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I'm late posting again. I was so busy this week that the days just ran together and last night I realized it was Thursday. I hate weeks like that because it feels like you loose time. I'm not sure that's the best way to describe it. Anyway, here is the chapter. And we are entering the last bit of the story. There's still a few chapters left, but alas, it will be coming to an end.
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto
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Chapter 72 – The Switch
The letter that arrived from the capital should have been good news but Sheeta found it hard to smile. Her sister had passed the entrance exam for the University medical school and would be moving with her husband and small daughter to the city for at least four years.
Mikoto tried to cheer her up, reminding her that the capital wasn't that far away and when everything settled down she could visit when ever she wanted. That didn't do much to improve the teen's mood and she dropped disconsolately onto the couch in the first floor living room.
"What a joke." She laughed bitterly, "'When everything settles down we'll do this. When everything settles down we'll do that.' Haven't you figured it out yet, Lady Mikoto? Nothing is ever going to settle down! I'm a prisoner in Konoha and I always will be!"
The mid-morning sun filtered through the bamboo blinds that had been placed over the windows to protect the infants, who lay nearby in two small basinets. A mobile of stars and moons twirled over their heads playing a soft melody and catching their eyes in a near hypnotic state of color, motion and song.
Sighing, Mikoto sat next to her daughter-in-law and pulled her into an embrace. "I know. And I promise I won't say that again."
Sheeta rested her head on the woman's shoulder. "I just feel like a bird in a gilded cage sometimes. But I am glad for her." She pulled away and sat straight up, "She's going to be busy. And this is her dream ever since she came here. She didn't think she would ever get to go because of Danzou."
"Everyone is going to miss her." Mikoto replied softly, "But at least she's closer to us than Aya and Sasuke."
Sheeta swallowed hard and stared at the floor. Things were difficult for everyone; in her heart she knew that. But that didn't lessen her own disappointment.
Rumiko decided at that moment that she'd had enough of watching the mobile and began to make various noises and blow spit bubbles. Shisui followed her a moment later.
"They sound happy." Sheeta stood up and walked to the brown wicker basinets. Peering inside she smiled as Rumiko waved her hand and legs in the air, trying to grab at some unseen object, or perhaps just exercising in the open world outside the cramped confines of her mother's belly.
Shisui raised his arms a couple inches and wiggled his fingers but his legs remained still. The smile faded from her face and she reached down to lift one small leg end gently massage it. When she carefully released it a minute later the small boy lifted both legs a couple inches and flexed his toes.
"It's like he forgets to use his legs." Sheeta muttered. "I'm surprised the clan has been so accepting of him."
"Me too, to tell the truth." Mikoto admitted. "I think Itachi's reputation has everything to do with it. Although it could also have something to do with pity. Everyone knows how difficult things have been for you in the past. I don't expect the same attitude of someone else's kid has similar problems."
"I won't stand for it if that happens." Sheeta stated firmly.
"Good for you. Part of you job as matriarch of the clan is to set an example. It can be hard, especially when you have to work contrary to tradition."
"Things are changing, though." Sheeta smiled "I wonder what things will be like when I'm looking down at my grandkids. You'll still be here!" Sheeta grinned happily.
"God willing. I'm looking forward to it."
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The sunny weather carried over to coast as Itachi, Deidara, Suigetsu and Kisame made their way east. A week had passed since they had been given the mission to have Suigetsu take Naruto's place so the Jinchuuriki could be reverse summoned to Toad mountain.
Suigetsu had spent time with all of Naruto's friends, learning as much as he could about him, and Deidara, as his backup was ready in case something went wrong.
Itachi was a little hesitant about leaving Konoha. The Yakuza clan that had threatened Sheeta was still running around and so far all attempts by Tsunade to get in contact with them had failed. To make matters worse three low-level members of the clan had been found by Sakura and Sai during a patrol not five-hundred feet from the massive wall that encircled the village. Following orders the three were taken into custody and placed in a nice underground prison cell.
"How's your new eye doing?" Kisame, was being rather talkative since he had met up with group a few hours earlier and seemed to have fallen back on his old game of "Bug Itachi until he peaks." Something he hadn't done in years.
"Fine." Itaachi responded quietly. "Still a little sensitive to the light." He reached up and adjusted the sunglasses he was wearing. After wearing glasses for so long, the few weeks he had been without them after getting his first transplant had felt rather weird at times. Now that he had the sunglasses he felt somehow "reassured" by their presence.
Kisame looked closely at him, "Kids okay?"
"Yeah." Itachi smirked, "How about yours?"
