Chapter 7: The Owl's Omen
The Owl represents Wisdom, Magic, Omen's, and the Night.
Minato blinked, confused. He swore he just saw a memory of Naruto's, but it felt like a dream of some sort...
"While you are in his subconscious, you see what he see's. You feel what he feels, you hear what he hears, and you die when he dies," Kurama explained. "Little man, what you just saw was a dream. That was when he first met Itachi."
Naruto's eyes slowly opened, but they still met darkness. He sighed, feeling something warm on his side. He looked to his left, and heard the crackling of fire.
"Oh, good, you're awake," someone said.
He blinked, and instantly knew that voice. His eyes trailed towards an outline of dark sapphire. His eyes widened. "Itachi sensei?"
"Hn."
Naruto shot up, but a splitting headache made him sit back down with a groan. "I feel like crap..."
"Well, with that stunt you pulled I'd say you should feel like crap," Itachi snapped. "What pissed you off this time?"
"The council," Naruto replied. He scrunched his nose in annoyance. "They figured out that I was blind and forced a retirement on me."
The Uchiha sighed, rubbing his already stressed out temples. "Geez, Naruto, I still don't know if you're just oblivious or stupid or what."
"Whatever," he retorted. "What are you doing here?"
"Recently the co. leader attacked Akatsuki," Itachi explained. "You met him once, I think. Remember when I stopped by Konoha two years ago with Kisame and the scarred brunette?"
Naruto nodded. "His name was Obito, right?"
Itachi sighed. "Yeah. He deemed us useless because Pain refused to extract the bijuu from the Jinchuuriki if it kills them."
"That's odd. I thought he was merciless," he grumbled.
Obito is alive? Minato asked. He was obviously shocked.
Apparently... Kurama mumbled.
"Hn."
"And why am I camping with you again?"
"Hn."
Naruto frowned. "What for?"
"Hn, hn."
"Well, you came at the perfect time. I was planning on going rogue."
Itachi tilted his head. "That bad, huh?"
How the hell do you know the Uchiha language? Minato asked. I couldn't even understand Fugaku, let alone Obito or Itachi.
I guess only retards understand them. Kurama insulted.
Oh, shut up. Naruto retorted. He slowly nodded in response to Itachi.
"That reminds me, where is Tsukiyomi?" Naruto asked. "He has a wolf and a cub with him."
"Oh, him?" Itachi mumbled. "He went to gather up some firewood. I just happened to consequentially run into you."
Naruto rolled his cerulean eyes. "Yeah right...you totally did this on purpose."
"Ridiculous," Itachi retorted sarcastically.
The blonde sighed. "Well, I'm gonna go back to sleep. I'm tired. Come back tomorrow morning...noon...afternoon... Actually, no, come back tomorrow evening."
It was Itachi's turn to sigh. "I'll talk with Tsukiyomi. Those flame wolves weren't normal."
Naruto nodded, closing his eyes. "Okay. Whatever. Don't care. Don't give a shit. Go away. I sleep. I tired. Good night." He rolled over, ignoring Itachi's rhetorical snort.
Tsukiyomi walked through the forest, gathering twigs, bark, leaves and a few tiny branches. He had about an armful of supplies and Yoru was dragging a giant branch behind herself. He stopped dead when he felt another presence ahead at the campsite. The brunette rushed into the lit up clearing.
Naruto was peacefully sleeping on his side, and there was a raven haired man in a black cloak with red clouds. He was casually sitting in front of the fire across from the blond, contently watching the teen sleep. Tsukiyomi's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?" he questioned.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," the stranger reassured. "The exact opposite, actually. I assume you know Naruto's situation, no?"
"Are you talking about his retirement or the Kyuubi going out of control?" Tsukiyomi asked.
"Both," he responded. His head tipped. "What? You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"That retirement was forced," he stated. "Why he let the Kyuubi rampage, I do not know. But he is going rogue so if you force him to return to Konoha everything will go to shit, restrained or not."
Tsukiyomi sighed, setting the twigs and branches down. He sat down, facing the dark dressed stranger. "That doesn't answer my question as to who you are..."
"My name is Itachi," he stated. "Naruto's first sensei and friend if you don't know."
"...Interesting," Tsukiyomi commented. He relaxed a little bit. "So why are you here? There's gotta be a catch."
"Recently the co. leader of the organization I work for decided to rampage after Pain—our leader—denied our goals," Itachi explained. "Our main base—which is a shinobi village—was half destroyed in the process. Pain ordered me to find three powerful rogue's, all of them good in some specific areas."
His brow raised. "Like what?"
"Information gathering or spying, healer or tracker, and infiltrating or sensor. Naruto fits the infiltrator and sensor picture perfectly," he stated. He glanced at Tsukiyomi. "You seem like the information gathering type."
"I'm actually a tracker and healer," the brunette said. "And I do have a good childhood friend that is very good at information gathering and spying."
Itachi smiled. "Good. Where is he or she?"
"His name is Tobi," Tsukiyomi stated. "He was experimented on by Orochimaru of the Sannin like...a few decades ago. It was said to be failed so Orochimaru dumped Tobi. His brains cells actually evolved to a manipulating smart ass after a decade of wandering. He also has the ability to walk through solid objects and he knows the Hiraishin like none other. He uses it so well and so much that he can teleport anywhere within a 100 mile radius."
"Interesting," the Uchiha mused. His smile turned into a smirk. "And where is this Tobi at?"
"Uh..." he murmured. "I think he's in the Land of Wind... Like, miles and miles away from Sunagakure. Like really far away from where we are."
Itachi sighed, his head hanging. "I was expecting this mission to take less than two weeks..."
Tsukiyomi only snickered in amusement.
Minato watched the scene play in his mind over and over. He glanced to Kurama, back to sleeping Naruto and back to Kurama.
Annoyed, the Kyuubi opened up his eyes and glared at the Yondaime. "What is it, little man? Is something annoying that shriveled up brains of yours?"
"No...yes...kind of...sort of...maybe..." Minato mumbled.
Kurama growled in annoyance. "Is it a yes, or no?!"
"Uh...dunno," he nervously responded. "It's the way Naruto and Itachi act around each other. Are they that close?"
"...Indeed they are. Me and the gaki share one thing in common, and that is owing our brethren, or sensei's, or even a few friends," Kurama stated. "I owe Naruto for understanding more than a little man such as you should. Not to mention, he has walked passed the jail bars a hundred times. He still does, and he never even flinches once."
Minato smiled and laughed. "He's got some real guts!"
Kurama snorted. "I find it annoying. I don't know if he gets it from you, that perverted Sannin or Kushina."
"Probably all three of us," he stated.
"...Whatever. I'm going back to sleep. Don't interrupt me again, little man."
Tobi and Obito are completely different people. Or are they? Teehee. :3