Goddamn, not long ago, I had a stressful day. Computer is protected by antivirus, and the icon had a yellow exclamation mark. Agents helped me out, and two hours went by that I freaked for nothing. It simply signified that I'm due for expiration in the next month, but no problem since I intend to renew. I just hope everything gonna be alright until then.

Chapter Ten

Dance of Ecstasy: Naru's New Toy!

"This is...not good."

Gaara's lack of words was all he needed when Itachi came and gave him the news regarding his brother. He simply stared at the message without even a blink; Temari was shaking her head and heaving heavy breaths.

"If he gets to raise his sword on her, then I'll Wind Scythe him myself," she seethed. "Or are you going to do that for me?"

"I hope it doesn't happen," Itachi answered. "But I doubt he'd have agreed so easily. He doesn't take any kind of help if they don't meet his standards - nor does he not realize that they have ulterior motive. He has to know Danzo has just that."

The Kazekage pursed his lips. "Perhaps, but that doesn't lessen the danger and possibility of you two being found here. I would advise in getting her away from here and taking her back to your base, wherever it is, and then we will have our Shinobi assembled before the deadline for her friends is up," he said, leaning back and then holding up a letter that he just received from one of the messengers. "It seems the timing couldn't be more perfect." The ghost of a smile crossed his features then.

Itachi raised both eyebrows slightly, asking the young man whatever it could be - and the answer was irony in itself.

"The next of the Chuunin Exams are to be held in a couple weeks from today - and happens to be three days before the planned execution of Naru's friends should they still not say a word. That is the day we strike."

So, in the meantime, he leave as soon as possible with Naru - and would teach her how to master her Demonic Sword since it didn't seem possible she could muster it all in a short time here in Suna. "That sounds plausible enough, assuming we shouldn't get innocent people involved in this," he said firmly. "I highly doubt the Hokage will want to evacuate everyone not apart of the Shinobi system, or perhaps he would consider and not because he genuinely loves them." If there is a means we can get the civilians out of there during the Chuunin Exams. We can get a coded message to Kakashi Hatake and loyal ANBU who could arrange the evacuations if things get horrendous, which is bound to be...

"Then we'll have a hawk go out and give a message to Kakashi Hatake," Temari said with a smirk, "and he can orchestrate the plan to get all the civilians out of the mess when it bursts. It'll be just like that one time - but different." She referred to that day at the exams when Orochimaru set about attacking Konoha with both his Sound-nin and Sand's, the latter never seeing their leader would be killed in betrayal.

This time: they were repeating history, this time involving helping Naru Uzumaki - and Itachi Uchiha - save the village they loved. That, and the Akatsuki were coming along for the ride.

There was also Sasuke to deal with, but he was secondary as far as they were all concerned, and he would be saved until Konoha was retaken, but plans could always change.

Itachi eventually found himself outdoors, henge in place, and seeing Naru in the training ground with the Kutone in hand...and the sight was a glory to behold. She would go from the various stages and scream her strength with each lash out: from her normal stage and the visible blue chakra convulsing all over the blade, to her Sage Mode and eventually Tailed Beast Chakra Mode with golden yellow.

The sword was at its extreme as it channeled the user's chakra into its system. But let's see how it would fare against Samehada which devoured the energy.

The shining, crackling blue blade sliced cleanly through all wooden targets - especially clay, but not the walls. That was Itachi's cue to slap both his hands together before himself, getting her attention and smiling at her. She returned it, grinning and pushing her hair back. She'd broken out into so much sweat that some of it got into her clothing. She was such a delicate mess that she didn't have a care.

Although he had come here to tell her the news she had to hear.

~o~

"So I'm going to face Sasuke on the way back home."

The possibility all but came to the front of her psyche when Itachi told her everything: they would strike on the final day of the upcoming Chuunin Exams. The first one would be before Sai and Ino's fate, but they would make it in time - and it was like history was repeating itself...but different this time.

"We have more planning to discuss, however," Itachi told her when he was done. "Gaara could be invited to participate actively, and that means his Shinobi stationed at every corner. Then a diversion has to be created to draw all Hidden Leaf ninja away from the grounds and civilians at all times. As long as we can get Kakashi and the others on board without risk of discovery by Danzo and his spies..."

Damned right.

That left one idea: for Deidara to drop a bomb that creates a diversion and draws many away from the arena of the third and final part. She brought this up to Itachi, and he hummed in consideration, then stated firmly, "He could get too carried away; that's his nature."

"But who is he to not listen to you?" Naru pointed out with a wink. Who says no to Itachi Uchiha without facing the wrath of the Sharingan? But if his eyesight was that bad, then he couldn't use Tsukuyomi on anyone, even Deidara.

He smirked to her words.

It was settled that after tomorrow, they had to leave, because Itachi wanted to spar with her and test her ability with the Kutone Blade, and she was ecstatic to duel with him so that he would see his match. This thing - it was more than anything she could have asked for. Kurama hooted with her as she cut through anything without difficulty. You were never good with weapons in the early stages, remember?

Yeah, but this thing is eager to work with me!

The first time she picked it up, she expected it to be too heavy for her, but it was accommodated for anyone, male or female. This was her first time using a sword, imagining going toe to toe with Sasuke finally and seeing that look in his eyes when she was done with him...

