Gentlemen! Behold! Chapter 22! Yeah, I've been watching too much Aqua Teen HungerForce. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Readers, Reviewers, Thank you...Who's Your Uncle? by Uncle Kracker.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Itachi moved silently through the corridors of the Akatsuki hideout, pondering on all that he had learned in his little midnight vigil. There was much he hadn't known before that little trip and now he was armed with a little more knowledge that would be beneficial to he and his little partner's plans.
He opted not to acknowledge Pein as the man stood, leaned against the wall, staring at Itachi as he walked past.
"Was there any reason for you to be in my private quarters Itachi?"
Itachi stopped as he made it just past the man and turned to face him slowly.
"There were certain things that I needed to know Pein-sama."
Pein narrowed his Rinnegan eyes at Itachi and five more of the man walked out of adjacent doors. Itachi tensed, knowing that Pein was free to administer his judgment as he saw fit when Madara was not around.
"I trust that there was nothing there you didn't already know?"
Itachi closed his eyes and when he opened them, his Mangekyou spun wildly. His face never lost its impassiveness as he and Pein continued their staredown, the other bodies remaining motionless as well.
"Actually, I found out exactly what I wanted to know. It doesn't concern you at the moment however. If you'd be so kind as to step aside, I'll be on my way."
The Uchiha made to step around the fat Pein but found his way blocked and the rest of the Peins began to make their way inward.
"I warn you Pein-sama, I do not take this little inquiry lightly. Even with six of you, allowing you to see virtually everywhere, you are not invincible. You have limitations. Do not force me to fight you."
Pein snorted and all six stepped back.
"Madara-sama holds you in high regard as his apprentice Itachi. I know you are up to no-good however and when I have the evidence to prove your disloyalty, I shall dispose of you myself. It's too bad that Zetsu isn't around to…remove our malcontents anymore. I'm sure the flesh of an Uchiha is quite tasty."
"He'll never find out though, unless he meets some of my relatives in Hell. Quite probable actually, since most of them were quite…unsavory."
Itachi continued past as if nothing had happened and Pein glared after him. The other five Peins walked back into the rooms they had occupied and shut the doors. The Rinnegan user's eyes cut to a portion of the wall that seemed to flutter and it quickly fell away into scraps of paper, forming Konan, who bowed her head to him and folded her hands in front of her.
"I assume you suspect Itachi of treachery Pein-sama?"
The spiky headed man nodded and Konan followed him back to his quarters, always staying behind him and slightly to his right.
"Would you like me to follow him and see what he is up to?"
"No. Itachi, though he may be a traitor, is too smart to allow himself to be seen doing anything incriminating. I'll simply have one of the other members accompany him for the time being. The loss of Sasori, Kisame, and Zetsu is a hard blow, Zetsu especially. Our intelligence has suffered without him and Sasori around. Kakuzu has his spies, but they are nowhere near the level of Sasori or Zetsu."
Konan nodded and took his cloak from his shoulders.
"Who will you send with him on his next missions? Kakuzu and Hidan only work well together and Madara-sama enjoys torturing Deidara. He doesn't believe Itachi capable of duplicity. We are quickly running out of reliable men."
Pein growled and shrugged away from her.
"It doesn't matter. Soon, we'll have the Kyuubi jinchuuriki in our grasp. Madara-sama himself went on this mission. It cannot fail."
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KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Naruto grumbled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked over at TenTen, still curled up under the covers. He ruffled his unruly hair and smacked his lips loudly. If this was Jiraiya's idea of a wakeup call he was not impressed. He crossed the room to the door and sighed as he undid the latch.
The door slid slowly open and as soon as Naruto saw who was on the other side, his eyes went wide and he froze.
Tobi smiled under his mask and waved merrily at the shocked blonde.
"Hiya! My name is Tobi. We're here to meet you!"
SLAM!
Tobi blinked behind his orange, swirly mask and turned to Deidara, who already had a hand in his clay pouch.
