Primal

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Naruto talking to Kyuubi in bold.

Kyuubi talking to Naruto in bold italics.

Chapter Notation: I took some liberties with Kisame's reasons for joining the Akatsuki. That may or may not be cannon. As for the views expressed about ninja marriages, I made those up. They may or may not be accurate, but I feel that it makes the plot flow a bit more smoothly.

Chapter 15

It didn't take long for Suki and Naruto to head towards the Valley of the End. It was a disturbingly easy matter to knock out the ANBU ninjas. Suki was still amazed at how easily Naruto had dealt with the ANBUS, really.

Luckily for the ANBUS, Naruto was still Naruto. If given the choice, her blonde wouldn't kill. Her Mate had merely knocked them out and Suki was more than happy with that result.

"You're happy that I knocked them out?" Naruto asks in a surprise.

"Of course, I am. It's easier than having them tail us and trying to lose them later on. That and in a weird way, it's kinda hot." Suki informs him.

Naruto blinks. He'd never understand Suki sometimes. She thought it was hot that he knocked out the ANBUS? Well whatever worked for her.

"She'd never admit this. The woman is too proud, but most Mates do enjoy knowing that their Mate will fight for them." Kurama tells him.

"Oh yeah. I'm definitely not going to tell her that you said that." Naruto replies.

"Uchiha women are complicated creatures. They're proud and stubborn. Most of them adore having a protective Mate, but they also have a strong desire for their Mate to recognize they are capable of fending for themselves. Still I would rather deal with an Uchiha woman than someone like Madara Uchiha. I despised him." The Nine Tails finishes with a snarl.

Naruto pauses as he considers that. Well that didn't sound like Suki. Still that did raise a lot of interesting questions. Just how well had Kurama known the Uchihas before the Massacre?

He had known for awhile that Madara had once controlled Kurama. The furball was still rather sore about that. Naruto also knew that Kurama wasn't exactly that fond of Suki's ancestor, but what about the other Uchihas?

"You're really weird sometimes." Naruto says as they wait at the Valley of the End.

"Well I never claimed to be normal and that's rich coming from the guy with the ramen fetish." Suki taunts him as her eyes scan their surroundings.

"Hey! Ramen is amazing. I'm serious, Suki. One day, you'll learn to appreciate the awesomeness that is ramen." He insists.

Suki playfully rolls her eyes in response. She knew what Naruto was doing and she appreciated it. Her Mate was trying to distract her from the millions of possibilities that were racing through her head.

If what Sai had said was true, that meant that Itachi wasn't solely responsible for the death of their clansmen and women. The Leaf had ordered nothing short of a genocide. That was a war crime.

"Damn. That's not good. She's slipping again." Naruto murmurs to Kurama.

She was slipping back into what Naruto called the Darkness. Her thoughts sometimes became very angry or mournful. His Mate would sometimes retreat into a dark corner of her mind. The blonde really didn't like when that happened.

It was probably a good thing that they couldn't hear each other's thoughts. The emotions were potent enough. Naruto didn't need to hear the words to realize that she was lost in a sea of confusion. It literally felt like she was drowning in some ways.

"Suki, you still with me?" Naruto asks warily.

If it was true, she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do about it. Itachi had still killed them. He still had an ocean of blood on his hands, but Itachi might not have chosen to slaughter them. Did that make a difference?

It certainly didn't make their family any less dead. Their mother and father had still been murdered by their own son in cold blood. The fact that Itachi had possibly done it to prevent a war, didn't change that.

As she was pondering the matter, she was vaguely aware of the ball of light coming closer. In the distant corner of her mind, she could hear Naruto's voice. It grounded her.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need to know if Sai told me the truth or not." The raven haired woman assures her.

Naruto mentally breathes a sigh of relief. Good. She hadn't slipped THAT far down yet. The last thing that he wanted was for them to become Mates, only to lose her to insanity.

"Don't worry. We'll find out." He promises as he laces his fingers with hers in a show of support.

Suki smiles back at him in response. He really was like her own personal Sun. Without him, Suki was almost positive that she would have become someone that she could scarcely recognize. A complete monster with only one goal. Destruction.

Meanwhile Itachi approaches the Valley of the End. He smirks when he senses Suki's chakra. His foolish little sister certainly wasn't trying to hide her presence. He didn't know whether to be proud of her defiance or cringe at her recklessness.

"Both, I suppose." He whispers to himself.

Itachi watches the Mates from a safe distance. They were just talking and holding hands. That was something of a relief. Naruto clearly did care about his sister.

He could only hope that the blonde would do a better job of protecting her than he had. Itachi had failed to protect her in every way, except for one. His sins had kept her alive, but at what cost?

