Chapter 21: The Ring

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Previously: Sai tells Tsunade he overheard her conversation with Naruto but she already knew. She advises him on how to approach Naruto. Jiraiya goes to meet Naruto and is rebuffed. Naruto talks with Sakura and Sai about letting Sasuke go. He begins training with Kakashi and Yamato to complete the Rasengan. Naruto fights Kakuzu and gets angry when Kakuzu taunts him about Itachi. Naruto finds out the book Sasori gave him has records of his spy network and it contains the secret behind the Uchiha massacre. The key to de-coding the book is in Naruto's head.

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I don't know why the story 'updated' when I deleted the note to make room for this chapter.

Naruto glared at the book before him, making irritated sounds in the back of his throat. "GAAAH!" He picked the book up and almost threw it against the wall in frustration, stopping at the last second. He could practically feel Sasori's phantom breathing down his neck, threatening violence if the book was damaged.

He clutched his head, falling back on the bed, thrashing his legs around. My brain hurts! The knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. "It's open," he called out, sensing his teammates. Much to his joy, they brought food. "Ramen! Just what I needed!"

"You should be eating fruits and vegetables instead—" Sakura began.

"But ramen is the food of the gods!"

"I knew you'd say that," she sighed. It was exactly why they'd brought it. Otherwise he'd have throw a hissy-fit and whined like a child. No matter how mature he got, one thing would never change: Naruto's love for his precious ramen. "Have you made any progress yet?" She picked up the book, flipping through the coded pages. It looked like gibberish to her.

Only Tsunade, Naruto, and Sai (unknown to Naruto) knew the truth. The others were told Sasori wanted Naruto to continue his spy network for reasons unknown and had left the book for him. And it was only Naruto who could do it. "No," he replied glumly. "The key is in my head but I don't know what it is!"

"Why don't you get some help? Maybe from Shikamaru or the Cryptography team?" Sai suggested. "They might not be able to solve it but they could give some helpful tips."

"You might be right," Naruto agreed after slurping down the noodles.

"Then it's settled," Sakura nodded, "tomorrow you'll go and get help. But for the rest of today, you're coming with us and getting some much needed fresh air. When was the last time you left your apartment?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Naruto put the cup down. "Maybe all I need to do is clear my head and the answer will come to me."

"So, how did it go?" Sai asked before noticing Sakura coming from behind Naruto, waving her arms in a negative motion and shaking her head.

Naruto groaned, head falling on the table. They were waiting for their dango, Sakura having gotten tired of eating ramen every time they met. "Horrible! It was horrible! They confused me with all their talk of algorithm and public key and secret key and whatnot."

"I'm sure you'll catch a break soon," Sakura patted his shoulder.

"Ugly's right," Sai said. "Considering who you're dealing with, it wouldn't be a walk in the park for even Lord Jiraiya."

Their dango arrived and the team fell into an easy conversation about the tasty treat. Sai had been thinking over the past few days and decided one way to help solve the code was for him to confront Naruto about the truth. Maybe he could pick Naruto's brain, leading him to an epiphany. Breaking codes was a part of his training; he could surely be of some help.

"...do you think, Sai?"

"Hm?" He blinked. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that please?"

"I asked if you had any idea what Lady Tsunade wanted to talk to us about," Sakura repeated.

"Ah, no," he shook his head. "But I did want to ask Naruto if I can come over tonight. I have something important I want to discuss with you."

"Sure," Naruto agreed, eyeing his teammate curiously. The trio paid for the dango and left for the Hokage tower.

Tsunade was wearing a neutral expression; Jiraiya, on the other hand, regarded Naruto warily. He hadn't forgotten Naruto's outburst. Something was going through that blond head of his. And Tsunade knew, but she refused to tell him.

He'll be pleased to hear what I have to say. Jiraiya smiled. "I've got big news. According to my sources, Sasuke has killed Orochimaru."

"Good riddance," Naruto dusted his hands to add to the effect while Sakura grinned widely.

