Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…

Author's Note: I would like to take this spare time to thank all who took the time to read and review my story (and my sister's stories). I really appreciate it. This is actually my first story I have ever "published" on any website and the good reviews I've been getting has motivated me to keep going till the end…Probably…We won't know until we get there…

Itachi leaped tree to tree in a huge rush. His heart was pounding and anxiety was driving him mad. He was still being chased by strong Anbu. He has already wasted a big portion of his chakra to rid himself of some head-hunters but there seemed to be a non-stop supply of the pests. It wasn't until a sudden flash appeared making the followers fall dead. It seemed to be a familiar technique used by Kisame, but Itachi was well aware that he was dead or captured. There was another who used a sword or a weapon similar in the small group of Atasuki, Hidan. Itachi sighed in disappointment; he preferred to have been killed by the head-hunters than to put up with this guy's religious crap. He slowed down to a stop when he spotted Hidan's partner, Kakuzu, a pupil-less guy.

"You look like hell, Itachi!" Kakuzu's rough voice implied while studying Itachi's injuries. There were cuts and bruises all over his body not to mention the huge depletion in chakra he could sense. "Where's your coat?"

"None of your business!" Itachi growled. His day was awful and he knew it was bound to get worse, especially with Hidan around. When he turned around and stared into the dark forest, he could still sense that energy as if it was chasing him still. He knew Lance wouldn't follow him, but what if he did, and what if he used some of that eerily chakra he had. It didn't take long before Itachi noticed that he didn't even come close to even hurting that Uzumaki. His partner just stared at him.

"Where's Kisame?" he asked hoping not to get another growl from the testy Uchiha.

"He's probably dead or captured…" he answered softly as he gained his cool again, that sense of chakra was leaving him.

"THEN WE MUST PRAY FOR HIS SOUL TO BE DELIVERED!" a light triumphant voice yelled. Itachi could only sigh in agony. "It's part of the precepts in Buddhism!"

"We already know that…You've told us that like a million times." Itachi's voice began to become edgy. "WE DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR BELIEFS!" he finally yelled. Kakuzu could only stare bewildered.

"Something got to you, it seems. You sensed it, didn't you? That weird chakra is from the boss. He seems to be mad at us," he stated looking at an edgy Itachi. Hidan popped out of the shadows to show his blonde and slick hair and his dark cloak. His hand held a necklace with the symbol of Buddhism.

"I may be a pain in the ass but it can't be helped," he stated softly with his eyes closed and head high as if he could actually do nothing about it. He's been annoying since forever.

"Anyway, we were supposed to switch partners. Kisame was to go with Hidan and I was to go with you but since we lost a partner, we have to go together." Kakuzu stated. Itachi put on an annoyed face.

"Let's feed Hidan to the fishes and leave him to die!" Itachi responded. Hidan just sighed.

"You can't do that! It's against the rules!"

"Oh, but even though it's against the rules, it can't be helped!"

"You're using my words against me! What happened to the Itachi that was cool and un-moved by anything? Wait; are you sad because poor Kisame died? I know he was your lover!"

Itachi twitched at the comment but just turned away. He learned the hard way that Hidan just gets more annoying the more you complain. It was something you just learn.

"Why is the boss mad at us?" he asked looking at Kakuzu.

"We were to rush to your aid to retrieve the hardest jinchuuriki there was, the nine-tailed fox! But we were too slow due to this idiot!" he answered.

"Whatever!" Hidan said while waving off the compliment. He placed his huge triple bladed sword on the ground while he planted himself next to it. Itachi watched as Kakuzu handed him another cloak.

"It's obvious that you didn't succeed and now we have to enter together!"

"The kid is willing to leave, Kakuzu. So don't waste time trying to make him immobile," Itachi stated. Hidan smiled at the statement.

"Finally, someone is willing to go! The irony of it all, the nine-tailed fox is supposed to be the hardest and now he wants to go with us!"

Itachi slipped on his black coat with red clouds on as he put on his serious face again. "We'll leave about lunch time. There was a monster wrecking the village and might of caused enough damage to let us in much easier, not to mention the Sound have attacked it. Konoha is crippled!"

Naruto opened his eyes and studied the environment. He noticed that he was in a hospital. He was paralyzed but someone must've reawakened him. He felt rather energetic though for someone who was the cause of a distressful night.

"Where is everybody?" he pondered while still studying the empty the room. No one had come to visit. "Who needs them anyway? I'll just run away from here!" he said as he lifted his feet off the bed and felt a jolt of pain all over his body. "Ah! Maybe later…"

He rested on the bed thinking about how Itachi, one who had already attacked him, along with the fish man, had come to his house last night. He wanted to go and now the thought had made him even more energetic. He thought about it thoroughly while the two bickered about things that didn't matter. He was right; the Hokage title would never be enough and who can guarantee that he would get there anyway. But as an Atasuki, he could make people fear him and he would be able to become stronger as well. In a couple of years, he'll be better than any Hokage with the training of Atasuki of course. But something must've happened that had stalled Itachi from taking him out of the village or maybe he was caught. It didn't matter though, he would run away whether it was with the Atasuki or even if he was alone. He wanted to leave Konohagakure…