Rivals or Lovers?
Chapter 7 : Trouble
Chapter synopsis : Uchiha Itachi makes his appearance at last, while Jiraiya and the others begin their fight, but to only notice that something doesn't seem quite right.
Pairings : Sasuke x Naruto
Other Pairings : Undetermined for now. Suggestions are welcome.
WARNINGS : Will contain SHONEN-AI, in other words, boy loves boy. If you don't like then don't read. You have been warned.
DISCLAIMER : If I did own Naruto, I'd be plain rich and have everything that is related to Naruto, and there would definitely be more SasuNaru moments! But sadly I DON'T!
"Speech" When characters are speaking
'Thoughts' When characters are thinking AND for FLASHBACKS. It's easier to make a difference with the present time and the past time this way.
Change of PLACES will be in bold lettersExample---- This means a change of area within the same place, location.
Previously
Sasuke left for some evening training. Iruka's at Tsunade's office to inform her of the latest details on both boys. While Naruto, all alone in the Uchiha house, has an unknown visitor, knocking at the door …
Rivals or Lovers? Chapter 7 : Trouble
SOMEWHERE IN A FOREST …
The Leaf shinobi and the two members or the Akatsuki stared at each other, until one finally made the first move. The other Akatsuki member turned around and revealed himself to the Leaf, as he brought forth his sword between both groups in a powerful swing.
"Itachi-san, since we are not within a Village … Can I make as much noise as I want?" Kisame smirked as he slowly brought back his scaled sword towards him.
"Kisame wait." Itachi ordered, as his eyes never lost contact with copy cat Kakashi.
"Che …" Kisame was a bit angered, but knew it was best not to go against the shinobi's words, while Itachi simply ignored his companion's comment.
"We have our own matters to attend to. We would highly appreciate it if you simply stepped aside and let us proceed." Itachi kept his calm as usual, but his eyes showed that if a fight occurred, he would be more than ready to counter it.
Upon hearing that statement, the Sennin and the Jounin observed the two missing-nins, while the Anbus were more concerned to why they had yet taken any action against the two S class shinobis.
"Jiraiya-sama shouldn't we …" The Anbu team leader spoke out his concern about the situation, but was rudely interrupted by the deadly tone of voice the Sennin used.
"Shut up and observe." Jiraiya ordered them. It was clear that these two shinobi, haven't yet grasped the danger of the situation their were in.
"A wise decision … Jiraiya-sama." Itachi commented , closing his eyes for a short moment. "I suppose now you wish to know our new goal." He smirked.
If this was a normal situation, any shinobi would have taken advantage of any opportunity given. For one, closing your eyes or looking away in a soon to come battle, would be the perfect opening to win the battle. Of course, this was very different. This was Uchiha Itachi after all. And he NEVER made mistakes.
"This is strange … This isn't like him to simply reveal the Akatsuki's goal …" Jiraiya was now even more suspicious about the Uchiha who stood before him. Before the Sennin could even continue with his little doubt, both members of the Akatsuki vanished from their sight.
"Kuso …" The Sennin cursed as this was totally unexpected.
The Anbus on the other hand, were all on guard, kunai in hand, ready to attack the moment Itachi and Kisame would reappear. Seconds later, just like the Anbu predicted, the two shinobis appeared behind them as they threw multiple shurikens and kunais in their direction.
The Anbu team deflected each weapon with their own, thus they negated the attack in one swift move. The nins lost no time and charged forward, taking the two Akatsuki's members by surprise … or so they were led to believe …
Before the Anbus even reached their enemies, Kisame quickly swung his sword forward, aware that these ones would have no other choice but to either evade or counter the attack.
The first two Anbus simply jumped back, barely evading the sword that was still wrapped in some kind of cloth, while the third Anbu, stomped the ground and quickly made hand seals.
The target of the third Anbu's attack, was no other than Itachi, since the other two were occupied with the other missing-nin. The Anbu brought his hand towards his mouth after the seals were completed, while the other reached out in his back, for the hidden pouch that contained shurikens. One swift movement, he performed Katon Housenka. Multiple balls of fire shot out of his mouth, each hid shurikens within it, in hopes to surprise the former Leaf Shinobi.
Itachi made no moves at all, as though he simply waited for the attack to come. The Anbu landed gracefully on the ground, as he witness the success of his attack on the Uchiha.
At first Itachi simply dodged the first few fireballs, but in the end they were too many, and so the very spot where Itachi once stood seconds ago, was nothing more than dust and surrounded by a few flames.
"Too slow." A voice stated from behind the Anbu that originally launched the attack. Before the Anbu could even act, he felt cold steel against the back of his neck.
Up to now, Kakashi and Jiraiya simply observed the scene before them, waiting for the right moment to strike. But now, the real trouble started. Jiraiya would be the one to take care of Kisame, while Kakashi wasted no time to help out the Anbu that was up against Itachi.
"It's amazing how you even became an Anbu …" Itachi bluntly stated as he raised his katana and prepared to give the fatal blow.
