Edited: 04/05/2011
StarsOfYaoi: this chapter has a small lime, so the same warnings from Chp12 apply here, but not to the same extent.
I love how attentive you are of this fic. Some of you caught on small details I left out for you to see, and asked me about them! I'm glad for that. There are many small things you have still to notice, though, so keep an eye out ;)
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
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 14: Benefits
Silence could be haunting.
It was not the deep, still silence filling the Akatsuki hideout, nor the kind of silence that surrounded Konoha ever since the news of Naruto's death reached the village, uneasy and grave.
No, this silence was even and complete, dark and imposing.
It was the kind of silence that wrapped itself around any living thing, eating it out from inside out, leaving nothing behind but wisps of mist.
There were many torches on the walls, so the darkness was less pressing, less present, but sometimes, if someone walking turned around just fast enough, they could see that the light was coming from somewhere else, too, and then they'd be filled with a deep, haunting sense of oppression…
The kind that can choke and suffocate, the kind that makes the silence deathly.
If the Akatsuki hideout appeared like an imposing mountain in the middle of nowhere, standing clearly against the sky, this place gave the impression of a snake's lair –and indeed, it was.
There were no corridors nor alleys in that place, but tunnels and holes that slithered and sneaked into the ground, spreading for miles, like a labyrinth –a trap that no one would be able to escape from.
In the middle of it all, the place from where every single tunnel and secret passage originated from, there was an enormous hall made of stone and something that couldn't be named; the ceiling curved high into a dome, but the torches in the lower parts hid away where the ceiling ended with the shadows cast by the flames.
It wasn't a beautiful place, nor was it scary, really –but it was oppressing.
It gave the feeling that something was always lurking in the shadows, ready to ambush and attack at the slightest chance –the shadows flickered in the corner of the eye, hearts racing wildly, breathing itching and trying to take a heavy, stale air into constricted lungs, eyes darting around, fixing on every dark spot, not noticing how the darkness coiled around the feet, advancing…
Right in front of the main chamber where all the tunnels turned into one, there was a smaller tunnel spreading to the left that ended in a big room with a set of steps carved in stone. The colour of the steps was darker than the walls, and it lead to a throne–like seat.
The throne itself was a stunning sight, with snakes carved into the seat, eyes glinting in the dark surrounding the throne like crimson gems.
A figure was sitting there, sprawled on the throne, the pale complexion of his face standing against the darkness, making the figure look like a ghost; a cascade of ebony hair around his face fell all over his shoulders, eyes close, his face set in an expression of contempt.
The figure, the man, was dressed with clean, white haori and large baggy hakama of a violet colour, leaning forwards with his chin resting on one hand, the other arm relaxing on his lap, fingers holding a sharp, clean kunai.
Sitting on the throne, as still as stone himself, the man didn't move as another figure walked into the room, kneeling as soon as he got a feet away from the throne, head bowed as low as it could possibly go.
For a long moment, neither of the two spoke, simply remaining in the same haunting, choking silence.
Then the figure sitting on the throne opened his eyes –cold, emotionless, unreadable eyes– and focused on the other man still kneeling in front of him.
"You're finally back, Kabuto," the man commented, his voice sneaking forwards like silk, pleasant but at the same time chilling.
"Yes, Orochimaru–sama," the younger of the two men replied. One hand moved to his face, pushing his eyeglasses back up with his middle finger.
There was a moment of deep, unpleasant silence, then Kabuto straightened a bit, daring to look up at his master.
"Like you ordered me, after I completed my mission I went to Konoha," Kabuto bit his lower lip. He had no idea how to reveal to his master what he had discovered while in the village.
Orochimaru waited, albeit impatiently, having recognized in his minion's face the traces of a well–masked shock.
"It seems… well, Naruto–kun was finally captured by Akatsuki. The Godaime Hokage sent a squad to rescue him, but they were apparently too late –Akatsuki completed the ritual and retrieved the demon from him, thus killing the host off".
At his words, Orochimaru's eyes turned sharply into slits.
Orochimaru had greatly despised the Jinchuuriki. He had dared to face him once, almost messing up with his plans, during the Chuunin exams, and Orochimaru did not easily forget those who wronged him.
The teen had been, although loud and apparently untalented, determined and against all odds, skilled. He'd grown strong in the short time Orochimaru had used to call Sasuke to him, and had almost managed to stop the younger Uchiha.
Orochimaru knew that he could not allow the organization he'd once been part of to get their hands on him, knowing what kind of danger they would pose once they extracted the demon…
That was why he had planned on killing the little Jinchuuriki with his own hands –or allow his little apprentice to do it himself– but it seemed he had been too late.
Akatsuki had gained another Bijuu, and that meant they would move to the remaining demon –the one contained into Sunagakure's Kazekage, the Ichibi no Shukaku.
"When did this happen?" Orochimaru grunted, urgency in his tone as his fingers played with the kunai he was holding.
"Two weeks ago, Orochimaru–sama," Kabuto quickly replied. "Godaime Hokage also wrote Naruto-kun's name on the Memorial Stone, but there was no body to bury".
Orochimaru frowned. "The body was not retrieved… why?"
Kabuto would have shrugged, but he knew better than to show such disrespect to his master. "Akatsuki took the body away," he replied evenly.
