Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!
Chapter 16: Sibling Rivalry
Two days later, Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was laid to rest.
All the shinobi that weren't on missions were at the funeral to give their final goodbyes to Sandaime and several others who had also lost their lives in the attack, along with their support to their families.
Naruto and Namiko stood close to Iruka and Konohamaru during the funeral. Namiko's heart broke seeing Konohamaru's constant tears at losing his grandfather. She laid a hand gently atop his wild hair which had flattened slightly because of the pouring rain. 'A fitting day for a funeral. At least Konohamaru-kun can blame the rain for his tears…'
One by one each shinobi placed a white flower in front of the pictures of those who lost their lives that day. Slowly the rain came to a stop and Naruto looked up into the dark clouds looming above before turning to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei, why do they do it? Why do people risk their lives for other people?"
Iruka knelt down next to Konohamaru. "Well, when someone passes away, it's the end. His past and future, all the dreams he once had, they disappear along with him. This is true even if he died honorably in battle, as so many have, as Hayate did. All the ties that bind him to the living are severed, all but one. The most important of all: people.
"Parents, siblings, friends, lovers, the people who were important to him. These people, the ones left behind, are joined together in a great circle by their shared memories of him. A circle of friendship, trust, and sacrifice that grows larger and stronger as time passes. It's hard to explain. People just do things like risking their lives because they have precious things to protect."
Namiko looked up as the clouds began to open. "So, in other words, love is the answer, nii-chan."
"Yeah, I think I'm starting to get that now." Naruto turned to face forward. "Still, I'm sad he's gone."
"Think how sad it would be if he died for nothing," interjected Kakashi, "but he left us something priceless. Don't worry, you'll understand one of these days."
"Hey, give me some credit. I understand that much," Naruto defended with a smile.
Namiko nudged her brother's shoulder with her own. "It's time to go, nii-chan."
Naruto watched her walk away from him before turning to Iruka. "Well, sensei, I'm going to see if I can convince Namiko to go to ramen. See ya later!" He took off after his sister with a wave.
The next day, Naruto had finally convinced Namiko to go to ramen with him again. He was rambling about something but she was thoroughly lost in thought. Naruto tapped her shoulder, jerking her out of her reverie. "I'm sorry, nii-chan, I wasn't listening. What did you say?"
It wasn't like her to ignore him when he was talking to her. Naruto's eyes were filled with concern. "Imouto, what's bothering you?"
Namiko stared into her untouched bowl of ramen. "It's stupid…I feel two chakras that I've never felt before…"
Naruto stole a piece of pork from her bowl and popped it into his mouth. "So? That probably happens all the time! Konoha is pretty big and I'm sure there are people in the village you've never sensed before."
"True, but it's not the fact that they are new signatures, it's what they feel like."
"What do they feel like?" he questioned as he stole one of the eggs in her bowl.
"One seems fairly normal at first, but when I focused on it, it's highly suppressed. Like their chakra is almost as large as our own, but they damper it to appear 'normal'." Namiko's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.
"So it's a big chakra. Still not weird." He took a piece of nori from her bowl next. "What about the other? You said there were two."
She let out a heavy sigh. "It's hard to explain, but…it almost reminds me of Sasuke's chakra. I know it's not Sasuke because they are different, but there's a similar underlying tone that just weirds me out. Besides I can feel Sasuke not too far from here and heading this way." She paused for a moment before pushing her bowl in front of Naruto. "Here, go ahead and eat the rest. I'm going to check in with Sasuke."
"Don't have to tell me twice!" said Naruto as he immediately dug into the rest of Namiko's bowl.
She exited the ramen shop and waited until she saw Sasuke. Before she could raise her hand to flag him down, he caught her eye and nodded hello. She smiled in response. "Hey Sasuke, where are you headed?"
"Kakashi wanted to meet me for some reason over near the dango shop." He answered as he stopped in front of her.
"Ah, okay, I was about to head over to the training grounds that way for a bit."
"Would you like to walk with me?" he suggested.
