Chapter 12: Pinch

Naruto was panting heavily. He had been training whit Jiraya al morning day.
"let's take rest naruto." Jiraya ordered bud it was pounced back. "No, I can still keep go-"
He couldn't finish the sentenced since the world went black.

"You really shouldn't strain yourself so much…" Jiraya smirked at his apprentice lying unconscious on the grass before him. Naruto had been training non-stop under Jirayas watch after they had left the Hokage building. He hadn't even gone back to his apartment during nightfall. 'I really wonder what's driving you'. He hoisted Naruto over his shoulder and headed towards the hospital so they could check up on him.

Nightfall was slowly sneaking in on Konoha along whit another danger. The two moving in perfect sync. Naruto who was blissfully unaware of the danger approaching him was walking down the halls of Konoha's hospital behind him Jiraya was dragging his feet seemingly bored. But that was not the case, he sensed something was off. He didn't have time to brood over it though since the substitutes were approaching them. "Hello, Naruto, Jiraya-sama. We are here to take over Naruto's watch on orders from Tsunade." Shikamaru and Kiba along whit his dog Akamaru was standing before them.

"ah…"Jiraya glanced around himself, something was indeed hanging in the air. "Be careful then…" he said seriously giving Shikamaru a meaning nod. Naruto looked at his sensei a bit confused but soon shook the feeling off as he heard Kiba suggesting that they headed over to ichirakus.

The night had completely swallowed up Konoha when Naruto drank his last bowl of ramen. Kiba whom had been competing against naruto in who could eat the most ramen was looking at naruto in defeat much like Lee had done weeks ago. Naruto had easily won but he didn't stop there instead he ate 10 more bowls. At the tenth bowl even Shikamaru was set. The shopkeepers just grinned at his best costumer. He had seen worse than this.

The three shinobi walked outside the ramen stand and started walking towards Naruto's apartment. Naruto dropped his keys and turned around to pick them up, he came a few paces away from the other two and as he increased his speed to catch up to them, but was frozen stiff as he felt cold thin fingers curling around his neck.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. You didn't do as I told you; do you really wish your friends to die?"
Naruto froze though not due to the words but to the sudden increase in pressure the fingers made. It made his body go numb. His body could no longer stand up on its own accord and so his legs bent under him causing him to fall to the ground. The thump his body made making the other two shinobi turn around stunned at what they saw but was quickly in offensive position, ready to protect Naruto. Itachi bent down to Naruto. "perhaps we should start whit them ,eh? I'll show you that my words are not empty threats." He whispered in his ear. Naruto wanted to scream at him, to tell him that he should leave them alone but was unable to due to the paralysis. "Get the hell away from Naruto, you bastard!" Kiba growled visibly pissed. Itachi did as he was told and raised slowly from the ground and was forced several feet away from the boy when a kunai went flying from shikamaru's hand landing between Naruto and Itachi separating them. "what did you do to him?" he asked though not even glancing over at Naruto, he had to focus on the enemy or hw would easily loose to him, he was far too strong for him. "ah… I merely paralyzed him; his life is in no danger. I can't have him die until his use is up after all." Kiba twitched. "You talk of him as if he was a something. A something you can just use for you own gains and then toss away. You are despicable." He growled at him.

"well, he is, isn't he?" Itachi taunted the young shinobi. "Nothing more than a monster, he deserves death."
"the hell de does! And he is no monster!" Kiba yelled.
"oh, really? Well your village says different. Just look at this, even though we are in the middle of Konoha's streets that are usually over crowded not even one person even bothers to lift a finger for that." He said nodding towards Naruto. It was some truth in his words though. The street was abandon and every one of the villagers living there had locked themselves inside their houses.

Kiba only growled, he did not know what to say. "not even the shinobi, whom posses the 'will of fire' is here. I promise you that this village will be so much happier when we have taken away little Naruto-kun. And after we killed him they will be jumping around in joy. I can assure you that much."

Kiba had had enough. He knew it was true, that this village inhabits and most of the shinobi would never lift one finger to save Naruto. He dashed towards Itachi ignoring the angry orders from Shikamaru telling him to stop and think out a plan first.

Kiba only made it halfway towards his target before a huge sword blocked his path.
A rough hit by the sword had him flying back to Shikamaru whom caught him.
"Itachi-san, I really think it is my turn to mess around little." He said smirking towards the young shinobi.
"Do as you please, but make it swift. Don't draw unnecessary attention to us, we do not want to face the sannins or the copy ninjas fury."
"Yeah, yeah. This will be over soon, this guys doesn't seem like much anyways…"

"Besides…" he bent down to naruto again and grabbed his hair dragging him up to standing position. He forced him to watch his friends in the eyes. Naruto was crying, itachis' words had hurt him more than anyone would ever know. "…I want this one to see his friends squirm before his eyes. Unable to do anything at all" he put a kunai at Naruto's throat. "They will die al because of you. I did warn you." He whispered in his ear. Naruto looked at his captor; he was smirking amused at the blonde's fear. 'Why is it that it always turns out like this, why am I always the weak one… (A/N, yeah, whatever, I know that is starts like the other scene whit Itachi as well. Complain all you want :P)

"I suggest that you will be a good and cooperate whit my plan. You won't fight back when Jiraya and the copy-ninja arrives or they along whit those two will be severely hurt. I sense they coming, they will probably be here within five minutes." Naruto gave a nod. He was not only paralyzed by itachi's doing now but whit fear as well. Fear for his friends, he didn't want them to die. His resolve wavered again.

