Byakuya

Chapter 33

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Two dark shapes, long capes dancing in the soft wind, gazed upon the small village lying before them. The slightly taller one with his blonde hair half on top of his head spoke, his voice husky and low in the eerie moon shine.

"This is the place, un." He stated, though left the meaning hanging, half-posing it as a question. Itachi, with only his activated Sharingan eyes visible, simply continued along the steep path down the village. The S-class missing nin left behind refrained from making a noise. He wasn't called the prodigy of the hidden village of Rock for nothing; he could recognize potentially dangerous situations when he saw one. And Uchiha Itachi, an A-class missing nin and the sole man responsible for the massacre of the Uchiha clan, was, by no means, a push-over.

Itachi stopped once they reached the main street, and made no effort to stop the crunching of dust beneath his feet. Deidara stopped to stand beside the black-haired Uchiha, waiting patiently as Itachi scanned the small village with his red eyes.

"No chakra residue. Our source was right. There are no nin in this poor excuse of an village." Itachi spoke, and even though Deidara had expected it he had to stop himself from jumping.

"And the Jinchuuriki?" Deidara asked. Itachi nodded towards the southern side of the small fishing village.

"The chakra is quite easy to see. It is lilac." Itachi said, rolling the word in his mouth as if trying to get the taste of it. Deidara cackled before stalking towards the southern side of the village, all the while his black robe, with red and white clouds, flattering in the wind behind him.

Part six of the grand plan. Activated.

And in a silent swirl of rotten black leaves, Itachi disappeared.

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Sasuke kept his gaze up when he walked along the busy business street, resisting the urge to look at the ground and sulk. He may have brooded sometimes of the future demise of his brother, but it wasn't his habit to sulk, look sad, or even generally be bothered. Not really looking where he was going, his eyes caught on the huge brown hawk flying higher up on the sky, which he supposed was somebody's summon, he didn't notice in time that he was about to collide into a person.

After recovering of the shock of being thrown on his back onto the street stones, the Uchiha prodigy raised his black eyes to glare at the person he had collided on, even though somewhere on the back of his mind he was more than aware that it was he who had collided with the person. To say he was surprised when he saw his old academy teacher also sprawled on the ground was an understatement, but then to see his current pervert jounin sensei help the academy teacher up, he was shocked.

"Iruka-sensei? Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke acknowledged as he jumped on his feet. Iruka turned to smile at Sasuke sheepishly, and Kakashi, whose hands were still around Iruka's hips, looked at him interested with his one dark blue eye.

"Sasuke-kun." Iruka smiled softly, laughing a bit sheepish and scratching the back of his neck in a manner that reminded him of Naruto.

Dammit, didn't you walk around to avoid thinking about Naruto?

"I apologize, I didn't seem to be watching where I was going," Sasuke said, the apology to his teacher slipping of his tongue with practised ease, after all, in school, one learned not to anger Umino Iruka in a short span of time (something Naruto never seemed to crasp as the blonde was always the victim of precisely thrown chalk erasers and random books.) Kakashi raised a surprised eyebrow at the apology, this being the practically first time he had seen Sasuke apologize, or at least apologize as smoothly. Perhaps there were still some things he didn't know about his sub-ordinates, the copy-cat nin mused.

"Ah, no worries, Sasuke-kun, I wasn't too concentrated either." Iruka smile, a faint blush spreading on his cheeks and his eyes flashing towards Kakashi. Sasuke raised a look to his current sensei, and Kakashi's eye just curved in amusement. Iruka, completely missing the exchange between his former student and, uh, fellow sensei, looked at Sasuke concerned.

"You all right, Sasuke-kun?" Iruka asked, careful to keep his probing polite. Kakashi hummed silently in amusement. Seemed like he knew Sasuke better after all. No way the Uchiha would ever answer something like that with anything else than no.

It came as a surprise to him when Sasuke spoke.

"Ah, it's just Naruto…" Sasuke mumbled. Iruka frowned.

"What did he do this time?" Iruka asked, unaware that he was searching for Naruto with his eyes on the street.

"Something's changed with him. And I can't for the life of me to figure out what it is…"

"Saa… Everybody changes in three years. I wouldn't worry too much about it." The twenty seven years old academy teacher answered.

