Summary:

' "Please Itachi… I know I can't save Sasuke but I can save you." Itachi considered these words before knocking Naruto's hand away.' Redemption begins in the form of salvation, at least that's what Naruto believes. ItaNaru Spoilers for Manga Chapters 365+

Pairing:

ItaNaru

One-sided SasuNaru

Challenge From:

xXxFrostyIceCubexXx

Warnings:

Character death, Manga incorporation, predictions as to 'what happens next', sexual situations later on/eventual Yaoi.

Cursed Salvation, Descending Redemption

Chapter Thirty Six

Echo

a repetition of sound produced by the reflection of sound waves from a wall, mountain, or other obstructing surface

反響

It was nearing to nightfall and Pein was beginning to wish that he'd just come alone. The team behind him weren't used to the Akatsuki's durability and this wore on Pein's nerves. They were constantly stopping, or so it seemed to the Rinnegan user, and he had to listen to the bickering pair as they argued over everything. Sasuke didn't even rein them in to shut them up, some Team Leader.

Pein's neck tingled and a kunai whizzed from his hand, up to the trees. A dark shape fell from the tree nearby and the group behind him silenced, looking for orders. Scowling as he confirmed his thoughts on what the object was, Pein retrieved his kunai and lifted the feathered body up to the rest of the team.

Sasuke's reaction was the most amusing; his eyes widened and shot a glare of pure hatred towards Pein, as if he'd caused a grievous offence. Well, he basically had; the raven he had killed could have been Itachi, he knew it wasn't now because the body would have lost its form and returned to the human form… besides; it would take more than a kunai to kill Uchiha Itachi for sure.

"If you see a raven, kill it. No questions just do it." Pein wasn't going to take chances here; Itachi had to be terminated and this was one way that he could ensure this. He hated that he might not be the one to end the Uchiha's life but it was better that someone else do it than Pein surrender his heavens to a false God.

"Why?" It was obviously, predictably, Sasuke who had asked the question and Pein answered as he threw the body of the bird on the floor, stepping over it nimbly.

"The reason is because birds are spies. There are people in Konoha who formed alliances long ago and the Hokage's personal friend has a high degree of control over them. They'll be part of the Jinchuuriki's defence and we need to break the defence as soon as possible."

Sasuke scowled, casting his mind back and wondering who this personal friend of Naruto's could be. As far as he knew, there were only a few people in Konoha who even had contact with birds, all of whom were in the older generations. How Naruto could become such a close personal friend to one – and while letting Pein know about it – Sasuke didn't know but continued to think, just in case an answer did come to his mind.

They continued onwards, Pein's eyes scouting the skies for dark shapes. There was one, but it was too high off for them to touch and he wasn't sure if it was really a bird or a figment of his imagination.

The Rinnegan blurred slightly and Pein held out a hand, knowing that they'd arrived at the very border of Konohagakure. He nodded to himself before looking back at the group.

"Unfortunately I have to explain how to get in so if you do get captured, don't let it be a Yamanaka clan member, they'd pry too much out of us and I don't want that to happen. We'll be sending the Summon Realm in so that they underestimate our numbers and that is all you need to know."

Uncharacteristically, Pein was being rather articulate. He hated the fact that he had to dictate the plans they were to carry out but it was the only way to ensure a successful mission. Sasuke had messed up – rather spectacularly – on the last mission, and only mission, he had performed for the Akatsuki so it was only fair that he was treated as an idiotic child.

Pein was just thankful that he didn't have to include diagrams into the equation; that would be the true downfall of his reputation.

Before he could explain how they were to counter the barrier, four shadowy forms escaped the trees and stood before them. The ravens cocked their heads before simultaneously morphing into their billowing cloaks.

"Akatsuki, we cannot allow you entry into Konohagakure no Sato. You defy rules of entry by coming here with resolutions to harm our Hokage and his village, something we cannot allow."

