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The clouds began to break in the night sky, allowing the full moon to shine on the village and its few inhabitants. A lone figure stood in the open area, not moving, his long, black hair swaying in the gentle breeze. He wore a black overcoat, and something gleamed on his forehead; a forehead protector, branded with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf! The odd thing was that there was a deep cut right across the middle of the leaf. No weapons or excess equipment jutted out of his form. And of course, there were those eyes. They were like balls of red fire.
Two more figures emerged from the nearby house, stopping just across the clearing from the lone figure. One had long blonde hair tied in two pigtails and wore a white T-shirt and grey sleep pants. The other had short, black hair, and wore her usual dark-colored capris and sleeveless shirt, along with a pale grey jacket. Even though they knew that they had no chance of winning a battle in their current state, Naruto and Hinata still went out to meet their enemy in the dead of night.
Naruto spoke up first. "Hey! Just who the hell are you, anyway!? Start talkin'!!"
A cold grin was the only response.
At that instant, the blonde felt a sudden, stabbing pain in her head. Instantly, she blacked out, falling to her knees. The visions that followed were ...startling. Naruto saw a young Sasuke speaking with a young man that looked like an older clone of the black-haired ninja. They acted like brothers. This was suprising, because Naruto never remembered Sasuke even mentioning his family. Slowly, it dawned on the blonde that she was seeing memories of the past. Sasukes childhood. The days of the Uchiha clan.
The next memories burned themselves into Narutos brain from then on. It was night. Sasuke was running through the house, searching for his parents. He found them, lying in a room, dead; their killer still standing over the bodies. It was ...his brother! The same man Hinata and herself were facing off against right now! They were one and the same! Finally, as the memories faded out into blackness, Naruto heard the only spoken word during this whole thing. Itachi...
"Uzumaki Naruto."
When Naruto finally woke up, both she and Hinata were suprised at the mans first words. The man named Itachi. "How did you know...?"
"Aren't you ninjas taught to never underestimate your opponent?" His stare was as cold as it was penetrating. "I know more about you than you know about yourself. It's amazing what you can learn by simply reading chakra. You're an open book, my friend."
"I ...am not ...your friend." Naruto staggered back to her feet, helped by her partner. "I could never be the friend of a monster." The memories still lingered in her mind.
Itachi laughed at this remark. "Monster? Me? Then what does that make you?" He pointed right at the blonde. "Or have you forgotten about your little friend? The one sealed inside your body."
Naruto suddenly felt ice cold. Of course, how could she forget about Kyuubi? It was that demons fault that she had led the life she had, after all. Being an outcast because of what people think you are can be pretty scarring.
The dark figure in front of them began speaking again. "Since that night, I have traveled most of the known world, training myself and learning new juutsus. In fact, I invented quite a few to use in conjunction with my Mange-Ryu Sharingan. You yourself experienced one firsthand."
Well, this explained the dream.
About one month ago, I came upon the Hidden Sand village. There I met the most fascinating boy. You probably don't know him, but he was extraordinarily powerful. I believe his name was ...Gaara." Itachi paused for a moment. "It took much longer than I anticipated, but in the end I was able to bring him down. I then discovered the source of his power; a sand demon."
At this, Naruto was startled. Another demon?
"Although the fight was lost, the demon would not die. He actually made a bargain with me: I allow him to live, and he posses my body. He didn't expect me to be able to gain full control of his powers once he got in, though. I learned all that he knew and gained all that he had to offer. That was how I learned of two other demons in different villages across the planet." He paused again. "One of them is your Kyuubi."
The two girls then went into their ready stances. "So basically, you're just after the Kyuubi, right?" Naruto asked. "Sheesh. And here I thought it was just some big, complicated revenge thing. You're just looking for more power."
Itachi grinned wider. "What did I say about underestimating your opponent?" Just then, the ground began to rumble. Sand began to flow from the ground, up and around the two startled ninja, and started clumping in midair. This mass grew and gained a shape. Four massive legs held up its body, while an enourmous tail gave balance to the enlarged head. Its eyes were solid black, with only a few glowing white designs serving as the pupils. It was a giant ...sand badger.
Naruto could only stare. A badger? What the ...?
The shock quickly faded as the tail shot forth and slammed the ground between the two girls, sending them flying backwards. Hinata could only look up, scared. This thing was more powerful than it looked. Much more. The young genin was suddenly quite certain that this would be a losing battle.
Naruto had other ideas. Running at full speed, she charged the sandy mass, leaped up, and reached for a kunai ...that wasn't there. Not good. The badger savagely swatted the blonde to the ground, forcing all the air from her lungs. Naruto lay still, trying desperatly to catch her breath, as the monster stepped closer. Time seemed to stand still. Itachi stood off to the side, not moving, not speaking; only controlling the beast with his mind.
A kunai flew out of nowhere, catching the sand-badger completely by suprise. It landed deep in his left eye, which erupted with a gush of sand. In the heat of battle, no one had seen Hinata run back into the house and grab her kunais. She now stood several feet from the door of the house, her eyes almost glowing. "Even though it's made of sand, your monster does have its weak points. Nothing is hidden from the Byakugen."
Itachi chuckled lightly. "If you think that's going to help you, then go for it. I guarantee that you won't make a second shot." With that remark, sand wrapped itself around Hinatas ankles, forcing her to remain in place. Her courage suddenly gone, the genin cryed out as the badgers tail shot like a cannon, aimed strait at her head.
What it hit, however, was the tree behind her, which exploded in a shower of splinters and debris. This was probably due to the blonde ninja perched atop the sand-badgers head, driving a kunai deep and solid into its right eye. For how can anything aim with two injured eyes?
Naruto leaped off the creature, reached Hinata, severed the sand bindings with the same kunai she had picked out of the sand and stabbed the beast with, and moved the two of them off to the side. "Nice thinking, Hinata. If we blind it, maybe we stand a chance..." Naruto was stopped short by laughter.
The black-haired man spoke up. "You fools. Do you really think that attacking its eyes will blind it? Do you really expect demons to fight under the same rules as the rest of us?" As if in response, the badgers eyes just ...reappeared. As if it opened a new set completely. No effort. Aw, crap.
"This is not good. I don't sense any more weak points, Naruto-kun!" Hinata was starting to panic. Her voice was warbling and sweat was starting to pour down her face, despite the chill in the air. Neither ninja noticed that the chill was starting to increase. The temperature was dropping, in fact.
Itachi was the first to notice the water. Small rivers of water were creeping inwards like serpents. They connected and formed a wide circle of clear water around the clearing, encircling the two girls, the man, and the monster. The cold continued to intensify, now noticed by all. Slowly, the water began to rise, sections flattening out and forming large, rectangular areas. These shapes then spread further and formed more and more, until they fashioned into a dome. Then they froze, solidifying into a den of mirrors, while a thick mist set in, enshrouding the fighters in a curtain of white.
Something was happening, and no one knew just what. Not even Itachi had heard of this technique. A dome of ...Ice Mirrors?
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MWAHAHAHAAA!! This is getting good, methinks. I'm really making this up as I go along, so if it's starting to get weird or anything ...blame my imagination. I'm just typing it.
R&R!! Please!! I need input!!