All this thing could do was channel her chakra. Channel it so that she could strike her targets from a distance, but as long as it wasn't too far away. Sage Mode could help her slash at intended spots as much as she could throw her punches. The feeling was INCREDIBLE! She'd come so far since the Rasengan and her shadow clones; she could imagine her cloned selves taking this baby to the next level; she had never been so enthralled in her life, so powerful!

The image of seeing Itachi on the floor like Temari had been was something she looked forward to seeing, and she wasn't getting ahead of herself.

Later that evening, she was getting ready for bed, and that was when she saw something peculiar that she never once thought she would see in a million years of living: a rubbery looking thing that she had no idea what it was. Then Temari's voice startled her behind her.

"That thing, Naru, is something I'm sure you've never tried in your life, which doesn't surprise me. Maybe you should give it a shot before you leave and get your home back. It's sad to just live abstinent, which is not something a Shinobi keeps every day."

Naru's cheeks turned so pink she couldn't remember the last time she'd had this kind of talk. It took her back to when she had to learn about these things the very first time she started bleeding monthly; old man Third was red to the face when he explained that these matters were best kept among women, so the female doctor he recommended was nice to her when she taught her how to handle it, but after three months, she finally got the hang of it. Five days' time for her.

But never did she once bring up the topic about sex. Because she had zero interest in boys, so the subject wasn't something she liked besides mastering the Sexy Jutsu.

Although...she never expected anything like what Temari was explaining, and that was something which had no words for the rush of blood and heat in her cheeks.

Thank God Itachi wasn't here to see her embarrassment.

And what made things hard was his presence alone as she ended up being outside, on the balcony, while Temari and HE were asleep. She was restless. She was back in the dress given to her, and nothing else beneath. Grimacing, regretfully, she admitted that there was no way to get this going. She'd NEVER done anything like this before...but the thrill got her body thrumming, so that was a start.

The rubbery thing in her hands felt soft on the outside, but underneath was hard machinery to get it working, and there was a button on the other end that wasn't the mushroom-like part that Temari said was none other than the man's sexual organ, which pushed her over the edge in knowing ALL males had this - and that caused disturbing images in her head in terms of all the guys in her life...

...especially the one who was out in the bed she was given. And that image was enough to cause her own sexual organ to start buzzing to life. The itching was subtle. She tried rubbing her thighs together - she was standing up and backed against the wall - but the feeling only increased.

She held it up and looked at it again, at the clear-silver material and found the button, swallowing a moan that rose from the bottom of her throat. She was having a little problem here, and she couldn't delay it anymore. Just put what Temari instructed to work, and it was that simple. Pulling up her skirt and exposing shaven, toned legs, she brought the toy up and rested the humming thing where she had her issue.

This feeling on her overtly sensitive skin - God damn, it took her to places she NEVER knew existed - and then a name slipped out of her lips before she started thinking about him and got lost altogether, just like being in a hot spring.

"Itachi."

~o~

He was feigning sleep, at least until he noticed that she didn't come to bed, and he at first thought she needed to be on the balcony for fresh air, have her thoughts or something alone...but then he heard the faint sound of buzzing, then moans and none other than his name.

This heightened what he tried pushing to the back of his subconscious for the time being...but the knowledge and the sight he secretly was greeted with caused his body to react otherwise.

Naru against the sanded wall, her thighs parted and the ethereal white skirt pulled high enough to show smooth skin and a vibrating toy where her legs joined...that gaze of ecstasy on her face...I've never seen anything so intoxicating as her. A woman untouched by any man.

He knew she was doing this because she thought she could explore uncharted territory, to awaken the sleeping core that she never thought she had and unleash the needs that life offered her - but he never thought his name would leave her lips.

He couldn't say that she shouldn't even be doing this for him, while his inner self said otherwise, because he was tired of being alone and abstinent. And that did NOT mean he was going to jump that opportunity tonight, when Temari was also in the room.

She looked like she was also too into the moment herself to appreciate any interruptions either. The longer he stayed on the other side of the doorway, safely out of her eyesight and savoring the moment, the harder his erection grew. She could easily be seen by another if not solely by me! But she didn't seem to take that into consideration.

Biting his lip to the point of drawing blood, Itachi reached with one hand down into his pants, brushing over the bush of his apex, finding the hard flesh that flared up at the contact. The friction caused his knees to buckle as he continued to watch her until he decided to just retreat back into the room, choosing to hide out beneath the blanket and making sure to conceal his release as soon as it was over, so that no questions would be asked.

Just like she uttered his name, hers escaped past his lips, praying it wouldn't be heard by her - or Temari, God forbid.

Tonight has also been a couple hours of stomach nausea and a mild migraine, but not due to the issues that happened a few days ago.

A couple more days until...HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D

The toy Naru used was inspired by one I found on the Kama Sutra website: "Known as the Sword Dance, performers energetically whirl and move with DANDIYA sticks at various rhythms in devotion of the goddess. Free the goddess within and reach ecstasy."

Reviews are still appreciated, and I promise next chapter we finally continue on with the bigger issues. High time we did that.