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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto cuz if I did Itachi would be reanimated by that jutsu Chiyo used and Sasuke would be the one to do it.

An Unexpected Idea

Juugo lifted his hand and the small bird that had been nestled comfortably in his palm took flight. He watched as it went up into the treetops before landing deftly in its nest. The large orange haired man sighed before turning to the growing ruckus his companions were causing.

'I'm going to tear you head off you blue haired bastard. At least I've been doing something instead of eating my weight in food everyday and lazing about!'

'Oh yeah? What have you been doing apart from leading us on a wild goose chase across the five nations? And don't think I haven't noticed how many hot springs and beaches we've come across! I don't think you have a fucking clue where Uchiha Itachi is!'

'What the fuck did you just say to me? It's not my fault his chakra keeps disappearing! He's like a fucking ghost, one minute it's there and the next, it's gone! How the fuck should I know should I know where he's going to be? And so what if we take the scenic route? Sasuke kun doesn't mind, so why should you?'

'Karin, be quiet.' Came Sasuke's quiet, venomous voice. 'Both of you waste too much time on nonsense. If you don't be quiet, I will kill you.' He said before going back to sharpening his kunai.

They both stared at him before turning back to each other and arguing much more quietly. They weren't sure if he was serious about killing them but they were sure they didn't want to find out.

'Sasuke kun needs me to find his brother, all you do is complain about being thirsty and not having enough swords.'

'Ha!' he said then glanced at Sasuke before lowering his voice 'Ha. You couldn't find Itachi if he was dancing naked in front of you.' The image was too much and Karin had to fight to keep her face in its angry lines. Suigetsu, who had a moment of imagining Itachi in a Hula skirt, couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. Juugo turned to stare at them curiously while Sasuke rounded on them with a glare.

'Karin, where is my brother?' he asked angrily, his voice a low growl.

Her fidgeting lips stilled. 'I..I don't know. The last I was able to sense him he was on the border of Grass more than a week ago. He disappeared after that.'

'I see. So you know nothing then?'

'Well, no..He's bound to turn up again, though, isn't he?' she added hopefully

'Yeah, sure, probably halfway across the fire kingdom again like last time.' Suigestsu added

'Hn! Well I'd like to see you do better. You worthless little...'

'His nest...we should find his nest.' Juugo added turning to look at the squabbling pair.

'What?' came Karin's voice as they all stared at him 'What are you talking about?'

Sasuke turned to the orange hair man 'Explain.'

The tall man seemed to gather his thoughts and a long moment passed before he spoke 'I have been thinking...

'That's monumental...' muttered Suigetsu

Juugo ignored him. 'Itachi is a master at masking his presence, yet for long stretches at a time he lets his presence be felt. He then disappears again without a trace before reappearing elsewhere far from where he had been. He is not...incompetent, so we have to assume that he wants us or anyone following him to know where he is at those points in time.'

'Not true. If we didn't have Karin, we wouldn't be able to sense his chakra from so far away. Not many people would be able to recognise his specific chakra anyway.' Added Suigetsu

'I know. I think he knows too. I think he wants us to find him.' Juugo said.

'Then he should stay put now shouldn't he.' Karin added.

'Not if he wants to avoid Konoha nin or any of the other villages who want him dead' Suigetsu interjected

'Yes. I also think he disappears when on missions or if he's staying in the same place for any amount of time. We also have to assume that the Akatsuki must have a base somewhere. Just like us, they must have certain safe houses or places they stay when they move through an area.'

'I get it. So by knowing where he appears, we can have an idea of where he doesn't want us looking.' Karin said

'Yes but they may be missions or they may be safe houses and I'm sure they change their route fairly often.'

'But still we've been following the two of them for ages now haven't we? I'm sure that there's a pattern! Don't you think so Sasuke kun?' she asked hopefully

Without a word, Sasuke turned his back on them and began to walk away.

'Sasuke kun, where are you going?' she called out to him worry in her voice

He glanced back excitement sparking in his eyes. 'We need a map.' He registered shock on their faces and his lips twitched 'Something is better than nothing and since this is the best idea you've come up with...' He added before turning away from them.

'But we haven't finished resting yet!' Suigetsu called after him.

'Shut up you lazy ass! Let's hurry and catch up with Sasuke kun.'

They hurriedly disassembled camp before heading off to the nearest town.

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