A.N. Yay! Not dead!

NOW:

Sasuke glared at the dent he made in the large boulder, his breathing heavy. His chidori had done little to hurt the boulder, but he was already sweating from the effort. 'I wasn't—I wasn't able to do anything,' he thought angrily, thinking back to the fight with Gaara. 'I don't ever want to have to see that again. Watching all my best friends falling right in front of me.'

Naruto has been the one to save Sakura, to defeat the threat to the Village, and he had been in so much pain from the damned Curse Mark, he hadn't been able to do anything. Even those other two girls, the ones Tsukiko trained, had done more to contribute.

But he was getting stronger. Tsukiko was still going easy on him, but she was strict, and not pulling her punches. And as much as he resented her not coming at him in full force, a part of him knew that seeing the gap between them wouldn't help his already bruised ego. Still, no one could deny that he was making progress, and although the Curse Mark didn't hurt him anymore, it sat like a promise on his shoulder, leaching at his chakra.

But was he improving fast enough?

He clenched his fists. 'Naruto just gets stronger and stronger. Compared to him, I—'

Itachi's face flashed in his mind, and Sasuke locked his jaw, hands flying through the handsigns as he forced himself to create another Chidori. With a cry of rage, he flew forward.

Itachi watched Naruto leave with Jiraiya approvingly. The old Sannin was a suitable guardian, one who would be easy for him to feign defeat against. He was a legend, after all.

He was sitting on a rock on a small plateau, Kisame guarding his back. It hadn't taken too long to find the loud pair, the bright orange of Naruto's outfit a stark contrast against the green forest. It had been about half an hour since they had left the Leaf, and he still felt like he wasn't breathing properly.

Self-loathing was a familiar friend at this point, but it seemed to stab into him more sharply than usual after he'd been forced to essentially blow his cover. Tsukiko was hopeful now, trying to find a reason for his sudden turn, and he would have to destroy that line of thinking before she and Sasuke were put in danger.

"I'm pretty certain you could go toe to toe with him," Kisame commented, watching the area with a restlessness born from a fight not resolved. "Though I'm not sure I could. He's on a whole 'nother level." He shifted, sensing that Samehada was upset as well. His sword loved Masuko's chakra, even if the energy was too dense for it to properly bite at. It was like a chew toy for the weapon, a treat that it hadn't gotten its fill of.

"Yeah." Itachi, despite being completely still, shared his companion's restlessness. Naruto was in danger, and he had to do his best to raise the Leaf's guard with regards to the Akatsuki. They were a threat the Leaf wasn't prepared for. "If we faced each other, both of us would be killed," he said, planting the idea of retreat in his companion's head. "A rather unappealing outcome. Even if there were more of us, the result would remain the same."

Kisame inclined his head. "Never thought I'd have to go up against one of the Legendary Sannin," he mused. "If we fight him, then both the Uchiha clan and the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist will have their names dragged through the mud." He frowned.

'That pride of his is one of his better attributes,' Itachi thought, working to rebuild his cold and emotionless facade. He was grateful that Kisame hadn't brought up what had happened earlier, but suspected it was more to do with wanting to avoid Itachi interrogating him about the purple-haired woman than the Rogue respecting his feelings.

"True," the Uchiha male answered. "But still, even the strongest of opponents always has a weakness." He stood, emotions firmly locked away, as they should've been. His eyes trained on the path of his target, a loyal member of the Akatsuki once more. "And I know Jiraiya's."

Tsukiko forced herself to remain calm as she waited patiently by Kakashi's bed. She, Masuko, Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy were cramped inside the unconscious jounin's bedroom, trying to come up with a plan. The part of her not about to leap out the window took a moment to notice that Kakashi had a picture of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke on the shelf behind his bed, right next to the one of his original team under the tutelage of the Fourth Hokage.

"So, what do we do?" Masuko asked impatiently, testing out a new blade she had "borrowed" from the village armory by running her thumb along the edge to check its sharpness. Satisfied as blood welled up from the cut, she grinned fiercely, eyes still alight with battlelust. "Wait for reinforcements, or go out on our own?"

"They're trouble," Guy said finally, sitting on the only chair in the room. "But from the looks of things, it doesn't appear that they've found Naruto yet."

"That's what's crazy," Asuma agreed, sitting on Kakashi's work table. "It doesn't add up. I mean, they had already infiltrated the village. It should be easy for them to find Naruto around here. Besides, Itachi knows Naruto's face already."

Tsukiko nodded. "You're right. They didn't find them because Naruto isn't in the village." That damn hope fluttered in her chest again. It was very interesting that Itachi had given them the details of the Akatsuki plan so easily. There was no way he would do that, not from what she remembered. He was rarely that talkative.

Itachi's agonized face flashed in her mind again, and she felt her self-doubt take hold. 'Then again, what do I really know about him? That could've been an act to get her to reveal something, like Naruto's location. If Guy hadn't interrupted, how would I have been emotionally manipulated? And even more importantly, would I have fallen for it?'

It was unsettling that she didn't know the answer to that question.

Guy looked up at her. "What do you mean?" He asked, surprised.

The white-haired woman shrugged, her mind preoccupied. "Jiraiya-Sensei told me he was planning on taking Naruto with him to find Tsunade-Sensei. The village needs a new Hokage, after all." She wasn't being entirely truthful, as it was Eri who had passed that information along, but Tsukiko had no intention of blowing her cover as a spy for Jiraiya. She had enough people suspicious of her as it was.

The other jounin sighed with relief, tense bodies relaxing. "Good to know," Asuma grinned. "If Naruto's around two of the Three Legendary Sannin, then he should be safe."

"Even so," Guy interrupted, his face grim. "I don't know if they could resist a Tsukuyomi from Itachi. He probably has a whole other arsenal of tricks as well. It would be dangerous and reckless to not give them at least a warning."

"I agree," Tsukiko said briskly, heading for the window. "That's why Masuko and I will go."

"You will?" Kurenai raised her eyebrow.

"Hell yeah we will!" Masuko grinned. "We'll be able to warn Master Jiraiya and provide the best backup possible. Unless," her voice turned innocent. "Any of you have experience with Kisame's techniques and weapon, or can fight the Sharingan blind?"

Tense silence met her comment and she flashed her canine smugly. "Thought not."

"Still mad about being left out, I see," Asuma muttered, shaking his head.

"You can't deny that it makes the most sense," Tsukiko countered. "You three need to protect the village in case more Akatsuki members show up, and we should go because we have the highest chance of success. Plus," she pulled a scroll out of her pocket. "I already have permission to go."

She tossed it to Guy, who read the small document quickly.

"This is for a mission to your family shrine," he said, rolling up the scroll. "Not to go after Akatsuki members."

"Ah, but Jiraiya is heading to the outpost just outside the village territory limits. And that's not too far out of my way, so it makes sense for me to stock up on supplies there. And, if I run into any trouble along the way, well, that's just bad luck on my part."

Masuko laughed, slapping Tsukiko on the back. "Clever! And I'm along to see you outside the village borders safely. I'll turn around and come back once we reach the outpost town."

Guy, unable to see a flaw in the reasoning, grinned as well. "Well, you two seem raring to go! And, it seems like the best plan, so I say we roll with it!" He gave them a thumbs up.

