Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

-o-o-o-

Chapter Two

Itachi was satisfied to see that Sasuke was emitting killer intent. Good. His anger would keep him alive and it would help him to get even stronger. He knew that Sasuke was a genius and a prodigy, but in the harsh and bloody world of Shinobi, no one was exempted from its ugly tricks.

Even he was a victim.

"Let go of that girl Itachi." Sasuke commanded, his teeth bare and tomoe spinning at a ridiculously fast pace. Giving the pale form a sideway glance, he could see a lot of long dark hair sticking out.

Itachi smirked. "You know better than to threaten me, little brother. Have you forgotten that we have the same eyes?" Adjusting his grip on the unconscious heiress, he waved one hand dismissively. "I know all your tricks, weakling… take your time and grow stronger. Then I will come to you and face you myself."

Itachi Uchiha then materialized into a flock of crows just as Sasuke was about to run towards him, his right hand crackling with deadly electricity. In the distance, a loud explosion could be heard and the warning bell began to toll three times—a sign that there was an intruder inside the village.

With a defeated growl, Sasuke had no choice but to run back.

-o-

"Hidan and Kakuzu will meet us at a small mountain hideout four days travel from here." Kisame grimaced at his arm wound, his shark-like face contorting in anger. He had devised some kind of commotion in the middle of the village by blowing a small store into pieces. His plan then, was to follow the Uchiha unnoticed; unfortunately, Hatake Kakashi was there. "Damn that copy ninja. He almost got me back there… mark my words, I will take Hatake Kakashi down someday."

Itachi's eyes changed from its usual stoic façade for a few seconds before turning cold again. The mention of his old captain's name reminded him of a few memories when he was still in the Anbu corps, and he did not like it. Being assigned into the Anbu organization was the start of his misery after all.

His shark-like companion eyed the unconscious heiress who was dangling like a rag doll on Itachi's broad shoulder. "She's beautiful."

"But weak." Itachi commented, voice ice cold.

"But the bloodline is strong and the kekkei genkai priceless." Kisame licked his lips as he imagined what powers and new strength could be gained by stealing the Hyuga girl.

"Who suggested this again?"

"Tobi."

"Hm. I don't trust that masked idiot. He seems to be keeping a lot from us."

As the two Akatsuki members bounded through Konoha's boundaries, Hinata began to twitch and shake that both has had to stop and looked at her. Her eyes were clamped shut and so were her jaws. It looked like she was on the verge of convulsion.

"Oy, what's the matter with her?"

Itachi activated his sharingan. "She's fighting the trance I put her into. Her chakra is draining in rapid speed because she's actually using her byakugan repeatedly inside my Tsukuyumi."

The Uchiha forced Hinata's eyes to open with his forefinger and thumb and looked into her eyes that reflected the color of the moon above them.

He pulled her out of the dream world.

Gasping, Hyuga Hinata swallowed large gulps of air like she had been diving into deep waters. Coughing as her own saliva choked her, her hands shot up shakily to her chest and stayed there as her eyes landed on the two cloaked figures hovering over her.

And she froze when blood red eyes stared into her own.

"A-Akatsuki." She managed to squeeze out and she activated her Byakugan. Careful not to look into the dangerous eyes of Sasuke's older brother, the Hyuga heiress jumped to her feet with speed that was quite impressive for a girl that had been just dragged out of a trance-like state.

Kisame had been given a blow on his blue face by a gentle fist technique before he could do anything. He was not expecting a fast comeback because he never witnessed anyone being able to move with guts and energy after emerging from Itachi's tsukuyumi. As far as he knew, Itachi always sucks the chakra out of his victims, leaving them weak and almost dead.

Hinata raised her hands and crouched into a fighting stance. The shark-like person was still on the ground, obviously stunned after receiving a powerful Hyuga technique straight in the face. Deciding to attack the second abductor, she launched into him with chakra-wrapped hands.

Itachi easily avoided her fist with a side-step. In a blur, he materialized behind her and pressed one vital nerve at the back of her head, just above her neck. Hinata yelped and her knees suddenly buckled beneath her and she dropped on the ground.

"Bitch…" Kisame muttered while sitting up. He spat the blood off his mouth. "Damn, she's feisty."

Hinata felt herself being hoisted up and slung into someone's shoulder. She really couldn't tell who it was…she was starting to get sleepy anyway.

-o-o-o-

"Tsk." Tsunade crushed the bottle of sake in her hands, making the alcohol spill on the wooden floor and the broken glass clattering everywhere. "A diversion. That was a diversion to distract us from the knowing that they want the heiress."

Hyuga Hiashi clenched his fist as he looked at the Hokage with anger in his white colored eyes. Standing beside him was Neji, also matching his scowl with scowl. The Hyuga clan head pointed at the leaf kage. "What do you intend to do about this Hokage-sama? My daughter has been abducted by the Akatsuki and I see no retrieval unit being released."

Neji looked outside the large window, trying to calm his urge to follow the trail himself. The problem is, Hiashi would not let him. Telling him that his presence was needed all the more because the heiress was abducted and it would not an easy task retrieving her back. What effective way? to calm the clan if there was still a prodigy on their midst?

