Edited: 01/05/2011
Warning: this chapter contains a lemon. Male x male sex. You will understand the reasoning behind such a short–notice lemon later on. The scene is at end of the chapter, so you can venture up to a certain point before it happens. I don't want rants or anything since I've placed such a blatant warning where you can see it.
StarsOfYaoi: just what I said up there. Lemon. It's true. Don't rush off to it, please… be considerate.
As promised, another part of Itachi's past.
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
Rating: M
Warnings: yaoi, boy x boy relationship, angst, torture, and such. Mental as well. Flames will be used to warm up food.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
–Flashbacks, memories, dreams–
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
Winter Release
Chapter 12: Feral
A leaf falling from the branch of a tree is like a tear.
It slowly rolls down, tumbling in the air with grace, until it reaches the ground, and there it stops, disappearing among similar leaves.
No recognition at all.
Forgotten.
Why should one appreciate a single leaf? There is nothing special in a lone one, when there are so many more… unless… unless that leaf is different from the rest. Unless it's so different that even on the ground, it can still be recognised.
Itachi knew that something was different inside of him.
It took no time at all to realise it –after all, he was supposed to be a genius.
There was absolutely nothing that he couldn't do; anything and everything he tried, he would achieve perfect results without wasting time, with barely any effort, no problems at all.
Ever since he could remember, he had been able to do anything he wanted to.
Whilst others would struggle and endure, trying to reach something that could be compared to perfection, mostly failing and giving up, he would excel, and it took him nothing to get there. This simple fact was clear, obvious. Almost a given.
Noticing it, he simply moved forwards, trying to achieve different things.
He was different.
Like a green leaf among red ones during Fall, he was standing out from the rest of the village, without him even trying.
He observed, studied, watched and learned with emotionless eyes and equally blank face; he saw people look at him with admiration, jealous, envy, rage… sometimes even with pride. Then he saw them try to copy him.
He continued watching them as they tried so hard to be perfect.
Yet, because he was perfect, with no amount of doubt possible, he knew that no other person could ever reach to his same height; others would fight, forcing their raw emotions into trying to accomplish what to him was easy –and it was a pointless fight.
Because Itachi was a genius, he had also realised something else.
To be perfect meant nothing.
It meant to be nothing.
To be able to reach perfection would mean to be able to stop feeling. Perfection was ignoring what the heart, the soul and the mind told you. It meant to act without emotion. No one could do that –only he could. Because that was the way he was born.
He felt nothing. He was perfect.
And perfection without emotions was nothing.
Achieving a goal without efforts, without putting your soul into the process, without learning from mistakes… it was naught but a shallow victory.
Perfection achieved with no hard work was empty and worthless.
Soon, there was nothing to challenge him, nothing to interest him. Without emotions, the world was simply grey and dull and boring.
Was his life meaningless then? He was a genius. The answer was simple.
His father –the person whose eyes shone bright in both envy and pride– had never seen anything human in him, his eyes spoke volumes of that every time he looked at him.
"You are perfect. The tool we always hoped to gain. Nothing is able to stop you, nothing can take you down…"
It was true.
But the truth also was that he didn't like it. To be perfect, to be different… it also meant he was alone.
Having friends, love, ties… nothing of that had a meaning to him. he knew what those words meant, of course, but the roots of what they were supposed to be, the feelings behind the words… that was foreign to him.
His heart was empty. No one tried to teach him how to feel, but then again, to feel meant not to be perfect, and he was perfect, so… he felt nothing. Not even sadness at being treated as something not human.
"You have no rights. You belong to me, to the family. I can't let you go to waste… someone like you shouldn't be hindered by anything… especially not by people weaker than you."
Itachi was different.
He was a green leaf twirling among crimson ones –no imperfection, no flaws.
His first kill had happened when he was six; a grown man in his thirties had attacked him. he could hear the older shinobi breathe loudly, he could feel him move around, trying to stab Itachi with a kunai, the grip steady but the reflexes slow.
The shadows of the night had aided the man into coming unnoticed, but Itachi had felt him coming, his black eyes had followed every move of the man, no matter the darkness, no matter the speed.
Itachi had then killed him with barely any effort, despite his age and the lack of previous experience.
He hadn't felt anything as he had watched the man fall on the ground, dead, blood pouring all over his hands and face from the artery he had just severed with a kunai.
So easy.
Itachi didn't take much to find out that the man had been hired by his own father to test him –if he had died, he would have been worthless, because he wouldn't have been perfect.
In fact, Uchiha Fugaku, his father, had taken pride in telling him so, eyes shining not with pride, but with lust and a darker, similar emotion –greed.
Whenever he defied his father's desires by talking with others from the family, or even outside, Itachi used to try and act normal. His mask was, once again, perfect –even his own father, despite knowing of his genius, despite knowing of his emotionless state, had trusted that orchestrated mask.
Every smile, every kind word Itachi used, observing others and how they reacted, every polite attitude was taken for granted and thought true.
The man had thought he could own Itachi.
But the tool, albeit empty and hollow, was still a tool that couldn't be held into the hand of that man.
He felt no satisfaction in faking, but he felt no satisfaction in being himself, or what he thought was himself.
He was nothing but a black hole, absorbing light, with simply emptiness inside.
And then, something had changed.
Someone had piqued his interest amongst the many red leaves –someone who had pretended to know.
Someone had confronted him, telling him that he knew of his façade.
That person had decided to stick around and observe Itachi like Itachi observed others, simply because he knew that the younger Uchiha was different.
A deep tone had voiced his curiosity, carefully masked behind indifference, almost flat. "Have you ever wondered what it means to feel?"
