Itachi had been homesick for eight long years. When he fell asleep at night, wrapped in a bedroll with the shark-nin to his left, it was Konoha that he dreamed about.

This was a different kind of homesickness he felt now, and when he fell asleep tucked soundly in his bedroll with the kyuubi jinchuuriki to his left, it was Sakura that he dreamed about.

They had only just left the village a few days ago. They were not yet out of Fire country's borders. But he thought about the pink-haired medic far more often than he cared to admit.

He ascribed the blame for that to his under-used hormones. He hadn't even kissed anyone until Sakura, and she had awoken a plethora of feelings and urges that he was finding harder and harder to resist. Their heated kiss on the training grounds had certainly not been beneficial to his focus on the mission. He hardly thought of anything else.

And when he was thinking of something else, it was the way her long, lean legs looked poking out of that horrid orange shirt. It had covered most of her, the best parts of her. But there was something about the fact that he knew she wasn't wearing shorts underneath that made his eye twitch.

In fact, he knew that she did. She had even fluttered her eyelashes at him to get him to spill his mission to her. It was a nasty trick, one that might have worked if she kept trying. He knew that she knew the affect she had on him, and that wasn't entirely fair.

In retrospect, that was his own fault. She had no way of knowing that he would show up at her door while she was wearing nothing but a horrid orange shirt. A shirt that he recognized on Naruto the first night they were out of the village. His was newer, less worn out, and fit him much better than it had fit Sakura. But Sakura looked much better in it.

He wondered if she would look just as good in one of his shirts. Would the midnight blue color complement her features? What would the Uchiha crest look like across her back?

He absolutely planned on finding out. He had already set things in motion by asking her on a date. She had not given him an actual answer, but he could see in the way that she looked at him, the way she worried about him, that she wanted to.

All he needed to do was come home.

Which brought his focus back to the mission, where it should have been all along. Beside him Naruto snored loudly and rolled over, smacking his lips in an almost comical fashion.

They were on their way to Rain, heading for Akatsuki's base. The plan was to pretend that he was still loyal to Akatsuki and 'deliver' the kyuubi to Pein as was his assigned mission. Once they were inside, Itachi and Naruto would stealthily take out as many Akatsuki members as they could and then finish off the rest, if possible.

It was certainly risky, but Itachi felt comfortable enough in his skill that he could take out at least Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara. Konan and Kisame would pose a bit of a problem because he didn't necessarily want to them dead.

He was also positive that not all of the members would be there. They had missions and such to go on. It was rare for all of them to be there at the same time. With any luck, Kisame would be gone. Konan, though, rarely left. And Itachi didn't think he'd be able to take on Pein. Maybe with Naruto's help.

Itachi glanced at the blonde boy with healthy skepticism. When they had been given their orders, Naruto had asked that Tenzo come along as well. Itachi hadn't known why at the time, but the first night they left he had asked him.

"His wood release can help me control the kyuubi," Naruto had answered, "If I start to lose control things can get out of hand. Stakes aren't incredibly high this time, though, because the only person around I wouldn't want to hurt is you. And I'm pretty sure you can hold your own."

Itachi had been the one to tell him that it wasn't wise to bring Tenzo along. They wouldn't be able to walk into Rain with him. It would raise suspicion.

What Naruto didn't know was that Itachi could help him control the kyuubi, too. Itachi remembered all too well how the Uchiha had been blamed when the nine-tails attacked the village. It was their gift and their curse that they could use the Sharingan to control the kyuubi.

Now, though, it was a gift. If Naruto could awaken the kyuubi and use its power, its chakra to help destroy Akatsuki, then the mission would go a lot more smoothly. Itachi had met Naruto in battle several times before and not been too impressed. He had been young, of course, but Itachi had been only four when he fought in the war. Youth was no excuse.

But he had also seen Naruto grow as a fighter, become stronger and smarter. He was aware that Naruto had trained under Jiraiya, a sannin and a man Itachi wouldn't have wanted to go up against.

Naruto had raw strength and power. Itachi was cunning and capable. Together, they would be able to take down Akatsuki. There was no other option.

