Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto characters.
Enchanted..
Chapter three: The beautiful enemy.
Having Kisame on his tail all the time was not something he particularly relished. Sometimes he wished he could just drive a knife through that shark face's throat. He cherished his solitude and he was rarely given any. It was true that they had to work in pairs but Kisame's constant attempts at conversation took him to the edge of his patience. The other Akatsuki members seemed to realize this and therefore decided that he could use a break.
So here he was. All by himself, Kisame had been given a solo assignment and he was free to do whatever he wished for nearly two weeks. He resisted the urge to sigh. Their ongoing assignment, Uzumaki Naruto was a slippery character. It was a wonder how a person, who was dead-last would be able to escape his grasp each and every time. It was like that boy had a sixth sense for danger. Then again he was the container for the Kyuubi.
Sometimes he thought that the boy was more trouble than he was worth. He knew that Naruto was now vulnerable after bringing back his foolish little brother from committing a grave mistake. He had heard from his informants that Naruto was unconscious in the hospital since he came back. The was released from the hospital just about two days ago. When he had heard of Sasuke's actions, a part of him was ashamed. He never thought his brother would be so blind and so foolish.
Naruto on the other hand was an enigma. Every time Naruto surpassed his expectations. Every time he was reminded not to underestimate the boy. Akatsuki had warned him to bring Naruto before he got more powerful than he was now. Even Itachi did not want the boy to grow further, even though fighting Naruto at his true strength was very tempting to him. Now would have been an ideal time to get Naruto, yet he knew that the boy was under protection.
He absently walked into a clearing, partially aware of his surroundings. His musings came to an abrupt halt when he felt that he was not alone. He let his gaze wander until it landed on a blonde girl meditating in the middle of the clearing.
His breath caught in his throat, and for the first time he was taken by surprise. No, she was not the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but she was close. She had long beautiful hair that curved round her face. Her skin seemed to glow as a ray of sunlight cut through the canopy and landed on her. There was an aura of peace and serenity surrounding her. She looked so fragile that he feared that if he'd touched her she might shatter as thought she were made of glass.
That was not what surprised him. What drew his attention was the fact that wind was circling the girl like a small whirlwind and he could not sense chakra involved in this. Her very presence pulled him to her, digging claws into him and dragging him to her.
He raised a curious eyebrow and knelt before her. Winds were moving like sharp blades around her, a stray gust managed a small yet fine cut on his chin. He observed her quietly, her whole being seemed to radiate power and it had nothing to do with chakra, it was more earthly. It seemed that nature responded to her, as though she was of demon blood.
'For someone so beautiful she has a deadly presence.' He mused. He had never encountered a person who could manipulate elements without chakra. It would mean that they could fight without hand seals. It also meant they could negate the effects of others' elemental jutsus. She would be very useful to capture Naruto, all he to do was take her with him to Akatsuki headquarters.
There was one problem, if he lifted one hand towards her the winds will chop it off. May be there was some jutsu to counter it. He was about to perform a doton jutsu when a soft and assured voice spoke up, "If nature is working with me, it is working against you Itachi-kun." Itachi stopped making hand seals and looked at the girl in front of him. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal the most breath-taking eyes. Though they had slitted pupils, they were the most deep and the most innocent of blue in color.
Itachi, not being a person being capable of trivial things like emotions, found himself to be dumbstruck that those cautious eyes. Of course, none of his internal musings reflected on his visage, it was as bland as ever. Not even to himself he would like to admit that he found this girl undoubtedly attractive.
He raised a questioning eyebrow at her statement. Those beautiful eyes closed, not before he saw slight fear in them. Oddly enough, he did not want this girl to fear him as others. He did not wish for her to be frightened of him even though it would have been convenient for her to fear his power. He did not understand this but he just shrugged it off and said, "Who are you?"