Shikamaru and Kiba stared at the blonde. He had made some kind of agreement whit Itachi. This was exactly what the Godaime had warned them about. Itachi had done something to break Naruto down and now he would take advantage of it. "Naruto, do not listen to him!" Shikamaru yelled seeing how the blond ninja's eyes had lost it's 'will of fire', it had been replaced whit fear, loneliness and hopelessness. 'What the hell happened between those two? Naruto never act's like this.'
He broke out of those thoughts as Kisame came dashing at them. "shit! Kiba, move!"

It was too late though, the Shameda had already made a deep slash in his arm. Shikamaru ran to his aid but was soon overpowered by Kisame, even whit his genius it was too hard to defeat someone whit such a huge power gap from his alone. Naruto watched in horror as his friends was defeated. One lying on the ground whit a large gash on his arm while the other stood panting on his knees in front of him protectively. "Get the hell away from Naruto, NOW!" Shikamaru screamed. "Ha, says the one who is about to die, you really should be more concerned about your own safety."

"NO!" Naruto screamed as Kisame raised his shameda above shikamarus head. The Kyuubi had managed to heal him as much so he was able to make some pained sounds. "There is no way in hell, I'll do what you say then" he growled, low enough for only Itachi to hear. Kisame hesitated a little at the blonds' scream since he didn't want to jeopardize the plan. That hesitation was enough for the newly arrived copy-ninja to land a fearsome kick at Kisame's abdomen and sent him flying across the street hitting the wall on the other side.

Jiraya and Kakshi stared at their opponents. "Shikamaru, you should get yourself and Kiba to the hospital, you won't be of much help here in this condition anyways."
"You're right…" he said as he hoisted the unconscious Kiba over his shoulder and turned around. "You better get Naruto back." He said and glanced over at Naruto. He didn't look back as he retreated from the battle, he couldn't bear to see Naruto's fearful eyes knowing he had done nothing to help his friend. If they lost him now he would never forgive himself.

"I advise you to let go of Naruto now, Itachi. I won't let you of easy if you hurt him further." Jiraya spoke.
Itachi narrowed his eyes; he couldn't afford to rig the sannin up. He did as he was told and threw Naruto beside him. "Now, step away from him and retreat from Konoha."

"…that I cannot do. I need Naruto-kun. If I'm leaving Konoha he will accompany me."
"Well, if that's the case you won't be leaving Konoha. You will die right here" Kakashi said calmly but whit a clear hidden anger behind it.
"I believe I will." Itachi took out a kunai and aimed it at Naruto. "You wouldn't. You need him alive, you wouldn't kill him." Jiraya spoke hesitantly.

"Ah, you're right. But we do not need his body, only what resides within it. So, who says I cannot handicap him badly enough for him to never be able to become ninja again, to never even be able to walk again, eh?" Whit those words he released the kunai from his hand and it hit Naruto in the ankle, going right through it. Naruto screamed out in agony. His two senseis stared at the boy lying there helpless. 'What are we going to do?' Kakashi's head was reeling

'We can't let them torture him, but if we dash in they will invetible take him hostage. The best option would be to let them take him and then hunt them down hoping that the circumstances are better then.' He looked over at Jiraya waiting for his command. It seemed his head was reeling as much as his own.

On Naruto and Itachi's side, Itachi had once more bent down beside Naruto. "Do you think they are foolish enough to actually go into battle for you? It will cost them their lives, you know"
Naruto's eyes widened. 'No, I need to protect them, I cannot go whit these creeps.'
Naruto's body started to reekwhit red chakra. "Oh, no you don't…" He rolled Naruto over to his back. The chakra was healing him fast but it would take minutes before he could be up fighting. He slit up his shirt whit his Kunai. This alarmed the other two leaf shinobi and they started running towards them but were stopped in their tracks by Kisame. "Let's leave them alone, shall we?"
"Jiraya-sama, I'll hold him off. You go to Naruto."
"Ah…" He dashed past Kisame whit Kakashi's help though he stopped a bit away from his target. Itachi was holding his fingers at Naruto's stomach sealing away the Kyuubi chakra from the boy. He was making sure he would not be able to fight back. Naruto was screaming out in pain. 'It didn't hurt this much when orochimaru did it…' "AHHHH!!!" His screams echoed through the street, then fell unconscious. "Bah… I really thought I could make him cooperate whit me. It seems we have to do this the hard way, eh Jiraya-sama?"

"What did you do to Naruto? I do not recognize that seal."
"…it blocks away his chakra completely and puts him under a temporary genjutsu. He won't be waking up any time soon." He replied

"I think it is about time we end this Itachi"
"ah, it is."

Authors Notes: Another chapter, only one day after the other, god I'm productive.

Saeko will be back in the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the series Naruto.

REWIEV! :D