Bloop. I hope this story isn't taken down . . . I'm kinda thinking it won't, nor will my others. But, for funzies, my profile will not change until I'm completely sure I'm safe. Enjoy the long-awaited chapter!

Don't own this crap.

Getting it on? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Naruto worked at his jacket's zipper, ignoring most of the talk hovering around him. He vaguely heard his sensei, Sakura, and Tsunade-baa, but he didn't care. Apparently, Sasuke had been put under strict watch, and no one was to see him. Of course, that didn't sit well with Naruto. He had spent months searching for the Uchiha, and now that he'd gotten him back they'd been forced apart. What ludicrousness was at work here? Hokage-sama. What ass had come up with such a plan? Hokage-sama. Who the hell thought they'd be able to keep him away from Sasuke? Hokage-sama. The blond's fist tightened on the table, the hand messing with his jacket fallowing suit. His eyes narrowed significantly as his anger boiled and sizzled in his mind, fulling his overwhelming desire to interrupt the conversation going on around him. Naruto's sensei, Kakashi, noticed the child's silence, and rested his serious gaze on his shoulders.

"Naruto," he called once, but the boy's cerulean orbs remained focused on the tabletop. "Naruto," he reiterated in a stern voice. Said ninja snapped his head up straight, fierce glare meeting the elder's lone, grey eye. "You have nothing to say on the matter of Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned, wondering what his student's response would be. Naruto's teeth gritted. The older man saw the telltale sign of the youth's frustration, mentally preparing himself to be snapped at.

"You always get on to me for talking too much. Why are you wanting me to speak now," the blond hissed icily. It was not a question, they realized, but a threat. The child who had always been thought of as dense was now baiting his superiors. Tsunade sat at the head of the table, pigtails falling over her shoulders as she leaned forward, hands folded meters in front of her face. The woman's amber eyes sparked with agitation, yet glowed dimly with underlying respect. The child was faithful, she'd give him that much.

"You know Sasuke well, Naruto," she began, becoming the target of the blond's intense and fiery glare. "We just want to know what you think would help. You're opinion matters to me." A pause followed. "But do be reasonable." With that being said, Naruto arose, shaking the table with his speed.

"Reasonable? You're asking me to be reasonable?" he fumed wildly, blue orbs gleaming.

"Naruto, sit down," his sensei ordered, and the blond, to everyone's shock, turned and stomped out the door. Tsunade took in a heavy sigh.

Don't worry, Naruto. Sasuke will be safe.

His vision was foggy as he stumbled through the room, knocking over chairs as he went. He felt odd. Was he sick? No, he wasn't exactly lethargic. In fact, he felt as if he was on a power surge. The raven hit the bedside table with a dull thump, leaning over it and growling. The seal on the back of his neck pulsed wildly, sucking up the curse mark's chakra as quickly as it was sent out. The constant draining was confusing Sasuke's body, muscles straining in preparation for battle, then going lax as the power was sucked up. The Uchiha jolted as the black marks began to crawl further across his body, falling to the floor and bringing the desk with him. Sasuke curled up into a ball and whined. He was so confused.

"GAH!" he choked, bloody saliva slipping over his lips and drooling onto the carpet. Where had that man gone? H-he's probably doing this to me he realized, lifting himself up with some trouble. "Stop!" he ordered, wincing afterward. It hurt so bad, yet felt so good sometimes. He felt power course through him between the blinding pain. With blurry vision, Sasuke managed to gaze over the room. He was alone, it seemed. That man was gone. The Uchiha was alone. Another wave of unbearable pain shot through him, and he fell limp upon the floor.

The marks receded back to his shoulder, where they shrank into the mark that plastered itself on to the Uchiha's ivory flesh. Once faded, he awakened, eyes hazy and unfocused. The pain was only a dull throb now, and his balance was regained after he attempted to rise up a couple of times. Swaying on his feet precariously, the Uchiha's ebony eyes fell to the door, his escape from wherever he was. Sasuke hurried toward it, turning the handle and shielding himself from the unbridled light filtering into his eyes. It'd been a while since he'd been outdoors, so tenderness was to be expected. Of course, he didn't have a clue how long he was down in that cell. It could have been months since the sun had graced itself upon his white complexion. It looked to be that way, at least.

