Sorry for the wait.


Ghosts of the Past

Chapter 6: Red Eyes


I never understood much about everything Itachi did. I understood him as a person, but he was always much more than I originally thought. He was an enigma to me, not because I couldn't understand his reasoning, but because he was someone who did things for simple reasons, but made them seem so complex.


Naruto looked down at the water that gathered around his knees. Strangely, the liquid didn't soak into his clothes. It just flowed around his ankles, untouching. He looked at his reflection in the low light of the room. He looked like shit. He felt it, too. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the blinding pain in them. Looking up, he saw the large red bars of the Kyuubi's cell. The paper tag was so small and weak looking that he could hardly believe that it kept in the strongest demon in the world.

He could not see anything past the bars, only a veil of darkness. "Kyuubi," He said. Silence. He stood, the water calm and undisturbed. He curled his toes and rubbed his arm. "Kyuubi," He said loudly, mouth scowling. Still nothing. Getting annoyed, Naruto walked the distance to the bars and peered through, trying to spot the giant demon he knew was there.

One crimson eye opened. It was much bigger than Naruto. He smiled as he stared at that huge eye. "Well, you going to say anything?" The Kyuubi made a low rumbling growl inside his throat that was half-laugh, half-scoff. Lifting his head, the Kyuubi looked down at him with open hatred. "What, expect some loud declaration of evil?" Naruto shrugged.

"I don't expect much of anything different, but I guess I just have to be happy about getting your attention."

The Kyuubi's lips moved in something between a snarl and a smile. "What do you want? I was busy." The Kyuubi growled, obviously ready to return to his nap. "Well, I wanted you to tell me if you can tell what's happening to my body right now since you decided to end your oh so busy nap." Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head.

The Kyuubi blinked, made a low "Hn," and then sneered, "I'm not some all-seeing god you twit!" He bellowed, breath smelling like fire when it blew onto Naruto. Coughing, Naruto said, "Well, you do seem to be quite proud of knowing everything about my life. Geez, what do Bijuu even eat?" The Kyuubi snorted. Naruto cleared his throat, "So I felt like you might be able to peek outside and make sure Orochimaru isn't molesting me." Naruto watched the Kyuubi for several moments, then he realized he wasn't going to get an answer.

"I'm guessing that's a firm 'fuck off!'?"

"Damn right it is," The Kyuubi turned his head, laying it back down on his paw and closing his eyes, dismissing Naruto in the graceful movement. Scowling and flipping his middle finger at the demon, Naruto turned around and walked across the room. With little contemplation, he walked went down one of the halls that connected to the expansive room.

The maze of halls didn't make any sense, and the pipes on the ceiling didn't lead anywhere. Leaning against the wall and slowly hitting the back of his head against it, Naruto tried to figure out just how long he had been here. It hasn't felt long, but… He groaned and furiously messed up his hair. "This is so frustrating!" He pushed off the wall, walking endlessly with one hand trailing against the wall. He made all sorts of turns, even going back to places he'd already been, only to go down a completely different hall. He became frustrated, and that only seemed to make the maze worse.

Being done with it, Naruto started to search for the Kyuubi's cage. That was easy to find, and it was like his thoughts had controlled the entirety of his frustration. "There better be some ramen at the end of this fucking maze!" He yelled as the hall opened up into the high ceilinged room. He was pointing a thumb over his shoulder and back down the hall when the Kyuubi opened a single eye. "Must you be so loud?"

"Of course, or I might go crazy in this place." He had really tamed out over the past few years, but his boredness brought out the childishness inside of him. "Welcome to my hell." Naruto frowned, stopping mere feet away from the large bars of the cage. "You did this to yourself. You attacked Konoha," He said, expression turning serious, almost cold. "Did I?" The Kyuubi's head came close to the bars and the single red eye glared at him. "Yes!"

