Author s notes:
Arashi here: We are working as fast as we can thanks.
Sui: Well, look it's another chapter
Scene change~~~~~
Naruto and Itachi were resting at the Tezuka Osen and Inn, having stopped to rest briefly before they got out of Hi no Kuni. They had gone largely unnoticed as Itachi had abandoned the bulky Akatsuki cloak for less noticeable civilian clothes as had Naruto. Itachi had made some Miso and Dango soup. Cooking over a fire that he made by using a Fire breath Jutsu, the soups had been nice and hot as they ate it.
"So Naruto-san, why are we heading toward Suna for?" Itachi asked, sipping his hot Miso and Dango soup.
"There is someone there I d like to meet in my travels, seeing as such I do not have any obligations to any one now." Naruto said, still slightly cautious of the nuke Nin.
He sipped the soup, slowly, knowing that back when he was in the Leaf, of how many tried to poison his ramen, that he was immune to most.
"Mind if I ask who that may be?" Itachi asked, setting his soup down, and picking up his small glass of tea. Naruto finished his bowl of soup, and picked up the tea that was made as well.
"No, I don t I don t know what its name is, all I know is that I have to find the fucker. Any more damn questions, Teme?" Naruto asked, slightly irritated at Itachi for asking, but not blaming him.
Itachi chuckled, not many were so bold to call him names, least alone, with an attitude.
"That s fine, as long as we find them then." Itachi said, still having a nice laugh about it.
~Scene change~~~~~~~
Hinata waited for her team, as they were supposed to meet in Training Ground 12. She leaned against the training post that was there. She let out a sigh, wishing they would get there already Ever since she got over crying because of Naruto s banishment, she had become more determined to become stronger in Naruto s memory. As Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai appeared into the Training Ground, Hinata let out a sigh.
"Hurry up slow pokes .I got training to complete."
Her expression was bored, and just slightly still depressed.
"Wow Hinata-Chan, you re here early!" Kiba said, with a happy bark from Akamaru.
Shino looked at her and nodded silently as if starting to analyze her.
"Nice to see your so enthusiastic Hinata. Today, we are sparring and helping each other in their weaknesses. Now Hinata, you re up first against Kiba." Kurenai said.
Kiba looked at Hinata and let out a friendly howl.
"You ready Hinata?" Kiba said, enthusiastically. Hinata nodded and took a Jyuken stance.
"Bring it on, Kiba-kun." She said with a smirk.
Kiba lunged forward, attempting to punch her in her gut. Hinata batted his hand lightly aside, and taped his shoulder. The tap shut down his critical point in that arm, rendering it useless for Kiba. Kiba jumped back, his arm hanging limply at his side.
"Not bad Hinata." He said smiling, this might be more of a challenge then he thought.
"Thank you Kiba-kun." Hinata said before charging him.
Kiba tried to doge to the side, but she pressed the followed him, staying close and landed a hit on his right side, numbing his right leg, slowing him down. Kiba retaliated with a punch, but Hinata dodged to the side and hit this shoulder with another crippling Jyuken strike, not quite disabling the arm, but still slowing it down. Kiba jumped back and threw several kunai, and Hinata caught the first kunai and caught the second one with the ring of the first one, finally batting away the third kunai with a Jyuken strike. She threw the second kunai back at Kiba, before charging toward Kiba with the first Kunai. Kiba pulls a kunai out with his partially disabled arm, and tries to block, but as fate would have it, it buckled underneath the stress of Hinata s blow. It was weak due to the Jyuken strike earlier. Hinata quickly hit Kiba with a few more Jyuken strikes, bringing Kiba to the ground.
"This battle is over thank you Kiba-kun for being such a great sparring partner." Hinata said, extending a hand for Kiba to grab so she could pull him back up. Kiba grabbed her hand, and got back to his feet, limping still from the blows.
"Good job Hinata..." he said shocked at the fact she basically pummeled his ass.
"Great spar you two, now if you re up for another one Hinata, Shino is next" Kurenai said, smiling at the fact that her worst fighting student beat one of the others.
'Such improvement from her, it s amazing.' She thought to herself as she watched Hinata nod, getting ready for yet another spar.
