Naruto 1. Prologue

**_Welcome to my first Naruto fanfic on this site (I think. I might check later if I wrote anything else) ^_^  
So, don't hate me but this is a OC x Itachi story (the OC is me except way awesomer)_**

_**The side pairings are:**_  
_**Sasuke x Naruto**_  
**_Slight Sakura x Sai _**

**_I will only update on weekends but most likely on Fridays._**

**_If I used any Japanese stuff wrong, please tell me. It's the first story I wrote with them in it. _**

**_So, please enjoy the story :) _**

**_I don't own anything except Amejisuto Ishi and maybe some other OC's here and there.  
_**

* * *

"Itachi-san!"

The raven haired ANBU member, Itachi Uchiha, looked around through the crowded streets of Konohagakure, instantly spotting the familiar person who called him and walking over to her. "Ah, Amejisuto-chan a pleasant surprise, are you looking for my brother?"

The brunette shook her head. "After all this time, please just call me Eimi-chan. And why would I be looking for Sasuke-kun?" she laughed.

Itachi smiled in amusement. "Maybe because he's one of your best friends and your teammate?"

"No, he's probably training with Naru-chan. They're so predictable and inseparable so I know how to find them both easily. I was actually looking for you," She stopped and looked around after getting bumped into, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the crowds, even though it was explainable due to it being a Saturday. "Can we go somewhere quieter?"

The Uchiha nodded and signaled Eimi to follow him, leading them both to disappear quickly from the streets and reappear at the Uchiha clan compound. "Would this be suitable?" He asked. Amejisuto looked around and smiled at the charm of that part of town. The houses were all old fashioned, left in white and brown painted wood. The homes had an exclusive and fancy style, fitting the clan perfectly.

The police department was near the front gate; the Uchihas were known to be the main police force. Everyone had different theories on why, but no one ever openly questioned it. Next was a bakery, a few small stores that specialised in items for the clan, and the rest was pretty much the fancy houses.

They walked through the streets and reached the clan leader's house, which also happened to be inhabited by Itachi and Sasuke, the leader's sons. It was the biggest house in the compound. From the outside, it looked like there were several houses that were connected. There were visible halls and paths to different parts of the house. It was still traditional but more modern than the other homes. Itachi led her around the house to the back garden.

Amejisuto sat on the back porch, facing the pretty garden filled with herbs, flowers and berry bushes, while Itachi got some tea and brought it out. "It's been a while since we've talked like this. So, what is it that you need?" He asked while pouring two cups and handing one to his guest.

"Well, Itachi-san, as you probably know, I've been a member of Team 7 for a year since Sai-san was assigned to help with the ANBU ROOT catastrophe," she paused and took a sip of tea, noting on how it tasted so fresh. _'Probably from the garden,'_ she thought.

"Sasuke doesn't say much about your team, but Naruto has told me a few times of your situation," Itachi nodded, listening intently. She could ask anything, and he would probably help, no matter what the cost.

"It's not like I hate being on Kakashi-san's team, it's just that... Well, Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun have been trained by the legendary sannin, Sasuke-kun is an Uchiha with great abilities and Kakashi-san has even been nominated for Hokage twice, and-"

"And you're feeling useless and weak compared to them?" Itachi finished for her. She nodded and looked out to the peaceful garden.

"I'm part of the Ishi clan, the masters of nature. I'm a Jonin already, yet I'm the weakest link in my team," she whispered.

"So what do you need?" Itachi already had a general idea of what she was going to ask.

A few moments of silence passed between them as the girl thought about the best way to ask something so time consuming and personal of Itachi. She looked up at him with determination in her purple eyes. "I would like to be your student."

He smiled warmly. "I have the time, patience and experience necessary, and I'm perfectly willing to, but there are a few things you'll have to do. Tomorrow, I will get the Hokage to explain them to you. For now, I suggest that you rest up and spend time with close family," he suggested. They finished their tea in silence, enjoying the peace in the village and being completely aware that their lives will forever be changed.

* * *

A shadowed figure stepped into the dim light of the cave, joining nine others. Not all were completely human. A man came out of the ground, surrounded by what looked like a huge Venus fly trap's mouth. He was split in half diagonally. One half of him was white, the other was black.

"It took you long enough, Leader-sama," the black half said in a deep creepy voice.

"What did you learn while you were scouting, Zetsu," the first figure said. He had orange spiked hair, several piercings, ringed purple eyes, and a black cloak with red clouds that the rest of the gathered group also wore as members of the Akatsuki.

"It will be harder to get to him now. He's surrounded by ninja," the white half spoke almost playfully.

"Ugh, Zetsu still creeps me out with his split personalities. Un," whispered a man with blue eyes and long blonde hair half pulled into a ponytail to a red haired and hazel-eyed man.

"Shut up and listen to the report, Deidara. My patience is thin enough already," the redhead growled.

"Sasori, time is money and wasting money is a sin," a tall scary looking man with only cat-like eyes showing lectured darkly.

"Stop scaring the kids, Kakuzu," a blue shark-like man with a huge wrapped sword smirked.

"Speak for yourself, Kisame. You scare the hell out of people," a man with a scythe and slicked back white hair cursed.

"Watch your language or I will kill you," the only woman threatened. She had blue hair with an origami flower on it and gold eyes, and was second in command.

"You know I can't die, Konan-sama," the man spat back.

"Tobi's being a good boy, right Orochimaru-senpai?" A childish man with black hair and an orange lollipop mask tugged on another man, who had long black hair, gold eyes, and resembled a snake.

"Just get on with it," the man with orange hair ordered. Everyone fell silent and continued to listen to the scary plant man, all scheming a new plan to get the target: Itachi Uchiha.


	2. Chapter 1

**Ameji: Well you made it past the prologue :D**

**Itachi: You make me too nice -.-**

**Ameji: That's because you're nicer than you think ;D**

**Itachi: ...**

**Sasuke: Why are you typing our conversation on here?**

**Ameji: Don't act like you don't know. It's for the exact same reason that you write up whatever Naruto's saying to show off how you have an adorable idiot.**

**Sasuke: That.. That's dumb. I do NOT do that! And we aren't adorable idiots!**

**Itachi: Even YOU'RE smart enough to figure out she isn't thinking that of us. Foolish little brother.**

**Ameji: lol. SASUKE'S IN DENIAL! Sorry for my spamming ^_^**

**Naruto: Noone owns anything! **

**Ameji: *coughSasukeownsyoucough***

**Naruto: Huh?**

**Ameji: Nothing.**

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

The next day found the original members of Team 7 getting ready to spar in their usual training grounds, a grassy field surrounded by trees. Sasuke Uchiha was wrapping his wrists with bandages so he could practise his version of Rock Lee's _Primary Lotus_ move. Naruto Uzumaki was making sure the nine tailed demon fox wouldn't aid in his fight, since it was just sparring and he wasn't in real danger. Sakura Haruno, the team medic with intense strength, was putting on her battle gloves and the team leader, Kakashi Hatake, was reading his usual perverted Icha-Icha paradise novel.

"Hey, has anyone seen Ame-chan?" Naruto asked once he was finished with his previous conversation.

"I saw her yesterday, but that's it. How about you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura turned to the Uchiha who was barely paying attention.

"She and Aniki were together yesterday, but I haven't seen either of them today," Sasuke shrugged, not showing his curiosity of to where his brother ran off to. He hadn't seen him at breakfast either...

Kakashi laughed and decided to have a little bit of fun with his former students and test their skills at the same time. "I heard that they were madly in love and are running away together to Suna." The three teens stiffened and Kakashi smirked. "Oh Sasuke, poor Sasuke, not even knowing that his brother was a slave to love. Don't be sad, it happens to the best of us," the Jonin sighed dramatically.

"Eimi-chan wouldn't leave like that without telling us!" Sakura cried. **'Yah, she would also tell us if she was in love! Right?' **Her inner Sakura questioned.

Sasuke sighed and pouted. "Maybe they did. Aniki wouldn't say anything at all. He would probably just leave a note."

"Why would they abandon us? We have to go get them back otherwise Bachan will mark them as rogue ninja!" Naruto yelled eager to go set things straight with his 'little sister'.

"They might still be at the gates. We should go check," Kakashi said, amused at his teams panicking. He knew for a fact that the two were there but only because he saw them on his way to the training grounds. He followed as the younger ninja ran to the village gates, where they spotted the two ninja talking to the gate guards.

Sakura and Naruto pounced on Amejisuto while Sasuke tried and failed to pounce on his bother, who moved just a few inches out of his reach. "Nisan, why are you doing this to us? And why did you choose Eimi-chan?" He asked.

"What's going on?" Amejisuto gasped as two older ninja wrapped themselves around her legs childishly, preventing her from moving.

"Don't leave us! You're too fun to leave!" They cried, refusing to let go as she tried to shake them off. They were almost as bad as the weights that Rock Lee and Guy-sensei wore on their legs and arms at all times.

"Sensei, could you please help me?" A slightly frustrated Amejisuto called to Itachi, feeling awkward and crowded since her personal space was invaded without permission. The older Uchiha nodded and took out two kunai knives, silently threatening to chop the invaders off. Sakura and Naruto backed away slowly after letting go of their teammate's legs.

Sasuke's eyes widened as his teammates words clicked in his mind. "_Sensei_!?" He stared in shock at his brother. Kakashi couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. He started snickering, which was really creepy.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's so funny?" Asked Sakura.

"Such gullible students. How many times have I taught you to see through deception and not let your emotions affect your judgement?" He said, making the others realise he was just messing with them and turn red with embarrassment.

Amejisuto inched close to Itachi. "Do you have any clue what they're talking about?" She whispered.

Kakashi overheard her and smirked under his mask. "I told them you two were lovers and ran away to Suna."

Amejisuto choked on air, blushed and moved away from the raven in embarrassment. Itachi just stared at Kakashi like he was a boring peice of ninja. "Why would you tell them something like that?" The brunette coughed.

"Because their reactions were priceless. Instant complaining and pouting, and most of the pouting was done by a certain Uchiha," everyone looked at Sasuke, who gave them a 'my pride is hurt' look. Itachi shook his head and sighed. _'Foolish little brother,'_ he thought.

"Well anyways, this is an unusual surprise. Why are you calling him sensei?" The pink haired girl asked.

"I was feeling like a weak link on our team, and since everyone was trained by a Kage or Sannin, I decided I would ask the only person that matched or even exceeded their skills," she pointed at the ANBU captain, "The legendary Itachi Uchiha."

Sakura nodded in understanding. "I was once the weakest member and then asked Shishou to train me as a medic nin. It's a good idea to train with someone super skilled."

Naruto seemed a bit sad. "I never knew you felt that way, Ame-chan," he sulked, feeling bad that he hadn't noticed his friend's distress. Sasuke sighed and looked away.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to train her. She's better than most people," he said to Itachi.

"Kakashi-san, we need to go to Hokage-sama to get permission of me taking her on as an Uchiha apprentice and off of Team 7. Do you give your approval?" Itachi asked.

Kakashi waved his hand and smiled. "Go ahead, take her away and make her a stronger woman." With a nod, the older Uchiha gave a signal for the young brunette to follow him, and they disappeared, leaping off of the rooftops.

"Something about what he said reminds me of a man requesting a woman's father for permission to marry," Sakura laughed.

"There's some rule about training someone not in the Uchiha clan. I don't remember it, but I can't believe that Aniki would go through all that trouble," Sasuke mumbled.

"Teme, it's called being nice and training someone who asked for his help," Naruto said sarcastically.

"Like you would know, dobe. You had to beg Jiraiya-sama for a week and do your _sexy jutsu_ every few hours to keep him interested," the raven haired boy shot back.

"Guys, kiss, make up, and let's go train," Sakura interrupted their soon-to-be fight, and ran back to the training fields with the boys following her.

"Not a couple!" They both shouted at the same time.

"Sure, sure," Sakura laughed. "But it would be awesome if you were. You two are the cutest!"

Kakashi followed them silently, wishing that the days when they cared if he was there or not could come back.

* * *

The Akatsuki meeting was finally over and everyone separated into their own teams. Most left to do some extra missions or spar outside. The leaders slunk away after watching everyone leave. "Nagato-kun, do you really think it's a good idea to try to persuade a pacifist to join the Akatsuki?" Konan asked the orange haired man. They walked through their hideout: A series of underground tunnels that Orochimaru got his summoned snakes to carve. Pain and Konan were going in the main office-like room.

"Itachi Uchiha is the most powerful ninja in Konohagakure. We must have him," Nagato/Pain answered.

"But Zetsu reported that he's surrounded by family and has an apprentice now! It would be almost impossible to get him alone."

"No, he will have times when he is away from everyone. We must strike then."

"It won't be easy," they were interrupted by the man with the orange mask walking in. His voice was about an octave lower than when he was around everyone else and acting like a hyper little kid. "The Uchiha clan has strict rules for apprentices, especially if the apprentice hails from another strong clan. The chances of him being alone will be extremely rare."

Konan and Nagato/Pain narrowed their eyes. "Please explain, Madara-sama..."


	3. Chapter 2

**I was so used to updating once a day it feels like forever since I last posted anything :p  
Chapter 2 is here! Woo! Sorry for a shorter chapter xD  
Oh, and thanks to all who followed and favorite the first night I posted, you are awesome!  
I just realised I use some Japanese words and honorifics but I forgot to keep the whole Japanese-style thing the whole way through so I still write 'thanks' instead of 'arigato' but still use 'ohayo' and that kind of stuff. I confuse me sometimes... Heh heh..**

**Sasuke: Yah, yah, just get to the story!**

**Naruto: Stop being a jerk, Teme.**

**Sakura: Both of you shut up and let people read before I punch you both out!**

**Itachi: Uh... Well no one but Kishimoto owns any of us**

**Me: Except for me. I own me xD**

**Everyone: ... Moving on...**

* * *

"Tsunade-sama will see you now," the Hokage's black-haired assistant, Shizune, let Itachi and Amejisuto into the Hokage's office, revealing a very tired Tsunade with her face down in a pile of paperwork.

"What is it now," she mumbled before looking up and smirking, which didn't seem as mischievous as she meant it due to the black bags under her eyes. "Have you finally chosen someone to marry into the prestigious Uchiha clan, Itachi-kun?"

"Hokage-sama, we are here because Amejisuto-chan requested to be my apprentice yesterday, and I have agreed," Itachi stated. Tsunade clasped her hands in front of her and rested her chin on them.

"I see. Has Kakashi-kun agreed to this?"

"Yes, I talked to him about it just a few minutes ago."

Tsunade pulled open a drawer and took out a sheet. "Get the leaders of the clans to sign this. It's a special arrangement for Uchiha apprentices not of the clan. There are special circumstances. Amejisuto-chan, has Itachi-kun told you about them yet?" She asked.

"No, he only told me that I should listen to you carefully," Amejisuto shrugged. "Whatever it is, it will be worth it."

Tsunade sighed and turned serious. "First, you must understand that the Uchiha clan usually keep to themselves in training and techniques, and outsiders only get the privilege to witness it, but are never able to master anything like it without proper training," she started. The brunette nodded intently, ready to do whatever was asked of her.

"You will be taking on all those secrets, and part of your training would be reading up on the Uchiha clan history. Your life could be put in danger to figure out what you would know, since you would be well known due to the fact that barely anyone has successfully become an apprentice of the Uchihas. You would have to move into your mentor's home. You would live your life as an Uchiha, but without the sharingan, and you would also mainly use Uchiha as your last name unless birth records are required," Tsunade explained.

Amejisuto stood in shock for a moment, and looked back and forth between the Hokage and the ANBU captain. "So basically, I'll be an Uchiha and have to brush up on history and traditions?" The two nodded. The Ishi smiled. "Great! History was always my best subject in the academy."

Her answer seemed to stun the Hokage before she broke into a wide grin and started to chuckle. "Itachi-kun, please get your father and the Ishi clan leader," she asked. Twenty minutes filled with chatting about Team 7 later, Itachi and his father entered the room, followed by a middle aged blonde woman who was mute.

"So this is Amejisuto Ishi?" Fugaku walked around the girl, looking at her with his sharingan. "Impressive. Well, for a Senju descendant."

"She would like to become an Uchiha apprentice, Fugaku-san," Tsunade mentioned.

"My son has explained the situation, and I approve now that I've had a good look at her. The Ishi clan has quite the chakra reserves," Fugaku commented, making his son narrow his eyes suspiciously at him.

"Do you approve of you daughter living with the Uchihas, Sirami-san?" The Ishi leader nodded a bit too quickly with no hesitance. "Ok, then Itachi Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, Amejisuto Ishi and Sirami Ishi, please sign this form," Tsunade pushed over a paper and pen. Everyone signed it, and the brunette was dismissed to go to her house and pack. The other three stayed behind to talk about other arrangements.

"Uchiha san, as you know, your traditions haven't been used in a long time. Are you sure you want _all _of them used in this?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, but I appreciate you not telling her the last part Hokage-sama," Fugaku bowed.

"Tousan, what's the last part?" Itachi didn't learn that part in his studies.

"Well, an apprentice from another powerful clan is rare, so the last part is only on certain circumstances which have been met. Only the Hokage and the Uchiha leader know the last part," the Uchiha leader started. "She will be your responsibility indefinitely."

"You mean-"

"Yes. It's about time for you to take a wife anyways," Fugaku interrupted.

"She's only a child, Tousan," the raven argued.

"And you are barely a man. She won't be a child once she turns 18. Besides, it would be a good idea for the two clans to have a merged branch. Do you agree, Sirami-san, Itachi-kun?" The mute woman sighed and nodded, as did the young Uchiha.

"All right, it is agreed: Itachi Uchiha and Amejisuto Ishi will be wed once the girl turns 18. The only person who can tell her is Itachi-kun, since it's his future too, so it's best to keep it to ourselves," Tsunade made everyone agree. As they were walking out of the Hokage building, Itachi turned to his father.

"So how long have you planned to merge with the Ishi clan?"

"A few years. I've discussed it with Hokage-sama and Sirami-san, but now we're taking action. They have large chakra reserves, and that combined with the sharingan gene would make for more powerful descendants. It's a good thing that one of them is willingly taking part in our clan, since it makes things much easier for me. It's also a coincidence that you, she and Sasuke were like the three best finds way back when. You _will_ go through with this. Or do you want to bring shame upon yourself by rejecting a marriage just because you don't actually love her?" Fugaku threatened.

"No, Tousan, I'm fine with it. The problem is how to get her to do it when the time is upon us," Itachi said.

"Simple. We're Uchiha's. We always get what we want."


	4. Chapter 3

**Ameji: Alright I have decided when to update this! Friday and Monday nights!  
Anyways, new chapter is up so I won't waste your time since let's admit it.. Almost no one reads the author notes xD**

**Itachi: Ameji doesn't own anything except herself **

**Sasuke: And if you forgot she doesn't own much, you have amnesia. We say it all the time**

**Ameji: ... Ok enjoy ^_^**

* * *

A few hours later in the Ishi district, Amejisuto had finished packing her clothes, books, ninja weapons and scrolls. Just as she sealed the last box, someone knocked on the door of the small apartment and she rushed to open it. It was her blonde cousin, Sora Ishi, who decided to barge in and flop onto the couch. "Please tell me that you aren't doing what the rumors say you are," she looked over at Amejisuto.

"What rumors?" She asked half-heartedly, looking around to make sure she didn't forget anything.

"Jiji, they say you're going to be an apprentice of an Uchiha! Sirami-sama announced it through the wind!" Sora yelled.

"Do you think that a clan leader would spread a lie? I _am _an Uchiha apprentice now. Besides, it's not bad, it's awesome. It's not like I'm getting married, and I'm training with an old friend," Amejisuto explained.

"Either way, you have to spend almost every second with _the _Itachi Uchiha and live as an Uchiha, right?"

"Well yes, but I was really close to him and Sasuke, so it's just like having an extra big family again. It's not like I'm going to randomly fall in love with them."

"Jiji, don't overestimate yourself. No one can resist an Uchiha," Sora crossed her arms. "I bet that you won't last a month without falling hopelessly in love, but I'll be nice and bet a year," she said dramatically.

Amejisuto laughed and stuck out her hand. "I'll last over a year. If you lose, then you will have to challenge Naruto to a fight for Sasuke's love, even though you both pretty much 'hate' him."