This was strange. Why would they keep the teen's body when the Bijuu had already been extracted? It didn't make sense. If Naruto was dead but they had not taken out the demon, that meant the Bijuu had died together with the Jinchuuriki.
There was no need to keep the body either way, and by his own experience with the organization, the extraction caused the instant death of the Jinchuuriki the moment the demon was out from the body of the vessel.
Why would they want to keep the body, unless…
"Is there any evidence of the Akatsuki moving for Shukaku?" he leaned forwards, eyes glinting strangely in the light coming from the torches.
Kabuto's eyes widened slightly at the sight and he forced his body to keep completely still, fighting the urge to step away from his master; the look in Orochimaru's eyes didn't promise anything good.
"No…" he finally replied, silently congratulating himself for managing to keep a steady voice. "They appear to be keeping a low profile for the moment…"
Orochimaru leaned back on his seat. So, that was it.
So he was right; two weeks were enough for the two members appointed with getting Ichibi's Jinchuuriki to rest enough and then move to Suna; since the stronger demon was supposedly extracted, the only remaining one was the one inside the Sand kid.
And yet… they had not moved in to take the demon yet.
It didn't make sense, unless… the extraction had been a failure. Maybe for the first time, the organization had been unable to get one of the demons from its container.
Orochimaru was a lot of things, but he was no fool; he knew that the person who had placed the seal on Naruto had been a genius. The Yondaime, no matter how much he despised the man, was more than just a genius.
He'd been capable of great things, and he had always been more than good with seals; Orochimaru was aware of just how many seals the yellow Flash of Konoha had created, but he would always be remembered for the last one he'd ever activated… the one on Naruto's stomach.
That seal had been modified and perfected by Minato for the sole purpose to keep the strongest of the nine beast at bay.
Minato had learned from the best, and had grown to surpass all his teachers. He knew what he had to do back then, and he'd done it splendidly.
That meant…
Either the Akatsuki had failed to retrieve the demon, and both Kyuubi and the Jinchuuriki were dead, or they had failed but both were still alive. Orochimaru knew that the life of one depended on the other, and, if they were to separate, neither would survive.
Normally the demons were sealed into babies because a kid's chakra pathways were new and growing, and they could assimilate a demon's chakra into their own without much hassle.
Very few times a demon had been sealed into an adult, and even fewer had been the men who had survived without the demon clawing its way out from the vessel's body.
But kids had a higher chance at survival. If the baby survived enough years, their chakra pathways adapted to containing the demon's chakra, and from there on, the only way to separate them was through the extraction or with the demon finally taking control.
Through the extraction the demon was converted into energy, its power converted into energy and absorbed together with the Bijuu already extracted. Then the vessel died.
Either way, it was usually the death of the Jinchuuriki… or both.
But Yondaime hadn't been called a genius for nothing; if the seal could even resist the extraction, then…
Then, Orochimaru was sure of it, the Akatsuki would never be able to take the Kyuubi away from Naruto. if the first time had failed, there would never be a second time. Yondaime had always been a fierce, protective bastard, it was obvious he would be twice as much deathly when someone threatened his own family…
The man's face turned thoughtful. Either way, Akatsuki was in deep shit. without one of their demons missing, they would never achieve their goal. No matter which demon it was, they were done for.
It was just amusing that the one who would mess with Akatsuki was the strongest of the Bijuu.
Orochimaru was definitely sure that the Kyuubi and the blond brat were both still alive, and Akatsuki was just trying to find a different way to extract the demon.
Unfortunately for them, they'd have to know the nature of the seal, they had to know the creator, like Orochimaru had.
Nonetheless, to the eyes of Konoha and the rest of the world, Naruto was dead. That could be an advantage in many ways…
A sinister smirk appeared on his lips.
"Why keep the news to ourselves then, Kabuto?" he said. His tone was low, silky and devious. It sent shivers down Kabuto's back, making him sweat. "I don't think it would be nice to keep Sasuke–kun in the dark about his fear friend's death… send him to me, then, will you?"
Kabuto frowned, almost as if about to say something, but he caught himself in time and simply nodded, bowing before vanishing from sight.
Orochimaru's smirk widened.
At least, he could use that information to crush any last hope his pupil had, if there was still one inside him…
…–…–…–…
Naruto was abruptly awaken by footsteps stomping his way, and when he opened his eyes, groaning, he found a figure standing right in front of him.
First he saw his feet, then looking up, the actual person.
It wasn't, as Naruto had first thought, Itachi –for that, the teen was actually grateful. He wasn't sure what he would do if he met with the older Uchiha so soon after what had happened between them…
The Akatsuki member in front of him was mildly tall and had straw–coloured hair, part of which held up into a high ponytail thing, while the rest of it fell on one of his eyes and all over his shoulders.
Naruto thought that the guy looked vaguely feminine, but not overly so –it was just a feeling, but he did not mention it.
The only visible eye of the man was open and staring down at him with what Naruto easily recognised as amusement.
The fact that this guy was staring down at him like that somehow made him angry, so he had to restrain himself from standing up to insult the man; it surely wouldn't be the right thing to do –he wasn't in the position to argue his misfortunes with one of his captors.
As expected, the man wore an Akatsuki outfit, and he was holding a bucket of what looked like water in one hand, while he was holding a few cans of food in his other arm –the food was the emergency rations that shinobi were bound to take with them during long–term missions.