The girl titled her head and opened her eyes again, slight irritation was noticeable on her face by the slight downturn of her silky lips, "I am trying to meditate here Itachi-kun. My name is Na... Natsuko of the Hidden Leaf village. You are Uchiha Itachi, S-class missing-nin wanted for manslaughter of his entire clan. Why are you even here?" Itachi mulled over the name for a moment. The did not fail to notice that her hands were balled into fist so tight that her knuckles had gone white. He answered, "I am here because I choose to be. I did not know that Hidden leaf had someone of demon blood except Uzumaki Naruto."
The girl in front of him immediately stiffened at that. Now fear was clearly visible in her eyes. Itachi sighed mentally, he did not want to frighten the girl. He still did not understand why but there was something about the girl.
He looked straight into her eyes and she hastily looked away. He knew she was afraid of his sharingan. He did not know what prompted him, but soon he lifted his hand and gently grasped her chin to make her look into his eyes. Leaning forward he whispered, "Why are you scared? Is it because I know that you have a demon bloodline?" He did not miss the shudder that coursed through her body and smirked. He brushed his lips lightly against hers and murmured against her lips, "I will be back for you." and he left.
Naruto quickly stumbled back and brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to stop her shivering. She did not know what to think of Itachi's actions. There was no killing intent, but then why did she feel that he was going to shatter everything she had struggled hard to build. Why did she feel that he could see right through her facade, as though he would just plunge in and shatter all the walls she had carefully build around herself.
She was tired of people playing games with her all her life. All her life she felt like she was a pawn in a game of chess. People were controlling her life from even before she was born. It was as if her life was not her own. Why did everyone want to use her for their own benefit, why was she always targeted.
Shuddering a little she ran a shaky hand through her silky hair and closed her eyes. There was something in Itachi's eyes that unnerved her. Something that she had never seen before. He had not used the sharingan on her, yet his eyes had burned with an intensity that made her want to draw back and run. There was something far more dangerous in them than the threat of death. Something that to her was worst than death.
'Why do both Uchihas have to plague my life! It would have been so easy if I had never gotten to know Sasuke and Itachi.' Pain was visible in those eyes as she opened them. Pain was replaced by confusion when she found herself looking into deep inhuman golden eyes.
"N... nii-san. Y... you are back early." The demon raised an eyebrow and then narrowed his eyes and asked, "What wrong little one?" It was clear that Kyuubi noticed something was up with Naruto. She shook her head slightly and dug her face into her arms saying, "Nothing, just tired that's all."
Kyuubi hated when this happened. Naruto had a tendency to lock herself up, if something was bothering her she would clam up and not say a word to anyone. Her damn facade did not let anyone in, he was no exception to that, even though she did open up to him sometimes. He was even more insecure now that he could not see what happened to her or what she was doing at all times. He waited silently for Naruto to compose herself saying, "You know you can tell..." he drifted off when a peculiar scent reached his nose, his eyes narrowed at the familiar aura that lingered in the air and he growled.
Itachi had been here, he knew it. He could never forget that aura and scent. The missing-nin was the greatest threat to Naruto's existence. He looked at Naruto and said, "What did he say? Did he recognize you?" Naruto took a shuddering breath and said, "No he didn't. Not that it matters." Kyuubi raised an eyebrow at that.
She looked up at him and said, "He knows that I have a demon bloodline and wants me. He said he will be coming back for me. And he.." She shook her head vigorously, clenching her fist.
"Why does he unnerve me so? I don't understand, I never feared him before, at least not this much." Kyuubi looked at the white faced blonde and sighed, "Come, let go. I will drop you at the team meeting spot." Naruto nodded and slowly stood up. Kyuubi muttered something under his breath and in a moment Naruto was a male. Grinning at her slightly he said, "Why don't I stay back and threaten Kakashi a bit? It will be fun, ne?" Naruto gave a small smile in return.
As they started walking towards their destination Kyuubi asked, "So, how is your meditation coming?" Naruto sighed and ran her fingers through her now short hair and said, "Okay, I guess. I got the wind to shield me today. When... Itachi approached, a stray wind managed to inflict a small cut on him. But later, that wind did not consider him a threat and so did not harm him."