"Please tell me what choice I had whenever I was under the control of that damned Sharingan?" Naruto gasped, "Please tell me if I had a choice whenever your Hokage's sealed me away?" Naruto was speechless. "Huh!?" The Kyuubi watched him, slitted pupil dilated. Naruto could not find any words. He looked down at the flooded floor. "I'm sorry...I didn't—"

"—didn't what!? Try to see behind the dogma that your village spoon fed you about Bijuu? Think that there might have been another reason why I attacked Konoha? No, you merely thought you knew." Shocked and ashamed at the new perspective, Naruto shook his head, not able to answer the Bijuu's questions. They both said nothing. Naruto looked at the ground as the huge demon looked down at him, his massive head looming in the shadows.

Was the Kyuubi lying? He had to be, right? Doubt filled him, and his whole life seemed to make even less sense.

He knew he should hate the Kyuubi. It was the only thing that was so firm in his life, that he couldn't see it other wise. The demon had killed his parents, attacked his village, and ruined his chances at a regular life. Yet now he was learning that the Kyuubi was controlled that night. It was impossible, and he refused to believe it.

"If you want, you could wake up right now." Naruto's head shot up. "I don't know what's happened to you, but be careful. If you die— " "— I die? yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you know that I can wake up?" The Kyuubi growled at the impatient cut off, but none the less answered. "I know the current state of your body. I've always known. Happy? Good, now let's talk about you being a little prick when you cut me o— "

"— Finally! I'm out of here!" Naruto interrupted, grinning like an idiot. The Kyuubi groaned and snarled, "Can't even berate the little shit." He muttered as Naruto comically tried to find a way out of here, running and looking down the halls."There's no exit?"

"No," Naruto turned his attention back to the Bijuu, "You have to think of waking up or…" He drifted off, suddenly grinning a toothy grin. "Or?" Naruto tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Heh, I could do THIS!" Like a kick out the door, Naruto was thrown out his own mind.


Thrown back into the world of the conscious, Naruto could only feel a blinding pain. He gasped. It was literally blinding. His eyes burned like fires in his skull. Did I… He suddenly remembered the sharp bone slashing down at his face. Bandages covered his eyes. Dread filled him as he heaved his body. He was met with resistance. Panicking, he tried to sit up frantically. He heaved in gasps of breaths in fright, his muscles straining against the leather straps around his wrists, ankles, and neck.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun, calm down. I don't want you to pass out from stress." Naruto's panic increased when Orochimaru stepped up next to him, his presence cold and unwelcomed. "What the hell are you doing!" Naruto's muscles strained and his veins bulged as he yelled with all his strength. Even with his added strength from the past three years, he couldn't escape.

A cold hand grabbed his jaw, stopping his squirming. Orochimaru's face dipped really close, his breath hitting Naruto's cheek and ear. "Do you think I wouldn't find out? Did you really think you could hide his eyes forever?" Naruto froze, his body going tense.

"Huh, Naruto-kuuun?"

"Did you expect otherwise? I'm not some mindless crony who wants to lick your asshole every second sentence." He relaxed his body.

Orochimaru let go of his face and leaned away. "You lied to me…" He hissed, picking up a scalpel up from the tray beside the medical bed. The metal's scrapped together, creating a chilling sound that prickled Naruto's skin. Orochimaru held the scalpel, a smile twisting on his face, thumb rubbing the flat of the blade. "Do you know what happens to those that lie to me?"

Naruto groaned and gritted his teeth, trying to find a way out of this. "You send them away with a slap on the wrist?" He said, finding his humor even now. Orochimaru tsked his tongue. The flat side of the scalpel slid between his face and the bandage. Orochimaru turned the blade so that it touched the bandages. "They get punished." In a quick motion the bandages were cut away. One side of the bandage fell, letting one of his eyes see the light.

The bright light pierced the drastic acuteness of his vision. He squinted his eyes at the sharp and detailed look at the world. "To think that the mad ramblings of a sick man close to death proved to be right." Orochimaru —who Naruto could barely see thanks to the light— moved in a slow and detailed motion as he removed the other side of the bandage, letting it fall to the side of his head. Every movement was outlined and noted, every possible outcome and change filed. His head pounded to the beat of his pulse and his eyes burned and watered.