The Anbu waited for attack to take place, but it never came. The shinobi slowly turned his head around to look at his attacker, when he noticed an additional shadow behind this one.
"I was wondering when you would interfere." Itachi stated and made no attempts to move, but his eyes turned a bit to the side to get a glimpse of the Jounin.
The next second, Itachi vanished before Kakashi's very sight. The Jounin only had time to read the next move as he blocked the attack that came from his left side.
"Nani?" Kakashi was stunned by the sudden speed his opponent moved. He knew that his first encounter proved that the betrayer was fast, but this was even faster then before.
Although his attack was blocked, Itachi couldn't help but smile at the copy ninja. And this caught Kakashi's attention. Itachi wasn't one to simply smile at will, especially that way in such a situation. Something was definitely wrong …
The battle between the Anbu and Kisame continued, until the legendary Sennin finally made his presence known. He pulled the same trick as he did when he first encountered them. Back when they tried to kidnap Naruto, but failed.
Jiraiya quickly summoned a human size frog, equipped with heavy weights on his front arms, in order to stop the attack.
"This old trick again?" Kisame noticed the frog that held his sword.
Kisame was a tad bit irritated of the Anbu being saved by a mere amphibious, while this one was still too shocked to even move from his position.
"Something's way off … but what is it?" Jiraiya questioned himself, while he signaled the Anbu to get his ass beside him. But before this one could even react, Kisame switched the hand that held the hilt of his sword, while the other took hold of a kunai.
The shinobi quickly threw the small object to the Leaf Anbu, knowing that even a frog couldn't block that attack, since it was preoccupied with the sword.
The Anbu quickly jumped out of the kunai's path and by the Sennin's side, while Kisame quickly regained his fighting stance. He managed to pull back his sword and away from the frog, while his eyes focused, momentarily, on his companion, Itachi.
He smiled. Which didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya nor the Anbu.
Kisame had other plans for the kunai in his hand. With Itachi, blocking Kakashi's sight, Kisame threw the kunai in that direction.
"Kakashi!" Jiraiya raised his voice, immediately warning the Jounin that danger was near.
Kakashi focused on Itachi, and him alone, that was until he heard Jiraiya yelling out his name in a worried tone. The Uchiha smirked, before he disappeared before the shinobi, getting out of the kunai's path, and letting it hit its original target.
Kakashi knew that he had no time to jump out of the small attack, as well as the time for him to reach inside his holster for his own was out of the question.
So the best way to minimize the injury was to block it's path with something. Raising his hand, he guarded himself as the kunai pierced the flesh in his hand, but made it no further.
Blood gushed out, falling on the ground, giving it a new shade of color. Kakashi winced at the pain, but this was a mission. One must hide his emotions at all times, which is why he was more than thankful for his mask.
Itachi reappeared beside his Akatsuki companion, while these two simply stared back at the Jounin, the two weakling Anbus and last but not forgotten, the Sennin, Jiraiya.
Kakashi winced when he pulled out the kunai from the middle of his hand. At least it was only his hand, and not his head or chest. If the battle continued, he could still fight.
"Kakashi, have you noticed it too?" Jiraiya asked. His eyes never leaving the two Akatsuki members.
"Hai." He answered, throwing the bloody kunai at the very feet of Uchiha Itachi.
The two Anbu members were more than confused. What were they talking about? More so, how would they deal with Itachi and Kisame now? They were much stronger than they expected, but wasn't that why the Sennin and the Sharingan user were present?
The Anbu snapped out of his thoughts when a strong voice spoke out.
"Who are you?" Jiraiya dared to ask the two imposters, while these two simply smiled back.
SASUKE'S HOUSE
The moment he stared up into those Sharingan eyes, Naruto knew the person who stood before him. By pure instinct, the boy took a few steps back, eyes wide open, but his gaze never left the shinobi as this one, slowly stepped inside the house.
"It's been a while … Naruto-kun." The man softly spoke, staring down at the child, who seemed still shocked by his presence alone.
"Uchiha Itachi …" Naruto let out.
"It seems that he hasn't forgotten about us." Kisame made his presence known, walking next to the Uchiha.
"Uchiha Itachi …" Naruto let out, taking a few steps backwards. His eyes fixated on both figures, while inwardly, he was scared out of his mind. Sure he was training to fight them, but he sure as hell never expected them to show up this soon…
"Well it seems the brat remembers you." Kisame joked as usual, but Itachi paid no special attention to his partner's words.
"What… What are you doing here?" The blond mumbled, backing away from his enemies.
He knew it was a dumb question from the start, but right now, his fear was taking over. Unfortunately for him, Itachi and Kisame already noticed the little signs Naruto emitted.
Slight trembling, eyes unfocused and most of all, his rapid breathing.
"You disappoint me Naruto-kun." The Uchiha spoke with a soft voice. His eyes locked with those of the boy. Like a predator when it knows it has its prey cornered.
