Sorry this is late. I went out of town for Christmas and completely forgot about the story until I got there. Of course it was too late by then, xD. But anyway, I'm back now and here it is!

Thanks for the reviews and favs. They're great!

OMG! Are you reading the manga? I just… I can't believe that last panel! Genjutsu or reality, it doesn't matter. Just seeing him again was enough. Happy, happy.

Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.

Chapter 47 – Their First Christmas

"Who's that?" Karin backed up a couple steps in shock when a voice from inside a tank of water questioned her presence.

"This is Karin." Sasuke was rather pleased to see the girl's reaction. Her flirting had been relentless as the pair had made their way down through the poorly-lit earthen corridors of Orochimaru's lair, and while he suspected most of it was done out of pure loneliness, it was still extremely annoying. "Karin, this is Suigetsu."

She moved hesitantly towards the tank and was greeted with a momentary vision of a naked boy with purple hair, purple eyes and very sharp, pointed teeth. "What… are you?"

That was something to ponder and Suigetsu was quiet for a couple minutes, "Existentially, I am nothing and everything. However, since I never really ever grasped the concept of philosophy, I guess I'm just one of a thousand of Orochimaru's 'guests', here to recline luxuriantly as he mercilessly caters to his whims to discover the secrets of my Kekkei Genkai."

"Hmm." Karin glared at Suigetsu. "There's no need to be condescending."

He laughed, "But it's so much fun!"

"Well, you two are going to be good friends." Sasuke teased. As expected, Suigetsu laughed and Karin gave him a dirty look. However, the mood quickly changed when a strong chakra source was detected.

Glancing quickly at the door, the three kids stared at it intently with mixed feelings of fascination, horror and revulsion. They knew who was walking down the hall toward the laboratory, and he certainly wasn't welcome.

Sasuke took a deep breath and released it slowly as he centered his chakra and hid his emotions deep within his psyche, just the way Itachi had had taught him. He wasn't an expert at it yet, but he was still doing a much better job than his two companions. Karin was radiating fear and Suigetsu's anger was rising by the second.

Soon enough, a pastey skinned man with long stringy hair, and a smile much to wide for his narrow head stepped through the door. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a dark brown, short-sleeved t-shirt. His sandals were the simple woven style worn by the local farmers. Considering how powerful he was, he looked rather normal and if it wasn't for his unusual skin color, could probably have passed through any civilian town without arousing suspicion.

The man's sibilant voice cut through the room like fingernails on a blackboard, "Ah! Sasuke, my boy, I see you've made friends."

"Where have you been Orochimaru? You said we would practice this morning and instead Kabuto shows up with some story about wanting to run tests on me." Sasuke's annoyance at being "stood up" was real. While he hated being around the man, after the first two training sessions he started to look forward to more. Orochimaru was amazingly powerful, and a very patient teacher. He never raised his voice or complained if Sasuke had to practice a technique a few times in order to master it, and so far, all the jutsu's he had shared had been "A" ranked. Something the boy was very pleased with. He had even suggested an alternate method of using the Raikiri jutsu that was rather intriguing.

"Well, for that I apologize. It was not my intention to cause you any inconvenience. However, my presence was needed elsewhere. You will have to be patient and accept such delays."

Sasuke nodded his head, "Okay. Are we going to go train now?"

"Not today. I have to leave again in a bit, but I'll be back in time for tomorrow's session."

Again Sasuke nodded. He could feel Karin fidgeting behind him and while the urge to turn around and look at her was strong, he refused to act on it.

However, Orochimaru had also noticed her discomfort and turned his attention turned to the red-head. He reached out a hand and placed it calmly on her shoulder. "For such a powerful young-lady, you sure are skittish." His words were kind and Sasuke wondered if he was truly concerned about the girl's well-being. It seemed impossible, though, from everything he had heard over the years. Orochimaru was a murderer who had kidnapped and experimented on Shinobi for years – men, women, children and even infants. No one was off-limits in his small world.

Karin seemed to be thinking the same thing and stepped back, forcing the snake-man's hand to fall away from her body. She shuddered once and she pulled her arms around her body and stared at the ground, not saying anything.

Orochimaru smiled, "My chakra is… unpleasant for you, isn't it?"

"Why… why would you say that?" Karin stuttered and she took one more step back.

"No matter. Once you are trained up by Kabuto I will be sending you to a different hideout. You won't have to be around me then." Once again, the concern in his voice seemed real, "So what do you think of Sasuke's chakra?"