"And if _you_ lose like you usually do, you have to _dance _in front of me and the person," Sora challenged, taking the hand and shaking it. Amejisuto scowled. She was a _terrible _dancer.

"Eimi-chan, are you ready to go?" Itachi knocked on the open door. Sora's green eyes almost popped out of her head. She knew of Itachi and his serious fan club, but she never saw him in person, and he was the type who looked god-like by just standing with light shining around him. _'Oh yah, she won't last even a month,'_ she smirked.

"I have to write the formulas for a summoning scroll, but I'm having a bit of trouble. Could you please help? My cousin here is useless at anything that isn't wind or kunai knives," Amejisuto asked.

"Hey! Mean much!" Sora objected.

"Sure, where is it?" Itachi ignored the loud Ishi.

"In my room. Please follow me," she led him though the small apartment with Sora trailing after, wanting to see more of the raven haired male beauty. Amejisuto saw the look in her cousin's eyes. "Please Sora, don't become a fangirl. It will only cause problems."

Sora turned red and stated protesting. "Pfft, I'm not a fangirl, just seeing if the famous Uchihas are really awesome like people say," she denied. Amejisuto didn't buy it and silently laughed at her strange relative. They got to her room and Itachi looked around. Boxes were packed, and there was a large scroll already painted with different jutsu characters for all the types of things she had packed up.

"I just didn't know the exact formula for sending it to your house," the brunette explained. He took the brush next to it and dipped it in ink, setting to work on the last few details. Soon it was ready to go, and Amejisuto activated the jutsu while Itachi and Sora helped move the boxes onto the scroll and watched them disappear. After the last box was transported, they rolled up the scroll and Itachi put it in his weapons pouch.

"We are good to go!" Amejisuto shouted. Itachi gave a kind smile and Sora became saddened.

"I'm gunna miss you around here, Jiji," she hugged her cousin.

"It's not like I'm moving to Suna. I'll just be across the village, and I'll visit," the other Ishi assured her.

"Just don't forget about our bet, and if you ever get married, I wanna at least be a bridesmaid."

_'Well then let's just get your measurements ready to go,'_ Itachi thought.

"Alright, but remember what you have to do when you lose." And with that, Itachi and Amejisuto left to the Uchiha part of the city.

Fugaku had apparently announced his son taking on an Ishi apprentice, and the members of the clan gathered on the streets in the compound to welcome her. They all looked similar with black hair in different styles and most had dark eyes. The only exceptions were the ones who obviously married into the clan, or the elders.

They walked past the bakery that Amejisuto had been eyeing the day before. There were two old people standing outside and Itachi waved at them. They stopped walking to talk to them. "Welcome to the family," the friendly looking Uchihas greeted.

"Hello Obasan, hello Ojisan," Itachi smiled.

"Itachi-kun, we're so proud of you for taking an apprentice. This young woman looks like she's ready to learn anything!" The auntie gushed. Amejisuto immediately took a liking to that old woman.

"It's nice to see you, but I think we should get her settled. We'll see you later," the raven bowed and pushed his student along.

She decided to give a short speech so there wouldn't be any more interruptions, and she was also feeling a bit intimidated by everyone staring. "I'm Amejisuto Ishi, thank you for welcoming me with open arms, especially since this was so sudden," she bowed to everyone before moving on down the streets with Itachi to his home. The gathering of Uchihas smiled warmly. _'I bet they're mainly being nice since Itachi is my sensei now,'_ she thought, knowing the usual coldness to outsiders intruding unless it was for marriages or special circumstances. Or Naruto. Everyone _loved _that hyperactive blonde.

They walked down the roads to Itachi's home where Sasuke ran out and greeted them, with Naruto following behind. "Ame-chan, you never told us you were moving here," he complained.

"I only found out a few hours ago," Amejisuto rubbed the back of her head in nervousness, realising she would have to explain the situation to the other kunoichi too, who would probably do what her cousin did and assume that she was in love with an Uchiha or something. She sighed and just told Naruto the basics.

"Wait, so you're married?!"

"No, dobe, stop reacting like an overprotective brother," Sasuke sighed.

"He acts more like a girl would," Amejisuto giggled. "Itachi sensei, where did we transport my stuff to?"

"Oh, I set up a room for you. Follow me. I also keep forgetting to tell you this, but you don't need to call me sensei when we're not training. Itachi-san is fine," he led her to a room in the huge house, giving a small tour on the way, showing where the dojo, living room, kitchen, meditation room, main bathroom and everyone else's rooms were. She had a room across from Itachi's, Sasuke's room was in another hall, and his parent's room was near the dojo. It was pretty spread out, but she guessed Uchiha's didn't like interacting with each other much.

Amejisuto suddenly wondered why she got a room so close to Itachi when everyone else who was actually family were spread out. "Are you going to go in?" Her mentor's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She nodded and slid open the door, gasping at the room. It was all decorated with white furniture and purple walls and blankets with a plain beige floor. Her boxes were all in a pile in the corner near a bathroom and closet.

"Wow, this is so... Wow!" She exclaimed.

"Yah, we figured we would change your room up a bit more than it was before, since it used to match every other room in the house: All black and blue. I remembered your favorite color was purple. It also matches your eyes. I heard girls like things that match their eyes or something," he was surprised when the brunette turned around and hugged him.

"Thank you so much! It's awesome!" She grinned and then went inside to start unpacking.

"You're welcome, Eimi-chan," the raven mumbled before going into his room. "If you need me, just knock."

Amejisuto sorted out her boxes and put away her belongings, admiring the fancy room. There weren't many houses with the old and modern styles mixed anymore. "There's so much room in here," she gushed as she filled the back of the walk-in closet with weapons and filled the front with different cool outfits for different kinds of missions. She was able to even practise a few flips and cartwheels in the space she had left over in the main part. "I should do something about all this space..."

After she was done unpacking, she heard a knock on her door and turned around. There stood a beautiful middle aged woman with black hair that had a slight tinge of blue, and kind brown eyes. "Hi, I'm Mikoto, Sasuke and Itachi's mother," she waved. "I apologise for not greeting you along with the rest of the clan. I was out shopping."

Amejisuto stood up and bowed. "Thank you for allowing me in your home, even if it _was_ so sudden."

"Oh, it's ok Amejisuto-chan. It will be nice to have another girl in the house. I can tell that we will get along nicely. You can come to me if you need anything," Mikoto bowed and left.

"Hm, sweet woman. I get that Itachi is kind but how did Sasuke turn into... Sasuke? He used to be so nice," She thought out loud.

"You'll find out eventually just by living here," Itachi popped into her room, startling her. "Now, get ready for a weird new life."

* * *

"So you're saying that since she's from another powerful clan, they have to get married?" Konan gasped.

"Itachi Uchiha must be captured before then. If not, we shall have to capture the female too," Pain concluded.

"The question is how we get him to join. It's not like he would _want_ to help give out deadly monsters as weapons to different ninja villages for military power," Konan tried to think of something that would convince him.

"The key do getting what we want is through manipulation," announced Madara.

"Well how? We're all S-ranked criminals, even though not even most of our group knows that the great Madara Uchiha is still alive," the woman pointed out.

"That gives me an idea..." Pain smirked.

"Well, let's hear it," Madara commanded.

"I think that we-"

"SASORI NO DANNA! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DETONATING CLAY, UN?!" A loud yell was heard from the hall. The three leaders poked their heads out of the room. There stood Deidara and Sasori, arguing once again.

"I threw it out. Is there a problem?" A smug reply came from the redhead.

"I was making a sculpture to blow up outside, un!"

"It was all over our room and my puppets. You're lucky I didn't kill you."

Kisame walked into the hall. "What are ya fighting about now?"

"He threw out my clay, un!" Deidara pointed madly at Sasori, who rolled his eyes and started walking back to their room. "Hey! Don't walk away from me, un!"

Konan sighed and closed the door. "I swear we're living in a high school."

"So what was it you were saying about manipulation, Madara?" Pain got back into the conversation.

The Uchiha smirked under his mask. Ah yes, manipulation, like what he was doing ever since he got to the Akatsuki.


	5. Chapter 4

**Ameji: Sorry it's late.. the stupid thing wouldn't let this be submitted... **

**I will skip all the blah-blah-blah this time ^_^  
Oh and thanks B.A. Serenity for reminding me of the line thing. It would've been terrible if I wrote the whole story without it**

**Itachi: Everyone goes to their respective owners**

**Sasuke: No one owns me!**

**Naruto: *Puts leash on Sasuke* I own you so HAH.**

* * *

The next day, Itachi and Amejisuto sat in the middle of a clearing in a forest near the Uchiha complex. They were doing that 'information sharing' thing that most students and sensei's do before they work together, though they personally felt it unnecessary.

"As you know, I'm Amejisuto Ishi from the clan of the nature masters. I am 16 years old, and will be 17 next month." Itachi stiffened at that. _'How could I forget? Only a year before she's tied down forever...'_ "I like drawing, writing and fighting for what I believe in, and I don't like being underestimated or feeling weak," she continued.

"What's your goal for the future?" Asked the older man.

"My goal is to become a famous and respected kunoichi. Now, what about you, Itachi-san?"

"I'm Itachi Uchiha of the sharingan. I'm 22 years old. I like training, rice balls and my precious people. I don't like war, arrogance or my father, but please don't tell him I said that," he looked at the brunette who smiled and did a lock sign over her lips. "My goal is to protect the village all my life and to keep my future wife and kids happy."

"Nice goals," Amejisuto gave thumbs up. "Now are we going to start training today?"

"The Uchiha techniques are complex and take most people years to master. First, we should spar so I can know your main level and jutsu, and then we should take a few missions together," Itachi said, with the Ishi listening intently and nodding. They got into their sparring gear and did some warm ups so their muscles wouldn't be too tense.

The sparring match was ready to begin. "The first match will be taijutsu only," Itachi confirmed. Amejisuto nodded and rushed at him with immense speed. She tried to distract him by aiming a fake punch to his face while she was intending to trip him, but he leaped in the air and flipped over her, kicking his foot across where her feet were moments ago. She followed his technique and leaped over him, twisting her body to avoid a punch to the stomach, kicking his back and landing crouched so his kick could swipe over her. He punched as she tried to get to the other side of him, and it made impact.

She jumped out of the way of another punch and tried to trip him again, and he blocked her foot with his own before skillfully lifting her slightly by the foot and twisting her so she landed on the ground with a loud thud. She growled, spun and bent backward like she had no spine, effectively landing a kick his shoulder.

Their movements soon became too quick to see, each landing a few blows (Amejisuto ended up being hurt more than her sensei, of course), and after a few minutes, Itachi caught both fists trying to punch him, twisting her so her back was pressed to him and her arms were twisted. She tried kicking but he locked her legs with one of his own. "We're done for now in taijutsu. You need to improve greatly on that, but I applaud you on managing to do some damage to me. We'll take a small break and then practice ninjutsu. My mother will be here soon," he predicted as Mikoto reached the training area.

"Hey there guys, are you thirsty? I brought iced green tea," she offered a small tray of drinks before sitting with them. They all sat there, sipping tea and enjoying the company. When they were done, Mikoto wished them good luck and left with the empty glasses.

"Time for ninjutsu training," Itachi stood up and stretched. "Show me all the jutsu you know, or at least the most powerful and rare ones first."

"Ok, first is my most powerful wind style: sound of destruction." She took a deep breath and whistled low and strong. The Uchiha activated his sharingan, making his eyes go red, and saw the chakra from her breath manipulating the wind and destroying her target: a pile of leaves. She was out of breath after a minute of keeping a steady note until the leaves were in pieces. "That one is rarely used, since it takes up too much time and chakra in a fight.

"The second is the wind shuriken that Naruto taught me. I adjusted it so it wouldn't break my chakra points and was slightly less powerful," she held out her hand and focused, letting her chakra seep out, creating a ball of swirling energy that soon mixed with the wind. She threw it at a thick tree stump, cutting it in half.

She displayed different jutsu's, even the ones she hadn't mastered completely. Her other best ones were water style: water dragon, shadow and water clones, and water style: water prison. After doing a few of those, she was pretty much out of chakra.

"Amejisuto, are you a genjutsu type user?" Itachi asked as she was fighting to regain her breath. She shook her head and fell on the ground; her last batch of clones drained her, and it wasn't like she had the Kyuubi to add extra chakra like Naruto could. "For now, we will only train once every two days. Otherwise, you won't be able to store up enough chakra without it being gone right away."

"What will we do in the meantime?" Amejisuto asked.

"Bond, go on missions every once in a while. You can also follow my mother around on your days off. Since you will be here for a while, it would be best to stay on my parents' good side by helping out around the house," he suggested.

"Ok. I haven't used this much chakra before so I think I'm gunna pass out," the Ishi wheezed before coughing and then falling asleep from chakra deprivation.

"She'll have to get used to using more chakra than normal," the Uchiha sighed before picking his student up and carrying her back to the house.

Mikoto gasped at the sight of the sleeping girl. "Is she alright?"

"Used up too much chakra, but she'll be fine tomorrow. I'll take her to her room." He started to walk towards their rooms.

"Itachi-kun, your father told me about the arranged marriage. I hope it won't be too hard on you guys when the time comes," she mentioned.

"It's alright, I'm sure it's all for the best. Now if you'll excuse me," he walked to his apprentice's room and took off all the armor, leaving her in better suited sleepwear. He put her in her bed and pulled blankets over her before leaving and closing the door behind him.

* * *

The whole Akatsuki were gathered in a large room. "So what's happening now," sighed Hidan.

"We will start the tailed beast hunt in six weeks, since the demon statue is almost ready. We have decided to get Itachi Uchiha and possibly his young apprentice eventually, but time is running out. The nine tailed fox is the most powerful, and its container is also growing stronger each day. Any questions?" Pain announced.

"Why don't we just capture the nine-tails first?" Asked Orochimaru.

"The order has to go from one to nine, or else it won't work and the creatures will run loose," Konan explained.

"When will we get Itachi?" Kisame asked.

"We're planning on manipulation and hopefully we will give Itachi a reason to leave and join us."

"Tobi wants to know if he can capture the first demon!" Madara was back in his 'idiot' character, fooling almost everyone.

"No. The first demon will be captured by Deidara and Sasori," Pain turned to the two mentioned. "You will find it in the current Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara."

Zetsu was sent to spy on Itachi and Amejisuto while the rest of the Akatsuki discussed different ways to find and capture the tailed beast containers. Madara slipped away too, but nobody cared. He went to his room and started scheming on how to manipulate the Uchiha clan and end up with Itachi in the end. "I'll use the girl too. I bet Orochimaru would _love _to experiment on an Ishi," he thought. "And Itachi is a very persuasive man when the right buttons are pushed. This could be so easy..."


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi ^_^**

**Enjoy~**

**Sasuke: That was brief**

**Itachi: Shut up, otouto, she's working hard. Anyways, she owns her, Kishimoto owns everyone else..**

**Sakura: *sigh* do we even need the disclaimers at this point?**

* * *

A month filled with hard work, team building exercises and easy missions later, Amejisuto woke up to find Mikoto leaning over her bed, staring at her. She held back the urge to scream at how creepy it was and sat up with a polite smile. "Good morning, Mikoto-san, what brings you to my room?"

"Happy birthday, Eimi-chan! Time to get you all dressed up! I'm going to teach you the Uchiha birthday traditions," the older woman seemed a bit over-happy...

"Alright, but can I just take my usual shower first?" Amejisuto yawned.

"Nope, we're going to the spa and we can bathe there. That's one of the traditions, well, it's that the daughter and mother or father and son go to a relaxing place," Mikoto said cheerfully, pulling back the silky purple blankets and pretty much dragging the young girl out of her bed, quickly shoving her into a kimono.

Thankfully, her hair was fine and didn't need brushing. Amejisuto felt slightly winded as Mikoto dragged her through the large house to the kitchen to bid the stunned males, who were in the middle of eating, goodbye. Amejisuto glared at the sons who started snickering. Well, mainly Sasuke was doing the silent taunting. Itachi chuckled but also gave her a look of sympathy. He knew he couldn't do anything to help when his mother was excited like this.

Mikoto and her 'victim' arrived at the spa/bath house and were welcomed in instantly. Once they were showered and in the bath, things were finally explained. "I never go to do these things since I married into the Uchiha clan, and as you know, I only have sons," the mother explained. "You are the closest thing to a daughter to me right now, so I decided that we should do this for your birthday."

Amejisuto was slightly dazed and still half asleep since she was confused from being pulled around for the past twenty minutes of being awake, but she was also flattered that she was considered a daughter (though it brought up weird thoughts about who the woman mentally married her to). "Are there any other birthday traditions I should know about?"

"Well, it's the usual 'receive gifts' but there's a special thing that Uchihas and their apprentices have to do on the girl's birthday, since it's more special in this clan than a man's. I don't know all the details, but I think you have to go on a special mission for a week," she said.

"That sounds fun. More bonding time with my favorite teacher," Amejisuto smiled.

Mikoto grinned. _'And hopefully soon your favorite person,'_ she thought. "Any Ishi clan traditions that we should be aware of?"

"Well, we usually spend the day in relaxation with people we're close to while appreciating nature, so it's a good start so far for the most part."

They both grew quiet and enjoyed the soak before a lady went by and brought them to the set up spa room for different treatments. It was a girl's day out paradise filled with mud baths, wraps, massages and other relaxing things. Amejisuto wasn't the biggest fan of girly things, but she found herself enjoying how refreshed she felt once it was done. Her favorite part was the massages, of course.

A few hours passed and the girls were walking back to their home, laughing at stories that Mikoto told about Sasuke and Itachi when they were younger. Embarrassing stories. "Seriously? He _cut _those lines on his face with a _kunai_? And I'm supposed to think he's a flawless sensei," the brunette laughed after the older woman told a story about her oldest son.

"Well, he was only 3 and wanted to look like a warrior," Mikoto giggled. They got back in the house and the Uchihas, Team 7, Team Guy, Sora and Sirami were all waiting in the dojo to surprise her. Well, Fugaku just said hi, took his wife, and walked away.

"Happy beginning of the last year of true youth, though you will always have youth on your side, just a different kind of youthfulness!" Rock Lee and Guy sensei started crying randomly and were ushered into a corner by their teammates, Neji and Tenten, so they could cry out their weirdness.

"Happy birthday, Eimi-chan," Itachi smiled. Everyone joined in, giving hugs and good wishes. Then came the presents. She got a Hollywood Undead CD from Sakura, a ramen coupon from Naruto, a cool kunai knife with an Uchiha crest on it from Sasuke, the original 3 Icha Icha books from Kakashi and a weird green leotard from Lee and Guy. Tenten got her a metal fan for wind users, and Neji got a scroll for techniques to use against genjutsu.

Sora smirked and gave her a small book filled with 'get out of bet free as long as you admit I'm right' coupons, and Sirami gave a scroll of high level techniques of the elite members of the Ishi clan, and everyone knew they probably couldn't ever beat her after she learned them. Lee and guy were still in their own little world.

"And what about Aniki? The great sensei hasn't forgotten a gift for his favorite pupil, has he?" Sasuke teased.

"I'm going to give it to her at the end of the traditional mission," the older raven replied.

The birthday girl inched close to her cousin. "Hey Sora, it's been a month and I haven't felt anything towards any Uchiha yet," she bragged.

"Have you ever even liked anyone before?" Sora asked.

"Psh, yah. I liked Kiba-kun when I was 8," Amejisuto crossed her arms in triumph.

"That... Is... Pathetic..." Sora laughed. "You probably don't even know what it feels like.

"Oh shut up."

"Hey Ame-chan! Are you going to celebrate with birthday ramen?" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto-kun, I think she has to prepare for her mission, so we're leaving. It was a nice party though," Sakura dragged her teammate out by the ear. Kakashi waved and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The other guests soon left too, leaving the Uchiha family and Amejisuto.

"Itachi, Amejisuto-chan, we got a mission for you from Tsunade-sama," Fugaku entered the dojo. "It's a traditional week-long mission, and it's A ranked."

"What will we be doing?" Asked Itachi.

"You will be undercover as a young couple in Sunagakure. Apparently Kazekage-sama requested assistance from someone in Konoha to track down an S ranked criminal and bring him to Suna. He should be near the border at the town Airin, which is famous for its resorts," he assigned.

"If he's an S rank criminal why is it an A ranked mission?" Amejisuto pointed out.

"There's two of you, and you have a week. Just take him back here for the intelligence division."

