Greetings, faithful readers! Your loyalty has moved me to writing yet another chapter! First, however, I must say two things. Firstly, to Salamander Hanzo. If you're going to leave a review, don't leave nonsense. Especially nonsensical German jokes from Monty Python. Secondly, to those of you who are also interested in Final Fantasy VII, please take a look at my one-shot horror, Shinra's Valentine. Without further adieu, I give you the fourteenth chapter!
Last time, on Naruto Estacado...
"Okay, me's. While Ero-Sennin is gone, we're gonna be training. Chakra control exercises, the lot of you. Grab a leaf and get levitating." Naruto said, each of the clones grabbing a leaf from an overhanging branch outside the window. One of the clones noticed something strange outside, and called the original over to take a look.
"Hmmm...two weirdos in black cloaks with red clouds on them. One's really tall with blue skin and a massive sword, the other's average, and looks a little like...oh, fuck me sideways."
Chapter 14, Red Sky in the Morning
'What the hell? Itachi Uchiha? Here? Not good, not good, not good! Either the town's gonna get killed, or Sasuke's gonna show up. And I'm not sure which is worse. Need to find Ero-sennin now!' Naruto thought, but his frantic mentality was interrupted by a knock at his door. He walked up to it and looked through the small hole, seeing the familiar cloud-adorned cloaks and hats of the two missing-nin. 'Okay, I know ninja are supposed to be fast, but this is ridiculous.' The blonde-haired shinobi reached slowly for the doorknob, at the same time reaching for the gun placed on a table beside the door. In one fluid movement, he opened the door, took aim and fired a Pestilence blast at the face of the traitorous Uchiha. Somehow, the nuke-nin saw the shot coming and managed to move out of the way and back, the blast creating a small crater in the wall behind him. As Itachi moved back into his former position at the doorframe, Naruto noticed how calm he looked, as if nothing that had happened had fazed him whatsoever. Naruto moved the barrel of his gun back into the face of the ex-Konoha nin, squeezing the trigger in an intimidating fashion.
"Good to see you, Naruto-kun."
"I'd say the same, Itachi-niisan, but I'm afraid I don't like I lying."
"Why such hatred? I thought you'd be glad to see me, kid."
"I would've been, had you not gone rogue and left me alone again."
"I'm sorry, kid. But I did what I had to do. Now, we need you to come with us."
"And what makes you think I'll listen?" Naruto said, reaching back into his hip pouch for a kunai.
"If I were you, Naruto-kun, I wouldn't try to attack me. I taught you everything you know."
"Not everything..." The young jinchuuriki said, closing his eyes as a powerful red aura surrounded him. This had almost no effect on the two missing-nin, only causing the large blue one to grin and reach back for his bandaged sword, which he swung at Naruto. The red aura seemed to disappear, and the earth-shaking that had accompanied it ceased. Naruto's eyes narrowed, then he closed them again. Instead of a red aura appearing, however, this time it was a yellow one. The large shinobi grinned again and swung his sword at the genin once more, but this time nothing happened. The yellow aura continued to grow, encompassing Naruto's body as it pressed down upon Itachi and his partner. Naruto opened his eyes, revealing pupil-less yellow eyes which bore holes in Itachi's. He raised a hand, shadows gathering in his palm in the same manner as they did in the match against Neji. Naruto smirked, his lips moving to reveal sharpened canines similar to that of a dog or other canine. His hand tensed, the ball of shadows exploding, instead of firing itself as a beam. All three shinobi were thrown backwards, the two nuke-nin managing to keep their footing while Naruto was thrown directly through his hotel room's opposite wall. Itachi moved back to the doorway, looking through into the hotel room. His eyes widened as a black and yellow blur sped through the hole in the wall and directly into Itachi. It stopped moving for a split second, revealing Naruto with his fist buried deep in Itachi's stomach.
