Sorry for this chapter being a bit late. I got really caught up in playing Final Fantasy XIV, thanks to a friend of mine getting me some game time on it. That game is really addicting. Hopefully you all aren't too mad and I'm not too late when this chapter is released.

Diehard NaruHina LeafRanger: I guess some people have just forgotten their commitments. *sniffs disdainfully*

LeafRanger: I have not forgotten my fanfics, I'm just distracted. Besides, writing these is a hobby, something I do for fun and to hopefully inspire others to start writing like I was inspired by Marchgirl, the author who helped me get onto this site.

Arashen: I remember those days. When you were wide eyed, naïve, innocent. *sighs in nostalgic remembrance*

LR: *Deadpan stare* I wrote a fanfic about Yugito aging backwards, a jinchuuriki OC with a dragon sealed in him, and Naruto and Hinata gaining special powers and armor so they were more like fantasy power rangers then ninja. And they beat the main villain with the power of love, friendship, and belief.

Arashen: Mmm, yes, the fanfic that gave birth to me.

LR: *sighs, rubbing my face* Sorry for the extra nostalgia, but an episode of Nostalgia Critic made me feel even more nostalgic then when I was thinking of restarting the Ranger Lair here. He was talking about why he started doing Nostalgia Critic, and how different things were from back then. To be honest…I really miss the old Nostalgia Critic.

RagingStar19: C'mon, this is supposed to be zany and goofy, not all sappy.

LR: *clears his throat* Yeah, anyways let's get to review replies and announcements. First off, as mentioned in Maelstrom Siblings, timbarney110 has a Harry Potter fanfic challenge for anyone who is interested. Please contact them for details if you're interested in taking it on.

To anonymous guest Tsukasa: I'm sorry for the wait on each chapter, but I'm writing three separate fanfics, and I rotate which one I'm updating so all three of them continue to get updated. I don't want to leave readers and fans of any of them hanging for too long. Sorry again though, for the wait.

To anonymous guest reviewer, thank you for the corrections. Sadly, the sheer amount of comments and notes you added in are too much for me to address here. Sorry.

To anonymous guest reviewer number 2, thank you for your comment about my argument against the flamer that I did back in chapter 28. Logic sadly doesn't work against idiots like that, but showing that to everyone else can better help them handle such people.

And to my…last anonymous guest reviewer, number 3, thank you for your review. Glad you enjoyed seeing Kabuto die, and thank you for your suggestions. I'll consider them for my upcoming chapter(s).

Diehard LeafTayu Ranger: Bored now. Where's my foul mouthed red haired flute player? *get's smacked upside the head by Elroth's bow*

Elroth: She's mine! *The two start engaging in a fight over Tayuya, as the others start taking bets*

LR; *sighs* So much for peace and quiet. *Goes to break it up*

Just as a heads up, there are two scenes of mental torture that might be dark for some viewers. I am sorry if any of you end up uncomfortable from the scenes. If you want to skip them, there will be warnings before and after each scene.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the respective properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft. This is a non-profit fan-made work of fiction. Please support the official releases.


Chapter 43

Jinchuuriki Meets Akatsuki

Kiseki back-flipped through the air, barely avoiding a devastating blow from the massive bandaged blade wielded by missing nin Kisame Hoshigaki. Said sword slammed into the sidewalk with enough force to break it, leaving a small crater and a web of cracks in the cement where she had stood. Kiseki landed gracefully and immediately pushed herself forward to try and catch her opponent off guard, but Kisame easily drew the massive blade back and spun, bringing the sword around in a crushing side swing that would have shattered her ribs if it hit. The Uchiha Assassin barely managed to duck in time, back stepping quickly to get out of range of Kisame's blade.

Once again safe from her opponent, at least for the moment, she studied him carefully. She knew the trick for dealing with someone who had a longer weapon was to get in close to prevent them from employing the range advantage their weapon afforded them. The problem was getting in close enough to do so, and Kisame apparently had trained himself to prevent that from happening. Despite his blade's massive size, length, and weight, he wielded it easily with a single or both hands, the blade able to cut through the air with murderous speed. Combined with his own significant height and reach and he was able to easily lash out at opponents at great ranges and recover quickly, before they could get in close to engage him.

She eyed the bandage-covered blade warily, knowing that each of the Seven Swords of Kiri had special abilities that made them more than simple weapons. Yet the abilities of the weapons were shrouded in mystery due to Kirigakure doing their best to keep them secret, even when most of their wielders became rogue ninja. So at the moment, she had no idea what this weapon could do.

Deciding to try a different approach, she quickly stabbed both blades in the ground before quickly flipping through handsigns. Drawing in air she launched a large fireball directly at Kisame, quickly grabbing her swords up and rushing behind the fireball to use it as a distraction.

What she saw stopped her cold, however, as Kisame brought his blade up right in the path of the fireball. Her jutsu hit home only to quickly disperse into nothing, leaving behind the blade largely untouched beyond some of the bandages being singed. Kisame smirked as his blade actually seemed to squirm and wiggle under the bandages, as if it were alive. "I have to thank you. Samehada hasn't had a treat in a while," he said as he hefted the blade, resting it on one shoulder.

Kiseki narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what happened, before finally responding. "Your blade…it absorbs chakra?" She asked.

Kisame continued to smirk at her. "Got it in one. My blade here loves to gobble up chakra, so please, feel free to launch more ninjutsu at me. She's quite hungry," he said, before kicking off towards her, bringing the sword down in a fast strike as she barely dodged out of the way.

The fight was not going any better for Asuma or Kurenai. The two of them had been knocked into the waterway by two shadow clones that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and now Itachi was fighting the pair of them. Asuma was fighting him in close quarters, using his taijutsu and trench knives which he had enhanced with wind chakra to not only give them a deadlier cutting edge but to also extend their reach. Normally the wind chakra was invisible, making it next to impossible for enemies to dodge his attacks, but Itachi's Sharingan eyes allowed him to easily see the chakra being used, and so he was able to anticipate and dodge Asuma's attacks. Even now, he leaned back far enough that even the trailing edge of wind chakra missed him, kicking Asuma in the side while reaching up to grab the downward stab by Kurenai. He twisted her arm, causing her to cry out in pain as the kunai dropped from her hand, right into Itachi's other hand, allowing him to parry another blow from Asuma before he threw Kurenai at the cigarette smoking Sarutobi.