"Sure, I can sense Kurenai-sensei over that direction and I'd like to say hello." She fell in line beside him as they walked in comfortable silence.
As they neared the dango shop, Namiko felt the chakras getting stronger but couldn't see who they belonged to yet. She noticed Kurenai and Asuma walking side-by-side and stop to talk to Kakashi who was waiting outside the shop. They were still too far to hear any sort of conversation between the jounin though.
They were only a couple of meters away when Namiko felt both chakras she'd been sensing suddenly vanish into thin air. 'What the hell? Did they use teleportation jutsu or something?' She peered into the dango shop and noticed two still hot mugs of tea and some dango on a plate at an empty table. 'They must've been sitting there, but who were they?'
Sasuke's voice broke her out of her stupor, "Kakashi, it's not like you to show up early. What gives?"
"Well, sometimes I do," Kakashi said with a shrug. "What are you doing here, Namiko?"
Namiko's eyes snapped to Kakashi. "Oh, I, uh…I was heading to one of the training grounds when I bumped into Sasuke."
"I'm glad you're still trying to push yourself even though the exams are over," said Kurenai with a warm smile.
"What are you doing here, Kurenai-sensei? Are you and Asuma-sensei on a date?" Namiko suggested, trying desperately to hide her smile. She strongly suspected that her sensei had feelings for the Sarutobi heir.
Kurenai's face flushed. "Why does everyone think that? First Kakashi and now you!" Her voice was a bit higher pitched than normal as she attempted to explain to her student. She refused to look at Asuma, who was looking very pleased by her flustered behavior. "I was just coming to grab some dango for Anko when I ran into Asuma."
"Just a bunch of people running into each other today…" Kakashi's visible eye held a glint of amusement as he looked between the four shinobi.
Sasuke ignored his comment. "Why'd you call me here? You know I don't like sweets."
"Must've slipped my mind." Kakashi shoved his hands in his pants pockets and nodded to Kurenai and Asuma, who nodded in response before jumping away.
Namiko raised a brow. "What's going on, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Never you mind, Namiko. Don't you have training to do?" said Kakashi, waving his hand dismissively.
"Uh, actually, I remembered I was supposed to meet up with Hinata-chan at the Hyuuga Compound." Namiko nervously played with the front piece of her hair, eyes darting between the two. "So…I'll see you later!" Before either could protest, she ran back down the way she and Sasuke had come from just moments before.
"That was weird…" said Sasuke as he watched the redhead disappear from sight. He shook his head and looked back at Kakashi. "What did you want anyway?"
"Ah, I wanted to see how your Chidori was doing after the finals, but I have somewhere else I need to be. Why don't you practice for a bit and we'll talk later?" Before Sasuke could protest, Kakashi used teleportation jutsu and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Sasuke was confused and stared at the now empty spot where Kakashi stood before turning and looking back down the road where Namiko had gone. "What is with everyone today?" He shrugged to himself. 'Might as well use my time wisely and train for a bit,' he thought as he turned towards the Uchiha compound.
Namiko didn't go to visit Hinata like she had said, but instead started walking towards the library. As she neared the library, she noticed Jiraiya's chakra nearby and decided to make a short detour. Jiraiya easily noticed her presence and waved to her. "Well, good to see you, Namiko! Where are you off to this fine day?" he asked with his signature smile.
Namiko couldn't help but smile back. "Just heading to the library to look up some things."
"You remind me of one of my students a little; whenever he wasn't training physically, he thirsted for knowledge to better himself and read constantly." His smile softened as he thought back to years past. "He was actually the first person to read the first book I ever wrote."
Namiko tilted her head quizzically. "Oh really? Who was the—"
"Namiko!" called out Naruto running up to the pair with a heavy-laden backpack on his back. "Glad I got to see you! Ero-sennin and I are heading out on an adventure and he's gonna teach me a cool new jutsu!" Excitement was dripping off him.
"Oh! You didn't say you were going anywhere, Jiraiya-sama," she said as the smile faded from her face.
"Well, we hadn't gotten that far yet," explained the sannin. "We're headed to find an old friend of mine and I thought I'd take your brother along with me."
