Hyakumensou Chapter 10, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Title: Hyakumensou

Author: Agni

Warnings: Yaoi. Ita/Naru. Characters may be OCC because they are older and wiser than cannon.

Summary: A contract signed eighteen years ago has turned Naruto's life upside down. How will he cope with this new, troubling development in his life that he cannot escape?

xxxx

Tsunade sighed as she looked at Itachi. He was sitting in front of her, seemingly nonchalant but she had the feeling that he was fuming inside. Kneeling in front of him was a medic. He was diligently bandaging Itachi's wounds while trying to ignore the fact that he was tending to one of the most dangerous shinobi in Konoha.

"In all, this was a devastating mission, wasn't it?" She asked as she leaned back, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Dark eyes narrowed, but he inclined his head gracefully in agreement. That was what she liked about Itachi. Sasuke simply rubbed her wrong with his arrogance and blatant disregard for authority. Itachi on the other hand was so much more amicable.

Ironically, it was not difficult to like Itachi at all.

"What are your thoughts?" She asked even though she had read his official report. Her eyes were concentrated on the medic's movements, it bothered her that she could not send him to the hospital as of yet. They would notice his henge when they tried to heal him and she did not want the civilian population of Konoha and a few people in the council to know of Itachi's presence in Konoha.

She would have to ask Sakura to check up on him later. When he was inside the safety of the Uchiha mansion, Sakura would easily be able to tend to his wounds using chakra. Tsunade did not want to risk destabilizing his henge. Itachi would not have the focus he needed to reapply it while he was injured so badly.

Naruto was going to have her head on her silver-platter for this.

"We need to analyze the ANBU recruits better if such incompetent ninja are able to get in." he stated with a scowl, "Their teamwork skills are next to nil. They cannot seem to follow simple orders." He shook her head, "And to flee out of fear, leaving your teammates behind…" Disbelief colored his voice briefly and Tsunade understood. For a man with his level of courage and honor, such a betrayal was almost unthinkable.

"I will see what I can do about it." She said in agreement, "I think I will take Sakura and that Nara boy's advice on revising the Academy's curriculum as well. If standards are dropping, we may need to reevaluate the whole system."

Itachi looked at her in a considering manner for a moment before nodding, "If you feel it is wise."

Tsunade frowned for a moment before looking at him, "Find out how Naruto feels about this…" she scowled at Itachi's raised brow, "I must involve him in such matters. How else would he gain the experience he needs to become a Hokage? He is very young after all."

"Very well." Itachi nodded before looking at the healer with a raised brow as he stood.

"I have done the best I can, Uchiha-sama." The Healer informed respectfully, however, there was an edge of terror in his voice that caused Itachi to grimace inwardly. The older Uchiha was well aware that people were intimidated by him but that did not make his irritation less potent.

He simply nodded and disappeared without a sound, eager to be home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto blinked when something landed on his lap abruptly. He glanced down the report he had been reading to find his Uchiha's head on his lap and his face pressed against his stomach.

The Namikaze paused in surprise before putting the report away and leaning forward in concern, his fingers sinking into Itachi's silk-like hair. "I smell blood." He whispered, "Are you injured?"

"Hn."

Naruto sighed, gently brushing away Itachi's hair so that he could look at his face, "What's wrong?" The Uchiha opened a single eye to glance at him before closing it again, his arm coming forward to wrap possessively about Naruto's waist. He still refused to answer.

Unable to hold his concern in check, Naruto scanned Itachi's body for visible wounds and frowned when he noticed bandages wrapped around the Uchiha's chest, shoulder and thigh. The mission had gone badly. Naruto did not doubt it. Itachi had taken new recruits out for their first S-class mission. Someone must have screwed up; Naruto could sense Itachi's frustration keenly even though the Uchiha had not spoken a word.

"Itachi, maybe you should eat something… you seemed drained to me. Eat and then sleep. I will make you some soup." Naruto was about to stand when Itachi's arm tightened around him in warning.

"Shut up and stay still." He growled and Naruto frowned at him, rather taken aback. Such rude bluntness was rather up Sasuke's ally. Itachi tended to be much more polite and gentle.

He gently combed his fingers through Itachi's hair, leaning back with a sigh. He wanted to suggest Itachi to sleep in a proper bed instead of the uncomfortable couch, but he did not wish to upset Itachi further. He was obviously irritated, judging by the frown between his brows.

'He isn't relaxing.' Naruto thought with a faint scowl. He had little doubt that the Uchiha was analyzing and reanalyzing the actions of each of his teammates during the mission. Itachi, of course, would see the mission as a personal failure and bother himself over it. He was a perfectionist to almost an obsessive degree.

With a sigh, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Itachi's temple, "Baka." He whispered, "Whatever is bothering you, I think ranting about it would be more conducive to your health than silently sulking over it."

"Didn't I tell you to be silent?" Itachi asked sharply.

Naruto sighed in exasperation, "Yes, and I wasn't aware that I had started taking orders from you, Uchiha." He gently coerced Itachi's onto his back so that he could speak to him properly, "Come now," he smiled gently into those narrowed ebony eyes, "I cannot help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Itachi scowled at him before went out to explain his mission in detail. Naruto frowned before narrowing his eyes in anger when Itachi explained how he was wounded on a mission that he would have escaped without a scratch.