Asuma barely caught Kurenai, skidding back while suddenly unleashing a cloud of flaming ash from his mouth directly at Itachi. The cloud engulfed him, giving Asuma a moment of hope that he had hit the former Konoha ANBU, only to see the ash be blown away by a cyclone of water that quickly dissipated, revealing Itachi completely unharmed. The former Uchiha stoically stared at Asuma before his hand flickered up, sending several shuriken directly at him and Kurenai. Both jounin blocked the shuriken, only to cry out in pain as cuts appeared on their arms, cheeks and legs. Almost instantly the Itachi in front of them disappeared while another one appeared between the two, crouched with two kunai in hand, each blade dripping with blood.

Kurenai nearly collapsed, her legs buckling slightly. "G-Genjutsu," she muttered, catching on. Itachi had somehow managed to place them in a genjutsu at some point, causing them to fight a fake Itachi while the real one made his move.

Itachi gave them no reply, simply spinning and bringing the blades up, readying to stab them both in the neck, when a dragon of water slammed into him, causing him to disperse into smoke to reveal a sodden log being thrown into the wall of the waterway.

Asuma and Kurenai looked up to find Kakashi standing there, book in hand. "Sorry, had to take the long route here after getting rid of Sasuke," he said nonchalantly, his one visible eye taking in Kiseki and Kisame's fight.

The female Uchiha grimaced as she was again forced back by Kisame's blade, realizing that if she had any chance of actually hitting Kisame, she had to take drastic action. Dodging another attack she charged forward, blades held at the ready. She saw him react exactly how she intended, turning the slash she had just dodged into a turn for a quick thrust towards her. She ducked down to the side, the blade missing hitting her chest but slashing her arm, causing her to wince in pain as whatever was under the bandages cut her flesh as well as the bandages. Paying it no mind she kept going, slashing low at Kisame as she passed him. She was rewarded by the feel of her blade cutting into him, before her eyes widened as she realized there was not nearly as much resistance as there should be from a human body as her blade passed right through him. She spun around in time to see Kisame disperse into a puddle of water, while the real one appeared on the waterway with Itachi, both looking no worse than when the fight started.

Kiseki quickly joined Kakashi and the others, grimacing as she looked at her arm and saw a jagged cut there. She looked to Kisame, seeing that the bandages had come loose, revealing a bluish-gray scaly looking blade underneath, each scale coming into an almost serrated point. She bit her lip, realizing the damage she could have sustained would have been a lot worse if he had hit her with more than just the edge of the sword.

Kisame chuckled softly as he looked to his comrade. "Your former clansman there is quite a fighter. I actually wasn't bored for once," he said. "Can I keep fighting her?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes, taking them all in. "We don't have time for this Kisame. This was meant to be an infiltration, not an assault," he said quietly.

Kakashi finally put his book away, studying them. "So it seems our uninvited guests were a lot more dangerous. I almost wish I had rounded up an ANBU squadron before coming," he said as he lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan eye. "What are you doing here, Itachi-san?" He asked. "Feeling nostalgic and wanting to visit your old stomping grounds?"

Itachi merely stared at him, slightly raising one eyebrow. "Considering I doubt any of you will be leaving alive, I shall inform you. We're here for the Yondaime's legacy," he said simply.

Kakashi's eyes widened at that, as did the other three. Quietly, Kakashi spoke to the others. "I hope you three are still in fighting shape. Kiseki, you'll help me take on Itachi. Asuma, Kurenai, got for Kisame," he ordered.

The trio nodded, each readying themselves as Kisame ran through handsigns. "Guess it's not much of an infiltration anymore!" He said gleefully. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)!"

Another water dragon rose from around his feet, rising up before shooting towards the four jounin, intending to blow them all away, only to suddenly be met by a second water dragon that smashed into it, causing both of them to disperse. Kakashi released his own handsign, looking at the two intruders, only for his eyes to widen as he saw Itachi's Sharingan had changed shape. Kiseki's own eyes widened, before she looked to Asuma and Kurenai. "You two close your eyes and don't look! No matter what!" She shouted, closing her own eyes.

The two jounin quickly reacted as well as Kakashi closed his normal eye, thinking his Sharingan would protect him from what was coming, as he saw Itachi's pinwheel shaped irises.

"Tsukuyomi," Itachi said quietly, as Kakashi suddenly found the world changing colors around him. The sky was blood red with the ground being black, before he was suddenly chained up to a cross. Hoping to escape, he tried to release a burst of chakra, yet nothing happened. Biting his lip to draw blood and cause pain to again snap himself out of the genjutsu, he found himself still trapped, as Itachi appeared before him.

Warning, scene of mental torture

"It is pointless. I control this world, Hatake-san. For the next seventy-two hours, you will experience pain," he said, before stepping back as the black waters below them seemed to ripple and figures slowly began to rise, taking shape. As they did, Kakashi's eyes widened in horror as the first one approached him, a man with gravity defying hair much like his own, his belly gutted open by a slash. Kakashi could only gape as his own father, Sakumo Hatake, held up a sword.

"You turned your back on me Kakashi. I killed myself because you believed me to be a traitor and a disgrace, like the village did!" The apparition shouted, shoving the blade into Kakashi's chest, causing him to scream in agony.

A young boy, not much older than his own students, approached. He had black hair and wore a black and orange track suit, with the right side of his face and body being smashed in, as if crushed by something. His left eye was a gaping void, the ocular organ missing. "I saved your life, Kakashi! I gave you my eye, and trusted you to protect Rin! I should have let you die!" Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's former teammate, shouted as he also shoved another sword into Kakashi, followed by his second teammate, a young girl with short brown hair, purple square marks on her face, and a gaping hole in her chest.

"You couldn't protect me! You failed me and Obito! You had to kill me to protect Konoha, always putting the village and yourself first!" Rin Nohara blamed him as well, driving a kunai into his back.

A tall woman with knee length red hair, dressed in a white top and green house dress that had a massive gaping hole through her chest, stabbed him with multiple bladed chains emerging from her back, as her hair seemed to wave like numerous tails before you. "We trusted you to help look out for our son! To do what was best for him!" Kushina Uzumaki shouted, her chains ripping through Kakashi's torso.