His reply had been spoken with the usual soft tone, polite and empty. "I don't' care".
The light curiosity had then switched to a simpler amusement. "Will you ever try?"
Itachi hadn't even looked up at the other Uchiha as he replied. "It's pointless".
A mild laugh, "People say we are friends… but I want you to know that I am only using you".
Whether that was a lie or the truth –because Itachi couldn't tell… not with him– only this person knew.
Still, such a phrase deserved an equally moderated reply. "I am using you as well".
And that, at least, was the truth. Itachi never saw fit to lie to him.
"That's fine by me. I want to see how high you will try to soar to continue your perfection. I want to know if there is something that can stop you".
"Will you try to find my limits then, Shisui–kun?" Itachi's tone was plain, but the little prodigy had truly wondered that.
Black orbs flickered with amusement, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I will do anything I can to see if they exist, Itachi–kun".
…–…–…–…
Then, something else happened.
Even as he fought, every battle becoming blurred and vain as the world turned more unreal as time passed by and he grew even stronger, one thing remained unchanged, and he was quick to notice what.
He was barely coming into his teen years, but nobody seemed to notice, or care.
There was no change in the way they acted towards him, no notice that they saw him as anything other than the genius, perfect, emotionless killer that he had become.
Smiling politely, a nice word for everybody he met, meek and following every word and every order.
He was the silent young man who was the first to awaken the bloodline limit before his sixteenth year of age.
And through all of this, his father's greed only became more pronounced.
There was nothing else in his eyes, no love, no care, nothing but this greed. Itachi had noticed, but he wasn't sad –he simply didn't care.
His father had said that he should not be hindered by those who were weaker than him… but his father, together with the rest of his family, was weaker.
When Itachi had seen his little brother for the first time, his mind had mildly wondered what was hiding behind such a pathetic, useless creature. Babies were weak. Helpless. For a moment, Itachi's mind wandered on the 'what if' about this little kid.
Was he going to be a genius, too? was he going to be… like everybody else?
The look in his father's eyes was quick to answer the unspoken question for him; this little brother, part of the family, was naught but another red leaf.
And yet, from that point on, Itachi had a clear example on what a father was supposed to be. He saw the growing disinterest towards the baby as he grew up, but there was no greed in the man's eyes –nor was there acceptance.
And at the same time, he saw how his father's lips twitched into a smile that held no greed nor shady emotions whenever he looked at the baby. How certain times, he would even fuss over him.
And by staring down at the toddler, who smiled and waved his short, chubby arms towards him, Itachi realized that he was feeling something towards his little otouto –curiosity.
Similar to what he felt for Shisui, there was a lingering sense of interest that kept him close to this little kid… to Sasuke.
He was curious what the kid would turn out to be. If his emotions would show or not, if he would be strong enough to cause his father's eyes to shine with lust. If a red leaf could have a darker shade than the others around it.
Power was everything their family lived for… but he was the only one to notice. The village loved the Uchiha clan, respected it, worshipped it… power, prestige, bloodline…
There was more than that, and Itachi saw it. The evanescent appearance of a family he wasn't part of… and it was then that Itachi realised something else was growing within him.
Staring at his little brother, he was almost disappointed to see how blind Sasuke was. Almost. Not entirely. He had expected it.
Sasuke was growing up like everyone else… but Itachi didn't think it was bad. He didn't want someone else to end up like he had, because people looked at him like one would to a tool, not a person.
He didn't like it.
His shallow perfection was everything others saw in him. Not caring to see underneath the underneath.
Nauseous.
Cold.
But it wasn't until he saw something flicker in his little brother's eyes directed at him that he realised he had been feeling something for a while now.
Sasuke was looking at him with a certain look that was not admiration nor rivalry, although both were present.
His father stared at him with the same eyes. It wasn't his usual lust for power.
Something stronger. Something bigger. Something with deeper roots.
It was… hatred.
Itachi could not just recognise that feeling, but he could name it and feel the signs within himself. Acknowledging it with its proper name only served to make it flare up even stronger.
He was finally feeling something –disconcerting but true… Uchiha Itachi, the genius, perfect killer machine… had acquired an emotion.
A strong, powerful, first emotion.
So, without thinking, Itachi dedicated himself to fuel that first, deep emotion, this feeling, this first something he felt that was real, because feeling it made him more real, it made him alive, it made him –human.
So, even perfect tools could be forced to feel, and he had to thank his father and brother for that.
He could feel hatred. It was good to know.
…–…–…
For a second, there was simply silence.
Deep, thick and suffocating, closing upon him like a blanket.
Naruto was still sitting on the futon, unsure whether his legs would be able to support his weight if he were to stand up, and he could not look away from the person towering in front of him.
A trickle of sweat rolled down his temple, and he suddenly found himself grateful he wasn't standing; his heart was thumping painfully in his ears, his stomach was tingling, and he was aware of how cold the floor was under his hands.
Everything seemed frozen around him.
Imposing, with the dark mantle looking like a shadow on his shoulders, the tattoo on his torso standing against his complexion, making the man look almost ethereal.
The real shock didn't come from the fact that this was the Akatsuki leader, one of the most feared and hatred men of all the villages. Naruto had somewhat expected to see him, in some part of his mind, ever since he had realised he was still alive. He was in their hands –and Kyuubi was inexplicably still inside his body; no, what really sent Naruto's mind on a rampage were the man's eyes.
He'd seen such eyes before, even fought against them once, so he knew what they were capable of, what they meant. He knew the story behind them, and knew the massive power they held. Thus, he was completely shocked to find them staring down at him emotionlessly.