"Hai, Tousan," Itachi bowed and Amejisuto followed his lead. They left to pack lightly and set out later that day.

Once they were out of sight, Mikoto started panicking. "What if this mission doesn't bring them closer together?"

"Hokage-sama has assured me that this mission is perfect for that. The man they're tracking down always uses a certain jutsu to make things more... Interesting," Fugaku assured.

* * *

Deidara and Sasori started to pack for their mission to Suna. It was still another week until they left, but Sasori would complain if they wasted any time when they needed to leave. He wasn't exactly the most patient person, and Deidara didn't feel like being stabbed with a poisoned needle, being left in pain until he'd be almost dead after three days, then stabbed harshly with an antidote. He shuddered at the thought.

"So which one of us fights the great 18 year old Kazekage, un," the blonde asked as he shoved globs of detonating clay into small pouches.

"You will. My puppets will be crushed if I fight him," Sasori sighed. "You better make it quick though. I hate waiting."

"Yah yah, I know, you only mention that six billion times a week, un. I bet you don't want to fight him because he's the leader of the village you ran away from and you're scared to face your past, un."

The redhead growled and pulled out a poison-tipped kunai, smirking at the fear in his partner's eyes. "Sorry, I missed that. What were you saying?"

"Um... That I'll take care of the one tails and you should set up traps, un?"

"That's what I thought."

"I'll make the fight quick. Sand is no match for my beautiful art! Un."

"Whatever, just get it done before I get impatient."

Deidara pouted at his partner's coldness. "You're so demanding, Sasori no Danna, un."

Sasori rolled his eyes. "I wasn't made to have any other emotions. How I even get into pointless fights with you is a mystery; I made myself to specific details that I wanted but somehow you over-ran my programming."

"You make it sound like you're a robot or a computer, un. Puppets don't get programmed."


	7. Chapter 6

**Aah a day late! I'm so sorry... I forgot it was Friday yesterday :p **

**If there are any mistakes or confusing things, please tell me**

**Itachi: Kishimoto owns-**

**Sasuke: Shut up and let them read.**

* * *

"How long until we reach Airin?"

"I think it's only another ten minutes."

The Uchiha apprentice and her sensei were jumping from branch to branch at full speed, ready to find and capture the criminal they were sent after for their special mission, though it just seemed like a normal mission instead of something special. Itachi already figured out what the mission was for, and was prepared for anything. He wasn't quite sure what kind of situation or jutsu the criminal could put them in to make something possibly happen, but he knew that his father wouldn't allow something like this to fail or someone getting hurt too badly. It was bad for the Uchiha reputation, after all. As far as he could tell, his student was pretty much clueless and thought that it was just another tradition and bonding mission in one blow.

_'Amejisuto, please, just keep being oblivious and happy for now,'_ he prayed.

A few minutes later, they dropped into the town, landing gracefully and walking like it was an everyday thing while the town citizens stared in amazement. They obviously didn't get many ninja visitors. Once the duo got to the resort, they found that someone had already booked a reservation for them. _'Hokage-sama or Mikoto-san probably. They're so nice,'_ Amejisuto smiled. She found the resorts and average-sized town charming compared to the large ninja village she was used to.

They got to their room and opened summoning scrolls, collecting clothes for the week that were stored in that place that most summoning things come from (and nobody knows the name of). "Ita-kun, why did they give us a week when we could just capture the criminal in a day?"

"It's traditional for it to be a week, and they probably want us to bond a bit more in an uncomfortable situation so we can learn to fully trust each other.. Or something like that at least," the raven replied.

"How is this an uncomfortable situation? It's another mission along with a chance to bond while relaxing, even though I already trust you with my life," the brunette smiled.

"Well that's good. Forgive me when I say that I barely trust anyone with my life, not even myself," he joked.

"I guess we'll just have to work on that sometime. For now, let's go to the hot springs!"

Itachi looked at a clear door on the other side of the room. "I guess we have private baths at this resort," he mumbled.

"Then how will we find the criminal if we don't even go to the same onsen?"

"I've been told the criminal is male, so you wouldn't be able to find him on your own anyways since public baths are separated, which brings the question of how we _will_ find him."

"Ooh! We can walk around town and look for him! They said we we're posing as a couple, right? Nothing will be suspicious if we go around on 'dates'," Amejisuto suggested.

"Good idea, we should take a bath first though," Itachi complimented.

"Who first, though?"

"Why not both at once? The sooner we're out, the sooner we can look and finish this mission," Itachi shrugged.

The 17 year old turned red with embarrassment. "WHAT?! We can't share a bath, we're different- Hey! What are you doing?" She yelled as Itachi started taking off his armor and clothes.

"In ANBU, it makes no difference. Put emotions aside and do it for the mission," he stated, chuckling when the girl squeaked and turned around. He put a towel around his waist and walked outside. "If you're uncomfortable with me seeing anything, I suggest you go in first."

Amejisuto sighed and quickly stripped down, running outside and into the hot water with her eyes closed and face red. Itachi went in next on the opposite side of the hot spring. "I think this is also what people consider 'bonding and building trust' under these circumstances," the raven said.

"This is inappropriate and humiliating. I don't know how you ANBU do it," the Ishi mumbled.

"Like I said, put your emotions aside for the mission. That's one of the most important shinobi rules."

"Naruto-kun breaks that rule all the time then. He get's way too emotional," she laughed.

They sat in the hot water awkwardly until they felt that they were clean enough to go out. Itachi ended up getting hit by a thrown rock when he forgot to close his eyes when they left the spring, even though he wasn't even looking. Not that he cared or anything.

They went out and went in different shops and tourist attractions, looking for the criminal, and being unaware that the criminal already found out they were hunting him. They ended up going to a restaurant when they got hungry, amused by the fact that their most popular dish was ramen.

They took a few bites of their snacks - dango and rice balls- before they noticed something weird was happening to Amejisuto. She started gasping for air and mumbling about something being an accident before she passed out. Itachi looked at her with his sharingan and realised she was in a deep genjutsu that even _he_ would have trouble breaking. He quickly paid for the snacks and ran back to the resort they were staying at, laying her on her bed. "Damn, the criminal must've done this," he cursed.

He noticed his apprentice started to whimper and shake, and reached down to try to soothe her a bit by shooting some of his chakra into her to help her block out some of the genjutsu world she was in, but he found himself being pulled into her mind once he merged with her chakra, falling for the genjutsu that he knew he probably wouldn't escape.

He knew the type of person who would do something like that, and he knew that there was a chance of getting out. It was going to be like a videogame; going through all stages or levels until you finally win. He just wondered what kind of levels there would be in his student's mind, and what he would uncover. Hadn't she mumbled something about an accident?

His body in the genjutsu was normal, thankfully. Itachi looked around, seeing a normal looking world. In fact, it looked like the Ishi clan compound, near Amejisuto's old home. "Look out!" Someone cried, before pummeling into him, throwing them across the street. He looked where he was previously standing and saw a wolf with an evil aura running trough that spot, looking like he was ready to tear up anyone that crossed his path. "Itachi-kun?" He looked up at the person who tackled him to the side. It was his student. "Ita-kun, what happened? And why are you here too?"

"You got caught in a genjutsu and I got pulled in," he sighed. "As I've told you, with a high leveled genjutsu, like this is, you need a person on the outside to either give you chakra to regulate your flow of energy or defeat the enemy, or you have to block out all senses, which you haven't learned to do yet."

"Then how do we get out of here?"

"I think we have to go through until the caster ends it or it runs its course. Have you collected any information?"

Amejisuto visibly shivered. "This is just like the incident twelve years ago. If I'm correct, I think it's going through my memories. This is the worst one though," she said sadly.

"Why is that?"

"Come with me," the brunette sighed, grabbed his hand and followed the wolf. They got to a small temple where a little girl and an older man were cornered by the wild wolf. It lunged for the small girl but the man jumped in front of her, letting out a small whistle, but it was cut off as he cried out when the wolf sank his teeth into his leg. The man fell on his knees and the wolf scratched him up and bit down on his neck, killing him instantly while the girl behind him screamed. Itachi looked away and saw tears running down his student's face.

"Daddy!" The small girl cried, as his dead body fell to the ground. The wolf looked at her and prepared to pounce, but a blast of wind threw him away and down the road. The clan leader, Sirami, appeared. She was furious at the intruding animal and looked over at the small girl who was still crying over the man.

"Why did you kill him, you dirty mutt?" She yelled, performing hand signs and making a stick of lightning appear in her hand. She threw it at the wolf, who dodged it easily and growled before running down the road and pouncing on her, His paw got pushed on her throat, making her unable to talk anymore. Sirami wrestled with the dog, getting bitten and scratched but managing to stay alive.

There was a loud scream from the little girl and the wolf turned its head to her, getting distracted and focusing on attacking again. The blonde woman threw a punch after lining her fist with chakra, slamming it into the wolf's head and killing it. She then hobbled over to the little girl, wrapping her in a hug and turning her away from the man.

"Mommy, why... Why d-did that doggie attack us?" The girl sobbed. Sirami tried to talk, but no sound would come out, making her cry more that she couldn't comfort her daughter. 'Amejisuto,' she mouthed.

"It's all my fault," the seventeen year old Amejisuto whispered. "I begged him to take me to the temple because I was finally old enough to go pay my respects to the dead, and the wolf came out of nowhere..." she started to sob, hiding her face in her hands. "I shouldn't have begged him so much. He didn't want to take me yet, but he just couldn't say no after a while, and we got attacked."

Itachi tried to imagine what it would be like if his father or brother was killed by a wild animal that should be so easy to take down, and how bad he would feel if he was the reason they died or his mother stopped being able to talk. There would be only guilt, darkness and depression for him... How did he not know what happened? He and Sasuke were always around her since she was six or so.

He grabbed his student and wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry on his shoulder. "The worst part was that I was the one who snuck the wolf out of the Inuzuka dog clinic the day before," she cried.

"I'm sorry this happened, but it's in the distant past. You got over it once, so you can do it again," Itachi tried to cheer her up. Amejisuto stepped back and wiped the tears off of her face and sniffing a bit.

"I guess I'm just selfish, since there are people that get their whole clans killed and have to act like nothing happened," she sighed.

There was a loud _crack _and the scenery changed. It turned into a dark forest in the middle of a thunderstorm. Oddly enough, the two didn't get wet. They saw three ANBU crouching on the muddy forest floor. One of them was holding a man covered in blood. The brunette saw her mentor's eyes widen. "No," he murmured.

"Itachi-sama, we have to give up! He's dead and nothing can revive him!" One of the taller people yelled over the thunder.

"No! He isn't dead and I sent a message to the hospital. A medic-nin will be here soon!" The shortest one in an ANBU captain uniform yelled back.

"Sir, if we don't get out of here, we will all die too!" The other man shouted.

"So be it! If he dies, so will I. He's our comrade! You can run if you want but I'm not leaving!"

The man twitched slightly. There was a small silence in the storm as he whispered 'let me go, warn the village.' The younger Itachi took off his ANBU mask and Amejisuto saw that he was her age at the time.

"I'm not going to let you die," he whispered on the brink of tears.

"Captain, we have to go before he gets us too," one of them men said.

"I don't care! Let Orochimaru kill me and take my sharingan. It's my fault anyways!" Itachi shouted.

"You idiot. I'm... Going to die... You must survive for me," the man gasped in pain and then lay still. Itachi picked him up and they all stood.

"It's over, captain. Shisui-san is gone. You know the rules: no evidence. We have to destroy him now."

"I refuse," Itachi growled.

"Then we'll do it."

"No, not you, but I guess the fate of the village rests in his disposal. At least let me mourn."

"We can't, sir. It's now or never," the other ANBU pushed.

Itachi held back his emotions and turned into a cold shell of a person. He laid the man on the ground and everyone took a few steps back. "Fire style: Dragon fire jutsu!" He yelled, shooting a stream of fire out of his mouth. It grew bigger and disintegrated the man. The ANBU turned around, put on their masks, and went on their way back to the village, bringing the storm with them.

Once they were gone, the older Itachi stood over the ashes of his old comrade. "I hate war. I hate evil. Death though... Well he was the only team member that I couldn't save and it almost broke me," he whispered.

"Who was he?" Asked Amejisuto.

"He was my cousin, Shisui Uchiha. We were close and she was on my team for about four years," Itachi explained. "Once he died, I was devastated, but gained my mangekyo sharingan. It forms when an Uchiha's close friend dies in front of them."

The brunette put her hand on his shoulder. "So we've both lost precious people."

"And whoever put this jutsu on us is a sick bastard," he spat, losing his kind and calm composure.

The world dissolved around them and they were back in reality. "I'm glad you think so," a man stood smirking in the back doorway. He had short brown hair, wore sunglasses, and was one of those people who looked like they thought they were _sooo _cool.

"Are you the S-ranked criminal we were sent after?" Amejisuto asked.

"Duh! No one else around here except for us three have strong enough abilities to do these types of things," the man bragged. "But, I'm retired. I don't even want to be a criminal anymore. I just like trapping people in genjutsu and making them go insane in their own minds."

"You sadistic jerk," Itachi glared.

"Ah yes, you have seen the true me," the man bragged.

"So if you don't want to be a criminal anymore, how about coming with us back to Konoha?" Amejisuto growled.

"Lovely offer, pretty lady, but I would also rather not be in jail. Sayonara," he tried to make a run for it but was stopped by the quick Uchiha, who blocked the doors. The man turned around to face the Ishi, who gave him a good punch to the face. Itachi took out a kunai and held it to the man's neck while the girl gave a short low whistle. The man cried out in pain and fell on the ground, curling into a ball and covering his ears.

"I broke his eardrums. It's the easiest part of the human body to break with my jutsu, and perfectly sadistic enough for payback for making us relive awful memories," the brunette bragged.

"I'm not one to agree with revenge, but at least you didn't kill him. Are you feeling better now?" The raven asked.

"Are you?" She replied while tying up the man.

"I'm fine now."

"Well then so am I."

They found out that they had been in that short genjutsu for three days, making them cut the week-long mission short, since they could just return three days early. An ANBU squad took their new prisoner back to Konoha, and the duo soon left to the Uchiha estate. "Well that was an uneventful mission when it really comes down to it. The hardest part was just our memories," the Ishi sighed, walking down the halls with her mentor.

"The fight was short. Either way, it was a decent four day mission, compared to other ones I've been on." Itachi agreed. They got to their rooms and opened their doors, ready to go their separate ways for now. "Goodnight, Eimi-chan."

Amejisuto blushed before scurrying into her room. "Goodnight, _Itachi._"

Itachi paused and smirked. "It's a dangerous game you're starting, Ishi," he said before closing his door.

* * *

Two ninja walked quickly through the desert. They were silent; all things they needed to discuss have been talked about, planned, and ready to go. The redhead of the group was sealed inside a creepy puppet with a metal scorpion-like tail and many weapon pockets. The blonde was mixing up a bunch of clay in his pouches, letting the mouths on his hands eat some in preparation of the small invasion on the village that was just barely on the horizon.

They looked at each other and nodded, speeding up and putting Japanese straw hats on. Not to conceal identities, just because the leader thought it would be cool, which was nonsense but they did it anyways. The yellow/brown sand swirled around them slightly, as if afraid. There was complete silence. Not even the wind dared to blow across them until they reached the city.

The guards at the gates were ready to attack, having been put on lookout for the Akatsuki, since they got word from the great sannin Jiraiya that they were now on the move. "Oh great, general-sama is here!" One of them cheered. Another guard turned to the general who looked like a dead zombie.

"General-san, we have to warn Kazekage-sama!" Another warned.

The general moved forward swiftly with a kunai. His eyes were glazed over and the many guards cried out in fear as he killed them efficiently. The Akatsuki partners glided through the gates easily without anyone trying to stop them. "Sasori no Danna, your spy puppets are really useful," Deidara smirked, looking over the dead general who was already a puppet. He had officially died just minutes before attacking everyone, but had been unaware of being under the puppet master's jutsu for a few years.

"Go in now, and don't keep me waiting," Sasori growled before looking at his newest addition to his collection.

The blonde smirked and went through the long alley to the village, setting off explosives when he got in successfully, trying to get the Kazekage's attention. He was only slightly surprised when a teenager with red hair and black surrounding his eyes appeared, riding on a cloud of sand. The blonde himself was twenty, after all.

"This is going to be fun, un," he smirked before throwing the first bomb and starting the fight.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi people! I almost forgot to update again :p**

**Itachi: Should I even bother to do it today?**

**Sakura: *sigh***

**Me: Enjoy ^_^**

* * *

"Good morning, Eimi-chan," Mikoto greeted as the brunette walked into the kitchen. She was still only half awake as she trudged to the short table and sat on the cushioned spot on the floor. "How was your mission?"

Amejisuto fell back and laid on the floor, ready to sleep again. "It was exhausting. Once your adrenaline is gone, the after-effects of genjutsu is so tiring."

"Has Itachi never used genjutsu on you before?" Mikoto started preparing breakfast before the boys got up.

"No, he never uses anything but the occasional ninjutsu on me," the Ishi yawned.

"That's unusual," the mother said. "He uses it on Sasuke to let him build resistance, so why not on you? You're his student and he should be helping you in that area as well."

"I guess Itachi has his own methods. He'll probably start soon. I've only been here for a month, Mikoto-san."

The older woman smiled. "Yes, it's been a month and you're already calling my son Itachi." Amejisuto blushed and opened her mouth to explain but was interrupted by yawning Uchiha boys.

"Ohayo, Okasan," Itachi sat next to his apprentice and Sasuke just nodded to his mother before sitting next to his brother.

"Still not good with mornings, huh Sasuke-kun," the 17 year old giggled, getting a half-assed glare. She sat up when Fugaku came in the room.

"Ohayo, Fugaku-san," she greeted. He nodded and sat across the table. Mikoto put food on every ones plates and brought them over. Another tasty breakfast of rice, salmon and eggs.

"Itadakimasu," they all said before digging in.

"So Aniki, did you give Eimi-chan her birthday gift yet?" Sasuke asked.

"Yah. Sensei, where's my present?" She joked.

"Itachi, you didn't forget to get a gift for your lovely apprentice, did you?" Mikoto joined in the teasing.

The victim sighed and smiled. It had gotten happier in the Uchiha's home ever since Amejisuto moved in. It wasn't so tense and Fugaku wasn't so hard on them anymore. Yes, he had gotten her a gift but he was planning on giving it to her in private. "I'll give it to her later. Okasan, do you need any shopping done or anything like that?"

"I need to get groceries later. Why?" His mother answered.

"I bet that Eimi-chan is still feeling the effects of the genjutsu. I'm surprised she's even awake right now," he looked over at the brunette who was staring off into space.

"Huh?" She snapped out of her small daydream.

"So I think we should do the shopping for an off-day," he continued. Mikoto nodded and gave him a grocery list, and they finished their meals.

* * *

It was a slow Friday. The streets weren't too crowded due to it being the morning, leaving Amejisuto more comfortable with the peacefulness. Not that Konoha wasn't generally peaceful; she just didn't like loud noises of many people talking.

"So where should we go first," Itachi looked at the list. "How about to the fruit stands?"

"I always love the smell of fresh fruit, even though it makes me so hungry," Amejisuto walked with her mentor down the roads to the main shopping street. It seemed like there was a food stand for everything. They started shopping at a leisurely pace, relaxing and joking around on their day off.

"No, he's _mine_, forehead," a smug voice rang down the street.

"Pig! I already told you he's _mine!_" Another replied. Sakura and Ino Yamanaka appeared, arguing. Probably over a boy. They were in each other's faces, screaming profanities and mean names, like they did when they were enemies. Amejisuto and Itachi stood still, trying to ignore them, until a few stands of pink hair got pulled, resulting in the puller to be punched across the street.

"Hey, what's going on?" Asked the Ishi, running up and tying to stop a potential disaster.

"Ino-pig thinks that Sai-kun likes her since he calls her miss beautiful all the time," Sakura growled. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. They caused a ruckus because of a pretty-much-emotionless boy's nicknames?

"And he calls billboard brow 'ugly hag', so he obviously likes me!" Ino argued.

"You guys do know that Sai calls people the opposite of what he thinks of them, right?" Itachi said. The girls thought for a moment.

"WAIT! So he thinks I'm ugly?" Ino cried.

"And he thinks I'm pretty," Sakura bragged.