"Tobi thinks that Naruto-kun is a rude boy. He wasn't nice to Tobi and Deidara-sempai."
Deidara let his hands chew on the clay and once it had been spat out, he globbed it onto the door and motioned for his subordinate to step back.
"Yes, he was quite rude wasn't he? Let's show him the true art of greeting someone. Katsu!"
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As soon as Naruto had slammed the door, TenTen had leapt up from the bed, Keppaku in her hand. Her eyes widened to the size of platters as Naruto barreled into her headlong and sent them careening through the glass window, the shards glinting in the sunlight as they fell. She wondered if he even cared they were both still in their underwear, she only clad in a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, he only clad in his orange boxers.
When she saw the explosion from the room they had been staying in mushroom out the window, she suddenly didn't care how they were dressed. Naruto flipped in midair to allow them to land on their feet and his wings spread wide as he scooped her back up into a more favorable position, before sprinting towards where Gaara might be.
His only thought was that the man had fought Deidara before so he would probably know how to deal with him best. He hadn't recognized the other man, but even though he was exuberantly upbeat, he was still Akatsuki.
The cheerful personality was probably a quirk from dealing with all the homicidal maniacs on a daily basis…or a bipolar disorder.
He didn't have time to think about it as he sped along the ground at top speed, TenTen looking over his shoulder for any pursuers, Keppaku dragging on the ground behind them as she held it. Naruto just wanted to get away from the civilians and get some backup.
Not that all his friends and his two mentors hadn't heard the explosion. They were already halfway to meet him.
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Deidara stepped through the hole he had made and surveyed the damage. Not the most eloquent piece of art he'd ever made, but then he had been pressed to rush. Great art took time and creativity. It also took inspiration…and little Naruto had just given him a bit of inspiration. He snuck his hand back into his pouch and felt the cool clay get sucked into his hands.
"I think I'll name this one 'The Flight of the Fox'. Quite apt, since our prey has fled the scene."
"Tobi thinks Deidara-sempai should call it 'Foxy Blonde Guy'. You know, since he has the fox in him."
Deidara growled as he leapt out the window and took off after the two ninjas, following the dragline.
"Tobi, you are such an uncultured fool."
Tobi hung his head and followed behind Deidara, sullenly dragging his feet as he ran.
"That was uncalled for sempai."
On the inside of the mask Madara grinned. This was most entertaining. It had been quite a while since he had enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.
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Naruto barreled around the corner of a building and nearly topple Jirayia over. Both slammed on the brakes and came up just short of each other.
"Naruto, what the hell was that explosion?"
The blonde caught his breath as quickly as possible, but TenTen answered for him.
"It was Deidara and some other masked guy. They blew up our hotel room."
Jiraiya quickly assessed the situation and swore.
"Shit. TenTen, you come with me and we'll get Gaara and some others. Naruto, you wait for Deidara and Tobi."
The two teens gave the older man an incredulous look. Naruto voiced his disapproval of the plan.
"WHAT? Why?"
"Because we need you to lead them away from the village so there's less collateral damage. Just wait for them to show up and then run west for the desert. We'll be waiting."
"What the hell are you going to be doing?"
Jiraiya yelled out as the two took off at a dead run.
"PREPARING! JUST MAKE IT THERE!"
Naruto cursed as he turned to wait for the two Akatsuki to make their appearance. A quick swipe over his seal and his hammer was in his hand as his chain connected to its hilt.
'I hate being the bait.'
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Deidara and Tobi took their time walking down the streets as people, ninja and civilian alike, dove for cover. Deidara looked right and left as they walked, searching for any sign of their target.
"Hey sempai, have you ever faced this guy before?"
Deidara turned a sharp eye to Tobi and grunted. He didn't know that Madara was fishing for information.
"Yeah, I've faced him before. He's a close combat specialist. Uses Kage Bunshin and the Rasengan like they were party favors. Hand to hand combat is not a good idea. Has also been known to wield a massive warhammer that is practically weightless to him. That was one of Kisame's last reports before his death."