Asuma nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Fine," Kurenai agreed, nodding toward Kakashi. "But be careful. We don't need another comatose jounin."

The two younger women nodded and leapt out of the window, heading off to gather supplies and sneak out one of the side gates to avoid the Anbu.

As soon as they left, the more experienced ninja traded looks. "Think they'll be alright?" Asuma asked, resisting the urge to light his cigarette. They were in a tight space, next to a comatose companion, so it wouldn't exactly be appropriate.

Nodding her head, Kurenai watched Kakashi sleep, his chest rising and falling evenly. "Tsukiko and Masuko are the reasons we didn't suffer any fatalities." She clenched her fist, eyes narrowing. "I threw my best Genjutsu out there and Itachi brushed it aside like I was a third-rate genin."

"Shh!" Guy suddenly straightened, pressing a finger against his lips. He'd heard footsteps coming up the stairs and wanted to verify who it was before they continued their discussion.

"Kakashi," a voice called out, and the green-clad jounin winced. 'This isn't good.'

The door opened to reveal Sasuke Uchiha, the very last person they wanted to find out about the attack.

Before anyone could think of an excuse, Sasuke registered the scene, eyes widening at the sight of his bedridden sensei. "Why's Kakashi asleep?" He demanded, hand still on the doorknob. "And why is this room full of jounin?" Suspicion darkened the boy's tone as he glared at Guy. "What are you doing? What the hell is going on here?"

"Uh…" Guy avoided Sasuke's eyes. "Not much, really…"

"Hey!" A new voice, that of a young jounin with spiked hair and brown sunglasses, came from the open door. He ran inside, focused on Guy. "Is it true that Itachi has returned?"

The older man shot him a fierce glare, gritting his teeth with agitation. The young jounin continued, oblivious to the others in the room.

"And that he's come here to get Naruto? I heard Tsukiko fought him. Is she alright?"

Deafening silence was his answer. Confused, the jounin looked around, his eyes landing on the Uchiha Crest on the back of Sasuke's shirt.

Guy faceplamed, his sigh loud in the silence as the young genin turned.

The man's mouth dropped. "Um...that is…"

"Idiot," Kurenai sighed.

Sasuke's expression was frighteningly blank, a slight shaking in his shoulders as he turned to the door. The jounin watched as his face contorted with rage, before he lowered his head and sprinted out of the room, pushing past the young jounin.

"Why does this always have to happen?!" Guy's shout followed him out of the building.

Sasuke bounced from roof to roof, his mind a whir of thoughts, half-baked plans, and anger. 'So he's come back to the village, huh? And he's after Naruto?! What does this mean?' His destination, Naruto's apartment, seemed like it was years away.

'Tsukiko fought him? Is she alright? She wasn't in the room with the others, but if she was hurt, she would've been either in hospital or at home.' He had just been at his training clearing behind their home, so it wasn't that. And if Kakashi wasn't in the hospital, then it was doubtful Tsukiko was. Which meant—

'She's gone after him.' The thought sent a mixture of emotions down his spine. Hurt that she didn't include him, anger that he hadn't been there to help her, understanding that she wouldn't want to let Itachi get away, and very deep down, sorrow that his sister once again had to face that bastard.

These last few weeks had brought up a lot of old feelings. Admiration, determination, affection, and an urge to protect. Tsukiko made him want to be stronger, to keep the one good thing from his past safe. It was hard to admit that he loved her, as it seemed like everything he loved got taken away from him, but he couldn't deny that his first emotion upon hearing that Itachi had returned wasn't anger. It was fear.

Fear that Itachi would hurt Tsukiko, would take that one final good thing he'd allowed himself to hold onto. If Tsukiko died...his chest tightened and his breath quickened as he ran. Not only would that destroy his final tie to the village, but it would return him to the crying weakling he'd been that night. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Landing outside Naruto's door, Sasuke gripped the handle and threw it open.

Pink and red filled his vision as Sakura stumbled out of the room, caught off-balance by the door she'd been trying to open suddenly moving.

She caught herself, dropping a box wrapped in purple cloth, and looked up at him quizzically. "Hey, Sasuke," she said, surprised.

He had no time to talk. "Where is Naruto?" He demanded.

Sakura blinked. "Well, I don't know. I just got here myself. I wanted to give Naruto some—"

The young Uchiha was already moving, running to the next location as she continued talking.

"...sweets."

'If Naruto gets caught, he's dead!' Remembering the promise he made to himself earlier, he skidded to a stop. 'I won't let that happen!'

"Old man!" Sasuke stepped underneath the hanging cloth of Ichiraku's Ramen. "Naruto stopped in here today. Do you know where he went after he left?"

The owner looked up. "Oh, sure, Naruto." He placed a hand on his chin. "That's right. Let me see now," he said slowly. "He met Master Jiraiya here around noon. They had a little bit of ramen, then they said they were heading off somewhere."

"Where to?!" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Hmm." The older man paused. "Now that I think of it, I believe he mentioned that outpost town a ways out from the village. Yeah." He smiled. "And then he set out with Master Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya?" Sasuke didn't know the man, but he'd heard Tsukiko talk about a "Jiraiya-Sensei." But just who was that?

"Yeah, Jiraiya!" Holding up three fingers, the man continued excitedly. "He's one of the Legendary Sannin! Now, if you want to find him, you're looking for a great big ol' fella with a head of white hair."

"A big guy, white hair," Sasuke repeated, anxious to get moving. Turning, he bounced away.

"Hey!" The old man frowned. "Aw, come on. If you're gonna stop by to ask some questions, the least you can do is order some ramen."

Sasuke ran, faster than he'd ever done. Whoever this Jiraiya was, hopefully he could keep Naruto safe enough for him to get there in time to warn him.

Determination made the young Uchiha clench his fists. "That outpost town isn't that far off," he said aloud.

A few minutes later, he was greeted by the sight of people bustling, minding their own business and enjoying their lives. None of them knew that a threat was coming, one that could easily kill them all if he were so inclined. "This is it."

There were many inns, with no clear indication which one housed Naruto. "Guess I'll just have to go door to door."

And so, the search began. Running into every establishment, back and forth across the street. "Is there a dopey-looking blond kid staying here? About my age? He's traveling with an old man. A guy with white hair." Each time, he grew more impatient, more worried that he was too late. What if they never made it here?

"I'm sorry, but this inn is only for women, I'm afraid."

'Not here.'

"Actually, we only have older guests here today."

'Not here either.'

"Sorry, kid but I haven't seen them."

'No.'

"No, the only kids I've seen are far too young to be the one you're describing."

'Am I too late?'

"White hair, you say?"

Sasuke's heart leapt into his throat as the woman before him paused, thinking.

"Are they here?!"

"Hmm. Did I see someone like that at the shift change?" She mused. "I wonder…"

The young Uchiha growled menacingly, his patience long gone. He was about to step away when the woman brightened.

"Oh yeah!" She hit her hand against her palm decisively. "A blond kid and a white-haired old man!"

"So they're here then?!" Sasuke was practically shouting, trying to convey his urgency without seeming too hostile. "What room number?!"

She looked down at her book, finger trailing along the list of names. "Let's see now...that would be room number one on the second floor at the end of the hall." Smiling, the woman glanced up to ask the boy how he knew the guests. "Huh?"