.

"Sasuke was pretty bummed that he couldn't come on this mission," Naruto said. They had awoken bright and early, still a few days out from Rain. The journey itself wasn't particularly dangerous, but the closer they got to Fire's border, the more nervous Itachi became.

"You told him about this mission?" Itachi asked, his tone sharp and reprimanding.

"Well, yeah," Naruto said. Itachi shook his head. "I tell Sasuke everything."

Itachi had noticed that. His brother, anti-social as he was, seemed to really enjoy the blonde's company. They spent much of their time together, training and taking joint missions. Itachi had nothing against Naruto. His heart was in the right place and he seemed… nice. But he wasn't quite as agreeable as Sakura and, if Itachi was brutally honest, he found Naruto somewhat annoying.

"Why would Sasuke have wanted to come?" Itachi asked, "He has no interest in Akatsuki."

"No, it's not that," Naruto said, "He just wanted to be a part of your first official mission back in the village."

Itachi felt his lips quirk up in a smile. He remembered how Sasuke had always begged to go on missions with him when they had been younger. He remembered the mission with the boar and how determined Sasuke had been to prove his skill.

He would have to remember to request a mission with Sasuke when he got back to Konoha.

"And he seemed pretty pissed that I got to go instead of him," Naruto continued.

"You spend a lot of time with my brother."

"And you spend a lot of time with Sakura," Naruto snapped.

Itachi's foot connected with the branch in front of him before he launched himself back into the air, speeding forward. He glanced to his left where Naruto was running alongside him. The blonde had an angry scowl on his face, his head turned down.

"It was only an observation," Itachi said, "There is no need to be defensive."

"I'm not defensive."

Itachi didn't argue because that certainly wouldn't get him anywhere. He had been curious about their relationship, how close they were and what they meant to each other. It didn't particularly matter to him, as long as Sasuke was happy. He had wanted to ask his brother about it, but it didn't seem appropriate and he was likely to get angry.

So instead, Itachi watched and observed. He had noticed that Naruto usually came to the Uchiha compound. Rarely did the two of them meet at Naruto's apartment. He came over at least three or four times a week, usually bringing food with him. When they weren't at the compound, they were at the training grounds, getting ramen, or off on a mission.

He also noticed that tenseness that would be in the air whenever Itachi entered a room they were alone in.

"Why do you spend so much time with Sakura?" Naruto asked, his voice more accusatory than Itachi cared for.

"Why do you spend so much time with Sasuke?"

Itachi was amused to see Naruto glowering, a faint blush on his whiskered cheeks.

"Sakura and I both have a vested interest in Yamato and Sachi," Itachi said, answering Naruto's question even though he didn't expect the blonde to reciprocate. "We forged a bond when we were in Toyeiki. I find her company pleasant."

Naruto gave him a skeptical glance.

"And she's very pretty," Itachi said as an afterthought.

Naruto faltered a bit, but kept up with Itachi as they ran through the trees. "Yeah, she's pretty," Naruto said after a beat of silence.

Itachi didn't press Naruto for more information about his relationship with Sasuke, even though he felt he had earned it by sharing some about his relationship with Sakura. If Naruto – or Sasuke – ever wanted to talk about it, they would.

"Sasuke doesn't like it, you know," Naruto said, breaking the amicable silence that had fallen between them.

"Doesn't like what?"

"Whatever is going on with you and Sakura," the blonde answered, "I know he doesn't like Sakura like that, but he is jealous that her attention is on you now. He won't admit it, but I think he really enjoyed her affection. It was kind of cruel, actually. He's possessive of her, but he doesn't want to be with her."

Itachi kept his eyes forward as they ran. He didn't know what to think of that.

"And he's also jealous that your attention is on her instead of him."

That much Itachi had gathered on his own.

"Sasuke would be furious if he knew I said all this to you."

"It will be our secret, then," Itachi said, the barest hint of a smile on his face.

Naruto grinned back. They fell into comfortable silence again.