Naruto blinked at the sight; he remembered the smell of this guy from somewhere, but he could not place where he'd met him before, if he even had.
Still, the smell was weird, and it made his nose itch –the guy smelled of burning powder.
"So you're awake, un?" the guy spoke up, his tone amused. "I brought you water, un, since I thought you would want to wash up!"
Naruto grimaced lightly at the inflection the man was using, but he was far too glad for the food and the water to complain too much about strange quirks.
Besides, he had his own, so he shouldn't be one to point his finger first…
Taking the bucket of water from the man, Naruto found himself ashamed when the weight of the water was almost enough to make him stumble; his body ached less, but his muscles were still weak, and he didn't like showing weakness to others.
Especially not to enemies.
Well, he had food now, even if it was emergency rations. He would eat and move around and train a bit, and gain back his physical strength in no time at all. Then, he would try to find a way out from the hideout.
Easy. Simple.
Staring up at the guy, who didn't look like he was going to move any time soon, he decided to wash himself later (he had enough self consciousness to feel uneasy about removing his clothes in front of another person), and to eat first, mostly because he was starving.
He didn't know how much time had passed since Akatsuki had caught him and had found themselves unable to take Kyuubi from him, but surely more than a week had gone by, and they had barely given him anything to drink, let alone water to wash himself with.
At least they were offering him something better. There was clean water. He hoped.
"Who are you, anyway?" he asked.
Naruto was one who disliked the silence. Really. And although it felt strange to try and start a conversation with one of his enemies (no matter how 'friendly' he looked), Naruto had already broken all rules by having sex with Itachi, so there wasn't much left for Naruto to fear.
Besides, he was bored, and this guy's presence was almost unnerving.
To be truthful, he preferred to talk with an enemy than to be left mulling in silence with said enemy staring down at him as if he was some weird piece of art.
"The name's Deidara, un! I had a feeling Itachi–san wasn't feeding you well anyway, just so you know," the blond shinobi nodded at his own words, and looked down at him as Naruto began eating the emergency food in the can, his stomach growling now that he was finally being fed.
The blond glanced up at him. So he was called Deidara. The straw haired shinobi moved his head to the left, allowing Naruto to recognize the symbol on his hitai–ate. It seemed like this 'Deidara' guy was from the Tsuchi no Kuni.
Something to remember, just like when Naruto had tried to carve into his mind the weird people poking and prodding at his seal.
This guy looked… far too cheerful to be a bad guy. Looking at Kisame, Itachi and the Leader of the organization, Naruto would have expected others like them.
There again, Haku had seemed harmless before he had tried to nail him down with senbon, so really there was no reason for him to judge a book by its cover.
Deidara's visible eye never looked away as the younger blond continued eating; the older shinobi noticed right away that this teen was calm and focused, unlike the time he'd been forced to drag his sorry ass to Leader, a few days before.
That time this Naruto kid had been feral, like a caged animal.
For the kind of situation he was in, the kid surely looked calm… Deidara had expected him to be loud and screaming… instead, he was almost pleasant.
The straw haired shinobi wondered if this guy was normal at all.
Unfortunately, pleasant as it was, the kid was making him bored. He'd hoped the kid would provide some entertainment since he'd been stuck in the hideout because of him, but no –the Naruto kid was too calm for Deidara's liking.
Damn kids.
Naruto finished eating, and was then presented with another can. He took it, wondering if he'd have to save it for later or if he could eat it and hope for more; he decided the food wasn't worth saving, so he quickly started gobbling it down.
He needed to get his strength back, so no time like the present.
Naruto handed over the second empty can, but the moment Deidara's hand stretched out to grab it, the skin on his palm was cut and Naruto jerked back, almost horrified to see a mouth –with teeth inside– open up on there.
Then, a tongue rolled out from it, and Naruto felt almost sick.
Still, despite the strangeness of the sight, Naruto couldn't help but think the mouth was actually rather cool, though his face only expressed the disgust.
Deidara, who had expected some sort of reaction and was actually amused at it –he got his entertainment wherever he could, really… the hideout was boring– laughed at the astonished, disturbed face of the teen.
"Your village friends had the same expression when I met with them, un," he commented, tilting his head to the side with a smirk.
Naruto's attention snapped into focus, and he glared at the older shinobi as he heard his words.
"You saw them?" he inquired, feeling his stomach tighten up.
"Un!" Deidara bobbed his head up and down. He liked seeing the different reactions people had to his mouths (one day he hoped to show the one on his chest to someone, too), and it wasn't like it was a secret to be kept. Besides, the kid was not going anywhere anytime soon. "Of course, then they noticed your 'lifeless' body and that got their attention the most, un…"
Naruto froze.
So the Leader had been honest about it. Konoha had thought he was dead because Akatsuki had shown them his body. But even then, he was sure that a group of rescuers from Konoha would notice the difference between an unconscious body and a corpse.
Naruto hadn't died –he was sure of that, thank you very much– so what kind of trick could Akatsuki have used to make his fellow shinobi believe he was dead?
With his chakra hidden away by the wards, maybe the rescue team had thought he was dead, but they'd have needed someone able to see chakra pathways with them, which wasn't an everyday occurrence.