"… he simply froze before turning his back and running away." Naruto hissed, his eyes wide as he looked at Itachi in shock.

"Ran away? An ANBU?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes and nodded, "The moment he left, the team's moral dropped. Everyone was so shocked and the enemy took advantage of that. One is dead, I narrowly avoided getting stabbed through my heart and the other lost his arm."

"Stabbed through the heart!" Naruto's hand landed on Itachi's chest gently, "How could that have happened, Itachi?"

"You tell me." The older ANBU stated with a scowl, "That ninja was a jounin who had applied for the ANBU position. A jounin. My Sharingan does not prevent me from suffering a shock."

"Of course." Naruto confirmed with a frown, "I cannot imagine how much of a surprise that would have been. I find it hard to believe that a person who was a capable jounin enough to be accepted into the ANBU ranks would flee from his team at the sight of a difficult opponent." He looked down at Itachi, "There must be more to this, Itachi."

Itachi nodded, draping an arm over his eyes, "I realize that. Tsunade-sama was upset as well. She says that the entire system needs to be reevaluated if such shinobi are able to slip through. Apparently, this is not an isolated incident." He glanced at Naruto before closing his eyes once again, "She needs your opinion on it."

"The entire system? Does she imply the Academy as well?" Itachi nodded. "Hmm."

At the uncertain sound, Itachi removed his arm and looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes, "Naruto?"

"I am not certain, itoshii." He murmured while Itachi blinked at the endearment, a slow smirk forming on his lips. That was quite a telling subconscious slip on Naruto's part. "Such a remodeling would take years. It will also expose the weakness in our system."

"Weaknesses as in spies."

"Precisely." Naruto confirmed with a nod, "Considering that we are currently investigating a very delicate situation, this is not exactly the right time to start a remodeling of the entire system."

This was precisely why Tsunade relied on Naruto so much. "We had not considered that." Itachi admitted before he sighed, "I have not felt such anger in a long time."

The Namikaze absently traced Itachi's brows, "You are justified in your anger. Why didn't baa-chan tend to your wounds?"

"She is not taking any risks. Hokage-sama did not want to disrupt my Henge knowing that I wouldn't be able to enforce it again until I recovered a little." Naruto nodded, observing Itachi's sharp features for a while in silence.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" The Uchiha questioned bluntly and Naruto chuckled, raising his arms in submission, watching as Itachi turned onto his side and pressed his face against Naruto's stomach once again.

"Are you comfortable?" the Namikaze asked with an amused smile while Itachi simply hummed in agreement. He did not mind sitting there, simply allowing Itachi to rest even though he should have forced the Uchiha to go to bed. He sighed, "You really need to eat something and go to bed." He whispered, gently running his hand up and down Itachi's back.

"I am comfortable."

Naruto chuckled, "I can see that. How about I make you a deal?" he asked and the Uchiha peered up at him, "I make you some nice and hot soup, you have as much as you can without complaint and then go up to your room, sleep in a comfortable bed and I will join you. You can cuddle all you like then."

Itachi paused, "You will sleep with me tonight?" His dark eyes piercing Naruto's.

The blonde flushed a little, carefully ignoring the innuendo in that question. "Yes. We can sleep in the same bed tonight."

Itachi wasn't about to let that slip by. "Just tonight? Or would you consent to joining me every night?"

Naruto paused, looking at the ceiling, his blue eyes serious. He could feel Itachi's gaze on him as he contemplated the offer. It was a trivial thing, sleeping in the same bed but Naruto knew that it was the first concrete step both of them had taken to acknowledge their relationship. Random kisses and impulsive hugs in moments of anger, passion or insecurity was one thing and a calculated decision to get closer to each other was another.

He licked his lips and looked down at Itachi, nervous but…

"Yes." He answered finally, "I will join you every night."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, "Swear it. Every single night, no matter what quarrels we get into or how bad our relationship seems to be, we will sleep in the same bed every night when we are not doing missions."

Naruto's eyes widened, surprised that Itachi insisted on such a thing. He looked at his Uchiha keenly, spotting something in his expression that caused him to frown in concern. "Is something the matter? Why are you so insistent on this?"

Itachi paused for a while but his confession to Sasuke made him realize that there was no dancing around subjects and leaving doubts unvoiced. If he let everything out in the open then he would be subjecting himself to a lot of pain but the uncertainty was making him feel restless and agitated. He did not deal with uncertainty well. He wasn't the person who let things stand as they were, doing nothing.

Itachi frowned, looking almost eerily composed. "It unsettles me to see you so insistent on finding a solution for the seal, of trying to break from the relationship. I feel like I am lo…"

"Hush." Naruto whispered, leaning forward to press his lips against Itachi's forehead. He frowned slightly, feeling a little guilty. "I am so sorry, Itachi. I…" he pulled away to look into Itachi's eyes, "I didn't realize. I knew you were upset with something but I didn't realize…" he paused, "The only reason I wanted to research on the seal was because of you."

Itachi arched a brow and Naruto briefly envied him. For a man who had just confessed to being insecure, he didn't look too bothered. In fact, Naruto was fumbling over his words.