Pein stared at the forms, Rinnegan searching through the folds of the clothing in order to identify if any of them were Itachi.

"You won't find our Master here, Pein of Akatsuki." Pein's eyes narrowed and he replied tersely,

"So is he guarding your precious Hokage?"

Silence answered his question and a plan began to form in Pein's mind. He knew that if Itachi wasn't guarding the Hokage directly, he must be here. There was no way that the Uchiha would allow himself to abandon his birthplace again, especially as he could deal a mighty hand in this upcoming battle.

Which only left one option left; Itachi was here and the four were just playing with his mind. Now it was just a case of assessing each figure to see which one fitted the Uchiha's profile. There was one assurance here; Itachi wouldn't be able to disguise himself by use of Genjutsu as the Rinnegan would be able to combat it easily. If there were any changes to his build, they would have had to be put on by acting… and Itachi was a marvellous actor.

Pein wouldn't have even doubted the elder Uchiha brother's loyalty unless Madara had told him the story he had to Sasuke. He had been angry that it had been told to him after the battle in which Itachi had died, but the anger had subsided when he realised it was for the better.

Yet now, as the man was alive and he had been deceived yet again, Pein felt that it was time to even up the score. Itachi had lulled him into a false sense of security; he had believed wholly the Uchiha to be on their side and it irritated him to know that his supposed godly powers hadn't been able to see something that was so obviously under his nose.

Taking another glance at the group that had arranged themselves in a diamond shape; he lazily flicked a kunai from the folds of his cloaks.

"Stay back," he warned the others, not out of compassion or care but for the honour of the battle. This was his battle, his kill, and if the damned brat or his annoying team got in the way then he wasn't going to hold back any strike meant for the cloaked figures.

Pein surveyed the forms critically, eyes taking in the various moves he could perform and the possible counters. The feeling was exhilarating; he almost always knew what to expect out of an opponent as the Akatsuki only battled those it was deemed worthy to and Pein's last concern had been with a freelance Bijuu – an intelligent one that rubbed against its container and ended up somewhere between the two and very, very, volatile.

In a blur of black and red, Pein rushed forwards, a kunai laced to each finger. As he jumped over the group he loosened the weapons and they flew into the centre of the diamond. In one swift movement, the five Paths split; three taking up defensive positions and two others joining Pein.

Waiting for a reaction, Pain sent the other two Paths – the ones that had joined him – to the sides and connected the chakra ropes he had pulled onto the kunai to them, in effect splitting the diamond up so that they formed a triangle, connected at a centre point of chakra and kunai.

Without a single word or thought, the Paths – as one – pulled the strings tight and flared the chakra. The metal grew hot suddenly, expanding a little, and the first part of the plan was in motion. The four figures remained statue like as Pein smirked, ice spiking into the middle and coating the heated objects; serving to cool them rapidly.

The result was painful shards of sharpened metal bursting into the triangular perimeter, not passing the chakra connection but inflicting what appeared to be multiple wounds upon the black figures.

Returning to where the backup defence parties stood, the three Paths watched in interest as the dust from the explosion cleared, Pein's eyes locked on the one that had now moved to the centre. From past experiences, Pein knew that the highest in command was the most powerful and most respected of the group.

Itachi had mentioned that he had always been in high command amongst the birds; it would take an idiot not to notice how they would willingly subject themselves to use in his techniques. Not all of the ravens used were illusionary and many of them had carried messages discreetly from Akatsuki to the Uchiha and Kisame in times of communication lapse.

It was this way that Pein knew that Itachi had to be the one in the centre. The others would always form a blockade around the most important member and this was how Pein concluded that Itachi was that one. The build was similar, if a little stooped over, and the small gestures of the person reminded him of Itachi.

In unison, the four prepared their counter; each clasping their hands together in a seal and muttering words that came out as whispered caws. Pein watched them closely as he noticed a sealing circle move around them yet only realised what the nature of the sealing was when the first marks of possession crept upwards.