"It… it's okay." She muttered.

Orochimaru laughed, "It's more than okay, Karin. Knowing what I do about your abilities, I daresay you probably find it very pleasing." The way he said "very" sent chills up and down Sasuke's spine and he once again found himself the focus of the snake-man's attention when Orochimaru reached down and ran a hand through his hair, as if petting a cat, "Sasuke is very unusual. Very powerful, very driven and very…" He laughed as he dropped his hand down to rest on the boy's shoulder.

Sasuke had to pull out every reserve of self-control he had, and even some he didn't know he had to keep from reacting to Orochimaru's touches. His pride was not going to show much it repulsed him. However, he began to wonder if there might be another reason why he was warned to steer clear of the missing nin. Could it be possible that he had a fondness for children that possibly exceeded the student-teacher relationship Sasuke had assumed Orochimaru was trying to establish with him?

However, his thoughts were interrupted when Suigetsu spoke up in a clear, strong, and extremely angry voice, "Get your paws off of him you pervert!"

If the three children had expected that to anger the older man, they were sadly mistaken. Orochimaru started laughing and dropped down onto nearby chair. "Sure thing, my boy. I'll do whatever you say." His sarcasm was obvious and again Karin shuddered. "However, if I don't, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing, obviously." Suigetsu replied through clenched teeth. "However, Sasuke has way too much pride to lower himself to your level and Karin is too much of a chicken to speak up."

Orochimaru's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he answered the water-bound boy, "So you'll step forward to be their savior. How noble." Once again he laughed, "However, a threat with nothing to back it up is lost on me. I am one of the three sannin and, well, there is very little anyone can do to threaten me."

Sasuke recognized the obvious arrogance in the man's words and wondered how many Shinobi backed off without fighting once they heard them. It didn't work on him, though. Itachi had told him that the Sharingan was more than a match for the snake-man's powers and once he was able to confront him, they would be able to defeat him easily. It was Danzou that his brother seemed worried about, and that scared Sasuke.

Orochimaru left the lab, still laughing. Suigetsu pounded a few times on the glass of his enclosure without any effect before disappearing from view, dissolving into a liquid shape with no form. Karin closed her eyes and dropped down onto the floor and drew her knees up to her chest. She was visibly shaking and began taking deep breaths in a effort to calm herself.

Sasuke knelt down on one knee next to her, "Are you okay?"

She nodded once and sighed, "I'm a sensor type. Kabuto told you that. There's something wrong with Orochimaru's chakra. It scares me of course, but there something else… something that makes me feel sick and… and… I can't describe it. I just hope I learn fast so I can get away from him soon."

Suigetsu spoke up, sounding rather sulky and very depressed, "Why don't you run away? I would if I could get out of here. Of course, I'd kill him first."

Karin gulped once and stood back up, "Where would I go? I have no village, no family. I was living on the streets… hungry and cold and the things people wanted me to do to make money… it… I can't do that. I have to stay here. I have no where else to go." She turned around and quietly exited the room.

Glancing at the water-filled enclosure Sasuke sensed there would be no more conversation from his new friend and exited the room as well. Since training was called off for the day, he now had a perfect chance to take care of some personal business.

The snow started shortly after midnight and by morning it was still falling. The unexpected snowstorm was the talk of Konoha and while those who celebrated Christmas were joyously waking up to presents and snowmen, the rest of the village wasn't too happy with the cold weather. After all, who wants to patrol or train when it's wet and cold outside?

However, a short distance from Konoha a man and woman sat alone in a cave overlooking the region, seemingly oblivious to the inclement weather. They had stayed there all night, rarely speaking, as if waiting for some sign or perhaps weary and unwilling to move on.

The woman had slept for a few hours, pulling a black and red cloak around herself protectively. But the man had stayed awake. Vigilant and pensive, he had observed the entire area through the force of his chakra, as well as watched over his sleeping companion. When she had finally woken up he watched as she brushed out her long blue hair and put it in a bun and adjusted her sleep-crumpled clothing.

"Konan." He finally said, speaking in a hoarse voice, "What did you dream?"