With a cautious step, he inched out, wondering if that man was going to show himself anytime. When silence greeted him, he shimmied out, closing the door behind him. The black-haired boy leaned over the railing, roaming over the place before him. Lots of people, that was for sure. And a forest outside its walls. Was this his clan that blonde woman had spoken of? No, that wasn't right. They said his clan had been destroyed somehow. A sigh eased out from his lungs, and Sasuke made his way down the stairs and to the streets. Before he could decide where to go, a hand snatched his arm and spun him around. Sasuke was face to face with the man from before—Jiraiya, he remembered.

"What the fuck, brat? What are you doing out here?" he snarled, black eyes boring into the youth's crisp, matching optics. Sasuke gasped in the initial shock, pulling vigorously at the iron hold with intent to run. But Jiraiya's grip did not waver. "Calm down, Uchiha!" he barked and made that strange hand motion again. Sasuke let his teeth grind together as their surroundings spun out of control, slowing down a moment later to reveal the man's apartment again. The boy crumpled to his knees, befuddle and breathless from the transportation jutsu. He lifted his hand to cover his mouth, nausea assaulting his stomach.

"What is that?" Sasuke managed to choke out, but received no response from the elder. He was at his desk, pencil and notebook in his hand like before.

"If you try and do that again, I'll break your legs and leave you on the porch for the ANBU to take care of." The threat, to any normal prisoner, would have done the trick immediately, for the highly ranked police force was not something to be trifled with. But Sasuke, not exactly being a normal prisoner, did not understand the man, and instead shot back with a cold snarl.

"I'm not scared of you," he retorted fearlessly—or perhaps ignorantly. Jiraiya let out a demeaning chuckle, finding the boy's remark uncannily similar to his old, premature self. Sasuke grimaced and let his gaze turn downcast, a red tint glazing his cheeks and ears. A fire in his spirit urged him to bite back, go at the man with all he had. But he ignored the voice. He felt so helpless. These people could do things amazing, things he would imagine weren't possible. The Uchiha lifted his hands and looked them over, eyes narrowed seriously. He tried mimicking the others' motions, bending his fingers to match. Nothing happened; he didn't feel a thing. Jiraiya peered at the boy from where he sat, tensing when he noticed the child forming hand seals. He stood up without changing his gaze, making Sasuke jump and glare stubbornly at the older man.

"Don't do that." Sasuke's harsh gaze faded into confusion, frowning and unhooking his hands from each other. Obviously that was the secret to how they did such things, or he wouldn't be so alarmed about it.

"Is that how you do it? Are those hand motions the way you all fight?" he said in more of a statement. Jiraiya ground his teeth menacingly. He was putting things together at an alarming rate. Sasuke smirked at his silence, trying again to make the same signs. Jiraiya jerked forward, but stopped, realizing the boy would be little threat without his chakra. The seal he'd drawn up to be used on the youth was trustworthy, and he relied that it was still effective. He was a master at seals, anyways. The sannin simply settled down at his desk and listened as the Uchiha snarled and grumbled under his breath, face flushing as he tried to force his hands closer together. With a petite gasp, he gave up, hunching over and sitting on the shins of his legs. He was so tired since whatever that attack was. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, what did you do to me—before you found me outside? What were those black marks from?" Sasuke asked, voice hard and determined. The older man turned his attention to his prisoner, furrowing his eyebrows seriously.

"What type of black markings? On your body, or somewhere else?" Sasuke's glare softened, seeing that the elder was worried about what he'd just asked.

"My body. It came out of nowhere when I was—" he let his ebony orbs roll to land on the picture frame, jumping when Jiraiya growled.

"I told you not to look at that, brat. Now describe the fucking marks to me," the sannin demanded. He stormed over to the picture and snatched it up, shoving it inside one of the nightstand's drawers and squatting in front of Sasuke. "Was it here? Did they start spreading from here?" Sasuke whimpered as the man grasped his left shoulder, grazing his curse mark and sending waves over tenderness up to his brain.