The blonde shook his head fondly, looking at Itachi with such affection in his eyes that Itachi simply relaxed.

"I thought that asking you to be tied to me for the sake of duty was too much. You have already sacrificed so much for Konoha… for Sasuke and now you had to sacrifice for me. I couldn't bear it." He caressed Itachi's cheek softly, "You deserve so much more than this. All I can do is make your life more complicated." He smiled when Itachi's eyes narrowed at him, "Even if I found a solution for the seal, you would not have lost me. It would have given you the freedom to make your own choice like you deserve."

Itachi looked at Naruto silently for a long while. "If you truly think that I am so deserving then give me what I want."

Naruto smiled, allowing Itachi to pull him forward, "Oh?" He asked against the Uchiha's lips, "And what is it that you want?"

Itachi gazed at Naruto piercingly before humming and pulling him into a languid kiss. His long, pale fingers grasping hold of silky blonde locks to keep his wavered betrothed in place. Naruto chuckled under his breath, his fingers caressing Itachi's cheek tenderly.

The Uchiha's fingers tightened in his hair and Naruto gasped softly, shivering when the kiss changed from languid to sensual in a heartbeat. Itachi let of a soft growl when Naruto parted his lips for him, invading his blonde's mouth with his tongue. A breathy moan escaped Naruto's lips as he was pulled forward harshly to deepen the kiss.

"Ugh!"

Naruto started and pulled away abruptly, staring at Sasuke with wide eyes while Itachi scowled at his younger brother, his gaze narrowed and irritated. "I don't understand you two, one minute you are at odds with each other and the other you guys are making out like a hormonal couple." Sasuke sneered, looking thoroughly disgusted. "That is not something I want to see. Don't you have your own rooms for such things?"

Naruto blushed, discreetly wiping his moist lips with his sleeve before looking down at Itachi, "I will make you some soup." He whispered before grabbing a pillow and replacing his lap with it.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked with a serious frown, his eyes taking in Itachi's wounds, "You got hurt on a mission?" his voice was incredulous and Naruto did not blame him. It took a lot for Itachi of all people to be wounded on a mission.

"Aa." Itachi answered shortly, placing an arm over his eyes.

"Oi Naruto, make something for me as well. I am hungry." Sasuke said as he sat down.

"Stop ordering him about." Itachi snapped, raising his arm to narrow his eyes at Sasuke, "Go cook for yourself, you have you capable hands for it."

Sasuke scowled at him, "Naruto is already cooking, there is no need for both of us to work, is there?"

"You are getting lazy."

"I rather not have that disaster in the kitchen with me, Itachi." Naruto interrupted their argument. "For all his genius, he cannot boil water without burning it."

"Shut it, dobe!" Sasuke scowled, "I don't burn water!"

"Oh?" came an amused voice, "Shall I bring out the blackened kettle that is evidence that you did, in fact, burn water once."

"That was once! It wasn't my fault that I was distracted by work."

"Right."

"Dobe."

"Not falling for that, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowled, glaring at the smirking Itachi before he decided to change the topic. "So? What was the mission all about?"

Before Itachi could open his mouth to answer, Naruto spoke, "Sasuke, leave him alone. I will tell you what happened later. Let him rest."

Sasuke frowned; glancing at Itachi who shrugged, his lips quirked in amusement. "Fine. I had a question for you, anyways." Naruto made a soft questioning sound and Sasuke looked at his direction with narrowed eyes, watching as Naruto sliced mushrooms swiftly, "What is this I hear about you going to Iwagakure on a diplomatic mission?"

Itachi stiffened and he removed his arm, glaring in Naruto's direction, "Naruto?"

"I have informed you, saiai, that there are some things that I must do in order to ensure the safety and prosperity of Konoha." Naruto reminded him gently; keenly aware that Itachi's wounds and the failure of his recent mission had an adverse effect on his usually composed Uchiha. "Tsunade and I have been working diligently for months to form a solid alliance between villages. Suna and Kiri have already signed the agreements. Our negotiations with Kumo are on a tentative footing. The situation with Iwa is a little more delicate. Tsunade, Hiashi-sama and I agree that my personal visit to Iwa would move things along. It is a make-or-break thing."

"Naruto, Iwa is very sour about their loss to Konoha in the war. They view Yondaime with hatred, blaming him for their deaths and their loss. You being his son…" Sasuke frowned as he trailed off.

"That is precisely the reason why I must go." Naruto pointed out calmly, "I will be going not only as the future Hokage of Konoha but also as the Heir and the future Lord of the nonexistent Namikaze clan." His lips twitched into a bitter smirk. "Once again, the responsibility cleaning up my father's mess falls on me."

Both Sasuke and Itachi grimaced at that.

"I will accompany you." The older Uchiha stated.

Naruto shook his head, "No, Itachi, it is n-"

"That is not up for discussion, Naruto." Itachi said firmly, "I will accompany you."

Naruto scowled at him but Sasuke nodded, "It is either him or me, Naruto." The younger Uchiha stated, "You decide."

The blonde sighed and glared at the brothers from the corner of his eyes, "You are being ridiculous." He murmured, "Alright, Itachi comes with me and Sasuke stays." He narrowed his eyes at his proclaimed brother, "There is no need for both of you to come."