"Whatever he thinks, I can't believe you're fighting about another boy. The Sasuke-kun incident broke you two apart for years," Amejisuto sighed when they didn't listen, trapped in their own worlds of celebration and depression. She turned to Itachi. "Ino-chan will get over it and find another guy, so let's just go.."

The rest of the shopping trip went smoothly, and Itachi was becoming more nervous by the second, though he didn't show it, of course. He decided that he would give his gift once they got back home, and hoped that she would like it. "Itachi, how did you know Sai-kun called people the opposite of what he sees them as?" She asked as they finished paying for the last thing Mikoto wrote down and started to head back.

"He called me a talentless shinobi once when we were on an ANBU mission and I defeated a whole group of S-ranked criminals with a fire phoenix jutsu," Itachi smirked. "He was obviously impressed."

"I found out by reading one of the books he borrowed from the library. It was pretty stupid, but explained a lot about why he does weird things," Amejisuto said.

They discussed random things about what books are wrong about and time flew by. They barely noticed that they walked into the Uchiha part of the village until they were greeted by Mikoto. They brought the groceries into the kitchen and Amejisuto sighed happily, stretching her limbs now that they were free from heavy produce.

Itachi shuffled around nervously. "Eimi-chan, would you please wait in your room," he requested. She gave him a questioning look, then shrugged and walked off. "So do you think she'll like it?" He asked his mother.

"You should know, you're with her most of the time," Mikoto started putting the groceries away.

"But you're a girl. Girl's know everything about other girls, right?"

The woman laughed. "If girls knew everything about other girls, the world would be destroyed by hatred. Just remember, she isn't stupid and she will find out eventually."

Itachi walked slowly down the halls, slowly preparing to be either loved or hated, and building up resistance to pain. He got to his room and concentrated for a moment before making a hand signal. "Release," he said, and the genjutsu room faded away. The real room looked pretty much the same except with a few extra things in the corners. Secret scrolls, ANBU mission reports, and the gift.

He picked up the wrapped box and recast the genjutsu. Slowly and nervously, he walked to his student's door and knocked. She answered it with a smile and invited him in. "Eimi-chan-"

"You have earned the privilege to just call me Eimi," she smiled.

"Right. Eimi, here's your late birthday gift," he handed over the box.

She stared at it for a while, admiring the silver and purple ribbons, laughing to herself that Itachi must've wrapped it himself, before she opened it. She gasped and pulled out a beautiful kimono. It was 'TARDIS' blue with little silver patterns and flowers with a light silver obi. On the back was the Uchiha crest: a red and white fan. She also pulled out a gold comb, a pair of silver shoes, and the most amazing necklace she had ever seen. It was almost a choker necklace that had a chain made out of real silver, and the pendant was a flat silver circle with the Uchiha fan on one side and the Ishi star on the other.

"It's all so beautiful," she whispered. She looked at her sensei, who was smiling softly. "I wanna try it on," she announced.

"I will be outside your room," Itachi nodded, leaving and closing the door behind him.

"Stalker," he heard her laugh. A few minutes later, he was called back into her room. His eyes widened once she was in sight. She looked breathtaking. The kimono and shoes fit her perfectly, like they were made specifically for her. Well, they were, but that was beside the point. "I'm having a bit of trouble doing up the necklace. Can you please help?"

Itachi nodded and she held out the necklace before turning around and lifting her hair. He wrapped it around her neck and connected the two edges. Amejisuto turned around and smiled. "The comb is really pretty too. It's sad that I can't wear it with this," she giggled.

"It was my grandmother's, but even with long hair, I can't really use it. I think her intentions were to give it to a girl," he said lightly.

"Thank you so much! I want to show Mikoto-san," she pulled him by the arm to the kitchen where the Uchiha woman was cutting up vegetables for dinner. She cleared her throat and Mikoto's eyes pooled with tears at the sight of the kunoichi.

"It looks amazing," she gushed.

"Itachi has good taste," Amejisuto grinned. "It's too fancy to wear all the time, so I'll only wear it on special occasions."

"And maybe on your wedding day," the older woman smiled.

"Oh yah! Speaking of weddings," she turned to Itachi. "If I'm considered an Uchiha, do I have to marry another Uchiha or do I marry into another clan or does someone marry into this clan?" She was confused as she saw her mentor become visibly uncomfortable.

"Um... I'm pretty sure you have to marry an Uchiha," he said, looking away. The Ishi decided to try something to find out what his problem was. The whole time she was living there, she could sense that there was a huge secret being hidden from her. She had only been there for a month, but it already felt like she was part of the family and wanted to know what everyone else knew. Well, except Sasuke.

"I'm going to change back now," she announced before leaving the Uchihas. She walked out of sight, concealed her chakra slightly, and listened from around the corner.

"Okasan, she still has almost a full year before her next birthday. I can tell you want to inform her of the situation, but we should let her have as much freedom as we can give her. She shouldn't need to worry about that stuff," she heard Itachi say.

"Yes, but we can't let her be too free. It will hurt her too much if she ends up with someone else but finds out she has to carry out the traditions."

Amejisuto was confused again. _'I highly doubt they're talking about training right now,'_ she thought.

"I don't think that will happen. She started calling me Itachi, and I know about all her friends. She listed them all off once and all had 'kun' or 'chan'."

"So when will you tell her?" The woman squealed.

"Once she's ready, or at least as ready as she can be by the time she's eighteen."

"Not that, I mean when will you tell her that you.. You know.."

"Okasan! Could you please refrain from suggesting things like that, at least when she's in the house?"

"You're not denying it," Amejisuto could practically hear the smirk in her words. "So it's true then?"

Itachi sighed and gave up. "Yes it's true, and it has been for a long time. Please don't tell Tousan or Amejisuto. Tousan will throw a fit and say 'Future Uchiha leaders must not have emotions' or something, and I don't want Eimi even slightly distracted when training. It would probably stun her a bit and she would feel weird," Itachi begged.

"You know her well," Mikoto smiled.

"More than anyone knows," the brunette heard him mumble as he walked towards where she was hiding. She panicked and ran to her room, hearing him enter his room a few moments later. She went in her bathroom and decided to take a shower to distract herself from the questions circling her mind. She still didn't understand what they were talking about, but had a feeling that it was something important.

She stepped in the shower after putting away her kimono really carefully and took off her necklace. She only had problems putting it on and would have to ask for help again after. "I'll just ask Itachi later."

She quickly stepped into the shower so he head could be a bit more cleared, even if it was for a few minutes. Mikoto's words rang in her ears instead of the great 'nothing' she had anticipated. _"When will you tell her? When will you tell her?" _"Ok mind, I get that I'm curious about his life, now leave me alone."

_'Maybe he loves you.' _ "Not possible," she said to herself, confused at the sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought of him with someone else. _'Is it because you're starting to love him?'_

* * *

_**BOOM!**_

Another bomb went off in Sunagakure. "Almost got caught by that one, Sabaku no Gaara, un," Deidara taunted.

"I will not let you hurt this village," Gaara growled, sending sand to form an arm, attempting to crush the Akatsuki member with it, or at least injure him. Deidara made a clay bird and jumped on it as it took off, sending a series of bombs towards the Kazekage, who jumped back on his sand. Gaara was quick but Deidara was even quicker, getting closer to the younger teen and throwing bug-shaped bombs.

"No need to fear, Kazekage, we're here for you, not the village, un," he smirked. _'Damn, I'm almost out of clay.' _ Gaara used his distraction as an opportunity to crush his arm with the sand, emitting a pain-filled scream. Deidara used his other arm to make the hard sand on him explode, and a few more at Gaara to escape away a bit.

He saw Gaara's sand cover him and deflect the exploding clay, and while he was busy, started constructing a huge bomb in an odd shape. "Art is an explosion, un. And this is C3 bomb is the best. You crushed my arm, I crush your village, un," he announced, letting the bomb increase in size and start falling. Panic was written across the redheads face as the bomb hurled below to the large village. He used most of his strength to pull up sand from the ground and surrounding desert to shield Sunagakure from the threat.

There was a large explosion as the bomb collided with the collected sand. Gaara smiled. His village was safe for now. He was just barely aware of another explosion as his sand raced up to protect him from Deidara. He inwardly thanked his demon, Shukaku, and its sand for staying alert. It sealed him in a bubble, and he thought he was safe until he saw small white insects crawling through the thick layers of sand. "No!" He yelled before they exploded.

The sand bubble slowly fell away, revealing a worn out, half-conscious, scratched up and bloody Gaara. He twitched a few times, trying to get up again. "You're a persistent one, un," Deidara commented, slowly flying towards him, knowing the Kazekage wasn't as dangerous. He backed away slightly when Gaara raised his hand slightly, moving his fingers.

Deidara looked down and saw the shield of sand covering the village moving. "Even when half dead, you do anything to protect your village. How noble," the blonde commented, allowing the eighteen year old to move the sand out to the desert and drop it there. He could hear the cheers and cries from the village below. _'For a jinchuriki, he's well loved.'_ "Well now you're coming with me, un," Deidara grabbed the now unconscious Gaara and flew off to meet Sasori at the village entrance.

"What took you so long?" The puppet master growled.

"He put up more of a fight than I thought, un," Deidara winced as he remembered his left arm was completely crushed. "I finally got him by slipping tiny bombs into his sand while my arm was being dismembered, un."

"Smart, for a bomb master who doesn't have the right perspective on art."

"Art is a fleeting moment of beauty! Un!"

"No, art is something that is preserved and lasts forever," Sasori argued. They kept bickering as they went into the desert, unaware of the Kazekage's brother subtly following their tracks. They made sure to make shadow clones and leave different trails, but they couldn't replicate the sand that was falling off of their victim's body.

"Don't worry, Gaara, I'm coming," said Kankuro as he followed the trail of his brother's demon sand. A messenger bird flew overhead, heading to Konohagakure. "If anything, Naruto-kun will help."


	9. Chapter 8

**Omg once again I forgot to update on Friday…  
Gah! My mind is a mess!  
To make up for it, I'll add an extra chapter tomorrow ^_^**

**Itachi: Seriously, she's been super busy.**

**Sakura: And whose fault is that? **

**Naruto: Don't blame only him. You kept her busy all weekend too**

**Sasuke: All of you did. Now stop annoying me.**

**Me: … Man, what a grouch xD**

**Itachi: Kishimoto owns almost everyone. Ameji own herself.**

* * *

Amejisuto awoke after a strange dream (something about a man turning into a weapon and her using him to defeat evil) and sat up quickly. A sense of urgency was running through her, but she didn't know why. Something just felt.. Wrong. There was a knock at her door before it opened and Itachi walked in. He looked slightly worried.

"Team Kakashi, you and I are going to Sunagakure right away. Gaara-kun has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki," he announced. "Pack lightly. We're leaving in half an hour at the gates."

He left her to get dressed and strap on an emergency mission bag. She quickly brushed her hair, put it in her usual ponytail and slipped her ninja hitai-ate around her neck. She went to the kitchen where Itachi and Sasuke were waiting and they were off in a flash. They met up with Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi at the gates. They all left quickly racing though the trees, ready for the three day journey to the Land of Wind.

"Good morning, Eimi-chan," Sakura half smiled, trying to make the mood a bit lighter so they wouldn't get as drained from depression and worry.

"Hey Sakura-chan. What exactly happened?" Amejisuto asked.

"Gaara-kun was kidnapped by the Akatsuki," Kakashi explained.

"I know _that_ already, but who exactly _are _they?"

"A criminal organisation that is powerful and gets hired for military purposes sometimes. Jiraiya-sensei has a lot of information. He said that they're planning something huge and the only way to stop the world from going into chaos is to destroy them," Naruto growled. "I don't get why they would need Gaara though."

The brunette felt sad for her usually-cheerful friend. His 'brother' had been kidnapped, and she knew Naruto felt responsible for him since he was his first real fiend. Plus, they both had tailed demons in them, so they knew how each other felt.

"Wait, maybe that's it!" She thought out loud. "Gaara-sama has a demon in him, neh? They might be trying to take it!"

The others looked at her with wide eyes, which seemed weird as they were all jumping through trees and could fall at any time. "You know, I think she might be right," Kakashi said.

"If they were for hire for military purposes, imagine what people would pay to have a tailed beast on their side," Itachi pointed out. The others all nodded.

"We can't be certain, but if that theory is correct, then be careful Naruto," Kakashi warned.

After that, everyone split into groups, trying to make the three day's travel not so treacherous. The girls decided to gossip about random things happening around the village and different medical things. The two teen boys started talking about training and almost broke into a few fights (but were stopped by Sakura's threat to punch them across the forest) and the ANBU members talked about different techniques for teaching. The first day of travelling was finally over and they set up camp for the night.

They had no time to set up or take down tents so they slept in light sleeping bags under the stars. The Ishi looked around and yawned before crawling into her warm zippered blanket. She noticed that her sensei was extremely close to her on the left side, and she couldn't fight the blush that was covering her face, reminded of what she realised the night before. Thankfully for her, it was dark and the fire they had in the middle of the camp made everyone's face seem tinged red and gold.

"Goodnight you guys. I'll take the whole watch, and tomorrow you guys can rotate, ok?" Kakashi said before opening the newest edition of his weird Icha Icha books.

"Goodnight," Sakura bid before falling asleep.

Naruto squirmed around in his sleeping bag before giving up on finding comfort with a sigh. "Night, teme, Eimi-chan, Kakashi sensei, Sakura-chan and Itachi-san."

"Hn," Sasuke answered before rolling over and falling asleep.

"Goodnight Eimi," the older Uchiha smiled.

"Goodnight Itachi," Amejisuto replied before they both fell asleep.

Kakashi looked over at them with an eyebrow raised. _'More familiar to each other than to the teams they were part of for long periods of time,' he_ thought._ 'This is getting interesting.'_

* * *

"Give Gaara back, you criminals!" Kankuro yelled once he caught up to the Akatsuki members. He spotted his bother lying on a white clay bird, unconscious.

"Go on ahead, Deidara. You've had your fun, now I'll have mine," Sasori ordered. The blond shrugged and hopped on the bird, taking off with the Kazekage. Kankuro growled and pulled out his favorite puppet: Crow. It had several blades and a compartment so someone could be shoved in him and stabbed. Sasori smirked. _'Puppet vs. puppet, eh?'_

The brunet sent off his beloved puppet, attaching invisible chakra strings to move it. It sliced at Sasori, who was still inside his puppet. "Ok, Hiriko, let's finish this quickly," the redhead mumbled to his puppet, sending out more chakra strings to a hidden metal scorpion tail. It swiped at the other puppet user, who leapt back and sent Crow forward to slice off a part of Hiriko's mask for tracking. He knew inside that he wouldn't be able to make it past this guy. He recognised the tail and saw a symbol on the side of it.

"Sasori no Akasuna, I won't go down without a fight, though you may be the second best puppet user in all of Sunagakure history," Kankuro growled, aiming a few blows to the other puppet's 'head'. The fight was short as Sasori wanted it; he sent out a poison tipped senbon while the Kazekage's bother was distracted on finding the body controlling Hiriko.

"Don't worry about dying now. It will slowly stop you organs over three days. _Then_ you will die," the Akatsuki member smirked before taking off, leaving Kankuro lying in the sand. He was already feeling the effects of the poison and cried out. "By the way," Sasori stopped. "I'm never second best. Not even to my Obasan. I knew you were talking about her since there was no way that you would brag about being the best before being beaten so easily."

He walked out of sight and Suna ninja came and rushed Kankuro to the hospital while he slowly died.


	10. Chapter 9

**Itachi's out right now and no one wants to talk so.. I'll just do it  
I own nothing but me x3**

* * *

The next two days of travelling went generally well for the ninja squad sent to help out Gaara. There were a few awkward moments -both mornings found Amejisuto cuddled up to her sensei, to her embarrassment and Kakashi's amusement- but otherwise, they rushed forward without any problems. No ninja attacked them, making the journey smoother. By the time they reached Sunagakure, they could tell that everyone was in a panic. Temari, Gaara's sister, greeted them and led them to the hospital where Kankuro was.

"We have so many problems right now," she sighed. "Gaara's been captured by the Akatsuki and the council members are almost convinced it's a lost cause to wait for his return, so they might elect another Kazekage. And then there's this," she pulled open a door in the hospital, leading Sakura to gasp and run to the patients side. It was Kankuro, twitching and gasping in immense pain.

"Get a tub of saline immediately!" She ordered.

"And who are you?" A doctor scoffed.

"Sakura Haruno, apprentice to the Hokage Tsunade-Shishou," she answered.

"You couldn't possibly be able to heal this boy. Not even Lady Chiyo could, and she's the best medic in Sunagakure!"

Sakura put her hair up in a ponytail and slipped off her fighting gloves before washing her hands. "Just watch me," she growled.

The doctors looked to Temari, who nodded, and fetched a tub of saline, setting it next to the kunoichi. "Keep those coming," she said before opening Kankuro's eye. "Pupils dilated," she took a stethoscope and listened to his lungs. "Rapid breathing," she clutched his hand. "Spasms." She turned to the bucket of saline and attached her chakra to it, letting it swirl in a bubble beneath her hands. "He has a steel type poisoning in him. It shuts down organs first and then blood stops flowing to the heart. I have just enough time to stall it before making an antidote," she explained.

She pushed the saline through his skin, leading it with her chakra. _'Find the poison, capture it in the saline, guide it out,' _she thought to herself. She had to order the other doctors to hold him down since he was struggling and writhing from the pain now. She let the saline stream out, following her hand to the tub before it splashed in. Everyone saw as there was a few purple dots mixed with the light blue liquid.

The others watched in awe as she did that on all other major organs. An old lady sat next to them, grumbling to herself. "She reminds me of the slug princess," she mumbled.

"Well Bachan _was_ Sakura's mentor," Naruto smiled. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, That's Haruno Sakura-chan," he pointed.

"I'm Ishi Amejisuto.. Wait.." The brunette turned to her sensei. "Do I introduce myself as an Ishi or an Uchiha? I forget."

"You introduce yourself as an Uchiha," Itachi answered.

"Ok!" She looked back at the old woman. "I'm Uchiha Amejisuto. That sounds so weird but so cool," she whispered the last part to herself.

"Uchiha Itachi," the older raven said.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hatake-" Kakashi didn't get to finish before the woman attacked him, punching and kicking, spitting curses at him.

"You killed my son, you devil! Evil White Fang! He didn't have to die! Why are you still here?" She screamed at him. Kakashi didn't know what to do. He wouldn't fight back against an old lady, and he didn't know what she was talking about. All he could do was block and try to put up with her. An old man ran on the scene and held her back.

"The man who killed your son is dead and has been for over 20 years," he said. The woman stopped fighting and smiled.

"In that case, never mind," she sat down again.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. You might've been talking about my Tousan," the Jonin said, still trying to process what happened. Apparently, it didn't occur to Naruto that his sensei could have a family, due to his reaction of yelling 'Kakashi had a dad?!' Leading Sasuke to sigh and call him an idiot.

"I'm Chiyo, a village elder. This is my onisan but I think we all forgot his name," the woman laughed.

"Even I forgot my name. Everyone just calls me Oji-san," the man grinned.

"The poison has been reduced. Now there are only a few traces and I have to make an antidote," Sakura announced, to everyone's astonishment, especially Chiyo's.

"The greenhouse has many medicinal herbs. We will escort you," the doctors said, leading Sakura down the hall and out of the hospital.

"I think she's surpassed the slug princess," Chiyo sighed in disbelief. "She's definitely surpassed me."

They sat around chatting for another half an hour. "Guys, I think he's waking up!" Temari shouted excitedly. Everyone ran into the hospital room to greet him. "Who did this to you?" His sister asked.

"S-Saso-ri no Aka-suna," the brunet choked. Temari handed him some water and he drank it greedily.

"He... He can't have," Chiyo gasped. "I thought you fought an Akatsuki member!"

"He is one," Kankuro said weakly.

"My grandson wouldn't even stoop _this _low!"

"Grandson?" Naruto asked.

Chiyo didn't answer and just stormed out of the hospital with her brother following her, flashing an apologetic expression to the Konoha ninja. "Well, _someone's _moody," Sasuke mumbled.

"Speak for yourself, teme!"

"Dobe, don't start a fight in a hospital."

"I CAN START A FIGHT WHEREVER I WANT!"