"Ah! Y-yes, from there. Please, it . . hurts," he stuttered, eyes clenching shut at the touch. Jiraiya ripped the collar of his shirt immediately, narrowing his black optics at the glowing, ugly, vicious tattoo. The Uchiha was forced on his side, finding his head held down by the elder's larger hand. A scream tore from his vocal cords as Jiraiya roughly rubbed the painful skin, clawing out desperately. "Stop! Stop it!"

"Did this happen recently? When did the marks spread."

"Before you showed up! I was looking at—" an agonized pause was made from Sasuke, "that boy in the picture. I heard someone—a man talked to me. Then they spread," he willingly choked out, yelping again as another pulse rocked his body. Jiraiya quickly bit his thumb, forcing the boy onto his stomach and tearing the rest of his shirt open, revealing his sweat-covered, pale back. The chakra seal would stop the mark, perhaps. It was the only option he could quickly administer at the moment. He pressed his bleeding digit against it, feeling the rogue's body contract and writhe helplessly beneath him. This would work, he told himself. The mark couldn't eat up his chakra if he had none.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sasuke's screech as the curse unleashed again.

Itachi sighed stiffly as the last ninja fell, looking up and allowing the rain to pound lightly against his calm face. Kisame eyed his partner with scrutiny, heaving his sword back over his shoulder and securing it around his broad chest.

"Well done, Itachi. I was hoping you'd allow me the first strike this time. It's unlike you to be so generous, though," the shark gestured to his partner, his enigmatic companion. Itachi did not move. His black eyes slid shut with nary a glance to the blue akatsuki, reveling the rain's cold, calming embrace. The blood on his skin mingled shyly with the trails of water. Kisame only turned his attention elsewhere, crouching and beginning to loot the corpses. Pein had said there should be a scroll on one of them. "Care to lend a hand, Itachi? Unless you're fully intending to just take a shower there, I'd suggest you hurry this up and help me," he pestered. He didn't like looting dead men. His elite sense of smell refused to ignore the scent of rotting, stiffening flesh, and though he'd never admit it, it was the worst smell to him.

The smaller man joined him silently, forehead creased with frustration. His partner did not miss the obvious stress Itachi was under. With all the experiences he'd had with the Uchiha, he knew questioning him on personal affairs was suicide. And if not that, it was pointless. Itachi didn't share his fights, didn't express his opinions, and he certainly wouldn't describe his inner turmoils to him. He wouldn't waste his breath, but curiosity was always a strong part of him. The swordsman scooted to the next pile of bodies, beady eyes continuing to fall on Itachi's shoulders. The man didn't seem to notice, that or he didn't care. Kisame gave in to his engorged wonder, deciding to prick a few strings and see if he could open the man up for inspection.

"Are you thinking about Sasuke, again? I hear Konoha managed to bring him back. Though if that's a rumor or not, I'm not sure." The Sharingan user tensed minutely at his observation, stopping his searching to stare ahead of himself. A pregnant pause filled the air.

"I heard that too," Itachi answered, sultry voice thick with intensity. His partner had hardly ever seen him so open to conversation. He'd barely even coaxed him out of his shell.

"Do you believe it?"

"I heard it from a trustworthy source, so yes, I do." By source he meant Tsunade-san herself. Though Kisame did not know this.

The shark cocked his head in bewilderment, curiosity urging him for more answers. Who had Itachi heard this from, and why did he trust them so? Hadn't he heard it from the same, banal, ragtag group he'd heard it from, their organization? Kisame hadn't seen or heard so much gossip and dead-ends being shared in all of his life before joining the Akatsuki. Deidara and Hidan were the worst at useless, unwarranted information sharing. It wasn't a surprise. They were in the villages more than the others, picking up trails and leads on things for Pein. The gossips of the towns filled their ears nonstop probably. Hell, they'd spread anything that'd come from the old heifers' babbling mouths.

"Don't tell me you're coming to believe in what Hidan says. He's more ignorant than Tobi." At the mention of their newest associates name, the smallest of grimaces crossed Itachi's figure. Tobi didn't sit well with the Uchiha, ever since he'd joined. Though it was an enigma to his partner, who though he found the man to be useless did not see him as a threat of any sort.

