Disclaimer: I don't own it.

24/6/05 Note: Revised and added some new content, fixed the errors (All that I can find).

Of Blades & Blood

Act V: Red Dawn

It was very early in the morning, but the warm light of the sun was not present yet to rid the cover of darkness. All of the town's inhabitants were fast asleep, blissfully unaware of impending danger two men possessed as they moved through the streets, waiting and watching patiently as shadows darted back and forth through the blackness. One was carrying a large wrapped up sword, while the other was shorter than the first, though he wasn't any less armed than him. Both were encased in darkness as they waited quietly and patiently.

"Itachi-san…" A snarky voice said.

"Yes?" Black orbs turned to the imposing figure walking beside him.

"Are we going to visit the Kyuubi brat?" Excitement was thinly concealed under the dull repeated monotony from the experience of a thousand battles. Even he had almost missed it. Almost.

Ah yes, Karaichi Seizou, otherwise known as the missing-nin Naruto Uzumaki. He had crossed paths with the vessel of Kyuubi a year and a half ago during their mission in the Thunder Country. Needless to say, they tried to 'persuade' Naruto to come quietly. But instead, he had stolen a scroll from them. It was a kinjutsu scroll they had stolen from the Hidden Cloud, much to both his and Kisame's displeasure. Itachi had to applaud the boy for his efforts as it was a risky gamble; one which had paid off very well for him.

The boy had enough luck to have eluded both the Cloud ANBU and their efforts to locate him on that day and though it may be enough to deter the Thunder military but such luck didn't last long when one had the Akatsuki behind your heels. And frankly, it certainly didn't last when you've insulted the Akatsuki by stealing what was theirs. They had received their orders to locate Naruto-kun almost a year ago and Kisame was…eager to comply, to say the least. And now after a full year of tracking, they found their target and for once, he hadn't moved for quite some time. Kisame was agitated from the waiting, a trait he secretly disliked in his partner. Patience was a virtue after all. Especially in the hunt. But it seems that he wouldn't have to wait any longer.

Itachi felt a presence within the dark, the first one he had in many hours. It was clumsy and ill-concealed, not befitting of someone with the title of Shinobi and as such was considered trash. He inhaled deeply as he positioned his body in the direction of the presence. He let it out forcefully; the returning breath of air was instead the very essence of purification. Red, hot flames raced towards their target. They licked at the shadows, which flickered and shaped into writhing bodies of flesh engulfed in flame, their pitched screams begging for help as the fire consumed their frail bodies greedily.

He was calm as the stench of burnt flesh reached his nose, his black eyes gazing at the corpses of his victims with undisguised disdain. They were weak, and they had been purged.

"You won't get away!"

A Stone nin stepped into their way, his clothes singed from the flames and his eyes full of hatred as his hands flew into a mix of complicated seals, only to be cut down by the Samehada. He was killed instantly, dying as the shock of the impact crushed his bone and internal organs. Blood splattered onto the sidewalk and onto his cloak, the crimson color quickly fading into the blackness of the twilight. With practiced ease, Kisame heaved his sword onto his broad shoulders, which rumbled and leaked chakra into its master's waiting hands. He wore a disappointed expression, not bothering to wipe away the speck of blood that hit his face.

"Tch, the nins today are so weak." He began to grumble, obviously unfazed by the gore and dissatisfied with the killing. Itachi ignored the comment, walking towards the exit of the small village they stopped at the night before. The Stone had been alerted to their presence too soon, it seems. No doubt all of this was the doing of Orochimaru. The thought of the Snake Sannin made Itachi lose his calm exterior. Once the news of his foolish brother joined the Sound had reached his ears, he had lost all expectation that Sasuke would be able to at least provide a worthy battle. It seems that his brother proved to be the eternal fool in the end. Orochimaru sought to gain the power of the Sharingan, and it would be troublesome if he had gotten hold of its abilities. One option they had was to kill that man. Another was to kill the vessel which was his brother. But both could be easily arranged in the near future, should Sasuke fail to measure up to his expectations. He already failed too many times to be redeemed in his eyes.

Itachi frowned once more as his sight caught a faint flicker of steel within the shadows. "We are leaving now. This one probably alerted the others before he came to us." He pointed to the dead body on the ground.

The missing-nin looked incredulous. "Can't I at least kill one more? Its been-"

"We can indulge in your bloodlust later." The Uchiha interrupted, turning his haunting gaze onto his companion.

"But-"

"Kisame." This time he let some of his anger slip into his words. The shark-faced missing-nin just nodded, getting the point very…clearly. The killer intent in his partner's voice made him do nothing else in fear of retaliation.

He put on his sakkat, the enchanted talisman dangling from the rim, producing a hypnotic jiggle as he moved. Kisame did the same, before bandaging his spiky blade from view. Neither he nor his partner gave the corpse a second glance or looked to the faint shouts echoing behind them. A dozen kunai and shuriken whizzed passed his head, landing dangerously close to where he was.

There were at least a dozen shinobi out there within the shadows, with their weapons drawn and ready.

He turned behind, revealing the Mangekyou Sharingan under the shadows of his sakkat. It flared with an ungodly red intensity, more radiant and prominent than the normal diluted red of the Sharingan, the large pinwheels spinning faster and faster within his iris, until it became just a blurred silhouette. The pursuing ninjas felt a compelling force tug at them and all locked gazes with the Uchiha before promptly slumping to the ground, devoid of life. Soon, the spinning stopped and the frightening crimson hue disappeared into a faint red before settling completely into the colour of oblivion.

Kisame just frowned at the prodigy. "Its been the second time you used that technique. But was it really necessary this time? You know very well the consequences of using that eye." Itachi looked to the east, his black orbs staring at the sun just as it was rising from the horizon. "My capacity will not grow, if I do not test my limits. And this Sharingan is proof of that."

Itachi turned, handing over a sakkat to Kisame, who placed it on his head. Silently, they walked eastwards.

Towards Konoha.

Morning came and he was already up. Perched on the roof of his apartment, Naruto watched as the sun rose from the horizon, its color a reddish-orange like a declaration of a red dawn. It was a habit he had while traveling for so long and he never left a town before seeing the sunrise from the man-made peaks of buildings. The first of its rays danced upon him, coating him with a warm orange glow.

"Red Dawn." He whispered, the words somehow fitting the scene, a sense of deja-vu filling his mind.

He didn't like the slight twisting in his gut he was feeling right now as he remembered…

For as far as he could see, there were endless stretches of mountains reaching as high out to the stormy sky as had nature intended. Blankets of white snow covered the high peaks of the rugged land, a blizzard storm raging over the already harsh environment. It took him by surprise by how fast the weather changed at these heights. The screeching wind was unforgivingly cold, and his bones shook whenever one passed his way, a testament to how harsh his surroundings really were. Avalanches were common and he almost found himself victim to one during the upward trek hours prior.

He continued on the mountain path, noticing various worn out symbols carved onto the side of the mountain trail. The script was old, and even though he had explored and studied much, their meaning remained elusive but he knew why they were there in the first place. He knew because the Kyuubi has been here before, somehow in another time or form but he didn't know how he knew. These were once the fabled Heaven gates which Hidden Cloud had once used in to cross the border order to conceal its aggressive expansion towards the shinobi countries during previous wars. The passes were now unused but that didn't mean that they were not any less treacherous than they were in previous times. And now, it was the only way he could slip past the borders of the Thunder Country into the neighboring country of Sun undetected by the Cloud ANBU.

Soon, he would reach the peak of the trail before it would dive sharply and into a hopefully warmer climate. Naruto was sure he couldn't take another session of frost anytime soon. He pulled his tattered cloak closer, trying to keep what warmth left from escaping to the howling wind.

