A/N: Warning: Contains a fight scene, which I'm never very good at writing. I hope it's understandable, though. Thanks for reading! And because you waited so long, here's a second chapter to get you all going. XD

Revenge and Afterward

Chapter 7:
Itachi Makes His Move

The knock sounding on the apartment door woke Ayame up. She sat straight up in the bed, nearly knocking Sakura off her side.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, rubbing her eyes fiercely.

"Knocking." Ayame whispered, listening intently for it again. When it sounded again, both her and Sakura scrambled off the bed and stumbled for the apartment's front door.

When the door opened, Shizune stood on the other side. "Good morning, girls."

"Good morning, Shizune. Have some news for us?" Sakura asked, stepping back to allow the woman in the door.

"Yes. I can't stay, though, too many preparations to make. But Lady Tsunade wants to see you as soon as you can get dressed. Wake the boys." With that, the dark haired woman left.

"That was the news, huh?" Ayame said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah, the world of a Konoha ninja is never easy." Sakura smirked, turning toward the couch in her attempt to wake Sasuke, only to see he wasn't there. "Where's Sasuke?"

Ayame smirked and began walking toward Naruto's bedroom door. Stopping in front of it, she motioned with her head toward the door, still smirking.

"No way…" Sakura breathed out, walking toward the door herself.

Both girls eased the door open, only to see two teenage boys snuggled as tight up against each other as they could possibly get. During the night, Sasuke had apparently turned on his other side, so he was facing Naruto. A tanned arm was thrown over his middle, with a blonde head buried into his hair. Sasuke's head was buried into Naruto's chest; his raven hair cascaded out behind him on Naruto's other tanned arm. His pale arms were wrapped tightly around Naruto, as if hugging him.

Giggling, the girls silently talked about who was going to wake them up. Turning her head from side to side, Ayame searched the room for a camera of any sort, settling at last on an older 35mm sitting on a shelf. Sakura had to stop the choked laugh from leaving her throat as Ayame snuck deeper into the room, sizing up to get the perfect picture. Unfortunately, she forgot to turn off the flash, so by the time the second picture was taken, both boys began to move. Grabbing Ayame's arm, Sakura drug her out the door, shutting it quietly behind them. They both leaned against the door, listening for any sounds they could hear.

Sasuke was the first to wake up, his eyelids still to heavy to move. He attempted to wipe the sleep away, only to feel his arms were pinned down by something. He pulled back, and felt something pull against his middle. Forcing his eyes open, he came face to face with a blonde head of hair. He jumped, almost falling off the bed, waking Naruto in the process. The blonde opened his eyes, only to see Sasuke's onyx eyes way too close.

"Sasuke?" Naruto choked out, trying to move his arm. When he did, however, he rubbed it slowly across the skin of Sasuke's exposed stomach. Realizing what he did, he gasped. "Sasuke, what the hell?" He shot up, falling backwards off the bed. Grabbing onto anything he could, he fisted his hands into Sasuke's shirt and pulled him off the bed with him. They landed in a heap on the floor, Sasuke straddling the blonde. Both boys' faces were as red as they could be with their noses not even an inch apart.

Finally regaining some of his composure, but sure as hell not his dignity, Sasuke tried to sit up. "Baka…" He all but whispered.

When the two finally opened the door, two girls all but fell into the room. Grinning sheepishly, both girls retreated to their shared bedroom, their faces slightly pink.

"Girls." Naruto said, shaking his head. "They're pathetic."

"I heard that!" Sakura yelled out the door, making Naruto freeze.

"Shit!" Naruto squeaked out, Sasuke just shook his head.

----

Tsunade was waiting for them all when the thirteen arrived. She was pacing in front of her desk, hands clasped behind her back. Jiraiya was leaning against her desk, arms crossed over his chest. Tsunade didn't look up until she heard Shizune announce they were all present.

Stopping her pacing, she turned to them. "The council has decided that we keep Ayame hidden somewhere safe until her threat has been…dealt with. With that, I've decided to send her to the safest place we know of. The Kazekage of the Sand Village has graciously decided to keep her there, as long as she is accompanied by Konoha ninja as bodyguards."

"The Sand Village?" Ayame asked.

"Yes. Now I know it's a long hike, but you're all ninja and will make it in record time, I hope. The risk will be great, but with all of you the casualties will lessen, I hope. Teamwork will be a huge factor in this mission."

"Just us thirteen going then, Lady Hokage?" Kiba asked.

"Yes. Thirteen will leave, only nine will return. You will all accompany Ayame on her journey. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke will stay with her there, becoming her bodyguards. As soon as the threat is eliminated, you will be notified and be told to return."

"Wait!" Sasuke said, stepping forward. "I'm not in the mission to attack Itachi? You can't keep me away from my revenge!"

"You're not being kept out of it, Sasuke. If she'll be attacked, it will be on the way there. He won't be stupid enough to attack Suna directly, as he wasn't stupid enough to attack her here in Konoha. That's why we're sending you with the group to Suna and keeping you close to her, his target." Jiraiya interjected. "You'll get your revenge, Sasuke; no one is denying you that."

