I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.


Long Time No See

Menma sighed, lying back on his bed. When Jiraiya had told him to go to his room and stay there, he had hoped he would at least give him something to do, like teaching him the new jutsu he promised him. So far, nothing. Menma sighed, again, getting up and placing a Gravity Seal on his hand then beginning to do push ups. Then, after several minutes, a knock came at the door.

"Well that was quick," Menma snorted. "Did she dump you already?"

The person knocked again.

"Jeez," Menma snorted, pulling his mask on and slipping off the bed into his sandals. "She must have really gotten to you."

Another knock, more urgent this time.

"Alright already, sheesh," Menma sighed. "Just let me unlock it."

He turned the lock, pulling the door open and froze. Black cloak. Red clouds. He slowly lifted his head, staring into the man's eyes. Sharingan.

"Long time no see, Menma Uzumaki," Itachi greeted, hand closing around Menma's throat, lifting him of the ground easily, since Menma had released his Gravity Seals when Itachi knocked the first time.

"Itachi?" Menma choked out, looking past him to the taller man with blue skin and a massive sword wrapped in bandages on his back. "Who's that? What are you doing here?"

"So many questions," Itachi sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have time to answer them. You're coming with us to meet the rest of the Akatsuki. We're going to extract the Nine-tails from you to use it to take over the world. That's all you need to know."

Menma placed a level two Gravity Seal on his hand and Itachi dropped to the floor, twenty times his own weight pinning him. Then, Menma landed on his feet, drawing his sword and jumping over Itachi, slashing at the other ninja. The ninja had his sword out, blocking Menma's instantly, then kicked Menma, throwing him down the hall. Menma flipped, landing on his feet and held his sword in front of himself.

"That's a nice sword you've got there," the ninja grinned. "My name's Kisame Hoshigaki, and this is my sword Samehada, otherwise known as Sharkskin."

"Pleasure," Menma snarled charging.

His sword met Samehada with a loud clash, then, several layers of seal script appeared along Menma's blade before all turning into pure chakra and being absorbed into Samehada, which grey, breaking out of its bandages, revealing its blade to be made up of scales, designed for shredding, not for cutting. Menma moved to shove the sword away and Kisame yanked on the handle, the scales sparking against Menma's sword for a moment before Menma's blade snapped in half. Samehada crashed to the ground beside Menma, and Menma leapt backward, staring at his supposedly indestructible sword. He put the handle on his back and let go, but the sword clattered to the floor. He stared at it. Then, he looked under his shirt. The seal that was supposed to hold it to him was gone. It had faded when Samehada had absorbed that seal script from Menma's sword. Menma's eyes widened. Not just seal script. The jutsus. Samehada had absorbed the jutsus on Menma's sword, making it just a normal blade. That's why it had broken.

Menma drew his trench knives, glaring at Kisame as Itachi stood, cracking his neck and stepping into the hallway. He looked at Naruto, his Sharingan now having two three-bladed shuriken-like designs with each blade curved slightly clockwise, and suddenly everything was blood red and black, and Kisame wasn't moving.

"Naruto," Itachi said. "We are inside my Genjutsu. It's called Tsukuyomi. Time passes much faster here than in the real world. Barely a second will have passed when we return to it."

"Why are you doing this?" Menma demanded.

"I told you," Itachi said. "The Akatsuki wishes to remove the Nine-tails from you, and harness its power."

"Yes, but why are you doing it," Menma demanded.

"I'm not," Itachi said. "I'm in deep cover for the Hidden Leaf, gathering as much intelligence as possible on the Akatsuki."

"What do you have so far?" Menma asked.

"Kisame wields a living sword capable of absorbing chakra and jutsus, as it did with those protecting your sword," Itachi stated. "Another member, Deidara, utilizes explosive clay as a weapon, and has the power to subdue a Tailed Beast in a single blast. Sasori, Deidara's partner, uses puppets, though I don't know much else about him. Hidan is immortal, literally. His partner, Kakuzu possesses the ability known as Earth Grudge Fear. A terrifying ability that grants its users control over an endless number of small black cords to fight with, at the cost of your body becoming segmented, and stitched together by the cords. Kakuzu is almost immortal, thanks to Earth Grudge Fear's ability to take the hearts of opponents and replace those you own, extending your life. Kakuzu carries five hearts, each heart granting him a different Chakra Nature affinity. The rest I know nothing about."

"That's plenty," Menma said. "Come home."

"I cannot," Itachi said. "I must stay in the Akatsuki a little longer. The Akatsuki will be making their move soon. I will do my best to not allow it. These are the other members of the Akatsuki."

Several images appeared. All wore the same robes.

"This is Deidara," Itachi said, indicating one with a blond ponytail and bangs hiding his left eye. "This is Hidan."

He indicated a man with a cocky, sadistic smile and his grey hair combed back. Hidan wore a pendant of a triangle inside a circle around his neck and carried a large scythe with three red blades one under the other.

