As promised, here's the next chapter, and if you guys wanna throw ideas at me, go ahead and do it, I like hearing what you guys want, but don't think I'll let that control my whole story.
Oh, and a little shout out to ArmorOfGeddon, (hope its spelled right.) you didn't need to blow up about my little comment of the Sasuke and Itachi fight. I only said it because I like Itachi way more than Sasuke and I hate seeing him getting his butt handed to him like he is.
Enough of that though, I promised you guys the next chapter, and you've got it.
"Itachi."
"Naruto."
Naruto couldn't help but notice how unaware other people were of them on top of the wall, and turned back to face Itachi.
"You've already made a mistake Naruto." Itachi's voice hadn't needed to be more of a whisper to be heard, and that was because he stood behind Naruto, a kunai to his neck.
Naruto eyes widened, marveling at Itachi's speed, but didn't dare turn his head. The fight had only just begun, and Naruto found himself in an intimate moment with death, but he sneered at it, both inwardly and outwardly.
"You wouldn't kill me Itachi. Kill me and you lose the one thing your after, you lose Kyuubi." Naruto turned his head.
"However, there is nothing I want from you, and I'm not some pathetic genin you can break down."
"Hmm..." Itachi spoke, "Is that so?"
"Yes, it is so. It isn't me who's made the first mistake, it's you."
The kunai barely had time to flash before it plunged itself into the midnight black of Itachi's cloak. But Itachi had seen this, he'd planned for this to happen from the start.
He simply spun around Naruto, a graceful dancer with bloody clouds tapering around him. Then quickly sidestepped as shuriken tore through the air of the spot he'd just been standing.
"Not fast enough Naruto."
"Your little brother said the same thing."
Naruto's hands wrung themselves into the final sign of a jutsu, but he never quite had the time to execute.
The flash of shurikens, pain, and a pathetic spray of blood was all Naruto registured before he gazed at his hands.
Two bloody X's were on the top of each, ugly, with small streams of blood running down his hands. Naruto turned around, and saw the cloak of another Itachi.
"Same words maybe Naruto, but different methods of backing them up." Itachi's shadow clone disappeared with the bloody thrust of a kunai.
"When you twirled, you created the shadow clone." Naruto felt strange, talking to the chest of a man who was no taller than him.
"Correct," the head that sat above the chest spoke, "I see that your analytical prowess has increased."
Naruto couldn't help it, he grinned, "That means a lot to me coming from someone with Sharingan eyes."
He tore off the sleeves of his orange and black outfit, revealing powerful arms, well defined. Then, taking blood from his leaking hands, he slashed lines of crimson down of his right arm with four fingers.
He performed the necessary seals... "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."
Shadowstealer appeared, strapped to his arm. Naruto looked Itachi in the eye. For the first time, Naruto saw surprise etched in the lines of the Uchiha.
"Why do you have Shadowstealer?" Itachi's voice was quiet, but now Naruto could detect the edge of anger whispering past his tongue.
"I found it in a base, a base, I'm guessing, you're familiar with. After all, the symbol of the Uchiha clan is pretty obvious on the wall isn't?"
Itachi caught it, the way Naruto had spoken of how obvious the Uchiha symbol was. Could it be that he knew his one weakness? That the light was leaving his world, that because of the Mangekyou Sharingan, he was succumbing to darkness.
It was possible, Itachi considered. there was a scroll, similar to the one back in Konoha that held secrets of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Damn you Pein, you disobeyed Madara-sama's orders. You were responsible for taking care of that base to cover our tracks."
"What?" Naruto had only been able to catch the smallest bit of what had been said, and it left him puzzled.
"Wait a minute, where's your partner, Kisame?"
Itachi found himself driven out of his thoughts, "Taking care of your Kazekage if I remember correctly, seeing as how my little brother managed to kill the man who was assigned to him in the first place."
Itachi unbuttoned the top of his cloak, "And now, I've found myself distracted from my own task for a while now."
Naruto instantly performed the hand signs, looking for the quick kill, "Earth Style: Beast's Snare." When the two slabs of rock appeared from the ground below heading for Itachi's neck, he actually smirked.
He simply ducked, and the two slabs of rock crashed together instantly above his head, and remained there.
Itachi charged, but Naruto was ready, He spun across on his heel, and used the momentum to carry himself forward, trying to connect with a backhand fist.
Itachi simply leapt over behind him, and Naruto dove to the ground as the shuriken whistled madly over his head.
Naruto pushed off with his hands, and managed to kick Itachi in the chest, sending him flying. But Itachi simply rolled backwards, and landed gently... then charged at Naruto, who had just turned around.
He drove his elbow into Naruto's jaw, lifting him off his feet. Itachi's hands became a inhuman blurr as they powered through hand signs. "Fire Style: Raging Ember Strike Jutsu."
Itachi's right hand burst into furious green flames, and drove itself into Naruto's rib cage before he'd even touched the ground. Naruto's response was nothing more than a hack of blood, as he felt a number of ribs break.
Then, he found himself pummelled by the air as the force of the attack sent him flying. He landed after traveling at least two hundred feet, his head hanging over the curving edge of the wall.