"Calm down, usuratonkachi. You're being too loud."

"I'M BEING PERFECTLY QUIET!" Naruto shouted before falling over with a bump growing out of his head and a furious Sakura standing behind him with her fist raised.

"Do you ever shut up? We're in a hospital! Be more respectful, baka!" She said in a threatening tone.

"Sakura-chan," he whimpered.

"I made the antidote. I also made two more just in case we run into him, which is a high probability." She went to Kankuro and gave him a shot.

"Let me go with you to get Gaara," he begged.

"No, you're too weak. Even I'm not going. I have an election to postpone until he gets back," Temari said, pushing Kankuro on the bed when he tried to get up.

The Konoha ninja were ready to leave the village, when Chiyo showed up. "I'm coming with you," she announced.

"Alright," Kakashi said, knowing he couldn't go against the woman. She would just hit him again...

They ran across the desert, following ninja hounds that Kakashi had summoned. They were tracking down the scent of Sasori from the sample that Kankuro managed to capture.

"So which one of them did you marry?" Chiyo asked Amejisuto, pointing to the Uchiha brothers. The Ishi blushed and almost tripped.

"Neither, I'm just an Uchiha apprentice and since it's rare, the last name has to be changed since I get to learn their techniques," the brunette explained.

"Hm, I was curious. You seem close to the older one though."

"Yah, he's my sensei. They were both close finds at one point though."

"Very interesting," Chiyo moved on to Naruto, asking questions on why he was so intent on finding Gaara.

"She's the type of person to probe into other people's lives and question everything. More in a pessimist way," Itachi suddenly appeared at the Ishi's side.

"Itachi, people constantly ask if I'm married. It's annoying," she sighed.

"Maybe you should wear a sign that says 'not married'," he joked.

"Hah hah hah," Amejisuto rolled he eyes. "Then everyone would be after me. I like that boys leave me alone. I'm not really into any of them and it's hard being nice and rejecting them at the same time."

Itachi silently thanked god as he heard that. He still had a chance to win her over, but for now, the mission came first.


	11. Chapter 10

**And as promised, a second chapter to make up for my poor sense of timing xD**

**Itachi: I'm back. Bought some ice cream...**

**Me: GIMMEEEE!**

**Itachi: ... I'll leave you to your frozen chocolate milk..**

**Me: Omnom...**

* * *

The dogs led them to a river with a huge boulder blocking the entrance to an obvious cave. They noticed a seal on the boulder and Kakashi quickly disabled it. Sakura ran forward and punched the boulder, shattering it into a billion tiny pieces, making Chiyo slightly and silently impressed. Inside were Deidara and Sasori. Deidara was sitting on a body, looking bored.

Naruto looked closer. The body was Gaara! He wasn't moving, and didn't look like he was breathing either. "About time you got here, un," Deidara smirked.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF HIM! I'M GUNNA KILL YOU!" Naruto growled. A red liquid seeped over him. His eyes turned from blue to red. His whisker marks turned darker and his teeth turned sharper. The red liquid was done covering him, and there was an evident tail from the back of the liquid and fox ears on the front.

"So that's the nine tailed brat," Sasori said. He was still hidden in Hiriko, but he saw Chiyo and by the way she was looking at him, he knew she knew it was him.

"LET'S GO, TEME!" Naruto yelled, the liquid turning into a hard shell. The blonde could still be seen, but just barely, as he attacked Deidara. Sasuke put in a second blow and released his fire ball jutsu. The older blond didn't quite understand what kind of danger he was in as he made a clay bird and jumped on it, taking off with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi following him closely.

"Chiyo," Sasori snarled.

"What? No respect for your Obasan?" The elder crossed her arms.

"I don't like waiting. Shall we get fighting?"

"Absolutely. Sakura-chan, you must fight too." Sakura nodded and got into a fighting stance. Chiyo pulled out two scrolls and summoned two puppets. One looked like Sasori, and the other was a brunette. They both looked like humans with obvious puppet features.

"Uh, Itachi, what do we do?" Amejisuto asked. There were no more people to fight.

"Let's go get Gaara-san somewhere safe," Itachi said, quickly grabbing the Kazekage. They both ran out of the cave and to a meadow a few kilometres away. The brunette heard explosions and rocks breaking from where they left. Tying to ignore that, she put her head on Gaara's chest, listening for a heartbeat. There was none.

She started to tear up before trying to restart it by pounding on his chest. Itachi held her back and felt his skin. "He's really cold. He's long gone," he whispered.

Amejisuto stated to cry. She was one of Gaara's closer friends. She wasn't scared of him like most people in Konoha still were, and her, Gaara and Naruto used to hang out a lot. Itachi's heart broke at the sight of his apprentice breaking down and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her trembling body. She buried her face in his chest and cried even harder. The Uchiha himself found himself tearing up. He just couldn't stand death.

Time barely meant anything to them. When The other members of the retrieval group appeared, it seemed like they were waiting for only a few seconds, but at the same time, a hundred years. Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi looked worn out but not too damaged. Naruto was back to normal, but a bit bloody due to the hardened liquid that was now gone. They called it 'the nine tails cloak' since it was the demon's chakra surrounding him and giving him power. Sakura and Chiyo returned, both badly injured. Sakura had a deep stab wound in her side, in a place where it would be hard to heal, and Chiyo was limping and started twitching and breathing heavily. "She got hit by a kunai and refused to take the antidote since I needed it for the stab wound. Also, Sasori was a weird puppet," the pinkette explained.

"I had to.. Do something..." Chiyo stumbled forward and put her hands over Gaara's heart. "I knew he was dead, now I'm going to give him his life back." A faint green glow flowed from her hands. "I was saving this for Sasori if he ever returned, but he's dead now. I never thought I would be helping the younger generation, but it's your turn to shine," she said to Naruto.

He put his hands over hers and gave some of his chakra, seeing as Chiyo looked too weak. Amejisuto was still shivering but stopped crying. Itachi was still holding her, earning weird looks from Sasuke and Kakashi, but the brunette didn't care. She stared intently at Gaara, praying for him to breathe again. After a few minutes, he started coughing and sat up. Naruto cheered and helped him up, and the elder fell over.

A few tears formed in Sakura's eyes as Naruto also tried to wake the old woman up. "Man, she must be so tired. We should go back to the village and get her an antidote," he smiled. "Wake up, Obasan, Gaara's alive! You did it!"

"YOU BAKA!" Sakura yelled, punching him. "How can you be so dense?!" Naruto looked around at everyone, who had their heads down in mourning. "She.. She gave her life to bring Gaara-kun back with a forbidden jutsu," she cried.

Amejisuto pressed closer to Itachi and bit her lip to keep from crying again. She listened to the wind. Even nature was mourning the great sacrifice. A backup group got to the field consisting of Temari, Kankuro, Ojisan and other Suna ninja. "Gaara! You're safe!" Temari and Kankuro ran and hugged him.

"Chiyo-san has died," the redhead reported. "Let us all grieve and give a prayer." The Suna squad joined the others and bowed their heads. They carried her body back to Suna where the whole village could mourn the loss of their elder.

* * *

"Fix it faster, un! It hurts if you do it slowly!" Deidara complained as Kakuzu sewed his arm on. "Stupid Kakashi and his implanted mangekyo sharingan. I'm lucky he only got my arm sucked into another dimension rather than my whole body like he thought, un."

"Yah, you're lucky, but you won't be if you don't shut up and stop breaking things. I'm tired of sewing you back together," Kakuzu growled, snipping the thick cable that acted as veins in his body. He used them as sewing threads since he had great control over them.

"It's too bad that Sasori got killed. He was a good addition to the Akatsuki," Pain said as he entered the room. "Deidara, from now on, you will be partnered with Kisame. Next time, be careful." Pain and Kakuzu left Deidara alone in his room.

"Now who will I bicker with about art? Un," Deidara said sadly, already missing his friend.

* * *

"So, how did your mission go?" Mikoto asked as her children and Amejisuto walked through the door.

"It has been an exhausting week filled with sleeping on the ground, seeing a few dead people, and crying," the young girl answered, trudging to her room.

"What happened?"

"Three days running there at high speed, hunting down the Akatsuki, seeing a dead Gaara-san, watching an elder die to save Gaara-san, and three days running back," Itachi explained quickly before rushing to his own room.

"Ameji-chan cried a lot and Aniki was acting weird," Sasuke said.

That sparked the Okasan's curiosity. "What was he doing?"

"Since Ameji-chan was crying, he was hugging and comforting her. I've never seen him do that before." He got slightly worried as his mom stated dancing and squealing around the kitchen. He slipped off to his room before she could notice he was gone.

"Itachi, can I come in?" Amejisuto knocked on the Uchiha's room door.

"Just a minute," he called. He released the genjutsu that would trap intruders that weren't blood related to him and opened the door. His apprentice looked extremely tired and was almost falling asleep while standing. "You should sleep, Eimi."

"I tried, but I think I'm too used to having people around. Can you sleep in my room just for tonight?" She yawned. Itachi smiled slightly and nodded, following the brunette to her room. They crawled into her large bed and before her head touched the pillow, the girl was asleep. She had a death grip on his arm, keeping him close. Itachi found himself falling asleep quicker than usual too, going into a peaceful rest.

Mikoto peeked in and softly 'awed'. _'He should tell her soon. I have a feeling she's starting to feel the same way,' _she thought.


	12. Chapter 11

**Yay, I kinda remembered! Ok technically it's 2 am on a Saturday but only 2 hours late so not as bad as last time~**

**Itachi: You really need to set an alarm for when you have to update**

**Me: I hate alarm clocks. The last one I had startled me so badly I fell off my bed **

**Sasuke: ... Usuratonkachi **

**Me: Hey! You can only call Naruto that!**

**Naruto: Call me what?**

**Me: Only you can be called usuratonkachi.**

**Naruto: Hey! Only Sasuke can call me that!**

**Itachi: *facepalm* surrounded by idiots once again...**

* * *

"For today's training exercise, you will follow Kakashi-san around for an hour without being detected. Every time he notices you is another 'hour' in my genjutsu after," Itachi instructed. Amejisuto nodded and took off, concealing her chakra once she saw her old leader. He went into a book store and came out a few minutes later with yet another book from the Icha Icha series. Next, he went to the store, buying a few bags of groceries that went to waste when he dropped them and ran over to a poster.

"ICHA ICHA PARADISE IS BEING MADE INTO A MOVIE!" He yelled happily, skipping oddly down the streets to his house, forgetting about the food he had bought. The Ishi hid in the trees as she followed the silver-haired Jonin across the town, stopping at his house. "Hey Eimi-chan, what are you doing up there?" He asked. She silently cursed. She had been distracted by a squirrel.

"Well, my hour is up, so I guess I can come out now anyways," she mumbled, hopping out of the tree. "Thanks a lot, Kakashi-san. I have to spend an hour in Itachi's genjutsu now."

Kakashi smirked. "I bet he'll find a reason to excuse you from that punishment, or at least give you the least horrible jutsu he has stored."

"True, he has never really punished me and I've been his student for over three months," she agreed.

"And I have a pretty good idea of why," the copy-nin winked. Or blinked. It was hard to tell when his hitai-ate was always covering his transplanted sharingan eye.

"I probably know what you're thinking, and don't even go there. There is no way that someone like him is in love with me."

"Is it too much pressure? Too awkward to think about?"

"No, nothing like that," the Ishi sighed.

"Don't you like him?" He was making her feel too smothered in questions, making her uncomfortable.

"I..."

"Or are you scared of what might happen if he ever actually said it?"

"..."

"So I see you got caught," Itachi interrupted, coming into the clearing from the forest and saving his student from curling up in a ball and trying to hide from the probing questions. He noticed her uneasiness and glared at Kakashi. "What did you say to her?"

"Oh nothing, just trying to dig into her mind," the Jonin shrugged half-heartedly before walking off.

"Are you ok?" Itachi looked down at Amejisuto.

"Yah, but I feel like I was just interrogated by Ibiki-san," she murmured.

"Well, since you're not at your best in the mental state, I won't use my jutsu-"

"No, please do it. I got caught. If it was a real mission, my punishment might be death," she said. The ANBU member sighed in defeat. He was hoping he would never have to use such a jutsu on her. He activated his sharingan. "Look into my eyes," he ordered, regretting even considering using the tsukuyomi as a punishment. She gazed into his eyes, got trapped in the jutsu, screamed and collapsed after a second.

Inside the jutsu, the sky turned red and the scenery was different shades of black and white. She was tied up to a pole and people she didn't know were surrounding her, asking terrible questions and trying to dig into her mind, making her feel exposed and unprotected. She was tempted to cry out for Itachi and was shocked when she realised that she came to rely on him too much in the past three months. Sure, she knew he would probably be there for her for a while, but what about when the training was over? Would she be lost without him? The people kept taunting her and she couldn't move. An hour of taunting was terrible. She wanted to cry but found that she had no tears. _'This wouldn't be as bad as getting killed or physical torture,'_ she thought to keep her sanity as stable as she could.

The genjutsu world faded away to black. Her eyes flickered open and her room came in focus, and so did the man who sent her into the jutsu. He was sitting over her while she was tucked in her bed. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"I pity those who get caught in worse ones and for more than an hour," she chuckled weakly.

"It's only an illusion. In reality, it's only one second before you collapse. Some people get trapped for several hours," he said.

"Well the Uchihas are famous for genjutsu, so I'm not too surprised. How long have I been out?"

"Only about twenty minutes. This one time, I was sparring with Sasuke and trapped him in there for over a day. It took him almost a week to wake up," Itachi smirked. There were a few minutes of silence before the Ishi spoke.

"So is there any more training today?"

"No, your mind and body need to rest. You're not used to that jutsu, and it takes time to recover," Itachi got up and Amejisuto slid out of the bed, wobbling slightly. The raven held out his arm and stabilised her. She clutched onto his arm, feeling like a baby who was still learning to walk. They managed to get to the back garden for some peace and quiet. And tea.

"Itachi, why are you just sitting around? You've been slacking off on your duties as a sensei," Fugaku interrupted their rest time.

"I'm sorry Fugaku-san, it's my fault. I'll get back to learning right away," Amejisuto tried to get up but fell over. The Uchiha leader looked slightly worried, which was unusual due to his bad opinion of emotions.

"It was her first time in the tsukuyomi," his son explained.

"How long did you put her in for?"

"Only an hour."

"And this was her fist time? Itachi, training doesn't do much without punishment when something goes wrong," Fugaku said in a disappointed tone. "You're being too nice."

"Kurenai-sensei doesn't punish her students much either," Amejisuto defended. "And Kiba-kun, Hinata-chan and Shino-kun have turned into great ninja." She crawled back on the porch weakly.

"Yes, well the Uchiha techniques of teaching are different."

"Yes, Tousan, but she has to rest today. Her chakra is almost all gone," Itachi said. His Tousan nodded and grunted before walking off. He turned to his student. "Now, consider these first three months as just warm up. You're almost ready to take on some high level Uchiha jutsu."

The brunette smiled and clenched her face in determination. "Give me all ya got!"

"Don't get _too _hot-blooded," Itachi smirked. "You don't want to end up like Lee-kun and Guy-sensei."

"Ew! I'd rather free-style dance in front of people than have hair and eyebrows like them. Their brows are so huge and fuzzy they're almost alive!"

They both laughed and kept sipping tea while enjoying the silence and beauty of the garden.

* * *

"There's nowhere left to run, two-tails," Hidan smirked in victory. A blonde woman with long hair in a braid was backed into a corner, panting from running and fighting for so long. Her blue clothes matched the blue liquid that started to cover her as she transformed into a two-tailed, blue-fired leopard.

"You will never capture me! I will fight and win for Kirigakure!" She growled.

"Don't count on it," Kakuzu stepped out of the shadows of the sewer they were in, releasing a bunch of wires and effectively restraining the girl. Hidan stepped forward and cut her slightly with his scythe, licking he blood off of his weapon. His skin turned black with white shadows, like a discolored skeleton, and he drew a triangle out of his own blood, stepping in the middle. The two-tailed cloak was gone, leaving a frustrated blonde back in human form.

The white haired man stabbed himself in the gut, making the woman cry out and lean over in pain. Whatever the Jashinist did to himself, she would get the same injury. He kept adding cuts and blows until she was half dead and couldn't move before releasing his jutsu and becoming bored again. "I want to sacrifice her. It's been a while," he said.

"We need her alive for the extraction and she will be dead after. You can stay behind and find a suitable candidate, but make sure to not spend any money on anything," Kakuzu said, picking up the jinchuriki and carrying her over his shoulder. "Pain-sama won't be happy if you're late though, so hurry up."

They left the sewer and split up. The immortal man went into the city to find someone to sacrifice for his god, Jashin, and the old money-obsessed man went straight to the hideout. Once he got there, he found most of the members gathered in the main meeting room. "Where's Hidan-senpai?" Madara asked in his happy idiot voice.

"He's doing a stupid wasteful ritual for his stupid wasteful god again, right?" Kisame snickered.

"It's a good thing he can't die, otherwise I would've killed him by now for making me wait and wasting my time," Kakuzu grumbled.

"Well he can be informed of this when he gets here," Pain said. "I have an announcement about the plan to capture Itachi Uchiha." He paused for dramatic effect but ended up getting lost in thought. Konan nudged him after a while, making him straighten up again. "I will let Zetsu explain what he has learned first."

The odd plant man came out of the ground dramatically while the other members stayed unimpressed. He did that all the time, making them wonder if he even had legs. The dark half spoke first. "Itachi Uchiha is a kind, wise and exceptional ninja. He is a prodigy, making him one of the most powerful ninja in history due to his already advanced clan. He is also the next leader of the Uchihas, so he is respected and admired. He is also one whose disappearance would make a huge impact due to these factors.

I have watched him ever since he joined ANBU at 11 years of age, trying to find out his weaknesses. At first I thought it would be his clan or his title, but he sees the whole village rather than just his clan as his home, unlike other Uchihas. If his clan were to be killed, he wouldn't be one to have nowhere to go.

I then thought his weakness would be his brother, Sasuke, who secretly adored him so much, but if something happened to Sasuke, his whole clan would chip in in helping. I got frustrated and almost gave up on my mission, but then I noticed something odd."

There were two people who weren't his superiors that he couldn't say 'no' to. His cherished brother and his current apprentice, Amejisuto Ishi."

"I thought that she had only just asked him to be her sensei. They had a history?" Hidan asked.

"Whoa! When did you get here, un?" Deidara asked.

"Oh, right when the plant freak stated talking. I couldn't find any good candidates in that town."

"Anyways, please continue Zetsu," Konan said. White Zetsu spoke next.

"Amejisuto and Sasuke were friends in pre-school and the academy. Since they hung out a lot, Itachi was usually there to supervise since he wanted to be a great big brother. I watched as Itachi stopped supervising and started spending time with them and not just because of his brother, whom he could never say no to ever since he was born. I noticed that whenever the young Ishi would ask something of him, he did it, even if it was something that made him look ridiculous, ranging from piggy-back rides to taking her and Sasuke for onigiri or dango.

Over time, they all separated. She was assigned to Team 4, Sasuke was in Team 7, and Itachi spent his time doing month-long missions. He even started to distance himself from Sasuke, always telling him 'maybe next time' when he asked Itachi to teach him new things, but on the rare occasions that Amejisuto still asked him for something, he wouldn't hesitate to say yes. I recently realised that the past has an influence on him. He has been in love with her for almost ten years. Unfortunately, it's affecting her training. He's been called out on being too nice, and is probably going to train her harder."

Pain stepped forward. "So basically, she is his greatest weakness. Itachi would rather the village be destroyed than anything to happen to her. Our plan is to wait until she is unguarded and weak after an intense training session and capture her. She will be held here as our prisoner and the only way to keep her safe would be for him to join the Akatsuki."


	13. Chapter 12

**Hahaha I remembered! Woooo! Anyways, I think I'm gunna start moving these comment things to the bottom so you guys don't get sidetracked by my annoying nonsense! Not that most of you even read it. I sure don't with other people's if it's six hundred pages long xD**

**Sakura: Enjoy!**

**Itachi: Please comment if anything's weird or written incorrectly. It's kinda awkward if we don't find out soon enough **

* * *

Itachi and Amejisuto stood in the middle of the forest they liked to train in. There were eight targets along some trees and one behind a rock where they couldn't see it. The Ishi stood to the side as she watched her sensei take a few breaths and turn on his sharingan. He leaped high into the air, doing a half back flip, throwing six kunai in one direction and another three immediately after. The three hit the first round of them, sending all kunai in different directions. He landed back on the ground and they both watched as all kunai hit the middle of each target, even in the blind spot behind the rock.

