Thank you soooo much for the reviews, I absolutely love them! Here's chapter three!

Phoenix x.

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The next morning Naru awoke to an empty room, and she figured that Itachi had gone out to do whatever mission he was planning on doing. She lay in bed for a few minutes, waiting for her tiredness to fade, and she slowly blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up with a loud yawn and looked around.

Since when did she have the cover on her?...She must have pulled it over herself last night, somehow.

Feeling something around her wrists, she looked down - and growled. Two thin, see-through bangs were around her henged wrists, and she didn't have to have Shikamaru's IQ to know that these were restricting her normal chakra.

" The human isn't being careless, is he? " Kyuubi sounded far too amused about the situation that they were in.

Naru huffed. Kicking the fluffy covers off, she slid out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. She was hungry. So, she was going to quickly do her morning things, which included having a quick shower, and then she was going to go and look for a ramen stand. Yes, Itachi had told her not to go out, but she knew that he probably knew she wasn't going to listen to him.

" Damn Uchiha! " She nearly shouted, but managed to keep it low. She didn't want anyone knowing that Itachi Uchiha was in Iwa - it would only cause trouble for her aswell.

' Why would he just leave me alone? He must have known I would probably try and escape, ' she thought while combing the long wavy locks of her henged form.

" Do you really think the human would just leave you to do whatever you please? " Kyuubi said with a snort. " After everything, and you still think so little. The human has most likely done something to prevent you from escaping. "

Naru chose to ignore him.

Once she was finished, she quickly left the hotel room. She toyed with the key as she walked down to the reception. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to need the key for the hotel room after today, not if Itachi's mysterious mission was a success.

" Hello, Kyou-san! " Chirped an excited voice, causing her to cringe.

" Er, hi, " Naru said, faking a smile as she approached the front desk.

The receptionist from yesterday stood there, eyes bright and happy, her expression one of a child who had been given a brand new toy. " Did you and your fiance enjoy your night? "

Naru blushed slightly at the implication. What the hell was with this woman? " Er, hai, we did, " she said, " um, we will be leaving today, so here's the key, thank you. " She practically threw the key at the too cheerful lady and quickly walked out of there.

" Come back soon! "

" Not likely, " she muttered to herself, but threw a smile over her shoulder before the hotel door disappeared out of sight.

" Now you know how everyone who knows you feels, " Kyuubi said dryly.

' Shut up. ' Naru thought and was awarded with sound of mocking laughter. Damn demons.

It was only a few minutes later of wandering - she was very lost, and Itachi would probably say I told you so if he was the type to do so - that she came across the familiar smell of Ramen, nothing on Teuchi's Ramen, but it still smelled good.

She slipped into a stool and rested her arms on the counter.

The man who was cooking was not what she expected of a Ramen Chef. Unlike Teuchi, he was not old, grey, nor kind looking, instead he was tall, muscular, and scars littered his arms. He was a ninja, or at least, he once was, judging by the fact that he was now cooking Ramen.

" What can I get you? " He said plainly, sounding rather bored and montone.

" Large bowl of Miso, please, " Naru said politely, though it was rather forced. She was used to just announcing what she wanted to Teuchi without the slightest bit of worry that she would sound rude. She really didn't need to get into a fight with a Ramen Chef who looked like he had been a ninja.

He nodded and turned back to the boiling noodles. " I've never seen you around here before, " he said casually, " are you new? "

" Iwa is a big place, " she said with a wide smile, even though his back was turned. He turned his head and shot her a look. " But yes, I arrived yesterday with my...fiance. " Hopefully he didn't notice the pause before fiance. But when he looked at her suspiciously, she knew he had. She quickly thought of an excuse.

" He only proposed to me last week, you see, " she said with a fake happiness, " up until then, I've been so used to calling him my boyfriend. " My mass-murdering enemy, actually.

He seemed to accept this answer.

Within a few minutes, he placed a bowl of Miso Ramen in front of her, and she happily dug into it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Under the new disguise of a man with blonde hair and green eyes - since he needed his other henged form for when he escaped -, he appeared to be walking casually past the Kage tower, a tall and ominous looking building with the Iwa sign printed on a large banner. He felt the suspicious stares of the ninja guarding the tower.

