Primal

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

Naruto talking to Kyuubi in bold.

Kyuubi talking to Naruto in bold italics.

Chapter Notation: I gave Ibiki a new ability in this chapter. Well at least I believe it's new. I doubt it's cannon. Anyway, I hope you all have fun reading about it.

Chapter 17

Days. It had been days since Suki and Naruto had brought Itachi back to the Leaf Village. Whatever secrets he was hiding, he was hiding them with every ounce of determination that he possessed.

"Should we go and check on Kisame? It's probably going to be awhile before Ibiki can make him confess." Naruto asks his Mate.

"Yeah. That might be a good idea." Suki concedes as she takes her Mate's hand in her own and the two walk off together.

Together. They were always together now. Almost everything was as it should be. They just needed undeniable proof that the Massacre had been ordered and then the couple would ensure that justice was served.

Suki glances at Naruto and sighs softly. She was constantly "checking" on him. Would Naruto change his mind at the last minute? Would he show pity or mercy towards the Council?

She didn't know and that thought terrified her. If Naruto truly objected, the raven haired woman didn't know what she would do. Could she go against her Mate's wishes? Could she allow the murderers to go unpunished?

"Your Mate is spiraling again." Kurama warns Naruto.

"Yeah. I know, but she has a damn good reason to spiral and I'm spiraling too. I can't believe this! The Leaf ordered someone to kill their own family!" Naruto thunders in outrage.

Suki stops and turns to Naruto. She could sense it. The ball of light was lashing out in fury. His rage was a reflection of her own.

"Whatever happens, we'll find a way to deal with it. Don't worry so much about me. I have you. That's all I really need a the moment." She whispers, before kissing him.

Naruto kisses back and pushes her up against the wall. He liked pinning her and pushing her against things. He knew that it was stupid, but it made the blonde feel like she couldn't run off again.

They were Mates now. He knew that Suki loved him. She just had a messed up way of showing it, but that didn't stop him from worry that she might run off again.

"Mmm I give you an inch and you try to take the Fire Nation." Suki whispers breathlessly, after breaking the kiss.

"I could take the whole Five Nations, if you'd let me. We still haven't had our Honeymoon yet." He tell sher with a grin.

"Mmm. The whole Five Nations? Now I'm trembling with excitement." She purrs in his ear seductively, before licking at it.

She never would have thought that Naruto of all people would be such a lustful creature. Suki had decided to pawn it off to the fact that he had two extremely perverted instructors and a fox demon inside him. Really, either of those things might be the cause for his deviancy.

"Yeah. Definitely the whole Five Nations." Naruto agrees.

Hmm. He knew that he was forgetting about something. Naruto just couldn't bring himself to care though. The blonde would remember later.

For now, he had a beautiful Mate pinned to the wall. A beautiful Mate who was apparently feeling flirtatious. The rest of the world could wait as far as he was concerned.

"Well I didn't really expect a show!" Kisame calls out.

Oh damn it. That was right. They were going to see Kisame and were now standing outside the prison. Apparently, close enough to the window of Kisame's cell that the Akatsuki member could see them making out. That was embarrassing.

"You wish." Suki retorts without baiting an eyelash.

"There is something very attractive about a confident female. The woman certainly isn't easily embarrassed." Kurama observes.

"Yeah. I guess that's one way to look at it. I can't believe Fish Face saw us like that though. He's never going to let us live it down." Naruto replies with a groan.

That was all he needed. He needed Kisame to taunt Suki about their relationship and make her less cuddly. Damn Fish Face!

"Naruto, I'm not embarrassed that he saw us." Suki assures him as they head into the building to see Itachi's partner in crime.

"Oh well good. I don't really want my Five Nations Privileges taken away, when I just got them." Naruto says.

Suki snorts in amusement as they walk towards Kisame's cell. Naruto was Naruto. It didn't matter what the situation was. He would always find a way to make it comical.

"Hey, lovebirds. What's going on? I've been in here a few days." Kisame taunts them.

"It's taking them awhile to crack Itachi. He might be sick physically, but his mind is as resolute as ever." Suki admits.

She didn't know why she was telling Kisame that. He wasn't their ally. Not really. For whatever reason, he was attempting to help his partner though. So maybe subconsciously, Suki was hoping he'd be able to help them get Itachi to talk.

"Yeah. That man is a vault." The former Mist Ninja observes.

Suki couldn't argue with that. It was certainly an accurate label. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to help them get what they wanted.

"So do you know any way to make him talk? This would be a lot easier, if he would just fess up to it." Naruto says.

