TTP,TTK

CHAPTER 13

…

-Flashback -

(Takes place between Chapter Five and Six. Naruto had visited the KAGE Headquarters and the flashback begins after his meeting with Tsunade.)

With silent rage and flawless movements, Naruto reloaded his gun. Light reflected off the metallic handheld as the blond-haired person aimed and fired. The bullet flew through the air and cut dead-center into a piece of paper more than a hundred feet away.

Naruto lowered his gun, setting it onto the small waist-high table before him; he then reached up and pushed a button. The room suddenly echoed, gears that were strapped to rope rotated and Naruto patiently waited as the piece of paper, that he was shooting at, was being brought to him. The gears stopped, the room returning to silence, as Naruto reached out his hand and plucked the piece of paper off the line.

Naruto stared seemingly impassively at the paper. On it was a picture of Orochimaru. Eight bullet holes littered and destroyed the pale-face. Usually the exercise of shooting the image of Orochimaru would calm Naruto. It would help him release some anger. But this time,… Naruto felt nothing. He crumbled the paper in his hand, constructing it into a tight sphere, and tossed it over his shoulder and straight into the trashcan.

For a moment- Naruto stood there motionless. His blue eyes staring at nothing particular while his arms hung numbly at his sides. He didn't even hear the footsteps that approached him, didn't sense the others' presence until a hand descended upon his head ruffling his blond locks.

Even though it was unexpected, Naruto didn't jump up in surprise, he simply accepted the action. He slightly turned his head and came face to face with Itachi.

"Itachi," Naruto said, his voice soft but it still seemed to resound off the walls of the underground shooting range.

"Kyuubi," Itachi replied as he let his hand fall from Naruto's bright locks in order to flick him on the top of his nose. "I thought you learned to wear your goggles and earplugs while in the shooting range."

Naruto scrunched his nose and unconsciously pouted. "I hate those goggles."

Itachi only smirked and he pointedly looked over Naruto's shoulder and onto the small table that had a stack of images of Orochimaru upon it. "Doing the usual?" Itachi asked.

The blond shrugged. "It's not helping," he said. Naruto then narrowed his blue-eyes and his voice became hard. "Why didn't you tell me it was Orochimaru?"

"Tsunade told you."

"Damn it, Itachi! I asked why you didn't tell me!" Naruto drew in a large breath. He was mad. In the beginning Itachi didn't tell him shit about his mission. He didn't tell him why he had to be Sasuke's bodyguard. And now, now he finds out it was about Orochimaru. Even though Naruto had a feeling it was about the snake he would have liked it to be made known earlier. Itachi had kept him in the dark and he wanted to know why.

Before Naruto could continue to voice his displeasure, Itachi interrupted. "I wanted you to meet Sasuke with a clear head." The way the words fell from Itachi's mouth confused Naruto. The anger that Naruto was feeling was turning into curiosity.

"What do you mean?" The blond asked, the curiosity evident in his voice.

Itachi, who was taller than Naruto despite the blonds' impressive height, stepped up beside him. He reached out and grabbed one of the papers, which had the image of Orochimaru on it, and hooked it onto the line. The button was pressed and the gears turned as the article moved away from them. "If I had told you about Orochimaru before you met Sasuke,… you wouldn't have gotten to know him. You probably wouldn't have introduced yourself." Itachi gave Naruto a sideways glance as he seized the gun off the table and loaded a fresh clip. He smirked. "You are surprisingly professional when it comes to cases concerning Orochimaru." Itachi then aimed the gun. Firing a bullet at the piece of paper that was more than two hundred feet away.

Without having to call the paper back Naruto could tell that there was a bullet hole directly between Orochimaru's eyes. Itachi set the gun back down onto the table and turned to fully face Naruto.

Their eyes locked, "Have you got to know him?" Itachi asked.

Naruto knew it was an innocent enough question but he couldn't keep a blush from creeping onto his face. Earlier that day Naruto had almost kissed Sasuke. It was after the soccer game and Sasuke had been shirtless, rinsing himself off with a water spray. Did Itachi know that? Was he testing him? Maybe teasing him in his own weird way? No, Itachi shouldn't know. If he did- Naruto had no doubt that Itachi would kill him. Well,… not kill him, maybe just shoot him. And since the gun was back on the table and not pointed at him- Naruto was sure he was in the clear….Maybe. "Yeah," Naruto finally replied.

Itachi raised an eyebrow in a way to convey that he wanted a more elaborate answer.

"I mean," Naruto couldn't help but fidget under his superiors' gaze. It was times like this that made Naruto appear younger and much more chaste then how he really was. Naruto was tall, broad shouldered, with a dominating but charismatic atmosphere and posture. He was an agent who would put a bullet in someone's head without question, a Solider. But right now, and when times were simple and carefree, he was a teenager at heart. Brash, shy, and above all- unpredictable. "He's cool, you know,…" The blond paused wanting to be careful with his words. Itachi was clearly asking about his opinion on Sasuke. It was very important to him. "He's a lot like you. But then he's not…There's something different about him…Something that is so…" Naruto didn't realize he was smiling and Itachi chose that moment to interrupt.

"I knew you would like him." The raven said simply but meaningfully.