Sai didn't say anything, the strategic part of his mind knowing full well where it was heading. If Sasuke killed the Snake, it means he no longer wants, or needs, a teacher. He's prepared to fulfill his life-long goal of killing his brother. Tsunade was aware, hence the careful pokerface. Sakura and Jiraiya, oblivious to the events that took place during the training trip, were thrilled.

It hadn't occurred to Naruto what the news meant. He was happy because a traitor to the village was dead. "The kid will confront his psychotic brother soon," Jiraiya said and Naruto stiffened. "That kind of obsession doesn't wane easily. Hopefully he'll kill the bastard but this is Itachi Uchiha we're talking about. He won't go down so easy. I doubt the Uchiha brat will want any help—"

"Excuse me, I have work that requires my attention," Naruto fled, much to the surprise of his master and female teammate. Tsunade sighed.

"I must take my leave as well," Sai said. "I promised to help Dickless with his work." He exchanged a knowing glance with Tsunade. It wasn't missed by Jiraiya.

"What the hell's going on?"

"I've told you—"

"He's my student. I deserve to know."

Sakura looked between the two Sannin. "What's going on, Lady Tsunade?"

"Naruto shared something with me. And I will not betray that confidence. You," the Hokage said to her apprentice, "should understand the meaning of doctor-patient confidentiality. And as his friend, I advise you give him some room and let him sort his thoughts over his situation and come to you."

"I understand," she nodded. Does it have anything to do with why he suddenly decided Sasuke wasn't worth saving after all? Even though he'd fought the hardest for him.

"Go away Sai. I want to be alone for a while. I have work to do," Naruto poured over Sasori's book. The Devious Bastard certainly lived up to his name. He wasn't an expert in codebreaking but he knew the mess in front of him was going to be a pain to solve. Or maybe it was his lack of experience that made it difficult.

"It's important, Naruto," Sai replied seriously. His tone and use of Naruto instead of Dickless pulled at Naruto's sense of curiosity. "It's about the Uchiha." He joined his teammate on top of the Fourth Hokage's head.

"I already said I'm going to let Sasuke be and—"

"The other Uchiha."

"...What about him?"

"I know what happened during your training trip with Lord Jiraiya."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto shifted uncomfortably, feigning ignorance.

"I was there when you remembered." As per his usual Sai-self, he bludgeoned through. "It was an accident, but, I know everything about your de-aging and mistaking Itachi as your father and him placing you back where he found you."

Naruto went completely still, "So?"

"So?" Sai parroted in confusion.

"I mean...what know?"

"I don't...know?"

"Aren't you going to ask me about the Akatsuki or whatever?"

"That hadn't occurred to me actually."

"So...you're okay with it?"

Sai shrugged, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged in return.

"I wanted to let you know because friends don't keep secrets and I thought maybe I could help."

"They'd be great."

"Great."

"Okay."

"..."

Suddenly, Naruto started laughed, taking Sai by surprise. "I'm sorry, did I miss the joke?" He appeared puzzled.

"It's not that," Naruto shook his head. "I'm just glad you know. It lessens the burden."

"But Lady Tsunade knows," Sai pointed out. "She sensed me that day and told me so when I confronted her, asking her what to do."

"She's different. She's the Hokage and someone whom I respect and admire a lot, so I'm glad she knows. But she's not my teammate, my friend. It's difficult keeping this secret from Kakashi-sensei and especially Sakura." He paused and shot his dark-haired companion an apologetic look. "Not that it makes you any less of a teammate but considering my situation with, you know, him, it affects them more because of our connection to Sasuke."

Sai nodded, "Yes, I understand. Sakura still has feelings for him. Now that you mention it, what do you know about the Akatsuki?"

"I think I've met all the members and there are nine: Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Kakuzu, Hidan, Setsu, Konan, and their leader, Pain. I don't really remember what they look like. It was only a few years ago, but when I try to remember, it feels like it happened 10 years ago. I think Pain had ginger-hair cause I used to call him Uncle Carrot-Top. And I think he had a lot of facial piercings too."

"Have you told the Hokage about this?"

"Yeah. I tried the Transformation jutsu to show her but it failed. I couldn't remember his face clearly so I ended up looking like a tall, older, ginger-haired version of myself with my eyebrows, lips, and ears pieced."

