"Stay close, Naruto." Yoake said shortly as she and her young charge stepped out onto the street. The woman set off east at a brisk pace, throwing occasional glances behind as her as though to shake off pursuers.

Yoake seemed to know where she was going. Naruto hurried to keep up—the Yorukage was in a rush to get somewhere, that was for sure/

"What do you think happened, Yorukage?"

"Me?" Yoake breathed, walking still faster, "I think that if I'm right, Konoha may well be doomed before the first shuriken is even thrown…"

"What do you mean?" Quite shocked at this statement, Naruto ground to a halt but quickly trotted after the woman, sure that she was going to leave her behind in her pacing, "Yorukage! Wait!"

"We don't have time to wait!" Yoake's voice sounded strained, "If I am right—"

Yoake cursed and broke into a run. Now totally bewildered, Naruto followed. The pair of them dashed through the busiest part of the village and were soon in the outskirts of the city, right next to the wall that penned in its people. At long last Yoake gave a great cry of relief, and nearly tackled to the ground Kakashi Hatake, who had been looking at a collection of magazines with questionable content.

"KAKASHI!" Yoake almost hugged the man, "Am I glad to see you!"

Kakashi now looked as surprised and out of the loop as Naruto. He looked bemused over at the genin, but Naruto merely shrugged.

"Nice to see you too, Yoake. What's just happened?"

The look in Yoake's eyes was both triumphant and scared, "You mean to say you were not just on the other side of town, and you mean to say that you did not shake Satora Tasogare's hand at a ramen shop and you mean to say that you were not just talking to me outside her room at he Blue Moon Inn?"

Kakashi was now looking at Yoake as though he feared for her sanity, "Yoake…I think you need to lie down…"

"No, I think we all need to march over to the Hokage's office and tell him this—" Yoake looked over her shoulder again, and beckoned Naruto and Kakashi in. They obeyed, both still looking confused.

Once she was sure they were the only two within earshot, Yoake let the bomb drop.

" Naruto, the Kakashi you saw back there was probably the most clever genjutu you will ever have the misfortune of seeing ever again…I think that the person Sato was really talking to was none other than Itachi Uchiha."

While Naruto was still gawping, Kakashi's demeanor turned very sharp.

"What did he do?"

"The instant, apparently that he touched her hand she went into spasms or some sort of vision. I'm not sure all that happened, but I'm sure Naruto, Itachi, or Satora herself could tell you."

As though on cue, Yoake and Kakashi turned as one and drilled Naruto with a stare that seemed to say, "Weeeelll????"

Naruto hastily cleared his throat and staggered through his version of what had happened, shamed once more that he hadn't been able to spot the illusion.

"We were eating Ramen at that little ramen shop on the corner of main street and eighth…and then over Sato's shoulder I saw Kakashi sensai coming. Er-at least I thought it was Kakashi sensai. He had your little book and everything…um…anyways he came over and introduced himself to Sato…shook her hand…and then she went nuts, screaming and moaning and twitching and…" Naruto let his voice trail off. He could not go on.

Yoake reached forward, and gripped Naruto very hard on his shoulders and shook slightly, "Did anything happen after he touched her hand and before she started, 'going nuts'? Think hard now…this is important…"

Naruto screwed his eyes shut and thought hard, just as he had been ordered, "I can't…I mean I don't…"

He opened his eyes, "Yes, I remember. He raised his headband a little."

Yoake and Kakashi both made noises of comprehension saying, "AHA!" very loudly. Yoake released Naruto and looked over at her old friend and at once they both started piecing together what had happened, finishing each others sentences like giddy schoolgirls.

"Itachi was here in the city on either his own whim or the leader's orders—"

"Thought what better way to strike at Sato than through someone she's never met—"

"Grabbed Sato's hand so she couldn't let go—"

"Then used his Sharingan on her—"

"No-it must have been the Tsukuyomi…"

Yoake looked stricken, "Do you think that works on Sato?"

Kakashi shrugged, "you tell me."

Yoake snorted, "I've never tested it, so I wouldn't know. I don't see why Itachi would use that now on his second meeting with the girl, he could have easily used it on her the first time they met--in the forest—"

"WHAT?" No one paid attention to Naruto's cry of disbelief.

