Title: Selfish

Disclaimer: Anything not mine is disclaimed.

Note: The ages in the previous chapters were probably confusing or messed up, so here's the time line to clear things up.

Naruto (7) - Merged with Kyuubi
Naruto (8) - Becomes Anbu
Naruto (9) - Adopted; (8 months later) Engaged to Itachi; Massacred Uchiha clan
Naruto (10) - Joined Akatsuki
Naruto (11) - Current age

*Itachi is NINE years older than Naruto. I know that he's five years older in canon but I decided to bump it up.


Chapter 3


The fight on the bridge was quick on Kisame's end. He has never seen his partner in battle before and this was the perfect chance. He rapidly dispatched Gatou's goons and those who are shinobi were pathetically easy when faced with his Samehada. By the time he reached the fat business man, the man had written away all his money, holding out his checkbook with shaking hands. Kisame disregarded the man's pleas to let him go, running his sword through the man with one hand while taking the money with the other. He flipped through the booklet to make sure that the debt was repaid before standing off to the side to watch the other pair fight.

x-x-x

Itachi watched grimly as his B-ranked technique shot towards the Akatsuki member. He knows that he can't afford to go easy on Naruto during this confrontation. He did hold back from a stronger jutsu just incase. Right when his dragon was about to hit the blond though, something dark blocked it, repelling the flame. When the fire stopped, he stared in surprise as black petals floated freely in front of his love. More petals joined the others as they tore themselves off the black coloring of the Akatsuki cloak. He swallowed as he wondered how flower petals could drive back fire. There was no time to ponder on it as the eleven-year-old lifted an arm in his direction. Several thousand petals raced towards him at an alarming rate and he moved to dodge, not wanting to figure out what the technique could do.

x-x-x

"Itachi-sama!" Narumi shrieked in horror, taking several steps forward, as she watched her instructor get surrounded by the flowers. Her eyes widened and she yelled out in pain when her body felt like it was on fire as a wave of petals rushed back to the rest of the group attacking the Anbu. The last thing she saw before her vision turned black was the disappointed look given by her other instructor.

x-x-x

Naruto's features remained indifferent as he directed his jutsu into attacking the older Uchiha. He let out a small unnoticeable sigh when one of the genin of Team 7 moved towards him. 'What's with rookies trying to accomplish something that they know they have no power to?' He directed a smaller stream of petals towards the girl with his other hand, orbs briefly flickering over to the other blond when she gave a piercing scream from several deep gashes left by the Kaben No Yami (Petals of Darkness). His sensitive ears caught the low whistle from Kisame who admired the damage that the petals dealt. It was that simple distraction that caused him to get caught as he felt strong arms wrap around him, trapping his arms by his side. The heavy breathing of his captor could be felt on his forehead as he stood passively in the embrace. A small smirk graced his features when no following attack came. "Your mistake" he murmured.

x-x-x

Anbu Karasu (Raven) gave a mental thanks to the fallen kunoichi when he noticed the opening that Narumi managed to get him unintentionally. He quickly used shunshin and appeared in front of Naruto, arms encircling the boy to keep him from directing the jutsu. He reveled in the chance to hold his love again but the whispered words startled him out of his daze and by the time he came back into reality, he was seconds too late and he fell quickly into unconsciousness.

x-x-x

Kisame had been skeptical throughout the fight as he watched the flowers float around. When the blond girl got slashed though, he admitted that the technique was quite brutal. The petals, which apparently were mini pieces of blades, slices deeper than Konan's paper cuts and paper cuts stung irritably. He narrowed his eyes confusingly when Naruto got caught, however. But the small smirk he caught on the pale features dispelled his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow when the boy transformed into the black petals and escaped the hold of the Konoha shinobi. He noted that the injuries his senpai dealt must have been extensive as he took in the squirts of blood that flew from the Anbu who fell comatose almost immediately after the small blades morphed back into the boy.

x-x-x

Silence filled the area as everyone slowly comprehended what happened. Tension rapidly arose as the two groups waited for the next move. The rest of Team 7 tensed as if expecting an attack while Zabuza stood where he was, wary that moving might draw the two Akatsuki member's attention to him.

"Let's leave, Kisame" Naruto ordered after a minute of stillness, turning around. His left foot swept out to the side to move the motionless body on the floor from his path. "We're finished here."

The shark-like man nodded and proceeded to follow.

"W-w-wait" a weak voice stuttered out.

Naruto stopped but didn't bother to turn around.

"H-how could y-you be so" the voice coughed, "cruel?"