Naruto's eyes lit up excitedly. "Hey! Imouto, you should come with us!"
Namiko shook her head. "I'll pass. Kurenai said that Team 8 needs to stay put in case we're sent on a mission. I need to work more on my chakra sensing anyway."
"Maybe we could use her chakra sensing to find that chick you're looking for?" suggested Naruto, as he turned to Jiraiya.
"Eh," Jiraiya mused as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "it's not a bad idea, but if she's been asked to stay in the village, she probably should."
Naruto crossed his arms over his chest in a pout. "I kinda hoped we'd get put on a mission together."
Namiko let out a small laugh. "After what we dealt with tracking Gaara…I think I'm done going on missions with you for a while. You made me a nervous wreck taking so many risks!"
"You're mean, imouto!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at her as she giggled. "Anyways, are you ready to go, Ero-sennin?"
"Let's get out of here. We'll see you soon; we shouldn't be gone for more than a month." Jiraiya said as he turned and started walking away.
"See you later, nii-chan, Jiraiya-sama!" she said as she waved goodbye.
She heard Jiraiya turn to Naruto as they walked off, saying, "See? She's respectful! Why do you have to call me Ero-sennin?! I'm one of the legendary Sannin!" Naruto and Jiraiya bickered back and forth as she watched them walk away.
She shook her head in amusement before she turned to head to the library. 'A whole month, huh?'
The sound of Chidori screeched through the air followed by sounds of a large explosion as Sasuke blew apart a rock at one of the training grounds. He knelt on the ground after his attack, trying to catch his breath. 'I still haven't fully recovered.'
His mind started to wander back to their battle against Gaara two days prior. 'I was useless. I don't ever want to have to see that again. Watching all my best friends falling right in front of me. I barely was able to catch Namiko after Gaara hit her.'
He clenched his fist at his side. 'Meanwhile, Naruto just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Compared to our academy days, he's made incredible progress, almost unnatural. When I watch him up close, I can tell he's got some massive power hidden inside him. Sometimes I even feel afraid.'
He made the hand signs for Chidori and the screeching sound filled the air again. "Uzumaki Naruto…what are you?" He ran forward and the rock exploded again. 'How can I get stronger? I'm going to go talk to Kakashi. He might be home now.'
After Kakashi had signaled Asuma and Kurenai to follow the two red cloud robed men at the dango shop, he decided to follow up with the two jounin. Once Kakashi had realized exactly who they were facing, he did everything in his power to handle Itachi himself, Sharingan against Sharingan, which resulted in Itachi using Tsukuyomi on him. Thankfully Gai had stepped in when he did, and Itachi and Kisame had decided to leave to avoid causing a war. All this led Kakashi to his current situation, laid up in his bed as Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai strategized.
"They're trouble," said Gai as he leaned forward in his chair, "but by the look of things, it would appear that they haven't found Naruto or Namiko yet."
Asuma sat down on top of Kakashi's desk. "That's what's crazy. It doesn't add up. I mean they had already infiltrated the village. It would've been easy for them to find either kid around here."
"That's true, Naruto's boisterous personality and bright clothes don't exactly help him blend in. Thankfully Namiko is a bit better at being hidden, despite her bright red hair. She keeps to herself mostly, so Naruto would definitely make the easier target," said Kurenai as she leaned against the wall.
"That wouldn't matter anyways, since Itachi would know both Naruto and Namiko's faces since they were in the academy with Sasuke before the massacre," explained Asuma as he got out another cigarette.
Gai put a finger to his lips. "Shh, someone's coming…"
"Kakashi." Sasuke opened the door, standing in the doorway. "Why is Kakashi asleep? And why are all you here? What the hell is going on here?" he asked as he walked a little further into the room.
Gai tried to avoid Sasuke's gaze. "Uh…not much really…"
"Hey!" said a jounin with glasses as they ran up the stairs and entered the room. "Is it true that Itachi has returned and that he's here for Naruto and Namiko?" The jounin suddenly realized that Sasuke was in the room. "…oops." Sasuke had frozen in place.