"Guess what motherfucker...Falcon PUUUNCH!" Naruto yelled as an explosion occured at the point of impact, causing the appearance of an Itachi-shaped hole in the corridor wall. Naruto dropped to his hands and knees, panting as the other shinobi pulled the sword from his back. "Ah yes, the 'fight the enemy one at a time' rule."
Back in the Leaf Village, at the gate...
"Did you hear?" Izumo asked his friend and team-mate, Kotetsu, as they worked their perpetual gate duty.
"No, what?"
"They say Uchiha Itachi has been spotted near here. He's been asking for a blonde kid with whiskers."
"You mean Naruto? Man, that kid cleaned me out when we played poker once."
"You idiot..."
"Anyway, is anyone doing anything about Itachi?"
"Not until he comes near the village, no. It's become a big-time secret, though, and it's especially secret when it comes to Sasuke." Izumo told him, just as the aforementioned avenger walked through the gate, covered in cuts, scrapes and dirt from another of Kakashi's training sessions. He heard what the Chuunin had been talking about, his eyes wide as thoughts rushed through his head.
'Itachi is here? And he's after Naruto? Why not me? Dammit, I'm gonna find him. I need to settle the score once and for all.' He thought, before rushing back out of the gate, not noticing the spandex-clad jounin watching him.
'So, Sasuke has gone after Itachi, eh? And plans on confronting and defeating him? His flames of youth are truly bright! But just to be sure...Stalker of Youth no Jutsu.' The hidden shinobi thought, before disappearing into the leaves.
Back with Naruto...
Naruto was on his hands and knees once again, his sword on the ground before him while his fish-like opponent standing in front of him with a smirk, his sword half unwrapped revealing blue razor-like scales covering the surface of the blade. 'Damn...need to find a way to get out of here...plus, I think Itachi'll be up soon, which makes my chances of escape even slimmer...come on, Ero-sennin, hurry up and stop being a perv.' Naruto thought, dodging another swing by rolling to the side. However, instead of hearing the infamous introduction theme of the 'great and powerful Gama-sennin Jiraiya', his ears were treated to the sound of...birds? He glanced through the doorway, seeing the entire corridor bathed in a blue light emanating from a doorway at the end of the hall. The next thing he saw was Itachi appear in the middle of the corridor and grab a lightning-covered hand, and a loud crack sounded. He saw Sasuke being thrown into a wall and held there by a hand at his throat, while being forced to gaze into Itachi's misshapen Sharingan. Naruto tried to push past the blue shinobi to help Sasuke, but was stopped by the appearance of the blue sword in his stomach.
"Don't tell me this is all the power your hatred for me has granted? Keep going like this, Sasuke, and you'll never avenge the clan."
"Shut up..."
"Come on, otouto. If this is all the power you possess, no wonder you charged me like that. Even if you had the power, you wouldn't have the skill to use it."
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"Very well. Just four more words: Look into my eyes." Itachi said, activating one part of his Mangekyou Sharingan. "Tsukuyomi."
"Wha..." Was all Sasuke could say before he fell unconscious. Naruto saw Sasuke fall to the floor as Itachi let go of him, and his older brother turn back to his target. Naruto swung his sword at the fish man, which was blocked by his own sword. Naruto took this opportunity to fire a Pestilence blast into his foe's head, knocking him through yet another wall. He ran past his opponent and attempted to pass Itachi and help Sasuke, but was grabbed by the collar by the traitorous Uchiha.
"Now, Naruto-kun, you'll be coming with us." Itachi said, turning twards the exit, but what they found was...not expected. The infamous plucking noise that made up Jiraiya's introduction theme. The Gama-sennin himself, carrying an unconscious woman over his shoulder, with a grin on his face.
"Ne, Itachi-san, you woudn't be trying to steal away my student from me, would you?"
"He was my student first."
"How childish. Anyway, I'm afraid I can't let you take him. I made a promise. Plus, we're kinda busy."
"You think I care?"
"Probably not, but even you know that you're not strong enough to defeat one of the Sannin."