He managed to sit up, fighting off the wave of nausea that had overcome him. And the welt the size of what had to be Itachi's fist had formed from the burn, on the left side of his rib cage.
Weakly, he managed to stand, Shadowstealer at the ready.
"Now you're going to use the same blade on me that I used to slaughter my clan? I wondered what had happened to it after I gave it up to Akatsuki to show my faith, but how it ended up in a base I myself used to use, I do not know."
Naruto's look of pain thickened with shock, "This is the sword you used to kill your clan! I guess then your clan will have the ultimate revenge then."
Itachi remained stoic, "Only an Uchiha killing me would truly be the ultimate revenge. For the path of the ultimate revenge is the only thing that would drive a ninja to finally killing me."
"You speak of you own death as casually as you bring it upon others..." Naruto trailed away, for Kyuubi had started mending his bones against Naruto's wishes, and he wasn't being gentle.
"It's time you started taking death seriously Itachi, because your facing it right now."
Naruto blurred out of sight, and Itachi ducked, as Shadowstealer flashed over his head. He sidestepped as Naruto tried to cleave off his arm.
That was how it went, a deadly dance of red clouds, and a blade. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Itachi slashed the neck of Naruto, and Naruto slashed Shadowstealer directly into Itachi's belly. They puffed into smoke.
Naruto and Itachi charged at each other through the screen of smoke, kunai clashing against sword. Itachi's face showed only showed the slightest exertion.
Naruto couldn't believe how strong Itachi was. It was like clashing with a tiger, fang against fang. They both jumped back, and before Naruto could even begin to throw, shuriken were screaming at his face.
He made a desperate arc of defense with Shadowstealer, but one managed to get past, cutting his cheek. "That does it."
Naruto spoke the words with finalty, staring at an expresssionless Itachi. Naruto raised Shadowstealer straight up, the tip of the blade just going past his shoulder.
Then the sword began to glow, as Naruto poured chakra into it. "Your not the only one with trump card jutsus that will defeat even the strongest of enemies."
Shadowstealer looked as though it was on fire with chakra. "Raven's Storm," Naruto said darkly. The chakra burned to a deathly black. The raven's color. Death's color.
"Barrage!" Naruto wove a deadly pattern of lightning fast strikes, moving with inhuman speed. Sicle shaped shots of chakra howled toward Itachi, and there were hundreds of them.
Itachi disappeared as the first of the chakra sicles reached him, but Naruto still continued to slash madly. He thought he caught a glimpse of a crimson eye among all the smoke and debris that was being thrown up from the wall, and the crimson eye no longer contained three tomoes.
He didn't know how Itachi had survived the technique so far, but the point was, he was about to 'fire' back.
Then Naruto heard the dreaded word, "Amaterasu." Before even thinking about the amount of chakra he was about to use, Naruto used the second level of Raven's Storm.
"Wings of Death!"
A huge sicle of chakra, that made the rough shape of, of course, wings, roared toward Itachi, but not before the black flames that were ten times hotter than the sun interecepted its route.
With what resembled a snarl, the two powerful jutsus collided. What looked light black electricity carved it's way through the wall. Sections of the wall broke off and cascaded to the ground below. It was as if two messengers of death had happened upon each other taking opposite paths, and only one could reach it's destination.
Then, the black flames began to overwhelm Naruto's Wings of Death, devouring them, slowly, but then quicker as the jutsu began to lose it's power.
As if unsatisfied with its meal so far, the flames continued to barrel towards Naruto with a snarl. With a scream, Naruto was devoured by the flames.
Then there was silence. The flames disappeared, and no body remained. That was what Itachi found disturbing.
There should've been some remains, or some ashes.
None were there, just smoke that evaporated into the air. That's when Itachi remembered, Amaterasu doesn't leave behind smoke!
"Rasengan!"
Naruto rocketed out of the ground like a torpedo, heading toward Itachi. The dangerous blue sphere howled for vengeance, and Itachi could see why.
Naruto's left arm hung uselessly at his side, dangling through the air as Naruto tore at Itachi threw the air. Apparently Naruto hadn't been quick enough.
Itachi avoided the attack easily, sidestepping Naruto as he soared past. Then a fist rocketed out of the ground, nailing Itachi square in the jaw.
"Gh..." Itachi was lifted off his feet, and fell off the wall into the ocean of desert below.
A clone... Nice move Naruto.
The real Naruto that had knocked Itachi off the wall with an enormous punch watched as Itachi fell to the ground below, a crow with crimson markings.
But then he made a mistake, for Itachi was still close enough to see Naruto's eyes, and they were boring triumphantly into his as the Mangekyou Sharingan appeared for a second time.
"Tsukiyomi."
Naruto didn't even have time to cry out before he found himself trapped in the genjutsu. When Naruto's body went limp, he fell.
But in his mind, he was being tortured under the gaze of a red moon, by hundreds of Itachi's, but he knew that the real Itachi, had plunged to the ground below.
It didn't matter now, Naruto's mind was being tortured, now the only question was could he make it out in one piece.