"Hum… maybe. But he's still off-balance." Sasuke mused, and Kakashi was shocked how at ease his student talked with the academy teacher, seemingly unaware of the way Iruka was directing their conversion.

"Off-balance?"

"You know that big thing he's always been hiding? He's slipped at least eight times since he came back, and I haven't even seen him too many times. I even heard some of the rookie nine have been talking to Shikamaru. They're trying to figure it out…" Sasuke explained, and so completely into his subject he was he completely missed the way both Kakashi and Iruka tensed.

"And are they?" Kakashi asked, and Sasuke turned sharply to his teacher, and noticed the way both the men's eyes were glimmering in a way he had never seen them glimmer before.

"Not a chance. I and Sakura didn't even become aware of it until the chuunin exam, and we were around him almost twenty-four-seven. Not a change they are going to figure it out, even with Shikamaru. He may know tactics, but he knows nothing about Naruto." Sasuke shrugged, before turning to leave. "Ja, senseis'." Sasuke greeted before turning to leave when he was crashed into.

Sasuke was sent onto the stone ground for the second time in the span of five minutes, and pissed at the attacker, his Sharingan spun automatically into action. Everything slowed into slow-motion, his red eyes keeping track of the movements of the body still in mid-flight, and recognizing the pink-haired male from in front of Naruto's apartment, his eyes widened slightly. The packages and bags that Yuki had had on his arms were sent around sailing in the air upwards, while the person himself was propelled towards the ground, upper-body first.

Putting some chakra into his arms he landed on his arms and pushed from the ground immediately, sent into the air with a small volt. Gathering the bags and packages on his arms with speed that Sasuke noticed could've almost rivalled Neji's, Yuki let out a triumphant smile. Sasuke glared slightly before gathering onto his feet.

Sharingan eyes met amused purple ones.

"Good save." Sasuke simply complimented while the two senseis behind him looked at their interaction with interest, noticing the immediate tensing of Sasuke's shoulders.

Yuki inclined with his head to the said in a nod, smiling softly and was just about to speak when a loud shout broke his thought of line.

"Yuki! You bastard! Get back here!" Naruto bellowed while running so fast he had no time to stop before he too, crashed into Sasuke. Sasuke, feeling the weight on top of him, refused to open his eyes for some moments, instead cursing inside his head.

Why does everybody have to run into me?

Naruto, sprawled on top of Sasuke in a compromising position, his short pink skirt riding up because of the Uchiha's half bend legs, blushed brightly. Sasuke opened his eyes and Naruto gasped at the feeling. He could feel the eyes almost buzz as they automatically reached to measure everything on his face, the emotions in his eyes and the movements of his jaw muscles.

A healthy red spread on Sasuke's cheeks for some reason as well, his mind rewinding back to the moment he had just few hours prior been face to face with Naruto, who had kissed him. They were silent for a moment, and Sasuke was just about to ask for Naruto to move, when Sasuke saw Naruto's eyes flash with something orange, or perhaps red. The Sharingan eyes continued to stare into Naruto's eyes, and suddenly Sasuke was ripped along Naruto when he began to see.

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"Nee, Mika-nee, what's for dinner tonight?" Koichi asked pleasantly while tracing his fingers through a pair of net-stockings, searching for holes he could repair with the thread and the needle he had forth.

The fifteen year old girl grabbed the edge of the doorway that led to the kitchen and leaned out, talking into the living room.

"I've made some sushi." Mika smiled, her long brown hair done in two braids and wearing an apron.

She looks motherly Koichi mused.

"A special occasion?" Ringo, Mika's brother lazed from the sofa, his eyes looking at his sister inquiringly. Mika blushed slightly under the gaze. She played with the hem of her apron.

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Sasuke let out an involuntarily gasp when he saw all the blue chakra's around him and Naruto, each and every one of the blue lights pulsing slightly with energy. It didn't take him long to figure out that he was, indeed seeing chakra's. Then he saw Yuki's chakra, and to his disgust it was a shaky, almost sickly blue mixed in with a bright, dark blue one.

What is that?

