Midday...
The gates of Konoha stood proud, towering above the forest that surrounded them. Like a beacon in the night, they gave hope for anyone that could see them. The village would be back on its feet in no time, but until then, the gates were the most important (and prominent) defense. For this reason, the best, most experienced Shinobi Konoha had available was on guard duty.
Two Chūnin.
"Hey, Izumo?"
"What's up?"
Kotetsu pointed straight above them, a herd of clouds sky walking above. "What does that cloud look like to you?"
Izumo narrowed his eyes, focusing on the largest white blob. "Uh, gee I dunno, maybe a teacup?"
"No way! That's an elephant through and through, dude."
"You're seeing things."
"You're blind," Kotetsu huffed. "All that hair in your face..."
"You have just as much hair as me!" Izumo shot back.
"Yeah but it's not in my face, dude!"
Neither of them noticed the trail of dust that flew past as they argued. If they would have looked really close, it would have been spearheaded by a green blur.
Midday, somewhere in Kawa no Kuni...
A dozen angry water sharks surfaced the lake, their movements precise and structured, falling into an attack formation. As they bounded out the water here and there, molten balls of lava started raining down upon them, hitting a few before the rest dove deep. Kisame watched as the two Jinchūriki got back to back, waiting for the attack. Suddenly, Han grabbed Rōshi and threw him in the air.
"Yōton: Scorching Rocks Jutsu!" Rōshi fired a single, thick ball of lava down at Han, who sidestepped and let it hit the water. It steamed gloriously, the water boiling from the intense heat. Kisame watched in disbelief as Han took the steam gathered and, just as his water sharks surfaced to eat the Jinchūriki alive, slammed his fists into the water.
"Futton: Evaporating Shockwave!" The steam that had gathered shot out, dissipating the sharks instantly, the top of the water steaming slightly from the intense increase in temperature. The jutsu wasn't enough to hit Kisame, but he did feel a gust of hot air blow by him, ruffling Samehada's remaining bandages.
Han charged, capitalizing on his surplus of steam. Kisame dodged and weaved around the numerous kicks and punches, his cheeks and forearms burning from the steam exposure. 'Gah! The lava is vaporizing my Suiton techniques and making steam! So, while I cancel out one's abilities, I only make the other stronger!' He ducked a steam-infused punch and pushed off the water, flying back and running through hand seals.
"Suiton: Water Wall!" Two lava boulders smashed into the nature construct, steam emanating from it as the water dissipated. Kisame jumped over Han's follow-up kick that smashed through the weakened Water Wall. His fingers were halfway through another set of hand seals when a ball of fiery rock smacked into his left side, sending him hurtling into the water.
He sunk and thumped into a tree, falling down to its base where he met the 'ocean floor' softly. Kisame roared as he pulled himself up, air bubbles going everywhere.
'This is tougher than I thought. Zetsu's sources didn't say they worked together. In fact, I thought Han had left Iwa years ago! Their abilities and excellent teamwork complement each other too well, and the steam ninjutsu puts me at quite the disadvantage type-wise. Itachi could most likely bring one of them down, but he's too tired to actually be of use right now. It can't be helped; A tactical retreat with the Jinchūriki we already have, or we pair up and take these two down.'
He created a water clone to distract the Jinchūriki for a moment, then pulled out parchment paper and began to write. Once he finished, he summoned his favorite shark, a fast hammerhead, and gave him the scroll. It shot off into the underwater forest, disappearing from sight.
Kisame felt the clone dissipate. Realistically, he could sit underwater and wait the Iwa Jinchūriki out or harass them from range with his water ninjutsu. Neither of them had broken the surface of the water yet, and Kisame didn't think either of them would be stupid enough to try to battle him in an aquatic environment.
That is until several javelin-sized, steaming rock spears penetrated the tree he was leaning on. Forced to move as they wedged themselves into where he had just been, Kisame yanked Samehada towards him and deflected two more. Samehada screamed as the heat from the spears burned its wraps away and singed its scales.