Kisame sighs. Itachi might be able to survive this. Suki could have killed him by now, if she truly wanted to. Hell, she could have had Blondie do it for her, but she hadn't. That meant that there was a chance to save his partner.

"I might have an idea. It'd be fighting pretty dirty though." The man says, after thinking about it for a moment.

"An Akatsuki Member is worried about fighting too dirty?" Suki asks with a raised eyebrow.

Kisame chuckles. Yeah. This kid was definitely Itachi's sister. The same dry skepticism that was likely the closet thing she had to a sense of humor.

"There was this girl that he used to like. She was another Uchiha. Her name was Izumi. If the interrogator got into his head and made Itachi think he was her, it might work." Kisame reasons.

Suki frowns. She remembered Izumi. Well a little bit. She and Itachi had once been on the same team. Had she been Itachi's girlfriend? She wasn't sure.

If she had been though, that would mean that her brother had killed her. She was an Uchiha. The girl would have died in the Massacre. That meant Itachi would feel tremendously guilty and he might talk.

"You're right. That's fighting pretty dirty. Suki?" Naruto asks uncertainly.

"I don't like it. We'll save it as a last resort." Suki says with a sigh as she crosses her arms as if trying to shield herself from that possibility.

She didn't know what to think about Itachi anymore. He had prevented a war, but he had also killed her family. Should she view him as a hero or still be angry with him? Did the ends justify the means?

It was all so much easier when he was the villain. When Suki had thought he killed their family by choice, everything had been in black and white. Good vs. evil. Simple. Sadly, she was now swimming in an endless sea of gray and the youngest Uchiha didn't know what to do about that.

"Alright. Do you wanna check on Ibiki and see if he's made any progress?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah. Kisame has told us what he knows. There's no point in standing around and socializing." Suki says.

"Ouch. That hurt, Princess! Don't you want to be friends? We can do each other's hair." Kisame says mockingly and Suki makes a rather rude gesture with her hand in response, before leaving with her Mate.

Meanwhile Itachi's eyes had glazed over. The interrogation was almost endless. The only time it passed was when Ibiki had to eat or things of that nature. The man was good at his job, Itachi had to give him that.

That meant that he had to be even better. It was difficult, but he liked to think that he was holding his own. He was sure that if he wasn't, Ibiki would have stopped by now. It was unlikely he would continue such a grueling interrogation, once he had what he needed.

"You are the most stubborn man that I've ever met. If you just tell me what I need to know or show me, I can stop. You don't have to endure this." Ibiki informs him for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid I can not do that. I am attempting to protect this village. You would thank me, if you knew the truth." Itachi says as he closes his eyes.

Perhaps if he closed his eyes, that would block the barrage of mental images that Ibiki was sending at him to a certain extent. He needed every advantage that he could get. Tragically, Itachi knew that he was just stalling for time.

If Ibiki knew the truth, he would leave him be. He didn't though. The other man didn't know the horrors and the secrets that existed in the deepest recesses of his mind and Itachi was going to do his best to ensure that it stayed that way.

"You're a Clan Slayer and a Criminal Ninja. Somehow, I doubt that your motives are entirely pure." Ibiki hisses at him.

This man must surely be a demon. He had tried everything that he could think of. Techniques that had broken even the most fearsome ninjas, but nothing worked. His resolve was absolute.

Itachi would have rolled his eyes, if they weren't closed. Ibiki had no idea what the truth was. It was a shame really. He certainly didn't lack the capacity to understand.

"Believe what you will. It truly makes no difference to me at this point." He states flatly.

The man was part of the Intelligence Division. Itachi was certain that he had seen his fair share of horror over the years. Most likely, he had experienced at least some of it personally. After all, what better way to train someone for such a profession than to give them first hand knowledge of what it was like to be on the receiving end?

"How generous of you to allow me to make up my own mind." He states as he continues on with his current task.

"I wonder what you think about your sister being back in the Leaf? Did you ever for one second feel remorse over what you did?" Ibiki demands.

He had tried this tactic before, but it hadn't yielded any results. Still there was the chance that it might work now. Itachi was likely exhausted from days of questioning and mental prodding from Jutsus. Not to mention, he was also an ill ninja. This could work.

Itachi's eyes soon flew open in a rage. In his fury, he temporarily lets his guard down. It was only a slight crack in his mental wall, but it was more than enough for a talented ninja like Ibiki to fully exploit.

"I can't believe it. It really is true." Ibiki whispers in horror a few minutes later.