"That's sure as hell what it sounds like!" He growled.

"Calm down, bastard!" Naruto growled, grabbing his arm. "If Ero-sennin said you're still in it, then you're still in it. Stop being a jackass."

"He's after me," Ayame said, her voice low. "He'll find me wherever I go, if he wants my power bad enough. I'm sure you'll get to your brother soon enough."

"Is there anything we need to know before we leave Konoha?" Neji asked.

"Actually," Jiraiya answered. "There is. Itachi found the diary of the Fourth Ayamagan Yielder."

"What?" Ayame gasped.

"Assuming he'd read it, he'll know of the mythological ritual to remove the kekki genkai. Assuming he doesn't believe it's only a myth, he'll be using the diary and probably keeping it close to him."

"But he'll kill her!" Sakura gasped. "We can't let him perform the ritual."

"He won't touch her." Naruto growled.

"Good." Tsunade said, nodding her head in agreement. "Pack for a long trip, and don't stay in one place too long. Most importantly, stay together at all times. Anything else you need to know about Itachi, ask Sasuke, Naruto, or Kakashi. All have fought him in one form or another."

"Thank you all." Ayame said, a small smile forming on her face. "Thank you for putting your lives on the line for me."

----

Smirking at the news, Itachi jumped off the Hokage Tower and met Kabuto on the ground.

"They're heading to Suna, and there's only one way a Konoha ninja will travel all the way out there." He stopped and looked at Kabuto, who clearly looked like he did not want to be there. "Let's set up an ambush for thirteen little mice." A sadistic smirk crossed his face.

"Better hope the blind mouse doesn't screw it up." Kabuto whispered under his breath, although not low enough so Itachi did hear. He whipped around and grabbed Kabuto around the throat.

"I will kill you, Kabuto. Don't fuck with me!" Itachi spat out, nearly choking Kabuto in the process. With one final glare, he released the man and let him drop to the ground.

"Keep this up, Itachi, and you can do this on your own. I'll find another body, you know. This boy might be special, but he's not that special. I'll find another one and leave you to do this on your own. Just because your power is greater than mine doesn't mean I can't beat you."

Smirking again, Itachi turned and teleported back to his cave, leaving Kabuto in the one village he never wanted to see again.

"Bastard…" He whispered into the air, teleporting as far away from there as he could get.

----

Sasuke walked a little behind Naruto, the rules of his freedom still in effect, even on a mission. He wasn't allowed too far away from Naruto, but it didn't mean he had to be directly up Naruto's ass either. At that thought, Sasuke had to fight a blush off his face. Ayame was walking a little behind him, who was sandwiched between Sakura and Ino. They were being the perfect bodyguards, never leaving her alone for a second. Of course, Sasuke could tell, it was annoying the poor girl to no end.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Neji speeding up his pace to meet Shikamaru's, who was in front of the group. Neji placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, whispering something in his ear. Dark eyes widening, Shikamaru turned around and looked at Ayame, who was desperately trying to greaten the gap between her and her two self-proclaimed bodyguards. Naruto had, apparently, also saw this display and raised an eyebrow at the two boys in front.

Before leaving Konoha, the team had decided on code words, words that would tell each of them – quietly – that Itachi or Kabuto was in the area. 'Raven' for Itachi and 'snake' for Kabuto. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, who understood immediately.

"Damn, guys!" He exclaimed, making Shikamaru shake his head in exasperation. "I'm so hungry I could eat a raven and a snake!"

"Why would you eat a…" Ino began, but trailed off, her eyes widening.

Neji rolled his eyes. "Naruto, you're an idiot!"

Sasuke's eyes had doubled in size, his Sharingan activating at the words Naruto practically yelled. He searched the forest and found them immediately, they weren't even bothering to hide their chakra signatures; it was amazing they'd stayed hidden that long. He saw the signature he recognized as Itachi's coming at them fast, his chakra flaring as his hands formed signals he'd never seen.

"Guys, heads up!" He yelled, getting everyone's attention.

As Itachi flew through the trees, his body flying into the clearing the path made, Ayame threw her hands out to her sides and activated her kekki genkai. A huge dome of chakra-fueled air created a force field, saving all her newfound friends from any of Itachi's attacks. It worked, until he landed on the ground a few feet away from her shield and pointed a finger directly at her. Naruto yelled out something, but she missed it.

In a second she was standing alone in the forest, no force field protecting her. Itachi appeared in front of her smirking maniacally.

"You have something I want." He said, his voice surprisingly calm.

"You won't get it." She growled.

"Try me, girl. You'll lose."

With a twist of his hand, they were standing back in Ayamaha. The huge snake was attacking her village all over again as her parents stood in front of her, attempting to fight off a huge snake she knew they'd lose to. She tried to scream, to release the jutsu, but it was no use. He was still too strong; her Ayamagan had nothing on its power.

