Summary
Itachi and Kisame head out to pay Naruto and Sasuke a visit...
A/N: And I'm making an attempt to somewhat follow the original storyline. I'm just editing heavily. I had to re-read and rewatch the episode(s) where Itachi and Kisame appeared for the first time so I could have some semblance of what originally happened. It made it very diffiult to keep everyone in character and add my own twist to it.
I apologize for the long wait! For your patience, this chapter is a lot longer than normal. So, anyways, read and review!
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The moment he learned of the destruction of the Leaf Village, courtesy of Orochimaru, he knew it was time to pay a visit back to his old home. Despite the protests that Kisame whipped up, Itachi needed to make sure that Danzou and the elders would remember that he was still around; and still watching carefully.
After all, who knows what those bastards would do to his little brother if he didn't make an appearance. And with the Third being gone now...
He made the flimsy excuse to Pein that they were going to check out the information on the Nine-tails vessel, Naruto Uzumaki. The leader accepted it without any problems.
"If you can, bring back the boy with you," the shadowy figure of the Rinnengan user demanded before fazing out of existence.
Now, after taking a moment to beat the living daylights out of one Kakashi Hatake, curtesy of the Tsukuyomi, the two missing-nin were finally on the right track.
"I hate this town," Kisame muttered, stepping to the side when a group of children barreled past them in high spirits, "There are always way too many people. Itachi? Why did we have to come here?"
The smaller man remained silent, Sharingan eyes sharp and trying to pick out what should have been the Kyuubi's distinctive chakra. He was having a much more difficult time with all the other people around. Why had they come here?
'Right, to find Sasuke,' the former heir thought, glaring at nothing in particular, 'under the cover of looking for Naruto.'
"I bet your friend would like this town. She seems lively," the shark man commented off-handedly. Itachi's hand twitched in annoyance and he resisted the urge to pummel Kisame to death suddenly. At this point, he actually needed the Mist nin. But to be reminded of Kagome...
"I severed ties with her," the Uchiha replied shortly, clenching his teeth when the feelings of remorse reared their head inside. Kisame remained silent for a moment before shrugging his massive shoulders.
"Probably for the best. She was in more danger knowing you than being pushed aside."
'Exactly.' The other ninja was right, though. Kagome would probably love this town. It was loud, lively, and full of interesting sights and smells. A pang started in his chest again as he continued to think of the girl he'd left behind two months ago.
It was a feeling that had been growing recently, and when he'd had the time to try and analyze it, the closest possibility he could connect it with was the aching lonliness he'd suffered before he'd met her. The suffocating sensation that had come over him when he'd made the decision to obtain his Mangekyou Sharingan. For some reason, though, it seemed a thousand times worse.
Was this how it felt to lose a truly good friend? Was this how he was supposed to have felt when he killed Shisui?
Something caught at the corner of his senses, and the odd chakra sensing ability he'd picked up from the well startled into life all of the sudden. The force beckoning him was a viscious bloody feeling. One he knew was ancient in age and power.
The Nine-tails chakra was calling.
And, now that he knew what he was looking for, the Sharingan weilder couldn't believe it had taken him so long to identify it! The abrasive feeling was like a homing device!
"Kisame. This way." Cutting through the crowd, the smaller nin made his way towards a hotel in the distance.
"You sure?"
"Yes. Now, we need to distract the Sannin that is with Naruto," Itachi replied, pulling from the information Pein had given them to memorize, then burn later. If he was right, then the easiest way to separate the great Jiraiya from his newest pupil was with the carnal sin that no man could resist.
A woman.
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It had been surprisingly easy to lure Jiraiya away. Now, the two ninjas were fairly confident in their ability to kidnap a small child, however, it would have been nice to actually know what Naruto Uzumaki looked like. He'd been following what he'd started calling his Chakra Sensor, and the Kyuubi's chakra had led them right to this door.