She looked closely at her friend. Trapped as he was in a mechanical device designed not only to channel his chakra but also to extend his life, he was no longer the boy she had grown up with, yet at the same time she could not deny that he was anything but that boy. He had the same face, despite the emaciated and broken body that was displayed before her. He had the same voice, despite it's hoarseness and harsh words. He was still kind, despite his paranoia and hard-handed method of ruling Rain. He was still Nagato. The boy she had found all those years ago lying face down on the road nearly starved to death.

"I dreamt…" Konan paused and gazed out through the opening of the cave at the softly falling snow and for a moment she thought about how beautiful it was and how much she would like to just sit there all day and watch it cover the surrounding landscape in a fluffy mantle of pure white, "it's not important."

"It is." He insisted.

"How are you feeling this morning?" She easily changed the subject, but it didn't work.

"Please tell me." He whispered, "My dreams… I no longer sleep."

"You, me, Yahiko and Chibi were stealing some fish from a market, but the stall owner was Hanzou and Danzou was also there for some reason and we were caught. We escaped and ran away, but when I stopped running I was as I am now, in this cloak, and alone. Nagato…"

"Konan, I'm not leaving you any time soon."

"Your body can't take much more of this. Every time you use an advanced jutsu it takes more and more of your body awat from you. You are only alive now because of that machine. I know… and you have to accept… you will leave me."

"I'm sorry. I did it to save you. To save the world from war. It's probably just as well that I no longer dream. My dreams… If only I knew what Madara's real plan was. Back then, I thought I knew. I thought he walked the same path as me. As us."

"We were too desperate. Yahiko had just died and our emotions were raw. Our entire rebel force had fallen apart because of Hanzou and Danzou. Madara's promises of help were our only ray of sunshine back then. It was like the sun rising out of the sea."

"Like a sunrise after a long night of storms. Akatsuki. Sunrise." Nagato spoke wistfully.

"Is that all over now?"

"Perhaps not. I am not overly fond of Madara, but I have to recognize his sincerity. I will not make up my mind about what to do with him until I find out what he is up to. However, the demons are no longer a part of the plan. If his plan is to revive the ten-tails then I want no part of that. Releasing the first nine demons is enough of a message and there was never any need to go any further. If, as I suspect, he does want to go further, then I will do anything in my power to keep him from completing the statue.

"But he is not a fool. If his plan fails, or cannot be executed, he is completely capable of coming up with an alternate plan. It is that alternate plan that may save us, or cause us more problems."

Konan sighed, "As you wish. You know my feelings. I do not like him, however, I will follow your wishes in this matter. If you say to spare him, then I can accept that."

Nagato smiled, "Thank-you my love. Let's go home now. I think we've probably spent more than enough time here."

Itachi gazed thoughtfully at the rings in the display case with trepidation and an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. He had been staring at them for the better part of an hour, unmoving and undecided. It was a new feeling for him. As a top Shinobi he was often called upon to make instant decisions and formulate last-minute strategies. Yet this was different. He wasn't on a life-and-death mission with the responsibility of the village and clan resting on his shoulders. Instead it was a life-and death mission to get his girlfriend, well, his wife, an engagement ring so he could propose they could be married properly in a ceremony.

The clerk had kept a respectful distance from the teen, but when an hour passed the elderly gentlemen stepped forward and picked up a small gold band with a single red ruby setting that had smaller diamonds set on either side.

"Since you will be getting married in the next couple months, perhaps I could suggest a simple setting. You would, of course, bring your bride in for the selection of the wedding rings."

That appealed to the teen and he accepted the ring, looking closely at the stones and the gold band for any flaws. Having Sheeta pick out the wedding rings sounded like the answer to his dilemma. He wouldn't have to guess what she would want and anything she liked he was sure to be to his liking as well. And the small ruby ring did sparkle beautifully under the bright light of the lamp set next to the jewelry boxes.

"Okay, that's fine." Itachi reached into his breast pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I brought her favorite ring so you can see what size it is. Can you have it ready today?"

The man smiled warmly, "Lord Itachi, you have been coming in here since you were a small child and you have always been one of my favorite customers. Your eye for detail and perfection, and your ability to detect quality are to be admired. You would have made an excellent jeweler. So for you, it will be ready in two hours for no extra charge."

Of course, that made Itachi smile, "I feel silly then, I always feel rather stressed out coming here. Thank-you for your help. I'll be back to pick it up."

As he stepped out of the store he glanced around at the snow-covered shopping district. A few of the other pedestrians were protecting themselves with umbrellas while several small girls were making a snowman in front of a pastry shop while the owner's elderly mother looked on with glee. She was holding a scarf, hat and some small rocks in her hands, waiting patiently for the girls to finish so the finishing touches could be applied.