~Scene change~
Garra walked into his meeting room. Already awaiting him there was Temari, who had just returned from the Leaf just a half hour ago.
"What was their reaction, Temari?" Garra asked with his usual voice.
"Tsunade didn t really banish Naruto, brother. The civilian members of the council forged banishment for Naruto, and with Tsunade being gone at the time, there was none who could stop it. In fact many of the council members that were part of a Ninja clan weren t even there. Lady Hokage had the council members who did such, exciuted for treason. She plans on getting a team together post haste to find and bring back Naruto to the Leaf. She did ask for you to reconsider our decision to cancel diplomatic relations." Temari said as for her report.
"I want you to head back toward the Leaf tomorrow, Temari. Tel the Hokage that for now we will drop the decision to cancel diplomatic relations for the time being. Also tell her, we will keep an eye out for Naruto, and inform her as quickly as possible and proceed to detain him should he be found."
With that Garra head back to his Kaze Kage room, sat behind his desk, and started once more on the mountain of paperwork that laid there.
~Scene change~~~~
Tsunade looked at the time.
'Quarter till 12...' She thought before calling in Shizune.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" she asked.
"Call in Team 8, now." She demanded to her subordinate.
"Yes ma am." Shizune said and shushined out of the room toward the training grounds where Kurenai said they would be for the day.
~Time Skip, 15 minutes later. ~~
"Here they are Lady Tsunade" Shizune said to the Hokage.
"You are here to retrieve Naruto, Team 8. You are to avoid using force, but if the matter requires it, then do so, just get him back here." She said quickly. Tsunade couldn t afford to lose any more time not finding Naruto, as by now, he could have easily been captured by one of their enemies, or killed.
"Yes ma am, right away." Kurenai said, as her and her team shushined out of the room, and toward their respectable houses to gain supplies before heading out.
~~~Scene change~~~~
Kakashi stood at the memorial stone.
'I am sorry, Sensei, and Obito. I don t know where I have gone wrong with Sasuke. Had I been a better teacher, Naruto wouldn t had been banished, and wouldn t been in such a bad condition." Kakashi said.
"Stop beating yourself up, you one eye fuck. It ain t your fault that the Emo brat tried to be gay with Orochimaru, and attempt to run away." Anko slurred out, just barely as if she had a bottle of Saki. Kakashi sighed.
"Don t try to convince me it wasn t my fault. I could have been a much better sensei. My sensei taught me the importance of equal training but I focused on Sasuke more than the rest," He groaned.
"Listen here Hatake Kakashi Either you re going to snap out of it or I'll place things in certain holes of your body that were never meant to go there." She said, in a threateninf tone. Kakashi knew it was best to leave that subject where it was.
"Come one Kakashi, let s go get a drink!!!" Refusing to take no for an answer, Anko grabbed Kakashi s arm, dragging him unwillingly toward a bar.
"Anko, I don t want-" he started but as she dragged him, he realized it would be of no use, and quickly shut up.
"Good thing you shut the fuck up, Hatake. Because no matter how much griping and moaning you do, your still coming along. By the way...if you continue to moan, I might just make you do so in front of everyone else...wouldn t that be embarrassing?!" She said excitedly as if she wanted to do that to the poor Jonin she dragged along.
~~~Scene change~~
With Kakuzu and Hidan
"We are close now, the tracks are getting fresher." Kakuzu said as he approaches Hidan after scouting ahead a bit.
"He, finally, I need to make a sacrifice to Jashin soon." Hindan said maliciously while drawing his scythe.
"Don't go overboard Hidan, we need the Kyuubi jinchuriki alive to extract his biju and Pein will destroy us if we kill him." Kakuzu warned his blood thirsty partner.
"I know. I won't kill him, but Itachi has no such use to keep him alive for." Hidan said.
"Let's get moving, they are at an almost empty onsen up ahead, we should draw them out to prevent news of this from spreading too quickly. If anyone finds out we have the Kyuubi jinchuriki, they may try to interfere and we need more than the usual three days to extract the Kyuubi due to its monstrous chakra levels." Kakuzu said.