The boy continued to back away, that was until he had no where else to run off to. His only means of escape would be towards the kitchen, or the hallway where the bedrooms were.
'Kuso!' He mentally yelled. This wasn't his way at all! He would always face his problems never run away from them. But taking those two on, he knew alone he couldn't manage to beat them.
Hell even Kakashi got beaten to a bloody pulp on his first encounter.
And that was just against Itachi …
Itachi stepped closer to the boy, well aware of the inner struggle this one was thinking.
"I will only ask this once." He began, slowly raising his hands towards Naruto's face. Only a few more centimeters and the Uchiha could practically touch those cute whiskers. "Come with us." He proposed.
TRAINING GROUNDS
Ever since his departure from the house, the young Uchiha trained himself in any ways that were possible for him, hoping that his thoughts wouldn't wander off.
He was an Avenger.
His mind should only be thinking on how he's going to finally get his revenge for what Itachi did to him, and the entire clan. He had no time to think about that idiot back home.
"Kuso!" He cursed out, throwing the last kunai against the tree. As hard as he tried, somehow, that idiot always came back within his thoughts.
He soon was snapped out of his thoughts when a bright light flickered before his eyes. Looking for the source, he noticed that the source was indirectly from his kunai.
"The moon?" He whispered in the night. His eyes raising towards the night sky, searching for the real source.
And he found it.
But then, something inside of him, only wanted to scream.
Looking into that sky, only brought back something he only wanted to forget.
It was a full moon tonight.
The same moon that was so high in the dark sky, illuminating the earth.
The same moon as it was years ago, when the entire clan was massacred by his older brother.
Uchiha Itachi.
That bright moon only brought sad memories from his younger childhood.
Yet, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
'Why?' He wondered. 'Why show yourself tonight of all nights?' The young thought. Normally he would simply ignore it, but something inside of him kept screaming. Screaming to look up there as though the answer was right there.
The same feeling he had when he came home that night. The streets empty at first, but soon they were covered with dead bodies.
Bodies of his clan.
That painful feeling only happened two times so far.
That night, and strangely enough, when he heard his brother was back into town weeks ago …
"Naruto." He spoke the name with concern.
He could only hope that once he came back home, he'd be greeted by a pissed off Naruto and not a dead body …
SOMEWHERE …
Back in the forest, the two Akatsuki imposters smirked at the question. It seemed that their cover was finally blown. But what amused them the most, was how even the one of the legendary Sennin, along with Copy ninja Kakashi, hadn't noticed form the very start.
"Who are you." The old man wanted an answer. Now.
"Took you long enough old man." The false Itachi spoke.
When the smoke vanished, their true forms and appearance were finally revealed. But both remained on guard, ready to attack when they actually felt like it.
"They were just pawns." Kakashi let out, glaring at two shinobi. He truly felt like a fool.
Konoha was in so much trouble since Orochimaru's sneak attack. The death of the third Hokage, and then the unsuccessful kidnapping of Uzumaki Naruto.
Konoha had too many problems to deal with that they didn't research enough. Searching for the many possibilities in case a situation as now presented itself.
Too preoccupied with Naruto's mental state, as well for the young Uchiha as well, they made a mistake that only beginners usually make.
And they might pay a high price for such a mistake.
"You're right. Uchiha-san needed to get both of you away from the Kyubi boy. That way, no one would interfere this time." The tall shinobi spoke, pushing aside his long dark locks of hair behind his ears.
While the Leaf shinobi listened, Jiraiya and Kakashi made sure to observe the new features of their enemy, and perhaps even learn their identity. Which would give them a better chance of fighting. Knowing an enemy is easier to fight against, then go blindly into a battle knowing nothing of him.
Although his previous features were those of Itachi, the young shinobi, still wore the traditional Akatsuki robe, his fingernails painted in black, matching his eyes and hair color.
His head band, clearly showing off for all eyes to see. Hanging from his neck, he previously belonged to the Sand Village, but now a clear scratch across the symbol showed that he was indeed a missing-nin.
"I find it most funny that they actually fell for it." The second shinobi spoke from his cloak, his voice slightly distorted.
Once the cover of Kisame was out of the way, it was much harder to decipher the identity of the second enemy.
But what caught their attention more than anything else, were his eyes.
"Analyzing us are we?" The first spoke, a tad bit irritated by the fact that whatever they said, might have been previously ignored.
"Jiraiya." Kakashi let out, his eyes still focusing on both enemies, but more on the no-visage one, then the other.
"I know." He replied, understanding what had to be done. But the reason they hadn't moved yet was simple. They didn't know the strength of their enemy.
"Thinking about fleeing are we?" The first one spoke yet again. For him, it was too easy to read them all like an open book.
The other one stepped forward.
"Unfortunately, we have orders to keep you here." He finished, keeping his eyes closed.
Somehow he could see their every move, despite his eyes being tightly shut. But it was obvious to all, that the one most dangerous, was probably him, and not the Sand shinobi, well ex Sand shinobi.