Blank, white eyes –the familiar bloodline limit owned by the Hyuuga. Neji's eyes… Hinata's eyes.
'Wha…' he didn't know what to think. He had always supposed that Byakugan was a trait found solely in Konoha, so it either meant this man was a Konohagakure missing–nin, or there were branches of Hyuuga outside of the village.
Either way, he didn't like the idea.
Who was this man? Why was he displaying such a protected and coveted bloodline?
It was the Byakugan, there was no other option… so… what?
Neither Naruto nor the man spoke for a long time, simply staring at each other, almost as if considering each other's strength, one with confusion and fear etched in his eyes, the other with an empty stare that revealed nothing. It was even more emotionless than Itachi's, and the blond felt pressured by that stare.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Naruto decided to speak up despite his confusion, knowing he could not look weak in front of his enemy's eyes –even though he was weak compared to him.
"Who are you?" he demanded, rather surprised when his voice didn't sound as unsteady as he'd feared it would.
Those white eyes did not blink, but a smirk graced the imposing features of the man as he straightened slightly, muscles tensing up. He did not reply.
"I said… who the hell are you!" Naruto tried again, suddenly aware of the dark aura the man was exuding, and wishing he could back away from him, yet refusing to do so.
He had never felt such powerful aura ever before, and not even Orochimaru could reach that level; it was dark and evil, and it held the promise of torture and pain. The fact that he had yet to speak was unsettling, and Naruto felt panic double inside him.
He froze, a light tremor making its way in his body as a reminder of how weak, how worthless he was.
That man… was on an entirely different level.
Naruto looked away, breaking the stare with the man and focused his attention on the floor, eyes wide, trying desperately to calm down his trembling.
"No one is going to come for you, Jinchuuriki".
The man's voice was chilling, and for a second Naruto wished he had kept silent instead; there were no words to express what his tone evoked in Naruto –he felt like he had been pushed into a freezing pool, with nothing but darkness around him.
It had seemed deep and rumbling, but there was an edge in it… it terrified him even more than the man's physical appearance.
After the first wave of fear, Naruto focused on the actual words the Leader had said, and he snapped his attention back on the man, feeling his insides clench painfully; despite the lack of any particular emotion on the word 'Jinchuuriki', it was the absolute certainty of what he'd said that hit Naruto.
"What…" he blinked, meeting those empty eyes again, and Naruto was able to pick out something else. Even though he could compare those orbs with Neji's, there was something different between them.
The unnerving stare was… too blank. Those eyes weren't just Byakugan –they were unseeing. Unfocused. Empty.
At the same time, he had the distinct feeling that the man could still see him somehow, and through him all the same.
Again, Naruto felt at a loss.
"You are dead… nothing but a tool owned by the Akatsuki," the voice curled around him like silk, strangling him with its false peacefulness. "To them, you are no more".
Naruto wasn't the most intelligent people on the planet, but he got the hint anyway –even if his brain wasn't working up to par in this situation, he still understood the meaning of the Leader's words.
He was alive, that was true.
But he was lost.
…–…–…–…
Time lost its meaning for him as hours passed by.
The man had disappeared down the corridor without giving him another glance, his figure vanishing in the shadows of the cave, and Naruto was left behind all alone.
Seconds passed. Minutes. Hours. Eternity, or maybe not even an instant… it didn't really matter… there was no way to know how much time was going by. The only thing he was sure of was… darkness.
And that he was alone.
He hadn't given up of course, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't hope to be saved, nor could he hope to run away –he would have to be a fool to believe that. So, with nothing else to do, he simply watched time tick by in his little cage, knowing that sooner or later, his fate would be decided –and not by him.
He'd been captured and caged like a worthless beast, something inhuman, and he was only alive because of what he had inside him. he was like a caged dog, sealed to prevent him from running –as if he was nothing without Kyuubi's chakra.
Blue eyes stared unblinkingly at the stony walls of his room (cage, prison) not really seeing them. Thoughts filled his mind, coming and disappearing, each and every one of them faint and piercing all the same.
It was hard to believe that Kyuubi was still inside him and the seal had strengthened up somehow.
What was worse, his nausea never left him, adding to the general waves of weakness washing over him due to the lack of chakra caused by the wards wrapped on his wrists and ankles; after carefully checking over his body, he had found an additional one right on his stomach, above the Fourth's seal.
He didn't really know much about seals, but Naruto was able to detect the difference between this seal and the one he had on before the extraction. There was a new circle around the Kyuubi's spiralling seal, but to Naruto it didn't look like much.
If Ero–sennin had been around, he surely would know, he mused.
He couldn't even feel his chakra flow. Unlike when Neji had blocked his Tenketsu points, now Naruto couldn't simply feel the chakra. Back then, he could feel it move inside, with no way out, but now there was nothing that he could feel. No chakra, no Kyuubi.
Nothing.
He was alone, truly and completely alone.
For the first time in a long, long while, Naruto felt like crying. He supposed that in such a situation, anybody would feel cornered and crushed.
He had always been a positive person, and even after realising that he'd have to work harder than ever to get the respect he wanted –the respect he deserved– he still had never given up. that was something of him that others envied, his one true skill…
But now…
Now it was different. He didn't feel like there was a way out.
Three years of training, all his defiance, his attempts, his fights… it had been in vain.
Yes, the seal was working fine, even Kyuubi had to attest that, but Akatsuki was resourceful, and if they found out the demon could not be extracted, then his life was simply over.
Of course he wouldn't give up (he couldn't) but it was hard to find a way out.