His brain started to hurt, so he stopped thinking about it.
"Itachi pulled it off greatly, the bastard," Deidara continued, unmindful of Naruto's inner monologue. "Handling you like a puppet of Sasori–danna…"
Naruto froze and blinked. Itachi had been there too, then. He'd been the one to lie to the Konoha team, making them think Naruto had died…
The thought somewhat hurt more –and Naruto had no idea why. It was upsetting.
"Who was there?" he asked again, closing his eyes.
"How should I know, I don't care about Konoha's freaks, un!" Deidara laughed.
Hearing that, Naruto glared up at the young man, eyes turning into slits, emitting a strong angered aura despite not having chakra to back it up with.
It was one thing to put him down, as everyone in Konoha had always done, but he would never allow anyone to speak badly about his friends. Especially if the one talking was a guy with mouths in his hands.
"They are not freaks," he hissed.
Gone was the Naruto who would have easily started a tantrum. Yelling and waving his arms around was rather pointless in this situation, and Naruto had learned a lot during his three years with Jiraiya anyway.
He was not a child anymore.
Thinking about the way he had acted… he'd been a fool, and now he couldn't but cringe at the memory. How could he have others take him seriously if he acted like a young idiot?
No, things had to change. He was still the same Naruto, with the same determination to succeed and the same nindo to follow, but… now he wanted to back it up by showing his strength.
Besides, after everything that had happened with Akatsuki, thrashing around and screaming like a loon was the last thing he wanted to do; he had their full attention already, thank you very much, and he didn't want more from them.
Not to mention that Akatsuki wanted him solely for his demon. If Naruto continued using the Bijuu's chakra, nobody would ever see that he was strong on his own. Even Jiraiya had planned a training strategy solely based on the fox's chakra and how to use it at his own advantage.
That had caused a small problem, of course, but Jiraiya knew better now –he knew that Kyuubi was dangerous, and provoking him into using it was a bad thing.
Naruto, for once, wanted to be recognised not because of the stupid fox, but for his own greatness. He would shove it into everybody's ass, starting with Akatsuki and moving up to every single person in Konoha.
Uzumaki Naruto was not one to play around with.
Of course, prove that to others wasn't enough. He had to prove it to himself. He was a good shinobi despite Kyuubi. He was. He just had to find the right chance to show it.
After all, Naruto had come to realise that in terms of added power, Kyuubi was like a dangerous, enticing bloodline limit. It could be used only by him, there were pros and cons of using it, and it was not something that belonged solely to him.
The Sharingan was an acquired power, and Sasuke had used it to steal techniques without learning them first –like during the Chuunin exams with Lee. And yet, it was a strain for the body, and after deactivating it, the body was left drained of energy.
The Byakugan gave a great insight of people's chakra pathways, and helped dismiss Genjutsu, but it had a blank point and it didn't work if one masked their chakra pathways, or in Naruto's case, if he had two sets of chakra to use.
There were, of course, other drawbacks, but Naruto never had much interest for stupid bloodlines anyway.
Kyuubi was just like the Sharingan or the Byakugan. Helpful, but it didn't allow Naruto's own strength to mature.
Kyuubi's power was part of himself, but it wasn't everything he had. Being hot–headed and impulsive had been a bad idea in the past, and now that Naruto was aware of that, he could try and focus on what was important instead.
He had to think and analyze the situation and remember.
Naruto looked up stubbornly at the straw haired shinobi, who was clearly not affected by his glare; that was proof enough –he was still weak. He needed to take his role seriously and show his enemies and allies alike that he was serious about it.
If he truly wanted to help and protect his precious people, he could not run away from things; real ninja were not nice and forgiving. If you showed mercy, you'd be taken advantage of.
And yet, his way of ninja was different –he would find a way to be respected without being heartless, so that people like Zabuza and Haku could be saved.
Gaara was still alive, Neji too, and so was Sasuke. And… and also Itachi…
To be able to change things, Naruto had to come to compromises, too. One step after the other, he would manage it.
So, instead of giving up and accepting the fact that this man would never respect him, Naruto simply glared at him even more; one day, this guy, Deidara, would respect him. This wasn't the end, this was simply a start.
'You will see,' he promised to himself, lips twitching downwards. 'Just wait, one day you will fear me'.
"Funny little kid," Deidara waved one hand in the air, dismissing Naruto with that gesture. "Denying the truth".
Naruto felt a ball of rage take roots in his stomach. He knew Deidara was just baiting him, but one thing was to poke him around, and another to mess with his friends. "You bastard," he started, seething. "You have no rights to badmouth my friends!"
He didn't need all of this –all his attempts at staying calm were being rendered useless by this stupid damn guy…
He wanted nothing more than punch the living daylights out of–
"Deidara".
Both shinobi turned towards the voice, noticing with surprise that Itachi was standing on the entrance of the room, expression unreadable and voice low and cold; his eyes were darkened charcoal pits as he glared at his companion, and for the first time, Naruto caught a glance of his eyes without the Sharingan.
It seemed to surprise Deidara, too, because the man hurried to move away from Naruto, eyes narrowed in something akin to disgust.
Naruto was too busy concentrating on the sight of the Sharingan–less eyes to care about what the straw haired missing–nin did, though; the sight was surprising, though Naruto had known at a certain level that Itachi's eyes were not the bloodline limit.