Madara nodded his head and smirked behind the mask. Deidara was such an unwitting pawn. Useful, but unwitting. Pawns were expendable and if Itachi's reports were true, the blonde clay user was severely underestimating the jinchuuriki and his companions. That would be his downfall.
But Madara would not let his guard down. Naruto was too important a piece to his puzzle to let him get away because of carelessness. They rounded a corner and were met with Naruto standing with his hammer in front of him, the chain attached to it in a defensive position that was similar to the sign for infinity.
Tobi cocked his head to the side and tugged on Deidara's sleeve.
"Deidara-sempai, does your art always include naked guys?"
Deidara glared at his counterpart and squeezed the clay in his palm, before smiling at the small bird in his palm.
"Sometimes nudity is the only way to get an idea across. That is not one of my pieces of art however."
"You can stop talking about me like I can't hear you, you know."
Deidara and Tobi swung their heads to where Naruto stood. Deidara let his clay bird flap its wings and hover in the air.
"Before I take you back with us, tell me. Why are you nearly naked?"
Naruto scowled and lowered himself, ready to bolt in a second.
"Because someone woke me up early and I didn't have time to get dressed. Thanks for blowing up my wardrobe by the way."
"You're welcome. Orange is so gauche."
"I don't wear just orange anymore you asshole."
"Tobi's getting bored Deidara-sempai."
Deidara's response was to direct the bird toward Naruto, whose eyes widened as it approached.
"Me too Tobi. Let's show him why art is a bang! Katsu!"
Naruto cursed under his breath and switched places with a clone he had strategically placed just as the bird reached him. He watched as it exploded and bolted out of the alleyway, making sure the two cloaked men saw him.
"Deidara-sempai, he's getting away!"
"Follow him!"
Naruto smirked when he saw the two follow him. They'd follow him out of the village hopefully and he could turn the tables on them then. Deidara sent a few more birds his way and he batted them away with his hammer, running the whole way. The other one, the one Jiraiya had called Tobi, had yet to make a move against him. He was an unknown, the most dangerous enemy.
Naruto bolted down the narrow passage that led out of Suna and into the desert. He had hidden his wings before Deidara and Tobi arrived in the street, hoping against hope that Itachi had not told the Akatsuki about them. Then he remembered that Kisame had been there that time and they more than likely knew. There went that element of surprise.
He shot out of the narrow canyon, already seeing the figures of his friends in the distance. As soon as Gaara saw him, he made a wall of sand that looked like a dune to camoflage them and Naruto ran as fast as he could to that spot. Deidara and Tobi followed him, getting closer and closer, when Naruto gave a mighty leap and jumped over the dune.
"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"
"Katon: Karyuu Endan!"
Gaara let the veil fall and sent his sand out toward the two Akatsuki members while Jiraiya and Temari used a tandem fire and wind jutsu combination to try to bake the two. Deidara threw up an earth barrier quickly and once the danger was past, let it drop.
"So, the gang's all here, yeah? Everyone gets to see my art today, some for the second time. A rare occurrence yeah."
Tobi was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Hey fox boy! Where's your angel wings? Tobi wants to see them!"
Naruto scowled and let his wings out of their tattoos stretching them out fully.
"Ooooo…that's cool. Tobi wants wings too!"
Naruto sidled up between Jiraiya and TenTen, never breaking his gaze on the two enemy ninja.
"So…what's the plan?"
Jiraiya hazarded a glance at his young apprentice.
"We kill them, like Itachi said. We all know what Deidara's capable of. Tobi…I don't know. I just know that he hung around Zetsu a lot, so he probably has some talent in espionage and spying. He's a total unknown."
Naruto scowled and readied himself for the fight to come.
"Akatasuki is down to just a few members now. If we can at least get rid of Deidara, there goes their demolition expert. I'm not sure where this Tobi fits in, but he has a place. Nothing is ever out of design with Akatsuki. Everyone has a purpose. He's powerful, we can ascertain that."