A figure suddenly appeared in front of him, and his instincts kicked in as he leapt forward onto the path in front of him, and not into the endless pit below. The shape exploded a few moments later, causing a minor rock fall which blocked the trail behind him. At this point, there was no turning back, seeing that the route he taken was inaccessible. But he was more concerned about what exploded. It had been a Kage Bushin, that much he knew, an exploding type too. The fact registered in his mind and Naruto frowned. There was only one person he knew that uses that technique…

Uchiha Itachi.

Shit.

He was being followed after all. A small whizzing sound in the air made him sidestep, and he threw a few kunai as shuriken flew all around. The empty space blurred for a bit before it was occupied by shadows but they were not new to him and had wore the same black cloaks he remembered four years ago, the distinguishable red clouds spread ominously over a bleak surface.

"Ah, Itachi-san and Kisame-san, what a pleasant surprise!" He barely managed to say, his mouth felt awfully numb, long since frozen dry from the cold.

The two missing-nins were not amused. "Return to us the scroll, Naruto-kun, and I assure you that you will live another day." Itachi stated, seemingly oblivious to the freezing temperature. But the periodic shaking told him that it wasn't the case. Naruto snorted mentally. Even they have their limits, it seems.

He didn't answer though, dropping into the Tiger stance he so favored. Through the thick snow, he caught sight of the unmistakable flash of crimson. Naruto grinned. The Sharingan was impotent against him, or any other demon host for that matter.

"Your Sharingan will not work on me. Or have you forgotten?"

"I do not need the Sharingan to kill you."

He stopped suddenly, a sharp pain flaring in his chest, as if someone was carving his insides with a kunai. He forced himself to move, barely avoiding the upward stroke of the Samehada. The snow storm intensified even more, and hail was beginning to rain down upon the three.

'What the hell is going on?' He screamed through his mind, as the searing pain began to spread over his body, bringing prickling numbness through the cold as he brought his katana to slice the Uchiha. He dodged though, with swiftness not comprehensible to the untrained eye.

-Your blood has been poisoned by my power and you will die if you do not drain yourself of it.-

'You seem awfully calm about this…' Naruto growled, as he continued to exchange blows with the missing-nins. His legs cramped up for a moment and he felt a tiny prick in his leg, his flesh and cloth alike were ripped away by the grotesque sword the shark-faced nin wielded. Jumping back, he gave the wound an unconcerned glance, shifting his body into a defensive crouch. He tried to ignore the bleeding mess that was his leg as it healed, though it was considerably slower than before. He heard a brief chuckle from Kisame.

"Getter slower now, are we? I thought you were faster the day before." Kisame said, his voice filled with mock. Naruto didn't answer, his hands beginning to form seals at a frightening speed. And as fast as it began, it ended with the words, "Katon: Ryuusakeme no jutsu…" Itachi frowned while Kisame raised his sword in defense. Nothing happened and Kisame gave a snort. "Was that it? And here I thought-"

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

An explosion which rocked the entire valley. Soon, there was a great amount of smoke rising into the air before a hollow shrill echoed through the ravine, before settling into silence. Suddenly, a large dragon entirely composed of flame burst forth from the cold wastes of the nearby mountain side. Its sheer size took both missing-nins by surprise. Without warning, it spat out great balls of fire, similar to the trademark Goukayuu no jutsu of the now defunct Uchiha clan, howling an ear-piercing screech as it did. Without a moment wasted, Itachi moved with inhuman speed, avoiding the most of the fiery projectiles while sending fire jutsu of his own at the ones he couldn't dogde. Passively, Kisame stood his ground while his hands were forming seals as the fireballs continued to race towards him, melting snow and scorching rock as it went.

The nukenin stared on without expression, his hands finishing the last of his seals. He broke out in a grin as he yelled, "Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu!" The considerable puddles of melted snow from the fire dragon's earlier attack vibrated, before being pulled violently by an unknown force. It was small at first, but soon a large visible sphere of suspended water hovered in front of Kisame, who was still grinning and unmoving. Suddenly, the sphere condensed violently, compressing and enlarging in mid air before it finally morphed into the shape of a dragon.

Turning to the incoming flaming orbs, it swatted them away as if they were flies, snuffing out the flames as it did. Kisame smirked, directing his hand towards the flame serpent. His summon gave a roar, before charging into the much larger fire dragon, its watery claws attempting to slash downwards. The two titans battled it out but the creature of flame triumphed in the end but not before getting rammed by the water dragon in a last suicide dive, forcing it to revert back into large splashes of water it was once before. Another water elemental, this time much smaller than the one before, slammed into the creature of flame, its body reduced to vapors. The dragon, though at the edge of existence, was not deterred and continued sending large amounts of burning gases towards its targets, until an engineered avalanche of water and snow brought its end, no doubt done by the Uchiha.

Standing on the scorched ground, Itachi regarded the blonde with detached interest. "Ryuusakeme…a dangerous technique that is," Itachi looked at the now smug Naruto, "A legendary elemental technique, believed to be lost during the First War. Few know of its existence, let alone its usage. Tell me, where did you get it?"

"It's a secret." The blonde coldly stated. "Definitely not up for discussion."

Itachi closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he did. "I see. A pity then." Naruto caught a brief flash before he jumped away as the dark purple flames burned away at the spot he was just standing on. The Amatersu was no equal to the Ryuusakeme in terms of power but still, it was nothing to scoff at, seeing the holes smoldered deeply within solid rock. Add to the fact that its time for preparation was almost non-existent, and you have one hell of a technique.

The battle raged on. This time the Uchiha attacked from a distance, sending at him small balls of flame with the power of a dozen explosive tags, while Kisame kept Naruto busy with his huge sword, attempting cleaves and swipes with raw power and skill. Naruto was hard-pressed, not because of his lack of skill with the blade but because the unbelievable weight of the Samehada in conjunction with moves clearly meant to dismember him made it all the more difficult. Kisame, sensing a opening, swung the massive blade, leaving Naruto with no choice but to block. It landed with a great clang as the thin katana supported the slab almost barely. Pain shot through his arm as Naruto continued to bear the colossal weight of the sword, his bone and muscle already buckling under the strain. He almost collapsed as another spasm made him lose his grip, his jutsu earlier weakening him. Fighting two S-class criminals at once was more difficult than he thought.

'I'm losing here, fox!' He all but screamed at his tenant.

-I have told you before; my powers are not without consequence. Your blood carries my essence but your body is weak and frail, thus it cannot adapt.-

'I know that already! But can I still use your powers right?' He asked snappily, his mind stressed enough by the battle.

The fox let out a great rumbling laugh, echoing within the confines of his mind. –It would hasten your demise and prolong your suffering, but otherwise, it would work…- The fox's apathy was beginning to disturb him but he had no choice, his strength was fading and he was slowly being overpowered by the agents of the Akatsuki. Without delay, he began unlocking the limiters he placed in his mind, a indescribable but familiar sensation trickling into existence as the last of the locks were undone. As if water from a burst dam, a rejuvenating rush soothed and ran over his scorching veins, only to be burned by a agony thrice fold than what he felt before. He forced his screaming body to move, but even a step was like an eternity of torture to him, let alone the fast paced movements he needed to do to survive.

He tried to stop his quaking, his body betraying his mind as his hands shook from the pain, but he could not look away from his opponents. His defenses became temporarily open as another agonizing spasm engulfed his body. It was a small window of opportunity but it was enough for them to act. They would kill him if they have to and there was no time left-

"Time's up, Naruto-kun." He heard someone, Itachi, whisper before he felt a sharp pain driving through his flesh. He looked down to see a steel blade protruding grotesquely from his chest, its surface stained with blood. His blood, he thought, almost rueful and fascinating, as if it was not his own blood soaking that blade.