Looking around again, Naruto tried to force himself away from his gloomy thoughts.
There were no windows in his cell, as it was a mere room carved into stone, with a futon and just a few candles on the walls, enough to cast a feeble ray of light that was easily disturbed by cool breeze. Even that light would be gone, as soon as the candles were burned away.
And the darkness, only kept at bay by the candles, advancing upon him.
He waited and waited, with only the sound of his breathing to keep him company, and the silence continued pushing on him, hurting his ears.
If he looked out of the door, he could barely see the outline of the corridor, and with the waning light of the candles, everything lost its contours, slowly descending into darkness.
Lain on the futon, with nothing else to do, he clutched at his arms desperately, fighting the mounting feeling of helplessness whenever his thoughts caused his heart's pace to grow erratic and his lungs to constrict, forcing himself to calm down every time.
This waiting without reason, the darkness, the loneliness… they were destroying him slowly, draining his energy, driving him to madness. Unable to sleep, he spent countless moments staring at the dark ceiling, his mind as blank as the Leader's eyes.
But despite that, despite everything, he still did not cry.
In the end, he had gone through so much, physically and mentally, and yet his spirit wasn't broken yet.
Again, something inside him shifted and changed, hardening against this new ordeal in order to get stronger. The darkness whispered to him, but his mind was calm despite that, analyzing the situation over and over.
Yes, his village thought he was dead –a part of him hurt to think that Tsunade, Iruka–sensei, Jiraiya, Kakashi–sensei were sure he was gone– but that simply meant this was something he had to solve all on his own.
He was used to that –he only needed to concentrate more on the situation at hand. Maybe he wasn't smart like Shikamaru, but he was resourceful, too. His mind was practical, quick. He could come up with something. He just had to relax and think.
Hours ticked by. The candles relit on their own, probably due to some weird chakra trick, then went off again.
He had yet to move from the futon.
Again, time lost its meaning as he stood there in silence, thinking and focusing on finding a way out, ignoring his hunger and the fact that after seeing the Leader of Akatsuki, nobody had been around.
He remained poised, forcing himself to react, ignoring the dark.
And then, in one of his moments of contemplation, as he had been about to let his consciousness fall into sleep, he felt someone approach. Two flares of chakra, one that he recognised, one that he did not were walking towards his prison, stepping in front of his door to glance inside.
The noise of their footsteps had been loud and sudden, shaking Naruto out of his daze as he concentrated on the two figures standing there.
For a moment, they remained on the door, then pushed inside without warning, and moved towards him.
Naruto's instincts acted up when one of the two figures reached out to grab his arm, and despite the fact that his body felt unnaturally weak, he reacted by slapping the arm away. A growl made its way from deep inside his throat, and he backed away from the two incomers, eyes flashing in anger at them.
As helpless as he was, he knew that if they wanted to fight him he would lose, but he was not going to give up either way.
The candles flared up for a second, brighter than they had ever been before, and Naruto hissed and covered his eyes with a sharp intake of breath, hurt by the sudden increase in light.
One of the two men in front of him chuckled amusedly. "He's just like a little animal, un!" the voice was unfamiliar to Naruto.
Still, an enemy.
"I don't care, we have to take him out from here and we will," was the curt reply of the other shinobi. Naruto figured out easily that it was the Shark–man.
"You're no fun at all, though," the first voice huffed, but didn't hesitate anymore, and the two swiftly grabbed Naruto by his arms, dragging him out of his cage.
Hissing and tensing his muscles, Naruto tried to stop them, but soon had to relax, knowing that maybe it was better to rest and wait to see what would happen; the change from the room to the outside wasn't sudden, so his eyes had all the time to get used to the growing amount of light.
His senses were assaulted by different smells coming from the rest of the caves, together with some sort of humidity that lingered in the air, and a part of Naruto realised that even though Kyuubi was separate from him, he still retained most of his enhanced senses.
Naruto took deep breaths as the stale, damp air of the jail became steadily fresher as he was dragged out of the dungeons, and together with the change of air, something clicked inside him.
He might have a chance. He was being dragged away, and he was weak, but maybe… there was still a possibility for him to get out.
Maybe he was not strong enough to defeat Akatsuki or even face one of them evenly, he had no chakra and his body felt like jelly, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to change things to his favour if given the chance to.
After all, he was the most surprising ninja Konoha had ever seen, and he would show that to Akatsuki too.
He only had to wait. Something in him burned anew with the thought (the hope) that whatever stopped them from taking Kyuubi away would be effective enough not to break anytime soon.
Naruto was still biding his time. He wasn't broken yet.
…–…–…–…
Naruto was dropped off to another room, different from the first. It wasn't as dark, nor as secluded, and most importantly, it wasn't as cold as the older one had been.
That was quite an improvement, all things considered.
Akatsuki had tested him for a long time; they had tried out his energy and the seal surrounding his navel, calling forth their chakra and prodding at it, attempting to find a way to get the Kyuubi from him.
Hours had again passed by, and Naruto had been more aware of time ticking by now that he was again in company of other people, even if they were missing–nin.
They had forced chakra on his body, they had written seals and produced various types of jutsu, but every single thing had failed in the end.
The seal had resisted.
He didn't know if it was because of his chakra being blocked out, but none of the jutsus hurt him, allowing him to focus on the Akatsuki members around him.
After all, analyzing enemies would be good in his position.
When the men had started showing signs of impatience and building annoyance, he had been dragged into another room, still with seals around his wrists and ankles, but thankfully the one on his stomach had been taken away.
Blue eyes checked his body, forcing his tired muscles to respond when he tried to move them. He hated feeling this weak.