Orochimaru turned back and put a mirror in front of him, slightly blocking the light that now fanned around it. He inhaled a sharp gasp at the image he saw. Gone were the blue eyes he was accustomed to looking at in the mirror. In their place was the powerful red of the Sharingan. His body tensed.

Sasuke's eyes…this bastard!

The leather straps groaned as he lunged, rage filling him as he snarled ferally. The mirror disappeared, replaced by Orochimaru, who leaned in really close to his snarling face. "Ssssee, Naruto-kun? You can't hide things forever." Naruto growled low in his throat. "I'm going to kill you." He stated, teeth gritted, face set in an exertion of effort. Orochimaru chuckled, leaning away and put his hands behind his back.

The light above had disappeared, so Naruto stared at the pale man. "I was always curious about your motives, Naruto-kun." Orochimaru turned his back and paced away to a table out of his line of sight. Naruto sneered at the ceiling and tried to move his head in the leather strap.

"I guess you will have to stay here until this body grows too weak."

Naruto loosened his fists as he glared at the snake's back. There was only one option. Kyuubi...give me chakra! His cursed seal flared, too, sending tainted chakra through his veins. The hot chakra of the Kyuubi swirled in his belly, bubbling to the surface. He smirked as Orochimaru turned around to look at him. Their eyes met. Feeling he had won, Naruto smirked.

Orochimaru smirked, too.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning shocked him, halting his sudden power trip. A new and different seal glowed on his chest in a violent red. The chakra's faded as he slumped against the bed, steam rising from his sweaty skin. Orochimaru cackled. "Oh, Naruto-kun, do you think i'm stupid?" Orochimaru approached again with Naruto's parents scroll. "That seal will shock you everytime you try anything like that."

"You see, you've become the perfect vessel, and I can't let you go."

"A Jinchuuriki with the Sharingan, the blood of an Uzumaki, and the knowledge of the Hirashin. How perfect! You even brought me a scroll full of secret jutsu!"

Orochimaru tossed the scroll into the air, smile vicious. Naruto felt his stomach drop, his eyes looking blankly at the ceiling. "I also added a few other gifts to your body, but that isn't your concern anymore." Orochimaru unrolled the scroll laughing.

What do I do? An overwhelming flood of helplessness consumed him, twisting his gut tightly as he closed white-knuckled fists. His heart hammered, an answer eluding him in his time of need. "Absorb the chakra in the seal!" Naruto jumped from the sudden command.

But…

"Just do it! I'll handle the cursed one!"

Naruto focused on the binding seal, his sensory abilities allowing him to find the chakra in it. He used his own chakra to pull on it, wrapping around it and overwhelming it. His body burned with all of the chakra flowing through him. His shoulder felt like it was being stabbed rapidly with a needle thin knife. The cursed seal was glowing red, the swirling flames trailing his body and connecting to the seal on his stomach. "That's useless, boy." Orochimaru said. He didn't even take his eyes away from the scroll.

He realized that the Kyuubi was destroying the seal, using the help of Kakashi's suppression seal. The Kyuubi was using his own chakra to reject the chakra of the cursed seal. Naruto gritted his teeth as Orochimaru flicked his eyes at him. Sweat covered his body as he started to absorb the chakra and make it his own. Naruto screamed as the seal activated, shocking his body. He twitched and spasmed at the electricity.

"What are you d— "

The last of the chakra drained into his own. Naruto's body exploded with power, red chakra a tempest as he jumped at Orochimaru, the leather straps useless against his new strength. The snake moved quickly and slipped out of reach. Naruto flew past him and rolled to his knees as he gasped for air. His back heaved as he looked over his shoulder, red chakra creating heat waves in the air. His Sharingan pierced the orange veil, glowing with its own cursed power.

Orochimaru laughed, "Well, I can't say that i'm surprised." Orochimaru rolled the scroll back up as Kabuto entered the room frantically. "My Lord!" Orochimaru held out a hand, halting him in the doorway. "I'm fine. Don't worry." A wicked smile thinned his lips. "Kabuto, I would like to test Naruto-kun's power." He put the scroll in the fold of his robe.