Sasuke was already gone, racing up the stairs as fast as he could, praying and hoping that it wasn't too late.

Banging on the door, Sasuke waited impatiently for it to be unlocked. He could hear muttering from the room, sounding more annoyed than in danger. That was good. That meant they were safe.

Finally, the lock clicked.

"Naruto!" Sasuke threw the door open, freezing in shock.

The blond boy looked at him in surprise, his unfamiliar features as shocked as the white-haired man behind him. Not Naruto, and from the frail look of the man, not Jiraiya.

Sasuke felt his mind go blank with fear. "You're not—"

Naruto grumbled to himself as he and his shadow clones meditated, gathering chakra. He was stuck in this stupid room while Pervy Sage got to have all the fun! It wasn't fair!

"I'm missing out on the Ramen Fairy for this," he muttered to himself. "So this training had better be worth it!"

A knock interrupted his rant. Releasing his clone jutsu, Naruto groaned as he got off the bed. "Ah, what now?" He griped, shaking his head with annoyance as the noise continued. "Are you telling me she dumped you already?" He'd locked the door to their hotel room so Pervy Sage would have to rely on him to get back in, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon.

The knock was more insistent.

"I heard you the first time!" Naruto shook his head as he got to the door. "Okay, hold on. Let me just unlock it."

Pulling the door open, the blond boy froze.

The person standing over him was a man, not too much older than he was. Maybe around Tsukiko-Sensei's age. He had black hair, red eyes, and a black cloak with red clouds on it that covered much of his lower face. But his Leaf headband, slashed out much the same way Zabuza's had been, was prominently displayed.

That was the first thing Naruto noticed. The second was that the man's eyes weren't just red. Familiar black tomoe marks caught his attention.

'Sasuke?' Stupid as it was, that was his first thought. The man before him could be Sasuke aged up a few years, their features remarkably similar. 'No.' Sasuke didn't have an aura this dangerous, didn't leave him feeling like he needed to run while simultaneously freezing him in an unblinking stare. This man was dangerous, more so than Gaara, than Orochimaru, than anyone he'd ever met.

'Who is he? The same Sharingan as Sasuke's.' This man couldn't be an Uchiha? They were all gone, weren't they?

A chuckle came from behind the man as another figure appeared, shark-like eyes watching Naruto with interest. This person was dangerous as well, both taller and physically more frightening than his companion. "Hard to believe that such a child carries the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Naruto's eyes widened, trying to force himself to step back. 'How does this guy know about the Nine-Tailed Fox?'

The black-haired man spoke, his voice calm and commanding. "Naruto, you're coming with us."

Sasuke ran, forcing himself to be faster than he'd ever been. 'It's him. He's here!'

That night had been the worst in his entire life. Walking through the empty compound, clinging to Tsukiko, he'd known something bad had happened. But he didn't think everyone would be dead, or that his big brother, the person he looked up to the most, would be responsible.

Tsukiko had made him wait in a bush by their house, making him promise to go get help if she didn't come out in five minutes. And he had intended to do just that.

But then the screaming started.

It had been so sudden and loud, and Sasuke could only vaguely recognize it as Tsukiko's. He'd never heard someone cry out like that, so raw and full of pain. She was being tortured. And worse were the words.

"Itachi! No! Please stop! I don't want to see this! Please, Itachi!"

Even then, it hadn't clicked. He thought something bad was happening to his brother, someone making Tsukiko watch. And at that thought, he couldn't sit still.

So when he found Tsukiko, kneeling brokenly on the floor with Itachi holding his sword above her head, the bodies of his parents on the floor behind them, he was beyond confused.

Even more so when Itachi looked at him with cold, contemptuous eyes, throwing a kunai with a flick of his wrist.

Tsukiko's hand had appeared to snatch the weapon out of the air, blood trickling down her arm as she grasped the sharp blade.

Then she'd made a wall, told him to run from his brother, that she'd hold him back. He still didn't understand, not until the moment when she'd been stabbed through.

Sasuke knew how his brother felt about Tsukiko. It was no secret that he loved her, everyone in the compound knew. It was one of the reasons he was treated so badly, though Sasuke never understood why. Tsukiko was amazing, always ready to play or teach him a new trick. Who cared if she could beat the Sharingan? It's not like she'd ever hurt anyone.

So seeing the kunai suddenly bloom from her chest, to see the blood soak her shirt, and to see Itachi, his hand still outstretched as if he couldn't quite believe what had happened, Sasuke felt fear.

She told him to run, her voice weak with pain as she held onto his brother's clothing, refusing to let go.

And he did. To his never-ending shame, he left his sister and ran, trying to find help, trying to desperately see through the tears and the fear that wanted to swallow him whole.

But Itachi found him quickly, subjecting him to the same images as Tsukiko, the Mangekyo Sharingan showing Sasuke exactly what he'd done. Mother, Father, Izumi, Shisui, and Tsukiko, over and over until he thought he'd go insane. He tried to fight back, but his desperate shuriken were easily avoided. And then, the challenge.

"Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me one day, foster your hatred and despise me. Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this...By all means, flee. Cling to your wretched life."

Pulling himself from his memories, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, searching for the brightest sources of chakra. Naruto would be there, he was certain.

Naruto stared, knowing he needed to move, to slam the door and escape through the window, but it somehow felt like the man with the Sharingan could read his mind, that calm voice warning him to think carefully before he attempted to run.

"Why don't we take a walk?"

'These guys look like the real deal.' There wasn't really any other option. He'd play along and try to wait it out for Pervy Sage to find him. The old man was strong, and hopefully could take care of these two.

Forcing himself out of the paralysis, Naruto frowned, stepping forward slowly. The two ninjas moved out of his way, but blocked the hallway ahead so he had no chance to rush past them.

The taller man spoke up, his voice vaguely mocking. Naruto couldn't help but notice the massive sword across his back as the man turned to his companion. "Hey, Itachi, it'll be a pain in the neck if this kid makes a run for it. Maybe I ought to chop off a leg, just in case." He gripped the hilt of his sword, eyes darting over to the blond boy.

Naruto tensed. 'Say what?' He was going to have to escape now if that was the case.

The other man, Itachi, said nothing.

"Right." Taking that as a yes, the taller man stepped forward.

The blond Shinobi tried to feel for his legs, but they were frozen. He needed to move!

"It's been a long time…" Itachi spoke, his attention shifting to something behind him.

The other man turned. "Hm?"

"...Sasuke."

'You've grown so much.'

The younger Uchiha stopped, silently taking in the situation. Naruto was blocked in by his brother and a guy with a huge sword, who looked like he was seconds away from using it on his teammate.

"It's been a long time...Sasuke."

That voice. How many times had he heard that voice in his nightmares, so different from the loving brother he thought he'd known? Cold, uncaring, alien.

"Itachi...Uchiha." The name felt like glass against his throat, his words little more than a growl. As if that man deserved to keep that name, after everything he'd done.

"Itachi Uchiha?" Naruto's voice was confused, but also scared. That snapped Sasuke back to the moment, where his goal was to protect his teammate. At least the idiot wasn't rushing forward, trying to attack. He could see he was out of his league.