"Jump," was the smooth order – the only order he'd ever have to shout – that escaped his mouth and the huge pool of darkness that the circle had summoned brushed against their feet as they moved from the area.

Without wasting any time, for that was one of the things Pein hated the most, the Rinnegan flickered in his vision and he growled; the eyes paid a price, like any eye did, and it just so happened that they decided to be difficult now. Itachi had been the one to survive with eye conditions, near blindness if Sasuke's report of him blinding fully was anything to go by, and he would be operating with either borrowed eyes or no sight now.

Pein refused to allow the Uchiha to beat him. The Sharingan was dominated by the Rinnegan and that meant Pein had to prevail over the Uchiha.

Usually Pein entered conflicts calmly, sticking to minimalistic fights and generally not moving much. Usually he would enjoy his opponent as they destroyed themselves but he had a fine chance here to not only kill one of the Hokage's guards (more if he was to be so lucky) but the figure he believed to be Itachi.

And so, with the true thoughts of conflict swirling in his mind, Pein launched his attack. With each flicker of the Rinnegan, one path attacked. It was simultaneous, fast-paced, distressing and yet so beautiful.

This was a true battle, one where they could fight without limitations and yet still outnumber the enemy, letting Pein know he was to be the victor.

The fight lasted only a few minutes yet, to the spectators, it was a blur of metallic rings, people and black clothing. Pein ducked suddenly as the clothed Itachi swung at him, sliding round unexpectedly and stabbing the man in the side with a kunai. Taking no chances, he ran the blade down the man's side, effectively ripping his side open.

The intercostals muscles between the ribs snapped as the bones broke and Pein felt the tip of the kunai plunge into softer material; with any luck, his lung. The figure chocked one, blood spilling from his lips before he crumpled to the ground; dead.

It had been an almost pointless skirmish and the Akatsuki had triumphed over the first hurdle Konoha had presented them. Ignoring the blood on his hand, Pein ran it through his hair and smirked at the body on the floor.

In truth, he had been disappointed and knew, somewhere deep inside, that this was not Uchiha Itachi, master of the Sharingan. Instead, his mind blotted that fact out, preferring to gather his victory and sending the Paths back to the trio standing by the side.

"Your skills are impressive, Pein of Akatsuki… our leader would not have died if he had not let you take the kill; we believe there is a time for everything and the departure of our leader was the correct path for Karasu."

The emphasis on the word 'leader' caught Pein's ears and he snarled at the group. The group began to change into their bird counterparts, whispering caws forming next to Pein's ear,

"You did well to beat our leader here but facing Itachi-denka and Naruto-heika in Konoha would be a fool's doing, Nagato of the Rinnegan."

The first jolt had been at the amount of respect for Itachi and Naruto the birds seemed to have and yet the last, and deadliest, jolt had been at the addressal of his true name. So there were still creatures alive that remembered him as Nagato?

The ravens clattered off into the sky, dark inky blobs merging into the air around them. The body of their leader was left on the ground, thick blood welling from the dark material yet Pein paid no attention to it. His mind reeled from the last words of the ravens and he ignored the blood coated to his hand and hair, walking off and having the rest of the group follow at their whim.

It only took a few seconds to reach the barrier and Pein ordered the Summoning Path to step up.

"They'll underestimate our numbers," was all he supplied before launching the Path into the air and telling the others to grab onto a path.

Soon after, the familiar sense of being summoned engulfed Pein and he smirked grimly; Konoha would fall within the day.

反響

Naruto looked to the three intruders that entered his office and smirked grimly. Their feathers were ruffled and there was even a shard of metal caught between two feathers on one bird. Without asking, Naruto leant forward and plucked the shard from the dark nest it had settled in and inspected it.

"A kunai?"