"Kakuzu," Itachi continued.

Kakuzu had a white hood, blood red sclerae, a black mask over his nose and mouth, black backing for his forehead protector, and was terrifying even though it was just an image.

"Sasori," Itachi said.

He indicated a man that was hunched over, almost to the point of dragging his chest on the ground. The man's cloak was specially tailored to fit him, and there was a massive, mechanical, segmented scorpion tail reaching out of the back of his cloak. He wore a black bandana over his mouth and had his hair in cornrows.

"This is Zetsu," Itachi said, indicating a man with the left half of his face white and the right half a featureless black with a round yellow dot for an eye.

The man had green hair, and a green, plant-like growth on each side of his head like a massive, carnivorous flytrap.

"Konan," Itachi said, indicating the only female.

She had blue hair with a bun on the side, a blue rose stuck through the bun, a piercing in the middle of her lower lip, and yellowish orange eyes.

"This is the leader, Pein," Itachi said.

This person was only a silhouette. He had spiky hair, and the only real feature was the glowing purple eyes with a ripple design.

"I know absolutely nothing about these three," Itachi said indicating Pein, Konan, and Zetsu. "That is why I must remain."

"Alright," Menma nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Itachi said. "Now, when I release you, collapse."

Everything turned back to normal and Itachi's eyes returned to normal Sharingan, blood running out of one of them. He held a hand to it as Menma sank to his knees before falling forward, letting himself go limp as he hit the ground, closing his eyes.

"Tsukuyomi," Kisame noted. "Good job. Though, I think you're overusing that one."

"Yes," Itachi nodded.

"Itachi!" Sasuke's voice shouted as he stepped round the corner.

Menma frowned behind his mask. Bad timing Sasuke. Really bad. He heard Sasuke's Chidori form. Well. So much for talking to him.

"Dodge this!" Sasuke shouted, sounding as though he were daring Itachi.

"Very well," Itachi said as Sasuke sprinted forward, Chidori tearing a channel in the wall beside Sasuke.

Sasuke leapt forward, driving his Chidori at Itachi as Itachi raised his arm, deflecting Sasuke's with ease. The Chidori blasted the wall out and Itachi's Sharingan changed again. Then, after a second, Sasuke also collapsed. Menma could see from Sasuke's chakra that he was faking as well. Be could also sense Jiraiya. He would be there any second. Finally.

Kisame raised his sword, slashing downward, and a toad appeared in the way, blocking the blade. Then, Jiraiya appeared behind Menma, setting the woman he had gone on a date with against one wall. Then, he turned to the two Akatsuki members.

"Alright you two," Jiraiya said. "Now you face me."

Kisame backed away and Itachi stared at Jiraiya. Jiraiya began to make hand seals and slammed his hands down on the ground. flesh began to grow on everything.

"Ninja Art, Toad Mouth Trap," Jiraiya said.

The flesh on the ground began to rise, wrapping around Kisame and Itachi's feet and Kisame's sword.

"This way," Itachi said, turning and running away from Jiraiya.

"Easier said than done," Kisame said, ripping his sword free and following.

After they had rounded the corner, Menma stood, Sasuke doing the same, and they saw a wall of tentacles grow out of the wall at the corner, following the pair. Then, the ground shook and the three of them sprinted around the corner, finding the end of the hallway burned and with a gaping hole in it, surrounded by black flames.

"Black flames?" Menma blinked.

"Amaterasu," Sasuke said. "One of the most powerful jutsus the Uchiha clan possesses, granted only by the Mangekyo Sharingan. It burns through anything, and cannot be extinguished. It will even burn other flames."

"That's a very dangerous jutsu," Jiraiya said, unrolling a scroll and quickly writing down a seal. "Sealing Jutsu, Fire Seal!"

Chakra reached out from the seal, enveloping the flames, turning them into chakra, then retreated into the seal, a glowing red symbol appearing inside the seal, which was four arrows, before the light faded, leaving the symbol black. Jiraiya rolled the scroll up and put it away, turning to Sasuke.

"So, what happened?" Jiraiya asked.

"He gave me all of his information on the Akatsuki," Menma said.

"He and I discussed his destruction of our clan," Sasuke said. "He'll be returning to the Leaf Village as soon as he can do so without drawing the entirety of the Akatsuki with him."

Jiraiya nodded and sighed.

"Alright," Jiraiya said. "Sasuke, you head back to the Hidden Leaf. And thank you for delaying them. Menma and I have to finish our mission. Then we'll be back."

Sasuke nodded and turned to Menma.

"Be careful," Sasuke said. "Somehow I suspect it won't be as easy as going for a walk."

"Never," Menma snorted. "But I'll be back soon."

Sasuke nodded and left through the hole in the wall, and Jiraiya and Menma left the hotel after Jiraiya had returned the hallway to its normal state, the pair deciding to simply keep moving.


Read and review.