He had been a ninja for many years. Ibiki had truly thought that he had seen it all, but he had been wrong. All his years of training and service could never have fully prepared him for this. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

The Leaf had isolated the Uchihas to such a degree that they began plotting a Coup. They were discovered and a thirteen year old member of their Clan was forced to kill them all to prevent a war.

"Damn you." Itachi hisses under his breath.

He hadn't confessed verbally, but he didn't need to. Ibikki could gather the memories he had abstracted and play them on a screen. Somehow the interrogator could turn the emotional energy in memories into chakra and thus control them. Control them enough to show everyone else.

"Damn him? Does that mean that you managed it?" Suki asks as she walks inside with Naruto.

Itachi's eyes widen in horror. This couldn't possibly be happening. His sister now had the proof she needed to utterly destroy this village. Whether it was a physical destruction or merely destroying its reputation, didn't matter. The fate of the Leaf now rested in her hands and the hands of her Mate.

"Suki, don't do this." He tells her.

"Itachi, I don't know how I feel about you at the moment. You're a hero, but you still killed our family. It's because of you that I'm alive, but don't ask me to keep the Leaf's skeletons hidden. That's nothing something that I can do." The Uchiha woman tells him.

"This could mean war." Itachi warns them.

Naruto shakes his head. He wasn't going to let it come to that. He had the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind.

"Not necessarily. I'm sure that Gaara will back me up and so will Killer B." Naruto says.

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" Suki asks in confusion.

"You'll see. Right now, I'll send a message Granny Tsunade and let her know that Itachi talked. We can play his memory in the Village Square and go from there." Naruto tells his Mate as he holds her hand, trying to offer her reassurance.

Suki pauses, but nods in agreement. Naruto was right. That was a good idea. With that in mind, she quickly pens a message to be delivered to Tsunade and one of Naruto's toads heads off with it.

It didn't take long for Tsunade to reply. Scarcely an hour later, thousands of Leaf Villagers were crammed into the Village Square to see what all the fuss was about. The Hokage had called an emergency meeting.

"I hope that you know what you're doing." Tsunade whispers to them as they join her in the center of the Village Square with a theater sized screen behind them.

"We do." Suki assures her and with that she takes a deep breath and begins her explanation.

Her heart was pounding, but she knew that she had to do it. Finally, the truth would be revealed. Maybe now, her family would have some peace and she'd be able to start a new life with her lovable idiot.

"My brother Itachi Uchiha is known as a Clan Slayer, but that isn't the whole story. You see the Leaf Village ordered it. I know that most of you won't believe me when I say that, but I have proof. Ibiki interrogated Itachi himself and extracted this memory for him. See for yourselves." She says and with that, the memory began to play for the entire crowd to see.

"This may end in complete chaos. Blood could very well be spilt." Kurama says, sounding disturbingly hopeful.

"Kurama! The point of this is that we don't want blood to be spilt. Well other than the Council Members who ordered this. They deserve to be punished." Naruto replies.

Suki watches with dread as she sees Itachi's memories play out in real time. He had barely been a teenager and had been forced to make an impossible choice. His family or everyone else.

Most of the Leaf Village was watching along with her. No one was saying a single word. An eerie silence had fallen over the crowd. It was deadly silent and Suki couldn't help but believe that occurrence was entirely appropriate in this situation.

"As you can see, the evidence is laid out for all to see in black and white." Tsunade says.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! It's likely that she conspired with her brother to doctor the evidence!" One of the Council Members bellows.

It was his only chance. If he could convince everyone that it was fake, he and the others might survive. He knew that it was a gamble, but it was their only hope of salvation. He was going to cling to it with all his might.

"Are you questioning my ability to discern fact from fiction?" Tsunade demands.

"No! Of course not! Lady Tsunade, I would never do such a thing. It's just that these Uchihas are clever demons. You never know what they are truly capable of!" He replies desperately.

Suki blinks as she grabs onto Naruto's hand. She could feel her Mate's rage. He was furious at her being called a demon.

"It doesn't matter. I'll make them pay soon enough anyway." She whispers, trying to soothe him.

"The Uchihas were planning a Coup. They're all dead. I can't punish them. Itachi was innocent in the coup planning because he ended the Coup. Suki was only seven at the time. So I can not charge her as being complicit in it." The Hokage says.

There were whispers and murmurs of agreement. There were also objections. Tsunade steadfastly ignores both. This wasn't about what was popular. This was about protecting the Leaf Village from complete destruction.

"Be that as it may, genocide is illegal under International Law. I can not overlook the fact that the Council ordered it. Their punishment shall be execution in whatever manner Suki and Itachi see fit. As they are the last of their Clan, that is their right. That shall settle the blood debt." She explains.

