god, one who can understand us mortals."
"You are wrong."
"I am not wrong!"
"You don't know the world well enough to understand it yet. Grow up a little and then you'll understand..."
"I don't need to grow up to know the world. After all... I also lived through the misfortunes of war... I know how it feels. That's why, even if it costs me my life, even if you have to take my life... heal my mother, make her meet a good man who will heal her wounded heart, make her happy, after all, god would also sacrifice himself for the people he loves, wouldn't he?"
Toru looks at the child. He touches his head in pain and sighs. He is processing what he had just heard. This was definitely the act of an innocent child who has suffered and just wants to see the person he loves the most be happy.
His eyes glow with the light of death and then he replies, "No, I would never do that."
The child just chuckles. Then he reached out and touches Toru's arm.
"Not even god is able to lie to me, huh..."
That child knows that Toru is lying. He feels it in his heart, in the air, in the weather and most importantly, Toru's heartbeat. That's why he can tell when someone is lying to him.
"My mother never lied to me. She would sacrifice everything for me and I will do the same..."
"You don't talk like you're a child."
"There are times when children are forced to change mentally. I've said it before... you don't need to grow up to know the truth of the world, a rather cruel world. But Kami-sama is here..."
The child smiles after so long.
"I know Kami-sama must understand me. He also loves and protects the people of the world."
Toru shakes his head.
'If only you knew what I'm really like, you wouldn't be saying any of that, brat.'
Toru closes his eyes, sighs and then walks in some direction.
'Don't change, kid. Protect your mother, you don't need to give me your life in return."
"Hehe. Thank you, after all Kami-sama's mercy has no end."
It seems that, inside Toru's broken and bizarre mind, there still hides a small drop of kindness. That little drop that turns him into a human and separates him from the monsters.
-The next day-
Lurking again among the leaves of the trees, Toru was targeting Itachi. He was walking alone, there was no one around him, no trace of Kisame. That's why Toru watched him for a few seconds.
Suddenly, something shot out in the direction of Itachi's face, who quickly took the object that was thrown in his hand and, as if the wind announced the arrival of someone strange, he blew strongly the leaves of the trees and then...
The eyes of death and suffering met.
There he was, on the branch of a tree. He had his hat on, so it was difficult to see the expression on his face, but you could see the light in his eyes shining brightly.
And just as he arrived, Toru disappeared.
Itachi was left alone again. Right there he saw the object Toru had thrown at him. It was a white jar. When shaking it, it produced a somewhat familiar sound, as if it was filled with small stones. Without waiting any longer, he opens it and, inside, he could see about fifty white pills and a piece of paper.
The wind blows again and a shiver runs through his body. Itachi takes the piece of paper and looks at it. There was something written on it. This made his eyes widen in shock, for on that small piece of paper, is written the reason why Toru did all this... the reason for everything... to get the revenge he craves so much, on the paper was written:
[Live and suffer
-Toru]
The expression on Itachi's face changed, now there was a sad smile on his mouth, as he thought this decision on Toru's part was sad... and cruel. Still, he gently squeezed the piece of paper and closed his eyes.
"You still have terrible penmanship..."
On the back of the paper, there were directions on how to use the pills and what they were for, though he had a hard time understanding what the words written there said. Itachi is also surprised by something, as there was a small note at the end of the directions.
[When the pills are finished, look for me and I will give you more.]
After reading this, Itachi keeps the pills inside his cloak. Not without first taking one of the pills. After that, a few minutes pass and Itachi arrives at a remote site where no one could hear him scream.
"I made you wait?"
A voice is heard. Itachi turns around and looks at a familiar man. He shakes his head and then replies:
"Not at all, Jiraiya-sama."
Itachi's Secret - The End
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Today there is a chapter :D
Well, I will post the next chapter when I reach 200 power stones. Until then, I'll keep writing to post more chapters in P atreon. I wish you all good luck and a nice day. Bye bye.