Kyuubi frowned as he got to the underlying point and asked, "He came to you without killing intent? Without threat?" Naruto bit her lip and nodded. She knew Kyuubi wanted her to elaborate, but she didn't so he let it pass. Kyuubi looked at the sky and said, "I didn't think you would be able to connect with the elements as easily as us. But wind was the first to respond means it is your natural element. I want you to continue meditating and trying to summon earth. Later on we will together summon fire and water. Lightening is the most easy so will do that for a while this afternoon. After that I have to leave for duty and you will work on your mother's scroll. Start learning her taijutsu." Naruto nodded.
As they approached the bridge Kyuubi put an arm around Naruto's shoulder and whispered to him, "So anything I can use against Kakashi today?" Naruto giggled and asked, "Why do you want to tease him anyway? He never gets affected." Kyuubi tapped a finger against her nose and said, "That's the challenge my love." Naruto smiled and said, "Well, he is always late. And he always keeps reading that perverted book that Ero-sanin writes. He is lazy in his own right. Although not as lazy as Shikamaru."
At Kyuubi's mischievous smile, Naruto forgot Itachi for a moment and asked, "Ano, nii-san, I forgot to ask. How was your first day at work?" Kyuubi just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I rather train you. Nothing entertaining as of yet." Naruto kept smiling and said, "Well you are saying that now. Later on when you get more exciting assignments you will get bored to come home." Kyuubi chuckled making Naruto pout. "Well, Naru-chan. You needn't worry. Training you is much more fulfilling."
Naruto crossed her arms and huffed, "What's with you and Kakashi-sensei calling me Naru-chan! If you need a female name call me something else. Don't call me Naru-chan." Kyuubi chuckled as he tightened his grip on her shoulders slightly and said, "Fine. Suggest a name you like. You may be the first child who gets to select her own name." Naruto looked up at her guardian and asked, "Can't I keep my own name?" Kyuubi looked thoughtful for a moment and asked, "Would you really like to have a boy's name when you are actually a girl?"
Naruto looked undecided. As they approached Naruto's curious looking team mates Kyuubi said, "You have a lot of time to decide Naruto." she just nodded smiling slightly at him.
As she turned to gaze at her team-mates her smile turned into a frown. Kyuubi noted this and turned to look them. The Uchiha child looked at Naruto with glacial eyes, but Kyuubi could see something hidden in them. Something akin to... longing? Shaking his thoughts away slightly he turned to look down at Naruto as she walked ahead and leaned against the bridge. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow at this, he could sense the tension in the air, he could see that Naruto's shoulder's were stiff. Flicking a gaze at Sasuke and Sakura he looked back at Naruto. He was about to speak but Sasuke beat him to it, "Are you always going to be late dobe?"
Naruto didn't even bat an eyelid at the insult. It made Kyuubi strangely proud that she was able to control herself to such an extent. He ruffled her hair fondly and directed a sharp gaze at the Uchiha child. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who are you?" Sakura too looked like she had the same question on her mind. Kyuubi scowled at the insolent tone the boy used. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Sakura tensed a little. However, Naruto chose to speak for him when he said, "Uzumaki Ryu, my elder brother. And Sasuke, be careful with how you speak to him."
Sasuke snorted but did not say anything. He looked at the him suspiciously and then turned his gaze to Naruto and asked, "What wrong with you these days? Why are you being a bitch?" Naruto slowly opened his eyes and focused them on the boy. Kyuubi watched in amusement as winds revolved discretely around Naruto, responding to her anger although Naruto herself did not know it. She looked steadily into Sasuke's eyes and said, "Why are you complaining Uchiha?"
"Yo!" Sasuke was interrupted by Kakashi. The jounin sighed at the tense atmosphere but himself tensed at the sight of Kyuubi calmly observing Sasuke, anger clear in his eyes. "Uzumaki-san, if you don't mind me asking. Why are you here?" Kyuubi shrugged and said, "I was training Naruto, thought I'd drop him off and take the opportunity to meet his team-mates. What are your plans today Kakashi? Are there any missions?"