He pin-pointed where every ninja was. There were at least ten that he could see visibly, but there were also eight in the shadows, and five hidden by Genjutsu. He'd caught a look of the Iwa Kage before, and he knew that the man certainly did not need this much guard, but it was necessary, he supposed.

Making sure to stay out of sight, he walked round to the side of the kage tower. As expected, a ninja with a rough scowl appeared in front of him.

" You're not supposed to be down here, civilian, " he growled.

Itachi did not blink once as his henged green eyes shifted into the Sharingan. The Iwa shinobi had no chance to yell as he was put under Genjutsu.

The shinobi stood there, like a puppet who'd had it's strings cut and was now nothing more than a lifeless doll. After a moment, he blinked hazy eyes, turned around, and walked out into the street.

Far too suspicious for their own good.

Pain stung Itachi's eyes. He quickly deactivated his eyes and held them shut for a moment. He shook off the pain, opened his eyes and approached the tower.

His eyes looked over the tower, seeing something that no-one else could see. After a minute, his eyes narrowed.

Found it.

Placing his hand on the wall, he channeled chakra into it, and slowly, a concealed door appeared - the wood was old and worn, but looked strong. A strong genjutsu. He pushed the door open, and it creaked loudly on it's old hinges, but he ignored it and walked in. He closed the door behind him.

It was obvious that the door had not been used in a while, and considering that there was an entrace from the Kage tower above, this door was not needed.

Torches lined the grimy, old walls, and went downstairs, following the stone steps.

Before he entered the under ground, he made sure that Naru was still in Iwa - he'd known that she wasn't going to stay in the hotel - via the belt he had specially made. He then began his descent.

If his source was correct, then the Scroll of Iwa was hidden somewhere beneath the Kage Tower, deep underground, protected by numberous traps that could only be stopped by use of ninjutsu, but, the scroll also had traps surrounding it that triggered at the slightest use of chakra.

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Itachi had to be having more fun than this.

After finishing her bowl of ramen, Naru had paid the required amount before going on her way to look around the market. It was a good thing Itachi had allowed her to keep her money, or else she'd be sitting around in the hotel with that overly cheerful woman.

She'd been wandering down a road filled with merchants when an oily voice called out, " hello there, miss, you look like one with fine tastes. " She hated merchants - slimey, greasy, money grabbing temes. Still, she knew it would look a bit suspicious if she ran to get away from the merchant, and she was bored, so why not?

" Oh? " She said brightly, turning around. She came face-to-face with a short, plump man with slicked back greasy hair, beady brown eyes and a pinched face.

The slimey merchant grinned, giving himself a more pinched look. " Oh yes, yes, you seem the type to buy expensive jewellery, " he said, and with a grand gesture, he directed her attention to the numberous amounts of jewellery covering his stall. Jewellery, she had no doubt, that was most likely stolen.

" Oh, I'm not really the type to wear that sort of stuff, " she answered truthfully. The only thing she had ever worn remotely like jewellery was the neckalace Tsunade had given to her just after her near death experince thanks to Kabuto-teme.

The merchant's smile wavered a bit, but after a moment, it came back full force. " Are you so sure, madam? You would look superb with a diamond around your neck, " he said, holding up a thin gold chain with a small diamond hanging from it.

Jewellery had never held an attraction to her.

Still, she might as well as amuse him. " I-I guess I could have a look, ne? " She said with a bright smile, and the merchant's beady eyes filled with a triumphant greed. She approached the stall and scanned over the items boredly.

After looking for a good ten minutes, just to keep up apperances, she actually spotted something that caught her interest instantly.

It was nothing special. Just a simple silver chain, and hanging from it was a clear watery blue pendant. But there was something about it.

Naru reached out and picked it up by the chain.

" Ah, yes, that, " the merchant said, sounding slightly nervous. Ah, so the pendant was stolen. No surprise there. " The Amulet Of Kanna. "

" Kanna? " She said, raising an eyebrow as she peered up at the slimey man.