"You will not die just yet. The power within you will not permit it…"

Those words broke him from his trance, and Naruto twisted behind, ignoring the pain as he did, his fist charged with charka as slammed it into Itachi's face. He stumbled backwards before exploding into a puff of smoke. Kawarimi, Naruto realized, already too late. "Over here.", was all he heard before another stab pierced into his side, but his body no longer was registering the physical pain that was being inflicted on his body. The only feeling he knew was of the burning agony within the centre of his being. With enraged eyes, he removed the blade embedded into his body, as if it was a mere toy, the wound healing as soon as the object was removed.

One thing was clear to him.

He could not win today. Not in the condition he was in. Not with this blasted pain lodged in his chest.

Not with his weakness.

He took a few steps backwards, sending small rocks plummeting into the black chasm below. He let himself fall from the ledge, all the while glaring into the apathetic crimson of the Sharingan…

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear the memory of that day. He was reckless that time and many times before but when he had found out about his cursed blood, that revelation had almost cost his freedom and his life. The fox promised him power and had fulfilled its bargain but it did not tell him of its effects. Not only that, there was now a deep and insane rage growing within him, like a parasite devouring what was left of his old self, and the only thing he felt now was anger and bitterness. But he was still able to call upon its powers with ease, though his body could not keep up with the strain for long and he began to use it less and less, causing the Kyuubi to degenerate back into its primal instincts; the need to cause devastation.

Even now, it is raging within him, trying to break free of its prison. And for a few times, it almost succeeded before he pushed the invading presence from his mind. Now, all attempts at reasoning with the demon proved futile, and any semblance of intelligence that the demon once had was gone, leaving behind a mindless and untamable power within, existing only to destroy. Before, he sought to gain power to compensate for the void which lingered in his heart for as long as he could remember.

He gained it, at the expense of his heart, something he found easy to throw away even now. A reasonable price to pay, he would often say to himself, even if it sounded hollow to him. His power was beginning to burden him, both mind and body. Coming back to this village made him realize that. But he had come too far to turn back now; too late to give up what he sacrificed so much to gain. Jiraiya and Tsunade could not possibly understand. Power was the only thing he had; he had already given up on trust and understanding. He had hoped, albeit a small one, that he could find those within them but all it took was the look in their eyes to confirm his fears.

They were afraid of his power and what he had become. They were convinced by his words and manner that he was consumed by the Kyuubi.

Which was not far from the truth, though he kept the demon at bay from eating away what was left of his soul.

Or perhaps that was just his warped perspective, much of it clouded by his unnatural rage. Perhaps they were willing to accept him again, with all his flaws and pain. But this was better for him and them. The maddened but useful foresight of the Kyuubi had given him a glimpse of the future and it was too late to turn back on his path. Too late. As for everybody else they need not worry about him. They didn't need to know any further than the fact that he was a monster.

He laughed bitterly. Tsunade backed down she realized he wasn't the Naruto she remembered. A logical choice he would have made if he were them. After all, who would want to acknowledge one such as he? But it hurt him deep down for him to say those things, even though he had renounced all of his ties to his former life and rebuked all their concern with indifference. It had opened up more wounds than he liked to admit. He didn't want to feel that kind of pain again. Just like when Sasuke left. Emotions were just a hindrance to him, and he failed to erase his when he had the chance, and it was already too late to regret.

But he did not take back his words. That was his Nindo. Solitude was the path he had chosen to walk, and he would walk it all the way. It was funny considering, since he left all things of his past behind.

His eyes hardened.

No matter, he would leave tomorrow; he spent too much time wallowing in self-pity, time which would be better spent training. Jumping from the roof, he landed onto the balcony of his room, dusting his clothes off as he shut the windows behind him. He needed to find some place to clear his thoughts, his morning already ruined.

It was quite early in the morning, though there were many shops open for business. A few of which were providing sake already. He passed by one particularly boisterous bar, and that was when he heard something interesting.

"Hey, you know about that event they're organizing in a week from now?" Finding himself a nice spot to eavesdrop, he remained there, making himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Of course! Its been the hot topic for the past month or so, everybody is talking about it!"

"Yeah, they say that it's going to be like the Chuunin exam, but instead of low level ninjas fighting, we get to see the top stuff at work. Definitely better than seeing some kids going at it in a stadium. Besides, the betting season just started, so I was hoping to make quick money when they announce the contestants." There was the sound of a cup slamming onto wood as this was said.

"Ah, you forget that its going to be held in the Wood Country, not here in Konoha. The stadium there is way bigger than what we have, and there are much more spectators than the Chuunin Exam. Not to mention, the security here is too rigid to allow it to happen within Konoha which is a real pity. But they say that the Kages from the various Shinobi countries are going to attend though. I wonder why, with all this talk of war going on."

A slightly tipsy voice spoke out next. "Bah! That's what they always say. War here, war there, it's always the same. Not much fun if you ask me. Besides, I wouldn't bother thinking too much, since there is something to watch, why not? Entertainment is rare thing nowadays. So, what is it about anyway?" There was some shuffling before another voice replied, though this one was more calm and subtle than the ones before it.

"It's the First Under the Heavens Tournament, held every fifteen years." The voice said. "It's the longest running tournament as far as I can remember. It is open to all; if I remember correctly, though now only shinobi are the only ones who join. They say that whoever wins this gets the title of the strongest person within the Five Countries. Though more importantly to the ninja, whoever wins would represent their country's power. Killing of opponents is allowed and I fear that war would start again because of it, just like the Leaf and the Cloud twenty years ago."

There was a short burst of laughter from the shop, mostly caused by a great deal of sake. The voice continued once more. "You worry too much, Eibo-kun. Those Kages know the risk of entering their shinobi into this tournament. And if they can't afford to lose their best… Well that it will only serve to show how weak they are. Frankly, it's going to be better show this time, yes, definitely better…" The voice trailed out and vomiting was soon heard just as a nauseous smell wafted to his position.

"I think you had enough, Tiro-san. We better get you to the doctor…" With no more apparent information to be gained, Naruto resumed his walk, his thoughts centered on the new information he received. Indeed, there was going to be a tournament which would be held a week from now in the Wood Country, directly south-west from the Fire Country.

The news of the upcoming tournament was not new to him. The interesting thing was the sudden willingness of participation from the Sound. They had amassed great numbers throughout these four years, almost rivaling the numbers of the Five Shinobi countries individually. And the fact that many from the Sound were dispatched to kill him compared to the dwindling numbers of Hunter-nins from the various shinobi powers gave him ample clue to this. Not that it worried him, provided that they could catch him in the first place.

He had already suspected that something was amiss. The Sound was ruthless in their quest for dominance, as far as he knew, and had no time for petty things like this competition between individuals. So why would that snake Orochimaru be keen to invest manpower which would be better used elsewhere in his schemes? He didn't seem to the type who would openly show his power, preferring to work within the shadows and reveal himself at the last possible moment.

The answer continued to elude him, logic and the lack of information preventing him from reaching a satisfactory conclusion. He filed it away in his mind for another time when things became clearer. But right now, he had other pressing matters to attend to. Ever since he left his apartment, he noticed that there were shadows trailing after him. At first he didn't pay them any mind, as they didn't give off any noticeable chakra but as time wore on, there were more and more outward signs of shinobi tailing him.

His experience with Hunter-nins had proved invaluable to him, as they were the best in stalking their targets unnoticed. Detecting them was all but an impossible feat for a normal shinobi. But he was well versed in their techniques. Clearing his mind, he let his senses gradually expand into the surroundings as he funneled chakra into his eyes.

Soon, his sight of colour and shape was slowly replaced by one of grey and light. Everyone to him was now just lights of varying brightness, the brighter ones possessing more chakra than the fainter ones. This technique was a modified version of the meditative trance he practiced though its purpose was a practical one. He looked around, sieving through the ocean of light, searching for any sign of disturbance. They were concealing their powers but it was not long before he uncovered them, now they were beacons of light compared to the dimness of those surrounding them. There were a dozen in total, all of them ANBU-level at least, nothing he couldn't handle. He stopped the flow of chakra to his eyes, slightly amused to find several people staring at him oddly.