Itachi couldn't get his mind off of Sasuke. If what Naruto said was true, then Sasuke had gotten angry with Sakura out of jealousy. Itachi tried to imagine what it would feel like to be in Sasuke's place. If Sasuke had been interested in Izumi, would he have felt jealous?

He didn't know. It was possible, he supposed, but he didn't feel jealous just thinking about it. But he had felt jealous when he thought Sakura was interested in Sasuke still. And it had been unpleasant.

Would Sasuke approve of a relationship between them? Did he want her to be alone forever? Or was it specifically the thought of the two of them together that irked him so much?

"Um, Itachi," Naruto asked timidly, "What exactly are your intentions with Sakura?"

Itachi looked at him in surprise.

"It's just that she's been through so much with Sasuke," Naruto continued, withering a little under Itachi's gaze. "She was really depressed when he left and she's very… fragile. She's like a sister to me. I don't want her to get hurt again."

Itachi gave him a sidelong glance. "I have no intention of hurting her."

Naruto seemed to accept that answer. Itachi came to a stop on a low branch. Naruto stopped beside him, his head cocked to the side.

"Let's stop here for the night," Itachi said, "Rain is just up ahead. Tomorrow we will infiltrate Akatsuki's base."

Naruto nodded.

.

"I don't think so," Naruto said. His sass reminded Itachi of Sakura.

"It's either the shackles or I sling you over my back," Itachi insisted.

"Oh, come on," Naruto said, "Can't you just walked menacingly behind me or something?"

"That could work," Itachi said.

Naruto sighed appreciatively and grinned.

"If you wear the shackles."

Naruto's grin morphed into a frown. They both knew that Naruto couldn't just walk into Rain with his arms swinging and a skip in his step. This had to look convincing.

"Alright, fine," Naruto conceded, "I'll wear the shackles."

Begrudgingly, Naruto allowed Itachi to place chakra-enhanced shackles around his wrists. Once they were inside Rain, it would only be a matter of minutes before Pein was made aware of their presence. From Pein's perspective, it would be too risky to keep Naruto around. They wouldn't be able to control him. They would likely have to leave immediately to take him to the Gedo statue to extract the kyuubi.

But if Itachi could convince them that he could control Naruto with his Sharingan, then he might wait one night for Akatsuki to either recharge or make it back to Rain if they weren't already there. Itachi and Naruto could use that valuable time to strike.

With Naruto in front, he and Itachi walked through Rain's streets. Itachi had once again donned his Akatsuki cloak and straw hat. It felt strange to be wearing them again, but it also felt somewhat comforting. He felt a little bit more in his element.

Naruto's curious gaze swept across Rain's skyline, his neck craning to see the tops of the skyscrapers. It had been years since an outsider had stepped foot in Rain, and the city stared back at Naruto, also curious about the stranger.

Though most of Rain's citizens shied away from the ominous red and black clouds when they saw them, he noticed that their curiosity about Naruto was stronger than that fear.

"Keep your head down, Naruto," Itachi said, his voice low so passersby could not hear. "You need to look like a prisoner, not a tourist."

Itachi watched Naruto duck his head down obediently. They had only a couple of blocks to go before they would reach Rain's headquarters – the highest building in the city.

Rain poured down from the sky, drenching the both of them. Itachi was used to it, but Naruto looked uncomfortable. He shivered against the chill in the air. Were he not supposed to be Itachi's prisoner, he would have offered his cloak to the poor boy.

The weather in Rain had its advantages and disadvantages, but Itachi had always wondered why the gloomy city was Pein's choice for a headquarters. It seemed ill suited for Konan, whose specialty was paper jutsus. Personally, Itachi liked the rain. He even liked the city with its tall towers and bright lights.

He almost missed it, if he thought about it hard enough. It wasn't Konoha, but it had become like a second home to him nonetheless.

He even felt a pang of something akin to familiarity when they reached Akatsuki's headquarters and were greeted by Konan. The blue haired kunoichi didn't usually greet Itachi when he came back from missions, but given the circumstances, he understood why she had this time.

"Itachi," she said, and he noted that she did not attach a formality to his name like she usually did. "Welcome back."