" Oh, just the name that came with it, " he said off-handedly. " I traded for it on a small island that is near Kiri - middle of the ocean, really, you wouldn't be able to get to it. "

His attention was then taken by two women approaching the stall, and without a second look at her, he rushed over to them.

" Thank Kami, he was freaking me out, " she said.

" I noticed that you haven't tried to escape, " Kyuubi's voice said for the first time that day.

' Yeah, well, I figured that he's done something to keep me here. I bet this belt doesn't just absorb your chakra. '

Naru rested the Amulet in her palm. Only to release a slight hiss: the Amulet was as cold as ice to the touch.

" That Amulet..." Kyuubi murmured thoughtfully, sounding as if he were lost in memories. She decided not to distract him - more peace and quiet in her head.

With a trill of impulsiveness that she was known for, she took a coin out of her pocket and henged it into an exact replica of the Amulet, while slipping the real one into the folds of her kimono. " Arigato, but I really can't see myself wearing any of these, " she said, setting the fake Amulet back down. Yes, she felt slightly guilty, but at least she had left a bit of money - one yen - and besides, it didn't even belong to him.

The merchant, who had just sold something over pricey to the women, hurried back - probably to make sure that she had put the Amulet back.

With a small wave, she walked away at a pace that was slower than her own slowest. Pretending to be a civilian sucked. Big time.

Naru paused in the street, a sudden thought striking her: now what was she going to do?

A sigh escaped her lips. Boredom set in so easily.

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As expected, traps upon traps lined the dark, damp corridor, and, even though when one trap was triggered, it set off the next one, and the next one, and so on, it did not set off an alarm. Itachi guessed that the one that would set off the alarm was the traps surrounding the Scroll. He would have to be careful when it came to disarming them.

He smoothly walked along the corridor, disarming traps, and, when they didn't disarm, deflecting and dodging them. It all would have been very hard for any normal ninja - but then again, he had never been accused of being normal, nor sane, but that didn't really matter.

After all the traps were disarmed, he finally turned a sharp corner. There, about five feet ahead of him, he saw a tall stone block, and resting on it was a large, thick scroll, not unlike the one in Konoha. Annoyingly enough, at the thought of Konoha, he thought of Naru, and he wondered if she was causing trouble.

Shaking his head, he focused his Sharingan eyes on the scroll - there was only one trap, but this was the one he had to be most suspicious of.

Itachi carefully approached it, forming hand-seals that he knew could cancel jutsus - something he had created himself.

An alarm, loudly and blaring, echoed around the corridor. He was sure it would be heard through-out the village.

Dammit. He should have known. A jutsu that caused an alarm to go off if it was cancelled - or, at least, attempting to be cancelled. Iwa ninjas - or, the Kage, at least - were as smart as he suspected. It never boded any one well to underestimate their opponents.

He quickly grabbed the scroll, as he could sense many chakra signals moving around in the Kage tower, and he ran back down the way he came.

It was time to find Naru and leave.

" GET DOWN THERE! " A voice roared from above him - the Tsuchikage, he suspected. He'd heard that the man was quite vocal. " WHEN I FIND OUT WHO HAS SET OFF THE ALARM, I'M GOING TO KILL THEM - ONE OF MY NINJA OR NOT! "

He broke out into the village, and, with a second he shouldn't have spared, he changed back into his other disguised form. He then disguised the scroll as a small object and hide it in his pocket.

The ninja that he had seen and sensed guarding the tower were now gone, - probably sent to head off the intruder - so it made his escape easier. He used the buildings to propell himself, and he followed where he could sense the rope that Naru wore. He found her.

Naru stood in a busy street, amidst the chaos caused by ninjas who were heading towards the Kage tower, and the civilians, who were panicking at the village-wide alarm. She looked slightly confused, but she also seemed to understand, and, as soon as she spotted his disguised form, she instantly headed over.

" What- " He gave her no chance to finish her sentence as he turned around and headed towards the village gate with long, powerful strides. She jogged to keep up with him. " And you told me not to cause trouble - what did you do, anyway? "

Itachi shot her a warning glare. She clamped her lips shut, looking only slightly embarrassed. They soon came upon the village gates, but there was one problem - the guards had doubled since yesterday, and all were looking around suspiciously.