Itachi wasn't really sure what the protocol for this would entail, but seeing as they probably shouldn't cause a huge commotion (they did, after all, sneak into this inn), he just shrugged and settled for knocking on the door. Maybe they'd get lucky and the Nine-tails container would be dumb enough to answer the door.
The door opened, and a small blonde boy glanced up at him in shock.
Itachi felt like smacking the kid. He just had to be a blonde. And, just his luck, he would be the demon vessel. The whiskers on his cheeks completely gave him away.
"Hard to believe this kid is the Nine-tails," Kisame muttered, stepping out from behind the Uchiha to smirk arrogantly at the boy.
"Naruto Uzumaki. You're coming with us."
The boy, Naruto stood there for a moment in a panic before Itachi felt the need to urge him on a little more. They were running out of time.
"Why don't we take a walk." It wasn't a suggestion. Putting a slight compulsion on the boy through the Sharingan's hypnotic effects, the blonde gulped and stepped away from his hotel room. So far, things were going well. If they could actually accomplish this mission, maybe Pein and Madara would get off his back for a little while.
"Are you really going to hurt that poor boy? He's done nothing to you!" Kagome's voice filtered through his head, making him want to grit his teeth. She would say something like that. And then she'd try to protect the child; demon vessel or not. "Itachi! Please!"
'That's enough! Now is not the time to be thinking of her!' It seemed that his conscience had decided to take on the voice of the priestess. It was actually a very effective idea... if this mission wasn't so important.
"Hey, Itachi. It'd be a pain if he just ran off on us," Kisame muttered, raising a hand to his sword and grinning arrogantly down at the shocked boy, "Maybe I oughta... chop off a leg. Just in case."
Naruto gasped in horror and gulped heavily, eyes wide in fear. When the smaller male didn't reply, the blue man stepped forward.
"Right then." Kisame watched his partner's emotionless expression very carefully. While it was true that you couldn't read the Uchiha's emotions through his expressions unless he wanted you to, his eyes were another story. Usually, the Sharingan user let his most lethal weapon do all the talking. Those red eyes, however, were completely blank; almost as though he was focusing on something else entirely.
"It's been a long time. We meet again... Sasuke," Itachi breathed quietly, sliding his gaze to the person behind them languidly. His much taller partner froze, turning to face their newest opponent.
'I wonder... how much stronger you have become my foolish little brother.'
"Itachi Uchiha."
Naruto looked from one Uchiha to the other in confusion, "Itachi... Uchiha? You..."
"Well... If it isn't a Sharingan. And he looks an awful lot like you. I thought you killed everyone in your illustrious clan, Itachi," Kisame grumbled out, letting his sword hand drop in interest, "Who is this kid?"
"... My younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha."
"I hope you're ready to die, Itachi," the younger Uchiha growled out, hatred blackening his features, "It's just as you said, brother. I've fostered my hatred for you all this time. I've lived my life for one single purpose. And that is to See. You. Die!" Lightning formed in his palm, the electric shocks making an almost bird-like sound. Inwardly, Itachi was a little impressed. It took quite an effort to be able to manifest and use a lightning jutsu. Especially one as difficult to control as the Chidori.
'He must have an affinity for lightning,' the former heir thought, narrowing his eyes sharply and quickly analyzing his brother's movements.
"IT ENDS HERE! YOU'RE DEAD!" With that, Sasuke shot forward, slamming his palm into the wall and tearing up the drywall in the process.
"Sasuke!" Itachi heard the blonde vessel call out for his team mate, but was unable to do anything to help. Flicking up a hand, he easily caught the younger male's attack and steered the brunt of Chidori's destructive force into demolishing the nearest wall. Light filtered through the hole as the wind pushed the floating debris away.
Steeling his resolve, Itachi shoved the emotions that attempted to crowd to the surface and tightened his hold on Sasuke's wrist painfully.