Itachi walked down the street to the river and leaned against the metal railing that protected people from falling in. Evidence of the previous days' storm could be seen as branches and other flotsam and jetsam lapped gently against the banks. He could see where some of the larger debris had already been fished out and was now resting on a small flat boat waiting to be hauled outside the village and disposed of.

"Itachi! What are you doing out on such a snowy day?"

He looked up and saw Yuri standing a few feet away from him. She was dressed in a long white cloak with a white muffler and white gloves, and looked very comfortable. "Oh, Sheeta wants a Christmas present."

"Hmm."

"So you got married?" Itachi smirked, knowing how hesitant she was about marrying her older cousin.

"Uh, yeah. Too bad you were on a mission, but thank-you for the beautiful cabinet." She bowed forward and when she straightened back up she had a big smile on her face, "I'm starting to fit in better as the clan head. I still miss Uncle quite a bit. Or, I guess I could call him father now, since he wasn't really my uncle…" her voice trailed off and she glanced out at the river.

Itachi noticed that he was now a couple inches taller than the woman and smiled. As the youngest and smallest person on their Genin team, he had always been forced to look up at all the people around him. He realized it was a bit of a relief to be able to look them in the eye. It was less intimidating.

'Was I intimidated by that?' Itachi wondered to himself. He remembered how angry it would make him when people underestimated him because of his size or age so perhaps it had.

Itachi spoke calmly, "Well hopefully you can make it to my wedding. We don't have a date yet, but it should be in a couple months."

"I'll look forward to it. I'm… not leaving the village for a while." She patted her stomach and Itachi instinctively activated his Sharingan and looked.

He smiled sheepishly at her obviously swollen midsection, "Oh. Baby. Congratulations, then."

Yuri laughed, "Of course, she's due to show up in a couple months so we'll really have to wait and see if we can go or not."

"Of course." Itachi had a sudden image of Yuri going into labor during the ceremony and gave a short laugh. It would be amusing. However, what would really be amusing would be if Sheeta went into labor during her wedding. A few of the more prudish of the clan would no doubt be horrified at the thought. He had a sudden urge to postpone the wedding until the ninth month, but he repressed it quickly. While Sheeta would probably find it just as amusing as he did, she would probably not accept the delay very gracefully.

"I saw Sheeta at the hospital. You were a bad boy, Itachi." She gave him a worried grin, "She's still young, you know."

"Yeah. I know. I'm not living that down any time soon. Or ever. But… while I don't regret getting a baby, the way I went about it was unforgiveable. Which brings me back to the present."

"Good luck with that." Yuri pulled on her muffler and sighed, "I'm just out for a walk. I always loved the snow." She walked off slowly, leaving Itachi to his own musings.

"Back to shopping." He made his way back to the stores and began his quest for the perfect present. Whatever that was.

"Sheeta, it's beautiful." Mikoto clasped her hands together and smiled and the younger girl. The upstairs living room now held a six foot tall tree with multi-colored lights, glass balls of red and green, and garlands of gold and silver foil. The lights blinked on and off in a random pattern that was both pleasing to the eye and somehow reminiscent of a winter sky filled with stars. A red blanket with images of Santa Claus riding a sleigh was wrapped around the base.

"I don't have very many decorations yet. The clerk said it was better to buy a few every year instead of all at once." Sheeta stood back, proud of her work and eager for Itachi to come home and see it.

Mikoto fingered the garland, looking closely at the shiny gold foil, "I've never done Christmas before. What made you decide to put up a tree?"

"Oh, I got mad at Itachi and said something about how he had never bought me a Christmas present and, well, I kind of stuck my foot in my mouth I guess. I mean, of course he never bought me one. Technically, he's Buddhist and, well, before we came to Konoha my family was raised in the Shinto tradition and my aunt still worships at the shrine in the village on important occasions."

"Well, no reason to go to all this trouble then, but I am glad you did. It's a beautiful tree. Besides, Itachi has some retribution owed to you so maybe you two can use this as a way to make up. Christmas is supposed to be about new beginnings after all. Or so I've been led to believe."

"Yeah." Sheeta dropped down onto the couch, "That's what I'm hoping. Maybe that hole in my heart can close a little bit now."