"Jiraiya-sama, even if we were to fight them, we might be too late for the Kyu …" The leader of Anbu spoke out, but could never finish his sentence. The fact that he just referred Naruto as to being the Kyubi, earned him a deadly cold glare from Kakashi's part.
'Not like that would be a loss to Konoha …' An Anbu thought in the back of his mind.
This was an unavoidable battle. All they could do now, is hope to deal with it as fast as possible so they could return home, hoping they wouldn't be too late.
In normal situations, Kakashi wouldn't rely on using Chidori at the beginning of a fight, but right now, they had no choice. Even Jiraiya was ready to summon a frog to aid their group.
"If no one will move, then I'll start." The Sand-nin let out, quickly making hand seals. "Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu" He yelled out, fire blowing out of his mouth and straight at the Konoha shinobi.
All jumped easily out of the way, landing each in a separate direction, cornering their enemy.
"I will be enjoying this." The Sand shinobi let out, smirking at the two enemies he faced.
Jiraiya and Kakashi.
While the 3 Anbu were facing the faceless Akatsuki.
"No you won't be." Came the deep voice from behind the Sand-nin.
All were surprised to see that it was the other Akatsuki member that spoke, but the one more surprised than the rest, was the sand-nin.
"Jiraiya-sama. Kakashi-san. Unfortunately, we are needed elsewhere." The shinobi finished, he truly didn't care much if he fought or not. Which was the total opposite of what the Kisame he knew would do.
"What? We haven't finished our mission!" The Sand-nin reminded his teammate, angry of the decision this one was making. With all this going, he made sure in any case to keep an eye out on the two shinobi that stood before him.
"Our mission, was to lure them here so they wouldn't be able to interfere with Itachi-sama. We succeeded." The other one kept his calm, which was quite surprising considering the situation they were in.
"But." He never managed to finish his sentence when he felt cold steel in his lower back.
"These were the orders given to us." He insisted, his kunai ready to strike his own teammate if needed. He was one, that always obeyed to the letter.
"Che." He scoffed, returning to a normal position, but his eyes showed how he truly despised being contradicted by his own companion.
"Haven't you shinobi lost enough time already?" He taunted them, placing his kunai back within his cloak. He turned his back on the Anbu squad and faced instead the Jounin and Sennin.
Besides, it's not like the Anbu could take him anyway.
"Let's go." Jiraiya made the decision. Which the Anbu didn't like that much.
"Jiraiya-sama! You can't possibly …" The leader opposed him, here right now, they had a chance to eliminate 2 of the 10 or 13 members of the Akatsuki and they were just going to walk away?
"Shut up kid! We'll be no good to Konoha if we're dead." He spoke with anger, his mind more worried about what those two shinobi kept bragging about Itachi and Kisame being near Konoha already.
In truth, Jiraiya knew that this battle could cost them more than they planned. They were ready to fight Itachi and Kisame, but they weren't ready to fight an unknown enemy and to charge in blindly.
As much as he despised the idea of backing away from a battle, he knew that this was the best decision to take.
"Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc. The clock is ticking Jiraiya-sama." The masked shinobi teased a little. Although he was quite intelligent, he was known among the Akatsuki to be most dangerous when he taunted the enemy.
"It doesn't matter anyway. You'll be too late." The Sand shinobi spat out, but remained in his position. To this point, it was clear to all that he was officially in a very bad mood.
"We'll see about that." Jiraiya mumbled, before vanishing from everyone's sight.
Kakashi gave a sign to the Anbu squad, urging them to leave the battlefield and head home. But in the back of his mind, Kakashi wondered why the enemy let them walk out, unharmed.
Minutes passed, and once they knew the Konoha shinobi were out of sight and out of their way completely, the sand shinobi turned to his companion.
"Why?" He managed to say, holding back the fury within him.
"We did as we were told. We lured them out far enough, giving Itachi-sama and Kisame-san the time needed to retrieve the demon." He repeated again. Hopefully more clearly for the other one to understand.
"Still, we could have …" He argued, trying to understand the logic behind his companion's thinking.
"Look up." He blurted out, but keeping such a calm and emotionless voice.
The sand-nin cocked his head a little.
This always happened.
He was always the one that the Akatsuki teamed him up with for no reason. Or it could just be the fact that he was once the close guard of that monster back at his former home.
So he did what he was told. He looked up in the sky, expecting nothing. But his eyes quickly focused on a dark form that flew through the midnight sky.
"What is it doing here?" He asked himself.
He was surprised to see that the creature that flew high above was one that belonged to another Akatsuki member. One that rarely got out of their hidden location. Well unless he had a damn good reason that is.
"For him to come here. Something big is going on. Akatsuki needs us. That is why we had no time to lose with those Konoha shinobi." The masked ninja finally explained it all.
After all, it's not like he could explain things earlier when they were facing a large number of enemies.
"Did they?" He asked, wondering if their enemy could have seen the signal as well. Although they wouldn't know what it meant anyway.
"I doubt it. After all, even you missed it." He answered, slowly walking away from his partner.