"At least, she's not alone anymore." He mutters.

Naruto might give her what she needed. Love and a family. Itachi was her family and he loved his foolish little sister deeply, but he obviously wasn't in a position to give her what she needed. The world would be a far better place, once this sad chapter in their Clan's history was put to rest.

Danzo was gone now. He would follow him shortly. After that,, there would be only a handful of feeble elders who knew the truth. If nothing else, they'd all likely perish from old age soon.

"It's a small consolation, but a valid one." The Uchiha observes with a sigh.

Maybe, the Jinchuuriki would be able to do it. If Naruto became Hokage, perhaps it would never happen again. Their Clan would be allowed to flourish and start a brighter chapter. Suki could be happy and he wouldn't have to carry the weight of all these secrets anymore.

The Leaf would likely welcome them both back with open arms. After all, they had killed Orochimaru and him. He and the Sannin were two of the number one enemies of that village. They'd be celebrated as heroes.

"That and everyone loves a good love story." He murmurs.

There were times when Itachi wondered if the team formations were designed to help the seeds of romance bloom. It was almost always two boys for every girl. Predictably, one of those boys or the girl would almost inevitably develop feelings for one of their teammates. Every once in awhile, this resulted in a happy marriage with children.

Was the Leaf subtly trying to encourage ninjas to pair off to produce stronger ninjas in the future? It certainly wasn't unheard of for ninjas to marry civilians, but most ninjas preferred to be with other ninjas. It was only natural.

It was a rare civilian who could truly understand their lifestyle. Any ninja with even a shred of common sense realized that there was a very good chance that they might never reach their 20th birthday, let alone their 30th.

"After all, the Fourth died at twenty-four and he was one of the strongest ninjas to have ever lived. Considering that, I didn't have a bad run." He muses with a wistful smile as he decides to make his presence known.

Back in the Leaf, Tsunade frowns. None of Suki's ANBU Guards had reported in for a suspiciously long period of time. That was unusual and highly unprofessional.

The Leaf's ANBU were many things. Unprofessional wasn't one of them. That meant that something had happened. With that thought in mind, the Hokage cautiously heads to the Uchiha District.

"Damn it!" She hisses under her breath, once she arrives.

She didn't see any of the guards. That wasn't a good sign. Luckily, there was no real sign of destruction. So that probably meant that the ninjas were alive. Tsunade just had to find them.

The Hokage closes her eyes and tries to sense their chakra signatures. A few minutes later, she sighs in relief as she felt them. They were just inside Suki's home.

"They must have knocked them out and then taken off. Where would they have gone though?" Tsunade asks herself.

All of the ANBU members were laying on the floor of the house. It looked like Naruto and/or Suki had struck them all with a swift blow to the back of their head. As far as she could tell, no permanent damage had been done.

"He might have used clones. That would explain how they were able to neutralize all of them so quickly. These kids are getting far too powerful." The blonde observes in horror.

Danzo was dead because of them. Even into his seventies, the man had been a formidable ninja. While she had no love for the elderly fighter, Tsunade never would have called him weak. The fact that Suki and Naruto had killed him was as impressive as it was terrifying, really.

"As long as they have each other, it shouldn't be a problem. God help us all, if something happens to one of them though." She sighs and looks around the house.

Surely, there had to be a clue. It didn't take a genius to realize why they had left. The Mates must have left to find Itachi. Judging by the sudden way they had taken off, she could only assume that they had a specific location in mind.

Somehow they must have figured out where he went. Naturally, Suki and Naruto were going to rush off after him. It was more likely than not, that they were doing so without any real plan to boot.

"Damn it!" She snarls as she punches the wall in frustration.

The wall cracks badly and Tsunade is forced to retreat her hand. It was now bloodied and bruised. That hadn't been the smartest way she could have chosen to vent her frustration in hindsight.

"Where would Itachi have gone?" She asks herself.

If he was smart, he would stay far away from the Fire Nation. That still left four Great Nations, the neutral territories, and the Island Nations though. Itachi Uchiha could truly be anywhere.

She didn't even know where to begin looking. That was perhaps the most frustrating part of all this. The Hokage constantly felt like she was one step behind all three of them.

"I'll send out whatever teams I can spare to cover as much ground as possible. For now, it's all that I can realistically do." The Hokage decides and with that, she heads off to put her plan into motion.

Unbeknownst to the Hokage, Itachi Uchiha had already found his foolish little sister and her Mate. At that very moment, he flares his chakra to get their attention. It certainly elicited the desired result.

CRUNCH! Almost before Itachi could blink, Naruto comes flying at him in a rage. The gravely ill ninja had always prided himself on his speed, but the blonde clearly had righteous fury on his side.