"That was awesome!" Amejisuto cheered.

"That was a demonstration of what you will soon be doing."

"What?! But I don't have the sharingan! I won't be able to exceed my body's limits like you can! If I even try to stay in the air that long, I'll fall on my head and die," she worried.

"I haven't seen you use any hard jutsu lately and your weapon skills are average. While training to do this, it will help you to learn to manipulate the wind to make up for not having the sharingan, help you get better aim and strength when using weapons, and it will increase your agility and chakra control," Itachi explained.

"Wow, I never knew something like that would benefit that much," the brunette said in amazement.

"First things first: Manipulating the wind so you can stay suspended in air for a longer time. Do you have any jutsu that would help with that?"

"Well there might be something in the scroll Okasan gave me for my birthday. I haven't read all the techniques yet." They went back to their house and she got the scroll from the back of her closet where the other scrolls and weapons were. They sat down in the dojo and opened the scroll. "Earth cloak, grass bombs, how to speak the language of trees.. Ahah!" She pointed at a diagram. "There's a jutsu for floating for a few moments, though it would take lots of practise."

"I don't expect you to learn the whole kunai target method in a week, but you should set goals. One week to master that jutsu, another to improve on your target practise, and another to mix it together and perfect it," the raven suggested.

"That sounds good. I should start right now!" Amejisuto quickly looked over the diagram and stood up straight. She concentrated on trying to spread her chakra to the air around her body. Unfortunately, she tried that for several hours without taking a break and used up all her chakra. Itachi could see with his sharingan that the last hour of her efforts were mildly successful; some of her chakra could be seen seeping out and surrounding her in some areas.

He sighed as she collapsed yet again. "You really have to work on making a chakra reserve so you don't use it all up. This is the second time this week," he picked her up and carried her to the kitchen to make her some tea that would help keep her a bit more energised. It would be dangerous for her to sleep now, like if she had a concussion.

"I'll pay a visit to Okasan and ask if she knows any way to do that," the Ishi replied. "I'll do that after I finish this tea, actually. I should also visit Sora."

"Should I come with you in case you collapse?"

She chugged down the rest of her tea and stood up. "No, this time I left just enough chakra in me to walk, and this tea has re-energised me. Thanks for making it for me. See ya later," she waved. _'I guess today is the day I finally face her,' _she thought as she quickly gabbed something from her room and ran out of the house. Once she got to the Ishi district, she looked down at the thing she was holding. One 'get out of bet free as long as you admit I'm right' card that her cousin gave her for her birthday. She got to her house and knocked on the door, instantly being greeted by the bubbly blonde.

"Oh Eimi-chan! So nice to see you! And I see you have a certain little card with you," she said slyly.

"As long as I don't have to dance, I'll admit it," Amejisuto sighed.

"Go on, say the words," her cousin leaned closer.

"Alright, alright, but don't go around telling people or I'll put you in the hospital." The brunette took a deep breath and said the sentence that she had gotten used to saying many times before. "I admit that you, Sora Ishi, the master of bets and all things scandalous, are right and have won this bet." The blonde Ishi squealed and leaned even closer, anxious to hear her next words. "I, Amejisuto Ishi, have fallen in love with Itachi Uchiha."

* * *

"Deidara, Kisame, your mission is to capture the three tailed demon," Pain said to the bomb enthusiast and shark-like man. "It has no jinchuriki. It might be more powerful, but less intelligent, so use that in your favor."

"Hey! I just captured the one tails two months ago, un! Why do I have to get this one so soon? Un!" Deidara complained.

"I'm looking forward to it. The three tails lives in the large lake by Kirigakure. I used to go there all the time to train as a seven swordsman member," Kisame said excitedly.

"It looks like a large turtle," the leader informed.

"How large, un?" Asked Deidara.

"About twenty of your clay birds that you fly on."

"Awesome, un! The extraction will be easier too and there won't be any killing involved!"

"Let's go, girly boy," Kisame turned and walked out the door.

"Hey! Just because I have long blonde hair does _not _mean I'm girly! I'm about as manly as they come, unlike you, fish face. Un," Deidara ran after him.

"Really? How?"

"I'm a hundred percent human, un!"

Pain was left with a headache as the two walked down the halls and out of the hideout. "Well, no matter who he's with, he's not content unless he's bickering."

* * *

"Hah! I knew it! Well, I said you wouldn't last a month, but oh well, I bet a year!" Sora laughed. Amejisuto sighed and face palmed.

"Yes, well, keep it to yourself. I'm not even acting like I have any interest around him, and so far, my acting is working. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see Okasan for some advice on something."

"Is it advice for your _loooove _life?" The blonde teased.

"I don't have one, so shut up." The cousin walked away to go see her Okasan on the other side of the Ishi district. She was greeted by many people along the way and realised that she never visited until then and she hadn't seen her Okasan since her birthday. "Wow, time flies," she laughed. She entered her mom's home without knocking and made her way to the kitchen where she knew she would probably be having tea and snacks while signing papers. She was usually on a schedule and was predictable.

"Okasan," she bowed when the Ishi leader looked up and smiled. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I've been caught up in training and missions."

The older woman blew softly, making different vibrations in the air. It was the language of the wind; a secondary language for the Ishi clan. _"How is life with the Uchiha clan?" _

"It's fun but exhausting. I keep using up all my chakra by accident. That's the main reason I'm here right now."

_"What do you need?"_

"Itachi suggested I ask if there's a way to keep a small portion of my chakra locked away so I don't use it all up and pass out or collapse," the brunette explained.

The leader smiled. _"I knew it wouldn't be long till you would ask me. There is a way to store your chakra, but it only saves just enough for you to stay awake. You would still be weak and powerless."_

"Anything is better than things going dark and waking up a few hours later in my room. It's kind of embarrassing and I feel bad that Itachi sometimes has to carry me from the forest."

_"You always did use too much chakra. I don't know how you even made it to Jonin." _

"Okasan!" Playfully shouted the young Ishi.

_"It's a really simple technique," _Sirami stood up, performed a few hand signs and then sat down again. _"That's all you need to do before training or going into a fight. Now tell me, what does Itachi-kun call you?"_

"He just calls me Eimi. Why?"

Her Okasan smiled in mock innocence. _"No reason."_

"Well, I should go now. He might get worried if I'm out too long," Amejisuto stood up and hugged her mom. "Sayonara, Okasan."


	14. Chapter 13

**Ameji: I FORGOT AGAIN I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON-**

**Itachi: Calm down you aren't a-**

**Ameji: YES I AM AND ALL I'VE BEEN DOING IS SITTING AROUND**

**Itachi: Going to funerals, camping and visiting friends aren't considered sitting around**

**Ameji: SHUT UP I'M RANTING**

**Sasuke: Ignore this craziness and read the chapter**

**Ameji: SASUKE DON'T BE AN ASSHOLE TO THE FANS THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN US**

**Sasuke: She might be overtired...**

* * *

"Art is a bang, un!" Laughed Deidara as he launched a series of bombs at the large turtle's face. It was the only part of its body that wasn't seemingly made of stone, and once the clay exploded, the tailed beast was out like a light. Kisame touched the beast with his sword, Samehada, and sucked out its chakra to the point that if it used any more, it would die.

"That was way too easy," the shark man complained. "I know that they're not as intelligent without the human but I was counting on a battle with power. Not just flying over and launching five bombs!"

"Well it's over and we have to somehow get it to the extraction statue."

"I have to take a swim first!" Kisame ran and jumped into the lake, making his partner shake his head and sigh.

"Fish face."

* * *

"I finally did it!" Cheered Amejisuto.

"Step one, complete," her sensei agreed. She had successfully pushed chakra to the air around her so it was like an invisible coat, and it had only been the second day she tried it. The jutsu that her Okasan taught her worked, and even put a limit on how much she could use for each jutsu so she couldn't use it up so recklessly. "Now you just have to manipulate it to make you fly-" Itachi stopped talking as the Ishi pushed her chakra down, making her lift off of the ground for a few seconds and then land again.

"That.. Was.. Awesome!" She yelled.

"If you can master it in one day, then we might even be able to start the target practise earlier than intended."

"And then I just have to master your technique!" She started practising her new floating jutsu, getting higher and floating for longer periods of time with every try. Eventually, she got tired from the lack of chakra but wasn't completely out of it.

"Itachi, Ameji-chan, what do you want for supper?" Mikoto popped her head in the dojo.

"How about.. Chicken curry?" Amejisuto suggested.

"That sounds perfect!" The older woman beamed.

"Sure, chicken curry is really good," Itachi agreed. They all went to the kitchen where Fugaku was already seated. "Tousan, I didn't hear you get home."

"I've been here for a while," Fugaku replied. "I see that you're actually doing well in your mentorship. She's almost out of chakra and still regaining her breath."

"Hai, I'm training hard," the brunette admitted.

"Good."

"Well isn't this a rare sight," Sasuke walked through the door. "Everyone's already gathered here."

"Did something happen?" Asked Mikoto. She noticed there was a puzzled look on her sons face.

"Oh, just about the weirdest thing ever."

"What was it?" Itachi asked, his curiosity peaked.

Sasuke sat down at the short table. "I was sparring with Naru-dobe and it ended with the usual tie since we were so worn out. Both of us were lying on the ground to catch our breaths, and then the weirdest thing happened."

"What?" Even Fugaku was slightly curious.

"Hinata-chan came and asked Naruto out."

"WHAT?! Shy, innocent and sweet little Hinata Hyuga?" Mikoto couldn't wrap her head around it and focused on cooking to ease her 'how did that happen' thoughts.

"I never knew she had it in her," Amejisuto smirked.

"So? What did he say?" Everyone stared intently at Sasuke.

"He turned her down and said he was interested in someone else. Apparently, it isn't Sakura-chan either. Poor Hinata-chan," Sasuke shrugged. The Uchiha woman set down bowls of curry and rice in front of everyone.

"Well that was fast," Itachi laughed.

"I already had some made. I knew someone would probably ask for it."

"Are you psychic or something?" Sasuke said before taking a bite.

"Maybe I am. Or maybe I just have good intuition." She answered before joining everyone and eating. After, Amejisuto found that her chakra was half replenished. Curry _was _one of the foods most known to rebuild chakra quickly. She excused herself from the table and went back in the dojo to practise a few more times. Sasuke walked in when she was about three feet in the air.

"Hey Sasu-kun, I've been floating like this for almost a minute!" She bragged.

"Impressive," he admitted. She landed back on the ground and put her arm around his shoulders.

"So what's up? I can tell you didn't come in here to train or watch me float."

The youngest Uchiha sighed. "I couldn't say this in front of my parents and I know you would be willing to listen."

"Well Itachi would listen too," the brunette said.

"Yes, well I'm not ready to tell him. You're like a neesan to me, and they're the best with secrets, right?"

Amejisuto was taken aback. "That's true. I'm honored to be considered a part of your family. Now, what do you wanna talk about?"

Sasuke shifted nervously and sat down and the Ishi followed his lead. "Naruto told me why he turned down Hinata-chan. He said he was.." He paused, uncertain if he was ready to say. One glance at his 'sister's warm eyes convinced him. "He's in love with me, Eimi-chan."

"I knew it!" Amejisuto cheered. She calmed down slightly after seeing Sasuke's slight glare. "So, do you like him at all?"

"... Yes."

* * *

The Akatsuki were gathered once again, just finishing up sealing the three tailed beast into the statue where they kept the others. "Alright, Tobi and Orochimaru, go capture the four tails. You have two weeks. Go!" Pain ordered.

Everyone left the statue room where they had been for two days, since it took that long to seal a demon, except for the bomb loving blond, who just kicked back and threw tiny bug bombs in the air like mini fireworks, appreciating the vast amount of space until there was a ceiling. After a few minutes, he got restless and impatient. "Ah! It's so boring having nothing to do and no one to fight with, un! Kisame's probably planning with Pain-sama to capture Itachi. Wait, I just realised something! Why try to capture Itachi when we're already fine collecting the demons ourselves, un?"

"Because the last few will be the hardest, and besides, we don't want Itachi as our enemy. We would get destroyed easily," Black Zetsu crawled out of the wall.

"Where's your white half, un?"

"Spying. We thought it best to keep the black halved cannibal here where he can eat so many of Hidan's victims."

Deidara leaned back in his chair and thought for a minute. "Creepy, un. You complain about yourself in third person."

"Blondie, do you want to go help me get some food?"

"Hell no! That Jashinist would kill me if I touched one of his sacrificed victims, un!"

"Hm, you're no fun," Black Zetsu slinked off, leaving the twenty year old alone again.

He sat back and was silent for about five seconds before screaming in boredom. "Aah! I'll just go blow up that baka, Tobi, un." He left the statue room in search of entertainment, deciding on leaving small bombs in Tobi and Orochimaru's room, deciding against doing the same to Kakuzu and Hidan's, and Pain and Konan's since they would surely kill him. It was funny as he watched the team that was prepared to leave go back to their rooms as he detonated his bombs and there were a few girly screams.

"Sasori may have been mature though he was 15 forever, but he's gone so I'm now allowed to be the youngest and most irresponsible of the group," he said to the angry duo that exited their room that now had smoke pouring out of it.

"Watch it or I'll experiment on you," Orochimaru threatened before leaving with Tobi, Deidara left laughing as they stormed away.

* * *

**Ameji: Oh yah I remembered I would put stuff down here**

**Itachi: So you've calmed down?**

**Ameji: Yus! **

**Rock Lee: I have aided in lifting Ameji-chan's spirits!**

**Itachi: ...**

**Sasuke: Oh no not another freak!**

**Ameji: That's not nice!**

**Itachi: ...**

**Ameji: *Chases Sasuke around while punching him***

**Sasuke: Hey! No fair, I can't hit a girl!**

**Itachi: You're a ninja. You hit everyone all the time**

**Ameji: HAVE A NICE DAY/NIGHT PEOPLE-CHANS!**


	15. Chapter 14

"Hey Eimi-chan, did you hear that Team 7 is going on a month-long mission?" Sasuke asked. It was the day after his confession of his attraction to Naruto, and he already felt lighter after getting that off his chest.

"No, I didn't. What are you guys doing?" Amejisuto replied, turning her attention away from the targets she was setting up.

"We're guarding the king of the Land of Fire. He wanted the best four person team there was. Something about getting an assassination threat."

"That sounds boring, but also kind of like a month long vacation with a possibility of fighting. So, when are you leaving?"

"In an hour. Can you do that thing that most sisters do and give advice for my love life?" He smirked.

"Of course, though you have to call me Onechan," the brunette laughed.

"But I'm older than you. You would have to call me Onisan," the Uchiha joked.

"The big bother and the young lady relationship. Sounds interesting," Itachi said from the door of the dojo.

"Aniki, we were having a private conversation," Sasuke whined playfully.

"Alright, you have five minutes," the older brother said before walking away.

"Ok Onechan, please give me advice on how to have a good relationship."

The Ishi thought for a moment. "Well, I've never been in a relationship but I do watch people a lot, so all I can say is be honest and act normal. You two have been best friends for six years and are even closer than normal people since you've seen every side of each other."

"Well that makes sense," Sasuke nodded. "So, I was curious. Who are you closest to?"

"I think I'm closest to Itachi, though he hasn't seen my furious side. It's about as bad as Sakura-chan's," she smiled.

"Does that mean you like him?" Sasuke winked, making his 'sister' blush.

"That's not exactly what I meant but ok.."

"So is that a yes or a no?"

"Yes, I like your brother. Now, you better get packing for you mission, and I should get the last of these set up since Itachi will be here in a few seconds," she got back to putting up the targets and Sasuke left, passing his brother at the door and saying a quick bye before going.

"Are you ready?" Itachi asked, handing her a bunch of kunai.

"You're just sitting on the sidelines and not doing anything, so you can go if you want."

"No, that would be neglecting my duties as a sensei," he got comfortable way on the side of the dojo, praying that his apprentice didn't hit him with her weapons. He was surprised as she threw six kunai all at once, each hitting the target. Not the exact bull's eye, but still near the middle. "Ok, you aren't as bad as I thought you were."

His only response was a glare before she focused on hitting the middle. She was good at hitting it individually, but throwing more than three perfectly was hard. "Is it cheating if I use wind to guide it?" She asked.

"No, I guess not," Itachi said. "Anything goes as long as it's from your own talent."

"Sweet, I wanna test something," she laced her chakra in the air around the kunai, guiding each of the sharp objects perfectly and quickly to the direct center of each target. "Wow! I didn't think that would work so easily!"

"Almost no need to even practise, but what you just accomplished would be fine for normal training. Now you have to challenge yourself. Can you get them while blindfolded? Backwards? Can you do even more than six?" Itachi pressed, making her excited for that training. It would be a challenge and there was more than one way to do it.

She clenched her fist in determination, and Itachi could almost see the fire burning in her eyes. "I'll train until I can't move! I'll perfect it and make it look awesome too!"

"Heh. I never thought you could get fired up so easily," the sensei mumbled while smirking and heading to the door. "Sorry, I forgot I needed to see Hokage-sama for something, so I'll be back in an hour or so." He got a nod from the apprentice before she stated attacking the targets with kunai flying from all directions she jumped. He could feel the wind coming from her area.

Leaving her to her training, he left the home and an through the Uchiha compound, eventually leaping on a low roof and jumping to the next one that was slightly higher, roof-hopping to the Hokage tower like most ANBU had a habit of doing to avoid being seen and recognised. Itachi was always the exception in ANBU. Since he joined when he was young, everyone knew of him.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Hokage-sama," he jumped through the open window directly into the ninja leader's office. "I was watching my student train."

Tsunade laughed and shrugged. "I know how it is. Time flies when you're having fun training." Itachi wondered why she was being so nice. It was then that he noticed many little sake cups scattered on her desk.

"Tsunade-hime, have you been drinking?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted. "It's nothing I can't handle though!"

To avoid starting a fight, the Uchiha quickly changed the topic. "What was it that you needed to talk to me about?"

"Oh, I completely forgot! Let's see.." She looked down and saw a paper with something written on it. "You need to work on bonding with the nine-tails more so he doesn't stick you to Sasuke again, stupid!"

Itachi blanked. "That sounds more like something you would say to Naruto, Hokage-sama."

Shizune barged into the office with her pig, Ton Ton, following close behind. "Tsunade-Shishou! Please tell me you didn't agree to that bet with Jiraiya-sama!"

"What bet?" The raven usually didn't intrude on other people's business, but when the Hokage was drunk, things tended to get interesting and confusing.

"It was only to see if Naruto-baka and Sasuke-kun got married before Itachi-kun and Ameji-chan. I think that they won't, since the brooding boy is the type to be scared of commitment."

"What's this about Naruto-kun and Sasuke?"

"Oh, your brother didn't tell you? They're probably dating by now," Tsunade answered.

_'So _that's_ what he was talking to Eimi about,' _he thought.

"Shishou! You shouldn't bet against Jiraiya-sama! You always end up losing and having to go on dates with him!" Shizune urged.

"I don't mind, all he does is go on and on and on about his new books," the blonde Hokage yawned.

Itachi felt like he barged into a madhouse. "So, what was it that I actually needed to come here for?"

"Since she's so out of the loop right now, I'll tell you," Shizune said as her boss fell asleep. They both sighed.

"I swear, if Naruto-kun's like this when he becomes Hokage, I'll just run away. He would be even worse with his unpredictability and tailed beast," Itachi said. Shizune agreed.

"Anyways, she called you here for a warning. Jiraiya-sama got some information about the Akatsuki and found out that they're looking to recruit you."

"What?!" Itachi growled. "They're idiots for thinking that they would be able to get me willingly."

"The thing is, they're clever and powerful. They must already know you wouldn't want to go and work with them, so we fear that they might be planning something that would make you go," the assistant informed.

Itachi's eyes widened. "Amejisuto!" He jumped out of the window and ran back to his house as quick as he could, which meant he got there in less than a minute. "Eimi!" He called as he reached the dojo. The brunette landed from midair and looked over at him.