"Che." He let out, thinking of a few ways to why he missed it. He really hated it when that man rubbed the information he had, in your face.
SASUKE'S HOUSE
"You don't want me! You just want the Kyubi!" Naruto yelled out, trying to keep a brave face.
"True, but we could always find another way to use you before we start with the demon." He spoke so calmly, even though the boy was screaming, and soon should be kicking as well.
What scared Naruto the most, was the evil grin that was plastered across Itachi's lips.
'I gotta do something. Fast!' Naruto thought, his eyes searching every inch of the room, hoping to find a way to escape his two want-to-be kidnappers.
"You're so predictable Naruto-kun." The Uchiha spoke, but continued. "But there is no way that you can escape this time. Jiraiya-san isn't here to help you either."
"Just face it brat. You've lost. All you can do at this point, is make things easy for all of us." Kisame spoke at last, his hand resting on the hilt of his powerful sword. "Although I'd prefer you make it harder…" He whispered just loud enough, for his partner to hear. He always liked to fight, but putting the kid back in his place would satisfy him greatly.
"The only way I'll never go with you willingly is if I'm dead!" He shouted proudly. There was no way in hell that he would ever betray Konoha, his homeland to go with a bunch of jerks that wore capes. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He shouted, after making the final hand seal that was needed.
Funny thing is … Nothing happened.
Seeing at how he failed to summon forth his Kage Bunshin, tried desperately again and again. While the two Akatsuki were simply grinning at the poor useless efforts the boy was putting into doing the Kage Bunshin.
"Why?" he let out. This just couldn't be happening! He could feel that he had some chakra so how come the bloody thing wasn't working?
"Only an idiot like you could forget something like this." Kisame quickly unhooked his long sword form his back, planting it before him. He slowly removed the wrapping around it, showing it's true form.
Under so much pressure, Naruto had completely forgotten about that stupid sword. He wanted to escape, but he made a fatal mistake by not analyzing the situation and how to use it to his advantage.
A thing that Sakura usually did the analyzing while Sasuke just took advantage of it every chance he got.
Even after putting his mind just to train, he fell for it just like a beginning. Had his non-stop training was all for nothing?
"It sucks out every ounce of your chakra. Which makes you just about as weak as a baby." He chuckled. Seeing the expression on that boy's face was making his day.
'What am I going to do?' He thought. 'I can't even use Rasengan before of that stupid sword and fish-face.' He knew panicking wasn't the best way to deal with the situation, but at that moment, he didn't know what else to do then run.
And so, he ran.
Too bad that didn't accomplish much. He only managed to go down the hall a few meters before he stopped dead in his tracks.
"As I said before. You are coming with us." Itachi spoke, slowly opening his dark red eyes.
Things were definitely going from bad to worse.
Naruto was aware that because of the sword, he couldn't use any chakra, so that only left him with hand to hand combat. Too bad for him, that wasn't the area where he was best at. But right now, that's all he really had.
He did the unexpected.
He turned his back on Itachi.
Charging towards Kisame instead.
'If I can destroy his sword, then maybe … Maybe I got a chance of escaping.!' His mind screamed.
Itachi simply raised an eyebrow. The boy was certainly unpredictable in certain situations.
"What the…?" Kisame let out, when the kid charged towards him. Did he really think he had a chance to even beat him with his bare hands?
Apparently, Naurto thought he did.
Stomping the wooden floor, Naruto threw his first punch towards the shark-nin's face. Kisame knew that he couldn't use his sword and cut the kid in half, they needed him alive. Besides, with Itachi there, it wasn't like he would even think about it anyway.
So he did what Naruto predicted, he prepared to block the boy's fist, using the sword as a shield. Worse thing that could happen is Naruto would only crush his hand, but he'd still be alive and in one piece like the organization demanded from them.
Suddenly, Naruto's expected attack, well punch, never came as both enemies had expected. The boy changed his form of attack, no longer going for a simple punch, his other hand opened, releasing something dusty right into Kisame's eyes.
"Damn brat!" The shark-nin cursed, furiously rubbing his eyes. Whatever that damn monster threw in his eyes, it stung big time.
Lowering his guard and weapon, Kisame couldn't quite attack or capture the boy. So Naruto took advantage of the situation.
He needed an opening to escape.
And now he had finally created one.
He ran the fastest he could at that moment, but he still had one problem to deal with.
Uchiha Itachi.
Kisame was easy to fool, being dumb like that and all, but Itachi, if that guy could wipe out an entire clan, imagine what he could do to a Genin?
Itachi suddenly appeared before Naruto, completely cutting off his escape. The boy stomped the ground, putting a certain safe distance between himself and his enemy.
Naruto had no time to think what he could do, so he tried the same trick he did on Kisame. He reached inside his pocket, throwing the unknown powder towards Itachi's face.
Itachi, nonchalantly, countered it easily, waving his black mantle before himself. Not only did he block the small attack, but threw it right back in Naruto's direction.