Sasuke was watching the way Itachi stared directly at Ayame, his Mengekyou activated. He had her trapped somewhere, her perfectly still body was proof enough of that. Only seconds had passed, but a lifetime could have passed within her mind. He leaped forward, placing his hands on her arm and forcing chakra into her system. Within a few seconds, the girl dropped to her knees, head bent forward. She retched onto the ground a few times before she raised her head again.

Kabuto had jumped down by this time, placing a hand over Itachi's eyes for a split second, healing whatever damage he'd done. It was a move Sasuke didn't miss, however. Neither did Sakura, who recognized the healing jutsu immediately.

"What's the matter, Itachi, your eyes not working right?" She smirked. "He's weakened slightly, but don't lose your cool. Don't underestimate him!" She yelled to the rest of the group before attending to Ayame. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think." Ayame said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She turned her head up and saw Sasuke looking down at her. "Thanks, Sasuke."

"Yeah, no problem." He answered before turning his attention back to the rest of the group. His eyes focused on Naruto, who was charging Itachi with several shadow clones.

The Naruto's were all armed with a rather large shuriken, all of them aiming the weapon at Itachi. He sent a fireball at them, taking out a large chunk of the clones. The few who remained, however, were still charging him.

Kabuto was being held in place by Shikamaru as Neji used his kekki genkai's ability and pushed about sixty-four chakra points on Kabuto's body. The group was working together amazingly well, to everyone surprise and pleasure.

Sasuke charged forward, catching his brother off guard with a chidori aimed right for his chest. Sasuke plus the six Naruto's still charging him was more than a weakened Itachi could handle. He jumped back, using his chakra to keep him from falling off the tree he landed on. His eyes started to ache, his vision becoming blurry. He speedily formed the hand signs needed for his newly learned medical jutsu, momentarily stabilizing his vision. He looked down just in time to see Naruto's overly large shuriken flying directly toward his torso. He dodged it, but didn't see the Rasengan directly following it. It caught his arm as he jumped, leaving a large gash.

Seeing the pair stopped slightly, he took it as his opportunity to damage the blonde's psyche. Extending a long, slender finger, Itachi attempted to trap Naruto in a genjutsu. It was cut off, however, but a huge wall of chakra-fueled wind which formed in the gap between them.

Ayame walked forward, strengthening it more the closer she got. She stepped in front of Sasuke and Naruto, facing the wall, and pushed it forward. It flew toward Itachi, crushing him between it and a tree, the tree breaking and falling backwards.

Kabuto, who somehow made it out alive – barely - from Neji's attack, ran forward with a kunai clenched tightly in his fist. He made his way toward Ayame, but faltered slightly to the side. Feeling someone coming, Naruto saw Kabuto's blunder and realized a second soon enough that he was now aiming for Sasuke. Grabbing the raven haired teen's shirt, he pulled Sasuke against him and threw his leg out, tripping Ayame on the way down. Forcing Kabuto to miss both of his targets, Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

The eldest Uchiha didn't miss what happened and smirked when he watched his brother land on top of the blonde. With the chakra wall down, he could move and began to stand up, helped by Kabuto.

"Little brother, we'll meet again." He started as Sasuke stood up, helping Naruto up as well. He stopped long enough to meet Itachi's eyes and see the smirk forming on his older brother's face. "Next time, brother, leave your boyfriend at home." With that said Itachi teleported away with Kabuto. But not before seeing the blush slowly creeping up Naruto and Sasuke's cheeks.

----

The group rested most low on chakra and some injured. The fight hadn't gone all that wrong, but the fact remained they didn't kill the intended target. This was voiced throughout the group, only to be silenced by Shikamaru.

"The most important thing is we didn't lose Ayame." At this, Ayame smiled and nodded.

"You guys did great! Thank you all!"

"Yeah!" Naruto said, smiling brightly and throwing a fist in the air. "We totally kicked ass!"

"True that, Naruto!" Ino exclaimed, giggling.

"Now what?" Chouji asked. "Do we keep going or head back?"

"We keep going." Neji said, standing up from his seat beside Ten-Ten. "It's our mission to get her to Suna. We're still not there."

"We're close, aren't we?" Hinata asked, probably the first thing she'd said the entire trip.

"Almost, I think. Maybe another day or so." Sakura smiled. "We're making great time, actually."

"All that's left is to get to Suna, drop off Ayame, Sakura and the two love birds and go back home." Kiba said, smirking.

Sasuke glared, intensely, at Kiba. It took a while to sink into Naruto, but once it did he stood up and began yelling.

"Shut up, Kiba! He didn't know what he was talking about! Tell them, Sasuke!"

Sasuke would have talked, but he was too busy glaring at Ayame and Sakura at the moment. As the two girls giggled to Ino, Ten-Ten, and Hinata, Ayame muttered something about 'not being able to get those pictures developed' and it was making Sasuke face feel heated.

"Sasuke, help me out here!" Naruto growled out.

"Huh?" He asked, turning back to Naruto. The look on Naruto's face was enough to make the group begin to laugh out loud.

Ah, so first fight scene...how'd I do?