From leaving the ramen stand, it had taken Naruto about 15 seconds to get into an alleyway and onto a rooftop with his hood fully up.
He ducked into the shadow of a vent, and cast his genjutsu. He was invisible, and unless anyone was looking for him, he would not be found.
He found himself breathing a little. He was safe here. Safe. He was safe anywhere with a bit of cover and a touch of shadow.
He felt the pain in his side drop away slowly. He felt his frustration at the thing's existence raise its head and howl at him. He decided to reflect on it further.
He had received it without agreeing to its addition, although in Root training it made sense to have it on him. He remembered losing his real eye, his old eye.
He recalled seeing nothing until the kunai had struck him, then the pain. He had been smaller then, but he had not cried. He had collapsed a little as he had contained the agony, then he had been put under by a medic and awoke with his vision different.
Lord Danzo had talked to him. He had showed him the seal's true purpose. He had showed Naruto the darker side of seals. Even if he hadn't known it at the time, Naruto knew he had felt a deep disgust at the idea.
His Lord had encouraged him to remove the memory, to get rid of the thought that his eye had been removed. He had made the handsigns shakily and then stopped. His Lord had looked at him oddly at that stage, but had not forced him. It was one of the few choices that Naruto had ever had.
Yet...he had failed at that age. He had not thought about it logically. He had accepted his Lord's word as gospel and he had allowed himself to consider using it.
His Lord had made a mistake.
Yet it was his failing that he had eventually used the seal for its purpose, and his duty to overcome the difficulty he had placed.
He considered his final interactions with his Lord before his time in the base. In the dark. A different darkness though. Right now he was in the comforting dark, but that his time there had been an oppressive and worrying dark.
He knew there were words for this, but the comforting dark was a good concept.
He wondered where his Lord had been, and why he had not been contacted. Certainly his Lord had taken time to contact him in the past without warning, and he was almost certain that he should have been contacted by now.
He could contact his former Lord himself though. He had time, and it would certainly count as training.
Although he felt doubts over the move.
The last words still lingered with him. Certainly he hadn't really paid them much heed so far, as he was forced to trust some judgements.
'Do not trust anyone.'
Certainly that had to apply to his Lord. He considered his entire interaction with the man he looked up to and called Lord Danzo.
He barely remembered his pre-training years, but he did remember being taken away by the Hokage for ramen. Then he had been taken to the Root base by Danzo.
There he had trained and gone on missions.
He had learned his craft with bow and tanto blade. He had learned to hide and not be seen. He had learned how to distract and cause illusion, to sow confusion. He had been drilled to perfection, to a point where instinct was to hide and complete his mission,
Those principals were correct. They were effective, although not against extremely powerful targets. He would improve his skills to better himself.
Regardless of the issue, Root had made him into who he had been. Efficient, calculating and deadly in the dark.
Then everything had been changed. The Hokage had taken him into the regular forces. That was a change. He hadn't appreciated it at the time, but it had been the start of something he could never have understood.
How could he have?
How can you know something you have never experienced and explored? How could he have understood the growing starts of emotion?
He slowed his racing thoughts; he was not yet properly in charge of his emotions just yet. The memory eater was clear proof of that. He still did not understand emotions fully.
Still, he knew more now. He knew of happiness, he knew of anger. He knew of others he could not name quickly but now understood. He had felt the feeling that he had to drive himself to near destruction because of his failures.
He had failed in his execution.
Everything really had changed. Had the Hokage known? Had he anticipated the challenges and all the effects of his changes? Somehow Naruto felt the man had not. The man had made a foolish choice in some ways; a choice that he realised had been made by an emotional old man.
The Hokage had to have known that his father had been the Fourth; after all it was his duty to appoint a successor. Is that why he had been brought into the light? An old man's belief that he could have been like his father?
Foolish. Emotional decision driven by the opposite of logic. Then he had been placed around teams to meet as many people as possible. Hope was dangerous.
Was it just luck that he had encountered team 8? Had the Hokage been playing him?
Doubts flooded his mind at the myriad possibilities.
Then again, Lord Danzo could have as well. After the Wave mission, where his actions had gone far beyond the mission brief, and he had been chided when he had returned from the mission.
However nothing more had come of it. He had at first assumed it was because his actions had been correct, but now. Had there been a meeting he had not seen?
He realised the enmeshment between the two figures had to have been extremely strong. For one to act in the light and one to act in the dark must have required some communication. Root was separate from the main forces, hidden in the darkness away from vision, but the Hokage had to have known.
Tsunade knew from the files that the previous Hokage had likely written.
They had needed each other. He thought back to the meeting between Tsunade and Danzo. He recalled how he had been brainwashed into confirming the lie of him being Root. He recalled how he had been surprised.