"Kuso!" He yelled out, raising his arms to make sure none of the powder came in contact with his eyes. After all, that stuff burned big time.
But that moved, cost him his escape.
Itachi punched the poor boy right in the stomach with such strength, Naruto lost all breathing capabilities for the next minutes. He fell to his knees, trying desperately to catch a single breath.
"You seemed quite harmless minutes ago." He noted, his eyes wandering over the cursing figure of his so called partner in this mission.
"I'm going to kill that damn son of a bitch!" Kisame continued. His eyes just kept burning even more, to a point that even with his eyes opened, his vision was too blurry to make anything out.
"Calm down Kisame." Itachi ordered, noticing that Naruto had finally regained his normal, stable breathing. "It was your own fault for not foreseeing this." He let out.
This alone, made the missing-nin even more angrier.
Naruto tried to stand up, but Itachi didn't spare him. He kicked the boy on the shoulder as he went tumbling a few meters behind. Back to his original place.
The hallway that led to the bedrooms.
Recovering from that attack, Naruto lazily placed a hand on his shoulder. It felt like it had just been dislocated.
"It was quite brilliant of you Naruto-kun." He started, slowly walking towards the fallen blond, his eyes glowing red.
Naruto had little strength left with the two hits he took. Anyone could think they were minor, but when it was Uchiha Itachi that did the beating, he made sure every hit made the most damage.
"When we entered, your eyes showed fear, but in the back of your mind, you thought." He was actually complimenting the boy.
The boy had thought on his feet, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"You managed to grab that bottle that stood on the table, while we were focused on other things." He continued, looking down on Naruto.
"What the hell was that stuff?" Kisame joined his partner, his eyes all red from all the rubbing he did.
"Cayenne pepper." Itachi answered. Out of all the strong spices that existed in the world, Sasuke always had a tendency to keep a bottle to spice things up.
"God damn brat!" He cursed again, stomping Naruto's already wounded shoulder. It was obvious that the shinobi was quite furious. Not only did his eyes still sting, but his vision was still blurry. But he couldn't miss the small form that laid on the wooden floor.
If it hadn't been for Itachi, the Akatsuki member probably would have stomped poor Naruto to death.
"Now my little kitsune, it's time to leave." He reminded the boy, slowly bending over to take hold of what the Akatsuki sought.
HOKAGE TOWER
By the time Iruka had finally explained, or more like, reported the entire condition of her latest plan, the newly appointment Hokage felt sad at how the situation had yet improved. What surprised her more was how the young Chuunin spoke to how Sasuke seemed to actually show some concern for Naruto.
"So there you have it." He finished, letting all the information sink in. It was a lot to remember anyway.
"At least they're not killing each other." She let out, rubbing her temples. Those two always kept giving her headaches.
More Naruto than Sasuke, but still.
"Did you need anything more Hokage-sama?" He asked. Not that he didn't like speaking to the woman, but he really was in a hurry to go check up on the boys.
Mostly Naruto.
Knowing him, it's most possible that he was either awake or soon he would soon be anyway. True that he told Sasuke that it would take two days for the young blond to recuperate, but thanks to the fox, it could take only hours instead of days.
But like any demon and animal. Foxes are quite unpredictable.
"As a matter of fact, I'd like to check up on the boys." She admitted. Truth was, she really wanted to check up on Naruto herself. Just to be sure.
"Are you sure that's wise?" He asked, looking at her desk. "Because it seems like you still have a lot of work to do." He finished, scanning the many stacks of papers, scattered across the desk and even on the floor.
"Bah! Those papers aren't going anywhere. Besides, I earned the rest of the evening off." She smiled. Being the new Hokage wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.
Sure she could sit back and relax, but then she always had to appoint missions to all available teams at the moment, while reading and classifying each report from both successful and failed mission. And the list goes on and on …
"You could just say you want to check up on him you know." Iruka smiled. He was always good at reading people's emotion
KONOHA'S FOREST
The Sennin and Jounin raced back as fast as they could. Naruto's life was at stake, as well as the entire Village if the Akatsuki managed to tap within Kyubi's power through the boy.
Although Kakashi and Jiraiya remained silent on their way back, both knew what the other actually thought on the moment. They continued on the same path, jumping from tree to tree.
After racing through most of the forest, they finally saw the great gates of Konoha.
"For his sake … Let us be on time …" Jiraiya mentally prayed, since he knew that Naruto was already… unstable. If he came to encounter Itachi, who knows what would happen to the boy, both physically and mentally.
SASUKE'S HOUSE
They finally had him now.
They had concluded that it was best for them to carry an unconscious Naruto back to the lair, then have him gagged and bound where things could still go wrong.
After all, he showed them that he never seemed to give up no matter what he's up against.
Itachi pinned the boy to the wall, his fingers carefully wrapped around Naruto's neck. It wasn't until the Uchiha started to apply pressure, that the boy stopped struggling.
'At least this time, Sasuke can't get hurt …' He thought, closing his eyes. He really didn't want to see what Itachi had planned for him. He only hoped that it would be fast.