"Narumi..." Kakashi scolded, watching as his blond student slowly pulled herself upright. Blood was still dripping from her wounds.

"No!" the Kurosaki yelled. "I'm t-talking to you! Why would y-you do that? He's your family!"

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Naruto questioned, crossing his arms and looking over his shoulder with a bored look.

"Kurosaki Narumi" the female genin answered, a little unsure.

"You make it seem like I care."

"You don't deserve him!"

"And you do?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, lips pulled into a mocking grin.

"W-what?" Narumi stuttered nervously, backing down.

Naruto sighed, eyes closing in annoyance. "We've wasted enough time" he murmured, slashing his hand vertically in front of him. A rip appeared in the air and purple manicured fingers tugged at it until it formed a human sized hole, revealing an empty black space. The blond tilted his head towards the portal, waiting until Kisame entered before he stepped in. "You need to teach your students when to back off, Kakashi. Next time, I won't be as patient" he informed sharply over his shoulder. Naruto gave a last cursory glance at the scene before letting go, the tear repairing itself after he entered.


At Tazuna's a few hours after the fight...

Itachi stared blankly at the wall from his upright position on the bed. His upper half was wrapped in bandages that were no longer soaked in blood.

"How are you feeling?" the silver haired instructor asked, entering the room and leaning against the door.

"Pathetic..." the Uchiha answered. 'I got beaten in one move...and with flower petals too...'

Kakashi seemed to have understood what the younger male was thinking. "This is Naruto we're talking about. Losing to him is not unexpected."

"Why are we still in Wave?" Itachi inquired, unwilling to stay on the subject of the blond.

"Tazuna has kindly offered to let us stay until you've healed first in appreciation for removing Gatou...no matter how we did it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

"..."

"Narumi stood up for you, you know. When Naruto turned to leave, she yelled at him for being heartless" the older man continued after the slight pause.

"Hn" Itachi pursed his lips.

Kakashi scratched his head sheepishly. "I guess I'll leave you alone..."

The raven went back to staring blankly, this time at the blanket covering his legs. He gritted his teeth when he heard his door open again.

"Ano...Itachi-sama..."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who the voice belonged it. It merely irritated him more. "Get out!" he snapped.

"Uuh..." Narumi cowered but refused to move.

Itachi turned his Mangekyou towards the blond. "Get out, Kurosaki" he practically snarled.

The girl burst out into tears as she ran out of the room, door slamming behind her. He could hear Sakura trying to comfort her while Kakashi was tsk-ing.

x-x-x

"You know better than to enter his room when he's in that mood" the silver haired jounin told the crying genin.

"I was -hic- just trying to -sob- check up on him" Narumi sputtered out over her tears.

"He's not in a good mood right now..."

"Che. His fiancée nearly killed him. What do you think?" Sasuke rolled his eyes from his seat at the dining table.

"Why...why is Itachi-sama still after him?" the blond mumbled, clenching her fists that were resting on her knees. "Why can't he move on?"

The younger Uchiha stared at the table, wondering whether or not he should provide any information to the love struck girl. "He was not like that when he was with us...no matter how short the time was" he began. The rest of his team paused in whatever they were doing to listen. "When he joined us, he was soft-spoken and serene. His company was refreshing even if he didn't start a conversation. Naruto was the one to help Itachi with his workaholic tendencies. Did you know...? He was the first one Itachi gave a real smile to, the only one Itachi laughed with. He knew when someone wanted company and when someone needed to be alone. He was the only one Itachi spoke his troubles to. Naruto would usually sit by Itachi when Itachi came back from his missions and just listen. My parents liked him well enough...he usually helped mother out in the kitchen and debated over strategy and politics with father..."

"What about you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked when her crush seemed to have stopped.

Sasuke took a sip of water. "Naruto was the one who helped me with Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire release: Great Fireball Technique). That was the skill that we were required to know before we were considered to be a shinobi in the Uchiha clan. Father did not push for me to learn it yet since I was still in the academy that time...but he kept passing me disappointed looks, probably wondering why I couldn't be like my older brother or my younger brother-in-law who became Anbu at a young age. I was practicing by myself at the lake behind the house one day when he came up to me. He healed my burnt lips and encouraged me. He took time to help me even though it took me a week to learn it and he had his missions. Father finally smiled at me when I showed him that I could do the technique."

"He's the one you wanted to kill?" the pink-haired kunoichi tilted her head in confusion.

"..." the younger Uchiha paused thoughtfully. "He is."

"Why do you seem so unsure?" Narumi sniffed.