And so was Sasuke. He had no ideas of grandeur here. Beating Itachi wouldn't be possible at his level, but he'd be damned if he stood by as someone he cared about got taken again!

The other man, tall and with shark-like features, released his grip on the hilt of his sword, voice amused. "Well, the Sharingan. That's the second time today. And he looks an awful lot like you. Itachi, who is this kid?"

Itachi still hadn't turned his gaze from Naruto, warning him not to move. "He's my younger brother."

Now the man's attention was focused on his partner, turning away from Naruto. "That's strange," he began, smiling predatorily. "Because the way I heard it, the whole Uchiha clan was wiped out...by you."

Sasuke gathered his chakra, hatred pouring out of him. "Itachi Uchiha, I hope you're ready to die."

Naruto's eyes widened, remembering the few times Sasuke had mentioned wanting to destroy someone, wanted to kill his brother. 'So this is the guy he was talking about.' He clenched his fists.

Itachi finally turned, Sharingan meeting Sharingan. Three tomoe meeting two.

'He's awakened his Sharingan.'

"It's just as you said, brother." The hatred reared forth again, clouding out anything other than Itachi. His hand began to glow with electricity. "I've fostered my hatred for you, all this time! I've lived my life for one single purpose!"

Chirping filled the small space as the ball of electricity in Sasuke's hand grew bigger and bigger. "To see you die! It ends here!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, looking for a way around the swordsman. The chidori would probably hit him as well if he didn't move.

"Chidori?" Itachi questioned, no change in his calm tone.

"Enough!" Sasuke gripped the ball of lightning, his field of view completely narrowed in on his brother. "You're dead!"

Racing forward, he felt the chidori tear up the hallway wall, the space too tight for full range of movement.

"Die!" With a cry of rage, the younger Uchiha swung his fist, Itachi's face the target of his attack.

Itachi's hand moved, too fast for anyone to see.

The side of the inn exploded, a huge section of wall destroyed, as well as the windows of the neighboring rooms. People screamed as dust and debris showered down.

Inside, Sasuke was frozen, his glare filled with hatred and self-loathing. He was face-to-face with his sworn enemy, and could do nothing, his wrist caught in the older man's grip as lightning crackled uselessly between them.

Itachi kept his gaze impassive. 'So...Kakashi really has been teaching him.'

Naruto looked at the wall, then back at the two Uchiha, shaking. 'I—I don't believe it! He brushed off Sasuke's attack like it was nothing!' His fists clenched as Itachi tightened his grip, Sasuke crying out as his wrist threatened to break.

'We've got trouble!' He lifted his hands into the sign of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, the familiar motion grounding and calming him as he summoned the Nine-Tails' chakra. 'I've got to do something!'

Both enemies looked back, their attention completely shifting to the malevolent chakra forming behind them.

"Ah, the air is ripe with chakra," the shark man growled, grin more of a snarl. "This must be it—the power of the Nine Tails."

Sasuke's free hand swung back, a shout escaping him as he took advantage of Itachi's inattention.

The older Uchiha's hand tightened, the captured wrist breaking with a loud snap!

"Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes widened with panic as his teammate cried out, falling to the ground and nursing the broken limb. "All right, that's it!" Biting his thumb, he shouted. "Ninja Art: Summoning—!"

"Too slow!" With a swing of his sword, the tall enemy dissipated the chakra effortlessly.

Naruto's eyes shot open, widening as he felt nothing. 'I can't feel my chakra!' He glared at the two enemies helplessly. 'Damn it! What the hell is going on?!'

"Sorry, kid." The man hefted his sword. "My blade, Samehada, cuts through chakra and devours it." He grinned at Naruto's shock, glancing back at his partner. "We don't need the hassle of this kid whipping out any more jutsu. Forget the legs." He swung his weapon warningly. "Maybe I ought to start out with those arms of his."

The blond genin tried to feel for any chakra, his or the Nine Tails. 'Damn it! Why isn't anything coming?!'

"You're wasting your time." The man raised his sword high above his head.

Itachi watched Sasuke, eyes lingering on the sealed Curse Mark visible on his shoulder. His gaze narrowed slightly.

'Orochimaru.' Just as he'd feared. The snake was targeting his younger brother.

As the sword swung down, a huge puff of smoke exploded in front of Naruto, stopping the swordsman mid-swing. "What the—?"

Samehada had been blocked by a large orange toad with blue markings and armor on its arms, legs, and torso. It was this armor that allowed the creature to block the sword, one arm bracing the other.

Another puff appeared behind Naruto, an amused voice calling out from within. "You two don't know me at all, do you? Shoulda' done your homework."

Jiraiya grinned, holding his unconscious date over his shoulder. "Jiraiya the Toad Sage falls victim to no woman's charm. Rare beauty is dropped for me, like blossoms in a storm."

Sizing up the situation, he continued. "It isn't in my nature to be duped by the wiles of women. When you reach the stature I have…" he raised his hand, showing off a bit for the wide-eyed Naruto. "The ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!" He held out his hand, striking (what he thought was) a heroic pose.

There was a long moment of silence, then Naruto's look of relief turned into a glare.

"Ah, don't give me that!" He shouted, pointing at the older man, who was chuckling awkwardly. "One wink from a pretty girl and you turn into a mountain of mush! You fell for it like a ton of bricks, Pervy Sage!"

The white-haired Sannin rubbed the back of his head, still smiling awkwardly. "I really wish you wouldn't call me that in front of other people."

The genin tossed his hands into the air. "Are you kidding me?!" He pointed to the two cloaked men. "We've got worse things to worry about than what these guys think of you! Get with it, Pervy Sage!"

"Didn't I just ask you not to call me that?!" The older man shouted back.

Itachi's expression didn't change, but the swordsman began to laugh. "Whatever name you go by, Master Jiraiya, I must say, you're something of a disappointment. A lecherous old man with the disposition of a child." He frowned. "It's almost impossible to believe that you are one of the three Legendary Sannin."

"WHAT?!" Naruto took a step back. "You—You already know who he is?" The sheer disbelief in his tone made Jiraiya sigh.

"Uh—Don't be fooled by appearances or, you know, anything this little squirt might say." Jiraiya smiled, trying to recover some sense of authority.

"So, you somehow managed to release the Genjutsu we cast on her, eh?" The swordsman gestured to the pretty girl on Jiraiya's shoulder.

The Toad Sage's smile melted off his face as he glanced over at Itachi. Trying to control the anger he was feeling at the very presence of the traitorous ninja who'd shattered Tsukiko's heart, he set the dark-haired girl against the wall. "What kind of coward would do something like that? Using his Sharingan to inflict an illusion on an innocent woman, all in order to separate Naruto from me."

He stood, voice heavy.

Naruto cocked his head. 'T—To separate us? But why?'

The air seemed to get denser as Jiraiya continued. "I know that he's the one you're really after."

Both genin's eyes widened, Naruto gasping while Sasuke tried to lift himself up, arm throbbing.

"That explains how Kakashi knew." Itachi watched the old man carefully. "Now I understand. He learned it from you." Taking advantage of the situation, he continued. "You're right. Naruto is the prize that the Akatsuki are after. And we will have him."

Naruto retreated another step, thoroughly freaked out. 'Wh—What's going on?'