Naruto hit the ground, hard. Breaking ribs that had just been healed. Itachi already stood on his feet, his jaw dislocated.
He reached up, and with a jerk, popped it back into place with a sickening crack. This was all Itachi had time for before Tsukiyomi finished it's work.
Naruto yelped with pain, rolled over and sat up, "Ahhh!!!" Naruto roared jumping to his feet as Kyuubi healed his broken ribs again, but this time his weakened state of mind was unable to handle the rough process.
Itachi didn't hesitate, he drove shuriken into Naruto's upper right arm, hoping to make it useless as well.
Naruto grunted with pain, his mind a turbulent storm of agony. Then it was over. Kyuubi healed his arms, and finished mending his ribs.
"Damn you Kyuubi, I told you not to interfere," Naruto whispered. "He won't kill me anyway."
I don't care Naruto, you lose this fight, and I will be extracted from your body. And as much as wish to be free, I would only be a prisoner again, and your body is better than where they would put me.
Figure's Kyuubi, your only doing this to save your own hide. Damn you, I refused to rely on you again.
That doens't matter Naruto, the seal has loosened enough that I can pour my chakra into you whether you like it or not. I'm going to do it too, right now. This Itachi is dangerous, he is the apprentice of Madara Uchiha himself, he must be dealt with.
I'll do it my own way Kyuubi, you fox bastard. A few openings of my Chakra Gates should work.
Naruto breathed deeply, then exhaled. He crossed his arms in front of his face, then it began.
"You know Itachi, sometimes I really think Sasuke could kill you, because I fought him a few months ago."
"You don't think I know of my brother's involvment with your village's tragedy? I do."
Naruto grinned evily, "Yeah, your brother is ironically enough, the reason I went rogue, and your the reason he went rogue. I guess in the end, it all comes back to you. Bastard!"
Itachi activated his Sharingan.
"First Gate: Gate of Opening... Open."
The punches came faster than ever before, and still Itachi's Sharingan easily tracked it, countering every blow.
"Second Gate: Gate of Rest... Open."
Itachi doubled over, as a knee to his gut buried itself inside him. Then an elbow under the jaw sent him spiraling upwards.
Naruto tried a round house kick, only for Itachi to disappear and send Naruto plunging to the ground with a kick.
Itachi was barely halfway down when Naruto launched himself up again, but now chakra was swirling all around him, his skin blood red.
"Third Gate: Gate of Life... Open."
Naruto drove both fists into Itachi's into Itachi's face, and Naruto heard the satisfying crack of bone as he continued farther into the air.
Itachi's body jerked back at the moment of impact, and then it turned into a log.
It was only after Naruto saw the log that he noticed that sudden flock of crows that were flying around him.
With Naruto still in the air, the crows turned into shuriken, and all of them flew towards Naruto.
"Heee... AHHH!" With a battle cry, Naruto deflected all of the shuriken with an intense burst of chakra.
Itachi looked on with surprise as Naruto fell toward him on the ground below.
The ground exploded beneath Naruto as he landed, and there he stood, his whole body straining from the chakra depletion and the enormous power of the Gates.
But, in his heart, he realized that it still wasn't enough.
Itachi saw it coming and quickly flashed through the handsigns.
"Fire Style: Dragon's Rage Jutsu!"
Let's see how Naruto handles the second form of the Dragon Flame Jutsu, Itachi thought.
Indeed, the enormous head of a dragon appeared with a burst of purple flames, and barreled towards Naruto with a roar of fire.
"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain... Open." Still not enough, damn it!, Naruto thought, as Itachi matched the fifth gate opening by making another dragon appear.
Itachi fell to one knee, I only have enough chakra for one more jutsu, but this should be it anyway.
Naruto didn't know if his body could take the Fifth Gate, but he knew that even in his heightened state, he wouldn't be able to charge through both dragons, and if he couldn't, it would be over.
He had no choice. "Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing... Open!"
He screamed in pain, his muscles were going to rip themselves apart. It had to happen now.
"Time to shatter you brother's dream, Itachi!"
Naruto exploded off the ground, leaving a twenty foot crater of all dimensions. Then the dragons and Naruto met in an explosion of fire and sheer physical power.
There was a brillian flash of light. And then Naruto appeared, as his normal self, but still traveling at high speed.
He flew directly towards Itachi, on the verge of unconciousness.
Itachi lacked the necessary chakra to perform his last jutsu at the max, but it would still be enough.
Naruto final punch connected with the clone of Itachi as the real Itachi weakly jumped back.
Then the clone exploded.
That is quite possibly one of the biggest cliffhangers in the history of Fanfiction! Well, probably not, but one can always hope. Some of you may have noticed that I changed the summary. And that was because I had the story going in a bit of a different direction from the plot line of the old summary.
On a different note, I hoped you like the foribidden technique of Raven's Storm, which you saw both levels of. And for all you Itachi fans, I hoped you like the Raging Ember Strike Jutsu and the Dragon's Rage Jutsu.
Will Naruto survive? Found out with my next chapter... which I still don't have a title for.