The level of communication, the knowledge of what each side was doing was now hidden from one another.
The conclusion was obvious. Neither side of Konohas' forces could be as effective now that they were hidden. Root forces would be seen as hostile targets if found and regular forces would die to keep the silence.
Konoha could end up fighting itself.
Then he thought deeper.
If neither side knew the other there was no trust. Without that, a second judgement with which to compare plans to, could either truly know what they were doing was the correct move?
Then again, he had been trained to think individually. He had been trained to work alone by necessity. Yet with teamwork came additional options. He had felt the advantages of having people by him, and he had to admit it had saved his life.
So now both Root and Konoha were weakened, and that was the opposite of what his former Lord wished to achieve.
Former Lord? It was true. He was no longer Root.
He reached for his head plate and drew it out to observe it. He had dulled the metal with soot so it didn't shine, but he could pick out the features.
He was a Konoha shinobi now, and he had been ever since the first vestiges of emotional awareness had found him. After all, he now had friends. He had people who showed interest in him beyond his training.
He noted the last observation as something he needed to reflect on. That had to be a part of friendship. He considered people who he felt the same for. Hinata, Anko, Shino, Kiba to a degree. It was...interesting. Even Shizune and Tsunade could vaguely count. Talon and his team too. Kakashi certainly. Baka...
So he was no longer a part of Root. Why did he consider Danzo his Lord? He wasn't now. He was just a former leader, his previous commander.
Yet he felt that the man was more to him than just an authority figure. He had a deeper connection with the man. When he had entered the regular forces he had felt the need to talk to the man when it was not necessary.
He had needed to, not so much as a necessity like air and water, but a deeper need he couldn't place.
He felt like...he didn't know the words.
That annoyed him, not knowing but knowing at the same time.
It was as if the man was like...his predecessor? The one who came before him? Naruto certainly felt like he had skills similar to the man. Yet his skills were different, but both focused on being hidden and performing their part.
He almost felt abandoned by the man.
He felt the conflict within himself grow a little more. On one side of his mind, he saw the man who trained him, who raised and taught him. A man who had given him purpose, means and execution. A man who had forged him like a blacksmith would a sword, with hammer and anvil. Forged into a deadly blade.
Root had helped Konoha recover after the attack of the Nine-Tails. It had removed malfeasants; it had sabotaged the fought back advances from other villages that nobody had known. It had melded perfectly, the combination of the Hokage's mind and Danzo's will. An extension of power that was only controlled in the loosest sense by the Hokage.
It had worked supremely well. As things became more peaceful, their duty had lessened, but it had still fought onwards. Naruto had done his share. Figures that needed removal were removed. He didn't know the consequences or the wider picture, but he did not need to know.
He recalled his final Root mission. The Daimyo's son.
He had merely had to place some documents in a room, and then shoot the man as he showed off. This had been done.
He could guess that the man was corrupt, or that his succession would be a poor result for Konoha. He couldn't be sure though.
Then the Hokage had died, and that left Danzo.
He had denied the existence, officially disbanded the organisation and cut Naruto loose. He knew the man had had no choice, yet it still rankled with him a little. He had been abandoned and then he had disappeared for years.
What had Root done? He'd analysed this, his thoughts coming full circle.
His former Lord was now a threat, and a large one at that. It was a troubling thought.
He rubbed his head as tiredness tugged at his eyes a little. It had been a couple of days since he had slept.
He picked his way carefully across the rooftops as he thought through his schedule for the next days.
He had to find a sensei, and he had his first therapy session to go to. He had a fair amount of time to bet through as well.
His entered his house on automatic and welcomed the soft embrace of his bed. Nevermind that it was only mid-afternoon, he would sleep now.
Itachi lowered his hands from the statue as the dragons of chakra retreated once more into the statue of the outer path. The body of the woman that had lain before it was now nothing but a worthless corpse to the Akatsuki.
Someone, mostly likely Zetsu, would dispose of it. He felt his body feel heavier from the sheer chakra drain that such an event required. Even for the Two-Tails, it was significant. Every time it felt more and more like part of him was being lost with every sealing.
He knew his fellow members would be feeling the strain as well, some moreso than others. Konan in particular looked paler than he had ever seen her. The woman sank to her knees and took deep breaths.
Kisame merely shrugged as if nothing had happened. The man had so much chakra it was practically as if it was unlimited.
With each member lost, the process took more and more out of them. He felt the urge to cough and resisted it. Any sign of weakness would be noted quickly.
He took a quick glance at the newest member. The man behind the orange mask. He had controlled his surprise at this, although it wasn't all that unexpected.