The Akatsuki members were rather different from one another. If he wanted to escape, he needed to know which one would prove to be the worst opponent, and what to avoid the most. Itachi was still on his top five, of course, but the Leader was the bigger problem so far.
How to escape without the man coming onto him to kill him or –more probable– order the Shark–man Kisame to cut his legs?
Konoha was waiting, he had to get his ass up and leave already.
For now, Akatsuki didn't think of him as a threat because he could not access his chakra and because he was still weak and unable to recover at his usual speed. Their eyes said nothing, their faces were unreadable as they stared at him, working on the seal, failing.
After what had felt like eternity, they had stopped. It was useless to be wasting more chakra on him, Leader had stated.
If he hadn't been too busy analyzing the room and its occupants, Naruto would have chuckled at that.
He had resisted their torture for three days, he was still alive to tell the tale, and Kyuubi was still inside him.
And most importantly, he hadn't been broken.
It took him a few more hours to realise that the room he'd been put in had not been locked. He was allowed to roam free in the lowest parts of the hideout as nothing important was left there.
There were many empty rooms, some filled with books and scrolls, but nothing that he could read or understand, and nothing relevant about jutsu. There was barely any light to move around, but the few flames on the walls were good enough for his eyes, and walking around helped him fight the growing boredom and the itch to just do something –anything– that was building inside him.
Still, walking around helped him cope, and he did so as much as he could.
Besides, his healing was taking forever without Kyuubi's chakra helping it speed up, and if he continued doing nothing for days to come, he would grow senile in no time.
Weak.
Naruto hated that feeling –the helplessness as he let Akatsuki poke him around, the weakness in his muscles, the way his body swayed around as he walked. At least Akatsuki fed him now.
If all his strength was from Kyuubi, then he had to get even stronger on his own. Was there any other way?
Unfortunately, if he wanted to do that, he had to get out of Akatsuki's control. So, until that moment, he just had to be patient and let his body rest.
…–…–…–…
"The seal can't be removed".
The amount of rage in the Leader's voice sent most of the members flinching away from him in fear of physical retaliation.
The last time the man had been this enraged, three villages had suffered, and they had been reduced to the point where nothing was left standing after he was done –not even ruins to tell there had been a village there before.
Coughing and calling attention on him, one of the members –a man with most of his face covered, with greenish eyes glowing strangely in the shadows who responded to the name Kakuzu– tried to explain the rest of the group what was going on.
On his own, Kakuzu was definitely annoyed. He had been called from his mission (capturing the Nibi no Nekomata) in order to extract the Kyuubi, and then he had been forced to remain at the hideout instead of gathering more money for the organization.
A definite waste of his precious time.
"The seal is simply a failsafe," he explained, grunting. "It activates when the main seal is attacked or in danger of fading away. The trigger is the chakra activation, and it converts the power of the seal from the first to the second stage".
"Can't we just do the jutsu again, un?"
A flicker of annoyance and Kakuzu glared at Deidara. Annoying blond bomber.
"No. Apparently, now that both seals are active, they will simply switch from one to the other, renewing themselves in the meanwhile. It's a never ending process and it feeds off the chakra of both the vessel and the demon".
He glared at the rest of the group, as if daring them to find a way out themselves; although his speciality was something else entirely, he had a vast knowledge in sealing jutsu, and he had been the one to prod and test the seal on the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki to see if there was a faulty point.
There wasn't.
He had seen four other seals during the extractions of the other Bijuu, but this was just the most complex and perfect one he had ever seen. In a way, he could understand why the man who had done it had been respected and admired for his skills.
Even though that creativity had ultimately signed the failure of Akatsuki's goals in regards to the demons, Kakuzu had to admit he respected the creator of that seal as well.
Too bad he had given his life in order to make it…
"There is no way to extract the demon from the kid," he continued, voice even. "If we find a way around it, both demon and vessel will die, and then…" and then, Akatsuki would never have the strongest of the beasts at their disposal.
And unfortunately, they needed all the creatures for their plans to work out.
Shaking his head, Kakuzu took some time to pick the words he needed. "The host is young, but his chakra reserves are absurdly big. Even separate from the demon, he has enough to put to shame most of us, although he clearly lacks the control. That is why we were forced to drain his energies through the wards to keep him there…" he grunted in displeasure. "I am not sure that any amount of research will make that seal crumble, either".
White, blank eyes blinked slowly, and much to the surprise of the other shinobi around him, the Leader's enraged aura retreated and disappeared.
Only one of them could see through the darkness around their Leader enough to notice the evil, cold and calculating smirk, and he had to shiver under the maliciousness he had detected in that smirk.
Leader had a plan.
"We will keep the Jinchuuriki here until we find a way to use the demon's powers to our advantage. Until then, the seals on his arms and legs will not be removed," he ordered.
The white eyes turned towards one of the silent shadows who had been staying away from the others. "Itachi, you will be appointed to watch over the Jinchuuriki".
Crimson eyes swirled for a second, then, without answering, Itachi turned and walked away.
The Leader of Akatsuki tensed, then he looked away. 'For now, your insolence won't be punished'.
…–…–…–…
Under the stare of the dark haired shinobi, Naruto felt almost naked; it was as if Itachi could see deep inside his soul –as if he knew everything about him.
At the light of the flames around the room, Itachi looked eerily like a statue. Naruto wasn't sure if he liked it.
The fact that Itachi was still looking at him made him feel uncomfortable –he knew what Itachi thought of him. He was weak and worthless, in the end.
If he hadn't been busy glaring back at the Uchiha, as if daring him to speak up, Naruto would have been surprised to realise that a part of him actually (slightly) cared about the opinion Itachi had of him.