Kurenai let out an irritated sigh. "Idiot…"
Sasuke's face contorted in anger and he shoved past the jounin and ran out the door as fast as he could.
"Did you miss class in the academy when they discussed knowing who's in a room before you reveal important information?" Kurenai rolled her eyes at the jounin.
'So, he's come back to the village, huh? And he's after Naruto and Namiko? What does that mean? Why would Itachi be after them?' Anger suddenly turned to panic.
'I've gotta find them! Before Itachi can get them. Naruto might be able to hold his own for a bit, but Itachi would kill Namiko with ease! I can't let that happen!' He leaped on the rooftops as fast as he could. 'Namiko mentioned something about going to meet up with Hinata, I'll check there first.'
Once he arrived at the Hyuuga compound, he quickly found Hinata training in the courtyard. "Hinata! Where's Namiko?!" he demanded, voice clearly panicked.
Confusion flooded the Hyuuga's face. "I haven't seen her since yesterday, why?"
"Damnit," he growled out. "Do you know where she might be?"
"Um…m-maybe the library? I can check if you'd like," she suggested and Sasuke quickly nodded. She activated her Byakugan, vision stretching through the streets of Konoha and to the library, which thankfully happened to be in range. "She's there. Talking to the librarian—"
Sasuke took off running towards the library before she could finish her sentence. He ran as fast as he could, bursting through the library door with a loud noise. Several people turned and shushed him as he quickly went to the main desk.
He leaned forward, breathless, and asked the older woman, "Have you seen a girl in here? About ten centimeters shorter than me with bright red hair in a bun, and freckles all over her nose? Her name is Uzumaki Nami—"
"Sasuke?" queried Namiko as she walked out from the bookshelves. "What are you doing here?"
Sasuke let out an audible sigh of relief. "Looking for you. I need you…I mean, um, can we go talk somewhere?"
Namiko was obviously puzzled by his behavior. She had noticed him closing in on her position with her chakra sensing, but to see him so worked up in front of her was surprising. She motioned for him to follow her and led him to a small sitting area near the back where they wouldn't be heard. "Sasuke, what's going on? You're worrying me."
"Sorry," he said finally calming himself now that he knew she was safe. "I've got word that my brother has returned to the village…and that he's looking for Naruto…and you. I wanted to make sure you were safe."
Namiko's eyes widened in shock. 'Why us? It's not because of the kyuubi…is it? That's the only reason I could think of, but I can't let Sasuke know that.'
"Do you know where Naruto is? We need to make sure he's safe too," asked Sasuke.
"He's with Jiraiya-sama. They said something about going to a nearby outpost village to look for some woman." She nervously messed with a loose strand of her hair. "Um…just how strong is your brother?"
Sasuke froze in place as memories of that horrible night flashed through his mind. Bodies littering the streets. Coming home to find his parents dead at the hands of his own brother. The bloodstain from his parents' demise was still present on the floor of their old house to this day. He remembered Itachi standing over them, with no remorse on his face, just before he forced him to relive the massacre of the entire clan…over and over and over again. Hundreds of times he watched his loved ones die.
A gentle touch on his arm and a soft voice pulled him out of the memory. "…Sasuke? Are you okay?" Namiko's blue-violet eyes were filled with concern.
He'd be damned if Itachi ever killed someone he cared about again. "I'm okay. I just…had a moment." He took a deep breath. "Itachi is one of the strongest people I know. He's extremely dangerous. If he's after you and Naruto, we need to make sure Naruto is safe too."
"What do you plan on doing? Just going after them? Shouldn't we get ANBU or at least a jounin?"
"You said Jiraiya was with Naruto. Isn't he one of the legendary sannin?" She nodded and he continued, "Then we'll be fine. Besides, no one but me is going to defeat my brother."
She eyed him warily. "I don't like the idea of just going after them without telling someone."
"Look, I need you to help me. You can track them with your chakra sensing, right?"
She nodded hesitantly. "But right now, my range is still sitting at about a five-kilometer radius."