Unfortunately for Naruto, luck was definitely not on his side this evening.
The ruffling sound of keys caught everyone's attention. Completely forgetting the boy, Kisame's eyes focused on the doorknob, when a soft click indicated the door had already been unlocked.
'Oh no!' Naruto's mind screamed. His eyes quickly reopening, knowing that the only other person who would walk in this house would be the owner himself. Sasuke.
He wanted nothing more than to warn the other boy, but when his mouth opened, no sound came out. Itachi had been quicker than the boy, quickly covering this one's mouth, with his free hand.
Itachi made sure to have the boy completely under control before looking over to his partner to see what this one intended to do.
Heading towards the door, Kisame grasped the hilt of his sword, ready to kill whoever was on the other side of that door. After all, he was known to be a man with little patience.
"Stop." Was the only order Itachi demanded.
Kisame looked at him, wondering why? His question was soon answered when he saw Itachi smirking.
"Make sure he stays where he is and makes no sound." He ordered calmly, never leaving an opening for Naruto to take advantage of.
Kisame backed away silently and headed back towards his companion.
"Still want to make him suffer don't you?" He smirked. Somehow watching the two brother interact, or more like seeing the younger Uchiha crumble under all the pressure, well he just enjoyed it.
Itachi's silence was the only answer Kisame would really get to this point. And so the moment came they switched places.
Although Kisame was less gentle with Naruto that Itachi had been to him.
Kisame's hand roughly placed itself on his mouth, while the other grabbed his neck painfully. He even had trouble breathing with all the pressure the shark-nin applied.
Itachi stood next to the wall. The very wall that a person needed to take, after a few meters ahead of the door, before choosing whether to go right, where the kitchen was, or to the left, where many bedroom could be found.
The door slid open.
Panic could be seen in the blond since he knew who exactly was stepping through those doors.
'Not now!' He thought. He somehow knew that if Sasuke and Itachi met face to face, this time, Sasuke might not get as lucky as last time.
He had to do something. Something and fast!
His eyes franticly searched any near by objects he could reach. But with him being pinned to the wall, everything was just out of reach.
"You aren't getting out of this one brat." Kisame proudly announced. H could only think of the many ways he could torture the small boy once they were back at the lair.
Naruto was just about ready to give up, when something the shark-nin said, made him think.
"I'm surprised such a monster such as Kyubi was sealed within such a pathetic boy." He commented. Well at least he could torture him mentally for now.
'Monster?' He thought.
Then an idea popped within his mind.
What would a trapped animal do? If he was no longer to move his entire body and his head. What is there left?
Their sharp teeth.
As though acting on instinct, Naruto's mouth open, biting hard on the hand that kept him from speaking. Kisame quickly withdrew his hand by pure reflex, but in doing so, he also released his hold on the kitsune.
Blood dripped form the corner of his mouth. He had bitten him so hard that he could easily taste the salty blood of his enemy.
"Sasuke don't come in! R…" Naruto could finish his warning when he was violently pushed back against the wall.
Kisame wasn't taking any more chances, he grabbed Naruto by the neck, applying the maximum pressure he could, so that this one couldn't say one more word. The shinobi thought in worst case, he would let go once the boy was unconscious. But now his ears were focused on what would happen a few meters behind him.
"Dobe! You better not have made a mess in this house while I was …" He started, walking towards the kitchen and the hallway, but when he turned towards the hallway, his face almost fell. "…gone."
"Hello little brother." The older Uchiha spoke so calmly, awaiting the fury of the young one.
Sasuke never expected his older brother, the one who slaughtered everyone from his clan, to be standing again in his home.
"Itachi!" Sasuke shouted the name with such anger, his hands tightened into fists.
He was ready to rip his brother into thousands of pieces. But then he remembered hearing Naruto's voice.
"I would be careful if I was you." Itachi warned him, his eyes slightly deviating to his left side. In fact, he knew that Sasuke somewhat was wondering about Naruto.
Naruto was getting paler and paler with every second. He couldn't breath with all the pressure Kisame applied. His vision was getting all blurry, but he could see a very dark form, smaller than Itachi, staring right into his helpless eyes.
"R…un…" His lips formed the word, hoping that Sasuke would actually listen to him for once.
"I doubt Itachi-san would let him run away without a scratch." Kisame murmured into the boy's ear. Knowing that this would only show to him, that he was weak against the Akatsuki.
"You'll pay for what you did to them…" Sasuke started, his eyes blazing with fury. His sharingan was activated, ready to fight against his brother.
"You're still weak." Itachi added. "Kisame, we have what we came for. Time to leave." He did the same thing as last time. Turning his back to his little brother, knowing he was no match for his strength and Mange Sharingan.
"If you say so." Was the shark-nin's quick reply. After all, the young blond wouldn't cause them any trouble during their travel back to the lair. "What about him." He pointed the other Uchiha.
"Ignore him." Itachi replied nonchalantly. Right now Sasuke was more of a nuisance than anything more.