The jounin shook his head and said, "No, no missions unfortunately. The hokage thinks that this team deserves rest. I was thinking of training them. You are welcome to join us Uzumaki-san, if you are free that is." Kyuubi looked at Naruto and the girl nodded slightly. Smirking he nodded to Kakashi and said, "Well, lets see how well you teach your students. And Kakashi, if you corrupt my brother's innocent eyes with that perverted book in my presence I will shred it and personally handle Jiraiya. Believe me, he will not be able to write those books after I am done with him."
He smiled when he saw Naruto's lips twitch in amusement as Kakashi scrambled to hide his book.
Kakashi on the other hand was grateful that Kyuubi decided to join. He was still worried about Sasuke and Naruto was not helping by giving him a cold shoulder. She did not realize that she was important, that Sasuke cared for her. She did not see that she had that power over him, the power to change his views.
But who could blame her? As he looked over his shoulder at Kyuubi and Naruto he realized that he had never seen that smile on her face, that smile was small, yet it was real. He did not know what to think, on one hand she was opening up to Kyuubi and on the other hand she closing herself from others. Especially Sasuke. He sighed and looked at Sasuke was was glancing at Naruto and Kyuubi every now and then with suspicion in his eyes. Sakura too seemed to be cautious. Kakashi shook his head and smiled ruefully under his mask.
"Are all Uzumakis boosters?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi frowned, "What do you mean?" Sakura looked back at Kyuubi and Naruto involved in a serious conversation and said, "Well, he threatened you and Jiraiya-sama. Naruto has a tendency to talk big, may be Ryu-san also is the same." Kakashi chuckled as looked at Sasuke and then Sakura saying, "He could take on he Hokage and still not break a sweat. He is very powerful. And don't forget, Naruto is not weak either. He may talk big but most of the time he is able to fulfill his word." Sasuke snorted and looked back at Naruto saying, "Why is he acting like this now then? Like he is above us. Just because he managed to bring me back."
Kakashi sighed and said, "What did you expect? He'll welcome you back with hugs and kisses like Sakura?" Sakura bit her lower lip as Sasuke glared at Kakashi. "You hurt him Sasuke, deal with it. You changed him forever." Sasuke flinched at that and looked back at Naruto. Sure enough, he could see the change, although he was smiling at his brother, his eyes were a frosty blue. They were not the warm summer's sky anymore. "Its his fault for caring! I am an avenger, I have a mission and will complete it."
Kakashi resisted the urge to beat some sense into the boy and judging by Kyuubi's growl he know that the demon's sharp ears picked it up. Kakashi looked down at his student and said, "Well then, looks like you accomplished that. He no longer cares." Sasuke stilled at that and stopped walking, he looked into Kakashi's visible eyes with slight panic in his gaze. Kakashi did not respond to that look. Instead he just walked on towards training ground 7. Sakura looked at Sasuke slightly worried but followed Kakashi.
Sasuke closed his eyes and concentrated. He did not need to think about such things, he was being stupid when he allowed himself to be brought back. He flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder and looked up to see Naruto's brother. He was not looking at him, but at Naruto who was walking towards Kakashi and Sakura without even looking back at him. "Sasuke," Sasuke waited for the him to speak, "Give him time. He'll come around eventually. If you behave." As they started walking Kyuubi said, "I'll take Sakura and Kakashi away for a while. Talk to him, if you really want to rectify your mistake do it now."
Sasuke nodded and walked off leaving a smiling Kyuubi behind. 'I don't know if helping Sasuke is a good idea, however, Naruto needs to open up.'
Sasuke walked alongside Naruto and kept glancing at the blonde every once in a while. What could he say to Naruto? Shaking his head he looked ahead, 'Naruto is not important. He is just a hindrance in my mission to kill Itachi and gain power.' In his heart he knew he was lying to himself. 'But what after that? Is it really wrong to ask help?'
