36. Travelling to the Slug Princess.

Naruto stood at the village gates, a sigh leaving his lips. He was wearing black ninja pants pulled into white stirrups and black ninja sandals. He had a small white wrap around his right thigh, a thing black leather strip over that which was the strap for his kunai holster. He was wearing the standard leaf village flak jacket; beneath he was wearing a black shirt, it had a deep V neck that revealed a see through mesh shirt beneath. Th sleeves were long and large, swallowing his hands. On both cuffs there was a small pearl coloured spiral. Naruto's sword was slung diagonally on his waist. His forehead protector was tied to his upper arm. His red hair was pulled into a ponytail with a black hair tie. He sighed again as he waited, he heard two chunin on gate patrol.

"Who are you going on a mission with Naruto" questioned Kotetsu; Naruto sighed and blew a bit of his hair out of his eyes.

"Shikamaru, we are partnered together for a while" said Naruto, Kotetsu nodded seriously.

"What is your mission" questioned Izumo; Naruto sighed and looked at them both.

"I can't tell you that" said Naruto. They both nodded seriously, all three of them perked up as they heard sluggish footsteps come towards them.

"Sorry I am late Naruto" said Shikamaru, Naruto noticed the tired look in his eyes.

"You were watching the clouds and fell asleep" said Naruto, Shikamaru smirked and nodded. Shikamaru was wearing the general chunin wear, instead with black pants and top, white tape at his ankles, the headband sewn into the upper arm, a small scroll in one of the pockets on the flak jacket.

"I didn't want to wear this, I wanted to wear my normal clothes, but my mother wouldn't allow it." said Shikamaru as he noticed Naruto's look at his clothes.

"Well let's get going, as apparently, she doesn't stay still long, and if she moves it will be difficult to find her" said Naruto, Shikamaru nodded.

"Convincing her to return is also an issue" said Shikamaru, Naruto nodded. He held out a small chain.

"Attach it to your belt, it just a means of back up, I can be where you are in a flash" said Naruto with a wink and smile. Shikamaru nodded and both began to leisurely stroll down the dust path away from the village.

"I am glad it's you on this mission" said Shikamaru, Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why's that" questioned Naruto, Shikamaru smiled slightly.

"If there is any fighting, I can just sit back and relax" said Shikamaru, Naruto laughed briefly. They had walked for a couple of hours when they both decided to take to the trees. Kakashi was stood outside the tea shop, his back against one of the posts. His eye briefly glancing to the two figures sat on the inside. Both were wearing large black cloaks with red clouds on them, they also wore a conical straw hat with small ornamental torques and tassels hanging down over their face. Kakashi perked up as Sasuke came running towards him.

"You wanted to see me Kakashi" questioned Sasuke, Kakashi eye smiled.

"Nope, I didn't want to see you Sasuke, you are still under house arrest" said Kakashi, his eyes briefly flicking to the figures and noticed no change.

"Yes you…SO I BREACH IT BECAUSE YOU DECIDE TO WASTE MY TIME, and I can't find Naruto anywhere, do you know where he is" said Sasuke, Kakashi noticed the two figures shift in their seats. Kurenai and Asuma walked around the corner and found Kakashi stood with Sasuke in front of him, they could see the tension on Kakashi.

"Hey Kakashi, Sasuke bothering you" said Asuma as a joke, Sasuke turned and raised an eyebrow

"Me bothering him, he calls me here, and then says he doesn't want to see me, and then he won't tell me where Naruto is" said Sasuke, Asuma and Kurenai saw Kakashi's eyes flick to the two figures who were getting up. They both nodded silently and followed.

"Sasuke, I think Naruto went on a mission, he said he will talk to you once he gets back." Said Kakashi, Sasuke smiled slightly and nodded.

"Thanks Kakashi" said Sasuke as he ran off. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.

TU

Naruto and Shikamaru had made good time; night had just fallen over the small gambling town. This was their point of contact with an informant who apparently had some information for them. Both were sat in the hotel room, Naruto was sat on the floor in the lotus position. Shikamaru was relaxed on one of the beds.

"How are we going to handle the informant" questioned Naruto without opening his eyes, Shikamaru sat up with a groan.

"I was thinking, have you sit in front of him, making eye contact, and you tell if he is lying" said Shikamaru, Naruto nodded.

"By checking his pupils" said Naruto as a statement, Shikamaru nodded, though Naruto couldn't see.

"Yeah, and you are then in a position to throw him into a genjutsu, and I will be there to hold him still" said Shikamaru, Naruto nodded and he fell back into his meditative state. He and Kurama had been talking a lot, Naruto was attempting to understand Kurama, and Kurama was just being bipolar. It wasn't until late into the night that Naruto awoke Shikamaru for his turn of keeping watch. Naruto slept peacefully. Naruto awoke to an empty room, his eyes landing on a note posted on the wall.

"Naruto, I am just going to buy some provisions. My troublesome mother forgot to pack a few important things; I knew I should have just done it myself. Back soon" the note read, Naruto sighed and shook his head. His flak jacket was hung on the back of the bed, leaving him in his long sleeved shirt. He moved to his sword when he heard a knock on the door. Naruto sent out a chakra pulse to sense who was there, and he recognised neither of the two signatures. Naruto wrapped a hand around the hilt of his sword he unsheathed it and held out his other hand, and with a sound of wind blowing lightly; a tri-pronged kunai was in his hand. He moved to the door and opened it. Stood outside the door were two men. The first was a tall muscular man He had a distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale blue-grey skin tone, small, round white eyes and gill-like facial markings under his eyes. He wore a large black cloak, red clouds printed on them. On his back was a large sword that was covered in bandages. The other had dark eyes, black hair that hung near his cheeks; the most distinguishing characteristics were the long pronounced tear troughs under his eyes. Naruto was able to see the resemblance almost instantly, though this man's hair was a duller black, and his skin tone was a bit darker. He was no doubt Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's brother.