"We already know where they're heading, so when we get there, you just have to scan your surroundings. Please? You're the only one who can help me with this."
She sighed in defeat. "Fine."
Namiko dropped her book on the floor in surprise as he grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the library's exit. "Let's go."
"Alright Naruto, we're going to stop here for tonight," Jiraiya said as he took the key from a woman working the front desk of the inn.
"But why? We just started this mission and you want to rest an hour into it, old man?" whined Naruto.
"Look, a disciple should always obey his master…" Jiraiya stopped mid-sentence when a beautiful woman walked by the entrance to the inn. She was brunette, with a purple mini-dress and a tomoe necklace. "Oh wow! Uh, here kid." Jiraiya quickly shoved the room key into Naruto's hand. "I want you to go right up to the room, train for a little, work on your chakra, and then get to bed, okay?"
"You can't just drag me here and leave me because you want to get some tail!" yelled Naruto, but Jiraiya was already out of sight. Naruto rolled his eyes and sulked off to their room. "Ero-sennin is always leaving me hanging because of some pretty girl."
Naruto decided to go ahead and follow what Jiraiya suggested and work on his chakra. He worked on it for about an hour before he heard a knock on the door. 'Already rejected, old man?'
But when he opened the door, it wasn't Jiraiya in front of him.
"We're getting close!" announced Namiko as they ran down the road toward the outpost village. They were still several kilometers away and Sasuke was pushing them to run as fast as possible. "I can sense Jiraiya, but Naruto isn't with him…wait…there he is. His chakra seems fine though, so he's not in trouble."
Suddenly Namiko stopped in her tracks. Sasuke whipped around to face her. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?!"
"It's those same chakras…" She took off running again and Sasuke stuck right by her side as he started running with her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Earlier today, I felt two strange chakras in the Konoha. When I bumped into you outside of Ichiraku, it was because I sensed those weird chakras near the dango shop. I used you as an excuse to check them out, but once we got there, the chakra signatures had disappeared into thin air."
"…the two teacups and dango…"
"Exactly. And I'm now almost positive that Itachi was at least one of those chakras. His signature is similar to yours, probably because you're brothers, but it's…different…muddled." Dread filled her as she realized the direction the chakras were taking. "…no…no…NO! Damnit! They're closing in on Naruto! And Jiraiya-sama isn't there to help him!" She pushed her body to move faster leaving Sasuke trailing after her.
"Namiko! Wait!"
Naruto opened the door to reveal a man in a black cloak with red clouds all over it. When he locked eyes with the person, all he saw was red. 'Sharingan? But this isn't Sasuke…' He then noticed a larger man behind him who looked more shark than human.
The man with the Sharingan addressed him, "Uzumaki Naruto, why don't you step out of the room?" Naruto was wary of the two shinobi before him but figured it was better to follow directions than run the risk of being killed instantly.
Just as he stepped into the hall, he heard a familiar voice come from behind the shinobi. "Nii-chan!"
He craned his neck around to look and was equal parts relieved and worried seeing his sister there. It was obvious that these guys were dangerous, so why was she here?
The shark-man turned to face Namiko. "Hey, it's the other kyuubi brat. We might get two-for-one."
Namiko froze in place. 'So, they are after us because of the kyuubi. I wish I wasn't right.' She felt Sasuke's chakra finally catching up to her, rounding the corner of the staircase, and soon he was standing in front of her, blocking her view.
"It's been a long time, Sasuke…" said Itachi without even turning around to see the boy behind him.
"Uchiha Itachi…" snarled Sasuke, his own Sharingan active and spinning.
"Well, to see other Sharingan not once, but twice today," mused Kisame. "Who's the kid, Itachi?"
"My younger brother," said Itachi, without a hint of emotion in his voice.
"Really? Because the way I heard it, you wiped out the whole Uchiha clan. You left behind your little brother?" said Kisame with a smirk. "You have a soft side after all."