As if he cared.

His thoughts turned to his spar with that girl yesterday. She was quite good, though her form was immensely sloppy. Still, he couldn't fault those who did not master the art as he did. And she held promise, he could feel it. She looked familiar though, but he could not put a name to the face. No matter, it was not important.

Perhaps he should pay the training grounds a little visit…

Tenten waited patiently for the last two hours. She replayed the moves and strokes of the spar in her mind, scrutinizing the memory for any mistake at all. She couldn't afford to get it wrong. Her anxiety increased when she found there was no mistake at all. All the reflexes and movements of her opponent were of the highest efficiency to strike and block, something which she found disturbing, for no such style had existed which exhibited the highest level of mastery over the flow and intensity of combat.

None could claim such credit but here she was, a witness to what was the most fluid fight she ever been in. There was no doubt in her mind, it was the Dragon style, its true name lost over centuries of legend. A form that was thought a myth where one became one with his sword; the master form of all sword disciplines.

Tenten could barely contain her excitement. This was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she thought, if only that man showed up today…

Then as if answering her prayers, the one who she wished would appear finally did.

She confronted him with a hard stare. "You know the Dragon style." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. So?"

She bowed low to him. "Teach me please."

And things went on from there.

"Nara-san, more reports for you to grade!" He didn't really have anything to grade, but he knew what it meant anyway. "Got it!" He yelled back from his tiny office within the Ninja Academy. Soon, a small stack of papers came through the door chute to his office. He took the stack before dumping it on the side of his table, which was already cluttered with stacks. To the rest of the world, he was Nara Shikamaru, Academy teacher for the past two years, with everything normal and checked out. Mediocre, his other superiors would say. A lazy bum, if anyone bothered to ask. But that was just a front. In reality, he was Nara Shikamaru, a strategist part of the Special Affairs Bureau's Tactical subdivision. But the reason why would an intelligence officer be doing in a school and not in some fancy administrative office was simple.

He was undercover as a teacher for his and Konoha's protection. The truth of the matter was that, the Special Affairs Bureau did not exist. Or at least on paper, it didn't. And thus it ruled out any large buildings which could be headquartered for their use. The fact that most of the Leaf's information networks were assessable by his division made it clear that discretion was key. How a person as lazy as him would even volunteer his services was a mystery to him, and he opted to believe in the words, 'the spur of the moment'.

And right now, he really hated that phrase. Most of it largely due to the unshrinking amount of documents he had now…

He didn't why he was called here, though he was thinking of why he was here when he hadn't offended nobody.

"Tell me, what do you think is the most potent weapon a shinobi has?" Normally, Shikamaru would have said something along the lines of 'I don't know.', but he felt an aura from the man which spoke of a hidden intelligence which outmatched other, and he decided to entertain his host for a while. What was a ninja's most potent weapon? Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu were all destructive in their own right and each were equal in that sense, but it still fell on the shinobi himself to decide what to use best. So the answer can't be Tai, Nin or Genjutsu but something else...and Shikamaru found the answer.

With laidback assurance, he replied, "The mind, sir."

Hitaro seemed pleased with the answer. "You are correct. The most powerful thing a shinobi could ask for is their minds."

"With the right information and acting according to it, even the most impossible odds can be turned to your advantage. As such, it isn't the power of the fist which decides the things that matter in the end but this." He tapped his head. "Knowledge is Power, and no one else knows this better than we."

Shikamaru wasn't really sure what this was going to lead to, probably something troublesome, he surmised. What the man said was almost similar to his nindo, though it was more of a personal quote than anything else. The words 'Knowledge is power' struck home more closer than he liked. However, it was both a frightening and ecstatic thought that someone else could think like him. Perhaps this person was good at Shogi too…

"But enough of my rants, so I will get to the point." He withdrew a folder from his desk. "We have long heard of your exploits, Nara-san. And we were wondering whether you would consider our proposal…" The man trailed off, an enigmatic smile on his lips.

Shikamaru was curious, and cautious. "And that would be…?"

The man tapped his desk twice, and immediately the window panels folded, blocking the view from the outside. "Whatever that is going to be said will not leave this room, do you understand?"

He thought about it for a moment before replying. "Fine by me."

Then he asked the question which would change his life forever. "We would like you to consider joining the ranks of the Special Affairs Bureau."

"I didn't know of any agencies going by that name."

"I would be surprised if you did, Nara-san." He continued to explain. "The key to any battle isn't just being stronger than your enemy but rather knowing how many 'strong' individuals they have, when and where they are deployed, and how to accomplish the mission objectives with the minimum amount of effort. The ones in charge of the ANBU realized this, but they have been unable to facilitate the channeling of so much vital information at one go when we really need it." He smiled grimly, "And that's why we exist."

"While the ANBU are capable of making split-second decisions on their own, they lack the insight to predict things on a larger perspective. Yes, organizing an assassination is easy. But at what cost? Resources are wasted and lives may be lost due to error of judgment when such could be avoided with proper guidance."

"Shikamaru-kun, we are different from the rest of the village. They value strength, stealth, and other physical traits which no doubt makes their jobs easier. While we, on the other hand, value something more substantial and lasting. Information that nobody else possess can be used to your advantage with devastating effects. Consider this, what are the chances that the ANBU could orchestrate mass and coordinated strikes against well-hidden targets during a war? The answer: Zero."

"The Special Affairs Bureau is set up as a controller organization, directing manpower and resources as efficiently as possible. And to do this, we need to gather all the talent we can get. You, for example, are one such individual we are interested in for quite some time."

There was a pause. "What if I don't want to join?" He asked tersely, faking boredom. But inside, he was feeling a bit of apprehension.

Unexpectedly, the man laughed. "Your father thought that you would say that."

The new information pieced itself together in his mind, and the whole puzzle became so much clearer. "Wait, he recommended me?"

"Yes." Hitaro straightened himself. "Your father was part of the Bureau for quite a considerable time before he decided to transfer to the ANBU. Too lax, as he said. We were looking for new candidates recently and he mentioned that his son had the potential, though he was a tad lazy." Internally, Shikamaru tried to stifle a groan. Figured that his father tried to dump something troublesome on him again after failing to sign him up with the ANBU.

Sensing his somewhat resigned mood, Hitaro tried to assure the Nara. "Well, don't worry too much, since this is a big decision, time is something you can afford to waste. Just don't take too long to decide though..."

And the rest of history. But he didn't really have a choice; the Hokage herself requested him to join. The first year of duty was relaxing, but that quickly changed when war officially broken out with the Sound.

Lax was hardly the term to describe his work now. And honestly speaking, it was almost as dangerous as a real mission. Entire teams depended on his every decision, each one deciding failure or success, life or death. Like Shogi, information had to be analyzed quickly to ensure that that you were one step ahead of the enemy.

But that's where the similarities between the game and his work ended. Unlike a game where pieces were just pieces, this time the 'pieces' he was giving orders to were real people, not just lifeless plastic on his board, and as such there was no room for mistakes. Plus, he didn't think he would sit well with the fact that somebody's death was on his hands if he failed. So naturally, he felt the need not to screw up, and fortunately, the mentioned screw up didn't happen yet and with any luck, never will. It was a stressful thing though, knowing that life could be either saved or loss with his signature on a piece of paper. And sometimes he wished that he could share his secret with someone. But he refrained from doing so. Not even Chouji or his parents knew of this, though he felt his father, Shikaku, had some faint inkling about this since he was the one who saddled him with this mess. And for the foreseeable future, it would remain that way. Signing several oaths of loyalty to Konoha and eternal silence about the matter was a clear indication of that.