Kisame blinked his round white eyes twice before grinning wide, showing all his chiseled teeth, "Fine, fine. Haven't killed them yet anyway." He thunked both Deidara and Suigetsu over the head simultaneously and laughed when they scowled at him.
Sighing, Itachi contemplated his blue partner's initial response to the question. However, now was not the time to delve further into it. If Kisame did indeed have a family he was going to great pains to hide them.
A flock of birds twittered restlessly above them. Indicating another animal or human was nearby. Without even discussing it, the four ninja took to the trees and within minutes were a couple miles away.
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The sound of the ocean was their first hint that they were drawing close. The dull roar echoed through the green forest as the large thick trees of the inland gave way to a mix of bamboo, maple and cypress. The soil also changed as patches of sand peeked out occasionally from the coating of leaves, branches and shrubs.
Overhead seagulls began to make their presence known as they called out to each other, and glided effortlessly on the streams of air that blew in from the sea. Soon enough the sounds grew louder and a the unique scent of the ocean - a mixture of salt, water, and dead sea life assaulted their senses as they finally stepped onto the pale brown sand.
The deep blue of the ocean opened up before them and it was obvious the tide was out as they stood and gazed at the scene, searching for chakra or other obstructions that could impede the mission. Long strips of seaweed were strewn along the waterline and small birds could be seen running back and forth looking for food in the water logged sand. But there was no indication that any human had been around for a very long time.
Itachi pulled a small frog out of his pocket and held it in his hand. "Tell Jiraiya we're here and are starting the mission."
The frog disappeared in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya and Pein had come on their own and were already nearby, but would only step in if the mission failed. Loosing the Jinchuuriki was too dangerous to contemplate so the formation of a powerful backup had been required.
Looking up at the sky, Itachi estimated they had about four hours of daylight left, "Suigetsu and I will head towards Naruto's room. You two" He looked closely at Kisame and Deidara, "keep Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan occupied until I return. Don't fight them unless absolutely necessary, we don't want to make them suspicious."
While he had been talking, Kisame and Deidara had changed their clothes, and were now sporting the black and red cloaks of Akatsuki. Plopping the kasa hats on their heads they nodded once to acknowledge Itachi and gave an un-spoken wish for luck to Suigetsu, who was looking rather pale.
"Let's go." Itachi said to Suigetsu.
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The hideout was, in reality, a huge complex that covered about half a mile of land. A network of caves had been carved out of the limestone beneath the beach and lead to an inner courtyard in the forest composed of a handful of tree houses, a small garden and one very massive skeleton belonging to some unknown creature.
It was one of several bases the Akatsuki kept in operation, but as Itachi led Suigetsu through the forest and into the courtyard it seemed as though it was possible it was the only one being used.
"Have you been here before?" Suigetsu finally asked as he stared up at the skeleton.
"No. Although Akatsuki does have a massive cave nearby that I have visited. It may be linked somehow to this complex."
"What is that thing?" The boy pointed up at the skeleton.
"It looks almost like a dead summons. However, it may not be completely dead so be wary. Madara has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and that may actually be a living guardian of some sort."
"Nice. You're sure that Zetsu guy isn't here?"
Itachi smiled, it was obvious the boy was very nervous. "He's in Mist right now according to Kisame. There's the backdoor. I sense a chakra source moving away from it so the others must have gotten their attention."
"Oh good." Suigetsu said dryly.
The pair moved toward the door, guided by a map the frogs had supplied to Jiraiya. As expected, it opened easily and was unguarded. The hallway was a wide limestone cave that narrowed significantly in the back. Kerosene lanterns hung from hooks anchored in the ceiling and the ground, while rocky, was covered in a thin layer of sand, no doubt from the stone being worn down by human occupation.
They walked cautiously forward, stopping every few feet to check for chakra. Itachi had no doubts that Kisame and Deidara would be able to distract Kakuzu, Hidan and Sasori. the problem was, for long would it last? Kakuzu was notoriously cranky and often lashed out at people or isolated himself for long periods of time. Sasori was just as bad, preferring his duty to goofing off. Hidan would be no problem at all.
Of course there was a fourth person to worry about. Itachi hadn't mentioned him to Suigetsu, because he knew almost nothing about the newest member of the organization. He had heard only that he was a loner who didn't socialize and was quite bloodthirsty. And it was likely that he was currently residing in the hideout.
"I'm beginning to think I'm going to end up spending the rest of my life underground in caves." Suigetsu grumbled.
"Well you wanted to be a ninja. Ninja live to hide and what better place than underground?" Itachi rubbed his eyes, having removed his sunglasses as soon as they entered the cave. It was strange to have stereoscopic vision again after so many weeks with just one eye and he couldn't resist the urge to reach up as touch his eyes, subconsciously reassuring himself that he could see.