Naruto stood, body steaming with power as the air spun with red. Orochimaru started to roll up the sleeves of his kimono. "So please, allow me the honor." Naruto turned to him, his mouth a snarl of sharp canines. His eyes were feral with bloodthirst.

"I'm going to kill you, snake!"

He shot across the room in a blur of red, tackling Orochimaru.

BOOM!

The two bulleted across the room, smashing into the wall; sending rubble, pebbles, and dust everywhere. The whole room shook from the impact. Kabuto had to grab onto the doorframe as cracks ran along the walls, ceiling, and floor. Rocks broke from the ceiling and fell to the floor.

Naruto flew from the dust, spinning uncontrollably. His body tossed a table aside and shattered a shelf; sending jars, beakers, and books everywhere. Orochimaru walked after him, not even dirty. He laughed with a sneer. "I trained you?" Orochimaru mocked, hold his arms out lazily. Naruto pulled himself from the wooden rubble, tomoe spinning and a low growl coming from his throat. He staggered, then uprighted himself, glare killer.

He snarled, body red with burns, jaw gritted. Orochimaru cackled, then heaved, holding his hand at his mouth as his throat bulged. He opened his mouth and the wide head of a snake shot from his unlatched jowls. The snake opened its mouth too, vomiting a pommel with a gleaming emerald in it. The jewel shined in the lantern light as Orochimaru grabbed the handle, pulling the rest of the Sword of Kusanagi from the snake as it slid back down his throat.

The sword dripped with a yellow mucousy lubricant, small droplets falling to the floor. Naruto flexed his muscles, grinning. "Oh? Are you scared?" Orochimaru slid into a stance, holding the legendary sword in a two handed grip. "Hardly," He attacked, gliding across the room, sweeping his sword in a wide arc. Naruto moved, ducking under the slash, throwing a fist. Orochimaru sidestepped it, bringing his sword back over his head. Naruto caught the blade in his palm for a second to swipe it away from his body. The Kyuubi's chakra shielded his skin, but it was only for that brief moment. Any longer and the legendary blade would've sliced right through his fingers.

A swift kick to the gut sent Naruto sliding. His feet slid across the ground as he braced himself. Orochimaru leapt and swept his sword, Naruto ducking and sending punches and kicks; spinning and weaving around the sword and all the obstacles of the room. The two battled across the room, overturning tables and carts, sending beakers and sterile equipment flying into the air. Naruto even tried to stab Orochimaru's eye out with a syringe. Orochimaru backflipped over the medical restraint bed, throwing a brace of kunai in his spin. Naruto weaved out of the way, caught one, and laid a Kyuubi enhanced kick against the bed.

The bed flew at Orochimaru's face as he landed in a crouch. A downward slash cut it in half, the pieces sliding to the side on the ground. Naruto advanced, jabbing with his borrowed kunai. Orochimaru parried it, sliding backward and setting his feet so he could send a stab of his own. Naruto jumped away, tossing away his useless kunai—the tip cut off from the parry— as his scrubs were cut at the rib by the stab.

He landed a distance away as Orochimaru taunted him with an acid smile and a twirl of his sword. Naruto looked at the cut on his clothes. He was uninjured. Knowing that the Sword of Kusanagi was poisoned, he breathed through his nose in relief. Sliding back into his taijutsu stance, Naruto smirked at the snake, chakra glowing and swirling.

Suddenly, as Orochimaru prepared to strike again, the cracks in the roof split, and the rocks fell. Large boulders fell into the room, crushing furniture and smashing against the floor, shaking the ground. The walls even blasted inward, adding to the dust and debris. The room rumbled and dust plumed past Kabuto and into the hallway.


Itachi —

Elsewhere —

Itachi pushed aside a branch as he travelled through the forest. The Akatsuki cloak he wore was torn and burnt at the edges, courtesy of his last target. He had come to quite hate the cloak, so it didn't matter that it got so torn up. He placed a hand on a tree next to him as he felt the thick chakra in the air become even more potent. He played with the ring on his finger and thought of his organization's mission. He knew this chakra. He knew it so well that it stung his eyes and burnt his nose to even be near it again.