A sickening force suddenly swelled to life behind him, and the older Uchiha and his partner whirled their attention onto Naruto.
'He's trying to call on the fox's chakra!' Itachi thought, stomach lurching at the hatred rolling off of the signature alone. There was no way a young boy like Naruto would be able to emit that much anger and hatred without any kind of assistance.
"The air... is filled with chakra," Kisame murmured, whipping a hand up to his sword again, "This must be the Nine-tails signature."
"Not yet-!" Sasuke gasped, rearing a hand back.
"That's enough," Itachi interrupted quietly, snapping his hand and breaking the younger boy's wrist suddenly. The scream that went through the air was chilling, and this was the answer he needed. His brother wasn't strong enough. Not yet, at any rate. There was no way he'd be able to accomplish his goals at the current strength the younger boy exuded. Sasuke hit the floor in pain, and he let the damaged wrist slide from his grasp.
'What a shame. It seems I must wait a little longer.'
"Dammit! I've had it! Ninja Art Summoning-!" Naruto started, nicking his thumb and starting through the seals for a summons.
"TOO SLOW KID!" the shark man snarled, bringing his sword down and snatching the chakra in the air away. The effect was immediate, and the reddish glow that the former heir could see manifesting around the blonde boy vanished, the Samehada sucking it into it like a void. The demonic blade munched happily on its' treat, moving in excitement for another taste in Kisame's hand. "Sorry, kid. My Samehada cuts through chakra and devours it."
Naruto could only look on in shock, frozen in absolute terror.
"Forget the legs. We don't want him to whip out any more jutsu. Maybe I'll just start with those pesky arms of his. Eh, Itachi?"
"... Do what you want. I don't really care," the Uchiha sighed, turning away from his brother now that he was no longer a threat. The panicked expression that flickered across the blonde's face made his stomach churn in sadness. He could only quell the urge to stop his bloodthirsty partner from being so ruthless. Was nothing sacred anymore? Was there really no way to just show a little mercy?
'Now you're thinking like a peace-talker, Uchiha,' a little voice in his head hissed, 'Kagome held far too much sway on your emotions. More than you ever realized. You know pacifism has no place in this world of bloodshed.'
"You're just wasting your time, boy." Raising the bandaged blade high into the air, Kisame brought it down again for a final swing. Smoke suddenly exploded, catching the two missing nin off guard and deflecting the demonic blade.
"What the hell?" The smoke cleared, and standing in front of the demon vessel was an armored red frog. Itachi's Sharingan eyes narrowed in displeasure. Oh, he knew what this meant. They'd failed.
"You two don't know me at all, do you?" a voice grumbled, another explosion cracking in the air that indicated a transportation jutsu," You should have done your homework better. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, falls victim to no woman's charms!" The Sannin stepped from the cloud and smirked at the two annoyed S-class criminals. "Rare beauties drop for me, like blossoms in a storm! It isn't in my nature to be duped by the wiles of women! When you have reached the stature that I have, the ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!"
'Yeah, and I'm gay,' Itachi thought, feeling a tiny twitch start up in his left eye.
After several precious seconds of bickering, the Sage and Naruto were ready to get serious.
"I know that Naruto is the one you're really after," Jiraiya announced, much to Sasuke and Naruto's surprise.
Thinking back on what Kakashi had said earlier, Itachi came to the realization that this man had been the one to inform the Copy-ninja.
"You are correct. Naruto Uzumaki is the prize that the Akatsuki are after. And we will have him," Itachi replied, putting an ominous threatening tone in his last words.
"No way! I'll never let you guys run off with him!" the Toad Sage growled, sliding into a fighting stance, "Actually, this gives me the chance to eliminate you both."
"NO!" Sasuke snapped, shakily rising to his feet, "He's mine! This... is my fight! The only one that gets to kill him... is me!"
'There's that stubborn will he inherited from father,' Itachi mused, glancing in his brother's direction and almost scoffing. The boy was in no shape to fight. Still...