"Don't ignore me! I'll avenge the clan!" Sasuke screamed his lungs out, preparing a few hand seals.
Itachi turned slightly, knowing too well the attack Sasuke would use. After all, he was too predictable when he let his emotions take control of his actions, instead of putting them aside in order to fight without them.
The chirping sound of what seemed like a thousand birds filled the entire house.
The two Akatsuki members showed no fear.
The last thing Naruto remembered, was seeing his rival, charging towards the two with a ball of while light that made loud noises.
Then, darkness engulfed him completely.
KONOHA'S GATES
It took the team a few hours to finally come back into Konoha. Kakashi and Jiraiya were only a few meters away form finally entering the city, when 2 shinobis blocked their path and eyed them suspiciously.
"State your identity." The first shinobi demanded and answer, his hand rested near his right leg, where his holster was attached. Kakashi couldn't help but be disappointed at how their own shinobis couldn't recognize one of the legendary Sennins as well as him, being the Copy Ninja Kakashi.
"Stand down." A strong female voice ordered from behind the two Leaf shinobis.
"Hokage-sama!" The second shinobi only had time to notice it was their Hokage, stepping aside.
"This is protocol. We have to …" The first shinobi was stubborn as always to obey every rule in the book, that was until he noticed the evil glare the Fifth shot his way. "It's just that …" He tried to correct himself but failed miserably.
"You two return to your post. I'll deal with these two." Tsunade ordered them. They both nodded, quickly walking away from the scene, aware that they shouldn't disobey the new Hokage. After all, she was one of the legendary Sennin.
Jiraiya and Kakashi suspected something wasn't right. Tsunade's presence alone proved that their bad feeling they felt wasn't just a figment of their imagination but very real.
"Tsunade we need to …" Jiraiya started but was rudely interrupted.
"I take it that you've encountered Itachi …" Tsunade began as she made sure the two shinobis who guarded the tower weren't listening into her conversation. "Or should I say his replacement?" She specified a bit angered.
The Sennin and Jounin were taken aback from the sudden statement. They haven't even informed her but she seemed to already knew, which wasn't a good thing at all.
"Itachi was here wasn't he?" Kakashi already knew the answer, but something within him, made him ask. Tsunade simply nodded her answer, and was aware that the other Sennin, her former teammate, had a question as well.
"What about Naruto?" Jiraiya asked with a worried tone.
For a short moment, the Hokage closed her eyes and turned her head slightly. Tsunade took a deep breath and thought carefully of the answer she would give them.
"You're too late." She whispered, her voice filled with sadness. But both Jiraiya and Kakashi clearly heard it.
TBC …
Sorry for the late updates, but I've been working my ass off! But I also hit writer's block at some point, as well that this chapter contained switch of places as well as battles. I wanted them to not be corny and I hope that they were more than just ok.
With that said, please review once you've read, even if it's only to tell me to update, your review is highly appreciated!
49 reviews! I was very happy. But what made me more happy was the fact that my favorite writer on reviewed my story and took time to read it! So thank you Purrfectly967! And for those who haven't read her fic called ' I Think I Better Leave Right Now ' Go check it out! It's worth it big time.
This chapter was8 500 + words! Among my longest!
REVIEWS
Purrfectly679 : I really feel honored to have you among my reviewers, and one that praises my story and gives me advice. It's really appreciated you know! I only hope that you plan on reading each future I post and maybe review! Would be nice. I'm glad you enjoy the story so far, and hopefully my grammar and mistakes will diminish with time. Thanks again!
Kin Uchiha : That kitsune! He always emails me to check out the fics he likes, since I'm a very picky person at reading them and yes! I'm such a Sakura Basher! I hate her with a passion. When I'll actually finish up a few fics of mine, I'm heading for a nice and long project where Sakura gets the bashing of her life! Can't wait to get time to actually write it. Got so many plots and ideas but unfortunately, work and school take a lot of my time lately, so thus the lack of update, but I'll make sure to continue and post as soon as I can! I'll check out your stories too!
For all the rest of you dear reviewers, which I cherish a lot, a big thank you! For reviewing and letting me know how you felt and the way you supported me!
Next Chapter : Untitled for now
The plot thickens and the suspense is higher than ever! So no previews or else I'd spoil the whole next chapter!
Read and REVIEW please. It's fun to see that people actually read what I write and give out their opinions, comments, whether they're good or bad ones. They really help me out. Hopefully, I'll soon be able to write more often since my hours at work are finally dropping, and school will soon be out, although it's only for a month, but still those 15 hours per week really help to continue writing for you guys and gals who enjoy this story.
Comments and ideas are always appreciated you know?
Check out my profile, I now have my own group where chapters are posted earlier, and it's in it's original format and not screwed up like ffnet.
Ookima
PS. I'm now working on updating the new version of Unexpected Behavior, and A New Path. So updates should be coming out sooner and not once every 6 months. My goal is to at least update 3 stories within a month. So people, encourage me to hold my word!