Naruto looked over to TenTen and found her holding Keppaku like the sword was her lifeline.
"Don't worry Ten-chan. We've got this in the bag."
The girl gave him a smirk and looked him up and down.
"I think I prefer you going into battle this way more. It's much easier on the eyes."
"Shut up and pay attention you two."
They turned to Gaara, who had spoken, and opened their ears.
"I'm going to intercept Deidara first. My sand will capture his clay explosives and Naruto will back me up, looking for an open spot. TenTen and the rest will focus on Tobi. We don't know how powerful he is, so try to take him down quickly."
Jiraiya frowned at Gaara's takeover of authority, but decided not to complain.
"Any reason you two get the wannabe artist?"
Gaara's eyes narrowed and his sand began to swirl.
"We owe him a debt. Naruto and I will handle him."
The two leapt into battle and Jiraiya turned his attention to Tobi.
"Well, shall we start?"
"Tobi is a good boy!"
TenTen sighed and hefted Keppaku with both hands.
"Great. They get a psychotic demolition expert; we get a mildly retarded clown. Life is so fair."
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Deidara dodged right and left, enjoying himself immensely. They had been told that Kisame and Zetsu had been taken off guard but he was not impressed by either boy's skill at the moment. He knew that taking Shukaku out of Gaara would affect the boy's control of the sand but this was almost pathetic. Nor was he impressed by the supposed killer of Zetsu.
Naruto and Gaara were trying for a war of attrition. They were trying to get Deidara to use up all of his clay before they moved in for the kill, but he wasn't using anything bigger than a bird or dragonfly. Naruto dodged another dragonfly and swatted it to the side with his hammer, not even bothering to watch the explosion.
"Gaara, we're going to have to step this up if we want him dead. And…I'm getting sand in my unmentionables."
"Then don't mention them. I don't want to hear about it. I want you to go in and try to pound him with that thing while I distract him with the sand."
"I have a better idea. I'll go in and try to pound him; you wait for the opportunity to get him with your Sand Coffin. Just watch."
Gaara nodded and readied himself for the moment to strike as Naruto splayed his wings out and pushed himself forward with a bit of wind, practically soaring toward Deidara.
"Finally! One of you got brave, yeah."
Naruto's answer was to pirouette in the air and fling the hammer down at him, making Deidara leap away. The pony-tailed man grimaced when that chain came within a hair's breadth of his right ear and stuck his hand down in his pouch.
He was going to have to be a lot more serious with the jinchuuriki this time around.
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Jiraiya and the rest were not happy at the moment. Every time they made a move against Tobi, the attack missed the man. It was like he wasn't corporeal. The only time he made an actual move was when Keppaku had come too close to him one time. The only one he truly avoided was TenTen.
"Damn it, nothing is working and that idiot just keeps saying how much fun this is. Jiraiya, do you have any idea who he is or what he does?"
The white haired man looked over at TenTen and frowned.
"No. My intelligence never said anything about this guy. Try to hit him again."
TenTen nodded and ran towards the masked shinobi, swinging Keppaku like a baseball bat toward his side. Tobi lightly stepped aside and looked towards where Deidara was.
"I wonder how sempai is doing? Tobi's bored."
The bunhaired girl growled and swung her feathery sword downward toard his head.
"Don't ignore me damn it!"
Tobi jumped a few feet away and cocked his head to the side.
"You're funny. Tobi likes you."
"Well I don't like you. Now hold still!"
"Tobi can't do that. You'll hurt him."
TenTen snarled and took another wild swing at him before stepping back as Temari tried another wind jutsu which passed harmlessly through him.
"Tobi wants to know what that sword is."
"Well Tobi isn't gonna find out unless he lets me hit him."
His only answer was to keep dodging.
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Deidara dodged another blow of the hammer and backflipped away as the sand splashed upward from the crater Naruto left. Gaara still stood with his arms crossed and Deidara had learned quickly not to send any clay towards him. He'd only block it with his sand. Naruto was the current danger.