After all, even if he was an enemy, Naruto had respect for the older Uchiha.
Naruto respected all his opponents. They were strong, worth fighting with, and determined to follow through with their actions. No matter if they were psychopathic killers or missing–nin or insane creatures that lived by taking over people's bodies, really.
It was something Naruto tried to keep for himself, though –he knew that many would not only disagree, but they would call him crazy, or worse, they would think he'd allowed Kyuubi to shape his thoughts.
Of course, they would be wrong; Naruto simply respected those stronger than him, and even those weaker, because physical strength wasn't the only kind of strength that he respected, and it helped him take seriously everybody he met.
Naruto could easily see the good aspects of a person –friendship, care, loyalty, strong will– but he could also see the darker ones. But most of all, he could see the difference between power and strength.
The Hokage was respected not because of his title, but because he was strong, and gave out an aura of reassurance and power, but under that, a Hokage was just like any other ninja –he killed, followed orders and laws. Some of which were right, some were wrong.
That was why the Hokage couldn't change the Hyuuga laws. That was why Naruto hadn't been told about Kyuubi.
And yet, certain rules were created to be broken, and that was why he strived to become a Hokage himself –to rectify the things no one before had tried to correct. But Naruto himself was a ninja, and even his nindo couldn't erase that.
He could not stop people from killing each other… it was how life for a ninja was. He could fight for his own idea of justice, he could try to protect his precious ones, but he was human. He couldn't stop wars.
It was something he had come to accept during the three years he had been training with Jiraiya.
If he wanted to understand Itachi, he needed to look underneath the underneath.
Haku saying he would protect the one he loved, no matter if others thought he was wrong. Gaara's attempt to love himself since no one else would. Sasuke… denying his bonds in order to grow strong enough to kill his brother…
They were all similar, in a way, but they all had one single point in common.
Naruto considered them friends. He respected them. They followed through with their own decisions, because that was what they believed in.
He might not agree with their reasoning, but he could understand. That was what made the difference.
Haku had died to protect his precious person. Gaara had closed his heart away so not to be hurt again. Sasuke had sacrificed his life for his revenge.
And Naruto himself, well…
He wanted others to recognise him. he wanted to be Hokage.
Their dreams, their goals… they were different and selfish, yet they were all important, because they belonged to them.
Blue eyes focused again on his surroundings, and Naruto realised that Itachi was still staring at him; he fidgeted, feeling something weird coil inside his stomach.
He didn't know why Itachi found him so interesting to look at, but those crimson eyes focusing solely on him… it made him feel weird.
Behind those crimson eyes there was a person Naruto was curious to see. Itachi had killed his clan, but Naruto's reasoning was lacking something. If it was hatred, what had caused it? What could justify the massacre of a whole family?
Was there a way for him to find out and understand? Would things change then? If he found out Itachi's reason and it made sense, would it mean…
Did he want to?
As Naruto held on Itachi's stare, not wanting to back down, he had to wonder again if he was doing it to understand Sasuke, or if things had changed enough that now Itachi himself was intriguing to him.
He wanted to know Itachi. He wanted (wished) to understand him. An irrational part of him wanted to be able to reach out to him, maybe, like he'd done with Haku and Gaara and Neji and Tsunade…
A reason…
Shifting slightly, Naruto stood up, weary and confused, and with the distinct feeling that maybe he shouldn't feel so at ease this close to a missing–nin –although he was rather sure Itachi would not harm him as long as the Kyuubi was still inside him.
Still, maybe he was insane. To not only respect someone like Itachi, but to be also intrigued by him to the point of being… almost… drawn to him…
Yes. Insane.
But there he was, standing in front of a mass–murderer, thinking he wanted to reach out to him and maybe understand some more about him… well, if that was how insanity was, Naruto was fine with it.
He wouldn't change just because some people might though he was insane now.
As others had done before him… he would simply follow his way. This was what he believe into. This was his nindo.
The Uchiha simply observed the younger shinobi, crimson eyes focused on his small pout and on the fact that Naruto was glaring right back at him. A part of him wondered how such a person could have endured fully the pain of the extraction.
The kid was a kid no more, really –he had shown more than just simple strength, he had a strong will, and his eyes had never lost their shine, not even under Akatsuki's control. Underneath the loud, foolish overconfidence, this Jinchuuriki was strong.
So, Itachi had observed him with growing interest, to see if Naruto would somehow disappoint him, to see if his will would break at one point…
Naruto had never faltered, unbroken and defiant despite the situation. That bright flash that was still burning now as he glared back at Itachi with equal strength…
That was a light Itachi had been waiting for, that had intrigued him and attracted his attention, and to see it coming from someone who had looked nothing special… it was unexpected. Naruto was different from the others Itachi had met before.
He was determined, bold, stubborn… innocent.
Something was burning inside Itachi's chest –a growing desire to own that light and tame it, to see the depths where that light could shine despite the pain he'd survived.
He wanted it.
Naruto's glare faltered when he realised that Itachi was, somehow, shifting closer. Slowly but surely, the man advanced on him, and he didn't even have time to gasp when Itachi was suddenly close to him and he had him slammed against the nearby wall.
Itachi's body was pressed against his own, and Naruto gasped, unable to look away from the swirling, hypnotic eyes as they moved closer and closer–
Their lips touched.
It was not a sweet kiss –but there again, Naruto hadn't expected it to be. Itachi's lips were cool over his, and the sensation sent a shiver down his back. It was foreign, exalting, completely unlike the 'kiss' he had shared with Sasuke back at the academy –that had been a clumsy mistake, and he hadn't liked it one bit.