"I do not listen to the other members and their causerie," the Uchiha replied smoothly. "But I do know Sasuke is back in Konoha."

"Well, isn't that a good thing for you? He isn't with Orochimaru anymore. Tsunade will keep him locked up and far away from that bastard." The shark stopped his talking as his partner stood, obviously turned sour by the shark's words.

"I've found the scroll. We are heading back to the base," he told the swordsman, making his way toward the tree-line without another look at his companion.

Kisame thought better than to disagree. He didn't want to come off as too eager in the man. That'd just shut him out more. With a sigh of defeat, he trailed after Itachi, deciding he'd inquire more later.

Jiraiya watched with narrowed eyes, following the black marks as they spread wildly across Sasuke's darkening skin. They flared with power, forcing a screech to erupt from he Uchiha's throat.

"Stop!" he pleaded, fingernails digging into the carpet below his writhing, sweaty form, which was quickly becoming overcome by the curse. Jiraiya shielded himself from the erupting wing, backing up as it flapped and stretched in a frenzy. Sasuke became silent, pain wrapping around his vocal chords and making him suffer in silent agony. The elder turned as he felt the Anbu arrive, though why they'd taken so long was a mystery to him. Perhaps they did not care if Sasuke were in danger, but this was a bit much. Something as strong and pungent as the curse seal have been easily distinguished and investigated.

"It's about time you decided to show up," the white-haired sannin barked, holding the Uchiha down with discomfort. The child's morphing was going to make restraining him much harder, the sudden bursts of energy being thwarted as his seal sucked it up. The Uchiha would force Jiraiya back, then collapse into a heap upon the floor. His sharingan flickered like a dying lightbulb, confusing Sasuke all the more. He didn't recognize the visual affects, gawking in awe as he could—at one moment—watch as swirling balls of blue flame engulfed the men, then flicker out and return to normal.

"What's . . . happening?" he choked, spit trailing past his lips and dribbling down his chin. His thin, pale, trembling form hunched over the carpet, saliva turning it a shade darker as it sank into the floor.

The Anbu were on him in seconds, restraining every limb and putting the Uchiha into a firm choke-hold. Sasuke took in stifled breath, finding this new position quite intolerable. The boy whimpered and coughed weakly as the one around his neck crushed his wind-pipe, making swallowing almost impossible and causing his mouth to fall open in an attempt to receive oxygen. He winced as the seal on his back drained him again, making his limbs twitch unresponsively.

"Wha-at's h-happening?" he stuttered, fear capturing his appearance as Jiraiya stood before his restrained form, eyes narrowed sternly. The elder took in his shaking, grey form. He didn't look to be able to do anything.

"Drop your hold; it isn't necessary." The Anbu obeyed reluctantly, allowing the child to collapse limp on the carpet and moan audibly. The sannin above crouched, brushing aside his now waist-length hair and revealing his chakra seal. "This will keep him in check. He'll pass out sooner or later, and when he does we'll check that curse mark."

"He may be dangerous like this," one ninja retaliated, backing up as Sasuke's wings folded into his back once again, making the Uchiha yelp in pain. The white haired man above him gave the Anbu an erudite look.

"See? The seal will drain the chakra coming from Orochimaru's jutsu. Once that's gone, the curse will recede, and Sasuke will pass out." The white-haired writer looked back toward the boy for a moment. "Well, he probably will. The stress on his chakra veins is immense right now. If not unconscious, he'll be far too weak to fight." The Anbu all fidgeted nervously as Sasuke's back arched, a shrill yell emitting from his surely sore throat. The men watched as the curse began to diminish, crawling back to the Uchiha's shoulder slothfully. With that, Sasuke's body fell into convulsions, before finally, with one last, pain-laced scream, he collapsed onto his stomach. Jiraiya let go a breath he'd been withholding, his muscles un-tensing and going slack across his muscled body. The younger men across the room seemed to mimic his relief, some rubbing the backs of their heads uneasily.

"What do you all think you're doing?" The Anbu jumped to attention at the author's stern words, attention falling on the sannin.

"Sir?"