"Is this the brat Itachi" said the blue skinned man; Itachi looked down at Naruto, his dark eyes scanning over Naruto.

"He looks different, but yes this is him" said Itachi; the blue skinned man smirked, showing the rows of pointed teeth. He pulled the large sword off of his back.

"Good to hear, now come quietly brat, or I will have to deal some damage" said the blue skinned man; Itachi looked at the blue skinned man with a short scowl.

"Don't forget Kisame, we need him alive" said Itachi, Kisame smirked, Naruto tensed.

"If you think I will come quietly, I am happy to disappoint" said Naruto, he dashed forward and slashed out with his sword. He was thankful the halls were large enough he could full swing his sword. Kisame jumped back on the left side, Itachi was on the right. Naruto let the yellow lightning pulse. Itachi looked shocked for the briefest of moments. Naruto disappeared; Kisame barely had enough time to block the blade. His sword began to squirm; he could feel his swords pain. It felt like burning. Naruto spun and twisted his body, his feet leaving the ground, dodging kunai thrown by Itachi. Naruto landed on his feet and teleported once more. Naruto didn't give either of them time to move, he was teleporting between each of them before they could move. Naruto stopped in the centre, dropping to his knees, his hands clapping together in the snake hand seal. Both Kisame and Itachi felt their bodies lock of their own accord. Itachi saw the seal that had been carved into the walls.

"This brat is something else" Kisame thought to himself, Itachi was focused.

"He has matured far beyond his years, to be able to use the fourths hiraishin at his age, but it's not the hiraishin, it's something else" thought Itachi, they watched as two shadows seemed to pull off of Naruto, two clones stood facing Itachi and Kisame, their hands in the horse hand seal. Itachi cursed mentally.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation" called out Naruto. The giant flames consumed everything as they headed towards their targets.

"Shit" cursed out Kisame, he then felt the familiar pressure from Itachi and he smirked. The Naruto clone watched as black fire began to consume his fire technique. The clone quickly pulled out a tri-pronged kunai, the opposite doing the same. Kisame looked confused; the clone facing Itachi moved his hands, Snake, Horse, Rat, and Ram it then held the kunai, the seal facing the fire. The black fire began to be pulled into the kunai. Almost instantly, it disappeared, and Kisame's yells of pain filled the hall. Itachi looked shell shocked, never had he seen his technique thwarted. The clones disappeared; the kunai's dropping to the ground. Kisame was crumpled on the ground, the black fire consuming. The sword was making strange noises as it writhed. Naruto stood quickly, his hands moving from the snake seal, he picked up his sword and pointed it towards Itachi, his sharingan spinning, causing Itachi's eyes to widen.

"What do you want from me" said Naruto simply; Itachi looked towards his agonized teammate.

"Get rid of those flames and I will tell you" said Itachi, Naruto looked at the writhing mass.

"Can you guarantee your teammate will honour your choice" said Naruto, Itachi gave a brief nod. Naruto nodded and spun, he pulled a scroll out of one of his flak jacket pockets, he unrolled the scroll and there was a containment seal. Naruto's hands flashed Rat, Bird and Tiger. The seal morphed and chakra began to leap out and grab the black flames covering Kisame. It took a while, but all of the flames were sealed within the scroll. Naruto rolled the scroll back up and turned to look at the grateful Itachi.

"Our organisations name is Akatsuki, we are going to obtain all of the tailed beasts, we will be kidnapping every Jinchuuriki and removing the beasts" said Itachi said, Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"What of the Jinchuuriki?" questioned Naruto

"They die, a result of the unsealing" said Itachi, Naruto felt ice shoot through his veins. He looked to see Itachi giving him a look he couldn't recognise.

"What?" asked Naruto, Itachi smiled slightly

"You are the reason my brother has not turned into a monster, I owe you. My gift shall be given at the appropriate time." Said Itachi cryptically, he moved to Kisame and with one final nod to Naruto, he disappeared in a blur. Naruto sighed and sat back, he looked at the destroyed hallway, his hands moved into the ram seal, the charred walls disappeared, the scraped seal also disappeared. Naruto watched as one of his own marked Kunai turned to a pile of metal dust. Shikamaru came around the corner a kunai in his hand.

"Why couldn't I get around the corner" questioned Shikamaru, Naruto sighed.

"I was attacked by Itachi Uchiha and some guy called Kisame, I put us in a space-time barrier." Said Naruto, he sighed, and began to pick up the kunai.

"Then how come they could leave" questioned Shikamaru, Naruto sighed.

"I don't know, there must have been a gap" said Naruto simply, Shikamaru looked at him questioningly.

"Naruto, I couldn't find a single entry point" said Shikamaru, Naruto just stood up and sighed before he moved towards the room.

"I let them go, they were both injured and one was close to death" said Naruto, Shikamaru nodded, he was thoughtful.

"You know they will be back" said Shikamaru, Naruto smirked slightly.

"They will just be subjected to the same thing again" said Naruto, Shikamaru shook his head.

"They will know what to expect next time" said Shikamaru, Naruto shook his head.

"Next time, I won't be in such a cramped space" said Naruto simply, Shikamaru nodded and closed the door to the room.

Another chapter released, and I want to apologise for my sloppy mistake the previous chapter, I had gotten into the habit of writing for film, and it kind of stuck, I have made the small change which was simply a line break. So let me know what you think of this new chapter