But this one…
Oh, it was different.
Itachi's lips were cool, but the contact was burning hot (Itachi was kissing him. Itachi was kissing him), and it sent his mind reeling. All of sudden, Naruto had this burning flame growing in his chest that he didn't know how to call, and the shock made his body freeze.
This was…
Then, Itachi's tongue was pushing his lips apart and –Naruto allowed him.
His body was burning. From his lips to the tip of his fingers, everything was on fire, even his lungs.
He was hot and dizzy and completely, utterly confused, but the sensation was exhilarating and delicious and tasted like a prohibited, sinful fruit.
Naruto didn't even notice it when he moaned into the kiss, attention entirely focused on the man who was kissing him, unable to concentrate or think but sure of a single thing–
He didn't want it to stop.
Itachi pulled away for a moment, licking his lips as they parted, and Naruto groaned again, feeling faint and dizzy; his hands moved to grasp at the older shinobi's shoulders, the cool, rough texture of the wall against his back a deep contrast with the burning feeling of Itachi's body against his own.
He wanted –he wanted to run away as far as he could, and demand Itachi to stop and let him go…
No –he wanted Itachi to kiss him again.
He wanted more –the contact of their frames pressed together, real and sharp, the tangy taste of Itachi's lips on him…
Any rational thought he might have had –'he's a killer… a murderer… he cares nothing if I live or not… he hurt Sasuke, Kakashi–sensei, everyone, me,'– had no importance at all.
He just wanted Itachi to kiss him again, he wanted more of the kiss, more contact, more of something he couldn't name nor understand, a something that was ok as long as it was this man doing it to him–
More.
Naruto's thoughts blurred away again when Itachi kissed him once more, at first hesitant, then hungrily enough to make him groan again, tongue tracing the insides of his mouth, tasting him.
The teen's fingers tightened even more on the other man's shoulders, intoxicated with the taste and the smell and the feeling of the rough texture of Itachi's clothes against him.
Why was Itachi kissing him? why was he allowing the older man to do that to him?
Noticing that Naruto's attention wasn't lost in the kiss, Itachi's eyes flashed crimson and he applied more pressure on the blond teen's body, forcing him more against the wall.
Blue eyes fluttered close as Naruto easily let himself go to the feelings, not wanting to focus on the why. With Itachi kissing him, growling slightly against his lips, it didn't matter if the other shinobi was his jailer or a murderer.
His body was burning again, and Naruto idly wondered if that was what Sakura wanted to do with Sasuke –the thought was disturbing, but his brain was hazy, and he really didn't want to think about Sakura at the moment.
He only wanted Itachi to…
He moaned again, hissing in the dark when the world toppled around him and he fell against Itachi's body, then down on the ground, feeling the futon underneath him, cool and softer than the wall–
No time to think, no need to think, lips moving to his neck, sucking and biting down on the tender skin, causing Naruto to gasp out, shivering and twitching at the feeling.
Swollen lips parted to moan and gasp, fingers tightening their hold on Itachi's clothes.
Naruto silently pleaded for more –he didn't know what that more was, or at least he only had a vague understanding on what it meant, but he still wanted it…
Teeth and tongue and lips that bit, licked and kissed his neck, then moved to tease his earlobe, then back down to his collarbone, as if tentatively testing out what Naruto's responses to different stimuli were.
"Ah…" the pleasure was burning inside him, steady and good–
Naruto arched his back, his body flush against Itachi's one, and he gasped out when his lower regions were suddenly rubbing against the older man's body. It was entirely too pleasant, and he clutched at the raven haired man's body, shifting, demanding more…
A hand shifted underneath his filthy, ripped shirt, brushing against the skin of his stomach, right above the seal; the sensitive skin rippled with shivers, and Naruto groaned again.
He liked that –it felt so good, so fulfilling…
But he needed more. Itachi's hands on his skin, his lips against his own… please…
His next moan echoed through the air with Itachi's name in it, a plea, low and vibrant, and was promptly satisfied when his shirt was ripped away from him, soon followed by his pants. The sudden nakedness ashamed him, as much as the vulnerability of his position under Itachi, and the realization that this was (sinfully right) wrong –plainly wrong… 'What am I doing?'– but everything blurred away in fire as those cool lips met his nipple.
He didn't even have a chance to rethink it –not that he would have, not with the pleasure, not with knowing that he wanted it…
He gasped as Itachi bit down hard, drawing blood, and then licking it away, pleasure and pain mixing together, sweet pain and bitter pleasure.
No desire to run, no fear of what they were doing, of what he was allowing Itachi to do to him, Naruto welcomed each of Itachi's ministrations as the older man licked and bit harshly on his skin, tasting and touching every inch of his chest…
"Ah…"
A strangled cry left his parted lips and he arched his body as a probing tongue ran through the intricate spiral on his stomach, and Naruto's sight blurred in pleasure.
"Ngh… more…" he didn't care how silly it sounded, he simply wanted Itachi to continue…
Legs parting on their own accord, Naruto arched his back, unconsciously offering Itachi an alluring, weird sight –that of a naked body not yet fully developed, yet strong and enticing all the same.
Itachi's Sharingan flared again, taking in the sight and the fact that it had been his own actions that had reduced the teen to this –a trembling, needy mass that still called him in.
It pleased him.
He wanted to eat him whole, drink every drop of sweat rolling down Naruto's body, grasp the meaning of that will that didn't vanish, own every inch of his body, of his mind…
Leaning down, Itachi stroked one index down the length of Naruto's length, tracing the droplets of precum slowly dripping down from its tip, and brought it to his lips to taste.