The Kyuubi no Yoko's chakra was worse than any of the other Bijuu's. It was so potent and powerful that it was hard to think that Konoha had even survived its malice. It was hard to think that one day —with all the other Bijuu— that the Akatsuki's ultimate weapon would be even more powerful than the Kyuubi. I'm sure Kisame won't mind a little scouting. He was to meet his sharp toothed companion in the next village over, so it was fine to stray from the path.

The ground quivered.

He traveled a little closer. Suddenly, with a large quake, the ground exploded. A huge plume of dust shot into the air, sending boulders and pebbles to shower down through the trees and onto his head. When the dust started to clear, he went closer, eyes looking through the dust cloud.

He could see the outline of a monstrous and animalistic human-fox. Four large tails swept and swayed with minds of their own, bubbling and sweeping the wind. Across from the red fox was a man, a man he recognized easily. Orochimaru stood lazily, grinning as blood trailed down his cheek from a cut on his temple. The multi-tailed fox lunged in a blur across the large gap between them, grabbing Orochimaru by the arm and throwing him in an primal spin. Orochimaru flipped from the force, smashing through the thick trunks of the trees, disappearing out of sight. The fox growled, steam coming from its mouth and curling in the air.

Itachi was surprised to see that half of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was covered in a violent and bloody red while the other half was covered in a bubbly orange. His skin was peeling and burning, mixing blood with the chakra, allowing the red to slowly shroud him. His body hunched —as if he would collapse— then shot off the ground, cracking it and sending rocks flying with a woosh of air.

Somewhere past the dust and broken trees, a large impact boomed out, and the earth shook. Itachi followed the destruction.


Naruto —

It hurts so bad! His body burned as the malice of chakra crawled and burned his skin, boiling every cell of his body. His mind was being taken over by an animalistic and chilling need to kill. His whole body burned with the need of it. He tried to fight it as he chased after Orochimaru, but his control was slipping, and he stopped caring about the pain. Losing himself, all he wanted was this man's windpipe smashed in his palm. He wanted to kill Orochimaru so bad that he was salivating, eyes and intent solely for the snake alone.

"DIE!"

The Kyuubi jumped at Orochimaru with a roar, and slapped away the Kusanagi like it was a child's toy, an extended claw slashing Orochimaru's chest. The smell of blood made his need for the kill even more intense. The Kyuubi attacked with a fury, not caring for the sword trying to cut him up. His shroud of blood and chakra protected him as he slashed and clawed at the snake. The mixture of blood and chakra protected him more than the first stage of bubbly chakra.

The two eventually came to a river after their short bout in the trees that destroyed the landscape. The two shot from the treeline and onto the stream. Orochimaru landed in the middle of it, turning his body downstream where the four-tailed Kyuubi crouched on all fours across from him. The water below its feet boiled. The chakra beast burnt the air with its heat, mouth steaming with pants and growls. Orochimaru panted, body covered in bruises, burns, and dirt. The pawprint on his arm was a sickly blackburn, having been cauterized by the Kyuubi's chakra when he grabbed and threw him. He spun his sword, readying himself for another barrage.

The Kyuubi unlatched his mouth, the air gathering small bubbles of chakra. The red and blue chakra gathered at the mouth, condensing into a tightly pressurized ball of purple chakra. Orochimaru's eyes widened. Moving quickly, he slipped his thumb into his mouth and bit with a canine, then blurred through some hand seals as he bounded away to gain some distance.

The Kyuubi's jaw clamped shut over the purple sphere, steam flowing through his red-black teeth. The Kyuubi's cheeks puffed as light bled through its eyes and mouth. Orochimaru slammed a hand on the surface of the water.

"Kuchiyose: Sanjū Rashōmon!"