Suki didn't really think that it settled the blood debt. She was going to kill a handful of old fools that likely wouldn't live to see the next decade anyway. Their Clan had numbered in the hundreds and had nearly been completely wiped out because of those cowards.

Sadly, the raven haired woman also knew that this was the closest she could truly get to settling the score. Now at least everyone knew the truth.

"Once the Council Members are all dead, I will consider the blood debt repaid. We can all forge a new future together and leave the horrors of the past behind." Suki says.

Itachi would no longer be cast as the village, but at a minimum he would be seen as a victim. There was also the possibility that he could be viewed as something of a martyr. While Itachi hadn't died, he had given up everything for the sake of the village. In reality, he was a hero and she hoped that most of the village would see him that way.

"Well said, Suki." Tsunade states as she nods approvingly.

Perhaps becoming Naruto's Mate had done her some good. Suki was thinking with her head instead of with her gut. This didn't need to end in senseless bloodshed.

There would be some bloodshed, but it would be a focused one. Tsunade mentally sighs. She couldn't believe that things had come to this really. How had the situation with the Uchihas spiraled out of control this badly?

"YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY BE SERIOUS! YOU WANT TO HAVE US EXECUTED AND LET THOSE DEMONS LIVE?!" The Council Members all roar in unison.

"Yes, I am. You did what you thought was necessary to protect the village, but you also endangered it by violating International Law. Did you sincerely think that the truth wouldn't come out, if you allowed them to live?" Tsunade replies.

That was too much for the Council Members. They lunge at Tsunade in a blind rage. Suki and Naruto quickly move to block them, but someone else did.

A blue blur intercepts all of them and swats the Council Members to the side with a giant sword. The Samehada. It was Kisame!

"How did you get out of your cell?!" Tsunade demands.

"Hey! I just saved your life! Shouldn't you be saying thank you, instead of nagging at me?" Kisame retorts as he checks to make sure that the Council Members were completely unconscious.

He smirks when he realizes they were. Hmm. From what he had overheard, Suki and Itachi were going to be allowed to choose their method of execution. That should be fun.

He had a lot of great ideas in mind. Maybe he'd be nice and offer the Uchiha Siblings a few suggestions. Yeah. That's what he'd do. One could never have too many torture options.

"Right. Well let's grab them and put them in prison. Kisame, you can obviously get out of your cell if you want to. Don't make me have a Hyuga lock up your chakra points. Are you going to be a good shark?" Suki asks.

"Yeah, Princess. I can get out of that cell pretty damn easily. You aren't serious about the chakra point thing though, are you?" He asks.

"That's our Mate. Striking fear into the hearts of our enemies. Well perhaps enemy is a stretch, but she's certainly magnificent in her fury. Madara would be proud." Kurama comments.

Naruto couldn't really disagree with that. Suki could be pretty scary sometimes. He just couldn't intimidate people like that unless he let Kyuubi take over partially.

"Do you really wanna find out, if she's bluffing or not?" The Jinchuuriki asks.

Kisame goes silent for a moment as he considers how to answer that question. There was a fifty-fifty chance that she was bluffing. He didn't particularly like those odds though.

"Alright. Alright. I'll behave. Besides, Itachi is going to need me to make sure that he doesn't get sicker." He says smugly.

Suki rolls her eyes as she, Naruto, and Kisame begin carrying the unconscious Council Members back to the prison. They were each placed in a separate cell. The last female Uchiha wasn't going to give them a chance to conspire together.

That's when she sighs and goes to Itachi's cell. She really didn't know what to say to him. The man had been her worst nightmare for so long and now she knew the truth.

Itachi had loved her more than anything. Her big brother had loved her enough to risk not only the fate of the Leaf Village, but of the Ninja World at large. Despite that, he had still killed their family. Was that really something she could look beyond, even though he had done it for the right reasons?

"I miss the old days when my biggest problems were you and father not paying enough attention to me or dealing with Naruto's loudmouth at the Academy." She says with a sigh.

"Yes, I miss those days as well. Though you seem to have become more fond of latter recently." Itachi says.

"He's my Mate. I love him. You should be able to understand him. Apparently, you had feelings for Izumi." She states.

Itachi's eyes narrow. He didn't particularly care for that being brought up. How Suki had remembered Izumi was beyond him, but it was something that he would rather forget. He had killed the girl who loved him.

"I don't know what brought her to your mind, but I would much prefer that we go back to discussing piggyback rides." He mutters.