" I doubt we're going to get out of the village this way, " she muttered.

" Hn. " He switched his gaze in between each guard. Together, he had no doubt that they could take them, but the rope was absoring the chakra that was needed, and he didn't want to alert the Konoha Ninjas - who were surely searching for their missing blonde - to where Naru was, and Leader-sama would be angry if it was known that the Akatsuki had the scroll. " Follow me. "

" Like I have a choice, " she muttered as he quickly disappeared from everyone's view but her own by slipping in between buildings - she followed.

They ran in between buildings, leading away from the gates, until they were met by lots and lots of trees.

" We'll have to go the long way round, I guess? " Naru said with a sign, not sure if she could do this. She'd been told that the Kyuubi's chakra, as she had grown, had been changed into her own chakra, but she wasn't so sure that she could do anything without his chakra. Thanfully, he was either choosing not to gloat - which she doubted - or he was still lost in thought.

" Hn. " She took that as a yes.

They ran through the trees, running side-by-side, and she suspected that he was going slower for her. She'd seen him move - it was impossible to spot him.

They soon left Iwa. But now they had to reach the border and leave.

One thing was for sure, Iwa was huge.

They didn't stop running until they were out of Iwa territory.

" What-the-hell-did-you take? " Naru said in between breaths, glaring at Itachi for making her run. She leant against a tree, her chest rising and falling more noticeably than usual. Despite all this running and stuff, she couldn't deny that she'd had fun, and the thrill of running away from a whole village was kind of fun, but still...

He did not appear to hear her as he looked around.

" HEY! " She shouted, pushing away from the tree and she stormed over to him. " I have had enough. You've dragged me around for a week and one day, and now you've probably set the whole of Iwa on our asses - ..? " Suddenly, she realised who she was talking out, and she quietened down, her eyes slightly wide. His glare, which had returned to the Sharingan since they'd dispelled their disguises, was focused on her and she felt fear hold her heart in a tight grasp. He wouldn't kill her, would he?...

Something in Itachi's gaze seemed to be amused as he turned to look at a random tree. " I must deliver this to Leader-sama. "

" You mean...this mission was for the Akatsuki? " She didn't know why she was so surprised. After all, he probably didn't do much now that wasn't for the Akatsuki, but still, if she'd known - or even thought about it - she wouldn't have gone along so willingly.

" Hn. " He began walking in another direction. She followed him.

" Seriously, I'll do something really bad if you don't tell me what you took, " she threatened, while her mind whirled with different possibilities to back up her words.

Itachi held down a sigh. He forced himself to remember exactly why he had kidnapped the Jinchuuriki, and he felt the urge to kill her lessen. " The Iwa Scroll. "

Naru forze in her tracks. " Excuse me? " She said, " but I thought I just heard you say the scroll? As in Iwa's scroll, similar to Konoha's Forbidden Scroll? "

His silence was an answer enough.

" You are kidding! " She yelled. " If I'd known you were going to steal that - I wouldn't have come along! Kuso! " She growled angrily. " You baka! " Why were all Uchihas so difficult?

With speed that was more than impressive, he pinned her to a tree - again - and glared down at her. " Keep it quiet, " he said coldly, and apparently very calmly, which was contridicting what he had just done. " Do you want us to be found? "

" Us? " She said, " hey, you were the one who stole the scroll - not me. " Though, she grudgingly admitted, it probably wouldn't be seen that way.

Itachi released her throat and swiftly began to walk again.

With a loud, dramatic sigh, that she hoped he heard, she followed after him.

Why was the world cursed with Uchihas?

It was two days later that they reached a small clearing, and just off to the right was a cave opening.

" Oh, a new base since we found your last one? " Naru said with a slight air of smugness.

" Iie. " He turned to her. " You will stay here while I deliver this. " His eyes flickered over to the cave entrance.