"Go away. You don't interest me right now."
Sasuke seethed visibly and charged right in. "THEN GET INTERESTED!"
The elder Sharingan user snapped a foot out and kicked the smaller boy roughly down the hall.
"SASUKE!"
"Don't interfere, Naruto! This fight is mine!" the dark-haired boy snapped, charging back down the hall again recklessly. Itachi winced inwardly at his sibling's carelessness.
'You leave yourself wide open, little brother.' Lifting one hand, he brushed off the next punch and used his other hand to almost slap the other Uchiha back down the hall. Sasuke's body slammed into the wall as blood dripped from his mouth. The Sharingan master glared in annoyance when Sasuke tried to move his broken hand.
'He can't even make the proper hands signs. Why can't you just give up?'
"Not... finished... This fight... is mine."
"... So be it," Itachi sighed, starting forward to finally meet his brother. An easy knee knocked the younger back again when he tried to attack and the elder sibling again steeled himself to beating some sense into his brother. Sasuke needed to know that at his current power level, there wasn't a damn thing he could do. He had to become stronger!
There was absolutely no other way!
"I love my little brother! He may be a brat, but I'd do anything for him!" Kagome's voice echoed in his mind. Gritting his teeth, the next punch he connected contained a little more force than neccesary. It was for the best.
"You always tell them to just be theirselves."
'But he can't see that. He's too blinded by his idolization of me.' A sharp elbow to the back of the neck brought Sasuke crashing to the ground.
"You have a brother? What's he like?" Her blue eyes wide and a huge smile on her face.
'He's a good kid on the tainted path of revenge for a clan that would have sacrificed him in a heartbeat.' Picking Sasuke up by his collar, he slammed the boy into the wall and held him up by his throat. 'That... is our destiny. One of hatred and vengance.'
"You still don't have enough hate, Sasuke," Itachi muttered, watching impassively as the younger Uchiha struggled weakly in his grip, "And you know what? You never will. Perhaps you need a reminder as to what your goals are." He felt his Sharingan begin to warp and flow into it's next level. Sasuke could only stare in horror at his brother's pinwheeling eyes. He knew what would happen next.
"Mangekyou Sharingan!"
The blood. The sceaming. The absolute agony. Sasuke tried to resist; knew he wasn't strong enough. It took him a moment to realize that part of the screaming was coming from him.
"You're weak, little brother."
Bodies falling, drenched in blood. His clan members being slaughtered again and again in front of his seven year old self. People he didn't even recognize begging for mercy; for a swift death. A girl smiling innocently, offering him a bottle of nail polish.
'Wait! What?' the younger Uchiha vaguely questioned that phantom image. There was no pain associated with it. No anger, or regret, even. Just a numb shock, a bit of embarrassment, and a slight longing. Fighting admirably against the older Uchiha's genjutsu, he caught several other flashes of the same girl.
Was his brother really tripped up by a simple dog? Took care of this girl when she got sick? Carried her back home when she twisted her ankle? Breathed life into her when she'd almost drowned? These instances of a kinder brother that he'd thought was nothing more than a facade that had been enacted on him. It was... confusing. Who was she? Was she important to Itachi?
Itachi cursed inwardly and pulled back the Tsukuyomi. How was it that making his younger sibling stronger caused him to think about her, of all people? It was absolutely not fair!
'I am not doing anything wrong!' Itachi thought vehemently, glaring at his brother in agitation. Sasuke grimaced when the older Uchiha's hand tightened around his throat, but he managed to get out his next sentence.
"So... Did you kill her too?" the younger boy's voice was hoarse from his screaming, but Itachi caught the words easily. And it pissed him off. How dare the boy assume that he'd kill Kagome?
He watched impassively as Sasuke's small body arced across the hall before realizing that he had thrown the boy in his anger. He really needed to get a grip on that.