Kisame, however, saw it as a necessary evil; by judging the angle the spears flew down at, he knew where at least one of the jinchūriki was. Kicking off the ground, he surfaced the water mere feet behind Rōshi. With the Jinchūriki's back still turned, Kisame swung hard.
The figure in front of him dispersed into hot steam. Kisame jumped back too late; his exposed skin was deeply burned. Before he could turn around to block the incoming strike he knew was coming, his feet were grabbed by the real Rōshi, hidden under the surface of the water. Instead of fighting it, he let the old Jinchūriki take him under.
They had no idea who they were dealing with.
Han watched as Rōshi dragged Kisame under the surface of the murky water; why his hotheaded companion had chosen to engage the Monster of the Mist in his natural element, Han would never know. Kisame was Rōshi's natural counter- they both had massive reserves, but Kisame beats fire elemental jutsu with his water techniques. Regardless, Han knew Rōshi wanted Kisame on his own. They had bad blood; a mission went awry years ago when Kisame was still serving Kirigakure, killing comrades or something of that nature.
Han let Rōshi settle his beef. He, meanwhile, would go check on the Uchiha and the orange blob he had with him. The two Akatsuki members didn't seem like babysitters of any kind; Kokuō had a bad feeling about the boy, but what was even odder was that the Uchiha's chakra was so calm. Being a Biju, Kokuō's constant intake of nature chakra had a striking side-effect: the Biju could communicate to Han the nature of someone's chakra. Itachi's was calm, like Han and Kokuō's.
A pacifist by nature, but a soldier by profession and a Jinchūriki by circumstance, Han was used to the hopelessness in his current life. He'd contemplated leaving Iwa for years. He had left for a while, but it felt more like running away than standing for his beliefs. Back he crawled like a good little soldier. Somehow, it felt like he and Itachi may be in the same boat.
Han turned and ran towards the faint ball of chakra Kokuō sensed. All he wanted was a conversation and information. Was that too much to ask for?
Bundled in his black robe, Itachi looked like a crow with its feathers plumped out. He knelt on a tree branch just above the dirty water in front of him, placid. Kisame had completely ruined the landscape; mud from the loose soil would coat this area for a long time, once the water dispersed. Every now and then the filth below would lap against the trunk of the tree softly. Only a handful of trees in sight were tall enough to rival the one Itachi occupied. Most had been overtaken by the flood.
Itachi looked to the ball of orange resting its back against the tree trunk. He'd been asleep for a long time, dormant, like the Biju within him. It was unnerving to think that the strongest known power in the Shinobi World was locked in a child with the fashion sense of a traffic cone. No wonder Jiraiya had taken him under his personal protection.
'Jiraiya... you must be desperate to stop the Akatsuki if you're seeking me out for information,' Itachi thought. He hadn't reported in years. Truth be told, there wasn't much to report on. The group had largely been making financial gains: buying property, doing missions for Iwagakure, hunting bounties, tracking Jinchūriki and very rarely engaging. Though their proximity to Iwagakure's operations as of late had given them insight into their containers, Zetsu had done most of the intelligence work. This was the fatal flaw in Akatsuki's model: no one checked Zetsu's sources. Itachi had beaten him to Iwa's Intelligence Operations, then planted some misleading files among the mix. This way, the Jinchūriki would stand a chance against the Akatsuki. The harder it is for Akatsuki to capture Biju, the safer the Shinobi World, and Konoha, would be, Itachi thought.
Itachi let his eyes drift to the watermark on the tree: the water depth was decreasing slowly. Kisame had about ten minutes of a lake left, and if he didn't finish the Jinchūriki by then, Itachi would have to intervene. Kisame needed to either kill them quickly or get killed; Itachi had no desire to fight the Jinchūriki tandem with Naruto here and other Konoha Shinobi on his tail. No doubt Jiraiya was already tracking him.