She raised a doubtful eyebrow. " Youre just going to leave me here, no protection what-so-ever? " She said, crossing her arms over her chest. " How do you know I won't try and escape? "

" Hn. " Itachi simply turned away and began to head in a different direction. Soon, he was gone from her sight.

With a loud huff, she stormed into the cave. It was dark, damp, and slightly creepy, but it would be fine. She was going to wait until she knew Itachi was far enough away, and then she would try and escape.

It was then that there was a rumbling of rocks. She could only watch in horror as a large boulder crashed down, blocking the entrance.

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" Someone's stole the Iwa Scroll? " Was the first thing Sakura said when Konoha group 2 arrived in the clearing that Group 1 was camped out in.

Jiraiya had informed Kakashi and Asuma - the different leaders of the two groups - that one of his spies had told him that the Iwa Scroll had been stolen two days ago, and, even though it was a reach, it was a hope that maybe it was a clue to who had taken Naru.

Group Asuma, who had reached Suna and spoke to Gaara - who'd offered to come along, but that idea was shot down by Temari, who insisted that he wasn't trained enough without the Shukaku yet, ( " And you're the Kazekage now, Gaara, you can't just go running off anymore! Look what happened last time you did that - yes, I know you were protecting Suna, but it was still stupid. " " ) - and had instantly headed to meet them.

" Hai, " Kakashi said gravelly, " Jiraiya-sama was told by one of his spies in Iwa that their scroll was stolen just two days ago, and it was done professionally. The intruder has yet to be caught. " He knew from experience that Iwa were not light in their guarding of the place, and they were paranoid down to the T, so for someone to have stolen the scroll from right under their noses...well, it was done by a skilled person.

" What's that got to do with Naru, exactly? " Ino asked, blinking.

Shikamaru decided to inform his team-mate. " Kakashi-san and Jiraiya-sama are hoping that this is a lead - a far lead - to finding Naru, am I correct? " He earned a nod from the silver-haired ninja. " I don't know if we should follow this lead - it's a bit of a stretch, isn't it? Why would the people who have kidnapped Naru take the Iwa Scroll? "

" It's a coincidence, right? " Asuma grunted from around his cigarette, his eyes focused on his friend.

Kakashi nodded. " It's too much of a coincidence; Naru is kidnapped, and then, barely a week later, an important scroll is stolen? It's worth checking out. " Hopefully it led them to some valuble information, or they would have wasted some of the precious little time they'd been given.

" Is there anything else we should know, then? " Neji said coolly, never taking his eyes off the appointed team-leader of the whole mission.

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru, nodding at him to take over.

" Well, " Shikamaru began, " we know that the Akatsuki don't have her, that is a plus side for her and us. " Nods went around at that. " But it also brings up three other problems. "

" We don't know who has her, " Ino said, dropping in between her team-mates with a loud sigh. " How can someone easily snatch up a girl whom even the Akatsuki has never captured? "

" That's not the only problem, Ino, " said Shikamaru. " If the Akatsuki find out that Naru is no longer in Konoha - they'll go looking for her, two members less or not. "

Kurenai bit her lip. " Then how do we search for Naru? " She asked, " if the Akatsuki don't have her, and we can't ask around in case of the risk that the Akatsuki find out and go looking for Naru again, we really have no leads here - and time is quickly leaving us. " She didn't know Naru very well - having only seen her in passing by when going on missions back when she first got her Gennin team, but she had heard about her from Kakashi, and other people who thought highly of the young blonde, and she couldn't help but feel a small connection to the girl - if not for hearing so much about her, then for them both being Konoha Ninjas - comrades.

" We must be discreet about it, " Shikamaru said, already thinking of a plan in his head that would allow them to search for their missing friend in secret, without anyone finding out - it didn't look too good.

" Three. " Sakura piped up, ignoring his discreet comment. " You said three. You've only told us two. "

Shikamaru sighed and looked at the pink-haired medi-ninja with a look in his eyes that said that Sakura should already know his answer. " Sasuke Uchiha. " He answered, and he saw the faces around him darken, but Sakura flinched. " He tried to kill Naru nearly three years ago for power, and I doubt his intentions have changed since then. We can't let him know that Naru is out of Konoha - without any protection what-so-ever. "

" Sasuke won't hurt Naru, " Sakura said convincingly, her eyes narrowed. " He won't. I know it. "

" Even when he left her that night with a huge hole in her chest, " Shikamaru said, raising an eyebrow, and he did not care when she flinched again - as did everyone else. Apparently, he wasn't the only who remembered that night, and the horrific picture that Naru's chest had been - Hinata had passed out.