Shortly after hauling the boy up again and knocking him out, the legendary Jiraiya finally decided to take action. There was no way he wanted to go up against the Toad Sage. Itachi safely assumed that it was time to beat a hasty retreat... preferably before they ended up in the digestive tract of the frog they were now in.
Using Amaterasu, though, had been a bad idea. Combined with the effort it had taken to re-control the Mangekyou properly, the use of the black flame technique, and the desperate need to escape from the ANBU persuing them, it had used up any remaining chakra he'd had left.
"So, we're just going to run again?" Kisame growled out, throwing a glare at his quiet partner as they sped across the small river, "We seem to be doing a lot of that."
"There's no rush for now. We'll get Naruto when the time is right," Itachi replied, avoiding Kisame's gaze and concentrating on maintaining his balance, "Besides, I felt it wise to find some place to rest for a while and recharge my powers." The two S-class criminals continued to make their way to a resting point.
'On top of Tsukuyomi, to have to use Amaterasu as well; it was more exhausting than I thought,' the Uchiha mused, gritting his teeth silently when his Sharingan faded. He didn't have the chakra to keep it activated any more.
Several miles later, the Sharingan user blacked out from sheer exhaustion, much to his partner's horror.
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He groaned as he began to regain consciousness. He hated when using the Tsukuyomi drained him like that. It always felt like dealing with a pounding headache, itchy eyes, and a dry mouth.
Funny, most people would associate those symptoms with a hangover.
"He's waking up!" Itachi hadn't wanted to kill his partner more than right now. The shark-man's voice was grating against his skull painfully.
"Kisame... Shut. Up."
"Good to see you're back to normal, Itachi," Kisame stated loudly, grinning sharply when the Uchiha hissed and glared murderously at him. A light scuffle caught his attention, and he barely restrained the urge to bolt up in shock.
Kagome was walking into the room with a glass of water, a bottle of Advil, and a concerned look on her pretty face.
He took back his former thought. He'd never wanted to kill Kisame more than he did right now. Why the hell was he in Kagome's house!
'Why isn't she screaming? Or mad?' He was thankful she wasn't. The imagined headache almost made him pass out from pain again.
"I see you're awake," she whispered, handling him four tablets and the glass of water, "I was worried. Especially when this guy brought you in."
He nodded, swallowing the pills and taking a deep gulp of water, "Are you... all right? Did he hurt you?"
"Itachi... I'm not the one in bed right now from overuse of energy," Kagome replied in a deadpan. She made an excellent point.
"Kisame."
"What?"
"Out!"
"What!"
"Now!"
"Don't be stupid, Itachi! You're already near dead!"
"It's okay, Kisame-san," the priestess interrupted what was sure to be a huge fight and pasted a smile on her face, "I can handle him. He'll be fine."
Kisame glanced from the girl to the murderous looking Uchiha, shrugged and finally beat a hasty retreat.
"It's not my fault if you get yourself killed, girlie," the shark man sighed, waving absently as he disappeared somewhere else in Kagome's home.
"Thanks. You're support is immeasurable," Kagome ground out sarcastically, glaring huffily at the spot that the swordsman had previously occupied.
It took him a few moments, but he finally got up the courage to speak to her. "I'm surprised you're not screaming."
"I've seen some pretty interesting things, Itachi. One more hanyou isn't going to make much of a difference to me," the priestess shrugged, pulling up a chair and opening a book. It was one of the one's he'd given her before he left. A part of him swelled in pride at the thought of her reading it.
"I wasn't... I thought you would be upset," the prodigy muttered, completely on guard. This wasn't the normal Kagome reaction. Usually, she would be right in his face demanding why he'd just up and left.
"Your friend told me why. I... I understand. I can't ask you to always be there every time I get into trouble," the priestess replied, self-mocking coating her words, "And, unfortunately, I seem to be a trouble magnet."