The two Leaf ninja, one a Sage, the other a Rogue, stared each other down for a long moment. Then Jiraiya released the Summoning, and the toad blocking Samehada disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"No way you're getting Naruto," he said, his tone final.

"We'll see about that." Itachi's tone was mocking.

Jiraiya grinned. "Actually, this is all rather convenient. I can eliminate you both at the same time, taking care of a threat and finally setting Tsukiko's mind at ease."

Itachi's eyes tightened, almost imperceptibly. At his feet, Sasuke also spoke up, the subtle reminder of his mission pulling him from his broken wrist.

"Stay out of this," his voice was raw with pain, but still strong. He pulled himself to his feet, glaring at a surprised Naruto and Toad Sage. "The only one...who's going to eliminate him...is me."

The older Uchiha turned his head, red eyes seeing how Sasuke was gasping for air, how he was cradling his wrist, and the subtle pulsing of the trapped Curse Mark. "Go away." His tone was cold, dismissive. "You don't interest me at the moment."

Sasuke's right fist clenched, swinging at his brother. "Well, get interested!" He snarled.

Itachi spun, cloak flapping as he slammed his foot into Sasuke's stomach with enough force to slam him into the back wall, where the main hallway intersected theirs.

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto shouted.

His friend slumped over, the wind knocked out of him.

The blond ran forward. "Damn you lousy—!"

"No, Naruto!" Sasuke ordered, his voice heavy with pain and rage. "Don't butt in! Mind your own business!"

Naruto stopped, confused and worried. He'd never seen Sasuke like this before.

Using the wall to pull himself up, Sasuke stood. "I told you before, I've lived my whole life for this day, this moment." He knew that he couldn't win, knew that he'd die if he kept going, but he couldn't bring himself to sit back while someone else fought his brother. He was either going to do this himself or die fighting. "This fight is mine!"

Rushing forward with a cry of defiance, Sasuke threw himself at Itachi.

With seemingly no effort, the older male blocked his punch and countered, slapping him so hard that blood flew from his mouth as he slammed against the hallway wall again.

Still, the boy persisted. "N—Not finished," he growled.

Itachi frowned at his foolishness. 'He can't even manage to make a hand sign.' All the damage he'd done so far was painful, but not serious. If Sasuke didn't stop, he was going to have to break another bone.

Sasuke stood. "This fight...is mine!" Unable to hold himself up, he slumped back down. But the fire in his eyes never dimmed.

Red eyes narrowed. "So be it."

'Forgive me, Sasuke. Forgive me, Tsukiko.' A foolish wish.

The sage, realizing that Sasuke was likely about to get killed, stepped forward. He was blocked by the other Akatsuki member, Samehada held out threateningly. "You heard him, old man. This fight is none of our business. Let's let the two of them sort it out."

Jiraiya tried to laugh it off. "I hear ya'. But do you know what Tsukiko will do to me if that kid gets killed?" In reality, he was hyper-focused. If Itachi made a move to actually kill Sasuke, he was going to intervene.

The blue hand gripping the sword tightened. "I don't care."

Itachi walked with measured steps toward Sasuke, giving the younger male plenty of time to retreat.

Instead, Sasuke waited until he was in range and leapt up. "And now, finally—!"

He spat blood as his brother's fist hit his stomach, followed almost instantly by an elbow to the back of the neck.

'How?' Sasuke couldn't move, couldn't think through the pain. A knee to the stomach, punch to the shoulder, multiple blows that he had neither the strength nor speed to dodge. 'All these years, nothing has changed. How can it be?'

Even Kisame's smile faded, eyes watching with perception. "You show him no mercy."

Sasuke fell hard, facedown on the ground. 'What've I been doing all these years?' Training with Tsukiko, learning the chidori, it made no difference. Of course Itachi was going to be stronger, but he'd hoped that he'd be a little more of a challenge. One leg and one arm. That's all Itachi had used, and it had been effortless. 'Was it—Was it all for this?' To die, not even having given his foe a scratch?

He closed his eyes, the thought of Tsukiko's expression when she found out utterly unbearable. He'd failed her, and was going to hurt her even more now.

He felt a hand grip the collar of his shirt, and then he was slammed against the wall, Itachi's hand on his throat the only thing holding him up.

"You're still too weak." Itachi's voice pierced through the pain. "You don't have enough hate. And you know something?"

Sasuke felt him lean in, the hiss in his ear mocking. "You never will."

To his shame, he felt the hot sting of tears behind his eyes as he realized that he was about to die.

In that moment, however, as he raised his head to meet the gaze of his killer, and saw the shuriken-like design in Itachi's red eyes, he realized that his brother could do far worse things than kill him.

But as the Genjutsu washed over him, about to overwhelm his senses and trap him in a horrible nightmare, it suddenly pulled back.

There was a faint humming in the air, a vibration that shouldn't be possible inside, where there was no wind or natural movement. The floor of the inn was shaking, the walls trembling. Something was coming.

Even with the Sharingan, Itachi didn't see the attack coming until it was too late to dodge. And all Sasuke saw was a white blur before feeling Itachi release his throat. He fell back, somehow finding his feet as he tried to figure out what had happened through bleary eyes. Had that old man saved him?

"Sasuke…" He thought he recognized that voice, but it was strained and shaking. Forcing his vision to clear, he closed then reopened his eyes.

Tsukiko was in front of him, her form vibrating at the same frequency as the air. She had her back to him, eyes never leaving his brother, who had retreated down the hall. "Are you alright?" Again, her voice sounded layered somehow, not entirely like her. More like multiple people speaking all at once.

But it didn't matter. Seeing her here, so close to Itachi, the young genin felt a wave of relief wash over him, almost immediately counteracted by a rush of fear. If she got hurt here—

All thought stopped as she looked back over her shoulder. "Sasuke? Are you alright? Did he catch you in the Tsukuyomi?"

Frozen, he shook his head. "N—No. I'm fine." That was all he could manage.

Tsukiko's eyes were black. Not her normal black, usually filled with light and warmth. Not even the flat dull black of the Uchiha Clan. They were completely black, no white or pupil present. They were almost like voids, pulling at his gaze with the same intensity as the Sharingan.

Her gaze moved over his form, lingering on his wrist, and the blood dripping from his mouth. "I see."

The heavy promise in her voice made him shiver, but he was distracted by Masuko flying down the hall, short sword slamming into Samehada.

"Kisame!" Her growl echoed in the small hallway, her eyes the opposite of before, playful and enjoying the fight. Now, they were slits of blue, rage rolling off her.

The shark-like man actually staggered back a step, off-balance from having to twist away from Jiraiya to meet her crappy blade.

The smaller weapon snapped under the pressure of Masuko's chakra, but she expected that. Using her armored right hand, she shoved Samehada out of the way, left hand swinging up to slice Kisame's face.

There wasn't much room to dodge in the tight hallway, especially with Jiraiya at his back, but Kisame managed to escape with only a shallow cut across his cheek.

As Masuko's feet touched the ground, the whole exchange having taken a few seconds, she bared her teeth, sharpened fang glimmering dangerously. "Kids, Kisame? Didn't you tell me once that a real man would never attack a child?" Her breath came out in short pants as she glared at him with disgust and disappointment. "I guess things really have changed."

Kisame growled, jaw clenched. "You don't know anything!" Lifting Samehada, he swung down.