Jumping down to the water and landing softly, he watched as light ripples spread across the surface of the water. Incredible how such small actions disrupted the natural order of the world. Stepping in water or killing your parents, for example. Itachi pushed the thought from his mind; it was a bit dark even for him. Just as quick as he pushed it away, it came back. Sasuke's face flashed alongside his dead father's. The mere sight of him had brought back many repressed memories, feelings, anxieties.
Chiefly, anxieties about Sasuke's true potential as a redeemer versus an avenger. Sasuke was strong for a Genin, weak for an Uchiha. He needed to grow up quickly; the disease had been progressing rapidly without the medicines Kabuto provided. Itachi grimaced. He pulled the last half-pill out his coat pocket and swallowed it dry, the bitterness on his tongue appreciated more than it should have been.
"Taking pills?" a voice called out from behind. "Are you sick, Uchiha Itachi of Konohagakure?" Itachi listened to the soft clinks of plate armor, unbothered by the new presence.
"Unfortunately so, Han. I'm plagued with something I've been infected with since I was four years old. Death and fighting feel suffocating, even today, after the war. I see the same faces every night, and they slowly eat away at my insides while I sleep. If I recall correctly, you were in the same conflict."
Itachi heard a pause in the clinks. "Do you blame those who forced you into the war, as I do? Do you blame those who forced you to make decisions you can never take back?' Han asked.
They were fair questions. "That must be where we differ. Everything I have ever done, I have done on my own power and by my own choice. I chose to murder those closest to me to attain power, and in doing so, have also chosen to die an early death," Itachi cryptically answered.
Another shift and another clinking of armor. "I don't believe you, young one. My Biju tells me you're a peaceful spirit like I am. Yet, I have a feeling you don't intend for me to be the one to give you that early death, do you?
Another fair question. Itachi turned to him, the red giant only a few feet in front of him. He stood as non-threatening as his massive frame would allow, between Itachi and his orange captive in the tree above.
"No," Itachi finally answered, "that right is reserved for my brother." Itachi closed the distance between them and threw the first punch. Han blocked, but Itachi's speed was too great. The next few kicks got through, banging off Han's armor. Itachi used Han's own body as a springboard to leap into the air above him and fall with a spinning ax kick. Han blocked with his forearm, but his glove and lower forearm armor snapped off, exposing his pink, raw skin.
"I don't want to fight, Uchiha!" Han shoved Itachi off his arm, pushing him into the air several feet. Itachi flipped through hand seals while he careened through the air.
"Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A fiery mass took shape and engulfed Han's figure, steam exploding from the collision. Itachi landed and his Sharingan spun as it analyzed the damage. He couldn't see Han through the chakra-infused steam, but it didn't matter. No base Jōnin ninja would dare get caught in such a simple exchange, let alone a Jinchūriki renowned for his fire and water technique mastery.
"Suiton: Great Waterfall Technique!" Itachi's eyes widened as a massive cylindrical vortex of high-pressure water barreled towards him through the steam. He deftly sidestepped it but had to jump away as the vortex split in half and redirected towards him at the last moment, the two vortexes now chasing him mercilessly through the air.
'This level of skill with the Great Waterfall Technique, making one vortex into two and having them be strong enough to become airborne, is very impressive. I don't know if it is his purpose, but he is pushing me away from Naruto. I must reposition,' Itachi thought. He landed from his jump and ducked under the closing water vortexes, rushing back to Han. The vortexes behind him collided and formed into one again, tailing the Uchiha. Itachi saw Han clearly across the open water; his sleeveless gi had been completely burned away leaving only his red armor, but he was still holding the jutsu activation stance, palms together in front of his chest. Itachi grabbed a few shuriken from his coat and threw them, hoping to disrupt the jutsu. Han made no move to dodge.
The shuriken stuck in Han's armor chink, chink, chink chink.
'Direct hit.' Itachi then pulled the ninja wire attached to the shuriken, activating his hidden fire seal and setting the lines ablaze. Han stopped the jutsu and ripped the shuriken out with his bare hands, the flame just missing his fingertips as he tossed them into the water.