Kakashi could only cry out in agony, feeling the physical pain of being stabbed and gutted, as well as the mental torture from their words, words repeated over and over in his mind and soul. And yet the last one terrified him most of all. Even as he cried out in agony, his eyes were locked on the sight of his mentor, his teacher, his second father figure. Minato Namikaze, dressed in his Hokage regalia, but with a wound matching his wife Kushina's, stepped forward, his usually warm eyes empty and cold. "You are no student of mine, Kakashi. You betrayed everything I taught you, everything your teammates and I instilled in you. You are lower than trash," Minato stated, taking one of his tri-kunai and stabbing it into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi let out an agonizing scream as that blow hit like a thousand charging bulls. His whole body felt like it was on fire, blood dripping from his wounds that should have ended his life. Yet he did not feel the cold embrace of death, he did not see the world fading around him. All he felt was the physical and emotional agony that seemed to stretch on forever, as those closest to him continued to stab him, whispering, muttering, or shouting their claims of his betrayal to him.

And suddenly, it stopped. His head dropped, panting heavily, his eyes unfocused. It took him a few moments to come to his sense, hoping, praying the torture was done. Yet as he was able to finally register what he was seeing, his eyes widened as he saw he was still in the Tsukuyomi, his body healed but still chained to the cross, as Itachi stood before him, surrounded by the wraiths of his fallen precious people. Itachi looked up at him, his Mangekyou Sharingan eyes empty and pitiless.

"Onlyseventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds to go," he said calmly, stepping back as the wraiths stepped forward again, to resume Kakashi's torture.

End Scene

In the real world, not even a second had passed before the trio of Konoha jounin, their eyes closed, heard Kakashi's agonized gasp and the sound of his hands and knees hitting the water. Itachi merely rose one eyebrow as he studied Kakashi's fallen form. "You are quite resilient, to still be conscious after that," he said.

Asuma gripped his weapons, worried about what he couldn't see. "Kiseki, what the hell is going on?!" He demanded.

Kiseki grimaced as she barely opened her eyes, keeping her gaze down and away from Itachi's gaze. "Tsukuyomi is a powerful genjutsu that only those who have evolved their Sharingan can utilize. And even then not all of them get it as a technique. Only someone with an equally powerful Sharingan has a hope of resisting being pulled into it. Itachi put me under it right before he left the village."

Itachi ignored Kiseki, instead focusing on Kakashi. "Our prey is not in the village," he said finally. "We need to end this quickly and leave before more shinobi arrive."

"Heh, allow me," Kisame said, moving forward and preparing to raise his weapon, only for a sudden green blur to appear, slamming into his chest. Gai, having planted a powerful kick into Kisame's chest, sent the massive blue missing nin skidding backwards while he back flipped off of Kisame, landing besides the other jounin and pulling Kakashi up. At the same time a dozen other shinobi appeared, half of them ANBU while the other half were Uchiha, their Sharingan's blazing.

"Worry not my friends, help has arrived!" Gai shouted, his grin evident to everyone but the three with their eyes shut or downcast. "You can open your eyes, but keep your gaze down. You can defeat the Sharingan simply by not looking your opponent in the face."

Itachi frowned as he saw the additional reinforcements, including the hate filled eyes of his ex-clansmen. "It would seem that we took too long," he said quietly. "Kisame-san, we are leaving."

Kisame grimaced as he slung his sword onto his back, rubbing his chest with his other hand. "Damnit, I didn't get to kill anything," he muttered.

"You will not leave here traitor!" One of the Uchiha shouted, as the six of them immediately prepared to unleash a number of fire jutsu at Itachi and Kisame, only for three clones of Itachi to appear, each one holding the same handsign. The water rose in a massive wall between the two rogue nins and the Konoha shinobi, threatening to collapse on them as they quickly darted back away from the water. It suddenly collapsed, leaving them alone with no sign of the two rogue nin.

"Search the area and lock the village down!" One of the ANBU shouted, as his comrades and the Uchiha shot off in various directions to search for their quarry. Gai meanwhile was frowning as he took in the now comatose state of Kakashi, who hung limply off his shoulder.

"We need to get you three to the hospital," he said. "My Eternal Rival is in desperate need of care, and I'm sure you three could use a check up as well."

Kurenai and Asuma nodded, while Kiseki stared off distractedly at where Itachi had stood. She seemed oblivious to them, until Kurenai gently shook her shoulder, causing her to start and look towards her.

"You need to get that looked at," the ruby eyed genjutsu mistress said, causing Kiseki to nod distractedly as she looked at her arm, before following the others to the hospital. Completely unaware of the shadow that watched from the trees, before turning and heading off in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

On the Road

Naruto just sighed as he looked at the back of Jiraiya, the old sannin currently moving along somewhat briskly ahead of him, now that he had recovered from the mad dash from Konoha. Now that he had regained his breath, the duo were moving out in earnest. "So who are we looking for again? You didn't really tell me much except we're looking for someone you know."

Jiraiya glanced back at him as he answered. "Tsunade Senju, the final member of the Sannin. She was my teammate along with Orochimaru. She's probably the best medical nin in the world and a pretty dangerous fighter in taijutsu. We're going to retrieve her to aid with the wounded from the invasion. And…well she is going to be the next Hokage as well," he said.

Naruto's eyes widened a bit. "Hokage-sama is retiring?" He asked in surprise. To him, the old man had always been Hokage, so the idea of a new one taking his place was a bit startling.

"This last fight drained him too much kid. You need to remember that he was Hokage for a lot of years before your old man took up the job, and then he took it up again after the Kyuubi attack. He needs someone fresh to take up the position, this time for good. And of all the candidates at the moment, Tsunade-chan is the best choice," Jiraiya explained to him.

Naruto nodded quietly at that. "Okay, so we're going to find her and bring her back. But…why wasn't she in the village already? Unless it's like a sannin thing, to leave the village and stuff?" He asked.

Jiraiya chuckled tiredly. "Not exactly kid, though that does seem to be the case, doesn't it? Orochimaru-teme betrayed the village because he felt he wasn't being given what he deserved, while I'm mostly out there maintaining my spy network and intercepting problems before they become threats to the village. Tsunade-chan…she left the village for personal reasons," he trailed off quietly.

Naruto frowned at that, wanting to know what those personal reasons were, but stopped as he reasoned that Jiraiya would have said what they were if he intended to tell Naruto. Shaking his head, the blonde fell into silence for a bit as he and Jiraiya continued down the road. After a few minutes however, the sannin perked back up. "So you finally managed to pull off a Rasengan, huh?" He asked with a grin.