"Yes, Naruto-heika," spoke one of the now-transformed birds. "We had an unfortunate skirmish against the Akatsuki outside of the borders of Konoha. Nagato of the Rinnegan – Pein – killed our leader once we allowed him to. We have a plan, Naruto-heika, which we plan to continue… though we ask to conceal it from you."

Cradling his head in his hands, Naruto saw no reason to refuse the request – they would most likely do it anyway regardless to his agreement.

"He will be here shortly; there are nine of them in total; Nagato and his Paths as well as Itachi-denka's brother and his team. If you find yourself to be cornered by Pein, call him by Nagato. It is his true name and will have some effect on him."

Naruto looked to the speaker and nodded thankfully.

"Nagato of the Rinnegan… do the others have titles?"

Eyes flickered in the depths of hoods as Naruto waited.

"Sasuke of the Sharingan, Suigetsu of the Sword and Karin. If one has not yet defined themselves in this world, or was not born with the title, then they have no title. You carry an important title, Naruto-heika, one that is not to be taken lightly."

Naruto looked up in surprise; since when did he have a title?

"You are Naruto of Konoha, Naruto the Sage, Naruto of the Kyuubi… you have many names yet it is the last one that many will know. The mark on your arm serves to remind those that you not only contain the Kyuubi, but you work with him. I have seen other marks like that but none have shown such a spectacular colour as yours."

Naruto glanced down to the mark on his arm and frowned; it was a pearly white colour. Since when had he been able to master Sage Chakra?

"Your sword and your Bijuu complement each other. The sword has calmed the Kyuubi no Kitsune down slightly and the Kyuubi has given his fire to the sword. You will need to use them in conjunction to your Sage Chakra; no doubt Fukasaku-sama explained to you the disabilities of such power."

Naruto nodded, remembering the brief conversation in which Fukasaku had warned him that there would be cons to the technique and marvelled at the simple way to overcome it.

"Of course there will be setbacks, there are with everything, but we wish you the best of luck."

As one, they rose and began to change.

"Remember to address him as Nagato of the Rinnegan. Remember that and you may have the key to defeating Pein."

Naruto watched as the birds escaped the room, bodies hung low in the sky and chatters calling to each other. He wondered what they could be planning, slightly curious, and the thought crossed to him that they had promised four ravens to be with him at the time of battle. It had hardly begun and already one had allowed death to take them… could the fourth possibly be…?

With a sigh, Naruto took the scroll from his pocket and ran a thumb over the script upon it.

'Itachi…'

Hardly thinking, Naruto finally opened the letter. The dread that had consumed him since the Uchiha left lightened slightly at the first line and yet plunged into dark depths at the same time.

'Dear Naruto,

I know you do not wish for apologies so I offer none, though if we were in any other time, any other place, I would start by saying I'm sorry.

When you saved me, I stuck with you because of a stupid debt I had to repay. If you hadn't asked me to stay for the Kyuubi at least then I would have left in order to find self destruction. As it was, I needed to repay you somehow and it appeared the only way you wanted this was by keeping me safe. Who was I to deny someone such as you? I may need to explain that part later.

It didn't end there though; I thought I could just show you a little companionship yet I never expected feelings to grow out of this. Everything I did, from even before we returned to Konoha, I did not because of some stupid thing I owed you, but for the feelings I felt for you.

You're not a dumb person Naruto; I know that you know the act I instigated was a farewell; my debt finally paid to you. The feelings that grew may not have faded but I could walk away knowing I had nothing to repay you; nothing to hold me to Konoha so I would have to stay.

I do not mean to be harsh in saying this… in fact it has taken me weeks to decide upon even leaving Konoha. In more ways than one, your village will never leave me and this both saddens me and delights me.

The delight is only because I know that I will finally be free of the curses that were put upon my head far before you saved me Naruto. I became Konoha's pawn again and I never wish to decide something as terrible as that again. You saw the repercussions of that action, how it affected not only me but even reaching to you. I can't do that again.

