Word Count: 153
Warning: spoilers for Sasuke-in-a-bucket arc as well as rescue!Gaara arc
Characters: Naruto, Itachi, hints of Sasuke
Pairings: Possible ItaNaru, Hints of NaruSasu

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Uzumaki Naruto was being watched. He could feel it, even if his teammates couldn't. He could feel the unwavering eyes on him, cold, calculating, and yet never revealing their color. He thought he caught a glimpse of them once. That night he had dreamt of red.

Uchiha Itachi often watched his prize, the strongest of the bijuu, the nine tiled fox. Or more specifically, it's container. The boy who was not quite a boy, the beast who was so deadly and yet so terribly humane. He watched for any sign of weakness and knew that the boy had more than enough of them.

He, better than anyone, knew that those fangs and claws weren't just for show. He knew that each of those chakra tails had a mind of it's own. He knew this because he had fought Naruto. He also knew that it was because of him that "his" dobe went to such lengths.


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