Suddenly, Itachi narrowed his eyes, "You say that Kirigakure signed the treaty?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side and nodded. "Yes." He frowned faintly, "It was rather easy to convince the Mizukage, I found it somewhat suspicious but Tsunade stated that I was being paranoid."

"Paranoid?" Sasuke asked with an arched brow, "You? Who trusts anyone who smiles?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "That is an exaggeration and you know it."

"Hmm." Itachi seemed thoughtful, "I doubt you are being paranoid, Naruto. I have my own suspicions about the Mizukage."

Naruto stilled and looked at Itachi with a frown, "Itachi?"

"Kisame seems to have an interesting relationship with him." Itachi stated.

Naruto arched a brow, "They are lovers?" He asked dryly and Sasuke coughed, looking at Naruto incredulously.

"What the hell? Have you seen Kisame? Does he look like anyone who would have a lover?"

Naruto grinned, "Imagine what would happen if he tried to give his lover a love-bite? He'd probably take out a huge chunk flesh instead of leaving behind a hickey."

Sasuke's face twisted in a grimace and he shuddered.

Itachi's lips twitched and he shook his head. Naruto looked at him with a concerned frown, "Okay, that's enough. Sasuke, Itachi needs rest. We will discuss this later."

The younger Uchiha nodded and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

It was not long before Naruto had coerced Itachi into consuming an entire bowl of soup and going to bed. Sasuke watched with amusement as with gentle manipulations, Naruto tricked Itachi to do the only thing that he did not want to do. Sleep.

He chuckled softly as he enjoyed the hot soup. It would seem that whatever problems existed between Itachi and Naruto before Itachi went on the mission were resolved. To them, it seemed as though their relationship was ridiculously complicated but Sasuke could see just how deeply they had come to care about each other.

Naruto, after all, was a very easy person to love.

He looked at the ceiling thoughtfully, a faint smile lingering on his lips. He felt as though he was a part of a family again. His relationship with Itachi was by no means great but Naruto seemed to lessen the tension between them.

Sasuke turned his head a little when Naruto walked returned and arched a brow, "You make a good wife, dobe."

Naruto glared at him. "And you will make an absolutely atrocious husband." He stated dryly before walking into the kitchen once again.

Sasuke followed, casually leaning against the counter as Naruto washed the dishes, "You are worried about something." Sasuke stated bluntly. "What happened?"

The blonde frowned, "Should I stop researching about the seal, Sasuke? It seems to be hurting Itachi… he thinks I am running away from him."

The Uchiha snorted, "That's your wish." He looked at Naruto piercingly, "I am going to ask this bluntly, Naruto and I expect an honest answer." The blonde turned and looked at him with a raised brow and Sasuke nodded, "Do you love him?" he asked, feeling slightly uneasy. He was not the one for intimate conversations like this.

Naruto sighed, "What do you think, Sasuke?" he asked a wry smile on his lips, "It's been nearly two months now…"he leaned back against the counter and closed his eyes. "You know, I have seen relationships form and collapse from a very critical, impassive eye. I don't want that." Sasuke's eyes widened, "Yeah, I know that it seems that way. I seem to be an ultimate romantic that would marry only for love. Well, I have certainly implied that on several occasions."

"Implied?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow, "I remember a certain challenge that you posed Itachi that both of your seem to have forgotten about. Your excuse to avoid Itachi was true love. I remember you saying that love was wild and crap like that."

Naruto combed his fingers through his hair, "Yeah well. You don't understand, Sasuke. Love that I want to experience is not something that will disappear within three years. I don't want to have a sour, meaningless relationship that is filled with bitterness simply because our youthful love and attraction for each other seems to have faded away. I want the kind of love that comes out of spending years together and knowing each other inside out. The love that is filled with so much respect and affection that to even think of hurting each other would be unthinkable."

Sasuke looked at him seriously, "You won't know until you give it a try and seriously, Naruto, neither of you would take such a commitment lightheartedly."

Naruto nodded, "I realized that." He ruffled his own hair and grinned enigmatically at Sasuke, his blue eyes glowing. "Yeah. I do love him. Very much in fact."

Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes knowing. "You should tell him."

Naruto turned his back to his and started on the dishes once again. "Yeah." He whispered softly.

There was a soft popping noise but both Sasuke and Naruto barely flinched, already having sensed Sakura's arrival before she made her appearance.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto greeted, grinning at her from over his shoulder.

As norm, Sakura went up to her tiptoes and kissed Naruto's cheek with a smile. "Hello, Naruto, how are you feeling?" she ran her eyes critically over his body and face, trying to spot any hints of weakness or pain. "You seem fine."

"You know the dobe, Sakura." Sasuke said with a raised brow, he had gotten used to being ignored by Sakura in favor of Naruto these days. It was amusing to note just how different their team dynamics were from their childhood. "Nothing can keep him subdued long enough to give us some peace."

"Hey! I resent that, bastard!" Naruto glared at him.

Sakura's glare joined Naruto, unsurprisingly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Sasuke-kun! What are you doing, dumping all chores on Naruto? He is not your servant. I knew this would happen! You have always been too lazy to do house work."