"Suki is this what you have been reduced to? You're going to have him fight your battles for you? I confess myself rather disappointed." Itachi says as he nurses his likely cracked rib.

Naruto's punch had been aimed at his chest, but Itachi had managed to dodge ever so slightly at the last minute. That might be a good thing. Such a hit might have triggered cardiac arrest in his condition.

Itachi didn't want Naruto to kill him. Suki had to be the one to do it. Otherwise, she would never achieve closure.

"Don't treat me like an ignorant child! While were waiting for you to arrive, we had a discussion with the members of ROOT. I'm certain that you're familiar with the organization. Danzo's lapdogs." Suki hisses at Itachi as she flickers to his side.

Itachi's eyes widen in realization. Had ROOT told her the truth? The higher level members might know, but could they tell her?

Danzo was famous for his abilities with Seals. One of them he placed on the tongue of ROOT Members. They couldn't spill the organization's secrets. Had the Seal disappeared with his death though?

"It's true then. I can tell by the look on your face. You were ordered to kill them. You were ordered by the Leaf to butcher every single member of our Clan." Suki seethes as she clutches her fists.

She clutches them so tightly that her nails dig into her skin. She could feel the blood slowly slide down her hands. That didn't matter to her. The pain was the only thing grounding her in reality.

"Is it true?!" Naruto growls at Itachi.

He could feel Suki's rage. It was white hot and burned like magma. Suki was a volcano and there was about to be an explosion. Her fury was almost tangible. He could FEEL it in his bones.

"Why would you believe them? What would the Leaf gain from ordering the genocide of one of their strongest Clans? Our Clan helped to found the Leaf. We ran the Military Police Force. Our Sharingans and other skills were a great asset to that village. Why would you believe that the Leaf would discard such useful tools?" Itachi replies.

Perhaps he could get away with denying it. There was a chance he could fool them. After all, he had fooled Suki for years as to his true intentions. He could do it again.

"Kurama, can you tell if he's lying?" Naruto asks.

"He's lying. He's a skilled liar. His face and voice betrays nothing, but one can never hide their scent. He smells of deception." Kurama replies.

Naruto pauses as he considers the Nine Tail's words. Technically, Itachi wasn't lying. Not yet. He was asking questions, but he was at the very least dodging.

The young ninja doubted that would make a difference to his Mate. To Suki, that was a distinction without a difference. That magma was burning even hotter now. She didn't believe him.

"Those are all good points. It's not uncommon for villages to regard their ninjas as tools. Some ninjas even view themselves that way, but a tool is only useful as long as you can control it. Sai mentioned a coup." Suki says.

Itachi's eyes narrow. If he survived this somehow, he was going to hunt Sai down. He'd gut the man like a fish.

That ROOT Member was meddling in things that he didn't have any right to involve himself in. He decides to put that thought to the back of his mind for the moment. He had to focus on Suki and Naruto, right now.

"Again, why would you believe him?" Itachi asks.

"Somehow I don't think that you killed Danzo for no reason. I was interrogating him when you intervened. You wouldn't have intervened, if he wasn't going to tell me something important. It's true." Suki whispers.

Damn it. She knew. There was no taking it back. He glances at her warily, unsure of what to do.

His path before him had been so simple. He would allow Suki to kill him and then she could start over. Now, Itachi wasn't sure that was still an option.

"No more evasions? Good. Hopefully, the Leaf will be as smart as you are. You killed them on the Leaf's orders. I think that it's time to drag the Leaf's skeletons out of the closet." Suki says as she activates her Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Suki, don't be foolish. While it's impressive that you managed to get a more mature Sharingan, I have had time to refine mine. You barely know how to use yours. This is not a fight that you can win." Itachi tells her.

That did it. Naruto lunges at Itachi and slams him into a tree. The jinchuuriki quickly rips off his sleeve and ties it around his eyes. That was the real threat from Itachi. His eyes.

"You're smarter than I thought, but there's nothing to keep me from removing the blindfold." Itachi muses.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Suki says as she flickers behind him and radiates Chidori in her hands.

Once her hands touched his, she knew what would happen. He would be temporarily paralyzed in his hands. The nerves were overloaded. They had shut down.

"I have to admit that the team work is impressive. I suppose that's to be expected from Mates." He grunts in pain and then launches into a bloody coughing fit.

"Killing you isn't going to be nearly as satisfying, if I do it when your half dead." Suki growls at him.

Naruto blinks. Suki still wanted to kill him? Did she mean it or was she just saying that to scare Itachi?

"At the moment, she's bluffing. Her emotions are all over the place. I'm not entirely certain that your Mate knows what she wants to do with him." Kurama says.