He sighed, feeling the heavy burden on his shoulders once again. He switched on his computer, which was a technical marvel and mystery to him. Electronics was a completely military-only asset because of the high cost of protecting the hardware from high concentrations of chakra. While scrolls were preferred over the use of technology such as his computer in terms of cost and simplicity, they weren't the best in performance and thus he opted to learn the complex system The screen prompted him to enter his username and password. He did so, and watched as the words flowed endlessly down the screen, filled with information such as troop placements, hidden caches in the various parts of the Fire Country, etc, etc. Basically, it was information that Orochimaru would gladly kill to have, which brought him back to the severe importance of secrecy once again, because if that snake gotten wind of him somehow…

He shuddered. It wouldn't come to that.

Hopefully.

The danger of being kidnapped was there, but unless someone within the division betrayed Konoha and made special mention to his name, he could live with relative peace. It was an acceptable price to pay for knowledge. He had always been a knowledge-junkie, reading up as much as he could when he wasn't watching the clouds, something that he desperately hid from his parents to a certain extent of success. And it was an added bonus that he had at his disposal, the vast network that made up the Konoha Intelligence Division. (Though as much as he would like to soak in additional knowledge, cloud watching still took priority.)

With a sigh, he shut down the machine, the screen blanking out. A small beep from his desk alerted him of a summons to his boss's office later; probably to give him more work or information to analyze.

Joy.

Without the desire to do anything but sleep, Shikamaru contented himself with the only way he knew how for the past few years; a cold cup of coffee on his messy desk.

"You assigned the ANBU to observe Uzumaki?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I felt that it was-"

"That boy is my responsibility, not yours!" She snarled at the presumptuous man standing in front of her, forgetting that he was the Director of the Special Affairs Bureau, a position of considerable pull within the political workings of her administration. "Your division only needs to focus on the frontlines, no more, no less. Jurisdiction of internal affairs does not fall under your control!"

He ignored the outburst and the murderous glare sent to him. "On the contrary, Hokage-sama, the Fire Council emphasized that security must be maintained during these turbulent times. And I have all the authority I need to ensure that it is remained so." Despite the thick veil of anger on her logic, Tsunade knew that it was true. It was a measure to keep the Hokage's power in check, political red-tape she still had to accept. Sometimes she wondered why she took the job in the first place.

"And how is assigning twelve of the best ANBU we have on a kid is supposed to do that?" She asked a bit loudly, the soundproof design of her office not allowing any of her rants to transverse to the outside. If this was a normal time, she would be thanking the architects but now, she couldn't care less. The man simply blinked.

"Correction: A kid who just so happened to aptly avoid our Hunter-nins for the last four years or so. We're still quite worried about his appearance within the village."

"That isn't the point! He's still a minor!" It irked her though, how Naruto managed to become so... powerful in such a short amount of time. And he changed so much.

"They can be recalled easily should the need arise, you of all people should know that…" Hitaro dismissed the Fifth's icy glare while the temperature within the room dropped a few degrees. "Still, he won't be harmed, if that is what you're concerned about, unless he starts something that would endanger the wellbeing of the village We cannot allow another incident like the one 16 years ago to happen a second time, despite how you think. I trust you would understand, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade tried her best not to kill the man on the spot. "Of course." She waved a hand, signaling for him to leave. He did so, giving a quick bow as he exited. Once he did, she crushed the empty mug in her hands, her quick temper fading as fast as it came.

She sighed, her weariness catching up to her. She was hurt greatly by his words yesterday, having spent the better part of the night reigning in her thoughts, but there was a small part of her that was too stubborn to believe his words. She still clung on to the old memories of the boy. Or perhaps it was denial on her part. Her stubborn streak always seemed to hurt her in the end, it seems. A cloud of depression loomed over her. Yes, maybe it was just denial, after all, Naruto was dead to her for the past few years. She had managed to cope; to believe that he was in some better place. So what were another few decades of loss and self-delusion worth to her? Absolutely nothing at all.

Then why, she asked herself, was she so adamant about the whole thing? Loneliness and pain was something she was accustomed with. But there was a voice in her mind, telling her on to believe while another told her to despair. She could afford to trust the voice, the one telling her to give the boy the benefit of doubt, one last time. Hopefully, her luck would change and everything would be fine.

With a heavy sigh, she found herself with one thought. One which lingered quite long before it was washed away from the motions of the day. Naruto, please don't do anything stupid…for my sake.

Kakashi removed his grinning ANBU mask, throwing it haphazardly onto his desk. He just gotten back from patrol duty and was very, very tired. As he removed his white armor-vest, he grabbed a can of tea from the fridge, guzzling down the cool liquid before throwing it into the bin with pin-point accuracy. An accuracy which was finely honed after years of practice, .

For now, he was off duty from the hectic missions he had been assigned with, though it was a momentary rest. There was a copy of the latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise but he had no desire or time to read it right now. Instead his mind was occupied with thoughts of his former team; their group picture had been framed along side with the one from his Genin days. Happier days when things were simpler. But nothing was eternal, especially innocence.

Now, all that was left of former Team 7 was Sakura, who even then left his care to be taught under the Fifth because she had expressed her willingness to teach the girl, along with the small fact that there were no free spaces on the existing Genin teams. The other two of his dysfunctional 'family' were now missing-nins, one apprenticed to Orochimaru, the other wandering who-knows-where. All in all, it was a wonderful record for the first team he actually taught and cared about.

Fine job you did, Hatake. He thought bitterly, remembering how distraught both his former students were, before Naruto finally snapped and ran away, leaving behind Sakura to cope for herself. He was one of those who were assigned to bring the boy back, but he failed because of the dire circumstances surrounding the retrieval operation. He didn't place blame of failure on that though. He placed it on himself, and he knew that it was true. If only he had been faster, stronger, perhaps then, Naruto and Sasuke would be still here…

But they were not. That was a fact, and he was good at facing the facts, even if he didn't want to hear it. It was almost natural to him, that is, until he removed the wall that shielded his heart from the world. It was then the feelings of guilt and self-hatred came to torment him. It was one of the reasons why he read those books in the first place. They distracted him from reality, allowing him to only focus on what was written, not on the present. Another one of his distractions was Sakura. He still met up with her occasionally, if only to spar for a bit and give tips and advice as she went along, though those times were becoming less and less frequent due to his active status as ANBU and hers as a Chuunin. He wondered why he even did it when all he wanted was to sleep, to avoid the world as much as he can. Maybe because he didn't want to lose the last link he had with his former students or perhaps it was something else. But he didn't think he would be able to sleep if he didn't do that. He was sentimental like that, it seems.

His thoughts turned once more on his former students. Sasuke, of course, was plotting against the village. He was on the other side of the line in this war. And he dreaded to meet him on the battlefield, not because of his strength but rather, he was not willing to face a situation where he had to choose between his orders and his once-prized student. He knew which one he would choose, in the end though but that didn't make it any more pleasant.

And then, there was the last piece of the puzzle. In fact, Naruto was the only one who was not accounted for, dead or alive. All records for the blonde have been erased the minute he was declared a missing-nin, something which was courtesy of the Special Affairs Bureau and their stupid Internal Security Act. Everything, small things like his date of birth and school records were also gone, and now it was as if he didn't exist. A fleeting memory, much like a forgotten dream.

And now, he almost felt that his time with Team 7 was just that. A bittersweet dream.

Sakura wandered down the dirt path which led to the training grounds. She passed by her usually area which was already taken, this time she felt the need for solitude and chose to go to the weapon area which was often deserted. Her kodachi was strapped to her back, but its weight was a foreign feeling to her since it was months ago since last she used the weapon. She didn't want to at first, but Tenten had been willing to impart to her decent knowledge of the weapon as a late birthday gift.