Sasuke ignored Kisame's comment as his Sharingan bore holes into Itachi's back. "I hope you're ready to die…"
Namiko felt Sasuke's chakra become turbulent, prickling the air with his anger. "It's like you said, brother," said Sasuke, the last word filled with malice. "I've fostered my hatred for you all this time. I've lived my life for one single purpose – to see you die!" His Chidori crackled to life and Namiko took a few steps back.
"It ends here!" yelled Sasuke as he dragged the Chidori against the wall of the inn, screaming as he rushed his brother. "Die!"
Namiko watched in shock as Itachi grabbed Sasuke's wrist without any wasted movement and discharged the Chidori through the wall of the inn. Silence flooded the hallway as Sasuke's Chidori faded out.
'This is bad,' thought Naruto as he stared at the brothers. 'I've got to do something or we're toast.' He pushed his hands together to concentrate his chakra. As the orange chakra of the kyuubi started to flow around him, Namiko felt her eyes burn again.
"Summoning ju—" Naruto was swiftly cut off as Kisame touched Naruto's chakra with his sword, instantly extinguishing it.
Kisame stared down at the blond. "Too slow. My sword cuts through chakra and devours it."
Suddenly, Namiko heard Sasuke scream out in pain and she made the hand sign and teleported forward to his side as he collapsed to his, clutching his left wrist. She knelt next to Sasuke, hands hovering over him, scared to touch him and cause more pain. She glowered up at Itachi. "What is wrong with you? How can you hurt your own brother? How could you kill your whole family? You're a monster!"
She stood up and reached for a kunai, but Kisame suddenly turned his sword to her, about to strike when a cloud of smoke appeared in front of her and a large toad stood between her and Kisame blocking his sword.
A second cloud of smoke appeared behind Naruto revealing Jiraiya holding the woman from earlier over his shoulder, obviously unconscious. "You two should've done your research. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, falls victim to no woman's charm. Rare beauty is dropped for me like blossoms in a storm. It isn't in my nature to be duped by the wiles of women."
Jiraiya set the woman down gently. "Putting a Saimingan genjutsu on an innocent woman just to separate me and Naruto was cowardly." He stood up to his full height, narrowing his eyes at the Akatsuki members. "I know you're after Naruto and Namiko. You'd already overstayed your welcome in Konoha and couldn't go after Namiko, so you followed Naruto and me instead."
Itachi turned slightly to look at Jiraiya. "Now I understand how Kakashi knew. You were his information source; you're a great spy after all. The supreme order given to us by the Akatsuki is to capture Naruto or Namiko, and we will get them. It's only a matter of time."
"Sorry, I can't give you either," said Jiraiya.
Itachi's Sharingan bore into Jiraiya. "We'll see about that."
"Actually, this is all very convenient. I can eliminate you both at the same time," taunted Jiraiya.
A weak voice broke through, "…stay…out of this." Sasuke started to stand up shakily.
Namiko was at his side in an instant. "Sasuke, your arm is broken! What are you doing?!" she hissed in his ear.
He used his right arm to push her away from him. "Stay back or you'll get hurt. The only one who is going to eliminate Itachi will be me." Sasuke panted heavily as the pain of his broken wrist was setting in.
Itachi glanced at his younger brother. "Go away, you don't interest me at the moment."
Sasuke's right hand drew into a fist. "Well, get interested!" He swung his fist to his brother and Itachi swiftly kicked him, sending Sasuke flying into the wall at the end of the hall.
Namiko clenched the kunai in her hand and rushed Itachi. "You bastard!" Itachi didn't even look at her as he threw her into the wall next to Naruto.
Naruto geared up to attack, but just as he started running, Sasuke's voice rang out, "No Naruto! Don't butt in! Just…take care of Namiko. I can handle Itachi myself!"
Naruto stopped and backed up to check on his sister, leaning down to her and speaking quietly, "You okay?"
Namiko sat against the wall trying to catch her breath after Itachi knocked the air out of her lungs. "…fine."
Sasuke stood up again. "I've been training for this day, this moment. This fight is mine!" Sasuke charged Itachi again and Itachi easily deflected his punches before landing a heavy punch directly to Sasuke's jaw and sent him crashing back to the wall at the end of the hall.