Itachi flipped right and threw more shuriken. This time, Han rotated the opposite direction Itachi went in an effort to dodge. Itachi repositioned back to the tree branch with Naruto to his back and Han on the water below. His Sharingan narrowed as Han's gnarled forearm drew attention. The whole thing was bloated red with scar tissue piled on top. The veins in his colossal forearm seemed to pulse against his ruined skin.
He spoke slowly. "Uchiha Itachi... you're one of the few men alive to see me without my armor. What you see is the product of a ninja village driven by fear, pain, and pride. You say you have done everything by choice; I cannot fathom having a choice. I remember killing ninja with your headband as a child, far from my home. You experienced a loss of innocence in the Third Great Shinobi War. I had none to begin with.
I was three when the Gobi was sealed within my body and I started training. I was tortured, starved and had my chakra stolen, all so the Tailed Beast inside me would run its chakra through me to nourish me. During the Second Great Shinobi War, I was deployed; I was six. You say you know the horrors of war... I've killed fathers, I've killed their children, I've erased family names from history. No one wants to do these things. I didn't want to do those things, just like you didn't want to kill your family. It was something you had to do, and that is something I understand."
Itachi stiffened but relaxed his shoulders slowly. Han was right; they were both scarred, disfigured by their villages and their wishes. Both followed orders and bared the brunt of the pain associated with tough choices. Even Kisame, for all his bravado, had killed his former boss in Kirigakure because he was a traitor to the village.
"I see," Itachi said. His chest ached. "We are more alike than I first realized. However, this doesn't change what will happen here today. Kisame and I will attempt to capture you and extract your Jinchūriki, and if we succeed, you will die." He truly hoped it wouldn't come to that, but his cover in Akatsuki was everything; without it, Konoha was blind. He would kill Han to keep Konoha and those he loved safe.
"I understand your stance, Uchiha Itachi. I don't want to fight you, but I will not let myself be taken, and have the power stored within me hurt others!" Itachi eyed Han's feet warily; taijutsu was Han's specialty, according to Iwagakure's files.
The steam from Han wafted up past the tree branch Itachi was perched on, but neither made a move to attack. 'Taijutsu is my most ineffective method of attack against him, though I am faster. I could take him down with Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi, though I don't know how effective Tsukuyomi would be with the Gobi sealed inside him. If he transforms, I suppose my Susano'o will have to suffice. I hope Kisame finishes rather soon; not only is he a better match for Han, but Naruto's life depends on the outcome of these fights!'
Han charged, steam billowing behind him. He looked like a freight train as his 7-and-a-half-foot body reached its full speed. All that was left was to calculate his leap up to Itachi's position and then counter-
Han ran right through the expected jump zone. 'He's going to destroy the base of the tree!' Itachi realized. He scooped Naruto up and leaped away just as Han made contact.
With a loud bang and several wood chips flying free, the tree began to wobble, eventually falling in Itachi's general direction. Itachi sidestepped the massive branches as the trunk slammed into the water. Debris fluttered through the air, falling harmlessly into the water.
Itachi placed Naruto on the floating trunk. Han had to be close. Most of his jutsu repertoire was close range, so creating distance wouldn't make sense for the Gobi Jinchūriki.
A loud roar caused Itachi to spin around; Han was suddenly throwing punches that whizzed within mere inches of Itachi's face. If not for his superior speed, Itachi would be dead. One of Han's punches missed and struck the tree trunk, blowing it to smithereens. Not feeling like being turned into pulp, Itachi backed off, but Han followed suit. Itachi weaved around several more punches before catching the armored titan off guard with a high kick. Itachi's leg smacked into his armored face, but before Itachi could retract his leg, Han grabbed it and cocked his right fist back. Itachi's Sharingan rolled as it analyzed the amount of chakra Han was juicing the punch with; if Itachi got hit, he'd die.