She accepted it, though slow at first.

Since then, she had quickly taken to the sword, though her true calling laid in the subtle art of illusions and it wasn't often that she used the sword in her missions, preferring Ninjutsu to do the job. Taijutsu was one of her more favorable methods of fighting though, much to her surprise, after being taught the by her sensei. She saw little of the rest of the Rookie Nine, save for the few she still kept in touch with, most notably Ino and Tenten. Sometimes, she was assigned with Neji, and though he was hardly a conversationalist, they made small talk quite often enough if only to dispel the eerily silence. He still got on her nerves sometimes from his natural arrogance.

She saw Tenten practicing her sword, but there was someone else. Someone who looked familiar…

Her eyes widened. It was that man, whose manner and speech was a mystery to her. But before she could even speak, she heard him say something to her friend, who looked disappointed but had a shimmer of contentment concealed within her eyes. The man she knew as Karaichi Seizou walked away and steadily approached her. She stopped, as if some force compelled her to stay put, as he walked even closer to her.

She frozen stiff and was delusional. Instead of the short locks of brown she expected, it was now blonde. Gone was the aloofness in those sapphire eyes, replaced by something else she couldn't see. It was for a moment, but it felt like an eternity to her as she wondered where she had seen those orbs before. I know those eyes.

Before she knew it, he had passed her, never giving her a glance as she did him. "Sakura?" She blinked, and turned to Tenten, who was currently giving her a questioning look.

"Yes?" She asked, not really recovered from her experience.

"I was wondering whether you were participating in the Spring Tournament." She said, sheathing her katana into its scabbard. "With all the assignments being given this year,

She let herself a small grin. "Of course, why would I not want to join this year? Who knows, maybe I will be paired against you this time?" Sakura jerked her thumb to her own katana strapped to her back. "Maybe we could put on a sword performance just this once."

Tenten laughed.

Then a thought struck her. What was her friend doing before she came? "By the way, what was he doing before?"

"Oh? You mean Karaichi Seizou?" Sakura nodded as she found it odd to find her friend in such company. "Well…he was teaching me some sword forms."

Sakura wasn't convinced. Tenten? Learning from some mysterious person whose skills are sub-par to her own? "What do you mean? You're the best weapon user in Konoha! Surely, you must be joking."

Tenten looked flustered. "Well, to be honest, it wasn't exactly learning, more like trading tips." Again, Sakura wasn't convinced, her experience with lies tied neatly together with her instinct. The truth dawned upon her. He was, indeed, teaching her. Her curiosity in 'Karaichi Seizou' increased. To be of the same skill level as a renowned weapon user or perhaps even higher, not to mention, his almost unnatural reflexes, it was really as if he was someone else and not the unskilled swordsman that Jiraiya-sama introduced them.

Who was he really?

Wooden furniture was common in offices, homes, restaurants, bars, etc, etc. Heck, everywhere in the village. Common, as anyone would say.

But this smell of oak and pine did not feel right to him. There was a musty tint to it, showing off long years of existence which did not sit well with his nose. Normally, such a thing would not bother him, and anything truly bothersome was ignored by him. Women, for example was one of those things. But this, however, was an entirely different thing altogether. He passed by a wooden statue on his way in. It was nothing special, the entire thing was the shape of a sentinel from the olden times. But there was something about it which ticked him off.

Knocking on the door once, he entered the room, the bright surroundings turning into muted shades.

Shikamaru couldn't help but feel…apprehensive. Even after being in this office so many times, he still felt intimidated. Perhaps by its owner's character or something, he didn't know. And in front of him sat a figure cloaked in semi-darkness, a computer and a wide. Yegami Hitaro was someone who was an enigma to him, even with his analytic ability. The man was in his thirties, though he looked older with his messy brown hair, bored eyes and the ever-constant frown. Hard to believe that this was very same person who offered him his job.

But that doesn't mean I want to, He thought. How troublesome.

"So, Shikamaru…now that you're here, I got a new job for you," Hitaro drawled, "You're organizing security detail for the big slug fest coming this week." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. As usual, something troublesome had popped up, and his already non-existent cloud watching time became even more non-existent, if that was even possible.

"I thought that article 56 of section 10 of the laws of Konohakagure made it illegal for any ninja below the rank of Jounin to command a battalion of Chuunin or ANBU." He said at once, thankful for spending that one afternoon reading up the policies of Konoha. It pays to be well-informed, after all, he thought.

"Really?" Hitaro asked unfazed, as if he didn't catch on to the ploy.

"Yeah."

"Well then, that can be fixed…" He took out a scroll from his drawing and placed it on the table. Out of curiosity, he peered at the parchment but found it rolled up. It had the seal of the Hokage on it, much like the one he received when he got promoted to Chuunin.

"It's a little late, but this removes your stupid excuse of 'being only a mere Chuunin'." Hitaro said, smirking as he did.

"What do you mean?" This whole thing stank like a rotting body to Shikamaru. Something wasn't adding up.

"You, by all rights and standard as of last year, are a Jounin." The Director for the Special Affairs Bureau simply said, motioning impatiently for Shikamaru to take the scroll. Shikamaru, however, chose to stare blankly at his boss. "Excuse me?"

"Shikamaru-kun, did you really believe that you were only a Chuunin? Besides, how you do think I managed to allow you assess to the Intelligence Division's files? Though records say that you are Chuunin, it is because we simply do not exist to the general public. We follow a different set of rules than the regular forces, which you should have already noticed. Our methods and command structure aren't subject to the rigid scrutiny of the Council as long we get the job done. And that includes the promotion of shinobi under our jurisdiction without the approval or knowledge of the Hokage or any other directorial body within Konoha."

The man leaned back into his chair, which creaked with protest as he did. "With regards to this, I, as Director of the Special Affairs Bureau, reserve the right to withhold information from you, until deemed necessary."

"In other words, this was all political red-tape?" Leave it to Shikamaru to be tactful.

"Yes." The man didn't blink. "Though it's a year late, congratulations on your promotion. You will get all privileges which come with the title, excluding the vest. You know, ninja and organizational protocol number 23." Shikamaru resisted the urge to snort.

I knew there was something fishy about that… Shikamaru half groaned, already starting to feel a heavy load on his chest. The fact that he was a Jounin, and for quite some time it seems, was taking its toll on his foggy mind. Where was his coffee when he really needed it? "You didn't inform me of that, sir."

"Didn't inform you of what?"

"My promotion," He paused. "Sir."

The man just scoffed. "With the war going on, I had hardly enough time to sleep, let alone tell you about your promotion." He took a huge sip from his mug. "If you're worried about your unofficial promotion, don't worry. You didn't receive more work than you need to."

Somehow, at that point, he had a sinking suspicion that his boss could read minds. With no less wariness than he had a minute before, he took the promotion scroll from the desk and tucked it into his vest.

"Now, since that's out of the way…let's get back to your new assignment." Hitaro retrieved a black folder from his drawers, his other hand busy signing the papers on his desk. "Nara Shikamaru, you're to hereby suspend normal operations until further notice."

"What?" Came the response from the individual in question. The man in the chair sighed.

"The yearly competition which is going to take place in the ANBU training grounds, ring any bells?"

"Why am I always the one stuck with the difficult missions? This is too troublesome."

Hitaro ignored him. "In any case, you're in charge. The needed resources you need are at your disposal, use the usual channels to get it, " He tossed the folder at the boy who caught it lazily. "And everything you need to know is in there," He made a shooing gesture with his hands. "So, get out of my office."

"Gladly." Shikamaru muttered, glancing at the contents of his folder as he walked. "This is going to be troublesome…"

"Oh, by the way…don't lose that status scroll you have." He said as Shikamaru reached for the handle of the door. "Something tells me you might use it soon enough."