After all, the man had helped him before, and was certainly strong enough to be considered a threat by himself.
He suspected that the man was the real power behind the Akatsuki. He could see Zetsu now favoured the man above Pein, who still stood unmoving as he communed with the statue, another of its eyes open in its eternal stare.
Hidan was cursing loudly about something, possibly that spending time doing this was keeping him away from his religious duties. The man was a special kind of insane, whether it was his dark powers or his desire to just hurt people Itachi didn't want to fathom.
Kakuzu's expression was unreadable as ever.
He eyed the Zombie Brothers with his usual air. He knew how he would take one of them out certainly. Both at the same time would be substantially more difficult to accomplish. Separating them was certainly key.
They descended off the hands of the statue to the floor of the chamber it was housed in. It was an ugly thing, a thin, taut face of stone seemingly twisted in a scream of pain. He wondered what could have spawned such a hideous summon such as that.
The Rinnengan certainly had many powers he was unaware of, but he was happy with his own eyes. His vision blurred a little from the chakra drain. He too took a deep breath.
Zetsu rose up from the floor before Pein.
"The Kumo Shinobi ever so stupid aren't they? They have ceased searching for her and now it's too late!"
"Thank you Zetsu. We now stand only three beasts away from the completion of our goal. And peace."
The figure raised its arms as it spoke, words echoing from stone walls, reverberating greatly as his proclamation was heard.
"Can I get back to praising Jashin now? He hungers for fresh blood."
Hidan's sneer caused Kakuzu to chuckle a little and Kisame to smile widely, his shark teeth glinting a little in the low light.
"Patience Hidan. We still have work to do. What do we know of the remaining beasts?"
Zetsu smiled on the white half of his face.
"Kumo holds the 8 tails, so strong, so in tune with his beast, and will prove a difficult target. Kumo is nervous and angry it may be best to withhold our efforts upon him for some time."
Itachi agreed on that front. Killer Bee was not a man to tangle with lightly unless you had very special skills.
"The Nine Tails tricksy fox it is remains elusive. We think so faint, so hard to sense but it may have been found. It's Junchuuriki is quiet, hidden, dark hard to pin down."
That was true. The Akatsuki were interested by this. Kakuzu spoke, a deep rumble of a voice.
"Really? All Junchuuriki are powerhouses of strength and aggression when we face them. All call up on their captives to aid them, and all are capable of causing massive damage to targets. How can one hide from you Zetsu? Or are you simply useless?"
The two tone man turned to his taunter.
"You couldn't find your own heart even if you had four others to compare it with. Do not insult me mercenary."
Hidan put his scythe across Kakuzu's path and the man turned on him instead.
"Want to be ripped apart again you religious idiot?"
"No. But Zetsu won't be any fun for you. You know that."
Kakuzu subsided a little. Hidan was right; he could rip Zetsu apart with extraordinary ease. Pein's voice echoed once more into the chamber, the orange haired man's deep voice carrying easily over his colleagues.
"What of the Three Tails?"
"We await its reformation."
Pein looked around.
"Who shall go to capture it once it awakes?"
Itachi considered the issue at hand. Pein didn't go, instead holding the stronghold of Ame intact with sublime ease. That meant that Konan didn't go anywhere either. It would take something special for him to leave.
That left himself, Kisame, the Zombie Brothers, Zetsu and the masked man.
Time to test some thoughts then.
"Why doesn't our newcomer prove himself? Who are you again?"
The man flailed round to face him.
"I'm Tobi! I look forward to working with you Itachi-senpai-sama!"
That was not his real self, Itachi knew that well enough. He had been aided by the man in the past, and he was definitely more serious than that in his speech and thoughts. Kisame laughed at the man's actions.
"You must be an idiot."
"Tobi isn't an idiot!"
Kisame hefted his sword with a wide smile on his face. The intent was obvious, even if Kisame barely looked interested in the fight he could initiate.
The masked man bristled a little before waving his arms around, the comically long sleeves flailing with him.
"Nasty fish man isn't very friendly. Tobi wants a friendly senpai like Itachi-senpai!"
He sighed. The man's acting was so unconvincing and over the top it would work against Akatsuki. If they had one weakness, it was that a lot of them were too arrogant for their own good.
Not that it wasn't with good reason. The Zombie Brothers could not die, Kisame was incredibly strong, and Pein had the Rinnengan, even if he would refuse to give information on it.
So none of them considered this apparent goofball to be a threat. It was extremely clever. He could work that to his advantage.
"I recommend Hidan and Kakuzu go to collect the three tails. Whilst Deidara would have been ideal for the task, I believe that those two would be ideal for fighting this foe. Kakuzu's multiple element barrages can take advantage of the beats singular nature better than I or Kisame can."