"Stop this!" screamed Namiko at Jiraiya as she stood up with Naruto's help.
Jiraiya stepped forward but Kisame blocked him from moving any further. "This fight is none of our business, let's let the two of them sort things out themselves."
Itachi slowly walked down the hall stopping in front of Sasuke who was sitting on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth as he tried to gather the energy to stand. In one last ditch effort, he quickly stood readying to attack. "Now finally! You're mine!"
But the moment he stood, Itachi punched him in the stomach, causing Sasuke to double over in pain as he coughed up even more blood. Itachi hit him on the back, then kneed Sasuke in the chest, finally punching him into the floor. Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the throat and held him against the wall.
Itachi leaned forward to whisper in Sasuke's ear. "You're still too weak. You don't have enough hate. And you know something? You never will." The pattern in Itachi's eyes shifted and Sasuke was instantly trapped in his gaze.
Terror filled Sasuke as he was sucked back into the same nightmare he had been made to relive six years ago. Itachi's voice cut into the darkness, "For the next twenty-four hours, relive that day." Sasuke's bloodcurdling scream rang through the hall.
In an instant, Namiko flashed forward a couple of meters away from the brothers, chakra flaring dangerously. Orange chakra swirled about her body and her eyes had turned red with slit-like pupils. "I said STOP THIS!" she screamed as four thick, silver chains shot out from her back, wrapping around Itachi's wrists and ankles.
"I'm done standing around!" Naruto yelled as he started down the hallway toward the Uchihas and his sister, with Kisame following him closely.
"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap," said Jiraiya as his hands flew through hand signs. "You've both just been swallowed by the Mountain Toad. Welcome, my friends, to the belly of the beast. Not the most glorious way to die, is it? It must be humbling to be reduced to toad bait."
Both Naruto and Kisame stopped in their tracks as a sticky red substance started to cover the walls, sealing all the exits. Kisame's foot and sword stuck in the red goo and Naruto froze in place. "Wha—what is this, Ero-sennin?"
"Don't worry, Naruto, this is all part of my jutsu. Just stay calm," Jiraiya explained calmly.
Itachi let go of Sasuke's throat as the sticky red wall held him in place. He turned to face the redhead, who was glaring at him as the kyuubi's chakra continued to swirl around her. 'She is an interesting child…' He thought as his eyes flashed toward the chains, setting them ablaze with black fire. Namiko startled and fell backward onto her butt, chains fading away into nothing, orange chakra extinguished.
"Kisame, come," said Itachi as he was released from the chains. Kisame followed him as they turned down the hall as Itachi's eyes flashed again, black flames blowing out the end of the former hall. They leaped out the opening, disappearing without a trace.
Naruto ran to the end and looked out the opening. "They're totally gone, Ero-sennin!" He turned back to his sister who sat on the ground, staring into nothing. "What…was that?"
Jiraiya walked up and knelt next to the young girl. "Have you never done that before?" Namiko slowly shook her head. 'It seems like she may have gotten some of Kushina's natural talent for sealing jutsus along with Minato's speed. When she flashed forward earlier, she didn't even use a hand sign. Maybe I should give her some things to study when Naruto and I get back.'
"Imouto, are you okay?" Naruto asked and Namiko finally turned to look at him.
"I think so…" She said as she took his offered hand to stand, still partially dazed. As she stood, she snapped out of her reverie when she saw Sasuke being held in the wall by the red goo. "Sasuke! We need to get him out of there!"
"Calm down, he's fine," explained Jiraiya. "…physically fine anyways."
Namiko's brow furrowed in concern for Sasuke's mental state. Whatever his brother did to him made him shut down entirely, a dead look in his eyes. She glanced at Jiraiya and noticed the black flames licking the wall behind them. "What is that?"
"That's a good question," said Jiraiya as he laid a blank scroll on the ground, furiously scribbling on the parchment. There was a circle in the middle of the scroll with arrows pointing inwards. Jiraiya held out his arm, pushing the two siblings back. "Stay put. Sealing Jutsu!" His palm hit the ground and the black flames were sucked into the paper.