He was not intimidated by the coolness in her tone. He might have been if things were different, but knowing that he could not let her leave here with her life put him more at ease. It was a contradiction, true enough, because he didn't want to hurt her. She had been nothing but pleasant to him during his time in Akatsuki.

But it had to be done. And he'd done much worse.

"I see you've brought us the nine-tails," she said, eyeing the shackles that bound Naruto's wrists. "You have been missing for a long time, and now I see why."

It was certainly curious that he had been gone so long with no mention of where he was going. He had not taken Kisame with him. There had been no reports of Akatsuki sightings anywhere except Toyeiki, the last place Itachi had allowed himself to be seen.

It was suspicious that Itachi had been able to somehow infiltrate Konoha and capture it's jinchuuriki without notice.

But Konan made no mention of it. She didn't even give him a skeptical glance. Her gaze was neutral, not even curious.

"In your absence," she began, her tone devoid of emotion or even inflection, "We captured and extracted the other biju. All except the eight-tails."

Itachi was surprised. If they had not captured the eight-tails yet, then they would not be able to extract the nine-tails without breaking the Gedo statue. That meant that Itachi would not have to convince anyone to hold Naruto prisoner for a little while longer. They would have no choice.

"And even if we had captured the eight-tails," Konan continued, "Pein is in no condition to summon the Gedo statue right now."

Another surprise, but Itachi didn't let it show on his face. What could Pein have been doing to put himself in such a 'condition?'

Konan's gaze settled on Naruto, eyeing him up and down. It made Itachi nervous, but Naruto played the part incredibly well, likely because he was not acting. His eyes had turned red, a telltale sign that the kyuubi was surfacing. A look of rage marred his features. His whiskers were more prominent. His brow was low over his eyes.

Naruto said nothing, but that was probably to his credit. If Naruto was actually losing control, provocation from Konan would only make it worse.

"Itachi," Konan said, her eyes never straying from Naruto, "How were you able to capture him like this? His chakra is quite ominous."

"My Sharingan," he answered, but offered no more of an explanation.

"I see."

An orange tail had sprouted from Naruto's back, and glowing orbs of menacing chakra had started to form around him. It seemed that his anger had been pushed pretty far. It was good that this button was so easy to press on Naruto. It would make this process easier.

But now was not the time.

Itachi activated his Sharingan and grabbed onto Naruto's shoulder. The blonde whipped his head around and the moment his eyes connected with Itachi's, he was entranced.

Itachi had never done this before. He'd only been vaguely aware of how this process even worked. It was somewhat well known that the Sharingan was able to control the kyuubi. But the how was a different story.

Now that he thought of it, they should have practiced this beforehand…

Somewhere between Naruto's mind and the kyuubi's, Itachi stood facing the great fox demon. The sheer amount of chakra rolling off of him was terrifying, but Itachi was not afraid.

"So," said the booming voice of the demon, "An Uchiha again."

Itachi was suddenly aware of Naruto's presence next to him. He felt the blonde bristling, confusion and anger rolling off of him in waves.

"The last time I encountered Sharingan they belonged to Madara Uchiha," the kyuubi thundered.

Itachi's curiosity was piqued, but this was not the time or place for such a conversation. He only needed to calm Naruto down.

"Enough," Itachi said. The illusion was shattered instantly, the kyuubi seeming to explode into a thousand pieces. The roiling chakra that clouded Naruto's mind dissipated. Once again, Naruto and Itachi stood before Konan. Naruto fell to his knees. With great relief, Itachi noted that his eyes were blue once again and the glow of orange around him had faded.

Konan's eyes had widened and her mouth was set in a hard line. She looked as though she had something to say, but Itachi would not try to coax it out of her.

Itachi reached down to Naruto's wrists and yanked him upwards by the shackles roughly. Naruto winced and sent a glare back toward Itachi. Back on his feet, Naruto stood face to face with Konan.

"It is regrettable, boy—"," Konan said to Naruto.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"It is regrettable, Naruto Uzumaki," she repeated, "That you have to die. Just know that your life will not have been wasted."