It was a vaguely bitter taste, not entirely unpleasant but different, weird –his hand moved down again, touching that erected arousal, massaging it as he'd done with the teen's nipples, curious at the loud, desperate keening sounds Naruto made.
It was so good –Itachi's hand on him, touching him so intimately when not even Naruto had much experience with his own body, and every touch sent flickers of electrical pleasure down his back.
Naruto was lost, so lost that when Itachi firmly grabbed his hips, twisting his body around, he barely had time to cry out in surprise, and then–
Cheeks against the cool futon, a finger coated with something cold and tingling pushing inside him, forcing its way against tightly pressed muscles…
"Ah!"
Discomfort –shame– because someone was touching him there, without warning, wriggling its way inside…
Gritting his teeth as the intrusion turned forceful, stretching him wide, Naruto closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on something else, unable to believe that he was on the receiving end of such an onslaught.
"Hnnnng–" he bit down on his tongue, feeling the metallic, coppery taste of blood as he tried hard not to flinch in pain.
A third finger was added, slippery and wet, and then Itachi was touching his back, and his fingers were warm and vibrating and the tension slowly disappeared, and…
The fingers retreated, and Naruto gasped out, breathing heavily, tying to shift in a more comfortable position before–
Once again with no warning, Naruto felt Itachi shift behind him, hands grasping his sides, and then he was pressing against him again, and something was pushing in, bigger than the fingers had been and…
Pain–
It hurt. It hurt a lot –it felt like he was being slowly ripped apart, and his brain was screaming 'Wrong! It's wrong! Make it stop!' but Itachi continued pushing inside…
Tears were rolling down his cheeks, his entire body trembling hard with the strain to keep himself on all four, but he couldn't really prepare himself for that, and Itachi was still pushing inside, and stretching him, and he was big and it wouldn't fit and–
Lust flashed through crimson pools as the raven haired shinobi heard the strangled yell coming out of Naruto's lips, the moment he was completely seated inside him.
The feeling, the sensation, the pressure around him was almost enough to make Itachi lose control –almost.
He didn't allow Naruto time to accept him, and started a fast, harsh pace, thrusting hastily into the blond, gripping his hips when he felt Naruto try to scramble away from him.
After the first few thrusts, which only deepened his pain, Naruto felt his body finally start to accommodate the intrusion, and he slowly forced his muscles to relax. Not knowing what to think, he experimentally shifted around, grunting when Itachi slipped further inside him, and opening his eyes again, Naruto parted his legs some more.
The new position had Itachi brush against something inside Naruto that made him shiver. He had no time to concentrate on the feeling, though, because Itachi didn't stop, building up a tempo that continued to rub against that same spot over and over.
Naruto groaned, feeling the shivers increase as the small spot inside him was continuously brushed against. He didn't know what to think, it felt good, but also weird, and…
A moan left his lips and he flushed crimson, unable to control his own reactions as the brushing turned the weird feeling into something better, more pleasant…
"Ahhh… hhnnn…"
Itachi had been momentarily lost himself, moving slightly around to test the various different sparkles of pleasure he felt while thrusting into the blond teen, but his attention returned sharply on the Jinchuuriki when he felt Naruto move back against him, moaning louder in want.
Eyes narrowed in concentration, Itachi pulled back, eliciting a deep whine from the blond, then harshly slammed back inside, aligning his thrusts differently…
"Ah!"
The reaction was abrupt –Naruto arched his back and wailed loudly as overwhelming pleasure blinded him, sending him falling forwards on his elbows, shaking and gasping out, shameless moans leaving his lips.
It was more difficult to breathe now, pleasure clouding his senses, pooling into his belly, burning his lungs… he felt like his body was floating in warm water, filling him with pleasure.
His loud moans turned even louder when Itachi didn't change his angle, aiming at the same spot over and over.
It was hot and good and Naruto could barely keep himself together…
It was pure ecstasy, moving like they were dancing, sweat rolling down their joined frames. One of Itachi's hands sneaked downwards to grab Naruto's ignored length, pumping it hard in rhythm with his thrusts, and Naruto swayed, too lost in pleasure to care about keeping himself up.
It was coming, burning up through his body like a flame, curling around him and Naruto's breathing itched, unable to control it–
Without warning, Naruto felt the heat and the whiteness explode inside him, shivering and coming into Itachi's hand as he cried out his name, pleasure cursing through his veins like a sinful poison.
Feeling Naruto's inner muscles clenching around him was all it took for Itachi to come as well, eyes fluttering close for a moment as he relaxed into the overwhelming pleasure.
Slumping down onto the futon, with the world unfocused around him as he continued shivering in the aftermath of his orgasm, Naruto wailed and gasped, unable to believe the amount of pleasure he'd felt.
Then, as he looked up to meet with the blurred sight of Itachi's face hovering above him, his eyes rolled backwards and he collapsed, unconscious.
As Itachi's breathing slowly calmed down and the Uchiha elder slowly stood up, sweat on his skin and shivering minutely, his crimson eyes never left the sleeping form of the blond in front of him.
He stared down with unreadable expression for a long time then, hands shuffling his clothes back to their pristine condition of before, still silent.
Then, without a word, Itachi turned around and walked away.
He didn't acknowledge that for the first time since (forever) a long time, his shoulders were not tense anymore, and he felt good.
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
StarsOfYaoi: once again, please refrain from commenting on how hasty the sex scene was. There is a reason for it, it's not just me wanting them to get it on. Believe me?
And drop a review since you're there :D thank you!