"Right, sir." He left, all too grateful to be out of that horrible room.

He past by the wooden statue again on his way out.

He decided that he really didn't like the headquarters.

Hmm, must be the Fengshui or something, He thought at last, as the afternoon sun glared upon him once more.

As the afternoon sun descended even further with the passing time, two figured lurked within the thick foliage surrounding Konoha.

Their intent was simple.

Find a certain demon container that was named Uzumaki Naruto.

She was in the midst of doing paperwork when somebody barged into her office. "Tsunade-sama!" Looking up, she saw a worried Shizune, who was holding a large stack of documents obviously waiting to be signed by her.

"What is it, Shizune?" She asked, not bothering to hide the faint strains of weariness present in her voice.

"The ANBU have reported sightings of the Akatsuki within the village's perimeter just minutes ago!" Her assistant nearly shouted, and Tsunade almost leapt out of her seat. The Akatsuki! She had heard much about the group from Jiraiya a few years back when he was about to leave in search of…him. What she heard didn't comfort her very much, as most of them were at least S-class missing nins, almost on-par to each of the Sannin in terms of power. And the fact was something which had bothered her greatly. Orochimaru was enough to deal with as it is without inviting more enemies to the list. Fate, it seems, has other plans.

"Have our ANBU taken action yet?" She pressed, hoping that was not the case. Even as skilled their ANBU were, none of them were able to fight effectively against such opponents. The war with Sound had proved as much. Their Leaf units were slaughtered during the opening assault as a result, until Special Affairs took over the task of assigning how many and what units to send to the front. They have been successful to this point, with the lowest losses since a decade and hoped that it would continue so.

The raven haired medic-nin shook her head, the stack in her hands swaying as she did. "No, they are currently observing them until they are within sight of the village sentries." Tsunade let out a breath of relief at that. She couldn't afford to risk vital manpower now, the border defense was already stretched thin as it is. There was still some chance that the situation could be salvaged, provided of course that she handled matters with care.

She thought it strange, that after so long would the Akatsuki appear once again, this time quite near the village's border. What reason would prompt them into entering hostile territory?

There were a few she could think of, but one particularly nagged at her mind.

Naruto.

He had already shown that he could take care of himself, but she was worried nonetheless.

He felt their presence, one that he hadn't for sometime.

He narrowed his eyes, as he remembered the distinctive chakra signatures; he had idled within Konoha for too long. Focusing, he shifted his face back into his original one, ignoring the pain from the transformation of the bone matter. He lifted a hand to his cheek, knowing it was far too long since he last reverted to his normal looks. All he could do now was to wait for his hunters, and in turn become the hunter who stalks his prey.

But the more he thought about, the more it seemed inevitable. The Akatsuki finally found him.

They saw their target in the training fields, within close proximity of the Old Woods. Day had turned to night and the sky was pitch, tiny dots of light littered across the great expanse. There was a gentle breeze bringing a faint nostalgia to him, reminding him of days long past. They were getting closer to their target but it seemed that he didn't notice them, standing idly as if to stare upon the stars in that open field.

"The fodder you sent last week wasn't enough to keep me occupied." The blonde said, slightly surprising the missing-nins.

"Not that I expected them to, their role was to locate you. And they served their roles well, at least." Itachi said without much concern. "They were expendable."

"Well, I was kind of hoping that you guys thought I perished or something during that fall." The boy who wasn't a boy gave a sigh. "Guess I was wrong." The air tinged, a shift of charka within the air alerting their keen senses. All of them looked to the east where the village of Konoha laid.

"Kisame," The shorter of the two shinobi whispered so quietly that none could hear, but the missing-nin heard it anyway. "They are coming. 12 of them. All of them ANBU level." To a normal ninja, such odds were daunting but Kisame merely grinned at the prospect. He hadn't had a good fight for such a long time. He did not know defeat, only carnage and slaughter registered within his mind.

"Gladly." The former Mist nin merely replied, letting a blood-lusting grin appear on his face before immediately vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

"Well, now that everything has been taken care of…" His eyes flared with the familiar crimson of the Sharingan. "Let us begin."

Trees were being torn asunder from the strength of their punches, the resulting splinters not affecting him or his opponent in any way, having trained to ignore pain. But Itachi did not rely on brute strength, as he noticed, but rather he let the speed of his attacks do the damage. Each movement made by Itachi was graceful as it was efficient. Naruto knew that the Uchiha was swift before but now…

It was as if he was hitting shadows.

There were only faint blurs appearing as Naruto slowed down his speed to attack, his punches often blocked or missed. His opponent, however, did not shy away and delivered a few bone-crushing blows to him with startling speed. Naruto growled as his shoulder shattered from the strike, the bone fragments cutting into his flesh. But it was a temporary pain as the bone mended itself back into place a second later. He prepared to strike hard. This time there was no pain to stop him.

With a roar, he slammed the blade into the ground which Itachi stood upon, the ground breaking up from the colossal force. The torn body of Itachi exploded into a puff of smoke.

Kage Bushin. Naruto realized too late as his senses picked up a disturbing amount of chakra leaking from the surroundings.

Suddenly, he found himself alone, all sense of outside vanishing. The ground quickly became shadows, hungrily devouring any source of light from his surroundings. Panic started to rise in him, before he reminded himself that it was a ninjutsu, nothing that he couldn't break. "Kai!" The darkness still remained. "Kai!" The shadows took various forms, each one lumbering towards him with great speed. Then everything stopped, all of them surrounding him.

The shape closest to him morphed into something. Something pink.

He froze. It was Sakura. But her eyes were frighteningly dull and cruel, not the lively ones he remembered and deeply cherished. She opened her mouth to speak, before closing it abruptly, her eyes accusing as her gaze settled upon him.

"You're the Kyuubi, it all makes sense now…" 'Sakura' said, her delicate features twisting into ugly contempt. "Those stares you always seem to receive, I realize now that it is because of what you're. A demon."

Words which did not hurt him before now stung painfully. To hear it come from her made it worse.

Soon, more people he knew took shape from the shadows, mocking and berating him. He knew it was just an illusion but it hurt. The genjutsu was aimed at dissolving the will of the opponent. He preferred ninjutsu or taijutsu over genjutsu for the simple fact that using a genjutsu was akin to using slow and painful torture. But that didn't mean he wasn't proficient in it.

His eyes shifted from natural blue into bloody red. Almost at once, the shapes stopped and shuddered before sinking back into the abyss whence it came. The darkness remained, though it was impassive and subtle he was still stuck. He took a deep breath in an effort to clear his mind of the jutsu's effects. The dispel technique did not work so he had to try another method…

"Raiton: Hikari no Ken." Naruto whispered, his hands flying as he formed one seal after another, his katana giving a faint spark as he finished the last of them. Immediately, he swung it at the shadows, white lightning arching from his blade and into the surroundings, dispelling the ninjutsu. The darkness faded as his vision of the forest returned though Itachi was no where in sight.

"Your techniques won't work on me, Itachi!" He shouted into the forest, though he knew the mind assault had more than shaken him. He was still trembling from its effects, but the night covered him in darkness.

Itachi appeared a safe distance away, eyes still locked within red. "Very good, Naruto-kun. You passed my expectations."

Naruto didn't respond save for a snarl as his blade hummed with white energy, shifting the dull metal into a red hot hue as it did. He swung the blade in a forward motion, a lance of pure white shooting forth towards Itachi.

"I see that you have progressed much." Another lance of lightning came at him, and he avoided it effortlessly.

"Listen to what I have to say." Once more, lightning shot out, this time it was coated with a angry red hue. The beam whizzed passed Itachi and into the forest behind, the resulting explosion rumbling the earth.