Sasuke searched for Naruto's chakra, and gasped again when he saw it. Naruto's chakra was strong. A shiny blue flame that shined so brightly it almost hurt, with a slight strand of dark red around it, expanding and minimizing in size on the tact of Naruto's pulse.

"Red…" Sasuke whispered, before Naruto's presence jumped further, expanding onto all sides not unlike a huge net of chakra.

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"Iie, it's just… Fishing season is coming up, and then everyone will be preparing for the Bridge Festival… That… well, we won't be seeing each other as often. So I made something a bit fancier. And Rokudaime sent some money." Mika admitted. Koichi's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

"Naruto-nee did?" Koichi exclaimed surprised, grey blue eyes glimmering in the shallow light shining from the TV. Mika cleared her throat, looking slightly guilty.

"Yeah, well, that looser always had the urge to spread his money around. Who am I to stop him?" Mika answered, her lips drawn into a thin line and her manner pure bitchiness as she stalked into the kitchen, her brown hair trailing behind her. Koichi opened his mouth to protest, to protect his 'Naruto-nee', the stranger who had shown him so much more than just one night of kindness. Naruto had introduced him to these lovely people –though Mika could hardly be called lovely- and even though Koichi had been annoyed that Mika and Ringo seemed to be looking over his shoulder all the time, he had gotten used to it in a couple of short weeks.

It was nice to have a home where he was offered food and a place to sleep in, and Koichi embraced the kindness with all he could, though he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. But the other shoe still hadn't dropped, and Koichi didn't know whether to be relieved or anxious by the hanging feeling he was left with.

Ringo removed his hand from over Koichi's mouth after he had been convinced that the street walker would be silent. Ringo motioned towards the kitchen.

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Sasuke gasped as they expanded further away from the huge glob of energy that was Konoha, and started to rise higher, and yet lower. He couldn't describe the sensation. He only felt oddly stretched, and with it came a searing pain.

Sasuke ignored it. Suddenly other strong flares, like Konoha started to appear on his consciousness. The five main Shinobi villages, Sasuke dully noted. For some reason, this wasn't what he was interested in. They were just huge flares of blue energy after all. He tried to sense around him, and could soon feel the strong flare of Naruto's chakra all around him, making him gasp at the sensation. It felt like he had just walked through mist, though the sensation was raw, warm and oddly passionate.

They stopped spreading, and under him, Sasuke felt three centres of chakra. Two hues of blue stronger than even Naruto and a lilac coloured that was radiating chakra everywhere.

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"Leave it. Money is a touchy subject." He simply said before turning back to his program. Koichi wasn't bothered. Ringo was a guy of few words. Nor was he surprised when Mika finally came breezing through the living room and to the outer door with her cigarettes in hand and her earrings clinging softly. She smoked a lot, and in just a few days Koichi had almost learned to predict when she would leave to burn another stick of nicotine.

But then the outer door slammed open and in ran a horrified Mika, her eyes wide and her legs shaky. Her eyes fastened on Koichi immediately.

"We're under attack! Naruto told this could happen…" She began breathlessly, leaning on the outer door. Koichi froze and climbed on his feet without a sound. Mika-nee never calls Naruto-nee Naruto. "Run. To the fire country. Find Konoha. Naruto will be there." She ordered. Koichi felt his stomach drop.

What? Is this…

Is this some kind of sick joke?

Is she trying to get rid of me?

BOOM

The windows rattled and the earth shook with tremendous power as the explosions went off. The lights went out and several crashes echoed in the suddenly so silent house when various objects fell from tables and shelves.

Calm down, Koichi told himself as he felt the familiar cloud of panic settle over his features. Of all emotions, after all, it was with fear he dealt with best. There were times when the customers wanted something a bit more perverse, a bit kinkier than he was ready to do, and sometimes they tried to avoid paying him for his services. Killing attempts were never too far behind the nearest corner.

Koichi buried his nails into his palms and tried to calm his breath. He could feel the rasped breaths of Ringo and Mika from the other side of the room. That meant they were okay.

Right?

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One of the stronger blue chakra's flared slightly. Sasuke recognized the process of moulding chakra.

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Then suddenly the room was flooded with light so bright it made Koichi's eyes fill with tears. And for a second he could see it, a huge dragon made of molten lava –or that is what Koichi supposed it looked like- heading right towards him.