Naruto jerked his hammer out of the sand and flung it towards Deidara before he even landed. The clay user dropped to the ground quickly and watched as the hammer soared over him. He didn't have much time to think before Naruto was beside him and launched a kick into his side, lifting him off the ground where he was immediately batted back down by one of the boy's wings. It was like being hit with a ton of bricks.
Gaara stood off to the side, calculating what was happening. Naruto had finally managed to get in close and do some damage to Deidara but the Akatsuki member was cunning. He remembered his own battle with the man and the way he had been outclassed. He shouldn't have played around with the blonde and that led to his capture and subsequent death.
Naruto felt Deidara get knocked back to the ground with his wing and sent his chain to impale the man. Deidara rolled out of the way quickly and threw a ball of mud at Naruto. The boy barely had time to block it with his hammer before it exploded, sending him flying back several feet. He landed roughly on his side and scrambled to his knees.
Deidara had used his small explosion in desperation to get Naruto away from him. He wasn't a closerange fighter and as long as Naruto stayed in close, he was in danger. Now that he had a bit of breathing room, he threw his hand into his pouch, feeling the cool clay against his hand as it was chewed.
"I'm going to blow your arms off, yeah. They don't need to be there for us to extract the Kyuubi. Once it's been extracted, I'll use your body to show why art is only beautiful for the moment."
Naruto grunted and stood to his feet. He really hated his predicament. It had taken a while to get close enough to Deidara to hit him and even though he knew the man was hurting from the blows he took, it wouldn't be easy to get back under his guard again. Especially with his long range attacks.
Deidara was watching him warily now. He had to get in closer and negate that advantage of distance that Deidara had. Naruto watched as the man held out his hand and squeezed the clay before opening his hand while a large puff of smoke came out. Once it had cleared, a very large dragon stood behind him. Naruto paled and stood up.
'Aw shit.'
This wasn't good. Naruto never was very good at ranged battles. He'd had that conversation with Kakashi long ago. But…that didn't mean he didn't know how to counter or misdirect a ranged attack. Putting his fingers into a familiar sign, he summoned as many clones as he could.
Deidara's smile turned into a frown immediately as he watched nearly a thousand half-naked Narutos emerge upon the sand. He smirked and narrowed his eyes however, when he realized it didn't matter.
He'd just blow them all up.
The dragon flapped its wings and floated into the air, high above the ground. Naruto scowled and readied himself.
'Why can't I do it that easily?'
Deidara's hand snuck back into his pouch while Naruto eyeballed the dragon. The giant clay beast hovered in the air before plummeting back to the earth. The explosion rocketed sand everywhere and the clones dispelled in a large plume of smoke. Deidara remained on the move. Standing still at the moment was dangerous since he wasn't sure if Naruto was caught in the blast or not. He couldn't see the Kazekage either and that was cause for worry.
After all, the most dangerous beasts were the ones that were injured and had nothing left to lose by fighting with abandon.
The blonde man finally escaped the smoke and dust and created a large bird, which he hopped on and took flight to survey his surroundings. His eyes squinted in the sunlight and he noticed the form of Gaara still standing with his arms folded, just outside the massive dust cloud. He smirked to himself. He must have gotten the jinchuuriki.
Suddenly, pain exploded from his back and he looked down to see a spike sticking through his left shoulder. He plummeted off the bird toward the ground and kicked off whoever had stuck the thing in his shoulder, removing said spike from its bloody hole. Deidara spun in midair and his eyes widened immensely.
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Naruto had escaped the explosion just in time and made it over beside Gaara, who still stood unmoving.
"I need to get above that cloud Gaara. Can you give me a boost?"
"You still haven't completed my sister's training?"
"Not completely. TenTen and I have been working on a solution until I get it, but it's not complete either. I need you to propel me into the air."
"Done."
Naruto looked down when he felt the sand shift around his feet and he was rocketed upward at a high speed. He closed his eyes and spread his wings wide, pushing chakra into his feet and leaping upward when he felt the sand reach its apex.