Naruto nodded at that. "Yeah. I still don't have it down perfect yet, but I was able to pull it off using a clone to help shape it. I focus on providing the power and maintaining it, while the clone shapes the chakra into the swirling sphere. Once it's created I'm able to maintain it. As soon as my arm has healed up though, I'll work on being able to pull it off by myself."

Jiraiya just kept grinning. "Not a bad shortcut kid. The shadow clone could prove useful in battle, acting as a distraction while you deliver the jutsu. But it's good you're not planning to rely on the clone. It's better to master the jutsu entirely."

Naruto gave him a nod at that. "So what else were you planning on teaching me? I've already got summoning and the Rasengan down, for the most part."

"For now kid, we'll focus on fuinjutsu. That's something you can work on without stressing your arm," Jiraiya said, pulling out a book from one of his pockets and handing it to Naruto. "Here, I want you to start reading this when you get a chance. It'll prepare you for more intermediate sealing."

Naruto opened the book, briefly skimming it before nodding. "Thanks ero-sennin," he said, grinning as he saw Jiraiya falter and groan at the nickname. He slid it into one of his supply pouches, intending to look at it later when they took a break.

Jiraiya, quickly recovering, joined him. "I also got some wind jutsu for you to start practicing with as well. Not a whole lot, but I'm hoping maybe negotiations with Suna might get us a few more wind jutsu to pass on to you," he said, looking to Naruto. "It should help beef up your ninjutsu arsenal."

Naruto nodded, looking slightly reluctant. He still very much had the mindset of an Assassin, and preferred stealth and surprise, things most ninjutsu simply did not have. But he also knew that he needed to gain more offensive capabilities. His fight with Gaara had shown him that he needed to balance things out more. "Thanks, that'll definitely help," he said.

Jiraiya just grinned at him, before stepping out more boldly. "C'mon, the sooner we get to the nearest town, sooner we can start searching for Tsunade," he said with a jovial tone as Naruto rushed after him, doing his best to keep up with Jiraiya's longer step.

Konoha

Sasuke frowned worriedly as he rushed to the hospital, intent on finding Kiseki. He and his teammates had just finished up a mission to help clear out some debris from a collapsed building when he had heard a couple shinobi talking about how Kiseki, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai had been admitted to the hospital after a run in with some intruders. Worried that the woman who was like a big sister to him had been seriously injured, he wanted to ensure she was alright.

Entering the hospital he quickly went to the information desk to speak to the nurse on station there. "I'm looking for Kiseki Uchiha's room. Is she alright?" He asked.

The nurse blinked in surprise at his sudden appearance, before looking to her logbook. "…she was treated for minor injuries, and is most likely simply waiting to be released. You can go see her in Room 17, second floor," she informed him.

Sasuke gave a nod of thanks before heading off, relief in his heart. He had always liked Kiseki, as she often spent time with him when Itachi was busy, before his older brother had betrayed the clan. In a way, she had become like a sibling to him, and he didn't want to lose her. Quickly reaching the second floor, he started going down the hallway only to stop when he heard voices coming from a partially opened door.

"Itachi escaped," spoke a voice he recognized as Asuma Sarutobi, the sensei of Team Ten. "He and Kisame both managed to escape Konoha before any of the ANBU teams could catch up to them. Used a genjutsu on a gate guard apparently that allowed them to get both in and out of the village. The ANBU teams had to abandon the chase after about a kilometer away from the village, what with us needing all the manpower we can just to keep the village safe."

Sasuke stiffened as he heard his brother's name, before Kiseki spoke. "I'm not really surprised. Itachi was one of the best ANBU before he left. He's only gotten better since then," she said quietly. "The real problem is why he was here in the first place. You heard why he and Kisame were here. They're after the Yondaime's Legacy."

"So you really believe they're after Naruto?" Kurenai asked, making Sasuke's eyes widen at that.

"I'm betting they want what's inside of him. Anko told me that Jiraiya-sama mentioned a group was hunting down people like Naruto and Yugito, and I'm guessing Itachi is part of that group. The worst part is with Naruto outside of the village, he's that much easier to nab. I'm betting Itachi managed to pry that out of Kakashi's head," Kiseki said, before Sasuke heard movement from inside the room. "Someone needs to go to Jiraiya-sama and Naruto, to warn them."

"Hokage-sama will need to authorize such an action first," Sasuke heard Gai say. "We don't have the manpower to send anyone just running off after them. Still, they do need to be warned. Jiraiya-sama would most likely be able to deal with both of those miscreants."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he heard all this, before making a snap decision. He quickly turned and rushed off, just as the door started to open. "Then we better go do that now, before we lose too much time," Asuma said, exiting the room only to see a flash of black disappearing around the corner of the stairway. He frowned, staring in that direction, only to be surprised as an ANBU appeared in front of him in a shunshin.

"I'm looking for Kiseki Uchiha," the ANBU, wearing a tiger mask, said quietly. Kiseki stepped out into the hallway, looking confused, as the ANBU looked to her. "Hokage-sama wishes to speak to you immediately. Please come with me."

Kiseki just frowned slightly but nodded, following the ANBU away as the others looked on curiously.

It didn't take Kiseki and the ANBU long to reach the Hokage's Tower, where Sarutobi sat quietly, going over all the paperwork associated with rebuilding the village. However, the instant that Kiseki arrived he shifted it all aside. "Thank you Tora. That will be all," he said.

The ANBU quickly disappeared as Sarutobi activated the privacy seals in the office, before pulling out a small scroll and setting it on the desk. "I called you here because outside of me and my advisors, as well as Raphael-san, you are the only one who knows the truth about Itachi-san," he said simply. "Shortly after he left Konoha, he infiltrated a group of dangerous rogue shinobi to begin feeding us information on their plans and intentions. Your battle with him allowed him the time necessary to create a shadow clone and send it to me with his latest report. The shadow clone also gave me this scroll…addressed to you."

Kiseki flinched at that, her eyes instantly moving to the scroll. Fear and joy both warred in her heart as she looked at it, unsure if she wanted to take it and read it. She closed her eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath before slowly picking up it up. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said quietly.

Sarutobi looked at her with sad eyes, understanding the hesitation and guessing at the emotional turmoil she most likely was feeling. "I am sorry for what you have to suffer. I truly wish I could have prevented the events that necessitated you and Itachi-san being separated."