The house was far too quiet when Itachi returned in time for dinner. Of course, with Sasuke gone there was no one for Naruto to argue with. It felt lonely. Making his way upstairs he heard voices coming from the living room and recognized Sheeta, Mikoto and Naruto. They seemed to be watching TV.

"Sheeta, I'm back." Itachi stated the obvious as he entered the room and took in the sight of the decorated tree. "Hn. It looks like you were busy today."

"Of course." The teen stood up from the couch and made her way over to Itachi, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a big smile.

"Come on Naruto, why don't you help me get dinner on the table?" Mikoto stood up and waved the blond boy over to her as she exited the room.

"Ha ha!" Naruto winked at Itachi as he walked past him, "If you need any help, the good magazines are under Sasuke's mattress."

"No they're not!" Mikoto replied in a sing-song voice from the hallway.

After they had left, Itachi and Sheeta stared at the closed living-room door for a moment, trying to understand what Naruto was saying. It was a little troubling.

Sheeta was the first to break the silence, "Naruto and Sasuke were looking at porn?"

"Who knows. With those two, they could have just been passing a magazine around to try to get each other in trouble with Mother. Since all she would have done is yell at them, it no doubt would have been great fun for them."

Sheeta sighed as she pulled away from Itachi and stuck her hands in her pockets. She was wearing a pair of long black pants and a long-sleeved red sweater trimmed along the bottom and top with a single row of Christmas trees. Her long hair was left loose and was freshly trimmed in a straight line at her hips.

"So." Itachi said calmly as he reached into his pocket. "Here is your Christmas gift." He handed an envelope to the eager girl and smiled as she opened it.

"Decorating?" Sheeta was a little surprised and stared at the receipt from the Konoha Home Deco Studio.

"It's for all the rooms up here. So, you can do the living room and the bedroom and the baby's room and even set up a room for the baby for when he get's older. Then we can re-use the baby room for the next one."

Sheeta laughed, "This is a great gift! I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. I imagine it takes them a while to work everything out."

"A lot of their merchandise has to be ordered, so yes, it will take a few months." He was pleased that she liked it. When he had found out how long it could take to complete the decorating the first thing that came to his mind was that it would be something for the girl to work on during her pregnancy, a temporary distraction in case she started having problems.

"Wow. I really wasn't expecting this."

"I have another gift as well." He pulled out a small box wrapped in green paper and tied with a red bow.

Sheeta accepted it, and when she recognized the size and something familiar her eyes opened wide and her hands started to tremble. Carefully opening she found a small box lined with silk fabric.

Itachi took the box from her and opened it, showing her the ruby ring. He was a little surprised when she looked at it with trepidation and gulped a couple times. "It's… an engagement ring." he explained softly. For some reason, Sheeta actually appeared to be a little afraid of it. It wasn't what he had expected to happen. Removing the ring from the box he placed it carefully on her right ring finger and looked carefully at her face, waiting for a reaction. However, the girl continued to tremble and stare at the ring.

'What is she thinking?' Itachi wondered to himself. The TV continued to blare in the background, and a dog barking nearby were the only sounds for almost five minutes as neither teen made a move. Perhaps he should say something. "Sheeta, will you marry me?"

This broke her out of her stupor and she blinked at Itachi a couple times before nodding her head carefully up and down a couple times before speaking, "Y…yes."

"You seem uncertain." Itachi wondered if perhaps he had done something wrong. He hadn't even considered that there was a right or wrong way to propose. After all, they were technically already married.

"N…no. It's not that. It's just… that… it seems so real now."

"Real?"

"Yeah. Like, we're grown up and… and… I…" Tears started to leak from her eyes and she threw herself into Itachi's arms. He pulled her closer and sighed. She wasn't actually crying, but seemed to be very upset.

"I did that to you, Sheeta, and… I'm not sorry about the baby. I really thought I was going to die and I wanted to leave an heir behind. For you to have someone with you when I was gone. And I wanted to remove Sasuke from the line of succession so he could have a normal life. It was a promise I made years ago to protect him. But… the way I went about it was wrong. However, what's happened is happened and we can't go back."

"Okay." Sheeta lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes, "Moving forward is our only option then." This time she smiled, and to Itachi it seemed as if her entire face had just taken on the radiance of an angel and he sighed with relief as he re-adjusted his arms and pulled her closer for a kiss.

"Man, this sucks." Deidara kicked at the snow with his boot. "Why don't we just go after Sasuke without Itachi? I can fight Orochimaru."