With that the Akatsuki's immortal partners leaped out of the clearing, leaving no trace that they had ever been there.
~~~scene change~~~~~
"He went this way." Kiba said with a little hesitation, "but I can't be sure, the trail is faint."
"Let's go team." Kurenai said. With that, team 8 leaped from the clearing, leaving little trace of their passing.
'I hope we can get Naruto back, if for no other reason than Hinata's sake. She has become stronger faster than ever before, but this can't be good for her' Kurenai thought.
~scene change~ Scene change~~~
Itachi sipped a bit more on his soup, when feeling the all too familiar chakra signatures.
"Naruto, we leave now." His voice was demanding and forceful as he grabbed Naruto's arm, jerking him up.
"Dude what the hell is your problem?" Naruto asked, jerking his arm back. Itachi glared at him for a second, before quickly relaying the story of what went on before he met up with the child.
"Now, I can feel their chakra here, we mustn't dawdle. I d rather not fight them, let alone in a populated area." Itachi said, heading for the exit out of the outpost from which they were at. Naruto realized the seriousness in the ex-AMBU's face, and decided to take his word for it.
'Kyuubi, what do you feel?'
'Kit, I feel what the Uchiha is as well.'
As they shushined away toward an empty clearing, a guy in a big black cloak, with red clouds on it, yelled out, "There you are Itachi! Jashin Demands your sacrifice!"
With that he and another one in the same cloak, shushined towards them, Itachi turned around, shushining backwards, "Kage bushin no Jutsu!"
Two more Itachi's appeared, one with a kunai in his hand, rushing toward Hidan, while the other did some hand seals rushing forward, with a small weak chidori in his palm toward Kakuzu. Hidan slashed forward his scythe killing the shadow clone before it could even reach him, but it did slow down Hidan for a moment. Kakuzu, smiled, and dodged the attack altogether, as the chakra from the chidori drained the shadow clone, which turned to smoke as, the Kakuzu dodged it. Itachi and Naruto were now out of sight within this small 2 second battle, as the two Akatsuki members stopped for a moment.
"They are becoming annoying...." Hidan said, with slight irritation.
Kakuzu looked about, and said in a calm voice, "They are right around in that clearing...and they have stopped...let's get this over with shall we?" He asked his partner. With a nod, the two walked towards the two Shinobi, with their weapons drawn.
Scene change~~~~~~
Itachi and Naruto awaited in a clearing, with the grass to be short and plush green. Their eyes however weren't upon the luxuries of this lovely field. They were upon the entrance however, as two more Shinobi appeared. Kakuzu and Hidan to be exact...
"Finally going to let us kill you, eh Itachi? And look, the Biju for the nine tails as well...we should congratluate you for giving him to us." Hidan said smiling, readying his scythe. Naruto smiled, as four of his shadows clone surrounded Hidan, rushing the Immortal Akatsuki Member. With a simple swipe of his scythe, Hidan took out three of the four, but these didn t just poof away in smoke like regular ones. As soon as Hidan's scythe swept into them, they exploded, resulting in Hidan being knocked back from the force of it. Straight into the fourth one who came up behind him, who latched himself around Hidan, with both arms and legs, before exploding immidatly himself. This knocked Hidan into the air.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu had his eye upon Itachi. Itachi didn't wait for his ex comrade to speak, instead, rushing forward, his Sharingan activated. Now Kakuzu saw this, jumping back, doing the hand seals for Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu. As this Dragon shot forward, which Itachi saw coming he awaited, and used the same Jutsu to get counter of kakazu's.
Then, Itachi jumped in the air, "Fire Style, Giant Fire Ball Jutsu." He said calmly, shooting out a giant flame toward Kakuzu.
The Akatsuki member used a water vortex Jutsu, to counter and try to hit Itachi. However Itachi wasn t there after the Jutsu.
'Where is that damn Uchiha...?' Kakuzu thought.
"Rikari..." was the response as if Itachi heard the man's thought. Kakuzu turned around quickly, and saw in a flash, Itachi, with what looked like lightning in the palm of his hand. Kakuzu jumped back just as Itachi rushed forward.