"Were the others found in the bingo books by their names?"

"No, not all of them. Grandma Tsunade thinks they might not all be criminals."

"If they're strong enough to lead an organization of S-rank criminals they must be powerful. They'd have to be S-rank themselves and that should reduce the number by a lot," Sai deduced. "Else why would some of the best killers from around the Elemental Nations take orders from them?"

"Yeah, but they've stayed under the radar." Naruto's face scrunched up, "And it doesn't help that I also can't remember where I was living while I was with them. I remember the inside of the building well, and some of the outside, but the village is fuzzy."

"They kept the village's name secret, just in case."

"Now that you mention it, I don't think they ever mentioned the village's name around me." Naruto's eyes glazed over, "I do remember this one part clearly, when we were buying bubbles in the market."

"Although that itself doesn't help, if I were to draw everything you saw and put it together, someone like Lord Jiraiya, who has traveled the world, may have some idea where this village is."

"That's a great idea!" Naruto beamed. "I remember the weather was the opposite of Konoha. It was gray and raining there a lot. That clears most places in Fire Country and some in Wind. But it doesn't narrow it down enough."

"There is another problem, if, by some chance, we find this place, it's been years. They'd have to be extremely stupid to stay there knowing you've seen it." If Sai had been in their place, he'd have vacated within hours of Naruto disappearing, unwilling to take the risk.

"That might not be a problem," Naruto said thoughtfully. "Until I spoke about something that happened during my time with the Akatsuki, Kakuzu was under the assumption I'd lost my memories. But there is still a chance they erred on the side of caution and relocated," he said glumly.

"We had nothing before, now we know where to begin tracking them," Sai pointed out.

"You're right! It's a place to start!"

"Yes. So, did you really used to call the leader of the Akatsuki Uncle Carrot-Top?"

C'mon, c'mon. Naruto rummaged through his belongings. You have to be here somewhere.

The moon glowed outside. He had been settling in for the night when his conversation with Sai came back to him. Thinking about the affectionate title made him think of Pain rescuing him from Orochimaru. That in turn, led him to wonder how the man had tracked him. He had almost fallen asleep when it came to him. I found it!

He held up the ring, the moonlight bouncing off the kanji for jinchūriki. Naruto sat on the ground, studying the ring in the palm of his hand. He was almost afraid it would explode. The Akatsuki ring. He recalled Itachi's words about how each one was special to every member. They use these to communicate. He was tempted to put it on.

Naruto suddenly felt a wave of shame.

Putting on something of that organization of criminals, who had turned their backs to their villages, well, he may as well slash his headband. He was a jinchūriki. And it was the goal of the Akatsuki to hunt down people like him. People who would have likely gone through the same ordeals he did as a child.

I can't put this ring on. It made him feel too much like a traitor to his village and the other jinchūriki. I'll give it to Grandma Tsunade tomorrow.

But it was also a tracker. It had travelled with him on his journey with Jiraiya. And the Akatsuki, with Kakuzu dead, were still under the impression he couldn't remember anything. What if they thought he was still in the village and attacked while he was out on a mission?

No, what if they track me and surprise attack my team after a mission? If they were exhausted, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves properly. At least in the village, there were comrades everywhere. I have to turn it in.

He still couldn't help feeling reluctant. The ignorant, childish part of him that had been raised, if only for days, by his father, an Akatsuki member, felt like he was letting go of something important. Naruto clenched his fist with the ring. This is not my legacy to inherit.

Resolving himself, he decided to hand it in first thing the following morning.

Tsunade studied the ring. "How did you come to keep it?"

"My guess is Sasori," he shrugged. "As I was returning to my real age, my thumb would have gotten too big for it. He could have taken it off and slipped it in my things when he was putting the book there."

"And if he had the presence of mind to steal the book back and bring it with him, he must have figured Itachi was going to try to send you away. Don't give me that look. That doesn't mean I think Itachi is secretly a good person like you believe. He's a masterful liar. According to the reports, he was a shinobi devoted to the village and a great brother before he snapped and killed them all. What reason could he possibly have to do that?"