They stopped by the training grounds and Kyuubi spoke up, "Kakashi, Sakura-san come with me, I have something that can help you in Sakura-san's training." Kakashi nodded, but when Sakura hesitated, he guided her by a hand on her shoulder. They left leaving both rivals alone.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at Kyuubi's behavior but said nothing. With her back facing Sasuke she sat down and started concentrating to control the winds about her. This of course brought back the thought of Itachi. She flinched as the name resounded in her mind. What would he do when he found out that Kyuubi was finally out of her body? What would he do when he found out that Natsuko was actually Naruto? She shuddered at the possibility. The small kiss that Itachi had graced her with sent her emotions into a riot. Confusion clouded her mind at his actions as well as hers.
'I couldn't move! I didn't push him away, nor attack him. I just couldn't move! Why? Why did he do that? Did he use some kind of genjutsu? Why didn't I stop him?' She closed her eyes tightly and mumbled, "Concentrate, you cannot think of him now. Concentrate on the winds."
"Think of whom?" Sasuke murmured to Naruto. The girl swore under her breath. Berating herself for forgetting that Sasuke was right there. If the boy knew of her encounter with Itachi, he may run off and do something crazy again. She did not have the strength to bring him back this time. Shaking her head and said, "None of your business." Sasuke suddenly knelt before her and said, "Fight me. If you are so angry, fight me and take it out. Hate me if you want to, but stop punishing yourself." Naruto snapped her eyes opened and glared at Sasuke, "Punish myself! Punish myself you say? Why should I punish myself? Haven't I been punished enough?"
She stumbled onto her feet and said, "You know, you were right. These emotions you harbor in your heart are nothing but hindrances. They give you pain, they make you weak. You know what? You thought me a very valuable lesson that day, you thought me that trust, loyalty, friendship, these are all fool's tools. You made me realize that very thing I believed in was wrong." Smirking to herself she looked straight in his eyes and said, "Next time you leave I'll not stop you. I am sorry for ruining your plans."
She turned and started to walk away but Sasuke caught her hand and asked, "Are you not punishing yourself now Naruto? If you believe in all those things you just said then your are killing your very soul. Are you telling me that you are going to give up that easily?" Naruto turned around and grabbed his shirt and brought her face to his and said softly, "Get this straight. You and I are done with. We are not rivals, we are not friends. I will stay out of your life from now on, go kill your self, become a slave to Orochimaru. I don't give a damn. Stay out of my life, all of you. I don't need a soul if it hurts so damn much to have it."
That comment earned a punch, which Naruto barely managed to dodge. Glaring at Sasuke she swiftly took some shuriken and threw them at an alert Sasuke. The boy simply dodged those angrily thrown weapons and said, "You'll never become a hokage if you lock yourself away dobe." Naruto snorted and swiftly moved towards Sasuke saying, "I don't care. They won't let me be a hokage anyways." Taking advantage of the boy's momentary shock, she aimed a strong blow at his stomach at made him bend over with a grunt of pain.
Just as she was coming with a follow up of a kick, he caught her leg with one hand and used his leg to make her loose her balance and hit the hard ground with a dull thud. He pinned her to the ground and said, "You were too angry to win this Naruto."
"Tell me why do you care? You didn't care when you left, you didn't care you drove that damned Chidori through me. All you want to do is use me. You want to use me to achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan. Just like everybody else, you want me to attain power." she yelled at his face making him flinch at the truth of her words. Her eyes were glistening, but she refused to show Sasuke her weakness. Wasn't she the one who said emotions were a weakness?
She eyes widened slightly as Sasuke leaned down and placed his head on her chest saying, "I am sorry." without hesitation and with resolve. She frowned and tensed as he didn't move, "God knows I am sorry." he said almost desperately.
She sighed and closed her eyes, "What am I to do with you Sasuke? What am I to do..."
She brought her hands up around him and ran her fingers through his hair thinking, 'Guess I am weak after all. I am weak against him.'