"Something wrong?" She worried, seeing the ravens panicked expression. He cautiously walked forward and placed his hand on her shoulder to see if she was really there and it wasn't a sick illusion that the Akatsuki could've cast in the few minutes he was gone.

"What was it that happened when you were five?"

"I accidentally got my dad killed by a wolf. Why?" She asked before getting pulled into a tight hug. "What's going on?"

Itachi shook his head, not wanting to worry her. "Nothing, Tsunade-sama was just worried that there was a thief in our Village that was transforming into members of a household and then robbing them once the others were out," he lied.

"Oh, then don't worry because if someone like that ever tried to imitate me, they would get a kunai in the stomach," she smiled, oblivious to his lie. "Now, can you please let me go? I want to show you something awesome."

"But I've only been gone for ten minutes," Itachi backed away.

Amejisuto winked and floated in the air. She made a visible stream of chakra and picked up ten kunai so they looked like they were on a string before whirling it around her. She closed her eyes for a moment before flashing them open and shooting the wind to push the kunai to the middle of each target. She landed again and turned to her mentor, who was obviously impressed. "I can probably do better, but I only had ten minutes to come up with that."

"Okay, so you're secretly awesome with mixing ninjutsu with weapons," Itachi smirked. "But can you do it while upside down and with your eyes closed?"

"I will work on that," she pointed. "I should practise my flips first." The rest of the day was filled with trying new flips and practising manipulating the air, figuring out new moves that would also be good for the battlefield.

* * *

"It seems like the Uchiha caught on to what we're planning," Zetsu reported. He _was _planning on kidnapping the girl but was stopped right when Itachi had barged in. He was ready to drag her underground with him when she would've landed.

"I bet that he now has a plan to keep his eye on her at all times," Konan sighed. They were in the leader meeting room so they could talk to Madara's clone (since the real him was on a mission) privately without everyone else figuring out who he was.

"Well, watching her at all times is impossible. He has to sleep and wash _sometime_," Pain reasoned, sitting on one of the comfortable chairs in the room.

"There is a simple solution to this problem," Madara, who was leaning on the door, smirked.

"What?" Asked everyone else in the room.

"We play dirty," the secret Uchiha said, clasping his hands together in an evil manner. He fell over when Hidan opened the door angrily. Not caring that he interrupted a meeting or that one of the members was on the floor, Hidan marched in, steam almost visibly coming out of his ears.

"ZETSU-BAKA! WHY AND WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY SACRIFICES?!" He yelled.

"I ate them," the black half answered calmly like it was everyday that an immortal was ready to kill him, which it pretty much was. The white haired man ran at him with his scythe. Pain stood up and tripped him, sending him unconscious on the floor.

"Anyways," Konan said, ignoring the chaos. "You were saying, Madara-sama?"

* * *

**Ameji: Dun-dun-DUNNNN! Betcha didn't see that coming! **

**Itachi: ... I think everyone knows**

**Ameji: Oh shut it, know-it-all. Let me have my fun!**

**Sasuke: And how exactly is this fun?**

**Ameji: *Throws kunai at Sasuke***

**Sasuke: *Runs off***

**Ameji: _That _was fun.**


	16. Chapter 15

Amejisuto let out a battle cry as she charged at her sparring partner, Neji Hyuga, with a fist ready to punch. Her opponent activated his byakugan, gaining the ability to see through her like an x-ray and locate her chakra points. He tried to jab the ones in her arm as she plunged her fist near his face, but leapt back at the last second, surprised that he couldn't touch them. There seemed to be a force-field or something that wasn't there before.

"Air manipulation," she smirked, noticing Neji's confused reaction. She had made the wind to be a shield around her, light enough to move but hard enough to keep people from touching her physically, but it could also be penetrated by jutsu still. The downside was it used up twice as much of her chakra when she used a jutsu herself. Maintaining the air shield was hard but was worth it when fighting opponents like Neji.

He realised this and tried to think of all the fighting jutsu he knew that wasn't physical. "Eight trigrams, sixty-four palms rotation!" He called, making a thin blue layer around him as he moved his hands fast enough to push out his chakra. It ended up looking like a swirling blue dome that moved quickly towards the Ishi, who was quick enough to get out of the way and strike when he was recovering some chakra.

"Water style: Water dragon!" She called, doing several quick hand signs. A large stream of water was drawn out of a nearby pond, forming a dragon, and cashing onto the Hyuga. He was almost defeated. Amejisuto took the opportunity to send a few kunai with wind directing them to stab around her opponent, hitting the clothes and pinning him to the ground.

"Another victory for Eimi," Itachi called. He had been standing and watching from the side, impressed as his student had won, not one but three, rounds against the Hyuga prodigy. "Good work on noticing his fighting style and making it so he couldn't get a hit in," he complimented.

"I'm exhausted," Neji complained.

"So am I. I used lots of chakra on that last water dragon," Amejisuto stretched. "Just enough chakra to keep me awake and moving."

"Let's go home then," Itachi smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Wait!" Neji called as they started walking. "Can you please un-pin me?"

The two laughed and helped the Hyuga before leaving to the Uchiha district. Mikoto and Fugaku were gone, working at the police station like usual, and Sasuke would be back from his mission in a few days. Everyone in Konoha had heard that Sasuke and Naruto were interested in each other and were curious on what would happen when they got back.

Itachi had stopped watching the Ishi like a hawk but still kept an eye out for the Akatsuki, just in case they showed up for some surprise attack. "I'm going to take a shower. I feel too gross from fighting three rounds without much of a break," she smiled, heading off to her room. The man decided to make a snack for them; his parents would be out all night due to a police force meeting meeting that was being held with all the ninja villages. Luckily, it was held in Konoha that year.

* * *

Amejisuto got to her room and gathered fresh clothes, tossing the ones she was wearing into the laundry hamper and hopping into the shower. She hummed happily as the warm water ran down her sweat and dirt covered body, washing it away. _'That battle with Neji was fun. Beating hot-shots are very.. well, does empowering work? Yah, it feels empowering,' _she sighed and stretched her sore muscles. _'It takes so much chakra though. I should work on making better strategies.' _

She quickly washed and stepped out of the shower, drying her long brown hair and putting it into a high bun before throwing on loose and comfortable clothes. "Where do we go, we go, oh, Lord I don't know where we go, we go, oh," she sang casually with her eyes closed. She kept humming as she walked into the main part of her room. "Ah, maybe I'll have a sort nap. Itachi can wake me up when supper is done."

She jumped onto her bed, rolling over and getting comfortable before falling asleep.

* * *

Itachi smiled as he added the finishing touches to the salad rolls that he learned how to make from a ninja in Kirigakure. "Some pork, lettuce, and now to wrap it up," he stated rolling the contents of the snack in two thin sheets of sticky rice paper. Once he was done, he nodded in satisfaction.

He set the snacks on the table and ate one right away. "She's been out of the shower for a while. It's probably safe to go in now," he got up and walked across the house to her room. "I should tell her today," he mumbled, thinking about what would have to happen once she was eighteen.

"Amejisuto, I made some food," he knocked on her door. There was no response and he waited for another minute before knocking again. "Must be sleeping. Fighting Neji is no easy task after all, let alone winning three rounds," he mumbled before slowly opening the door. He saw a small lump under the blankets on her bed and he tried to shake her slightly so she would wake up. He frowned when she didn't move at all. "Wake up, Eimi. It's not good to sleep for a long time during the day."

He pulled down the blanket and gasped as he saw a white figure that was _not _his apprentice. "Oh, well good thing I wasn't sleeping," it answered a bit too cheerfully. The Uchiha was taken by surprise and then realised that the enemy had succeeded. He silently cursed himself for leaving the Ishi alone when her chakra was gone and she was weak.

"Where is she?!" Itachi growled, his sharingan activated and almost glowing red.

"Don't worry, she's safe with the Akatsuki. Well, for now at least. I'm afraid that unless you come with us, her torture will start tomorrow. She won't die, but every day she will be close to death before our leader will heal her and start the torture over again until you decide to join," the white.. Thing.. Said casually. The raven started shaking angrily. "So what will it be? The world, or _your_ world? Which one will you betray?"

* * *

**Ameji: Hahah and this is the cliffhanger! Mwahahah **

**Itachi: Didn't you submit this story to your teacher and end it with this chapter?**

**Ameji: Yup and he wants to read more! My teacher is awesome**

**Itachi: I have never heard you say that before**

**Ameji: I DIDN'T UPDATE LATE! WOO! But due to this being the major cliffhanger point (and I'm slowly catching up to what I've finished) I'm going to update again only on Fridays now ^_^ **

**Sasuke: I bet no one wants to read your stupid story anyways. It doesn't have enough of me in it**

**Ameji: It has more than enough of you. Now go away**

**Sasuke: Hn.**

**Ameji: Hn!**

**Sasuke: HN!**

**Ameji: HN!**

**Sasuke: ... Fine. **

**Ameji: Goodbye ^_^ ... Now that he's gone... ITACHI YOU GOTTA MAKE ME SMORES!**

**Itachi: *Sigh* Ok.**


	17. Chapter 16

Tsunade sat in her office, bored, wishing that Shizune would stop removing her secret stashes of sake, or that she had something to bet on. She had piles of paperwork but decided that procrastination was better as she folded some blank papers into different animals.

"Tsunade-Shishou!" Shizune bust in the office, making the blonde woman stop her origami and look relieved that _something _was finally happening.

"Please, tell me it's interesting," she begged.

"Amejisuto Ishi is missing and so is Itachi Uchiha!" The raven haired medic rushed.

Tsunade slammed her hands on her desk and stood up. "What?!"

"I suspect the Akatsuki had something to do with this."

"Shizune-chan, alert the tracking ANBU. We were slightly prepared for this, but I didn't expect it would happen so soon," the Hokage ordered. "Get some Hyugas too. We don't know where the Akatsuki hideout is and they can see through-"

"Shishou," Shizune interrupted. "I think that we should stay calm for now and let the villagers think they're on a mission. Itachi-kun and Amejisuto-chan are smart enough to plan a way to get out."

The older woman sat down and rubbed her temples. "I suppose you're right. This is already giving me a headache."

"At least they didn't force him to kill his whole clan or something," the assistant said, trying to make the situation seem a bit lighter.

"Maybe they can even become inside spies. I could send Jiraiya to gather info."

Shizune nodded and smiled. Her pig hid behind her legs and sulked. "_Ooink._"

Tsunade turned and looked out the window with her hands behind her back. _'Just.. Please stay alive you two..'_

* * *

Purple eyes flew open, followed by a gasp from the kidnapped girl. She sat up and looked around. The room was different than where she fell asleep. The walls were red with a strange black pattern on them, and in the room was a small bathroom, a small table that had a bowl of steaming rice on it, and the bed she was on. "Where am I?"

"In an Akatsuki hideout," a creepy voice answered. Amejisuto looked behind her and screamed. There was a creepy man with a white eye and skin that seemed painted black. The weirder thing was that he only had features on the left side of his face. The rest was just a swirl of weird shaped goo, and he had some sort of plant surrounding his sides. "I would eat you, but I've been ordered not to. I'm Black Zetsu. My white half is probably talking to Itachi Uchiha right now."

"The Akatsuki?! But don't you capture jinchuriki? Why did you kidnap me?"

"To get Itachi-san to join, of course," the black half smirked. "Now, Konan-sama brought you some rice. I recommend you eat it unless you want to starve," he started retreating. "Oh, by the way, don't bother using chakra. We had it all sucked up, leaving only enough for you to stay alive, and put a seal on you. Only Pain-sama can undo it."

She was left alone, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was bait for Itachi. "I may be an old friend and his apprentice, but that couldn't be enough to get him to leave the village for me, could it?" She decided to eat the rice after reasoning with herself that they wouldn't poison it since Itachi wouldn't try to save a dead hostage.

"Itachi, please hurry up and save me," she whispered before going back to sleep.

* * *

"How much longer is it to get there?" Itachi asked. He was running quickly and white Zetsu popped out from every seventh tree to lead him to the hideout. They were already in Otogakure, the hidden village of sound.

"It's only a few more minutes. I must say, I'm impressed with the speed of an Uchiha when a loved one is at stake. This should've been a full two day's journey instead of a mere eight hours," Zetsu replied.

"Yes, well I'll push myself to the limit when it comes to Amejisuto."

"Even abandoning your village for her. How sweet."

The last few minutes were silent as they arrived in the middle of a desert. The only things that could be seen for miles was the pale blue sky, dotted with occasional clouds, and the vast sand littered with rocks and boulders. Zetsu put his hand on a rock and twisted it. The big rock behind it vibrated a bit before a door appeared and opened, revealing a secret passage. The white half creature led the sharingan user down the halls to the meeting room where Madara, Konan and Pain stood, waiting for the arrival of the Uchiha prodigy.

"Uchiha Itachi, we welcome you to the Akatsuki," Pain said once the raven stepped into the room. Black and White Zetsu reconnected, making one plant creature again.

"I only came for my apprentice. Where is she," Itachi asked with a threatening glare.

"Right this way," Konan led Itachi to the room that Amejisuto was being held in. He calmed down slightly when he saw she was asleep and unharmed, walking across the room and sitting on the bed. She woke up and looked at him.

"Itachi?" She said drowsily.

"I'm here now," he wrapped the Ishi in a tight hug when she sat up. Konan couldn't help but 'awe' silently as the brunette nuzzled into him. "I was so worried. Are you ok?" he asked lightly.

"Except for the fact that the Akatsuki kidnapped me, yah I'm alright," the Ishi answered.

"Itachi-san, Amejisuto-kun, will you come with me? You need to get fitted for your cloaks," Konan hated to interrupt but they were on a schedule.

"Wait! I thought that you only wanted me? There is no way that I'll let you get her involved," Itachi stood up and stood in front of Amejisuto, prepared to fight for her safety.

"Calm down, Itachi-san. She would be partnered with you, and if you feel _that _worried about her safety, she can stay here, though it might be even less safe since she would be around men who have anger issues, bomb enthusiasts, cannibals, sadists, and a man who likes to sacrifice people," the blue haired woman explained. Though her explanation, the Ishi and Uchiha were more and more uncertain about their safety.

Itachi was silent for a moment before looking at his student, who nodded. "Ok, we'll be on a team," he sighed. Konan smiled and lead them to a different room where a man with weird wires coming out his arms was waiting. He quickly took their measurements and tailored two new cloaks to fit them. They left and went down the hall again, now wearing the uniform of the Akatsuki, to a room with couches and a big table. Pain and Madara were already there.

"I'm Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki," the former introduced.

"I'm Tobi! I'm a good boy," Madara answered in his childish goofy voice.

Pain did some jutsu and other Akatsuki members ran to the room. "Finally got the Uchiha, un," Deidara smirked. "I'm Deidara. Don't touch my clay or else you will die by explosion, un."

"Hey, you were one of the ones who killed Gaara!" Amejisuto yelled.

"Kakashi-san said he killed you," Itachi looked at the blonde oddly. "How are you here?"

"He only got my arm, un."

"I'm Kakuzu, but we already met," the creepy one with wire control said. "I'm the treasurer, so don't break anything or it will cost you your lives."

"You know me. It's great to see you two again," Orochimaru seemed to hiss.

"You came _here _after betraying our village?!" Itachi said, surprised that the snake would bother to cooperate with others.

"Shut up, it's my turn. I'm Hidan. I'm immortal, so don't touch my sacrifices. I can kill you but you can't kill me."

"You already know me," Zetsu came out of the ground.

"Kisame," the blue shark-man grinned before pointing to his sword. "This is Samehada. He eats chakra."

"And I'm Konan, the only other girl," the woman smiled.

"I'm Amejisuto, but Ameji or Eimi is fine," the brunette tried to make the best of their situation.

"You all probably know who I am, but whatever. I'm Itachi Uchiha, and if _any _of you threaten or harm Amejisuto, you will die." He turned on his sharingan to prove that he meant business.

"Relax, even Hidan wouldn't touch someone else's fiancée," Konan assured, as everyone glared at Hidan to let him know that they would each have pieces of him if he did anything to the 17 year old.

"His fiancée?!" Amejisuto asked, looking over at Itachi.

"Uh.. I didn't exactly tell her that part yet," the raven sighed and prepared to be punched.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Without any chakra, she was still able to send Itachi flying to the other side of the room, making everyone aware of how powerful she actually was, and instantly knowing not to underestimate her. She had fire in her eyes as she walked up to him. "Prepared to die, _fiancée_?"

* * *

**Ameji: I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON I'm SO SORRY I FORGOT TO UPDATE AGAIN**

**Itachi: You need an alarm or something...**

**Ameji: I need someone to spam me with 'please update now' messages on Skype or something**

**Itachi: I'll tell Kori to. She loves a challenge since she can't remember much either**

**Ameji: WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE IT UP TO ANOTHER PERSON?! I'll just ask Stefan.**

**Sasuke: Hey, why is Aniki turning red?**

**Naruto: Could it be... _Jealousy_? *wink wink***

**Ameji: Lol no one should be jealous because of Stefan. He's like my older sister xD And Sora is my younger brother**

**Sakura: Strange family you got there**

**Ameji: ^_^ Yup**


	18. Chapter 17

Itachi winced slightly as Amejisuto bandaged him up. When he hit the wall from the force of her punch, he fractured his left arm. "Sorry," she smiled softly as she moved his arm a bit too quickly. Once she was done, she put the arm in a sling. "You should've told me that I also had to marry you. It's not like I would've changed my mind about being your apprentice."

"I wanted you to have a last year of freedom before finding out you have to be tied to me for the rest of your life," he winced again as he tried to make his arm more comfortable.

"You've known me for a long time. Tell me, have you ever seen me take interest in a boy or date anyone?" She said seriously, looking him straight in the eye.

"No, but I was gone for a few years due to being on missions most of the time. I thought you would've been dating then, since you were twelve and most of the girls in your class started liking boys," he said.

"That's because I never liked any of them."

They left the medic room that they were in and were escorted by Konan to their room. "It may be indecent, but all partners share a room," she explained before leaving them to the room. It had two beds with black blankets, two dressers, a bathroom, and a shelf filled with bingo books, dictionaries, thesauruses, and some classic novels. The walls, like everywhere else, were dreary red with black designs. There were already clothes in the dressers and extra cloaks.

"Well, I guess that this is it for now. I hope Sasuke, Okasan and Tousan will be informed by Tsunade-sama of our situation," Itachi sighed.

"How would she know?" Amejisuto took off her cloak and hung it up on one of the hooks near her bed.

"She was told by Jiraiya-sama that they were planning on capturing me, and Shizune and I figured out they would probably take you as bait. That also means that we aren't considered rogue ninja, just hostages that won't get a rescue team for a while."

"Oh. Well, can't we escape by ourselves?"

"Probably not. I'm not the only prodigy in the world. Kisame Hoshigaki is considered the tail-less tailed beast, Hidan is immortal, Deidara was a terrorist who can make bombs out of the clay he infuses chakra with, Kakuzu-san is over a hundred years old. He fought Hashirama-sama, the first Hokage. Orochimaru-sama was one of the legendary sannin along with Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama. The other three are new to my knowledge," Itachi listed.

"Whoa, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-sama were on the same team when they were younger?"

"Yes, they must have been an amazing team. Anyways, back to our previous topic, how is it that you never liked anyone?" Itachi sat on his bed, noting on how it was decently comfortable. His student/partner did the same.

"I was just never interested. They either weren't mature enough, or they didn't catch my eye. I heard that you didn't date anyone either," the brunette smirked.

"Who told you?"

"Mikoto-san," The Ishi teased.

"There's a reason I never dated anyone," Itachi mumbled.

"You never liked anyone?"

"No-"

"There wasn't many girls who weren't Uchiha fan girls?" She interrupted.

"That's-"

"Oh! Is it because you're gay?"

"No, it's because I've been in love with someone since I was eleven!" He managed to say, silencing the girl.

"I'm sorry that you have to marry me, then," she said sadly.

Itachi realised his small mistake in words. Amejisuto give a fake smile and nod before walking to the door. He squeezed his eyes shut. _'What the hell, why not? Our engagement is out in the open so why not admit it?' _ His body moved quickly, blocking the door and leaning down so he was face to face with her. "I apologise, I forgot to mention that it's you," he whispered in her ear.

"Wha-?" She asked, slightly dazed.

"Amejisuto," he moved so he was looking her in the eye again. "I love you."