"Naruto was well integrated into the Uchiha family. He was the stable factor that they depended on and it became normal for them to have him there" Kakashi answered this time. "Sasuke may hate him now because of the massacre, but it doesn't change the fact that Naruto was important in his life. You can't refute that, Sasuke."

The four members of Team 7 sat in silence, lost in thought.

x-x-x

Itachi rested his head on the headboard as he listened to Sasuke talk of their family before it fell apart. The anger and annoyance he felt earlier drained away and a new emotion surged in, causing his heart to tug painfully. He swallowed, stomping down the feeling of wanting to cry. Naruto wasn't here to offer him a shoulder anyway.


Meanwhile at the Akatsuki base...

"We have arrived" Naruto called out softly, taking off his shoes.

"Welcome back" Pein nodded in greeting. "How did it go?"

"Kisame did well."

"Is there anything else?"

The blond paused. "Konoha had sent a genin team to help with Wave's condition."

Pein didn't have to think hard to know which team was sent. "Oh? Did they cause trouble?"

"Nothing more than an annoyance" the boy answered offhandedly. "They were easily taken care of."

The Rinnegan user stayed a few seconds longer before leaving.

Naruto turned towards the blue-skinned man. "Follow me" he ordered, heading towards the personal rooms.

Kisame obeyed, a little nervous when the boy didn't say anything else.

"You've accomplished the first part of your initiation test" the blond murmured without breaking his pace. "The next part will be to retrieve your Akatsuki ring. You will have to get it off Orochimaru."

"The Sannin?" the shark-like man frowned.

"Yes. Good, you know who he is. The rest is up to you to figure out. I suggest you learn about his abilities before you fight him" Naruto continued. "The earliest opportunity would be during this year's chunin exams. It will be held in Konoha in about a month. I would not doubt that he will use that chance to start an invasion. Our spy has reported that Orochimaru took over Ta No Kuni (Rice Country) and renamed it Otogakure (Hidden Sound) and has been corresponding with Sunagakure. He was the weakest member in the Akatsuki - it should not take much to take his place."

"Weakest?" Kisame's eyebrows rose. It was not everyday that you hear a Sannin being called weak, especially not from the mouth of an eleven-year-old.

"He was always so needy; constantly trailing after one of us looking for jutsu - pitiable and useless. He joined us during his pursuit for immortality" the blond's lips curled into what Kisame identified as a smug victorious smirk. "He will not be coming back in his search."

It didn't take long for the blue-skinned man to figure out what Naruto didn't say. 'He managed to beat Orochimaru and scare him out of the organization?' Kisame was impressed.

"Well, you should start on your research, no?" the boy stopped in front of a door. "You still have to fight him and somehow get the ring off him - which means you have to get close enough to grab it off his finger."

"Research?"

"You'll have to figure out where to get the information yourself. If you can't find information on your enemies alone, you are not worthy of being called S-ranked. You can always go without data, but chances of survival can't be guaranteed."

Kisame nodded in comprehension.

"Your room is next to mine. You have one month to prepare. Do not disappoint me" Naruto indicated with a wave of his hand to the door to his right. "If you fail, know that you've wasted my time. I will not be pleased." With that being said, he entered his room, leaving his partner standing in the hall.


In Naruto's room...

"Do you need something, Pein?" Naruto inquired, hanging up his Akatsuki cloak.

"How is Madara?" the orange haired male asked, stepping out from a shadowed corner.

"Like usual."

"Does he have anymore demands?"

The boy didn't answer for a while, perching himself on his bed. "He wants the organization to start collecting the bijuus."

An almost inaudible gasp came from Pein whose eyes widened slightly. "What for?"

"World domination. I think that's what he's aiming for. With the rest of the tailed beasts in our hands, no one will be able to stand against us."

"Sou ka (I see). It would start the movement for what I've been waiting for..." the Rinnegan user murmured.

Naruto gave the older male a knowing stare. "We are to start after the initiation of the other two. We need all ten members for the extraction."

"Very well" Pein conceded. "I shall inform the others."

The eleven-year-old didn't bother to respond, watching the man vanish from his sight. He stood up and was heading towards his private bathroom when a surge of emotions that didn't belong to him stopped him in his tracks. Anger and annoyance flooded his senses, but the last one caused him to frown. Sadness. 'You've grown weak, Itachi.'


A/N: Whoa...it's been over a year since I've updated this story :x. I got hooked on Harry Potter and Harry Potter xover fics and was trying to focus on Of Wind and Fire, which by the way isn't going anywhere cuz I can't seem to put my ideas into words...

I kinda modeled the Kaben No Yami after Senbonzakura from Bleach ;D hehe.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even though it's shorter than the other two...