The feeling of weightlessness was awe-inspiring. It was incredible. Naruto opened his eyes to see Deidara escape the cloud of dust and form a large bird. He snarled and flapped his wings, moving himself further into the sun so that Deidara would not notice him so easily. He watched as the blonde man flew into the sky to join him, obviously looking for any sign that he had survived.
Naruto grimaced and steadied his hammer, before tucking his wings and diving out of the sky, straight toward Deidara. He cocked his hammer back and swung it as hard as he could into Deidara's shoulder, one spike going clean through the man. They both began to plummet to the earth and the Akatsuki member kicked him in the gut, wrenching the hammer free.
Naruto watched with satisfaction as Deidara continued to fall with an awed expression on his face while Naruto remained in the air, gliding downward. The clay user landed hard, spraying sand everywhere and coughed up copious amounts of blood from his rattled lungs. Naruto landed nearby and slowly walked over.
Deidara winced as he tried to sit up. It didn't work however, since his spine had been fractured on impact, his bird dissolving back into clay when he lost his concentration. He glared over his chest at the approaching angel-like boy and fished his hand back into his pouch one last time.
He would not go out alone. His art demanded that his audience suffer with him.
Naruto hefted his hammer overhead, prepared to make the finishing blow, but couldn't help feeling a little cocky. As the hammer was raised, ready to descend like a judge's gavel, Naruto smirked and looked Deidara in his eyes.
"So, how's it feel to be an unappreciated artist, to never have your work looked upon again?"
His cockiness faded as Deidara gave him a blood soaked grin and held his hand outstretched.
"My art is fleeting but the memory of it will be eternal. Goodbye Uzumaki. My art will die with you. C4!"
Naruto's mouth flew open as the massive bomb expanded and landed to the side of Deidara who had a most serene look on his face. He never saw the grains of sand snaking their way around the massive clay figure.
"Sand Coffin!"
"KATSU!"
Naruto watched as the sand that had formed around the clay bubbled and stretched against itself before exploding outward in a shower that covered miles of the desert. Gaara appeared beside his friend, panting from the exertion of containing the blast but otherwise fine. Naruto gave him a silent nod and turned back to see a teary-eyed Deidara.
"Bastards. Denying my art its fleeting beauty and immortal status. I'll see you all in hell."
Naruto raised his hammer above his head, just as he had with Zetsu, and glared at the man in the crater.
"Hell is only reserved for people like you. Your sins are heavy Deidara. You. Are. Guilty!"
The hammer descended upon the man's head and neither Gaara nor Naruto flinched when the pieces of skull and brain flew from underneath it, the blood immediately beginning to bake in the sun. Naruto groaned and turned to Gaara.
"We'd better check up on the others."
Gaara nodded and the two ran off toward the sounds of fighting.
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The others were still baffled by Tobi. He never attacked, never defended, he just…vanished whenever an attack came at him. It was frustrating and insulting to them as shinobi.
"Come on guys, Tobi's bored! Let's play harder!"
He started to wave his hand to encourage them when he felt it wrapped up in something. Madara's eyes widened under his mask and he turned to see what it was that had captured him. A chain? There was only one who used a chain he knew of.
Naruto yanked on the chain and Tobi flew toward him. He cocked his fist back and it…passed right through the masked man. The chain let go and returned while Tobi flipped to his feet and turned to face Naruto with a small amount of fear.
"Where's Deidara-sempai? Are you through playing all ready?"
"Deidara is dead."
Tobi turned to Gaara and cocked his head again. This wasn't good.
"Well if sempai is dead, Tobi had better be going. Tobi is a good boy and he has to report back. Bye guys!"
Before Naruto could make a move toward him, the man vanished into thin air. The whole group searched everywhere but he was nowhere to be seen. They regrouped and recounted what had happened. Jiraiya left to collect Deidara's ring and burn the body with Sanosuke while the rest headed back toward the village. Gaara turned to the two lovebirds and smirked.