"How noble of you." A dry, cracked voice mocked the teen as the puppet it was encased in plowed forward despite the deep snow.

"I wasn't being noble."

"No, you were being annoying. Orochimaru is Itachi's grudge, not yours."

"So why are we heading to Konoha again? I want to fight Orochimaru." Deidara was pouting now and every step he took included a rather rough kick that sent snow billowing up a couple feet, falling back to earth in a series of tiny snowballs that rolled a few inches before stopping.

Kisame, who was walking in front of him and getting hit by some of the snow suddenly turned around, grabbed a handful of it and shoved it directly in the teen's face, knocking him to the ground. Growling, he gave Deidara a series of simple orders before turning his back and walking away, "Stand-up, be quiet, and walk normally."

"That's cold!" Deidara spluttered. However, since discretion is the better part of valor and he hadn't gone completely insane, he stood up, closed his mouth and stopped kicking the snow. However, he did glare mercilessly at the blue man's back.

"That quieted him down." Sasori mocked.

"Sasori, you aren't helping any when you goad him." Kisame added angrily.

The puppet-man sighed, "What's got you in such a mood?"

"Nothing." A moment later Kisame spoke again, "I don't approve of all the help we've been giving Konoha, and specifically Fugaku Uchiha. An now we're off again to do more."

"We're helping Sasuke, not Fugaku." Deidara added quietly.

"Keep telling yourself that, kid, maybe you'll believe it someday."

"What?" The blond was completely confused now. The orders they had been given were to rendezvous with Itachi and then go after Sasuke. It had seemed rather straight-forward.

Kisame sighed, "Doesn't it seem odd to you that Madara is placing all this importance on Sasuke? I get the impression that he is important to Akatsuki somehow, and I also think that bothers Itachi. However, I also get the impression that Madara is trying very hard to appease Fugaku for some reason."

"The boy has potential." Sasori added, "He is developing a new recruit, possibly. To replace Itachi when he becomes too sick to continue his duties."

Deidara nodded, "That would make sense."

"It would at that." Kisame agreed reluctantly. However, it still felt like there was something he was missing, some important detail, and despite his laid back nature, he was not a man who could relax when there was something amiss. A faint chakra source up ahead alerted him to the presence of someone unexpected and he held up his arm as he stopped, signaling his companions to stop as well.

"Who is that?" Deidara asked quietly as he stuck his hands in his clay pouches.

"Bad news." Kisame responded bitterly.

Sasori was just as angry, "What the hell is he dong here, and why is he with Itachi?"

"Itachi?" Deidara hadn't sensed the Uchiha at all and his mood darkened as the oversight ate away at his remaining patience.

"Let's find out." Kisame pushed forward through the deep snow and within ten minutes the three Akatsuki were standing in a clearing five miles outside of Konoha facing Itachi and his companions.

Itachi was not pleased, "So why are you here?" It was early morning, the day after Christmas and instead being asleep in a warm bed next to his fiancée (as the pair had agreed to refer to each other since in the absence of a wedding ceremony neither felt married) he was trampling through the cold snow with an over-cheerful perverted middle-aged man and a cranky twelve-year-old boy. And now he had three more problems standing in front of him.

Sasori spoke up, "Leader, or rather Madara, felt you would be too ill to take on Orochimaru by yourself and ordered us to back you up."

"Unacceptable." Itachi said sternly, "I am healthy enough for this. Please leave."

"Is that anyway to speak to your dearest friends?" Deidara wanted nothing more than to leave, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to goad the other teenager.

Itachi, however, knew better than to respond to that and ignored the blond. Instead he turned to Kisame, "Please relay my current situation to Madara and inform him that no assistance is needed."

Kisame sighed and shook his head, "I'm not your secretary, kid. Nor am I your babysitter. Madara seems to think you need backup so it is he that you should relay that information to, not me." He looked at the elder of Itachi's companions and bared his sharp teeth in a grimace meant to intimidate. "And why, exactly, are you travelling with Jiraiya?"

The older man responded before Itachi could speak up, "For the same reason Madara sent you. Only it was my idea."

Kisame was even less pleased to hear this, "You've developed quite a reputation there Itachi. Everyone seems to think you're going to drop dead any minute."

Itachi gritted his teeth and practically growled out his next sentence, "I assure you I will not."