"Huh?"

Itachi just flicked Naruto on the nose once more, a small smile curving his lips as he did so. "I've been watching Sasuke his whole life and I've been your Senior for almost a decade. I knew you two would be friends… I'm glad I was right."

The blond paused, running the statement over and over in his head until a grin broke out on his face. They stood there, Itachi still smiling as Naruto grinned happily. "You have a great little brother, Itachi."

-End of Flashback-

'You have a great little brother, Itachi.' The words echoed in Itachi's mind. The words seemingly bouncing in his skull and getting jumbled and scrambled until they became illegible and useless. His eyesight was fuzzy but ultimately useless since the room was almost entirely pitch black. A drop of sweat made its way down his face, over his chin, and continuing down his collarbone. His hands were awkward and strained while his legs were numb and ineffective. Everything felt so heavy and…awful.

Itachi breathed through his nose and succeeded in concealing a shudder when a hand descended onto his shoulder. "Itachi," a voice said. It sounded so vile,…so evil. "You are so beautiful,…why did you leave me,…disobey me?"

Itachi did not answer, he did not want to answer, and even if he did, he wasn't sure if he had the strength to. The logical part of Itachi's mind reminded him that no more than two hours have passed. No more than two hours of being in Orochimaru's presence. But, a larger part of his mind, the damaged and exhausted part, made Itachi feel as though an eternity had passed and that another one was right around the corner.

Itachi's long hair was brushed aside by long, cold fingers. The fingers that were smooth and seemingly calm turned sharp and upsetting. They dug into Itachi's flesh and ruthlessly tore whatever they found. Itachi didn't make a sound as the pain radiated and warm blood rained down his body. He merely focused on his breathing while Orochimaru's spoke again.

"You displease me, Itachi." The dull, yellow eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness. "I am very angry with you,… but I am willing to forgive you." Orochimaru leaned in closer, his impossibly long tongue licking up the length of Itachi's neck. Dirt, sweat, and blood could be tasted and Orochimaru thought it was the most delicious thing in the world.

Itachi gave no sign of acknowledgment, his eyes closed and body rigid as though he were meditating.

Orochimaru didn't mind Itachi's lack of reaction. It was actually better. Though he did miss the past. Back then, Itachi would struggle against his chains, curse and cuss, those dark eyes shining with anger and hate.

But Itachi being docile did have it's advantages. Orochimaru licked at one of Itachi's wounds. The blood tasting oh so much more sweeter then it did back then. "So beautiful…" The snake repeated. "Why did you run away from me? Why did you leave me even when I promised to protect you."

Something sharp and chilly descended onto Itachi's stomach; it pierced his skin, slowly.

"Your family would have failed you and I tried to protect you from that." Orochimaru's voice was beginning to raise and grow hysterical. "I offered you freedom. You didn't have to think- I would of thought for you. You didn't have to feel! I would of felt for you! I offered to help you, take care of you, and you spitted in my face like some cheap whore!"

What Itachi now realized was a knife- sunk deeply into his body. Orochimaru twisted the blade and Itachi felt blood bubble up and spill from his mouth. As Itachi's mind and body restrained from going into shock- he heard Orochimaru whisper in his ear. "I am willing to forgive you."

…

Naruto felt light on his feet, his steps quick as he covered ground in record time. With less than a mile to go, in order to arrive at one of Orochimaru's hideouts, an enemy appeared. Naruto came to a stop on the side of the road, his chest rising and falling rapidly, a result from sprinting nearly two miles. His blue eyes stared straight ahead, frustrated and oh so very angry. "Kabuto," Naruto snarled.

The man named Kabuto chuckled. The sound coming out low and throaty, he pushed the glasses that were settled on his nose higher and he lifted his head in a tauntingly way toward Naruto. " I was beginning to wonder when you'll show up." Kabuto goaded.

Naruto, his breathing returning to normal, responded with sarcasm. "Sorry to keep you waiting but as it is I'm in a bad,…a very, very bad fucking mood. Stand down and I won't kill you."

Kabuto's short, grayish-silver hair swayed with the wind as he once again pushed the round glasses on his nose higher. "Oh, Naruto," Kabuto began. "I can't let you proceed." He took a step toward the blond. "I've been waiting all this time…it's rude otherwise."

Naruto sighed, his arms folding across his chest as he said, "So how do we do this?"

Kabuto chuckled again. A long hand slowly reaching down to the holster that was visible around his waist. Kabuto gave Naruto a smile as he removed it and carelessly tossed it to the floor. The gun colliding with the pavement noisily and bouncing only once before it settled. "No guns," he simply said.

Naruto gave a nod of agreement. A smile breaking out on his own face as he tossed his small 9mm gun to the floor. He had left his trusty revolver at the apartment and he didn't really like to handle a small handgun. It was lucky for him that his encounter with Kabuto wouldn't be a gun face-off.

The blond then made a show of patting himself down, Kabuto did the same. Both of them signaling that no more guns were present. Naruto then grinned as he lifted his fists up and took up a stance. Kabuto didn't move, didn't even pull a stance and Naruto frowned. Kabuto gave a beckoning gesture and taunted. "What are you waiting for?"

Naruto charged.

-End of Chapter 13-