Those dark, pitch black eyes looked wrong on him. his hair, clothes, even his mood were dark enough as it was –with the eyes, there was too much black there.
Naruto felt a shudder run through his body.
Then again, he didn't look bad either…
'What the fuck?' he groaned, mentally slapping himself for his thoughts. This wasn't what he was supposed to think at all.
Deidara, not willing to admit that Itachi scared him –probably even more now that he was not sporting the Sharingan, a clear show of how he did not think of him as a threat– licked his lips and put on his best innocent smirk.
With a wave at the Uchiha, he stepped forwards, lifting one eyebrow almost flirtatiously before invading Itachi's personal space. "You were not feeling him properly, hmmm, Itachi–kun? Not to mention… cleaning, un," the expression on Itachi's face did not change. "Hey, are you listening to me?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed down, flashing with a dangerous glint that made Deidara swallow and back away, anger gone.
Without realising it, the bomber took a step back.
"Go away," Itachi stated simply, his voice cool and composed.
Deidara muttered something under his breath before waving dramatically and walking –stomping– away. As his footsteps disappeared in the distance, the silence stretched on them again, and Naruto mused that if not for his strange quirks, he would have enjoyed talking with that weird guy.
Even though he'd dared to mock Naruto's friends, he'd been a change in Naruto's monotonous life up until now, and he hated the silence.
"Clean yourself," Naruto almost jumped out of his skin, hearing the voice speak up.
Glancing over at the older shinobi, he found him leaning against the wall, dark and mysterious as usual. Once again, Naruto found his thoughts completely centred on the older Uchiha. He blamed it on the fact that there was nobody else to think about around him.
To try and focus on something else, he discarded his jacket and his shirt, and ignoring his embarrassment at undressing in front of Itachi –even though the other shinobi had seen him naked already– Naruto proceeded to clean himself up.
Unfortunately, his thoughts returned unwillingly on the Uchiha anyway.
He'd been into their compound, even if that day seemed so long ago now, and it felt more like a hazy dream than a clear memory, and he wondered, not for the first time, what could have sent Itachi over the edge.
He had exterminated his whole clan, after all… not just the shinobi, but… all the Uchiha living there.
Even the kids, even the civilians.
It had been a massacre, done without control, but as he shuddered thinking about it, Naruto glanced at Itachi with the corner of his eye and found it hard to adjust this Itachi with the one who had killed everybody.
Not that he wouldn't be able to –the guy was strong. Massively strong. It wouldn't be much of a stretch.
And yet… it still didn't add up.
Itachi was always collected and impenetrable, so what could have caused him to decide to end his life as a Konohagakure ninja and become an S–rank missing–nin?
Hatred. He was still convinced that hatred had something to do with it, but Naruto felt almost like he would step over some sort of boundary if he tried to get close to understanding. He was afraid of… of what, exactly?
It wasn't just curiosity, or need to understand Itachi in order to help Sasuke anymore. Nor because he cared.
But he wanted to know. It was like a flame eating him from the inside. Uchiha Itachi, in the end, interested him just as much as he scared him.
Naruto had never seen such power and control in a person. No one was as strong as Itachi was. The thought that he would be able to kill even someone like Tsunade or Jiraiya scared Naruto… but at the same time, it allured him closer.
He wanted to know.
The blond cringed as cold water fell over the scratches on his hands, making them itch, but he could see they were fading quickly already. Trying to focus on his cleaning, he splashed some water on his face as well, delighted with the feeling of it dripping down his neck.
It felt good.
Holding on his breath (though not too deeply, as his lungs were still sore and would surely protest), he plunged head on inside the bucket, coming out spluttering and gasping but feeling definitely better.
The chill from the water was helping him think more clearly, and the dirt was being washed away from his body, and that was all that mattered.
He then moved to scrub at his arms and chest, wishing he had some soap or at least a sponge, but knowing that as a prisoner, this was all he would get; he was in a huge… place… somewhere.
He mildly decided he would try and find out where he was as his first course of action.
The teen's eyes lingered on the wards around his wrists, but he decided to ignore them for the present moment, seeing he could do nothing about them anyway.
He had completely forgotten about Itachi by now, as he kicked his pants away and washed his legs as well (with a huge sense of relief); there was a pile of old fabrics abandoned in a corner, so he limped to them to dry himself off.
The fabrics were rough and dusty, so he dragged out one at the bottom, relatively cleaner than the rest, and used it to wipe himself.
It was surely some sort of storage room, though anything even remotely dangerous had been taken away ages before, much to his disappointment.
He couldn't do any better, but as a ninja he knew at times it was best to be grateful for what he had instead of whining for what he hadn't.
He knew it could have been worse.
Stretching, he heard some of his bones snap, and turned towards his clothes with the intent of putting them on again…
… only to find himself face–to–face with Itachi, who was so close he could feel the older man's breath ghosting on his face.
He'd moved so fast and so silently that he hadn't been able to hear him–
Naruto yelped and backed away, only to bump against the wall with a loud thud. Berating himself, he cursed under his breath; he had completely forgotten about the Uchiha being there, and he was still almost completely naked, and…
Naruto paled.
He wouldn't.
He wouldn't want to do… that again, would he?