"Then I believe we will also accompany you. Reporting back to Leader and Madara about your health is the only way to get them off our collective backs, so to speak." The blue man readjusted Samehada on his back and stuck his hands in his pockets to show he had no intention to cause any trouble.

This was not acceptable and Itachi glanced at Jiraiya and Naruto. If Madara found out that Sasuke was not planning on returning to Konoha it would cause no end of trouble. However, was it possible he already knew?

Itachi was careful to choose his next words, "Kisame, what did Leader say about Sasuke?"

"He said the boy ran away from home, straight into Orochimaru's clutches. Since it was reported that you were in the hospital, nearly dead, Madara worried that when you were released you would run after Sasuke, challenge Orochimaru, and, in your weakened state fall prey to him. At that point Sasuke would become superfluous and likely be killed."

"So he believes Orochimaru would rather have me than Sasuke." Itachi said quietly. "It is a logical assumption, of course. I did cut his hand off after all, and getting my body would no doubt be sufficient revenge in his eyes. However, considering that each body only lasts three years I find it hard to believe he would dispose of Sasuke. He could just hold on to him and use him next. Surely Madara would have considered that as an option."

Sasori spoke up, "Madara knows Orochimaru very well, Itachi. Better than you do. With Uchiha's in Konoha and Mist he has the 'pick of the litter', so to speak. When you look at it like that, there is no reason to keep Sasuke."

"And Sasuke would probably try to kill Orochimaru if he hurt you." Deidara added, "It would be unwise to keep such a threat around."

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then glanced at Jiraiya who was still sizing up the three Akatsuki. Naruto was standing behind his god-father looking rather small and a more than a little afraid. Even though he had met Deidara and Kisame before, he had never seen them engaging in such a high-level conversation and it was definitely intimidating him.

"If they can behave themselves…" Jiraiya spoke up in a thoughtful voice, "And follow your orders…"

"We really have no choice." Itachi interrupted. "However, I want it known here and now that any attempt to remove Sasuke from my custody once I retrieve him will be met with deadly force."

Deidara laughed, "So that's what's got you so upset. The kid is intending to not to go home! Didn't think he actually had the guts to pull something like that. I thought he was just doing the usual 'run-away and make mom and dad come get me to prove they love me' shit. He's really serious!"

There was no point denying it now. Itachi was rather surprised at how quickly Deidara had grasped the situation. "Yeah. He's serious. And that is why I was trying to keep it from Madara. Thank-you for ruining that, Deidara."

"Huh? Oh…" Deidara frowned and looked around at the trees and shrubs that surrounded them. "Zetsu is probably following us. I…" He almost apologized, but his pride stepped in and he quickly shut his mouth.

Itachi, however, caught the intent behind the unspoken words and nodded once at Deidara. "Let's get going. I got a message from Sasuke and I know where he is."

"A message?" Kisame asked.

"This whole thing was supposed to be a setup to get back at Fugaku. We return to Konoha from the wedding, Sasuke picks a fight with the elders and runs away to Orochimaru, who finds him and takes him in. Then Sasuke informs me where he is and I show up. The two of us then defeat Orochimaru and hunt down Danzou. However, when I became ill I told Sasuke to back off and do nothing. The elders picked a fight with him while I was sick and Sasuke couldn't handle it anymore. He ran away against my orders and swore never to return. He will still go along with my plan, but after that…" Itachi's voice trailed off.

Naruto spoke up for the first time, clenching his fist to show his determination, "We'll get him back, Itachi! No matter what! And with these guys helping, it's a sure thing!"

Itachi smiled, "Of course."

Kisame laughed at Naruto's determination, "Well, let's get this over with."

"I'm taking off." Sasori spoke up, "There's no reason for this many people to go. But I also won't repeat anything you just said, Itachi. Frankly, I could care less anyway."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement, "Sounds good." He knew the puppet-master would keep to himself, and frankly he preferred to not have him around. Despite having known him for years, the corpse-puppets Sasori used still gave him the creeps.

"Let's go!" Naruto raised one arm into the air and tramped off through the snow, grinning cheerfully. However, Jiraiya's hearty laugh stopped him in his tracks and he turned around to face him, still grinning, "I'm going the wrong direction, aren't I?"

Jiraiya waved him over, "Come on, kid. This way."

"This is going to be an experience." Deidara was also smiling and he fell into step beside Naruto. Perhaps this mission wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be.

Next week, the group gets closer to their goal.

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