'I have no choice!' Itachi locked eyes with Han. That was all he needed.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Itachi adjusted to the darkness rather quickly. It was his domain, after all. Across from him stood Han. He appeared confused, disoriented with the darkness.
"Hello, Han. Please, take a seat." A metal chair sprouted forth under Han and then laid flat, restraining the Jinchūriki like he was an insane asylum prisoner. He struggled mightily with the restraints.
"Welcome to my Tsukuyomi, the ultimate genjutsu. Here, time moves according to my will. I may keep you here seventy-two hours if I deem it necessary, though, to the outside world, it will be but a moment. I can do anything I please to you: torture, talk, bend the world to do my bidding," Itachi monologued as he made a piece of the metal cover Han's mouth to stop his cries. Itachi hated it when people interrupted him.
He strode up next to Han's writhing form. "You see, Han, this is my domain, and I am the one who makes the choices here."
"Is that so?"A deep voice rumbled, shaking Itachi's vision. He gasped as his black sky became a massive blue eye. A thick red line underlined the eye. As the eyeball drew back, the enormous figure revealed itself to be the face of the Gobi itself, and it did not look pleased.
"I believe you are mistaken, boy. This is my domain, and I am the one who makes the choices here. My name is Kokuō, and I am dismayed at seeing such a soft soul as yours using your Kami-given strength for wickedness. You possess a soft heart; do not let it harden because of the actions of mortals," the giant chakra construct preached. "Now, you do not belong here. Leave this place."
Itachi watched as the Gobi sucked in a mouthful of air and blew him, quite literally, out of his own Tsukuyomi.
As he flashed back into the real world, Itachi immediately used Han's exposed chest as a springboard for his free foot, wrenching his leg free of the Jinchūriki's grip and creating distance between them. Han was still stunned from the Tsukuyomi and didn't realize Itachi had escaped his grasp until it was too late.
As the two ninjas stared each other down, they heard a roar. Kisame came like a rock skipping on water, bouncing and then crashing into the fallen tree between Han and Itachi.
Itachi turned his head in time to see a lava-covered Rōshi following. He landed next to Han as Itachi heard Kisame fighting to pull himself from the tree. With a loud crack and an explosion of wood, Kisame emerged, looking none too pleased and sporting several long gashes down his frame. He was missing his Akatsuki robe.
"I see he made you pull your weapon," Han said. Itachi eyed the piece in Rōshi's hand closely. It was a large, curved kunai with a double-sided blade. Dangerous in the hands of a proficient wielder, the cuts on Kisame a testament to the fact.
Rōshi spit a bit of blood that dispersed as soon as it hit the water. His skin glowed bright orange and yellow. "I see the Uchiha kid is making you look like the old one. Tell me, is he as good as they say he is?" Rōshi questioned.
Itachi slid his eyes back over to Han and watched the colossus across from him carefully. Han looked like a boxer with gigantic hands, ready to inflict massive damage. His pressurized steam leaked from his furnace and covered the area in a chakra infused cloud. Itachi watched as the concentration of chakra in the furnace lessened, then increased, then lessened again. It was a sort of gauge, it seemed. 'I wonder what happens when it exceeds the limit? Surely nothing good,' Itachi surmised.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun as he analyzed every chakra molecule surrounding the four shinobi while simultaneously checking Han's posture, his slight muscle tenses, his ever-shifting weight. What foot he launched from decided the attack pattern, decided which hand he would throw first. Itachi had already figured him out.
"The boy is... dangerous. It's what he's hiding that we need to be wary of," Han said.
Itachi didn't disagree with that statement. Rōshi twirled his knife around for a moment, ready for combat. Han tucked his chin as a boxer would do. Kisame pulled Samehada up and let the sentient sword rest on his shoulder. Itachi did nothing.
A single leaf hit the water. Its ripples spread far past the four Shinobi present.
A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait and the relatively short chapter! Life comes at you fast, you know?