"What makes you think I want listen to your words, eh? Your hands and legs can do the talking well enough." Naruto scowled, his blade poised to deliver another blow.

Itachi was unfazed by the murderous tone in his voice. "The Nine have decided that you're worthy of joining the Akatsuki."

The Akatsuki wanting him to join, even after declaring him to be free game because of the Kyuubi? The thought was ridiculous, laughable even. But what was the true reason behind this? He found it quite unsettling for them just to go all this way just to tell him that. Looking at it from all points, it was easier to attempt a abduction than to go through miles and miles of hostile land just to offer a choice he might not take. Not to mention the last time they met, he ended up jumping over a cliff. And after being subjected to his fears, Naruto had every right to be more than suspicious of the missing-nin's intention.

"You have hunted me before, but never have you offered such a proposal to me. So why now?" He asked slowly, sheathing his blade back as its bright white surface faded back into dull grey.

"It is simple. You have power, Naruto-kun," Itachi answered. "Be it the Kyuubi or your skills as of late, power is something you have in abundance. Something we approve of."

What a load of crap. He thought. There was something more than that, something that the Uchiha was concealing. He could feel it in his blood. But he knew he would have to find out later. "Flattering, but I'm sure there is another motive for this?"

Light reflected off Itachi's black orbs. "It's good to see that you're observant. Then I'm sure that you have heard of the Sound's latest movements throughout the continent?"

"What does that got to do with anything?" He asked coldly. Indeed, what does it have to do with him? The only problems he had with the Sound was the increased amount of scrutiny he has been receiving from their Hunter-nins, or rather scavengers of the mad Orochimaru. Usually, Hunter-nins dispose of the bodies of missing nins so as to avoid letting their village's secrets to be revealed in autopsies. But those of the Sound did not practice this, and instead were determined to gather 'material' for Orochimaru's experiments, be it dead or alive. And his repute of obtaining several scrolls of import did not help him, but again, they had to catch and best him first. He waited for the Uchiha to answer.

"Everything which concerns the survival of this pathetic village, and whatever precious people who live here."

Whatever Naruto was expecting as an answer, this wasn't it. The Uchiha's answer caught him off guard and it showed on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Orochimaru has rallied thousands to his cause. The borders of the Sound have now expanded into the neutral regions. Many speak of an impending treaty of cooperation between the Earth Country and the Sound. All of this points to an all-out-attack on the Leaf, which would either destroy or severely cripple Konoha. The Sand, with its policy of isolation, cannot afford to send anything save a token force." His eyes glinted. "In other words, this would be the final blow. One which Konoha cannot shrug off."

There was a brief silence. "Why are you telling me this," Naruto said finally. "You're not exactly the most charitable person I'm acquainted with."

Itachi ignored him. "Think of it as a token of goodwill from our organization. Letting Orochimaru get an advantage in this conflict would be…unfavorable to our purpose."

Naruto stayed silent at that, though he wanted to ask what that purpose was.

"Regardless of whether you will act on the facts I have provided, you have three weeks to decide. What happens to this village during this time or later is none of the Akatsuki's concern, but…" Itachi lingered on, "If you join us that may not be the case."

"What makes you think that I still harbor anything but contempt for this village?"

Itachi blinked, before he let out a mirthless chuckle. "There is nothing my Sharingan cannot see. Nothing at all. Your attempts at concealment are pitiful, to say the least." And it was true, he knew. The bloodline ability of the Uchiha was originally a seer trait within the Hyuuga blood. Impure but vastly efficient. That knowledge was a courtesy of the vast repertoire of the Kyuubi.

Naruto thought about this. He was already an S-class missing-nin, regardless of his deceased status and it wouldn't bother him to have another alias brought to the same level of infamy like the other names he taken on during the last four years. But to accept the invitation from those who once wanted to destroy him, it was a bit unsettling for him to agree so readily. However…

Itachi's words rang in his mind, voice clear as day. What happens to this village during this time or later is none of the Akatsuki's concern, but if you join us that may not be the case.

It would protect those he needed to protect while estranging himself even further from them. Ironic but it was perfect…

"I will consider it." He said finally. "Is there anything else?"

"Also, my sources tell me that my foolish brother would be coming here quite soon. To take part in a tournament, I believe." Naruto narrowed his eyes, while Itachi remained impassive as always. "I thought you might want to know."

Naruto almost snorted at that. Itachi said that to provoke him into acting. To do what exactly? He honestly had no idea. But the mention of Sasuke made the rage in his blood boil, somehow he still hasn't forgotten about his betrayal. The feeling hasn't lessened any bit through these years.

"I'm going to defeat him." He declared, the unspoken words following in his mind, reflecting a promise he hasn't forgotten yet. And bring him back even if I have to drag back his corpse. The dark clouds moved as the winds blew them away, revealing the moon in its blood red glory.

"Oh?" Itachi raised an eyebrow, amusement showing in his dull eyes. "I would like to see you try. After all, if he's still weak, then I suppose there is no point in keeping him alive anymore…" He shifted, his eyes darting to the east, where the village was awfully quiet. "We await your favorable reply then, Naruto-kun. Remember, you have three weeks." Without warning, Itachi's shape blurred, disappearing as if he wasn't there.

He needed to get information, and he knew the best way to get it.

Without wasting time, Naruto focused as his face shifted into another face, taking on more rough features. Once he was done, he allowed himself a small grin. Even when he was fully rested, it was quite difficult to shift-shape his body. But for him to do it so fast while he was winded out was no mean feat. Now all he had to do was become unconscious, a simple thing by comparison to shape-shifting.

With a few hand seals, he uttered the words. "Gansaku nemuri no jutsu." He relaxed; it would take a bit of time before the ANBU will arrive. As expected, he saw a brief glimpse of approaching shinobi just as he felt the unnatural need to sleep. Hopefully, they would drag his body to the ANBU compound. With his current identity, he wouldn't be surprised. The face he taken on was of a notorious repute, specially chosen for that reason alone.

He had a clear view as to what he was going to do but somehow, the future seemed uncertain as darkness engulfed him into its embrace...

A/N: Well, its been a while since the last update. I was hoping that this month would be a productive one for the fic but it proved otherwise with the setbacks I have at school. But I'm sure you all aren't here to hear my rants. :P Frankly speaking, this chapter proved to be the backburner for my brain, a lot of the scenes were toned down from what I originally planned because of the massive length and it shows cause this one is numbered at 13k. Also, the romance factor in this story is also making it difficult for me to write certain scenes. If people say this chapter was crap, I wouldn't say otherwise, because I rushed this one. If I find the time to modify this chapter, I would do so, but for now, my time is as stretched out as it is, from my year end examinations. Act VI is already in the works, and I have planned it out so you can expect lots of fighting in the next chapter. To those who have stuck by this story, you have my sincere thanks, I couldn't have done it without your feedback. As always, read and if you like (or don't like) what you see, please drop by a review or a post of constructive criticism. Thank you once again.

Jutsu:

Katon: Ryuusakeme (Dragon's Tear): A forbidden ninjutsu which had been lost since the first Ninja wars, Naruto managed to obtain a manual of it during his extensive travels throughout the continent. One of the strongest Fire jutsu available but also the most deadly as it drains chakra too quickly for an average ninja to cope with. The technique summons out a dragon purely made of flame. Unlike most elemental summons, this one is far more superior abilities than its weaker counterparts, as it is able to shrug off Jounin level attacks without so much a scratch and summon Grand Fireballs constantly. Considered once a Legendary Jutsu before its disappearance but was replaced in favor of the Fire Emperor, which had less side effects. Naruto acquired a copy of it in the Earth country where he purchased it from a peasant who didn't know of its worth.

Ninpou: Gansaku Nemuri no jutsu (Fake Sleep): Basically, it's a forced sleep technique, similar to the one Gaara used to fake his sleep.