"Yeah." Suigetsu resigned himself to his fate and wondered if he could get a job as a miner if his ninja job ever fell through. He certainly was racking up a lot of experience.
The passageways wound around corner after corner, always heading down. The fact that there was no water flooding the cavern was surprising, but Itachi figured it was probably due to a jutsu - either from Stone village or Mist village.
After almost ten minutes they were about to turn the last corner when a chakra source stopped them dead in their tracks. It was unfamiliar, strong, and standing five feet behind them.
"That was easy." It was a woman's voice, "I just waltz up behind you and no one notices. And to think I was actually worried about running into the great and powerful Uchiha that Madara fears."
Itachi looked the woman over. She was young, perhaps fifteen, with short blond hair and pale skin that looks almost white. Her deep red eyes marked her as an albino, or perhaps a Kekkei Genkai user. Dressed in a black and red cloak she looked up at her target and smiled.
"Who are you? I thought the new recruit was a man?" Itachi spoke evenly, unfazed by the teen's sudden appearance.
"That would be me." A man, only a couple inches taller than Itachi walked out of the wall. "Rinrin and me are partners. She works her magic in the background while I work up frunt. We make a great team."
"Oh Shintaru, I could have handled these guys by myself." Rinrin said grumpily.
"No, you couldn't." Shintaru added.
"You didn't sneak up behind us you used a transportation jutsu." Suigetsu frowned.
"Whatever." The girl waved her hand in the air to dismiss the event. Her partner stepped closer until he was under the lantern. He appeared to be an older version of Rinrin, complete while light blond hair, red eyes and pale skin. However, it was obvious that his hair was dyed, the eye-color was due to contacts and the skin was dyed.
Itachi's eyes bled into their Sharingan form and he stepped back several paces, pushing Suigetsu behind him. He would have to incapacitate the duo but he felt no animosity towards them. He had never seen their visages in a bingo book or any other document, nor did their names ring a bell.
They were completely unknown. A ninja was taught to retreat when faced with the unknown. He could then research his enemy and return later. However, that was not always possible, and that was certainly the case this time.
Neither of the rooky Akatsuki were looking him in the eye and he smiled bitterly at their over confidence. After all, Itachi had learned many years earlier how to cast Genjutsu with his finger. Lifting his right index finger a couple inches he watched as Rinrin and Shintaru's countenances changed from alert to sleepy. A second later they were on the ground unconscious.
"Can I kill them?" Suigetsu grinned widely, bloodlust radiating from his eyes.
"No, of course not. I'll send them to Jiraiya and let him take them to the village for questioning. If we kill them or erase their memories Madara'll find them. If they disappear they might be seen as spies or deserters. No one would think they were captured."
"Oh." The boy said dejectedly.
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Naruto was pacing back and forth, nervously awaiting the arrival of his rescuers. A frog had shown up twenty minutes earlier, and told him to get ready to leave. He had known the time was approaching, but now that it was here he was quite nervous.
Many things kept going through his head, all of them bad. It wasn't so much that he distrusted Itachi, it was his overwhelming fear of Akatsuki. He knew what they were planning on doing to him and he wondered how one Itachi could possibly go up against a half dozen of Akatsuki. It seemed impossible.
The blond boy was jolted out of his thoughts a few moments later the door noiselessly slid open. As Itachi and Suigetsu stepped forward he raced the short distance across the small room to great them.
After greeting his foster brother, Itachi pulled a picture out of his pocket and handed it over. "This is Shisui and Rumiko."
"Oh I wish I was going home instead of that toad mountain." Naruto wined.
"No you don't. All they do is eat, cry and poop. No fun at all." Suigetsu complained.
"Really?" Naruto opened his eyes wide and stared at Itachi for confirmation.
"Well," Itachi paused, "They also pee."
Naruto scrunched up his face, deep in thought, but was interrupted by the frog. "Can we take him now?"
"In a few minutes. Suigetsu, get changed. Naruto, fill him in on everything that goes on here so that if they come to talk to you it won't look suspicious." Itachi dropped his back pack to the floor and rummaged around for a few seconds.
"Here's some hair dye. Drink the potion and it'll change your hair to blond. It lasts for one month." Itachi watched as the boy ingested the foul tasting concoction, then swallowed two more classes of juice to wash the flavor out of his mouth.
"These eye drops will change your eye color to blue." Again, he watched as Suigetsu tipped his head back dripped a bluish-green liquid in his eyes. "It'll last a few days, so you need to reapply them. This is a one month supply."