Kiseki just nodded quietly, not really focusing on him as she looked down at the scroll. She was silent for several moments, before stowing the scroll into a pouch, speaking up. "Itachi mentioned the Yondaime's Legacy, when we confronted him. I believe that he and Kisame were sent here after Naruto. We need to send someone to warn them that Itachi and Kisame will be pursuing them," she said, her voice tight as she did her best to control her emotions.

"I will handle that, though I'm sure Itachi will find some way to signal Jiraiya beforehand. Thank you," Sarutobi said, dismissing her.

Kiseki nodded and turned to leave, when there was rapid knocking on the door. Sarutobi lifted the privacy seals, a frown returning to his face. "Come in," he ordered.

The door immediately opened as a shinobi quickly entered. "Hokage-sama, a civilian saw Genin Sasuke Uchiha leaving the village at high speed! He was heading off to the northwest!"

Sarutobi's frowned deepened. "That is the same direction Itachi and Kisame left, as did Naruto and Jiraiya. He must be going after Itachi," he concluded, before looking up to Kiseki. "Go after Sasuke and try to intercept him before he gets too far. I'll see about sending Gai after you as quickly as I can. Go!"

Kiseki nodded as she disappeared in a shunshin, leaving Sarutobi to curse this new turn of events.

Some Hours Later

Naruto looked around the small town he and Jiraiya had entered, taking in the sights. It was a relatively small town, more of a hub for traveling merchants to stop and rest or sell some of their goods. It was the perfect place for Jiraiya and Naruto to stop for the evening, as the day began to wind down. Here they could find warm beds and good food, and also gather information from the stream of travelers going in and out of the town.

Jiraiya merely smiled as he led the way, heading directly to the most likely location for an inn within the village, stopping for a moment to eye a couple of attractive women who favored him with a smile. He continued to grin until Naruto elbowed him, causing him to start walking again while the blonde shook his head in despair.

Unbeknownst to them, two figures watched them quietly from a hill overlooking the town. Kisame whistled quietly as he saw the tall broad figure of Jiraiya. "Well that's definitely not good. Jiraiya of the Sannin? I doubt even combined we could take him on and survive. Though it'd be a hell of a fight," he said quietly.

Itachi merely kept watching, his mind working on the situation. He had to find a way to alert Jiraiya as to what was going on without blowing his cover within Akatsuki. Kisame was an aggressive, bloodthirsty shinobi, but he was still intelligent. Itachi knew he had to be subtle. A plan began to form in his head as he looked over the village. "We will simply need to separate the two then," he said quietly as he moved down towards the town, Kisame following him.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief as he soon saw the inn, pointing to it. "There we go. That should do nicely," he said, leading Naruto over to it. He barely paused for a moment when he felt a slight burst of chakra, internally tensing up even as externally he remained calm, paying the owner of the inn for a room for two. He had accepted the key and was turning to Naruto when he noticed the extremely attractive woman in a rather short blue dress pass by, pausing to turn and wink at Jiraiya, before moving on.

Naruto sighed as he saw the rather goofy grin spread across Jiraiya's face as the Toad Sage turned to him, handing him the key. "Why don't you go head on up and rest gaki. I'll catch up with you later," he said, before following after the woman with a spring in his step.

"Damn old perv," Naruto muttered quietly as he took the key, heading up the stairs to the room. He quickly entered, locking the door behind him before detaching the dual sword and bow scabbard from his back, allowing him to rest more easily on the bed. He quickly summoned a shadow clone, who pulled out its copy of the seal book Jiraiya had given them earlier and began to read it, while Naruto slowly pulled out his ninjato, checking the blade for any sign of weakness, rust, or blunting of the cutting edge. While he had checked all his equipment before leaving Konoha, he had been slightly pressed for time and wanted to take advantage of their stop to do a better examination of his weapons and tools.

He had just sheathed his sword after checking the hilt wrappings, and was starting to examine his crossbow when there was a knock at the door. The blonde assassin was instantly on the alert, as he doubted any of the inn staff would be bothering him and Jiraiya most likely would have simply come in through the window. Slowly standing up and securing his equipment back onto his back, he nodded to the shadow clone while he moved to the window, opening it as slowly and quietly as he could. The clone, moving to the door, extended one of its hidden blades, due to having been created without the crossbow or blade since Naruto wasn't carrying them when he created it. "Who is it?"

There was a few seconds silence before a male voice spoke on the other end. "I have a message for Naruto Uzumaki. I was told he was staying in this inn," the voice said.

Naruto shook his head, stealthily slipping out the window as the clone tensed up. "What's the message?" It asked, only for there to be a groan of annoyance and for the door to suddenly be kicked in. The clone barely dodged out of the way in time, finding itself now looking at two tall men in black cloaks with red clouds and trim. The one in the lead, with an active Sharingan, narrowed his eyes before his hand barely flickered and a shuriken buried itself in the clone, dispersing it. "He's escaped," Itachi said.

"How could you tell?" Kisame asked in surprise, as Itachi turned and quickly led the way back out of the inn.

"The target had a sword strapped to his back. The clone there didn't. Most likely it was created while he had it removed. The window was also open," Itachi said, having seen all those details in a split second. As they stepped out of the inn, he looked up and down the street, before pointing in the direction of a slight dust trail, kicked up from the dirt path by someone moving fast. "That way."

Naruto cursed the moment he got his clone's memories, having recognized the man who had dispersed it. Itachi Uchiha, the betrayer of the Uchiha clan and rogue nin of Konoha. (1) Raphael had each member of the Brotherhood study the bingo book for missing nins, so they could recognize any of them immediately while out on assassinations and know if they could take them on, or if they should exercise extreme caution. His clone had only a brief glimpse at the other figure, enough to register tall and blue but little else before it was dispersed.

Hopping along rooftops, the blonde assassin looked around frantically for any sign of Jiraiya. His searching was interrupted, however, by the whir of shuriken cutting through the air. He ducked down, hitting the dirt road and spinning, creating several shadow clones. Itachi and Kisame appeared as well as Naruto and his clones all drew their swords.

"Ooohhh, he thinks he's a swordsman," Kisame said with a grin, his hand starting to move to the hilt of his blade, only to stop as Itachi took a step forward.

"Naruto Uzumaki. You will come with us," Itachi said, his gaze locked on one of the Naruto's. Kisame had no idea which was the real one, but he knew that even without the Sharingan, Itachi was able to pick out even the smallest details in seconds that helped him see through disguises or clones.