Sasuke raised his arms and smirked, "The dobe makes a good wife. You should have seen how he forced Itachi to bed earlier."

Green eyes glared at him. "Leave him alone." She hissed and Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. "I am just glad that it is not you he is marrying but your older, more sensible brother." She smiled slyly at him, "He is hotter too."

Naruto burst out into laughter at the look on Sasuke's face, clutching his stomach with tears of mirth in his eyes.

"Anyways, Naruto. I am here to heal Itachi-san's wounds. You say he is asleep?" Sakura asked, looking at Naruto.

The blonde nodded, "I slipped a few herbs into his soup." He grinned at Sasuke's incredulous stare. "He will sleep like dead for a couple of hours. You can heal him. He won't wake."

Sakura giggled and Sasuke shook his head, "I have a mission." The younger Uchiha commented, glancing at his watch. "I will be leaving now."

Naruto frowned slightly and nodded, "Be careful."

Sasuke sent him a dry look and left. "The bastard."

Sakura laughed softly, following Naruto to Itachi's room. "The relationship between the two of you has changed so much and yet there are so many things that remain unchanged." She shook her head fondly, "You guys have such a great friendship that sometimes I feel as though I am intruding."

Naruto shook his head, "Don't say such things, Sakura-chan. You are our Sakura. Nothing will change that. Both Sasuke and I adore you. We are just guys, you know? We like beating each other up, whether it is with words or fists, it doesn't matter." He grinned at her as he opened the door the Itachi's room, "You are our princess and we are the unruly knights that are at your service."

She narrowed her eyes, "Are you, in some underhanded way, calling me weak?"

Naruto grinned, "Sakura-chan, the day I start calling you weak is the day Sasuke will lose his otouto and Itachi, his husband."

She smiled sharply at him and nodded, "You got that right."

Naruto walked behind Sakura nonchalantly, his nostrils flaring a bit. He struggled to keep his expression passive and perfectly unaffected as he leaned against the wall, watching as Sakura healed Itachi with expert precision.

When she removed his bandages, Naruto sucked in a sharp breath. The wounds seemed deep and fatal but he wasn't a good enough healer to judge such things with a mere glance. He watched as Sakura's glowing hands hovered over Itachi's shoulder, thin chakra threads emerging from her palms and stitching the wound close.

"I heard what happened." Sakura whispered, "Tsunade-sama said that Itachi-san reacted very strongly to it."

"He did." Naruto inclined his head in agreement, "He is not used to… cowardice."

Sakura smiled softly, "How can he be? He is probably the bravest person in our acquaintance… aside from you, of course."

Naruto snorted, "I doubt I will be able to do what he did." He whispered, walking forward and sitting down on Itachi's bed. "I don't have that sort of courage."

"You obviously underestimate yourself." She said as she finished with Itachi's shoulder and moved on to heal his thigh. "These wounds are not as bad as they look. A few hours of sleep would probably do him some good."

"Yeah." Naruto whispered absently, his blue eyes hooded so that Sakura wouldn't be able to see his cat-like pupils.

If Sakura was bothered by Naruto's sudden silence, she did not comment upon it. Over the years, she had come to read her blonde teammate well. When Naruto was silent, it was best to stay silent as well. She concentrated on healing Itachi, feeling her spine tingle when Naruto's sharp eyes passed over her.

Many tended to forget just how dangerous Naruto had become over the years. She could not. Unlike Sasuke, who was a valued Oinin, she was a Jounin level with a Medic nin license. Naruto was far superior to her in Rank as well as strength. That was the reason why Sasuke and Naruto never went on a mission together after Naruto became a Jounin. However, Tsunade had no qualms about sending Sakura along with Naruto.

She had witnessed just how ruthlessly efficient Naruto was during missions while Sasuke still had an untainted view of Naruto. Some part of him still believed that Naruto was innocent, idealistic and dangerously forgiving to his enemies.

He was not.

Sakura knew it just as well as she knew her name.

Naruto did not show that side to his friends if he could help it. Out of the corner of her eyes, she observed him. Watching as he casually crossed his legs, his hands neatly folded on his lap. It was a vulnerable position to most as both his hands were exposed and empty while his legs as crossed leisurely which would inevitably delay the time it took for Naruto to attack.

It was a tactic that she had seen Naruto use a number of times. It was an air of perfect nonchalance. He kept his eyes trained on her hands, making her slightly self-conscious but she knew Naruto knew next to nothing about healing.

She finished her work quickly before smiling at Naruto. "Done."

The Namikaze simply inclined his head gracefully. "Good job as always Sakura-chan. Any special instructions?"

She shook her head, "Just the regular warnings. Force him to take rest for at least a couple of days. No training. No fighting. Limit the use of chakra and try not to aggravate the wounds."

They walked out of the room but Sakura noticed that Naruto seemed slightly distracted. She watched without asking any questions as Naruto bit his thumb and quickly drew a seal on the door. It seemed rough and hastily drawn but it was obviously precise.

"I will lead you to the door, Sakura-chan." He stated and she nodded, knowing better than to question him.

Naruto watched until she was out of sight before returning to Itachi's room.

He stood outside the door for a moment, observing the seal on the door with a faint but dangerous smirk. The kanji on the seal read 'Chuuritsu chitai', which meant Neutral Zone.