As his hair and eyes slowly changed, Suigetsu changed into an orange jumpsuit and pulled a latex mask over his face. Usually a Genjutsu was used to hide features or disguise one's face, but there was no way Suigetsu would have been able to fool an S-class ninja if he used one. Latex was his only option.
"I can't believe how comfortable this is." Suigetsu poked at his face, and then moved to the bathroom so he could view himself in the small mirror over the sink. "I look just like him now."
"Yeah, it's creepy." Naruto laughed. "So… I can't think of anything else to tell you. They don't come by very often and usually only Hidan talks, like I said, but he just wants to lecture you about his religion so you don't have to nothin' but listen."
"That's easy, I guess." Suigetsu lifted his hand, intending to run it through his now-blond hair but dropped it quickly when he noticed how badly it was shaking.
"Naruto, time to go." Itachi said evenly.
The boy walked to the middle of the room by the frog and smiled at his two friends, "Just one more thing, Suigetsu. Don't die." The room was filled with smoke that dissipated quickly leaving Itachi and Suigetsu alone.
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Standing at the edge of the forest Itachi observed with some interest how Kisame and Deidara had chosen to distract Naruto's captors. Kisame had engaged Hidan and Kakuzu and one of Sasori's puppets in a game of Mahjongg complete with large quantities of cash and sake. Deidara on the other hand was sitting on the ground nearby arguing vehemently with Sasori about the nature of art.
Several empty sake bottles lay on the sand nearby and Kakuzu seemed happy about something, meaning Kisame was probably loosing on purpose to keep the cheapskate from getting bored and leaving. Hidan was loosing but seemed to be completely unconcerned, preferring instead to down as much alcohol as possible between turns. Sasori's puppet was playing just well enough to fill the last position in a game that traditionally required four players.
Kisame waved Itachi over and laughed as the teen approached, "Feeling better now?"
"Yeah. I apologize for earlier." Itachi pulled his Akatsuki cloak closer to his body and wrapped his arms around his torso.
Hidan laughed, "Why don't you just drop him Kisame, he's too sick to go on missions. Get someone else. That new girl, Rinrin is worth a try."
Kakuzu shook his head, "Don't let her say that, or you'll find yourself minus your skin, covered in honey and dropped into an ant hill."
"Does she really do that?" Kisame asked expecting to hear that it was a joke.
"Oh yeah. She sure does. She's a master of torture. She left Sand village five months ago after they brought up charges of aggravated manslaughter against her for torturing a prisoner. Seventy-three counts of aggravated manslaughter to be exact." Kakuzu shook his head in disbelief.
"Wow. Remind me not to get on her bad side." Kisame muttered.
Itachi was even more curious now about why he hadn't heard anything about the woman. Something like that would have been shared with Konoha as soon as she ran away. After all, Sand was a close ally of Konoha. Nevertheless, Jiraiya had her now and would be returning her to Konoha to wait in a jail cell until Sand retrieved her.
Turning his attention to Deidara he tried to listen to him and Sasori discuss art, but gave up after thirty seconds. The pair were dropping so many names, terms and acronyms that it literally sounded like a foreign language. He did notice that the mad bomber was very happy.
'He really looks up to Sasori.' Itachi said to himself. Of course, Sasori had probably been the closest thing to a parent figure the teen had ever had so it probably wasn't all that unexpected. As independent as he tried to make himself out to be, Deidara's bragging, desire for attention, and need for recognition of his art painted a completely different picture. He was really nothing more than a sixteen-year-old teenager with an inferiority complex and an almost uncontrollable desire to surround himself with people.
"What are you looking at?" Deidara squinted his eyes and looked sideways at Itachi.
"You're beautiful eyes and lustrous blond hair." Hidan answered.
"As if." Itachi and Deidara said at the same time.
"Are you going to stay with Sasori for a while?" Itachi quickly changed the subject before the desire to kill Hidan became overwhelming.
"Yeah!" Deidara grinned, "He said I could go on a mission with him to steal some scrolls from a nobleman. I get to blow up a palace."
Itachi found that he was pleased Deidara was reunited with his partner, even if it did turn out to be for a short time. However, Kakuzu next words were chilling.
"I heard your wife has been targeted by the Red Water clan."
The silence was chilling and Itachi slowly turned to his head to meet the luminescent green eyes of the S-class ninja. "Where did you hear that?"
"I was a member of that clan until I joined Akatsuki. They keep a low profile, so everyone thinks that in terms of the Yakuza they're just a go-nowhere, looser clan that sits on the sidelines and dreams big." Kakuzu explained as he pulled his cash out from the center of the mahjongg board, having won another round, "But in reality they control just about the entirety of the entire Yakuza world."