The stitched together man turned to Itachi, his face unreadable behind oddly green eyes.
"Are you a coward Itachi? Do you think that just because I hold that minor advantage that I and Hidan are better placed to defeat it?"
"It is not a matter of skill Kakuzu; it is a matter of motivation. I suspect that Konoha will discover that the beast is to reform, and will send strong teams. You know of the bounties that can be collected from high ranking Konoha shinobi. There will be plenty of dirty work for Hidan to do as well."
There was a nasty glint in Kakuzu's eye as he calculated the possible riches. The man disgusted Itachi.
He fought for nothing but money, which would be useless to him in the end. What was the point of money if you sold your soul for it?
As for Hidan...he did not want to contemplate Jashin. Immortality that requires the wielder to constantly kill. If anything, Hidan was just a bloodthirsty maniac.
He could get these two removed quickly if he played his cards correctly.
"Obviously, as the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails are currently beyond our grasp, it might be possible to send two teams. Perhaps Leader-sama could join a mission?"
Itachi fixed his gaze on the orange haired and heavily pierced man who returned his gaze with the ringed, purple eyes that the Rinnengan granted him.
"My purpose is not the simple capture of beasts Itachi. You know that my role requires me to remain with those that worship their God."
"Your Ame pawns will not miss their God for a month. Perhaps if you teamed up with our latest member to guide him with your wisdom."
The man's gaze intensified.
"You seem insistent Itachi. Has the death of your little brother affected you so badly?"
The man didn't accent anything. It was a deep, slow, deliberate monotone. That made it all the more insulting.
"That has nothing to do with the situation. His death is unfortunate but not important."
The tension in the room was palpable.
"Zetsu knows all the secrets."
"Zetsu seems to know more than you."
It is an odd dynamic when you have seven S-ranked shinobi in the room, and two look like they are about to go off. Normally, Itachi would be the peacemaker. Now there was nobody neutral in the room.
Except one.
Tobi ran between the two men flailing his long sleeves everywhere.
"Tobi doesn't like fighting! No he doesn't! Stop being so mean to Itachi-senpai Leader-sama-kun."
The man bowed repeatedly to the orange haired man. Itachi kept his gaze on the concentric Rinnengan rings. He wouldn't back down from this. This was what he needed. Everyone on edge. Everyone slightly worried that everything wasn't quite right in the Akatsuki.
He was living on the edge of destruction and he found himself enjoying it more than he had anticipated.
Tobi looked rapidly from man to man, waving his hands in front of Itachi's face to try and break the gaze. Itachi kept his gaze locked on Pein.
The lock was finally broken when Konan turned Pein away from the confrontation. The man stayed turned away after he gently lowered Konan's grip.
"Zetsu, find the location of the Three-tails revival. Then return when it is prepared for capture. Itachi you will accompany Kakuzu and Hidan when the time has come."
"With or without Kisame?"
"Without."
Kisame actually frowned a little.
"This is unorthodox of you Pein. You instructed us to always work in pairs. What have you done to further the plans?"
Pein spun round to face Kisame but Konan stood between them.
"Enough. This bickering helps our enemies and stands in the way of peace. Please desist from arguing."
Paper wings unfurled around her to make her appear so much larger. The wings flapped gently and peacefully.
Itachi nodded. There was no sense in overplaying his hand here. He could not attract undue suspicion.
He turned and walked towards the meditation chambers of the Akatsuki hideout. Kisame followed after him, the package on his back shifting a little as it sensed the anger in the room dying down.
"That was interesting Itachi. You seem more talkative than usual."
Itachi didn't need to look at his partner. In truth, Kisame was the closest thing to a comrade and a friend that Itachi had in the Akatsuki.
"I am beginning to distrust Pein."
Kisame gave out a lengthy whistle.
"That's certainly interesting. Is it his cowardice that causes you to distrust him?"
"Consider Kisame. How much combat have we seen? The beasts that we have captured? The missions that we have undertaken for this organisation? The risks we have taken? What has he done? He provides us with missions and safety, but for what purpose? He will not tell us why he gathers the beasts. I am distrustful of his end game. Will he simply cast us aside at the end?"
Kisame looked thoughtful for a moment.
"He did capture the Six-tails."
"A weakling. A maggot of a Junchuuriki. A broken-hearted fool. The man didn't even fight before being defeated. Pein took on the weakest challenge whilst we fight."
"It is possible. I do not worry about it."
He hefted the blade in his hands with a certainty.
"It is me and Samehada. If he turns on us, then we will turn on him and destroy him."
"Indeed."
Itachi walked on and Kisame shrugged. Looked like things were going to get more interesting around here soon enough.