Itachi examined his shattered wrist, shocked, even while his expression showed nothing more than disinterest. Tsukiko's leg had been reinforced with stone, and she'd moved so quickly that he'd only barely escaped worse damage. Her sudden increase in speed from just hours ago, as well as the flickering blackness of her eyes, were concerning, but that wasn't the source of his unease.

Tsukiko had never hurt him before. Not seriously, with the deadly intent she had now. He honestly didn't think she was capable of it.

But this wasn't the Tsukiko of a few hours ago. Before, there had been so much pain and conflict in her movements and in her gaze. And for that short time, behind the wall of water, he'd seen the love and trust that he so desperately wanted to reciprocate.

Now, the black eyes glaring at him had no love, no conflict. Hatred, rage, and pure killing intent were all that were left.

He'd long thought his heart and emotions buried beneath the cold facade he'd built over the years, that of a heartless monster. But Tsukiko had shown him that not only could she bring those feelings back to the surface...she could utterly shatter them.

"Well…" she trailed off, physically struggling to control herself. "I asked you to give me a reason to hate you, so I guess this is just you being accommodating, right?"

She and Masuko had traveled at a brisk pace, using Tsukiko's sensory dome once they got to town. They had been slowed down by gathering supplies and shaking off their Anbu tail, but they made decent time. Naruto was easy enough to find, and she'd widened it out from there.

There were no words. No words to describe the panic, the sheer terror that had ripped through her when she realized that not only was Itachi already near Naruto, but Sasuke, Sasuke, as well. Sasuke, who shouldn't have even known about this, who shouldn't have been here before her, was in the same room as Itachi.

To say that she had hurried would've been an understatement. She flew, Masuko barely keeping up but expecting the worse from the white-haired jounin's reaction. And they'd made it in time.

Barely.

They'd rounded the hallway, pushing past a panicked staff yelling about an explosion, when Tsukiko had seen Itachi holding Sasuke by the throat, his body bloodied and bruised.

Anger was a funny thing. Tsukiko had experienced it before, on a variety of levels. Desperation as well. Neither were new feelings or even rare ones. But this...this was different. Seeing her little brother, the person she loved most in this world, about to die, something had snapped inside her, a switch flipping on.

I must protect him. That was the emotion. An urge so strong that Itachi didn't matter in that moment, neither did her pathetic rage or desire. The only thing that mattered was protecting Sasuke.

The rush of chakra, warm and cold, soft and rough, intense and calm, had hit her in a way she'd never imagined energy could feel. Rock grew around her leg as soon as she had the thought, the material flying in from a cracked window of a neighboring room. And when Wind surrounded her, bracing her, and then pushing her off with a speed even greater than Body Flicker, she was flying.

Her foot came down on Itachi's wrist, shattering the bone and forcing him to let go. And once Sasuke was safely behind her, the hatred reared its head.

Even now, staring down the man she used to love, there was no conflict in her heart. And she knew why.

"Even before, you never really hurt him. That's what gave me hope, you know. You didn't kill me, and you didn't hurt Sasuke." Her body was shaking, the air and room vibrating with the chakra that demanded release. Still, she held back.

Itachi was studying her, infuriatingly calm. He pulled his hurt wrist into the sleeve of his cloak. That slight tremble was back, different from her own vibrations. This time, she couldn't bring herself to wonder about it.

"So, thank you, Itachi." Every day, every hour, every moment of her sorrow and bitterness was compressed into her words, and she hoped that her will alone would make him drop dead. "For showing me the truth. You aren't the man I fell in love with. My Itachi would never, ever, hurt Sasuke. Even if he killed me, Sasuke is special, is different. Sasuke is the one we vowed to protect," she spat out the word, pleased to see his blank expression falter slightly. "The reason we were fighting. But you wouldn't remember something so special, would you? No, all you have is power, and not even the heart enough to understand that you're actually weak."

Shifting into a defensive stance, Tsukiko felt Fire spiral down one arm, Lightning down the other. "So let me be perfectly clear. Whatever you do to Sasuke, I'll return to you ten-fold!" She held out her hands, unable to hold back the chakra any longer. The two elements swirled together, the fire turning blue.

Sensing that something bad was about to happen, Jiraiya acted in that same moment, an instant before Tsukiko blew up the building.

The surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling turned dark pink and fleshy. The lights of the hallway were the only thing left uncovered.

"What the—What's going on?!"

Naruto's shout pulled Tsukiko back to reality, where she'd been about to launch an attack that surely would've hit him and Jiraiya. Gritting her teeth, she canceled it, Fire and Lightning dissipating.

"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!" Jiraiya called out by way of explanation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a barely-conscious Sasuke getting pulled into the wall, protecting him from the rest of the fight.

Masuko and Kisame remained undistracted, the clashing of swords dulled by the walls. An occasional snarl or growl would rip out of their mouths, but for the most part, they communicated only through their weapons.

That is, until the floor started trying to swallow Kisame, his foot sinking into the flesh of the toad. Making a sound of disgust, he tried to tear free.

Jiraiya smiled, cocky as usual. "You've both just been swallowed by the Mountain Toad." His smirk widened. "Welcome, my friends, to the belly of the beast. He has a very sensitive digestive tract. Be careful not to upset him."

Smirking at the two Akatsuki members, Jiraiya continued. "Not the most glorious way to die, is it? It must be humbling to know that you've been reduced to toad bait." He chuckled darkly.

If looks could kill, Jiraiya would be dead on the spot from the look the Mist Rogue sent his way, growling as the tip of Samehada was pulled into the floor.

"Whoa, I'm not liking this at all," Naruto said, looking around.

"Naruto! Stay still," Jiraiya ordered, touching the floor as he remained crouched.

"Huh?"

"Just remain calm. Trust in my jutsu." Raising his voice, he called out. "That goes the same for you girls. He got them, so don't move or you'll get caught up as well!"

Masuko glared, but sheathed her sword and did as she was told.

Tsukiko was having a tough time, the sheer volume of chakra difficult to control. And now that Sasuke was definitely safe, she could feel her killing intent fading. But that didn't stop how angry she was.

Unable to stand the Tsukiko's cold fury any longer, Itachi spoke. "Kisame, come." His emotionless tone gave nothing away.

The shark-like man growled, ripping his feet up from the floor. He managed a few steps before being pulled back. Samehada was well and truly stuck, the floor clinging to it tightly.

"Easier said than done!" He retorted. But with a mighty tug, he pulled free and ran to meet his partner.

"It's useless!" Jiraiya's shout rang with victory. "The ninja hasn't been born who can survive this powerful stomach!"

As Itachi ran past Tsukiko, he took one last look back. Her strange black eyes were no longer cold, and a single tear ran down her cheek. "I hope you die."

Her whisper followed him, echoing in his ears. Something far more precious than his wrist shattered, but he had no time to mourn the loss.

Racing around the corner, Itachi cursed as the tunnel began to convulse, free to attack now that they were far enough from the others.

"Don't look now, but there's a wall of flesh coming after us." Kisame sounded irritated, an unusual emotion from his partner. Normally he relished this sort of tight situation and challenge. But then again, that purple-haired woman had shown up again. She seemed to have a certain effect on the swordsman that Itachi understood only too well.