Doing some quick hand seals, Kakuzu yelled, "Earth Style, Great Barrier Wall!" An earth wall jolted out of the ground right in front of Itachi, who jumped on top of it, before lunging toward Kakuzu.
Naruto smiled as he saw Hidan fly in the air, and landed with a thud back on the ground. Not wasting any time however, he had a rasengan forming in the palm of his hand, with the help of a clone of course. He rushed toward Hidan, who was now on his feet, rushing toward Naruto.
"You can t kill me boy!" He yelled, laughing sadistically. As Naruto just about reached him, Hidan slashed his scythe forward, in an attempt to cut the Biju, not fatally of course. Naruto lunged forward, blocking the scythe with his free hand, and shoving the rasengan forward with the other. Hidan let go of his scythe, and dashed backwards.
"Humph, your strong boy, but nothing you do can save yourself from me."
Hidan smiled, before throwing a kunai, several actaully, at Naruto, who spun the scythe to block them. Though this was just a diversion, as Hidan shushined. To where though was the thought of the Biju. In that second a devastating kick struck the unexpecting Naruto. Though Naruto shot a hand down sending him back to his feet, he still winced in pain slightly. The attack had hit him right in a nerve, pinching it, and it was painful enough to bring most Chunin's if not some Jonin's to their knees. Hidan rushed forward, not to attack Naruto but to pick up the Scythe the youth had dropped. With a swipe, Hidan attempted to hit Naruto, who jumped back.
'How the hell am I going to kill this guy...?' Naruto thought as Hidan charged him.
Naruto smiled, this time, as he summoned five shadow clones, though only four were seen. Hidan slashed threw them like it was nothing but the fifth was the one that got him by surprise, exploding with blades of wind hitting Hidan square in the chest. Hidan fell to the ground and Naruto let out a sigh in relief, maybe these Akatsuki members aren't so tough after all...? Hidan got up, quickly, and sliced Naruto's arm, by just barely with his scythe, before jumping back a few feet.
"Now boy, you ve just made your biggest mistake."
Kakuzu leaped backwards, but was too slow and was impaled upon Itachi's Rikari. However Kakuzu pulled himself off Itachi's arm as several masks detached them from his back and floated about.
"Futon: Renkudan! Katon: Karyuendan!" Kakuzu called as one of the masks spit out the futon justsu and another spit out the katon Justus. The two Jutsu clashed midair and combined, forming a deadly wall of fire rushing towards Itachi.
'I need to finish this quickly; Naruto isn't strong enough to take on Hidan alone yet!' Itachi thought.
With that Itachi quickly ran through his own seals. "Suiton:Hahonryuu! Futon: Renkudan!" Itachi called forming his own combination Jutsu. A spiraling mass of water rushed towards Kakuzu, canceling his Jutsu.
Itachi activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and unleashed the deadly Amaterasu at Kakuzu
'What! How is he still alive?' Naruto thought as the bloodied Hidan got back up, revealing that Naruto had done more damage than he though and had disemboweled him and destroyed his ribs.
"He he. My god would never let me die, so long as I continue to give him sacrifices." Hidan said, despite the fact that he couldn't draw in a breath due to his lungs being mush.
'Damn, how am I going to kill someone who can't die'
~scene change~
Kakuzu leaped backwards, but not in time. The entire left side of his chest had been hit by the deadly eternal black flames, turning the flesh a sickly black color.
Kakuzu eyed Itachi over the still burning flames, but made the mistake of looking into his eyes, trusting his near immortality to protect him from dying.
The last thing Kakuzu heard before blacking out was the word Tuskiyomi.
As Kakuzu collapsed from the mental damage done by Itachi's Justus, Itachi quickly took action and, on guard due to Kakuzu taking a chidori to the chest and surviving, incinerated his body with a goukakyu justsu.
'Now to go help Naruto' Itachi though as he dashed off in the direction of Naruto's chakra signature.
Sui: You had best apreciate this chapter. I had to have Arashi cobble it together on his computer, as my computer died recently and the new one doesn't have word, then I had to put it into the system via note pad, then run through it fixing the multitude of errors created by puting it in word pad. Ok now that I've vented I feel much better.
Arashi: ...(Sui: he isn't here.)