That was bad news and Itachi had to fight hard not to react. He remained silent and waited for Kakuzu to speak again. However, it wasn't until the next round was over that the man opened his mouth again.
"You killed their leader's son, Itachi. About a year ago. He was filtering money from the Yakuzu into Danzou's bank account against his father's orders. You caught him for a different reason while on a low ranked mission for Konoha. He was the one that was killing those civilian women in that outpost town by Rice country."
"Oh, him." Itachi nearly shuddered. The man had been one of the creepiest people he had ever met. And after knowing Sasori for so many years that was saying something. "Are you telling me that the Yakuza actually wants revenge for his death?" He remembered that the murderer would dress up as a horror movie demon and kill his victims by skinning them.
"I find it hard to believe as well." Kakuzu admitted.
"Wait…" Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, "Didn't Akatsuki pick up a new guy?"
"Yeah. Have you met him?" Sasori had joined the conversation. "A rather interesting person."
"So…" The teen cursed, then walked away about six feet before turning around and coming back. "The skinning thing Rinrin does… where did she learn it? Or did she teach it to someone?"
Sasori shook his head, "I think you've got it figured out. Almost."
"Am I being punished because I… I… failed to kill him?" It seemed unbelievable. He had even retrieved the man's head. It had been a low level mission he had taken because he was bored. He couldn't remember the last time he had messed up on a mission and it really bothered him. And Sheeta was the one being targeted for his failure.
Kakuzu nodded appreciatively, "Ah. Now I think he's got it."
"Why are you telling me this?" Itachi said in a small voice.
"Because the hit was put out the clan can't pull it back easily. The internal politics of the Yakuza aren't that easy to navigate, even for the leader. However, they knew you and I are in contact and had instructed me to pass on, indirectly, any information I already knew."
Deidara shook his head, "I don't think that makes any sense."
"Welcome to the world of the Yakuzu!" Kakuzu laughed, the sound was slightly ominous and Hidan, who had been sitting near his partner slid back a foot on the sand.
Itachi sighed, "So if I kill this man the debt is settled."
"You got it." Kakuzu said calmly.
"Well, I'll catch you guys later." Itachi turned and looked out at the ocean for a moment before walking calmly back into the forest.
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Killing people in cold blood was something Itachi was as expert in. However, he rarely took pleasure in the act. However, as he stared at the two Shinobi laying prone on the ground in front of him he knew this would definitely be one of those rare occasions.
He had summoned one of his father's cats and sent him to intercept Jiraiya who was still nearby. Jiraiya and the cat, popped up next to him an hour later. The "party" was still going on at the beach, leaving the hideout empty except for Suigetsu who was comfortably perched in his room. The courtyard was the perfect place and the two Konoha ninja's moved the prisoners onto the cobblestones. It was important that it look like he entered the hideout and searched out his victims.
"Should they be awake?" Jiraiya asked quietly.
Itachi shook his head, "No point." A moment later the elder ninja used a transportation jutsu and disappeared. The cat followed a moment later, leaving Itachi alone.
He stood and stared at the pair for several minutes. He wondered if the man, Shintaru, had survived by using some jutsu to replace his body with another person. If he did, then killing him a second time would be risky. He might not actually die.
"Why so hesitant?" The voice came from Kakuzu, who was leaning up against the doorjamb of a nearby cave entrance.
"Just trying to think about the best way to make sure he's actually dead. Unless you know something about how he escaped before?" Itachi admitted.
Kakuzu grunted under his breath, "He had Orochimaru's help. But that guy is dead. I'm pretty sure cutting off his head now will work."
"Not much else I can do. You're old clan has to be able to identify the body so I can't burn it." He pulled out his katana and quickly decapitated the two shinobi. Pulled out a jutsu sealed bag he took both heads and threw them in his pack. "They can have the body, I get the head."
"Fair enough."
Itachi glanced back at the tall man. The sun had set over the hill, leaving the sky white with streaks of pink and the ground in the beginning throws of darkness. Kakuzu was nothing more than a silhouette. Almost ghostlike.
A memory from a long time ago returned. A hotel room in Waterfall country where a young Itachi was burning up with fever. Kakuzu had healed him them, simply because he admired anyone who stood up against the Senju clan. And that included the Uchiha.
Nodding once to acknowledge the older man's assistance, Itachi used a transportation jutsu to disappear.
"Bastards didn't stand a chance against a Sharingan user. There isn't a single bruise on them. Probably took him all of five minutes to find them, too." Kakuzu turned around and re-entered the hideout, a big smile on his face.
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Next week, Naruto studies with frogs and gets some tasty grubs to eat. We'll also see what Madara is up to.
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