Itachi was unaware of Akatsuki's true goals, so he couldn't ponder about the validity of that statement. Regardless, he had no intention of letting Naruto die – if only for Sakura's sake. She wouldn't forgive him if he let her best friend die.

"Take him to cell block C," Konan instructed, "And stay close by in case we need your Sharingan again."

Konan was gone in a flutter of swirling squares of paper.

"You don't have to be so rough, you know," Naruto said, straining against his chakra cuffs.

Itachi shushed him.

.

With as little fuss as possible, Itachi led Naruto to cell block C and locked him inside. Though he knew that Naruto would not try to escape, he wouldn't have been able to anyway. The cell bars were reinforced with chakra, and the shackles around Naruto's wrists had been replaced with ones that continually drained his chakra levels.

Itachi planned to return to Naruto's cell in the middle of the night to remove the shackles so that when the time came, Naruto would have plenty of chakra. Not that lack of chakra would have been much of a hindrance to him anyway, judging by the massive reserves of it he had noticed in the kyuubi.

It was a wonder that a boy like Naruto had that beast inside him.

But Itachi wasn't thinking about Naruto. He methodically perused the halls of the Akastuki headquarters in an attempt to figure out who was and was not present. He knew Konan was there and could sense her in her quarters.

Much to his relief, he did not find Kisame anywhere. In spite of their differences in worldviews, Itachi had grown fond of the shark-nin and would have been reluctant to kill him. He hoped that if things went well on this mission that Kisame would forget about Akatsuki and find something less sordid to do with his life.

Hidan was somewhere in the building, Itachi sensed, as was Deidara. Itachi was not concerned about them. He already knew he could best Deidara, and even though he had nothing personal against him, Itachi had no problem getting rid of the explosives expert. Hidan, though immortal in his freakish religion, could easily be incapacitated by Itachi's Tsukuyomi until his mind succumbed to the genjutsu. He may not physically have been able to die, but being brain dead was just as good.

What concerned Itachi the most was the presence of Pein. Itachi had been kept in the dark about most of Akatsuki's proceedings. Pein himself was rarely seen by its members, but even so, everyone was acutely aware of the raw power that he had. The Rinnegan.

Itachi had concerns about the fact that Pein wielded the Rinnegan. He suspected that it had something to do with Madara, which was a terrifying notion.

He had expressed his concerns about fighting Pein to Tsunade, who had been so adamant that Naruto could handle it. Itachi was understandably skeptical. Naruto was young, and though he didn't lack talent as a shinobi, he lacked experience. Tsunade had waved off Itachi's concerns and sent them on their way to handle it – just the two of them.

Itachi couldn't help but feel like he had essentially just delivered Naruto into Akatsuki's hands with little to no fuss. What if they couldn't do it? What if Itachi was killed? Who could protect Naruto and by extension Konoha?

On a darker and much more familiar note, Itachi briefly entertained the idea of killing Naruto, should things come to that. He didn't want to hurt the spirited boy, but he couldn't let Akatsuki get their hands on him either. If it came to that, Itachi wouldn't hesitate to do it. He had, after all, done much worse.

But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

.

Late in the evening, Itachi stirred in his bed. It had been quite some time since he had slept in his old room and he couldn't say he had missed it much. Sleep had eluded him, as he figured it would. Naruto, still down in his cell, was probably unable to sleep as well.

Carefully, silently, Itachi crept down to Naruto's cell. He had thought carefully about it and decided that it was best if the two of them stick together. As a duo, they could take out Hidan first, then Deidara, then Konan, and finally Pein.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto was awake, his wide, blue eyes nearly glowing in the darkness around him. He approached the cell bars apprehensively, but with a fierce energy that Itachi hoped could be used to strengthen him in the next several hours. They were going to need it.

"Are you ready?" Itachi whispered, opening the gate for him. Naruto dutifully nodded and held out his wrists for Itachi to unlock. Itachi swiftly removed the shackles, pretending not to notice the red marks on the boy's wrist. He had tried to remove them himself, either in an astonishingly bright display of authenticity, or out of frustration. Itachi didn't need to know which it was.

"Let's go."