"Yes. I can relate to Inuyasha a little now," he joked, smirking when she blushed and glared at him. Setting the book aside, she crawled onto the bed and hugged him suddenly.
"Don't scare me like that, okay?" Kagome sighed, playing absently with his hair, "I was really worried, you goof."
Itachi huffed quietly and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "not a goof". But, having her nearby again, he felt a calm that had deserted him settle over him again, and let himself relax completely into her arms.
A few quiet moments later, a prickling sensation traveled along Itachi's spine and he stiffened out of reflex. They weren't alone. And the faint signature he was picking up wasn't Kisame's.
"Itachi? What-!" the priestess started, jerking suddenly and shoving him back down on the bed. The movement jarred his head, but he avoided the sword that flashed out in their direction. Unfortunately, Kagome didn't. It slid right into her chest with a sickening crunch. She gasped in pain and coughed as she leaned over him protectively, blood dripping from her mouth morbidly and plopping onto his cheeks. Itachi lay there in an abnormal state of shock. She'd saved him. She'd pushed him aside and took a killing blow meant for him!
"What? Who-? Itach-! What's going... on?" Kagome rasped out, gapsing again in pain when the lade was wrenched from her. The priestess's arms buckled and she slumped down into the mattress, unable to support her weight. Itachi snapped out of it and sat up suddenly, kunai in his hand and blocking the strike that his opponent made for his throat. Glancing up, he let loose a string of curses. An ANBU had followed him and managed to get in.
"Kisa-"
"It won't do you any good. The shark man is dead," the ANBU replied in a young monotone, laying his weight against his standard issued blade and putting pressure on the missing nin. Itachi grit his teeth and fought to throw him off. he was at a distinct disadvantage; with his Sharingan inactive and his chakra reserves to low to make a get away. Besides, he had to try to save Kagome!
"Kagome! Hang on!" The bright light in her eyes was already starting to fade. He couldn't lose her! Not like this!
"I punctured one of her lungs. She won't live for much longer. And in the time that she does, she'll suffer horribly. For a missing nin, you seem to be rather incapable," the ANBU spoke, that unnatural monotone ringing in Itachi's ears. Even though the boy seemed eeriely familiar, he hated this kid, whoever he was. The mask was what bothered him the most. It was a porcelain face that he was sure he was supposed to recognize.
"You followed us."
"I've no need to do such a thing. I've known this place existed for quite some time," the boy sighed, an almost exasperated tone coloring his voice, "I thought you were one of the best. It seems that even someone as illustrious as you can fall."
"Who are you?" the Sharingan master hissed, finally throwing the ANBU off and scrambling off the bed. Sliding into a defensive stance, he hid his shock well when the boy mimicked him move for move. They stared eachother down for a few moments, waiting for one to make a move on the other.
"Who am I?" he whispered, straightening from his defensive crouch and holding up his sword, "I am the one who carved your destiny. I was the one that took hold and did what you could not. I was the one you fled to when your pathetic human emotions couldn't stomach the thought of killing your own clansmen." A sickening dread began to fill Itachi as the pieces started to fall into place. "And I am the one that will destroy her. Your ties to this girl must be broken. You must not let your emotions cloud your judgement! You can not falter! Not now, when your plans are still coming to frutation. Not for some slip of a girl!"
The boy lifted his free hand and peeled away the mask, letting it fall and shatter on the ground. Sharingan eyes bore into his own, set in a face that was a younger mirror of himself. Itachi was looking into his thirteen year old self again. And what he saw chilled him to the bone.
He was a monster.
"I am you, Itachi Uchiha." And then, the younger Itachi swung out his sword.
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Madara Uchiha paced worriedly next to Itachi's bed. They younger Uchiha had been unconscious for two days already, and the occasional spasmotic twitching that overcame the teenager had even him in near fits. With a high fever that his dangerously low immune system was having trouble fighting off, Madara had to wonder if Itachi would even make it out alive.