The beam of chakra shot from the Kyuubi's mouth as three large demonic gates shot from the surface of the river. The gates appeared fully just in time. The Bijuudama disintegrated the water and cut a deep trench into the river as it impacted. The Bijuudama hit the first gate, destroying it easily. The second, surprisingly, split the weakened beam of chakra, cracking and shaking. The beam created large trenches on the sides, blowing trees and rocks away, burning the earth. The third diffused the shock farther, not even trembling.

The attack dispersed, and the Kyuubi snarled as the second gate came crumbling down, the third standing with its demon face glaring. Water dipped down the gate as the smoke of the attack cleared. The Kyuubi crouched, the exposed river bottom cracking as the water started to flow around the gate and back downstream into the new trench that scarred the river bed.

The Kyuubi shot off the ground in a blur of red. The beast flew through the air and smashed into the gate with a resounding boom! and a tempest of wind. Cracks spontaneously veined all the way up the gate as it shook. The Rashomon stopped the Kyuubi for a moment —its head and shoulder buried in the demonic metal— but the gate crumbled and the Kyuubi used its tails to shield itself from the rubble. The gate fell.

The Kyuubi pushed the debris off of itself, tails lifting and wrapping around rock and metal. Orochimaru stood upstream with a smirk, leaning against the pommel of his sword that was stabbed into the ground, a good number of paces away. The Kyuubi stood atop the rubble, tails swirling, creating wind as it roared, the world vibrating from the sound of it. Orochimaru pulled his sword tip from the river stones as the Kyuubi picked up red clay shingles in his four tails. The tails stabbed forward, flinging the shingles with a force that created a swoosh noise and a vacuum of wind. The shingles were a blur as they lit on fire in mid air from the Bijuu's chakra still on it. Orochimaru slid around the barrage, preparing himself when the Kyuubi started to bound down the rocks and up the river, creating a torrent behind it as it ran across the surface.

At the last moment, Orochimaru flipped away, slipping through the whipping tails that tried to wrap around him. Extending his sword, he spun it, slapping away all of the tails and smashing it into the Kyuubi's ribs, sending the beast into the trees. The Kyuubi didn't even feel the trees breaking against its back as it maneuvered itself to hit with its feet. It went through a tree, wrapped tails around nearby trees, and slid; again forming a Bijuudama. The Kyuubi's claws dug into the ground. This time he formed small ones, shooting them off the way he came in rapid succession. They exploded in the distance, sending shockwaves that shook the tree branches and rubbed the leaves together.

When the last one exploded, he started bounding through the trees again. Trees flew past as the river came closer in sight, large holes cut perfectly from the earth. But in a sudden surprise intrusion, someone jumped down from the trees in front of him, red eyes spinning. The shuriken pattern spun, the red pupil dilating. No!

A sudden weakness came over him and another will pushed him away. The Kyuubi slid to a halt, body collapsing as it flipped onto its back from its momentum. With one final strain, the Kyuubi was pushed back into slumber.


Itachi —

Itachi watched the chakra seep back into the Jinchuuriki's skin and the blood it had mixed with pool on the ground. His skin was red and peeled, completely destroyed. It would take a long time before he would recover, even with the help of his prisoner. It was ironic. The Kyuubi could heal and destroy the boy. The Jinchuuriki groaned, hand twitching. Itachi stood above him, looking at his face. The blonde container opened chapped lips. He rasped something that morphed into a grizzly weeze.

"Rest," He searched his head for the boys name. "Naruto." The blonde opened his eyes, and to Itachi's shock, the pattern of the Sharingan looked back at him. The boy reached a burnt hand up, grasping. Yet Itachi stood in muted shock. Naruto's hand fell to the side and his eyes slid shut, his breath wheezing.

No…

That's impossible…

Another Uchiha?

No, those aren't his real eyes. He could see the difference in chakra's in the eyes and body. Slowly, the two were mixing and accommodating for each other.

With a sudden shock, the answer came to him.