"I guess so. Kisame, we will take care of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki at a later date." Itachi said to his partner, before running towards the exit.
"You don't think I'd let you go, do you?" Jiraiya said as the walls became pink and mushy, like the insides of some strange creature. "You cannot escape the Stomach of the Mountain Toad." Jiraiya said, before the two nuke-nin disappeared, the only sign that they moved being the breeze that passed him, heading towards the exit. An explosion was heard from the end of the hall, and both he and Naruto turned to see a large hole in the end of the hall showing the rest of the village. Black flames ran around the edges of the hole, seemingly burning on nothing. Jiraiya frowned seeing them, and walked forwards with a scroll in hand, sealing the ever-burning flames into it. "Hey, Naruto. Grab Sasuke and we'll get out of here." Jiraiya said, before being kicked in the head by a flying green blur yelling "DYNAMIC ENTRYYYYY!"
"Gai-sensei? What are you doing here?"
"I saw Sasuke, Itachi, the blue man and this old guy fighting, so I decided to help!" Gai said, flashing his nice-guy pose.
"Dude, you just kicked one of the Sannin in the head." Naruto told him, a sweat drop present on his brow.
"Wha...Oh, Jiraiya-sama! I did not know it was you! My youthfulness has been diminished by this unyouthful act!"
"Just shut up...I now have a pounding headache. Just take the duckbutt kid and leave...now..." Jiraiya said as he stumbled around, clutching his pounding head.
A Few Hours Later...
"Here we are, gaki! The town of Tanzaku!"
"This is where we'll find Tsunade, yah?"
"Yep, but first, we have to get some information."
"Yeah, yeah, quick question. When are you actually gonna train me?"
"Oh, uh...yeah...about that..."
"If you don't train me now, I'm off."
"Fine...demanding brat...First, we need water balloons."
"Water balloons, check." Naruto said, pulling out a bag of water balloons.
"You carry water balloons around?"
"You never know."
"Right then, let's get out to the forest." Jiraiya said, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, while his student did the same. In the forest, Jiraiya held a balloon in his right hand. "Okay then, this is what we're gonna achieve in this lesson." He said, as the water in the balloon moved around, pushing outwards as it tried to break the balloon. Eventually, the balloon burst, sending water spraying over Jiraiya. "Now, what did you notice?"
"The water was rotating, but not only in one direction. The multiple directions caused the water to move around wildly, destroying the balloon."
"Correct. Now, grab a balloon and get to work." Jiraiya told him, walking back towards the town. Naruto stared at the balloon as if it were going to explode just by his gaze. He gathered his chakra in the balloon, rotating the water as fast as he could in every direction he could manage. He noticed the balloon beginning to glow yellow, but continued the chakra flow, thinking nothing of it. In a few moments, he knew how wrong his judgement was. The balloon exploded, literally, sending Naruto through several trees and burning a few more to a crisp, leaving a large black mark on the forest floor.
"(cough, cough) I think I (cough) did it...I should go tell Ero-sennin..." Naruto said, before he fell on his back, slipping into sweet unconsciousness.
And there we have it! I know I said Tsunade would be in this chapter, but to be honest I couldn't find a place to stop unless I left her introduction till next chapter. Well, Naruto's begun to learn the Rasengan, and already things are going wrong. Unless you're a pyromaniac. Anyway, as I said before, please check out my other story, Shinra's Valentine.
Next Time, on Naruto Estacado, A Fox in the Shadows:
What's going to happen to Sasuke now he's trapped in the Tsukuyomi? Will Tsunade agree to going back to Konohagakure? What are Orochimaru's plans for Naruto? What are the Akatsuki's plans for Naruto? Will Naruto ever master the Rasengan? Will Naruto ever use Falcon Punch again? (answer: probably.) Tune in for answers to these questions and more, on the next episode of Naruto Estacado! (Rolls credits, with Fast as a Shark by Accept playing in the background)