Naruto gripped his ninjato as one of his clones spoke up. "Sorry, but my schedule is kind of booked at the moment. Rain check?" The clone quipped, only to receive a kunai from Itachi, dispersing it. Another clone had barely stepped forward to attack when a shuriken buried itself in the clone's head, dispersing it as well. The two dispersals happened within as many seconds, shaking Naruto to his core at how quickly they both had been taken out, especially since they had been at opposite ends of the group.

Itachi was about to step towards Naruto, only to stop as his eyes barely narrowed. "…you should not be here Sasuke," he said quietly, turning his head to see the form of his little brother. Naruto's eyes widened as he too saw Sasuke Uchiha, standing on a roof nearby.

Sasuke leapt off the roof, landing amongst the Naruto clones, facing Itachi. "I heard you stopped by in Konoha. And you attacked Kiseki nee-chan," Sasuke said, his voice cracking slightly with anger, his two tomoe Sharingan blazing to life. Beside him, Naruto stiffed as he heard the part concerning Kiseki, glaring at Itachi now.

"To be fair, that was more me then Itachi," Kisame said with a smirk. "She was quite fast with those swords of her. Too bad she wasn't fast enough."

Sasuke didn't spare him a glance, focusing on Itachi the whole time. "…I have waited a long time for this, traitor," he said quietly to Itachi. "For a chance to face you, to bring you in for the crimes you committed. The betrayal of Konoha, our clan, our own family!" He shouted.

Itachi watched him dispassionately, never showing any emotion at all. "…do you honestly believe you can defeat me, Sasuke? I would hope you are not that arrogant."

Sasuke drew out a pair of kunai, still watching Itachi. "Where is Jiraiya-sama?" He asked Naruto quietly.

"I really wish I knew right now," Naruto answered back, watching Kisame warily. He knew they really had no chance at all against these two, not without Jiraiya there.

Sasuke knew this as well. Despite his desire to bring Itachi down, he knew he couldn't do it on his own. And even with Naruto's aid, he doubted they would even scratch Itachi.

Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, seeing his little brother not backing down. Behind the collar of his cloak, his lips twitched slightly into a frown, before he spoke. "Secure the jinchuuriki. I shall handle my brother," he said.

Before Sasuke could reply, Itachi was in front of him, already burying his fist into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke's eyes went wide as he hunched over the fist, his mouth dropping open as the air was punishingly driven from his lungs. Before he could drop to his knees, Itachi had spun and kicked him, sending the genin Uchiha flying into a wall.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, only to be forced back as Kisame's sword slammed down where he had been standing.

"Pay attention gaki!" The giant swordsman yelled, immediately lashing out with a fist to destroy one of the shadow clones that had launched itself at him. He swung the sword in a wide arc, destroying all of the other clones before they could react, swinging the blade up onto his shoulder and grinning the whole time.

Naruto felt fear grip his heart at the sight of that. The speed at which Kisame had moved his blade was unreal, especially for a blade that long and heavy. He knew he likely wouldn't survive in a sword fight, as he'd have no way to block or parry that sword, and Kisame's speed meant getting inside his guard would be incredibly hard, if not impossible. He'd have to stay at range, and hope that gave him the edge. Stabbing his sword into the ground, he quickly ran through a few handsigns.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He unleashed a fireball towards Kisame, mentally thanking Anko now for insisting he learn that technique. Yet that thought was immediately dashed from his mind as he saw Kisame swing his blade down off his shoulder, the bandage wrapped sword cutting into the fireball and causing it immediately to disperse into nothingness.

"Do they teach you Konoha shinobi nothing about the other villages?" Kisame asked with a smirk, bringing his sword back up onto his shoulder. "Tell you what kid…I'll give you one free shot at me. Then I'm going to rip your legs off and ask Itachi to cauterize the wounds," he said casually.

Naruto, hearing this, felt cold sweat from on his forehead. After seeing the casual way his opponent was treating this fight, he knew he had to do something surprising to either end this fight or at least get away. His attention was drawn away by Sasuke's cry of pain, causing him to glance over worriedly.

While Naruto had been dealing with Kisame, Sasuke had dazedly pulled himself up from the ground, only to find Itachi above him. He had tried to lunge up with a quick uppercut, only for Itachi to grab his fist, slam it back into his face, and then kick him back into the wall. Sasuke groaned in pain, feeling like he had been slammed in the gut by a hammer, as he struggled to push himself up, only for Itachi to grab him and slam him into the wall. "Why do you persist, Sasuke? You have no hope of beating me. Do not tell me you think that jinchuuriki you fought was a greater opponent then me," he said quietly.

Sasuke panted heavily, lifting his head up to glare at his brother. "I…vowed…to bring…you in," he groaned out, struggling to recover his breath. "I…made a promise…to myself…and to kaa-san."

Itachi's eyes narrowed at that. He had no desire to hurt his brother anymore then he had, and hearing his words, he knew his brother would keep coming for him. He felt pride in his little brother's dedication, but he also knew that if Sasuke kept coming after him like this, it would most likely end in his younger sibling's death, should one of the other Akatsuki members fight him instead. He needed to stop his brother from going down this path, and without compromising his position in Akatsuki or the secret of what happened that night.

Reaching a decision, he mentally begged Sasuke, his mother, and Kiseki for forgiveness. "Allow me to show you the futility of your decision, Sasuke," he said, as his Sharingan morphed into the pinwheel Mangekyou. "Tsukuyomi."

Warning, scene of mental torture

Sasuke gasped as he suddenly found himself standing in the Uchiha district, though the sky was blood-red. He frantically looked around, trying to find Itachi, only to gasp as he saw his father coming towards him, alive and well. His eyes watered a bit and he started to move towards him, only for Itachi to appear like a wraith behind Fugaku and slice through his neck with his sword, causing the man to fall to the ground as blood spurted from the neck wound.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sasuke screamed as Itachi stood there, blade dripping with blood. The younger Uchiha dropped to his knees as Itachi moved towards him.

"For the next twenty-four hours, you shall experience the truth, Sasuke. You will try…and you will fail to stop me," Itachi said. His words caused Sasuke to scream and hurl himself at Itachi, throwing wild punches and kicks at his older brother. Yet each blow was effortlessly dodged, blocked, or parried, with Itachi barely moving to do so. Itachi suddenly lashed out, sending Sasuke smashing into a wall. Sasuke let out a sob of pain as he slid to the floor, struggling to regain his breath, to get back up.