Casually, he stepped into the room, expertly dodging a kunai. He chuckled faintly under his breath, his eyes narrowed, "You are a fool." He whispered, "to think that you can step into my home without me noticing…" blue eyes pierced through the dark shadows of the room, "and assuming that you can try to ambush someone under my protection without repercussions."

He spun around quickly, his sword appearing in his hand, seemingly out of thin air. His eyes narrowed when his blade was met with a kodachi. He took in the ANBU mask and the standard Konoha ANBU garb, his face expressionless.

"Expel!"

Five enemy ninja were thrown out of the room by a mysterious force while Naruto scowled grimly. Biting his thumb once again, he swiftly drew four identical seals on the four corners of Itachi's bed fed chakra into the jutsu.

The ANBU captain did not even glance at the shield that appeared as the result of the technique, he simply slipped out of the room.

The Uchiha mansion was a large structure and the enemies had many placed they could hide in. Unfortunately, for them, Naruto had keen, supernatural senses that could perceive even the slightest shift in his surrounding environment.

Suddenly, there was a frenzy of activity with three dark blurs speeding towards him. For a moment, Naruto contemplated killing them all. It would take less effort for him to do so rather than trying to keep himself from killing them in order to glean from information.

Almost absently, he parried a thrust of his opponent's kodachi before deciding that he would use some restraint.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Without even a whisper from Naruto, the four clones shot off to find the two ninja who had refused to reveal themselves.

The remaining three immediately attacked him, trying to find advantage in numbers. They were quite skilled; in fact, they were proving to be very troublesome to him. He scowled and quickly tapped the seals on his arms and the one of his chest. "Kai." He whispered, disabling the weight seals on his body.

"Uzumaki Naruto, stand down. You are housing a dangerous S-class criminal in your premises, we have been ordered to eliminate the threat and take you in for questioning." The leader of the group stated calmly when Naruto slipped into a stance gracefully.

The ANBU captain narrowed his eyes, "State your rank and name the authority that sent you and I shall consider my actions." A Root ANBU would not answer but if this man was a loyal Konoha ANBU, he would since there was no harm in doing so. Only the Root will truly know of Danzo's motives.

"Captain Oushi of ANBU Team 08 on orders from Lord and Ladies of the elite shinobi council."

Naruto was perceptive enough to notice the other two tense. He tsked, "The Lords and Ladies of the council have been secretively stripped of their powers as they are under investigation."

Captain Oushi slid into a neutral stance, eying Naruto warily. "Charges?"

"Involvement in the killing of Civilian and Shinobi members of the Uchiha clan. Conspiracy against the Hokage Tsunade-sama. Conspiracy against the Daimyo Nishigawa Ryunosuke-sama. Attempted assassinations of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke. Suspected involvement with the deceased S-class criminal Orochimaru. Suspected involvement with S-class criminal organization Akatsuki." Naruto stated calmly, watching keenly as the two ANBU shifted slightly. "Charges are being investigated by Major Karasu of ANBU assassination and infiltration squad number 01." Naruto immediately summoned a scroll, "Stand down, Captain Oushi lest you become one of the suspects."

The other captain took the official scroll and read it. It was genuine with the Hokage's seal of approval.

"With the powers vested in me as a Major and the Hokage's chosen Heir, I hereby override the Council's orders. Captain Oushi, you will help me restrain the members of your squad so they can be questioned but see if they have any connections with illegal ANBU section Ne."

The other two responded immediately and instinctively to Naruto's provocative declaration, just as Naruto had intended. They were discreet but he could clearly see them reaching for their weapons. He cursed inwardly when he felt his clones being dispersed. The other two were Root ANBU as well.

He glanced at the other captain who was now eying his own teammates with suspicion, his hand trained on the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly, everyone moved. The two other ANBU had rejoined them and all of them had chosen to attack at once. Oushi moved quickly to tackle one while Naruto dodged an attack.

He snarled silently when he saw the damage they were doing to his home, his fingers moving in a blur. "Oh no, you don't!" he whispered harshly, moving his hand in a slashing motion once he finished his hand-seals. "You are not burning down my house under my watch. Dispel!"

A wave of chakra erupted from his hand and immediately dispelled the Katon jutsu that one of the ANBU had attempted. He shot forward, grabbing the man's hand and snapping the bone with a fierce twist of his wrist. "Oushi, be on guard. They are more powerful than he seem."

He was right. Danzo wasn't foolish enough to send four ANBU in the house that contained an elite Hunter nin who was a master of NinJutsu. An ANBU commander who was a master of Fuuin Jutsu, NinJutsu and KenJutsu and a S-class ninja who was the holder of the Legendary Mangekyou Sharingan if they were not powerful.

He cursed slightly and spun around, catching a sword with his own. It was unfortunate that the impenetrable shield that Naruto had placed over Itachi actively consumed chakra and required a small amount of constant focus. There was a grunt and he glanced out of the corner of his eyes as Oushi took a kunai to his shoulder with a slight grimace.

Naruto somersaulted right over Oushi's shoulder as he avoided numerous shuriken while smoothly removing the kunai from the other captain's shoulder. He turned in mid-air as let the kunai fly, stabbing one of the Root in the throat, killing him instantly.