Even if he was obedient because of his master's orders, Neji could feel his insides churning and heart pounding fast. He was worried about Hinata. What would they do to her?

He hoped they would not gouge her eyes out.

"Hiashi. This is Akatsuki where talking about. I cannot not just send out a retrieval unit without them properly equipped. They also need to prepare. I know the Hyuga princess is in grave danger, so I have already chosen a group to go look for her." Tsunade snapped her slender fingers together and an Anbu suddenly appeared, jumping into the room gracefully by using the window as an entrance. The mask nin bowed.

"Summon the remaining members of team eight of the Konoha eleven batch. I also need to see Kakashi and Genma."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The Anbu disappeared just as fast as he has appeared.

"I'm coming with the unit." Neji suddenly cut in, earning a disproving look from Hinata's father. He really didn't care whether the Hyuga head would approve of it or not. He had promised to protect Hinata at all costs; he could not live with himself if anything happened to her.

Tsunade gave him a nod. "I already have that in mind, Neji."

Hiashi crossed his arms. "What I fear the most… is that if the Akatsuki have interest in my daughter's eyes… even if they just gauge her eyes out and let her live… It would be too much for her to bear. She will be stripped of her identity because Byakugan is what identifies a Hyuga. The strain would be too much for an eighteen year old."

Tsunade clicked her tongue. "Hiashi… your daughter's life is on the line and all you can think of is the importance of her eyes?"

"Just to inform you Hokaga-sama… Our life represents our eyes. Taking them is taking our life itself."

-o-o-o-

Two days passed…

Hinata opened her eyes, letting them adjust because everything was dark around her. It took her a few seconds before she could make out shadows and figures. Trying to ease her strained muscles, the heiress realized that her hands were bound and also her feet. Her mouth was also gagged, and she tried her best not to choke on the dirty cloth that was stuffed into her mouth.

Her head was aching like it was being hammered into a pulp. She knew that she had been unconscious for days, and she didn't like the feeling. She can't even feel her own strength anymore. She was like a stuffed doll that had lost half of its stuffing.

She heard something creak and wondered if it was a door.

She was right. For the dark room suddenly lightened as two figures appeared, one holding a small lamp. They were both men, though in her mind, she noted that they looked kind of weird and freaky.

"This is the heiress? Damn… the body…"

"Stop it, Hidan." Kakuzu warned, his unearthly blue eyes studying the girl and lastly landing on her Byakugan. Hidan was such a pervert and being the great Kakuzu with no feelings for almost anything except blood and death, he found it quite idiotic how a lot of males hunger over the female physique.

"She looks like she's in a bad shape though." the blue haired one noted.

Shaking his head, Kakuzu kneeled in front of Hinata and forced her chin up, looking into her eyes. "This won't do. Her eyes are also in bad shape. The strain in her body also strains her eyes."

"So she's worthless?"

Hinata winced at the word. Worthless was a word that she was very familiar with. Her father loved to remind her about it every day.

"No. She just needs to be well-cared for and well-fed. We can take her eyes when she's back to her usual strength."

Gouge her eyes. Hinata's heart pounded at the thought. So she was abducted because of her eyes after all.

Hidan laughed with a sneer on his sharp face. "I can take care of her… in ways she would… really like." Walking towards her bound form, Hidan kneeled and without any warning whatsoever, began to unzip her green vest. "This is too thick. I can't see what's underneath."

Hinata's eyes widened in horror at the statement, her hands straining at the ropes that held her.

"Hidan." A voice so cold yet sounding like velvet suddenly interrupted and Hinata snapped her head to the direction of the speaker, while the Akatsuki with the needless blue hair stopped whatever he was doing and smiled slyly.

"Itachi…so you're the one who abducted this fine specimen eh? Damn… that means you have the first pick, don't you?"

Kisame entered the small room, annoyed. "No. Our little Itachi is too honorable to do such a scandalous thing."

Hidan noticed the wound on the shark-man's arm. "That's deep."

"Hatake Kakashi." Kisame answered simply, earning a scowl from all of the members present except for Itachi—whose face remained stoic, yet his eyes bore on the Hyuga. Apparently, the copy ninja was a huge deal for the Akatsuki, judging by how they reacted.

Hidan shook his head. "Hatake is good… having the sharingan and all. We'll kill him… just like how the Akatsuki killed that legendary toad sanin."

The one named Kakuzu looked uninterested at the discussion and shoved Hidan away from Hinata. Pulling her head up by the hair—which made the Hyuga whimper in pain—he looked into her eyes again. This time, greed was visible... and envy. "Take care of this girl… I'll tell Tobi to wait a little longer."

"I volunteer." Hidan smiled.

"No fair." Kisame started to argue.

"She's going to be on my watch." Itachi said suddenly, sounding uninterested himself. Looking at the girl, he hoisted her up with a jerk by the arm, making her wince at the force. Without waiting for anyone's approval or comment, he began to pull the girl with him.

When Itachi left, Kisame shrugged. "Closet pervert." He muttered and gave a smile at Hidan who was still looking peeved. "Itachi's the man."

"No shit."

-o-o-o-

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