Itachi simply stared at him, his eyes shifting from his naked chest down to the invisible seal on his stomach, covered with another sort of invisible ward, then looked back up again, dark charcoal eyes meeting with wide blue ones.
Naruto knew instantly what to make of the strange flicker that passed through Itachi's eyes, but knowing that it was lust didn't really make things any simpler.
He still didn't understand. What did Itachi see in him? Was it the power of Kyuubi that he possessed that made the older shinobi want to own him?
The thought was almost disappointing, but he chased it away.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Itachi shifted closer, invading Naruto's personal space and making his thoughts scatter like scared birds. The closeness was making him uncomfortable, the lust in Itachi's eyes even more so, and his body, despite his confusion, seemed to have no qualms in reacting to the heat.
"N–no!" he gasped, gripping the edge of the wall with both hands as he panicked, trying to find a way out from the current situation…
But he could not look away from Itachi's eyes. He was trapped, he knew it, but a good portion of his mind didn't really care about it.
Itachi didn't seem to care either, as he stepped forwards, close but not touching him, hands coming to rest at the sides of Naruto's head.
He felt hot and bothered and all of sudden, his entire body was tingling with desire mixed with fear and anger.
"No… no," he repeated, close to panicking. "I… I don't want it!"
Unfortunately it was a lie, and he knew he hadn't sounded as convincing as he'd hoped.
It was wrong, he knew it. The first time had happened so suddenly that they had no time to think. There had been only lust and desire and…
But this time, Itachi was taking his time approaching him, taunting him, and Naruto knew that if he just fought it, then it wouldn't happen. Of course, it was hard to fight when he knew he wanted it to happen just as much…
And he was sure Itachi was aware of that too, because he did not move away.
"You're the enemy," he whispered, trying to ignore the heat of Itachi's body so close to his own, the need he felt to have him even closer… he shook his head. "This shouldn't be happening. It's wrong".
Itachi simply leaned forwards, lips hovering over Naruto's ones, then moving to the side, breathing on his left ear, making him tremble and stifle a gasp.
Teasing him, coaxing him into agreeing…
"There is no such thing as right or wrong, Naruto–kun," his voice was astonishingly void of emotion, yet it still elicited something within the blond teen.
Naruto's eyes fluttered close against his will, cheeks crimson even though, technically, Itachi wasn't even touching him.
He still shook his head, denying himself the inevitable.
"You are not betraying your village," Itachi continued. "There is nothing wrong with this…"
Oh, Naruto knew that Itachi was lying. He knew the guilt would be there, because it wasn't right, what they had done and what they would do… it was wrong.
Still, a part of him had hoped for Itachi to say those exact words to him.
Telling him that he wasn't betraying everything he'd ever believed in simply out of carnal desire. Telling him that he wasn't doing something horrible, wrong and selfish.
This was what he wanted to believe…
'Fuck…'
For once, just for once, he wanted to forget. He didn't want to think about what was reasonable and what was right, and simply… enjoy something for what it was.
But in the end, was this just something that involved Naruto and Itachi as themselves, people, or did it involve them as shinobi, one belonging to a village, the other to a criminal organization?
'I… I don't care… I…'
Because Itachi was so close, and Naruto wanted it, and he had to accept it by himself. Accept this on his own, and accept its consequences.
Was it worth it? Was it worth the guilt, the regret, was it…?
Naruto's shoulders dropped instantly, muscles relaxing. Maybe it wasn't worth the guilt, but he knew that he was not going to regret it either.
There must have been some change in his eyes, because Itachi felt the change instantly, and not even a second later, he was kissing him, lips descending onto his own, tongue slipping past his unresisting lips to taste him again.
Naruto moaned into the kiss, fingers curling on Itachi's shirt right over his chest. Hesitantly, he tried to kiss back, fighting Itachi's tongue with his own; the retaliation was instantaneous –Itachi growled lowly and the intensity of the kiss doubled, making Naruto moan and submit.
Again and again Itachi kissed him, barely allowing him to breathe between a kiss and another.
It was hot and pleasant, and Naruto found himself wanting more –even as they kissed, it was still not enough, he needed more…
Itachi moved to kiss his neck, harshly biting into it only to lick at the abused spot moments later, and Naruto frowned, not bothering to restrain himself from moaning.
Again, he was almost naked while Itachi had all of his clothes on, and it bothered him. Itachi was handsome, and he would have wanted to see more of what was underneath his clothes… he'd not seen anything the night before, either…
"Ahhnn…" Naruto shivered, biting his lips hard when Itachi started licking a spot right underneath his ear that was particularly sensitive.
God, it felt so good…
Still, trying to keep focused, Naruto lowered his hands, fingering the hem of Itachi's shirt and slipping underneath, barely brushing his fingers against the naked skin underneath–
In the blink of an eye, Naruto found his arms pinned above his head, Itachi's eyes glaring into his own, full with…
Itachi had reacted so abruptly, taking control again, but there was something in his eyes that told Naruto this had nothing to do with his desire to control.
'What… he… he doesn't like to be touched…?'
There was no time to ponder over this realisation, because Itachi was pulling down his boxers, and Naruto gasped, feeling far too naked –in more than one sense– and exposed to the heated glare of the older shinobi.