Move, his mind screamed, but his muscles wouldn't move when the Dragon made leeway for him. Koichi's breath caught in his throat as he waited for the burning sensation. The kappa that always protected him would protect him, but surely even the spirit lying in the necklace around his neck wouldn't be able to stand against this fierce creation.

And then suddenly his sight was blocked by a mass of brown hair. The stench of burned flesh filled his nostrils before he actually realized what he was looking at. Mika's frail shape, the dark body mostly burned, fell to its knees. Mika gasped, as if surprised.

Koichi whimpered and backed away from the sight. Mika's eyes were open for a second, her gaze frenzied by pain and something he couldn't quite place.

"Run!" She whispered harshly, but then her body fell down, limp.

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There were two smaller globes of chakra as well, but they were so weak that they looked like shadows. Suddenly, one of the weak chakra's disappeared, and the lilac chakra pulsated sharply.

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"MIKA!" Ringo yelled from the other side of the room, but before he had time to hurry to his sister's side he was lifted up by his throat. Koichi looked in horror as the figure with the black cape continued to dangle Ringo in the air by his throat, the crunching of the throat loud in the echoing silence that was only broken by the noise the flames did as they licked the house from outside.

"So boring, un" Deidara mused as he clenched his fingers stronger around Ringo's windpipe. The windpipe gave in with a nasty squelching sound and Koichi tried to scramble to his feet, his breathing panicked.

Who is this man?

"And now…" Deidara spoke as he threw Ringo to the other side of the room, Ringo's head colliding with the wall and his neck breaking with a loud crack. Koichi couldn't react, couldn't move when those black eyes peered over the edge of the black cape that Koichi now saw was decorated with red clouds lined in white.

"How will we play with the beast, un?" Deidara smirked, white teeth glinting in the firelight. The missing-nin stalked towards Koichi with suave steps, his cloak shifting around him when he stopped six feet before Koichi. Koichi looked upwards, trying to figure out who this man was. He was obviously ninja; that he knew, because Koichi did recognise a Katon jutsu when he saw one.

And it seemed like he had a partner if the sense of being watched told anything.

"B-b-beast?" Koichi asked his voice shaky at the best, the raspy mumbling almost unheard. Deidara smiled brightly, and sat down on his heels, the movement practised and smooth in a way Koichi had seen geishas do it.

"Ah. Could it be that the Jinchuuriki doesn't know what he is?" Deidara said thoughtfully, and Koichi gasped when he saw another shape appear behind the blonde Akatsuki member. Red eyes stared at Koichi and he quickly looked away.

"He is protected by the kappa residing in his necklace." Itachi said. Koichi froze. How did they know? They couldn't read minds, could they?

"The water-spirit?" Deidara asked, and Koichi couldn't for the life of him figure out why he sounded amused, but even so, shakily, the boy nodded, his movements tacky and robotic. Deidara reached forward to pull forth the necklace around Koichi's neck. Koichi flinched at the almost-contact, and tried to pull away, his eyes setting on the burnt form of Mika. His eyes filled with tears, and Deidara, having nothing of it, pulled him back roughly by his necklace.

To bad that the turquoise stone figure that represented a strange hybrid between a human and a fish was held around Koichi's throat by a worn leather string. The string gave out abruptly, sending Koichi sprawled on the floor. Deidara looked at the string of the figure in confusion as the ends of it, where it had broken, started to glow. The blonde's eyes had the fraction of a second to widen before the lilac chakra struck.

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The lilac chakra spread, stronger and wilder than anything Sasuke could've ever imagined. The surge of power was so strong it drew shivers from him, and as the chakra drew closer, he was attacked by a floating feeling. The chakra flared more powerfully, a beautiful lilac.

Sasuke started to feel he was drowning, and started to choke.

Darkness claimed him.

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A/N: Hum, Sasuke's seems to be run into awfully often today… Oh, I'm so happy I finally got to write Deidara into this fic. And yes, I know that Kisame and Itachi are partners, and that Deidara and Sasori are partners, but it'll all come cleared later. Besides, nobody ever said they don't change partners occasionally

--Dark

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