Returning to my earlier point, the reason I could never deny you was because only you stayed around to see the truth. The only people who knew the full truth were Madara, Sarutobi-sama, the Advisors and Danzou. Madara left after we exterminated the clan, the Advisors and Danzou hushed everything up and even Hokage-sama swore an oath of secrecy; his upon my pleading.

But you… you didn't run. You didn't cover it up; you accepted it for part of me. You helped me but, most of all, you saved me; made me forget who I had been for the past decade or so.

Thank you.

I want to leave the Uchiha estates to you; as head of Clan I ask of you to either take down the properties and rebuild upon the land or put it to some other use. Rid the village of the Uchiha curse and place something else upon it.

The sunlight is just touching the highest parts of the land now and I wish to be gone before you wake; Karasu will protect you and I know you are more than capable at taking Akatsuki on.

If you see Sasuke… just smile. I would want to see him for myself but as that is no longer an option I hope you can get him back to Konoha. Madara will have poisoned his mind but if anyone can save him… well, it would be you, Naruto.

As for me… I might pay a visit to Kisame f I get the chance. He will most likely be the last person I see before I die as I plan to travel to the Sacred Temples of the Raven and seek whatever peace I can there.

I wish you the best of luck and only wish this had been another time, another place… another world.

Itachi.'

Naruto's breath shuddered and a single tear slipped from his eye; it was true, then; Itachi had given up and resorted to sealing himself away from human contact completely.

"What a waste…" Naruto muttered, anger biting inside of him, denying the sorrow that rose in his heart. He refused to acknowledge the fact that maybe he had felt something a little more than like toward the Uchiha, the only person to have known everything about him.

"Shizune!" He barked, harsher than it was supposed to come out.

"Yes, Naruto?"

With a grim look in his eye, Naruto lifted his head to meet Shizune's gaze and nodded.

"I want everyone to prepare for the Akatsuki. Get Genin to evacuate the villagers to the mountain and take them through the tunnels and as far away as possible. Every available Chuunin, Jounin and ANBU is to be alerted of the danger and placed into the groups we organised. I want everyone to be prepared for Akatsuki. Tell Tsunade and the other teams to protect their surroundings in relation to the artefacts Jiraiya-sensei recovered and then you're free to help them."

Naruto paused, as if unsure to continue;

"Thank you, Shizune… and good luck."

Shizune nodded to Naruto once, resisting the urge to hug the man. He looked so old for his age, so worried for his land and yet so mighty… just as Minato had looked on the night the Kyuubi was sealed. She had only been a child then and yet she still remembered the beautiful, haggard face of the young Hokage. Was his son truly doomed to follow a similar fate?

After Shizune left, Naruto looked out of the window to his village and saw a huge dog-like creature appear out of thin air. It was just on the outskirts and yet enough to cause a shudder in the Hokage tower. Naruto closed his eyes; he didn't want Konoha to fall like this and would be damned if he let it.

The mark on his arm itched suddenly and Naruto opened his eyes, surprised to see the Kyuubi staring back at him.

"Kyuubi?" Red eyes raked up and down his body before a tongue lolled from black-rimmed jaws.

"You are off to war then…"

"Now is hardly the time for a social chat I-"

"Listen to me, Naruto." It wasn't often that the fox called him by his name and in such a serious tone. For the Kyuubi to have called him here and in such a way spelt something serious.

"I want you to know that, if it comes to you fulfilling the promise you made to Itachi, I will allow it to happen. Death by your hands would be infinite times better than being sealed into the Akatsuki's hands and you may even survive it."

Naruto's eyes widened at the fox's words and felt himself leaving the company, echoes of the last sentence ringing in his ear;

"I don't think it will come to that though, Naruto, I place my full trust in you."

反響

Notes:

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and sorry this was so late; I went to Belgium recently and the trip wiped me out. Very pretty though!

Again, thanks to all of you who have reviewed!