"I don't know. But I know there's something there!" Naruto insisted, causing her to sigh. "Can I take a look at those reports?" He suddenly recalled a name and his hand flew to the base of his neck, "Have you ever heard of Shisui Uchiha?"

"What were you told of him?"

"Itachi mentioned he was his best friend and that I reminded him a lot of Shisui." It was Naruto's first time mentioning Itachi by his name. It had taken him a while to squash his first impulse to refer to him as 'Dad.'

"He was known as Shisui of the Body Flicker."

"What happened to him?" He asked anxiously. "Did...Itachi kill him with the others?"

"No. He committed suicide before the clan was massacred."

"What?" Naruto was taken back. That was not what he had been expecting at all.

"I read the file on Itachi after you told me about what had happened. Then I had the Uchiha Police files dug up on Shisui and it seemed they were suspicious it wasn't suicide. There were no hints pointing in Itachi's direction but he was the heir. They wouldn't have wanted to leave a paper trail, proof that they were investigating him as a suspect. I thought it was suspicious how long the investigation was open for an apparently obvious suicide."

What the hell? Naruto frowned. Itachi had spoken so highly of Shisui. "This isn't making any sense."

Children's memories, especially from the age he remembered, are much more reliable than most people realize. Tsunade thought. Children were not as capable of coming up with false memories. However, there is his actual childhood to take into consideration. She wondered how likely it was that his loneliness had contributed in making Itachi out to be more positive than he may have actually been. Even if Naruto had remembered everything accurately, Itachi was still deceitful and had simply done an excellent fooling the boy.

Tsunade's eyes fell back on the ring. "Where exactly did you find this?"

"Huh?" Naruto was confused at the sudden change in topic. "Where?"

"You've had the ring with you the entire time you were with Jiraiya. After you were returned that is. If you are right and Pain used this to track you to Orochimaru's hideout, couldn't the Akatsuki have found you any time and ambushed the two of you?"

"Oh yeah!" His eyes widened.

"You said it was in a scroll, yes? Did it have seals you didn't recognize by any chance?"

"Maybe... You think Sasori had something to do with that?"

"He had plans for you. You wouldn't be of much use to him if you were dead."

"That's true. Man, he thought of everything," Naruto said, impressed.

Tsunade recalled Sakura's detailed report on his death. "Sasori gave Sakura a clue before dying as a reward. And years before that, he helped you and setup all this up. He was a strange man." She put the ring in her coat. "Bring me the scroll when you have the chance. I will hold on to the ring until then."

"I'm the only one who can use it. Shouldn't I try and see if I can spy on them?"

"We don't know how it works. I'd rather not risk them finding out your memories have returned."

"But what if they begin tracking me?"

"Good," Tsunade narrowed her eyes. After the infiltration in Suna and the kidnapping of the Kazekage, she had ordered all the guards to a mandatory evaluation. "Let them come to me. Saves us the trouble of hunting them down." A knock came from the door. "Come in."

"Sorry, Lady Tsunade I—oh, Naruto, you're already here."

"Thank you, Sakura."

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto eyed Sai, Kakashi, and Jiraiya curiously.

"You ran off after I told you about Sasuke killing Orochimaru," Jiraiya answered. "We're finishing that conversation today. Thought it'd be best to have the whole team together," he gestured to the teen's teammates and sensei.

The group discussed capturing a member of the Akatsuki and having Ibiki interrogate him. Though Kakashi argued they were all too dangerous and that plan was unlikely to succeed. So they decided to be patient and wait for Itachi to reveal himself, leaving to prepare for the upcoming mission.

They were going to have a confrontation soon anyway. Tsunade thought, mind on Naruto and Itachi. Sasuke had to feel ready to kill Itachi since he had killed his Sannin master. This has been a long time coming. Before, it had been a matter of how to punish the idiot after his team dragged his sorry ass back—if he had survived the encounter with Itachi.

She leaned back in her chair, arm resting on the desk, staring out the window. Now, even if the younger Uchiha brat survives, it won't be the happy ending Sakura and Kakashi are hoping for. Naruto would be undoubtedly upset at Itachi's death. But would he hold a grudge against Sasuke? It's not his style.