'This isn't like him. How could he have been so careless as to waste all of his chakra?' the older male thought, turning to check on the feverish boy again, 'This is why I told Pein we needed to find a new medic after Orochimaru ran off!' Itachi's breath rattled from his abused lungs as he went into another coughing fit; one that was progressively becoming worse.
"This is bad. If he dies right now, all my plans will be for nothing!" the founder hissed, glaring at the uncooperative Itachi. "How could you be so reckless, Itachi!"
Had he not been a shinobi of the highest calliber, Madara would have jumped when Itachi suddenly bolted upright, spluttering in agony and coughing sharply. Dragging the teenager to the sink in the bath room, the older man held the younger's hair away from his face as he threw up blood into the sink in an unusual act of kindness.
Itachi may have been an impudent child, but he was still training the boy.
"Why are you-!" Itachi managed to snap out before leaning over the sink again. Grasping erratically for the medicine cabinet, Madara quickly located the pills the boy would need in a moment. After slipping them to him, the older Sharingan user stepped back and let the former heir have some room.
"Are you going to tell me why you were so careless, Itachi?"
"... We encountered both Kakashi Hatake and the Sannin Jiraiya. I had to use Tsukuyomi multiple times and Amaterasu to escape. I overexerted my senses and paid for it," the younger male finally said after a few moments of silence, "Why are you helping me?"
Madara snorted in annoyance and rummaged through the linens closet. "It's not for your well-being. I need you to finish your training, Itachi."
Itachi didn't have the energy to mentally spar with the irate Uchiha right now, so settled for leveling a tired glare at him. He was still feeling off-balance from the after-effects of his nightmare and losing a good deal of blood. Glancing into the sink, he sneered in dsipleasure and flipped the faucet on.
"Get cleaned up, Itachi, and then get some actual rest. I have some things to go over with you when you've recovered," the older Uchiha sighed, pulling the younger away from the sink and thrusting a towel at the dizzy teenager.
"Yes," Itachi wheezed, stumbling over to the tap and turning the shower on. Madara nodded and turned to leave. "Wait."
"What-!" He turned just in time to receive the fist to his face, shattering the flamed mask he'd taken to wearing. Rearing back, Madara snarled in pain and hit the wall.
"That," the younger Uchiha snapped visciously, "was for her! Come near her again and you will not live!" With that, he shoved the older man out of the bath room and slammed the door shut angrily.
Madara hissed in agony and slowly began to peel the bits of his mask away. He was going to need a new one; not to mention something to reduce the swelling he could already feel surrounding his eye. How the hell had Itachi moved quickly enough when he was so obviously in pain?
'Damned kid! I'll beat him back into submission if it's the last thing I do!' Stalking away furiously, the older Uchiha failed to re-evaluate what Itachi had told him.
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He couldn't take it anymore! That nightmare was the last straw! How was he supposed to retain his sanity when the sheer memory of Kagome was making him feel so horribly guilty? Would she really end up dead by his hand if he tried to regain ties with her? The thought was too chilling to even consider! Someone as bright and vibrant as Kagome deserved to live.
Something had to be done! And soon! Otherwise, there wouldn't be an Akatsuki when he was done with it!
After relishing the delicious feeling that giving Madara a black eye had invoked, he threw himself moodily into a shower and began to plan again.
He honestly did feel better, though.
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A/N: This chapter was actually very difficult for me to do. I'm actually going to go on a small hiatus for this story. My creativity is trickling with this storyline, and I'd prefer to do my next chapters well, as they're becoming important. So, it'll probably be a week or three before the next chapter comes out. Don't worry though. I'm working hard on trying to rekindle that creativity. After all, with this chapter, there are only a few more left. Probably between 8 and 10.
I love Jiraiya's little speech in the anime and had fun adding it in. He's such a crazy fun character.
The winner of the poll was Itachi/Kagome. Now, I've put up another one!
Anyways, please review!