When Sakura looked as if she was going to argue, Kakashi spoke up. " He's right, Sakura, we can't let anyone outside of Konoha know that Naru is missing. "

" It would send up panic, considering that Naru is a Jinchuuriki, and the other villages would demand to know who had taken her, and if we have to worry about another Akatsuki on the rise - it would be too much to handle. " Shikamaru sighed, turning to stare at the fire that was boiling their food.

" Gaara knows, " Sakura said, frowning.

" Because Gaara is a friend of Naru's, " Shikamaru said sharply, " and he cares more deeply for Naru than we will ever know - their like brother and sister - the two share something in common that we could not possibly understand. Do not bring him into this just because you still like - "

" Enough. " Kakashi said, closing his book with a snap, and he looked at his old student, who looked away. " Now is not the time for arguing. We have to find Naru. "

Sakura looked down, ashamed, but Shikamaru turned to stare at a tree - Ino laid a hand on his arm, looking concerned, and Chouji frowned.

" What is Jiraiya-sama doing? " Neji asked, his voice stotic and cold.

Kakashi looked at his student for a long moment, before he turned to face the Hyuuga. " He is using his spy network, but so far, there has been no more information other then that the Iwa Scroll has been stolen. "

" Which doesn't help us! " Kiba growled in irratation, " dammit, why couldn't Naru stay out of trouble, just this once? The baka. " No-one scolded him for saying that, because they knew that he was very worried, and he showed it in a different way.

" After we check the Iwa lead, " Neji began, " if it turns up nothing, where do we search next? "

" Suna is off the list, " Kurenai said softly, " Gaara-san is now on the look out, and besides, Naru is well known there - they wouldn't take her there. "

Shikamaru, who had finally pulled his eyes away from the tree, nodded at that. " There is no way that anyone is stupid enough to take Naru to Suna, " he said, " and even if they do, we have Kazekage-sama sweeping the village as we speak - if she's there, he'll find her. "

" Kiri? " Ino suggested.

" Possibly, " Kakashi said, " but we'll have to be very careful there. Kiri aren't known for their calmness in situations - though, that might have changed since a new Mizukage has been appointed. "

" B-but how are w-we going to s-search v-villages for Naru-chan i-if w-we can't reveal that she's been k-kidnapped? " Hinata stuttered.

No-one could answer that.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Escaping was now near enough impossible.

Naru glared at the blocked entrance, or, at least what she hoped was the blocked entrance. It was so dark that she couldn't even see her own hands.

With a small scream of anger, she lashed out, kicking at the floor. It back fired when her foot connected with the wall of the cave.

" Kuso! " She yelped, clutching her foot in pain.

" That didn't work too well now, did it? " Kyuubi said boredly, speaking up for the first time since they'd left Iwa. " I had better things to do then talk to you. "

Naru ignored him and began to pace the cave again, this time with a throbbing foot. She wanted to kick and scream like a small child, but she'd just done that - now she had a throbbing foot.

The air around her began to shimmer, even the darkness, and she felt a cool breeze hit her skin, which was odd, since she'd checked the back of the cave and there was no exit. So where was it coming from?

The question was answered when the world around her shimmered again, and the darkness of the cave, and the cave itself, faded away until she was left standing the clearing from before, and across from her was Itachi.

" That - that was a genjutsu? " She gasped, " this whole time I was trapped in a genjutsu? " Now she was angry.

" Hn. "

" UGH! " She stormed off in a random direction.

Itachi, unseen, raised an amused eyebrow, and for once, he followed her.

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So, what do you think of this chapter? I kind of rushed to get it finished in time for the day I promised to update, but I hope I haven't made any mistakes.

Reviews please,

Phoenix x.