Still, she knew it was bound to be a headache. A part of Naruto had stuck Itachi on a pedestal. And after reading Sasori's note, he was eager to believe his beloved father-figure was secretly good and justified in his actions, blind to the fact he could have only been faking to keep the boy in line, making it easier to manipulate and use him. Itachi had everyone fooled before he slaughtered his entire family. It would have been easy to trick a young Naruto, desperate for love and affection.

Tsunade tapped her finger, brow furrowed. But it doesn't make any sense. What did Sasori get from proving there was a secret behind the Uchiha massacre? If there really was something there. And how would he know Naruto would be inclined to see the best in Itachi and believe his words. Was it a gamble? Or is there truly something there? But if there was, wouldn't she know about it? The Uchiha massacre had taken place while she was away from the village. When she had accepted the position of Hokage, wouldn't they have shared it with her?

They. Who were 'they?' Hypothetically, if there is more to Itachi's actions, who would have known? She couldn't guess without knowing the purpose of the senseless loss of life. Although...

There was one person she suspected who could know of such information if it existed.

Danzō Shimura.

Tsunade's expression turned sour. If she had to pick someone in the village who was capable of a massacre, and Itachi wasn't an option, she would bet all her money on the leader of the ANBU Root. The man was sleazy and ruthless and as power hungry as they came. He'd had his eyes on her position from a very, very long time. Lurking around in the darkness, striking from the shadows, that was his style and Danzō was careful never to leave any evidence tracing back to him, leaving her with no way of getting rid of him.

Damn you Sarutobi-sensei. As much as she respected the late Hokage, he had been far too lenient with his old friend. And Orochimaru. Now it was coming back to bite her in the ass. Danzō had grown far too powerful, establishing an entire organization of emotionless killers devoted completely to him. It makes it impossible for me to have him assassinated.

With an irritated growled, Tsunade opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake. Pouring herself a cup, she quickly drank it down, savoring the taste. Calmly, she put the bottle and the cup away before Shizune returned and scolded her for drinking in the afternoon again. I better talk to Naruto before they head out. And Sai.

She did not need a desperate Naruto to approach Itachi, thinking they shared a bond, and that he could talk him into coming back, getting himself captured instead.

"Naruto!"

"Pervy Sage?"

"Nice to see you aren't snapping at me."

"Sorry about that," Naruto looked embarrassed. "I was just in a mood last time and I ended up taking it out on you. I'm sorry about slamming the door shut in your face."

"You know, you can tell me if something's bothering you," he put his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Thanks," he nodded.

"You don't look too happy. How about we talk over a meal? It's been a while."

"If you're paying."

The teacher and student went to Ichiraku's and talked, with Jiraiya explaining the reasoning behind Kakashi's suggestion. The two bickered, as usual, and Naruto felt better than he had in a while. "Hey, Pervy Sage, you know about Sasori's journal, right? Think you could help me out with it?"

"When you return from your mission, I will," Jiraiya promised.

"You can take a look if you want," Naruto shrugged.

"I have something I'm looking into," he answered distractedly. "So we'll work on it together after I come back."

Tsunade had, from a source, found out the names of the Akatsuki members. Jiraiya's mind had been stuck on one name since. Konan. He would have dismissed it—because what were the chances?—but his lead that he planned to pursue while Naruto and the others went after Itachi pointed him to Ame. The last he had heard of his students, they were making a big difference in the village, helping to bring about peace. The idea of his former student joining the ranks of Akatsuki made him ill. Where were Yahiko and Nagato?

I should have checked in on them. Even after he had passed them and the war ended, he should have kept up with their escapades. I hope I'm not too late now. He loathed the idea of one his precious pupils turning into another Orochimaru. I failed him. I hope I haven't failed them too.

*I purposefully misspelled Zetsu as Setsu because Naruto is remembering the name incorrectly.

It was so damn embarrassing going back and editing this story. All those chapters littered with spelling and grammar errors as well as a few plot holes, ugh.

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