"I'd suggest putting on some clothes when we get back immediately. Naruto's boxers can't take much more strain."
Naruto and TenTen looked down to find that he had rips all over the silk drawers. Naruto henged some clothes onto himself and cursed. They'd have to go shopping now since all their belongings were destroyed.
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Jiraiya and Sanosuke frowned over Deidara's baking corpse and buried it with Yomi Numa. As they headed back, Sanosuke spoke.
"The ring was gone. That means that Tobi took it."
"Yeah. They can recruit more men now. But it will take a while and we should press the issue while we can. We need to move on them now."
Sanosuke nodded and they walked in silence.
"What about the Uchiha boy? Sasuke?"
"He's Itachi's problem, remember?"
They said nothing more.
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Madara was contemplative as he made his way back to the Akatsuki hideout. Deidara had been a valuable pawn, a pawn nonetheless, but a valuable one. His death would necessitate more recruitment, despite the fact that there were far fewer worthy missing nins. It would be difficult to replace him.
His mind kept wandering back to those two children with the weapons that filled him with dread. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but every time that girl swung that feather toward him, he had the almost overwhelming fear that if it would touch him, that it would hurt him. So he stepped aside and kept taunting.
Then that chain had come from nowhere and wrapped around him, actually touched him! That was worrisome enough. And that hammer…there was no doubt that it could touch him as well.
There was only one conclusion…they were blessed weapons.
Madara narrowed his eyes behind his mask. He and Itachi were going to have a chat when he got back.
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Naruto was feeling better after a shower to rid himself of all the sand he had collected and nearly suffocated TenTen with a kiss when she brought him a new set of clothes. Once she'd caught her breath, she informed him they would be shopping for new clothes after their little meeting in Gaara's office, as well as weapons shopping.
Naruto could care less. He was just happy she was alright.
As they walked hand in hand to Gaara's office, Naruto couldn't help but smile down at his soul mate. TenTen felt his glowing smile and glanced up.
"What?"
Before they opened the door, Naruto shoved her up against the wall and took her lips in a hungry kiss. TenTen moaned into it and tried to move to deepen it only to find herself held to the wall by Naruto's chain. The blonde broke the kiss and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"I'm so happy you weren't hurt. To celebrate, we're going out to eat tonight and I'm going to ravage you later."
He sealed the promise by licking her ear and letting her back up before opening the door and walking in as if nothing had happened. TenTen got her panting under control and followed him in, one thought on her mind.
'Where the hell did that come from?'
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Jiraiya folded his arms and looked around the room to everyone present. Coughing loudly to get their attention before he spoke, he locked eyes with Naruto and TenTen in particular.
"We're going to discuss where we're going to go from here, so you two should put your shopping on hold for the moment. Now then, what did we learn about this Tobi person?"
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"Itachi."
Said man turned slowly to the voice of one Uchiha Madara, who was not in his persona of Tobi at the moment.
"I take it your mission did not go well?"
"Deidara is dead. The Uzumaki boy is more talented than you led me to believe. He was actually able to capture my arm with that chain of his."
Itachi found himself thrown back against the wall, Madara's hand at his throat.
"Were you trying to intentionally lead me into a trap? Were you trying to kill me?"
Itachi coughed slightly and grabbed Madara's wrist. He was tired of being thrown around.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. It doesn't matter what I say, it matters what you already believe. I'm not saying anything else."
Madara narrowed his eyes and dropped his younger counterpart to the ground, before turning on his heel and walking out.
"Next time I go out, you'll be going with me. I want to see how you react to those two children that interest me now."
Itachi rubbed his throat and glared after the man long after he had disappeared into the darkness.
'Your time is short ancient one. My time will soon be here. It seems my information won't be needed. Naruto-kun and TenTen-san have already found out how to injure you. Pity, especially after I risked Pein's wrath to get it.'
Itachi turned and headed for his private quarters. He'd have to find another way to sabotage the Akatsuki.
So there you have it. Let me know what you think. The plot keeps rolling along.