"So then we can only assume that he used his eyes on her, and her Tasogare powers sent her into that spiral? Well that doesn't make sense either."

"None of it makes sense. What if Itachi didn't expect it to happen? What if he's sitting somewhere with a burned hand, wondering how in the world he got shaken off from his prey?"

Yoake carefully considered this option, "I suppose that's possible as well…"

"Hey guys?" Naruto tugged on Yoake's sleeve, and pointed over both their shoulders, "You could just ask him…"

Yoake and Kakashi whirled around, looking for black and red robes, but all they saw was another Kakashi Hatake walking nonchalantly down the road towards them. Yes, Itachi's genjutsu was more complete and had probably fooled more people than he could even know. Yoake felt her heart jump into her throat, and found it hard to swallow/

"Naruto get behind us." She ordered swiftly. The young woman drew a fistful of Sharingan from the depths of her robe, knowing deep inside that nothing she could do would work—

"I have a message for you…"

The other Kakashi ground to a halt about ten feet away from where the real one, Yoake, and Naruto were all crouched, ready for battle. Itachi looked bored in his guise and seemed to want to get this over as quickly as possible, "It's from the leader, concerning Satora Tasogare. He just wants to remind you to keep his goods unscathed in the coming exam…"

"Unscathed?" Yoake said hotly, eyes blazing, "You come flouncing in, grab her hand and make her pass out to keep her unscathed????"

"I'm quite certain you know what I mean, Yoake." Itachi said coolly, "I guess you'll have to wait and see what the lovely side effect of our little meeting was…or do you know already? Has she waken up and told you yet?"

Yoake was practically trembling with rage, and so was Naruto.

"Hey listen you rat!" He shouted, stepping out from behind Yoake and Kakashi. He pointed a short stubby finger in Itachi's direction, "I've got no idea who you are or who you're working for, but let's get one thing straight. If you mess with Satora, you mess with me. If you mess with me…man you've got something big coming!"

And then all of a sudden Itachi wasn't there. Naruto blinked and looked surprised while Yoake and Kakashi rounded on him, looked murderous.

"Naruto you—"

All at once Itachi was there again, but this time he was behind Naruto, with a kunai at his throat and a few whispered words in his ear.

"You don't know what you're dealing with here, kid. Or who, for that matter." The kunai dug in a little deeper, "My advice to you is stay out of this before it really starts to get bloody. Kakashi…Yoake…nice seeing you both…"

There was a puff of suffocating smoke, and the Kakashi clone was gone.

"NARUTO!" Yoake's resemblance to Sakura was startling as she boxed him soundly in the ears, "You fool! You blasted, bloody, brave, fool!"

"That was Itachi Uchiha." Kakashi said, jamming his hands in his pockets and refusing to look scared, "He's the one that Sasuke wants to kill, and he's the one that killed the entire Uchiha clan, and you jut called him a rat."

"I don't care, he doesn't scare me." Naruto growled, and that enough was true. There was no fear in his heart at the moment, only anger. So Itachi must have been the one to cause Sato to doubt herself so much. Naruto put two and two together…Sato's vague reference to something that had scared her in the forest of death, and Yoake's offhand statement that Itachi had indeed had a run-in with the Tasogare…

"Sensai, what was Itachi talking about when he mentioned side effects?" Naruto asked Kakashi curiously.

"I don't know." Kakashi glanced over at Yoake, "But…"

"We need to inform the Hokage about this at once." Yoake snapped, striding forward, "Konoha's defenses need to be redoubled…"

"What for?" Kakashi threw his hands in the air. Yoake wheeled around, "Itachi and the other members of the Akatsuki are only after your cell, they wont kill any civilians. They can't afford and dead bodies yet, and they know it. No one else in the village is in danger except—"

Kakashi stopped, finally aware of what he was saying. Yoake looked furious, but when she spoke her voice was full of forced calm.

"I know, Kakashi. My genin are the ones being targeted by some of the most dangerous missing-nin in the entire world, but that's ok. They can take care of themselves." Now Naruto could hear the sarcasm, "In the meanwhile The Hokage would love to hear your brilliantly said excuse as to why you didn't report the presence of Konoha's most wanted ninja to him immediately."

And she stalked off.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto glanced over at Kakashi.

"The wrath of a woman scorned." The man muttered, shaking his head and sighing.