The blonde grunted when he was tackled as soon as he landed on his feet, gritting his teeth when he felt one of his ribs snap. Bracing himself on one hand, he moved swiftly to kick his opponent's legs out from under him.

"Rasengan!"

There was a short cry when his father's masterpiece rendered his opponent's arm useless. Naruto attacked when the other nin was still trying to overcome the pain. With swift and deadly precision, he stabbed two kunai deep into his opponent's knees, shattering the kneecaps and drawing another short cry. Ruthlessly, he pressed on, breaking another arm and leaving the enemy on the floor, helpless and unable to move.

Suddenly, Naruto hissed and gritted his teeth. He looked down at the sword that was now sticking out of his body, miraculously missing vital organs with a pained grimace. Biting his lip, he grabbed the blade of the weapon before the enemy could move it and open the wound dangerously wide. He ignored his bleeding, stinging palms and kicked the ANBU that stood behind him, crying out short when the sword moved sharply as the man fell.

With a gasp, he tore the sword from his body and stabbed it through the other ninja's shoulder before he could move. Slamming his knee into the man's stomach, he systematically broke his arms as well.

Panting harshly, he glanced at Oushi to see that the other Captain had killed off the last of the Ne ANBU. With a scowl, he tore the shirt off the ANBU underneath him and swiftly started forming seals. He pressed two glowing fingers against the Root operative's ANBU mark. "Fuuin Jutsu: Kago (Sealing Technique: Cage)." He hissed and watched as a small ring formed around the tattoo. Swiftly, he moved over to the other one and repeated the process before standing shakily.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Four clones immediately appeared in front of him. "You, find Sakura and bring her to the Namikaze compound." He turned towards the other clone, "Carry those two to the Namikaze house. Take them to the training room." He gestured toward the two injured but alive Ne operatives. He turned to the second-last clone, "Go with Oushi and inform Tsunade about this. Tell her that I will speak to these two bastards first before handing them over to Ibiki." The clone nodded and he turned to Oushi, "Sorry, but this is a precaution." He stated before shooting forward and rendering the ANBU captain unconscious.

He looked at the final clone silently before gesturing towards Itachi's room.

The clones nodded and left to do their tasks while Naruto used Shunshin to reach the Namikaze compound.

When he arrived, he found that his clone had securely tied the two ninja to a chair. There was a rather sinister light in his eyes when he knelt in front of one and drew a seal on his forehead with his own blood. "You are going to tell me everything." He whispered in his captive's ear softly. "I have isolated the seal in your ANBU tattoo. You cannot numb your pain nor can you activate the suicide technique that in engraved within it." He smirked faintly when the ANBU's eyes widened, "And no amount of training makes you immune to that particular seal on your forehead."

There was a silent pop as Sakura appeared, looking frantic and worried. "Naruto?" Her eyes widened when they landed on him and then the captives, "Kami-sama." She whispered before hurrying over to him and forcing him to remove his bloodied shirt. "Dear lord, Naruto! You should have gone to the hospital as soon as you could!" she whispered harshly and concentrated on setting his ribs and stitching the wounds.

Naruto sat down to allow her better access, all the while keeping his icy eyes focused on the sweating captors in front of him. "Do you wish to know what the seal does?" he asked dangerously, ignoring Sakura as she worked on his wounds. He knew that she would not interfere. "It is a masterpiece, if I do say myself." He smirked, "Us ANBU are trained to tolerate all sorts of physical abuse and psychological manipulation. It takes a lot to break us, doesn't it?"

The captives squirmed, panting as the seal on their forehead glowed. "You are feeling it now, aren't you?" he asked, leaning forward, his eyes gleaming, "The hot poker stabbing into the back of your eye?" he bared his teeth in a sharp smile, "That seal induces an intense, constant migraine on its victims. Rather simple, isn't it?" Sakura looked up at him in shock but Naruto kept his eyes trained on the ANBU in front of him. "It drives you mad, sometimes. The damn headaches. These are particularly potent, aren't they? Constant and distracting. How can you concentrate on meditating and ignoring the pain if your head is constantly bombarded with an imaginary hammer?"

By now, the ANBU seemed to be shaking. Naruto knew that the pain was intense and it seemed to have no source. He formed a seal with a smirk. "Now, ready to talk? I will activate the next level of the seal and leave you alone for the night if you are not." They shook their head, not ready to give in yet.

Naruto shifted, allowing Sakura to bandage his wounds. "Maybe I should give you a taste of what I am talking about." He stated. He channeled his chakra, watching as the seal glowed once again. "Feeling it yet?" he asked with a smirk, watching as their faces flushed and they started shifting and swallowing. "Feeling warm?"

One of the ANBU glared at him and Naruto's smirk melted away. "I will put it in simple terms. No games. You continue to deny me information, I will keep on increasing the potency of the seal." He whispered dangerously, "The headaches will intensify. You will start feeling hotter as time passes. The window will be open so flies and insects are more than welcome to infest your wounds, which will happen, I guarantee it." He smirked grimly as Sakura shuddered, "You will not be able to move." He crossed his legs and smiled genially at them, "Then, after your tolerance is low enough, I will start getting my hands dirty with the conventional methods that Ibiki-san is so fond of. You know? The works… the senbon sliding underneath your nails, the swallow cuts on the soles of your feet, the hot, salt water on your wounds…" The ANBU paled as Naruto continued, "I will go further and rip out your toenails, slowly burn the hair on your body…"

Sakura quickly got up and left the room, looking pale but Naruto was unfazed. "All the while, your head will continue to pound, you will continue to feel hot and I will not let you die."