Pink limbs like frog tongues shot out from the wall and tried to hit them. Itachi kept running, an unblocked window his goal. He knew it was bait to lead them there, but he also knew that it wouldn't be enough to stop him.

Kisame paused to cut down the closest assailants, but more sprouted immediately. He turned with a growl, catching up to Itachi as a wall began to form in front of them, the gap growing smaller and smaller.

"It's too fast," the Mist Rogue noted, trying to prompt Itachi to do that weird eye magic of his. They could simply speed up, but there was always the risk that Samehada would get caught on the walls and yanked out of his grip. And that wasn't an option. "We won't make it on foot. It's no use."

Itachi closed his eyes, resigning himself. Hopefully this wouldn't kill the toad.

When he opened them, the world was ablaze.

Tsukiko fell to her knees the moment Itachi was out of sight, her chakra completely drained. She felt empty, broken. Holding a hand to her chest, she vaguely wondered if it was possible to die of heartache.

But at least her question had been answered. Her Itachi was dead, and had been for a long while. Whatever moment they'd had before, whatever person she thought she glimpsed, she was wrong. End of story.

'Is Sasuke alright?'

Turning her head, she saw him half-absorbed into the wall of flesh. A long sigh left her, and she sat on the disgustingly slimy ground, hoping that Itachi wouldn't escape and doubtful that she could be so lucky.

The sound of a distant explosion and a huge rumble rippling through the toad made her eyes close in defeat.

Jiraiya ripped past her, Masuko on his heels.

"What the hell was that?!" She snarled, utterly pissed. If Jiraiya allowed Kisame to get away right when she had him cornered in a place where he couldn't use Samehada to its full extent...death. There was going to be death in that old man's future.

She felt rather than heard Tsukiko follow, and her heart went out to the younger woman. Sasuke looked pretty beat up by the time they got here, and it was a wonder he wasn't already dead.

'And Kisame was threatening Naruto with Samehada!' There was the source of her fury. He'd always hated it when kids were involved in missions, or when the Mist forced them into life-or-death situations, like with Zabuza. She never thought she'd see him willingly attack a young genin, ninja or no. Weren't they trying to kidnap Naruto? Was he going to cut off a limb to hinder escape?

Growling darkly as they rounded the corner, she stopped short. "Shit!"

Tsukiko sidestepped as Naruto nearly ran into her.

"Pervy Sage! What the heck happened?!"

She could understand his shock.

There was a large hole in the stomach of the Toad, fire crackling dangerously around the edges. But it wasn't normal fire, not in the slightest. It was black.

"They both got away." Naruto summed up the situation in one breathless phrase.

Masuko ran forward, leaping out of the hole and avoiding the odd flames. "Like hell!" She landed and took off, trying to track the Akatsuki members.

Tsukiko walked forward, examining the fire. "Itachi must've done this," she murmured unfeelingly. Her eyes bled red as she raised her hands.

She could feel the heat almost instantly, the flames daring her to try and control them. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to put them out. Nothing. Tried to pull them away from the wall and into her hands. Useless.

"It's not working." She frowned.

Naruto peered out from behind her. "What is this stuff anyway? Some kind of black fire?"

"Stay away from it!" Jiraiya snapped, holding up a scroll. "You too, Tsukiko. That's not something you'll be able to control."

Wordlessly, she nodded, backing away so he'd have room to work.

The Toad Sage studied the fire critically. 'How did they do it? Did they use this fire to escape? To burn the Stone Toad when it has the power to spit fire itself—that is a strange jutsu indeed.'

He set the scroll on the ground, unrolling the white paper. Using his brush and ink, he quickly wrote out a sealing jutsu that was effective against fire.

"There." With a quick flurry of hand signs, he shouted, "Sealing Jutsu: Fire Seal, now!"

When he slammed his hand against the ground, a translucent mist of chakra drifted from the paper and engulfed the flames.

Jiraiya had his arm out, holding Naruto back as the genin leaned over his shoulder, watching with fascination as the chakra carried the black fire to the scroll. The kanji for fire appeared in the center of the paper, glowing red. It faded to black as the seal successfully absorbed the odd flames. Jiraiya quickly rolled it up and tied it shut.

"All right," he said heavily, fist clenching around the scroll. "Well, that takes care of that for the time being."

Tsukiko shook her head. "Let me have it." She held out her hand, not asking permission. "I'll take it with me to the Amaya Shrine and see if I can find anything about it in the records. It's clearly some kind of chakra fire, but I want to know more."

The Toad Sage hesitated, but the cold distance in the woman's voice had no room for argument. She was angry with him, that much he knew. And he had an inkling as to why.

"Good idea," he offered weakly, handing her the scroll. He comforted himself with the knowledge that she was responsible enough not to use it rashly. "And, uh, now for Sasuke."

Jiraiya looked at the wall in front of him, which opened to reveal the young boy, still fighting to stay conscious.

"Sasuke!" Naruto ran over to his friend, but Tsukiko was faster.

Catching the Uchiha as he fell out of the wall, she picked him up carefully, just as she used to when he was small and hurt himself. "Sasuke? Can you hear me?"

He looked at her dully, but with recognition. "Tsukiko…" His voice was strained and soft, obviously in pain. "Where is he? Where's Itachi?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"It's my fault." Jiraiya looked away as he stomped his foot, banishing the Stone Toad. "Tsukiko had him, even wounded him, but I thought I could trap him in my jutsu and he got away." He looked up, expression grave. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke's expression darkened, his glare making Tsukiko flinch. So much hate didn't belong on the face of someone who used to chase after her, laughing and calling her "Kiko." It hadn't been that long since that child was around, but now…

"Ah!" Sasuke's unbroken hand went to his Curse Mark, which pulsed behind the limits of the seal.

Tsukiko's eyes widened. "Sasuke, let me see!" Prying his hand away, she studied the seal to make sure that it wasn't broken or on the edge. "It's still holding," she murmured. "Does it hurt as much as before?"

"No," he replied, breathing heavily. "It's...less intense, but I can feel it trying to suck out my chakra. It's burning."

The white-haired woman nodded, expression grave. "I see. Well, I'll take care of it. Don't worry."

Sasuke looked up, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to visit my family shrine, remember? One of my ancestors did a lot of research into stuff like this." A lie, technically, since she didn't know for sure. "I'm hoping there will be something to help us get that thing off."

The dark-haired genin nodded slowly. "Okay." His voice was getting weaker, unconsciousness threatening time overwhelm him. "When you get back, we'll keep training, right?"

Tsukiko hesitated, forcing a smile on her face as his eyes closed. "Of course, I promise."

She felt him go limp, and let out a long sigh, trying to get a grip on her feelings.

"Jiraiya?" She asked softly, failing to keep the deadly calm tone she'd been hoping for.

The old man winced visibly. "Yes?"

Tsukiko turned to him, her eyes flickering to that all-encompassing blackness once more. "Don't ever let Sasuke get hurt like that again. Do you understand? If there is anything you can do to prevent it, you will."

Jiraiya met her gaze, all joking aside. "I will." He promised. He'd been too focused on keeping the swordsman from Naruto that he'd allowed Sasuke to be seriously injured. He was grateful that Tsukiko had arrived before any serious mental damage could occur from Itachi's Sharingan.