Then, Itachi pulled something from the folds of his mantle, and Naruto had only an instant to see a small container being popped open, filling the air with a soft scent, then Itachi was coating his fingers with a slippery substance, and…
"Agh!"
Two fingers penetrated him without hesitation. There was no time to adjust or understand what was happening, Itachi was pushing inside with both fingers, stretching and moving with purpose, as if knowing exactly where to go and–
Naruto opened his mouth wide, gasping and choking on the feeling, then…
Sparkles of pleasure started building in him, aided by the lust he felt and the heat that Itachi's body provided, pressed against him, as Itachi rubbed and stretched and prodded, as if he'd known the right spot…
H–how…
Not allowing Naruto a second to come to terms with the pleasure, Itachi continued with methodical moved, rubbing and touching and digging deeper and deeper…
"Ah… aaah… y–yes…"
The fingers stopped rubbing, retreating before pushing inside again, and all thoughts about power, control or whatever were shattered at the pleasure cursing through his body.
So damn good –every single twist and push inside was perfectly spot on, and Naruto slumped against him, trapped between the wall and Itachi's body, unable to do anything but hold onto the other's body, crying out without shame.
"Ah… ah…" in rhythm with the vicious thrusts, Naruto found himself gasping and pushing down to meet Itachi's fingers, nails digging into the folds of the black cloak, legs wound tightly around Itachi's waist.
It was coming –fast and blinding and so good, and Naruto could do nothing to stop it, the white burning pleasure concentrating in his stomach and growing…
"Ah… y–yes… I–Itachi…" 'more, more… more…'
Naruto cried loudly as he came, riding the pleasure with his head thrown back against the cold stones of the wall, frame trembling as he allowed Itachi to hold on his weight.
Slowly, gasping and panting and shivering wildly, Naruto felt the pleasure recede enough for him to gather his bearings again, and he became suddenly aware that Itachi had been staring intently at him during the whole thing.
His cheeks turning crimson, Naruto shifted away, but Itachi's fingers were still lodged deeply inside him, and every breath made them brush against his inner walls, making him moan.
He'd been looking at him so intently…
Itachi slowly pulled his fingers out with a soft wet sound, and Naruto groaned, half aroused and half ashamed, only to gasp in utter shock as Itachi brought them up to his mouth and started cleaning them with his tongue.
The way that tongue moved around his fingers, sensuously… Naruto felt himself close to fainting at the erotic display, so much that when Itachi dipped his hand again into the small container, Naruto didn't do as much as blink.
Slowly, those fingers returned inside him, finishing their job to stretch him.
Naruto carefully leaned forwards, his forehead resting on Itachi's chest, and allowed his muscles to relax, holding onto Itachi's shoulders when the older shinobi lowered his own pants, preparing to penetrate him.
When he did, shifting inside as if he was born to be there, Naruto could only close his eyes and moan, because God, yes. He wanted it all, and he definitely was looking forwards to what was coming.
Literally.
…–…–…–…
Two figures were crouched in front of a third one, whose face was disfigured by an angered grimace.
Black hair fell over his white, blank eyes, now mere slits due to his rage, killer intent pouring from his body in such an amount that the two Akatsuki members bowing to him were trembling without being able to stop.
They both knew that it would take nothing for the leader to snap, and if it happened, the chance of survival was next to none.
The reason for Leader's anger was, in truth, simple enough.
They had tried everything they could in order to break the seal, but nothing had worked. It didn't fade, it didn't falter, it didn't disappear.
Which posed a big problem, since without a demon, their entire quest had been for naught; without the strongest youkai absorbed within the Beast, they were stumped.
During the last two years, the Akatsuki had managed to capture almost all Bijuu, included two of the wild ones that had not been sealed inside a human, and now they only needed two –Kyuubi and the Ichibi no Shukaku, residing within Sunagakure's Kazekage.
Even the Hachibi had proved to be no match for Akatsuki, despite his extreme strength and how his host had valiantly fought … in the end, he had been captured and the demon had been extracted.
That didn't mean they would be fine without the Kyuubi –it was not only the strongest of the demons, but also the one whose power attuned to the Beast. Without its presence, there would be no merging, and were they to try, they would probably die during the backlash.
Or in the best case, the demons contained within the Beast would be released, either to disappear or revert to their Bijuu forms.
The leader of the Akatsuki tried to calm himself down. He hadn't devoted so much of his time on this quest only to watch as it crashed when he was so close to completing it. He simply needed to find another way to take control of the Kyuubi, as simple as that.
He was a patient man, he would surely be able to wait some more.
Kakuzu, feeling the waves of homicidal intent grow thicker, for a moment feared for his life. He was old, and had seen much in his life, but the pressure this man could create was nothing like he'd ever experienced before.
It turned his mind into a confused mess, and the same could be said for his partner, who was by far the most impulsive and harsh of all people he'd ever met.
Which proved to be his downfall, because the moment the silver haired shinobi opened his mouth to talk, Kakuzu knew instantly he would say something wrong.
After all, Hidan, self–proclaimed priest of Jashin, was not known to be a level–headed, contemplative person. Quite the contrary. And he also didn't like to bow for beings that were not his adored Kami–sama Jashin, either…
"Kyoohei–sama, what if…"
He had no time to say anything more, because he was suddenly flung across the room, slamming hard against the opposite wall, crashing through it and spitting up blood as he slumped down on the cold floor.