Naruto climbed smoothly to his feet and turned to leave the room. "Think about it. I just need to know who sent you, why they sent you, and how much do they know about Itachi." He glanced at the pale, shaking figures sitting on the chair, "And what Danzo plans to do."

He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him, knowing that no one could enter the Namikaze compound without his express permission.

"Damn it!" He raged, kicking a chair and sending it clattering onto the floor.

"Naruto! Calm down, you will aggravate your wounds." Sakura scolded with a frown as she handed him some tea, "What happened?" she asked softly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Things were just going too smoothly, that all. Something had to give. If Danzo and the members of the council know that Itachi is in Konoha then we are in trouble, shit!" he cursed, running his fingers roughly through his hair, "We have only started making some tentative plans for dealing against him. If he finds out what we are up to, all our work will go down the drain!"

"It will be alright." Sakura smoothened helplessly, watching his enraged, troubled features with a concerned frown, "I am sure you will come up with something Na-"

"Damn it, Sakura! This is not easy!" he exclaimed as he sat down, "This puts both Sasuke and Itachi in a dangerous position! I will be able to escape, I have too much influence but they would not! Especially Itachi." He shook his head, "I don't know how I can protect him, Sakura. He is facing too many threats."

She knelt in front of him, placing her hand on his stomach and channeling some chakra to check the stitches. "Calm down." She ordered firmly, "You need rest. You said you where going to keep them under the influence of the seal for the entire night, didn't you?" He nodded, "Good. Go home, get some sleep and come back here in the morning to deal with them."

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I need to speak to Tsunade…"

Sakura shook her head, "You can do that tomorrow." She stated firmly, "Healer's orders. Go home."

Naruto looked in the direction of the training room before scowling and nodding. Sakura smiled softly at him before leaving.

The Namikaze heir secured the compound and left after creating a Bunshin to look after the captives.

Walking through the Uchiha mansion was irritating experience. Several things were broken. His Rasengan had left a mark as well, damaging the floorboards. He winced as he opened the door to Itachi's room, looking over his shoulder at the damage. Sasuke would be enraged.

"Naruto." A low, dangerous voice whispered.

The ANBU captain stilled, his gaze snapping towards the figure sitting on the bed. The herbs should have lasted longer…

He swallowed, "Itachi…"

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, his Sharingan easily looking past the misty barrier to gaze into Naruto's eyes. He raised his hand and slowly gestured him to move forward. Naruto obeyed the silent order with great trepidation, dispelling the barrier with an absent wave of his hand.

He sat down in front of Itachi, wincing when the Uchiha's eyes landed on his bandaged wounds. Those eyes flashed in rage and in a quick movement that Naruto almost couldn't perceive, Itachi's hand shot forward to fist in his hair and pull him forward roughly. "Tell me, saiai…" he whispered in Naruto's ears, his Sharingan whirling furiously, "Why is it that you get in trouble every time I take my eyes off you for even a single moment?"

"Itachi… I-" He winced when the fingers in his hair tightened.

"Answer carefully, love." Itachi whispered, his lips brushing against Naruto's vulnerable throat caressingly, "I am at the end of my patience."

Naruto closed his eyes with a sigh, knowing that anyone else instead of Itachi treating him in such a manner would have faced his wrath.

With Itachi, it seemed that his tolerance was limitless.

He turned his head slightly and kissed his soon-to-be husband's temple. "Sorry." He whispered, "It seems Danzo is onto us."

Itachi stilled, his fingers sliding from Naruto's hair to land gently at the base of his throat. "Hn."

Naruto frowned and pulled away from Itachi and set about removing his shoes and his shirt. "An ANBU unit was here to assassinate you." He watched silently as Itachi leaned back at the headboard, looking at him with hooded eyes. "The Captain was not of the Root but the rest were. I managed to kill two and take two others into custody."

As soon as he was done, Itachi caught his arm and silently pulled him into his arms. Naruto wriggled slightly before settling in between the Uchiha's legs, gently placing his arms on Itachi's knees and leaning back. "It was such a bad day."

"So it seems." Itachi whispered, nibbling on the smooth skin his shoulder, "I am hoping that the night will be better." He whispered with a faint smirk, his fingers slyly tracing his hipbones.

Naruto licked his lips as Itachi moved a leg to wrap it around one of Naruto's and pressed soft kisses against his throat. "Neither of us are well enough to attempt such things." He whispered.

Itachi bit him softly, drawing a gasp from Naruto, "Very convenient for you, isn't it?"

The blonde licked his lips again before slowly turning in Itachi's embrace and pulling the Uchiha in a soft kiss. "Soon. I promise." He looked into Itachi eyes, "I am ready."

Itachi's eyes flared with desire and he smirked.

"I will hold you to that, saiai."