And then suddenly it all reset. Sasuke found himself standing again, the pain gone, and his father standing there. Sasuke's eyes widened and he quickly rushed to his father, to protect him, only for Itachi to appear in front of him, driving a foot into Sasuke's chest and kicking him away. Sasuke scrabbled madly to grab onto Itachi's leg, to prevent him from going after Fugaku, but Itachi shook him off with ease, turning towards Fugaku and raising his sword. Sasuke desperately threw a kunai at Itachi, only for him to deflect it, the blade spinning and stabbing through Fugaku's chest in the same movement. Sasuke could only scream in pain and anguish as Itachi drew his blade out, turning to look at Sasuke.

"You have twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds to stop me," he said, as Sasuke sobbed in pain and rage, and the entire world reset around them.

End Scene

Sasuke let out a scream of torment and despair as he slumped against the wall, making Nartuo's eyes go wide. He nearly paid for that moment of distraction when Kisame's blade slammed down towards him, and he barely dodged back in time to avoid it.

"Looks like Itachi is really give him some brotherly love," Kisame taunted, glancing over at Itachi. Naruto stared up at Kisame, frantically trying to think of way to get out of this mess. Ninjutsu was useless and trying to engage him in taijutsu or kenjutsu would be as well. His eyes narrowed as he came up with an idea, quickly summoning twenty shadow clones. A half dozen of them spread out around behind Kisame, staying back from his reach as he merely smirked at Naruto, hefting his blade onto his shoulder. "Do you really think you can swarm me with numbers?" He taunted.

Naruto remained silent, answering instead by pulling up the hood of his outfit, as did his clones. As one, several of them suddenly leapt into the air, grabbing smoke bombs from their pouches and tossing them on the ground. A massive cloud of smoke erupted upwards, engulfing not just Kisame, Naruto and his clones, but also engulfing Itachi and Sasuke.

Kisame narrowed his eyes before quickly shifting to the side as he heard the dull 'thwack' of a crossbow firing, and felt the wind of a passing crossbow bolt that shot past him. There were several more similar noises, and Kisame quickly moved out of the way of each one, rapidly raising his sword to block a downward stroke from an airborne Naruto. He shoved them away with his sword, but before he could attack he was forced to dodge again as another crossbow bolt shot through where his head had been, before spinning to kick another Naruto that was slashing at him, dispersing it into smoke. The whole time he never saw the barely discernible shadow moving slowly through the smoke, waiting and watching.

Itachi, for the first time in quite some time, found himself surprised. The sudden thick smoke had rolled in, obscuring his vision save for a foot or two around him. He knew that for an Uchiha, this was a dangerous position. For all the power of their doujutsu, it could still be defeated simply by obscuring the wielder's vision. Itachi however had more than his doujutsu to rely on. Focusing on his other senses he released Sasuke, tensing and waiting for any noise, any movement of smoke or air to indicate the presence of someone else close by. He suddenly whirled, his arm meeting the arm of Naruto Uzumaki as the jinchuuriki struck down at him, quickly tossing the blonde towards the wall next to Sasuke only for him to disperse in a burst of smoke. Itachi ducked at the moment, a blade slicing through the air where his head had been, before delivering a lightning fast punch in that direction, only to strike air. At the same time, movement to his side caused him to turn, only to see that the catatonic form of Sasuke was gone. Itachi was about to leap from the smoke when a crossbow bolt force him to lean back slightly, glaring in the direction it had come from.

Kisame growled in annoyance as he dodged yet another crossbow bolt. "This is pointless gaki! I can keep doing this all day!" He shouted, seeing the smoke starting to disperse. He grinned at that, as he could start to see figures become more visible. He prepared to charge at them when some sixth sense suddenly went off in his mind and he turned his head, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the hooded figure of Naruto descending towards him, his left arm drawn back and a blade extended from under said arm. He was about to substitute himself when he felt a sudden flash of pain in one of his legs, as another Naruto disappeared into the smoke, having used the distraction to run past Kisame and deliver a quick slash to his leg with a kunai. Kisame quickly jerked his head out of the way, causing the descending Naruto to miss stabbing him in the neck and instead cutting his cheek. At the same time, Kisame grabbed the boy by the neck, growling angrily as he began to squeeze.

"Now you've just pissed me off," he said, only for the squirming boy to disperse into smoke. "WHAT THE HELL IS WITH ALL THE DAMN CLONES?!" He shouted angrily, finally spinning in a circle with his sword, generating a mini-whirlwind that cleared away all the smoke. A few of the clones had also been caught by the sword, dispersing as well, leaving about a half dozen or so left with their crossbows drawn, all aimed at the angry Kisame.

Itachi, seeing the smoke clouds being blown away, quickly dispatched those clones with a swift barrage of shuriken, leaving the two Akatsuki in the street. Kisame was growling angrily, blood lightly seeping from his cheek while his cloak now had a tear in it, and his left leg also had blood seeping from it. Itachi had been left untouched, as he slowly scanned the area. "…it seems our prey is more resourceful then I thought."

"I swear, I'm going to chop the little bastard's arms and legs off," Kisame growled out angrily, looking around. "Where the hell did he go?!"

"I do not know, but I think we-," Itachi said, only to suddenly jump back, as did Kisame, when a ball of oil like liquid slammed into the ground where they had been. A dozen or so feet away, Jiraiya appeared with a very large toad, roughly the size of horse, which had armored bracers covering its forearms. Beside him was Naruto, supporting the catatonic Sasuke.

"Well well, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. What are two S-ranked missing nins like yourself doing out here?" Jiraiya asked, setting on the ground the now unconscious woman that had lured him away earlier.

"You took your damn time getting here Ero-sennin," Naruto growled out, setting Sasuke down as well.

"I had the entire situation under control kid. Don't get your panties in a twist," Jiraiya told him.

Itachi let his stance relax fractionally. "It seems our time is up. We should withdraw," he told Kisame quietly.

The blue Kiri missing nin growled angrily in response. "We got this far, haven't we? We have to try," he snapped back, only for Itachi to shake his head.

"I've expended too much chakra, and while minor, your wounds will slow you down. Even if we were at full strength, a fight between the three of us would likely end in a draw at best. We must withdraw," Itachi said.

Kisame just growled again before slinging his sword onto his back. "Fine, damn it," he said.