The young woman nodded, turning her gaze from her teacher to the concerned blond boy who was watching Sasuke worriedly. Her expression softened. "He'll be okay, Naruto. He's banged up, but not as hurt as when you guys fought Zabuza, or even after Gaara."

The genin nodded, not quite believing her. "Okay. Um...can I ask something? Did that Itachi guy really kill his whole clan?"

Jiraiya waved him away hurriedly. "We'll talk about that later, Naruto. That's kind of a sensitive topic to just bring up."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but closed it after seeing something on Tsukiko's face. He nodded, looking away with shame.

"It's okay, Naruto." The jounin tried to smile. "Curiosity should never be discouraged." It felt good to slip into her sensei role, if only for a moment.

"Okay, so what was up with your eyes?" He prompted, trying a different topic. "They were crazy scary!" He waved his arms.

Tsukiko frowned, shifting Sasuke carefully to make sure his broken wrist wasn't moving too much. "I don't know. That chakra I felt was...different. It was effortless to switch elements, and just as easy to wield two as it normally is for one."

The Toad Sage shook his head. "I don't think you were switching elements, Tsukiko. Your eyes weren't changing. They were just black." He smiled. "Something else to research at the shrine, I suppose."

She nodded thoughtfully. Whatever it had been, it was gone, the last traces of it vanishing as her adrenaline from the fight faded. Feeling for that power, she couldn't locate anything out of the ordinary. Strange.

Her sense of danger suddenly flared, and she pulled back just as a kunai knife went flying past her face and into the wall behind her.

"Huh?" Naruto and Jiraiya turned to see the source.

"Dynaaaamic!"

The older man saw a green jumpsuit and barely managed to yell, "Guy! N—!"

"Entryyyyyyy!" Guy's foot slammed right into Jiraiya's nose, knocking him to the floor.

Grinning triumphantly, Guy, still in the air, actually looked at his chosen opponent. His grin faded and his face paled.

At that moment, Masuko leapt back in through the hole, irritated. "No sign of them, of course. Damn it, old man, when I'm through with you—"

She paused, seeing Jiraiya nursing a bleeding nose, Guy panicking, and Tsukiko holding a prone Sasuke while Naruto tried to stop laughing.

"Son of a bitch!" She glared at Guy. "And now this is happening. Bowl-Cut shows up and takes out the old man before I could." Growling with frustration, she tested the blade of her last sword, finding it dull and eroding. "And there does my last piece of shit letter opener!"

Snapping the stupid thing, she shook her head. "Could anything else go wrong today?"

The two Akatsuki members kept up a brisk pace, running through a shallow stream to mask their scent in case of pursuit by a ninja animal.

"So we just run away again?" Kisame asked bitterly. "We do a lot of that." He hated retreat, almost as much as not finishing a mission. Especially since he'd missed the chance to fight Masuko, again.

'Well,' he admitted to himself. 'It's not like that fight was going to be very fun.' A pissed-off Masuko was a deadly serious one, and no fight with her in that state could be called casual. But he wasn't used to her being mad at him.

'This isn't how I wanted today to go.' It was supposed to be a simple mission, with a little havoc. But now he had to deal with Masuko joining the Leaf and all of those implications. Was it his fault the Mist tried to kill her? Did Zabuza have something to do with it? Complicated questions about what he wanted from this world were the very thing he'd left behind when he'd joined the Akatsuki. He knew what he wanted, knew that Tobi could accomplish it.

'But that damn woman makes me second-guess everything.'

Itachi answering his question pulled him briefly from his thoughts. "There's no rush for now. We'll get Naruto when the time is right. Besides, I felt it wise for us to find some place to rest for a while and recharge my powers."

Kisame glanced over. Itachi didn't look good. The kid was sweating, and he was doing that squinting thing he did when his eyes were bothering him.

'And that girl hit him pretty hard.' He had his left hand safely tucked away, but Kisame was certain that his wrist was broken.

'Tsukiko, was it? She definitely had a history with him.'

Not that he'd come out unscathed. The cut on his cheek hurt like hell and was still bleeding. Masuko must have put something on the blade so the blood wouldn't clot. Smart.

'And annoying.' Not only was he going to have to deal with that, probably by cauterizing it, but he was going to have to give Samehada extra chakra for it to feed on. It didn't get its fill of Masuko's chakra and was already grumbling.

Itachi ignores his partner's keen gaze and stayed looking ahead, his eyes throbbing painfully. 'On top of Tsukuyomi, to have to use Amaterasu as well. It was more exhausting than I thought.'

He already hadn't been feeling well, and now his stamina had taken a significant decrease. He'd need to look into that at some point. For the moment, all he did was release the Sharingan so that he could still run.

Right now, he couldn't care less about his health. The pain in his eyes and wrist were welcome distractions from his chest, which felt like he'd been stabbed through. Was his tentative hold on his emotions really still strong enough to cause this much damage? He'd thought himself long past that.

Well, past the positive emotions, at least. Self-loathing was his to endure when he killed the first of his fellow Uchihas. No, it was his from the moment he considered killing them, far before he was ordered to. But he'd at least thought he'd seen the depths of his own hatred when he'd nearly killed Tsukiko.

That had been the worst moment of the night. The only two he'd been able to save from the darkness of the Uchiha, and he'd almost taken one away with his soiled hands. But at least she'd still loved him.

'Stop it.' He ordered himself, firmly putting his walls back in place. 'I wanted this to happen. I want her to hate me.' That was the plan, had always been the plan. Sasuke would be a hero for eventually killing him, and Tsukiko would see him as nothing more than a bad memory, settling down with someone like Kakashi. Someone she could admire and befriend without being ostracized and put down. That's what they deserved. That's what she deserved.

Itachi told himself he was content with that. He deserved nothing but a short life of suffering and hardship, remembered only in stories about his heroic brother and as a bad dream swept away by time. He had made peace with that.

So why? Why was he so selfishly clinging to Tsukiko? Why did knowing that she still loved him yesterday make him so happy? And why did her final words to him keep echoing in his mind, stabbing him over and over with their finality?

'Because I still love her.'

That was it. The truth he'd been trying to deny himself. As much as he loved Sasuke, he'd used that emotion to justify his future death and his actions. It was safe to love Sasuke, because all of this was to make him a hero.

But what would Tsukiko earn from all her pain? Nothing. And that's why it was hard to love her, because it was far more selfish of him to want her and give her nothing than to give everything to Sasuke. He knew that. But it didn't make it easier.

Closing his eyes, Itachi forced the part of him that wanted to turn around and beg her forgiveness down into a deep, dark place. Down with their stolen moments by the cliffs and every happy memory of his childhood.

When his black eyes reopened, he was a Rogue Shinobi once more. For the moment, at least.

Later that evening, when Kisame was busy funneling chakra into that weapon of his, Itachi would go to the river to sit and watch the moon.

When he washed his face in the river, he would tell himself that the liquid he could feel flowing down his cheeks was the water. Nothing more.

A.N. Thank you all for your support! Re-reading all the wonderful comments got me inspired to keep writing after a long hiatus. I have some stuff written ahead, so there will be regular Friday updates for the next few weeks.

(Anyone on here excited for Hazbin Hotel, by chance?)