Namiko's mouth was agape. "Sealing Jutsu?! Jiraiya-sama, can you teach me? I've been reading some scrolls at the library, but it's hard to practice in there."
The man smiled. "I'd be delighted to teach such a beautiful, intelligent, young lady. We'll sit down when Naruto and I get back. Now, Sasuke." As Jiraiya mentioned his name, the red walls slowly released Sasuke. Namiko and Naruto both rushed forward to catch him and leaned him against the wall as Jiraiya dispelled the jutsu.
A familiar woman's voice broke the silence, "Honestly, this was not what I expected. What on earth happened, Namiko?"
Namiko turned to the source of the voice. "Kurenai-sensei!" She rushed into her teacher's arms and Kurenai stroked her hair soothingly. "I'm sorry I took off without telling you or anyone else. I was just trying to help Sasuke and keep Naruto safe."
Kurenai's eyes softened. "I understand that, but you put yourself in danger as well."
Namiko looked up at her. "Something's really wrong with Sasuke. Itachi used some sort of genjutsu on him…I've never heard him scream like that…"
"Let me look at him," Kurenai said as she saw the worry flood her student's face. She knelt next to the Uchiha, scanning him carefully. "It seems like the same genjutsu Itachi used on Kakashi…the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Kakashi-sensei?!" shouted Naruto.
"They'll be okay though, right?" asked Namiko, voice trembling slightly.
"Their best chance would be for Tsunade to come back," suggested Kurenai.
Jiraiya clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "That's who we were on our way to find and bring back to the village when this whole thing happened."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Tsunade? Who's she?"
"She's another of the legendary sannin, just like me!" said Jiraiya with a large grin. "She's gorgeous and a medical ninjutsu genius. If Tsunade can't heal them, no one can."
Kurenai moved Sasuke to her back. "I should get him back to the medical corps and Namiko back to the safety of Konoha's walls."
"Kurenai-sensei, why don't I go with Jiraiya-sama and Naruto? I could help track Tsunade, right?" suggested Namiko.
"First, you don't know her chakra signature, so it wouldn't be helpful." Namiko's face fell as Kurenai continued, "Second, if the Akatsuki are really after you two for the reasons I think they are, you need to stay in Konoha."
"Why does Naruto get to go then?" Namiko whined, which surprised both Naruto and Kurenai.
"Because he's my student and I promised to train him while we were traveling," answered Jiraiya. "Plus, I can keep track of one of you just fine, but not both of you."
Naruto looked up at Jiraiya. "Why are the Akatsuki after us?"
Jiraiya exchanged knowing looks with Kurenai. "It's not you they're after…but what's inside of you."
"You mean the kyuubi?" blurted Naruto.
Namiko's eyes widened, and she smacked Naruto's arm sharply, earning a yelp. "We're not supposed to tell anyone!" she hissed in his ear.
Kurenai's look softened. "It's okay. We've known for a while now. I was a little older than you two when the kyuubi attacked Konoha, and those of us old enough to remember, know you're jinchuriki, but the Yondaime and Sandaime asked no one to speak of it for your safety. With the Akatsuki now coming after you both, it looks like they had the right idea to keep things quiet."
"Exactly," agreed Jiraiya. "And you should continue to do so, even from your teammates."
Namiko looked at Jiraiya as she gestured to Sasuke. "Uh…didn't we just say all this in front of him?"
"Eh, he can't hear a thing we're saying thanks to that genjutsu. Just…don't tell anyone else," said Jiraiya casually.
Kurenai turned to leave. "Come on, Namiko, we really do need to get back."
Namiko hugged her brother, whispering in his ear, "Stay safe, nii-chan. I love you." Naruto hugged her back with all his might and soon she, Kurenai, and Sasuke had disappeared from sight.
A/N: Finally, we see a bit of Namiko tapping into the Kyuubi! The next chapter will have some tension and some much-needed fluff. Only about 4-5 more chapters until the time skip! See you next week!
-Eriisu