"I have to admit that it will be more difficult to beat the two of you blindfolded and without the use of my hands, but I can manage." Itachi says between coughs.

Suki's eyes narrow. Itachi had lied to her. He had lied to her, her entire life. He wasn't a Clan Slayer though. Well at least not by choice.

What did that mean though? The man standing before her was still her beloved brother. Her beloved brother who had been forced to do horrible things. In Itachi's mind, he had potentially prevented another Great War.

A Great where it was likely tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people might die. In the grand scheme of thing, he had taken hundreds of lives to save many more. Itachi wasn't evil, but could she really forgive him?

"Now that the Leaf isn't ordering it, would you really do it? Could you kill your own sister? That's assuming you can even stand, let alone fight. You're not the villain. You're the victim in this story." Suki says.

"I was never the victim. I willingly killed them all. I would do it again, if I had to. It's regrettable, but their lives were not more precious than all the lives that would have been lost in the resulting war. You should still despise me, Suki." Itachi says.

"I don't know what I feel towards you at the moment, but I do know one thing. I'm not going to let them get away with this." She says and with that, Suki slams her fist into the back of Itachi's head.

Her brother clearly hadn't been expecting that. He begins to sink to the ground, but the last female Uchiha catches him. He was too ill. If he was going to survive the journey back to the Leaf, a concussion was not going to be helpful.

"Suki?" Naruto asks uncertainly.

"We're taking him back to the Leaf. I don't know what I'm going to do about him, but I want everyone to know what happened to our family. I want to know why my Clan plotted a coup. I want them to suffer." She practically snarls.

Naruto could picture the panther in his mind. It was clear as day. The animal was snarling and hissing. It's jaws and claws extended. It was ready to go in for a kill, but it was a targeted hunt.

Suki didn't want to destroy the entire life. Not exactly. She wanted to humiliate it. If the other villages found out that a genocide was ordered by the Leaf, that would be a serious blow to the Leaf's reputation.

"Are you sure that this is what you want to do? Once something like this gets out there, there isn't any going back." Naruto whispers.

"I'm sure. That's the only way my family will ever be able to rest in peace. It's the only way that we can ever really be sure. The only way that we can be sure they won't just do it again. Next time, it could be OUR child who is ordered to carry out such atrocities to protect that village. I won't let that happen." Suki promises him.

A few hundred feet away, Kisame watches the scene unfold. It looked like Itachi's kid sister knew the truth now. His partner was still alive, so that was a good sign.

Normally, the Akatsuki Member wasn't really a big believer in happy endings. Still some part of him, did want that for his partner. That and he didn't really care about the Akatsuki.

He had nothing else to do. Taking over the world with the Tailed Beasts sounded like a grand idea at the time. Besides, it wasn't very likely that he could live a normal life. His appearance made that highly unlikely.

"That's a good point, but you're forgetting something." Kisame says as he approaches them.

"Damn it! It's his partner!" Suki snarls as she locks her eyes on the blue skinned ninja.

"Cool it, kid. I'm not here to fight. If you want him to live long enough to testify against the Leaf Village or whatever you are planning, you're going to need me. You don't know what's wrong with him. I do. You don't have any actual proof of what the Leaf ordered it, do you?" Kisame asks.

Suki and Naruto frown. That was true. The only proof that she had was the word of ROOT Members and Itachi.

ROOT wasn't going to testify against their own village lightly. It was likely they had already run away from the Leaf or taken other measures to prevent them from talking. That meant that she had to rely on Itachi's testimony.

"You're right. We don't. Why should we trust you?" Suki demands.

"Because if I wanted, I could have killed you both while you were distracted with ease. I don't really like poison. It's the coward's way out, but it would have been really easy to sneak up on the two of you and sliced you to ribbons with my Samehada." Kisame says.

"With your what?!" Naruto demands in confusion.

Suki sighs as she considers what the other ninja was saying. Kisame certainly had the opportunity to kill them. He hadn't taken it. Was it possible that on some level, the man cared about her brother? Were they actually friends? Did the strange looking man view Itachi as his comrade?

"Samehada is the name of his sword." Suki explains.

"That THING has a name?!" Naruto exclaims incredulously.

Kisame glares at Naruto. He didn't care for someone speaking so disrespectfully about his blade. Samehada was not a thing. It possessed at least something of a consciousness.

"Of course, it has a name and it's a lot more alive than any blade you've ever thrown." The Akatsuki member snaps at him.

"Whatever. If you two are done bickering, let's get back to the Leaf. Kisame, if you betray us, I will turn you into shark finned soup. Just so you know." Suki says as she flits off with her Mate, carrying Itachi in her arms.

"Oh yeah. She's definitely Itachi's kid sister." Kisame muses with a smirk, before taking off after them.