"Get moving! Tsunade needs to hear of this as son as she possibly can. What the hell are you doing just gawking motionlessly?" The young men did not respond, vanishing the next moment and leaving the sannin's apartment in silence. The ninja returned his hard, calloused gaze back to the child at his feet, clicking his tongue with resentment. His curse mark shouldn't be reacting so viciously. The seal should be strong enough to hold it back if Sasuke became angered. What had happened? The picture came to mind, and the man moved to his table in a rushed manner. The shattered frame was there as he'd left it, and Jiraiya grimaced noticeably as memories assaulted his mind, the days when Orochimaru and he were not very different from Naruto and Sasuke, rivaling one another with trifle differences. He stopped himself before he reminisced further, retuning to the issue at hand. Sasuke, yes, the boy's curse had somehow been able to take advantage of him even with the chakra seal. Looking over the picture, the man's eyes stopped to rest on Orochimaru's. It must have been his image. With his memory loss, the emotional toll would have been enough to shove his system out of whack. The snake could harm the boy even when he was so far away.

Or close, he corrected himself, remembering his threat to attack the village. A shiver ran up his spine at the very thought. Orochimaru was a force to be reckoned with. If they were able to bring him down, the minimal damage would most likely be his wrecking of half the entire village. Konoha would be in ruins if such an event took place. Jiraiya's fist slammed down onto his table, taking the brute force of his anger out on the wood. Tsunade was a fool if she didn't just hand Sasuke over. His life was meaningless when compared to Konohagakure's existence, no different when comparing it even to a petty thief's. The Uchiha was blemished with the stains of deceit, something much too difficult for time to wash away. But, arguing was of no use to him now. Whatever decision would be made would stand, whether he agreed with it or not. He just hoped she'd make the proper choice.

The man returned to Sasuke's side, awaiting Tsunade's arrival.

They had been quiet for some time, again, and Kisame was growing unsteady. He was a talkative man, despite his occupation, and preferred idle chat instead of silence. With a grunt of acknowledgment, he turned to his partner, Itachi, and shrugged his sword into a more comfortable position before breaking the air.

"Were you unhappy to hear of Sasuke's return?" he inquired, trying a different route this time. Perhaps if he guessed his feelings correctly he'd feel more at ease and open up. Though after minutes of awaiting an answer, the shark gave a thick cough and returned to looking ahead of them, more or less used to his partner's apathetic personality. To say he wasn't annoyed with it would be a lie, though.

"I was not unhappy." The words almost made Kisame jump in surprise, having already fallen into a state of spiraling inner conversations.

"You weren't? So you were happy he was rescued. It's understandable. There's no telling what Orochimaru had been planning. I know you were not pleased when Pein explained his theory, how Orochimaru was after your brother's Sharingan."

"Who would not be. That Snake does not even deserve the life he was gifted with," Itachi grumbled coldly, surprising his companion with his feelings. He hardly ever showed his opinions, remaining on the borderline with most situations. Kisame did not believe he was so fickle, of course. He knew he just appeared unbiased due to his lack of socializing. Being his partner, he knew the Uchiha had stern ideas about how he wanted things to go. Kisame grunted with agreement. He had never actually met the sannin, having come after his leaving the Akatsuki, though he was not envious of those who had. The facts he'd picked up concerning the snake were not pleasant, and his name seemed to be as toxic as his pets' venom. Never had he run into an admirer of the man.

"That is true," he voiced. "But why would you bother in his affairs? It isn't effecting you directly, so really there is no reason to keep track of such things." Kisame soon regretted his words, almost being able to see his partner's shell closing back up. With a heavy sigh, he leapt off yet another tree branch. He'd bring it up later, he presumed. Itachi would soon give way to his earnest exploration. That, or the shark would find himself with a kunai in his throat. But curiosity was a strong emotion in Kisame, and he'd soon find out what he wanted to know, if it took forever and a day.

FINALLY!

/gives myself a party hat

I'm sorry that took WAY TOO LONG to update. I switched schools and all, so I've been settling into that for the past few weeks. I do hope I haven't lost anyone due to my absence!

Yes, Kisame and Itachi are closer than cannon. No, I don't give a fuck. I like that—their subtle trust in one another. It's tranquil. So please just learn to love it.

And lol, oh Jiraiya, you dip-shit. xD

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Nat