Kakuzu cringed.
Hidan had made a mistake.
A split second later, Hidan found himself staring deeply into white, sightless eyes which seemed to reach far within him like two blank voids. For a moment, Hidan wondered if that was how Jashin looked –then, a hand curled around his throat, constricting his pipe enough that his lungs started protesting, needing the air back.
He gasped, and felt the fingers tighten again.
"There is a price to pay for whoever speaks that name aloud," Leader's voice was low as he hissed venomously, tone betraying his fury. "Or what comes after that… it belongs to someone else, not me".
Hidan wasn't a normal person. Actually, the fact that he believed in Jashin and devoted most of his time to kill people in his name should have been enough of a telltale sign that he was not normal.
But the real surprise was one that many enemies had felt during their fights against him, when they had regrettably discovered that he would not die.
In fact, in the underground black market and as a side note in many Bingo Books, Hidan was casually referred as the Cockroach Priest.
That was also the cause of much of his arrogance and pompous attitude… but of course, in presence of a person who could very well use his own immortality to inflict him an amount of pain that would make him beg for death, Hidan was quick to backtrack and beg for his life… or death… or something.
"I'm… sorry…" he gasped, eyes wide, showing his fear. "Leader–sama… please forgive my impudence…"
The hand tightened its grip for a second more, then finally released him; Hidan fell on the floor again, coughing hard. The Leader stared down at him with an unreadable expression, knowing that there was no point in punishing him any more.
"That was your last warning," he hissed.
Hidan was quick to nod, returning to his position next to Kakuzu, who almost felt bad for him. Almost.
Still Hidan had been saying something, hadn't he? "What were you saying?" the Leader inquired, returning to his previous spot as well.
Hidan found himself unable to swallow, so he continued with a raw tone. "The seal prevents the demon from coming out. What if it's the boy the one digging into the reserves of chakra of the demon? If the boy loses control, he will allow his chakra to blend with that of Kyuubi, and…" he licked his lips, feeling the bones of his neck snapping into their right places again, "the demon will take control".
Kakuzu instantly got what his partner was trying to say. "We could try to invert the seal, then," he murmured. "With the Kyuubi partly in control of the host body, we could have virtually no problem in making a soul–extracting jutsu".
White eyes narrowed. "Would that work?"
"It might prove to be worth a chance, Leader–sama," Kakuzu stated.
Hidden away within the darkness of the room, where his presence couldn't be noticed by either of the two crouching shinobi, a fourth person was quietly listening to what the others were saying.
His face was hidden away within a weirdly–shaped mask, with only one single opening for an eye –a dark, haunting eye– but the compressed aura was heavy and dark –not unlike that of death.
'The last chance, is it,' he thought, eye narrowed in contemplation. 'That man has been tampering with my work for far too long, despite having died thirteen years ago…'
Unseen by Kakuzu and Hidan, the man stretched and nodded to himself. He was by far better than Leader at controlling his emotions, even though his mask helped hiding them from others.
As he passed close to where the duo was still crouching, invisible to their senses and unnoticed, his eyes flickered to the Leader's face.
Leader was smirking, more like a grimace that lifted his lips upwards. It looked cold, evil and absolutely morbid. It shadowed his face completely, a deep contrast with the blinding whiteness of his eyes.
The man with the orange mask found himself smirking to mimic Leader's expression.
'It is time to make sure everything falls into its right place…'
…–…–…–…
It was still dark, but this time, the darkness was even more oppressing.
The silence was deafening, and it threatened to swallow the soft hissing voice as it spoke, barely audible, laced with malice and satisfaction that the owner had not bothered to hide.
There were various words the man could use, and he used all of them to the best of his abilities; harsh, pleasant, almost as if commenting on the weather instead of a supposed death.
Every aspect was stretched and every supposition was enriched with details, in order to make it more hurtful, in order to make it cutting like a double edged knife.
With every word he spoke, the person standing in front of him felt a small piece of his blackened soul crumble and shatter.
The moment the man finished speaking, black eyes bled into crimson swirling pools of blood, chakra unrestrained and lashing out in anger, fear, betrayal and pain.
In a corner of the room, a pair of glasses glinted with a stray flicker of light coming from one of the torches; slowly, a hand rose into the air and a middle finger gently pushed the glasses back up, at the same time conveniently covering an amused smirk.
The news had been reported.
There was only silence afterwards, only broken by the loud, metallic sound of a kunai clanging on the stony floor. Sasuke did not know what to say.
Without warning, the youngest of the Uchiha disappeared from the room, the sound of his footsteps vanishing in the distance, echo of the hollow darkness that was eating away his heart at the news that his best friend, the only person who had cared, was now gone forever.
The two remaining shapes stared at one another, and both smirked.
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
StarsOfYaoi: so that was another chapter. Did you like it? Does it deserve a review? :D
Note –Itachi is bound to get OOC. Not overly so, but you might understand that with this sort of plot, it's needed for him to start changing slightly. Itachi and sex don't really get along well together (even though Itachi is sexy, I don't see him fucking random people), and similarly, Itachi and love are even harder to see in the same sentence. Considering this fic was written before the latest news about Itachi, though, maybe it's not that OOC.
Haori – Japanese–styled shirt.
Hakama – Japanese–styled pants.