Jiraiya, seeing their actions, quickly stepped forward. "Don't think you two are going anywhere!" He shouted, his toad companion readying another ball of oil in its mouth, only for the two cloaked figures to disappear in a shunshin, making Jiraiya curse softly.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, dropping onto his butt in the road. He could already feel his limbs trembling, both from exhaustion and fear. He stared at his hands, both of them shaking; only looking up when Jiraiya's shadow was cast over him. He found Jiraiya looking down worriedly at him. "You okay gaki?" He asked.

"Yeah…yeah I'm just fine. Not like I didn't have a life and death battle with a couple of freaking S-ranked missing nins just now. And saw almost everything I used against them prove worthless," Naruto snapped at him, trying to calm his hands. This fight had been one of the worst he had ever experienced. The fight with Gaara had been bad, but Naruto at least had already been training to possibly fight him, and he had some knowledge of what to expect. This fight he had gone in blind, and against opponents who had just as easily, if not more so, defeated almost every one of his attacks. And they didn't even have nor need biju abilities to do so.

Jiraiya was about to speak when another figure appeared behind them, her eyes widening as she saw Naruto's trembling frame. "Naruto?!" Kiseki cried out, only for her eyes to then take in Sasuke. "SASUKE!"

Jiraiya turned to see Kiseki rush forward, quickly moving next to Sasuke. The female Uchiha only need one look to know what happened. "Itachi did this?" She asked, her voice strained as she looked up to Jiraiya and Naruto.

Naruto nodded quietly. "I didn't see or hear what happened. Itachi had pinned him against a wall, and suddenly Sasuke was screaming…it was…horrible," he whispered.

Kiseki shook her head. "He must have used Tsukuyomi on him too," she whispered, checking Sasuke over for any other injuries. She lifted her head, glaring at Jiraiya. "And where the hell were you?! How did this happen?!"

Jiraiya mentally flinched at that. He couldn't very well reveal that Itachi had used the genjutsu'd woman to deliver a report to him, at least not in front of Naruto. He knew Kiseki knew the truth about Itachi, but Naruto didn't. Before he could come up with a suitable reply, Naruto answered for him.

"He was off chasing some tail," Naruto snorted, before slowly and shakily standing up. "Which I'm betting those two bastards wanted in the first place."

Jiraiya winced at that, as he felt the heat of Kiseki's glare, waving his hands. "It's not like that, I swear! I knew she was under a genjutsu, meaning someone wanted to separate us! I followed her in order to draw out whoever was after us, and see who their target was."

Kiseki and Naruto both glared at him, before Kiseki slowly picked up Sasuke. "I'll get him back to Konoha," she said curtly, still glaring at Jiraiya. "And you better pray that Mikoto-sama is in a merciful mood when you return, because I doubt she'll appreciate learning her son was tortured and you could have been there to stop it."

Jiraiya winced at her words, imagining the fury that most likely would be visited upon him. He had arrived at the fight too late to stop it from happening, or else he definitely would have stepped in before Itachi did whatever he had done to Sasuke. He watched as Kiseki turned to Naruto, speaking to him quietly in a softer, more encouraging tone. Then with a final glare directed back at him, the female Uchiha was gone.

Jiraiya let out a sigh, before turning to Naruto. "Listen kid, I am really sorry for not being here. I swear to you, I really wasn't just off chasing down a girl. But I could have tried to get back here faster once I knew they were coming for you."

Naruto was taking in deep breaths, before shooting Jiraiya a look. "And why were they coming after me in the first place?! Why in the hell did I have two of the worst missing nins in the world targeting me?!" He shouted, his emotions still frayed from the fight.

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, before he decided to answer. "…let's get back to the hotel room. We'll get some food, give you a chance to try and calm down, and I'll tell you what I can," he said.

Naruto glared at him, before pointing a finger. "You better," he said, doing his best to try and control himself. "I don't like finding out that someone I'm supposed to trust knew I had mass murdering criminals after me and didn't think I should be informed."

As Jiraiya watched Naruto turn and start to angrily stride away, he let out a tired breath. "Well…looks like I fucked up again," he muttered, rubbing one hand over his eyes as he started to follow Naruto. He could see that what bond had started to form between them was already breaking. Shaking his head, he could only pray he could make up for this.


And chapter. I honestly had intended to get all the way up to meeting Tsunade, but considering I'm at 10k words and it's the end of August/start of September, I figured that would be a good place to stop.

DLTLR: Dude…this chapter had some dark moments in it.

Elroth: Those mental torture scenes were…grim.

LR: Truth be told, I could have gone a lot worse with what Itachi did to Sasuke. I actually started off that way, but then I figured I wanted to tone it down, because it wasn't fitting the goal of what Itachi was trying to do: make his brother give up chasing him.

RS19: That still is pretty fucked up though.

LR: Yeah well, Itachi is in a really fucked up situation. He has to maintain his spy role in Akatsuki, meaning he has to maintain the façade of being a cold ruthless bastard. In canon, and this is SPOILERS so don't read if you don't want them, that's easier to do since his ultimate goal is to have Sasuke kill him, so he can still be cold and ruthless to Sasuke, up until the very end. Because his actions make Sasuke want to kill him all the more. Here, it's a different situation. Itachi is trying to protect Sasuke, but trying to do so while not revealing he's a spy for Konoha. He has to be cold and ruthless, hurting those he cares about so that he can continue to protect them and the village.

Raphael: I am glad I am not in his position. I do not think I could remain sane.

Diehard NaruHina LeafRanger: Uugghh, what is with all the serious crap here?! This is supposed to be the time where we're torturing you by blowing up the lair, not everyone moping around, feeling dark or nostalgic.

LR: Or maybe that's my plan all along, to stop you from torturing me? Did you think of that? *smirks evilly as all the OCs and personalities gasp*

Elroth: You fiend!

LR: *keeps smirking, only to suddenly be crushed as another cloaked figure appears, riding on the back of a rather large dragon*

FinalFantasyXIV Gamer LeafRanger: Hey, anyone mind if I park my Midgardsormr mount here?

LR: *from under said dragon* …..I hate you all….

Thanks for reading the chapter, and hope you all enjoyed. Special thanks goes to Bill Alain for his work betaing my chapter. And remember, timbarney110 has a Harry Potter challenge for anyone who wants to write it!

Till next time!

1. To clarify, Naruto doesn't know the truth about Itachi Uchiha. While Raphael, Anko, Yugito, and Kiseki all know, because of their various roles in the events of the death of Fugaku and the other ringleaders of the coup attempt, they never informed Naruto because he was too young to know at the time, and at this point it is a volatile village secret.