Sasuke…

He moved quickly, pulling his cloak off and wrapping Naruto in it. He glanced over his shoulder toward the river. Good, no Orochimaru. Maybe Naruto had got him… "Well, I didn't expect you to be here, Itachi-kun." Itachi turned his head to the large rock that Orochimaru stood on. The man looked like he hadn't even been fighting. He healed himself, somehow. Itachi stood, expression blank. "I get around."

"Yes, i'm sure you do, being in the Akatsuki and all." The snake jumped to the grass, sword loose in his grip. Orochimaru grinned, "You're a smart one, young Itachi, so hand over the boy." Itachi hummed, "If I remember our last meeting correctly, then you should be bending to my will, Orochimaru-sama." The snake grimaced, face then scowling.

"You hurt me, Itachi."

"I'd like to cut you, too, but that's beside the point of taunting."

The Sannin laughed, "You still have quite a blunt mouth on you." Itachi crouched, each leg on one side of Naruto. The blonde didn't even twitch. "Really? I always thought I learned a thing or two from Kisame. He likes to brag about it from time to time." In a blur, Orochimaru lunged across the field, neck and arms extending with the body in pursuit. His fangs and left arm went for Itachi while his right arm went for Naruto. The left arm held the venomous Kusanagi, and there was no doubt Orochimaru wanted to impale him with it.

Itachi dipped, pulling the boy with him and throwing shuriken that quickly appeared from his sleeve. The extended appendages twisted and snaked around the sharp weapons, but the left arm —being closest— let itself be hit protecting the main body. Itachi moved around trees, stretched arm and head weaving in pursuit as Orochimaru's body kept in sight, but out of reach.

Shit!

Itachi winced when the head wrapped around him, biting into his arm, forcing him to drop Naruto. Naruto fell to the earth, quickly being entrapped by the arm, the hand grabbing his neck harshly. Itachi gritted his teeth, the neck squeezing around his trapped arms. Orochimaru's head slithered in front of his face, bobbing and looking more like a snake than a human. "I win." Itachi rose a delicate eyebrow. "Did you?" He burst into a murder of crows and Naruto popped into smoke. Orochimaru grasped at air as the crows flew off.

The crows flocked, jumbling together onto a tree branch, where Itachi formed with Naruto over his shoulder. "I don't have time for you, Orochimaru." He said, leaning Naruto against the trunk. Orochimaru's body walked through the bushes, arm and neck retracting from their over extended state. One of his arms was filled with kunai, but he ignored it.

"Your schedule just cleared up." Orochimaru slid into his Kenjutsu stance. The Sword of Kusanagi gleamed with a vile poison that dripped to the dirt. Itachi sighed, pulling his cloak off Naruto and tossing it so that it draped over the branch he stood on. That wouldn't be needed anymore. He slid a brace of kunai from his ninja pouch. He closed his eyes, "I'll end this quickly." When they snapped back open, the pattern of the Sharingan spun in his eyes. He threw his kunai, and leaped from the tree into the air. The kunai flew toward Orochimaru, and he dodged them with a laugh as they impaled the ground. "Have to do better than that!"

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu(Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)!"

A large fire ball took up the entire canopy, roaring down at him as it got bigger and bigger. The fireball barrelled down, and Itachi disappeared. Orochimaru quickly snaked out of harm's way, the fireball hitting and spreading across the grass in a fury. He searched around uselessly for any sign for Itachi.

I have to end this quickly or Naruto might die. Itachi thought as he appeared behind Orochimaru, a kunai going up to both his neck and spine. He slowly slid the kunai into Orochimaru's skin, just enough to show that he could end it any moment. Yet, in that same moment, snakes shot from Orochimaru's sleeves and wrapped themselves around Itachi. Itachi didn't even bat an eyelash as the head of a snake bit the hand that held the kunai to Orochimaru's back. Orochimaru chuckled, "I don't need you anymore, Itachi. I have the eyes of your brother and the body of an Uzumaki. You're useless to me." The snakes constricted as Orochimaru turned and put the Sword of Kusanagi to his throat.

"Isn't that wonderful?"

Itachi blinked, face calm. "Bunshin Daibakuha(Shadow Clone Explosion)!" He exploded.


Peace.