* * *

"What do you mean my son has joined the Akatsuki?!" Fugaku asked furiously. He had gone home to find Itachi and Amejisuto gone and went to ask the Hokage why.

"He showed no sign of being unhappy with Konoha," Mikoto said timidly, trying to think of a reason why her precious eldest son would leave.

"It's nothing like that, Uchiha-san," Tsunade sighed. "They kidnapped Amejisuto-chan at a time when she was alone and defenceless, and Itachi went after her. They will probably be with them for a while, gain their trust, learn their secrets and escape."

"So, like enemy spies?" Fugaku calmed down.

"Yes. They are not missing-nin and are still loyal to us. The Akatsuki just play dirty," the blonde put her head on her desk. "I'll have to tell everyone else that they're on a mission. Can you do that too, please?"

Mikoto and Fugaku nodded and were dismissed. "He takes things too far sometimes," the Uchiha leader growled.

"No, he's doing what he wants to do," his sweet wife smiled a bit.

"Just because she's his responsibility and his future bride does not mean he has to go join the enemy to rescue her. If she was truly powerful, she could get out of there herself. Hasn't he taught her anything?"

Mikoto stopped in the street. "Fugaku, would you do that for me?"

"Do what? And why are you in the middle of the road?"

"Would you join the enemy to get me back if they stole me?"

Fugaku kept walking. "Possibly."

"Well then our son loves Eimi-chan more than you love me," his wife said, catching up to him. She giggled at his stunned expression. "What? You didn't know that you set him up with someone he would be willing to marry anyway?"

* * *

"Itachi," Amejisuto whispered.

"Yes?"

"Where are the cameras?"

The Uchiha was confused. "What cameras?"

"You know, the ones that videotape this and put it on a show. The man to say 'gotcha' is late too," she looked around and opened the door to check up and down the halls.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Itachi, aren't we on a prank show or something?"

"Why would we be?" Itachi stopped her from moving around the room more, holding her in place.

"There is _no way _that someone like you," she pointed to him to emphasise, "could be in love with someone like me for eleven years."

"I'm not kidding, Eimi," he assured.

"But-" She was cut off by a quick kiss.

"I don't think it's funny to toy with other people's emotions, so why would I joke about something like this?" He asked.

The brunette slowly regained brain functions. "You.." She paused. "You stole my first kiss, you jerk!"

"Oh, sorry..." Itachi backed up slightly, hoping not to be punched again.

"It's ok. Just ask next time," she mumbled.

"Next time?"

"I didn't tell you?" She walked to her drawer. "I must've forgot. Well anyways, I'm going to take a shower. Getting kidnapped is really stressful," she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Forgot what?"

She poked her head out of the bathroom. "I love you too, Itachi," she blushed before retreating.

* * *

**Ameji: And there we have it! Confessions!**

**Itachi: Do we even have cameras and TV shows in that world?**

**Ameji: Who cares? You love me more than your dad loves your mom! Wich I would believe whole-heartedly even if you weren't in love with me**

**Itachi: Yah- Wait, what?**

**Naruto: He doesn't really seem like the type of person to love anyone**

**Itachi: ... **

**Sasuke: Yah, I guess you're right**

**Itachi: ...**

**Ameji: Oh no.. I broke him**

**Itachi: YOU BROKE MY CHILDHOOD**

**Ameji: Lol**

**Sasuke: Lol**

**Naruto: Lol**

**Itachi: ( ͡; ͜ʖ ͡; )**


	19. Chapter 18

Two weeks later, Itachi and Amejisuto were still trapped with the Akatsuki. Thankfully, they hadn't gone on any missions, but they were dreading the day they had to go out and kill some innocent jinchuriki. They already had the five tails and Hidan and Kakuzu were out getting the sixth. "Ohayo, Deidara-san," Amejisuto greeted as she walked into the recreation room where everyone introduced themselves the first day they were there. The brunette was still trying to make the best out of their situation until they left.

"Ohayo, Eimi-kun," the blonde answered. He kind of reminded her of a mix of Naruto and Ino because of the hair style, eyes, and the way he overreacted to things a lot. "Have you eaten breakfast yet, un?"

"No, I'm not really hungry these days," she sat down and laid back, closing he eyes with a sigh.

"You know, I was forced into the Akatsuki too. Eventually you'll get used to being here and not care, un."

"I was taken by surprise from my village and friends. You were a rogue nin first, am I right?"

"I see your point, un, but you'll stop caring after a while. We'll even hold a wedding ceremony for you and lover boy," Deidara teased, making the girl blush. "By the way, how many months until you get tied down, un?"

"Eight. It's the end of December right now, and my birthday's at the end of August."

"Wow, married at eighteen years. It must be weird, un."

"Yah it is, so can we please not talk about it anymore? It's kinda embarrassing. How about... How do you make your bombs?" She quickly changed the subject, letting the enthusiastic blonde to talk about how he fills clay with his chakra and uses different types of bombs for different things.

"Ohayou," Itachi walked into the room with them and sat next to the Ishi. He was still bitter about being forced into the Akatsuki and the fact that they took away most of his chakra and sealed it like they did to Amejisuto, assuring their own safety and making it so the two couldn't escape or use any jutsu on them.

His future bride smiled softly, bringing him out of his annoyed mood. He had woken up to Kakuzu and Hidan yelling at each other about sacrifices and what they would do next time they left the hideout, Kakuzu won his argument to go look for people in the bingo book by cutting off Hidan's head and left, leading the Jashinist to complain and curse until Itachi went out of his room and put his head back on his body, not even receiving a thanks. Not that he wanted one anyways.

"Uchiha-san, Ishi-kun, come with me," Konan called from the door. "Pain-kun has a mission for you." Her words sent chills down their spines as they got up and followed her, leaving the blonde terrorist behind. She seemed to sense their slight panic. "Don't worry, I doubt he would give you a jinchuriki mission," she said. Thankfully for them, she understood their point of view and was a bit nicer to them.

"Your first mission here is to go assassinate this man. He is an enemy to the Akatsuki and has been sneaking around, discovering and sharing our secrets," Pain handed them a picture of a man who looked like he was about thirty years old. He had curly brown hair and green eyes, and was wearing a Sunagakure headband, but with a slash in it as a sign that he was a rogue ninja. "He's been selling information to any pitiful person or country that is willing to pay."

Amejisuto let out the breath she had been holding. _'At least it isn't Jiraiya-sama,'_ she thought.

"I'm going to undo the seals that hold back your chakra, but if you try to escape, we will destroy your village," Pain threatened before jabbing his hands forward and pressing them against the Konoha ninja's foreheads. They instantly felt their chakra flow heavily through them again.

Amejisuto and Itachi were offered a clay bird ride from Deidara, who had quickly warmed up to the young couple. The sharingan user politely declined, as they only had a two week deadline and would make it to Suna in less than three days if they walked at a normal pace even. Finding the man to assassinate would probably take a while, though they would manage.

Once they left the hideout, they decided to run so it would be over with sooner. "Man, sometimes I wish I had the byakugan," mumbled Amejisuto.

"Why don't you talk to the wind when we get to Suna?" asked Itachi.

"Their winds are harsh. Extremely hot tempered with a dry sense of humor," she growled. "I tried asking for directions the first time I was put on a mission to Suna, and they kept taunting me.'_If she doesn't know her way through the desert, how come she's here? Poor thing probably can't even see or sniff out something that's so obviously in front of her'_," she said in a mockingly high voice.

"What was so obvious?"

"The stupid village was right in front of me. How could I have known it was surrounded by a huge sandy wall? I thought it was a cliff or something."

Itachi smiled lightly. "Yah, it's weird like that. Anyways, I guess that we have to find the man through rumors and spying."

The Ishi sighed. "Old fashioned and boring, but at least we get away from that hideout for a while."

"I wonder... If this mission is successful, maybe Pain will let us use our chakra and we can keep up your training. There isn't any harm in that, right?"

"They could see it as a potential threat though, but for now let's focus on the mission." They walked and talked about random things, avoiding the topic of 'how to get home' because they never knew if Zetsu was spying on them or not, since he blended in so well with nature. At night, they curled up together under trees of other hiding spots, not wanting to watch for intruders. Besides, pretty much everyone had heard of and feared the Akatsuki, and they had the cloaks on.

* * *

After three and a half days of walking, they hit the desert, lucky that there weren't any sandstorms at that moment. It took them half of a day to cross the desert and Amejisuto had to hold back her complaints of the hot weather and dehydration the whole time; though they did have water, they could only have a few sips every half hour to save it.

"Itachi, are we almost there?" She panted.

"Yes, I can see it in the distance. Probably will be another hour. We should take off our cloaks," he said.

"Or we can just flip them inside-out," the brunette did that and it looked like she had a pure black cloak.

"Good idea. Besides, Hokage-sama probably told the other nations not to attack us anyways, but it's best to be cautious."

They eventually got to the large wall that hid and protected the village. Guards recognised them and welcomed them in. One of them called the Kazekage Gaara, who met them inside the city. "I heard you're Akatsuki members now," he narrowed his eyes.

"I was taken hostage and Itachi had to join to prevent me from being tortured, but he wouldn't leave me in the hideout with criminals," Amejisuto explained. Gaara sighed.

"So I heard. I assume you've come to find a jinchuriki?"

"No, we just have to assassinate a man. Apparently he's a criminal anyways, so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone if he dies," they showed him the picture.

"Oh, that's Maku. Yah, go ahead and get rid of him, but he's good at hiding. I think he is probably in the Land of Waves though," the red-head informed, making the young Ishi groan.

"We have to walk another half-day through the desert again?!"

"We have teleportation ninja here if you want a quick journey."

"Can we, Itachi? Please?" She begged the Uchiha.

"Alright," he nodded. Gaara called for the said ninja and they came running. They ended up being ANBU, wearing strange masks that were traditional for Sunagakure. "Amejisuto-chan and Itachi-san need to be teleported to the Land of Waves immediately." The ANBU nodded and performed special hand seals, hitting the ground at the Konoha-nin's feet. A strangely detailed circle with odd designs appeared around them.

The brunette gasped as the sensation of falling came over her. She couldn't see anything and she flung her arms around, trying to find her sensei. She opened her mouth to speak and choked when water poured in. They were now floating in it, and she opened her eyes to finally see that she and Itachi were quickly zooming toward the shore.

The ANBU member was next to them but slightly blurry as the water pulsed around them. Soon, they were gasping for air as they lay on the soft grass. The ANBU vanished, leaving the two alone. "That was a strange experience," Amejisuto brushed the grass off her clothes and cloak. Itachi did the same.

"He could've at least teleported us through the air," Itachi rolled his eyes. "We better go find that guy and get it over with. The sooner we complete our mission, the sooner we can go back to moping around the hideout." A gust of cold wind washed over them. They shivered once the cold seeped in.

"Is it ok if we stay here and warm up for a few minutes?" The Ishi rubbed her hands together to try to warm up a bit. Itachi looked at her with slight worry.

"I hope you don't catch a cold or something," he inched closer.

"I can dry us off. Wind style: Wind jet jutsu!" Wind shot out of her hands like a blow dryer and she shot wind towards them, leaving only their hair slightly damp.

"Thanks," he smiled.

"No problem. I'm still a bit cold though," she shivered again. Itachi pulled her to the ground and sat her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her.

"Is that better?" He asked. Amejisuto was blushing like a tomato at the close space.

"Y-yah," she stuttered. He mistook the stuttering as a sign of still being cold so he turned her completely around so she was facing him and opened her cloak. Once it was opened, he slipped his arms around her under the cloak to give as much warmth as he could. Amejisuto didn't protest at all due to her lack of voice from shock and embarrassment. _'I better get used to physical contact with him. Soon he'll be my husband,' _she reminded herself.

Soon, they got up and left to the main village. They quickly memorised the face of the man they were supposed to kill from the picture and put it away, scouring the town in search of him. "I think the best strategy here is to ask around for anyone with information on the Akatsuki. It should get us to him sooner than just wandering around," Itachi suggested.

They decided to split up and meet in the middle of town after 10 minutes. Amejisuto looked around and the first person she asked was an old man sitting in an ally. "Excuse me, sir, but do you know anything about the Akatsuki organisation?"

"I'm sorry, but I only know of the name. Nothing more," the man shook his head.

"Alright, thanks," she smiled and started to walk away.

"Wait young miss!" She turned around. "I know a fella who might know a bit about this organisation. His name's Muryokuna," he said.

"Muryokuna?" She wondered out loud. "Thanks for your help, sir," she waved and ran off. She was lost in thought and didn't watch where she was going. She crashed into someone and both fell on the ground; the man she bumped into spilling his groceries. "Oh I'm so sorry!" Amejisuto apologised, gathering up the items as quick as she could and helping the man up.

"It's alright. No major harm done," the man replied, dusting himself off and taking the groceries from the girl. "You don't look familiar," he said. "Must not be from around here, huh?"

"No, I'm just visiting," she smiled. "Um, would you happen to know a man named Muryokuna?"

"Muryo-san? Oh yah, he's the town's main ninja. Why, do you want to see him?"

"Yes, I'm a ninja from Konohagakure and I would like to trade some info with him," she lied.

"Wow, you're a ninja! That's awesome! Can you do any cool tricks?"

"I can do a lot of stuff. I'm a higher ranked ninja. Now, please take me to Muryokuna," she requested.

"Can we stop at my house first to drop off my groceries? My sister's expecting them."

"Alright."

After they did the small task, the man, Damasu, led her out of town and in the woods. Amejisuto questioned him, but he just told her that Muryo lived in a house in the woods since he liked isolation for the most part. She stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, face-palming when she realised she forgot about meeting up with Itachi. _'I hope he doesn't worry about me,' _she thought.

"It's right over here," Damasu said, moving some large bushes between two trees so they could see the small house on the other side.

"It looks like such a quaint place," Amejisuto smiled. "Arigato. I can go from here." She jumped a bit when he slammed his hand on a tree; his arm in front of her, preventing her from going forward.

"Be careful," he smirked. "He may be the town's hero and a ninja, but he's not one to play by the rules."

"Thanks for the warning," she said nervously as she ducked under his arm and walked up to the house. "Maybe I should go back and get Itachi," she thought, making up her mind to turn around and run back to the village. Before she could take a step forward, she dropped to the ground. "What's happening?" She panicked. Someone came up behind her, wrapped a cloth over her eyes so she couldn't see them, and also another cloth over her mouth so she couldn't scream loud enough to attract any unwanted attention. She got pulled into the house and the door slammed shut.

The last thing she remembered before getting knocked out was thinking _'why is it always me who needs saving?'_

* * *

**Ameji: Dun dun _duuunnnnn_**

**Itachi: Haven't you done that before?**

**Ameji: I'm too tired to know or care**

**Sasuke: You're out of school now so you can sleep all day if you wanted to**

**Ameji: Yes but Stephen insists on waking me up when he gets off of work at 8 every morning _**

**Itachi: Why don't you just tell him to stop**

**Ameji: No.. He reminds me of a cat begging whenever I choose sleep over him**

**Sasuke: Isn't the term supposed to be puppy eyes?**

**Ameji: I hate dogs.**

**Kakashi: I HATE YOU**

**Kiba: I HATE YOU**

**Itachi: *death glare***

**Kakashi &amp; Kiba: W-we mean.. We still love you even though you hate all we stand for (especially me ~Kiba)**

**Ameji: Your dogs are the only exception to my hate of mutts**

**Itachi: How about you sleep before you start a war..**


	20. Chapter 19

Itachi looked at the sky as he sat on a bench in the middle of the town, waiting for Amejisuto to meet up with him. He had already been there for twenty minutes, making it a half hour since they had separated. "I wonder if something's wrong or if she's just being like Kakashi-san." After trying to sense her chakra anywhere nearby and not succeeding, he started to get really worried. "I better go look for her.."

He got up and started running towards the place they split up at and saw a pale brown haired man with gold eyes that he had seen looking around suspiciously earlier. "Excuse me, but have you seen a girl with the same cloak as me? She has dark brown hair and purple eyes?" He asked.

"Oh, yah I led her to a guy that knows something about a group called the Akatsuki. I'm guessing you're her partner or something?" He said, looking Itachi up and down.

"Yes I am. Can you take me there please? I have a bad feeling that she's in trouble," the Uchiha said, worried for her safety. He knew she could take care of herself, but still, he didn't trust anyone (other than Jiraiya) that knew anything about the Akatsuki. It could be the person they had to kill and according to Gaara, he was a strong ninja. If Amejisuto wasn't careful, she could be caught off guard and hurt.

"This way," the man gestured for Itachi to follow him. "By the way, my name's Damasu. What's yours?"

"I'm Uchiha Itachi," he replied, following him.

"W-wait.." Damasu stuttered, suddenly looking afraid. "You're an Uchiha?"

"That's what I said. Why do you ask?"

"Do you know Uchiha Sasuke?"

"He's my otouto. Why?"

The man looked slightly scared. "He's one of the ninja that helped get rid of Zabuza and Gato a few years ago."

"Oh, that's right! He told us about it when he came back. Can we please hurry up? I don't want my fiancée in any trouble." Itachi grew impatient.

"She was your fiancée? Nice catch," Damasu grinned. They got to the forest and he started walking quicker. Itachi followed closely behind. Eventually they got to the small house. "She's in there. Probably talking to Muryo-san."

"Ok. Thanks," he ran to the house and opened the door cautiously, holding his breath and looking around for any sign of a trap. There was none. He slowly breathed in and then breathed normally once he determined there was no strange knockout gas or anything. It was a small house, but it seemed pretty bare. There was a chair, a lamp, a fireplace and a bathroom. Otherwise, there was no other decoration or room. "Why would anyone be _here_?"

"Why, to lure people here, of course," he heard someone say. He spun around and was face to face with Damasu.

"What's going on?" He activated his sharingan. Another man - one that looked almost identical to the deceiver except with black hair - stepped out of the bathroom where he was previously hiding.

"You were looking for that girl? Well we'll take you to her then," the stranger chuckled before Itachi fell over, paralyzed from the shoulders down.

"How did you manage to immobilise me? I don't sense any traps," Itachi looked around as best as he could, trying to figure out his mistake.

"You didn't suspect me at all. While I was leading you here, I put a jutsu on you that slowly stopped your muscles from functioning. Don't worry; I didn't do anything to your organ muscles so you will live. Well, for now at least," Damasu chuckled evilly.

"And I thought I was being so careful," Itachi mumbled.

"Not careful enough. Pick him up," the stranger ordered the other man, who did as told.

"Who are you?" Itachi growled.

"I'm Muryokuna. Damasu here is my otouto," the man who wasn't holding him smirked. The raven was helpless and slightly confused as he was carried to the kitchen area. Muryokuna opened the fridge and Itachi's eyes widened as instead of shelves, there was a hidden staircase. The deceiver started a small fire in his palms, keeping it steady as the men carried Itachi to the basement.

An unseen girl started shouting from the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, jerks! Let me go or my boyfriend will kick your asses back to Sunagak-"

"Shut up. We already captured him," Muryokuna growled. Damasu reached the bottom of the stairs and kicked someone out of the way. "Tie her up," the older brother ordered. The Uchiha's eyes widened as he finally caught a glimpse of the girl - not that he hadn't guessed it was her already. He recognised her voice almost right away, but seeing was different than hearing.

"Amejisuto!"

"Itachi!"

"I'm so sorry, I can't save you. I'm paralyzed," Itachi said, still disappointed in himself for being trapped so easily.

"I'm sorry I didn't go to you right away when I heard that someone knew about the Akatsuki," he heard her start sobbing. "What are you doing to me? Get away, you monster!" She yelled at Damasu.

Dim lights flickered on, revealing the said male lifting the pale brunette's arms over her head. He tied up her wrists with one end of a rope, swinging the other over a lower support beam for the house. He pulled the other end of the rope and Amejisuto was slowly raised in the air, hanging by her wrists. She cried out in pain as she felt her arms detach from her shoulders.

Itachi felt broken and helpless as he was forced to watch. Tears started to fill his eyes. "Stop! Please, stop! I'll do anything, just let her go," he begged.

"We can't do that. Of course, we can lessen her pain," the brunet said, making his hand glow with chakra. "I know medical ninjutsu."

"What do you want from us?!"

"Just some answers," Muryokuna dropped the raven roughly, making him smack his head against the cold dirt.

"First of all, who are you _really_?" Damasu glared. "There's no way you're Uchiha Itachi. Everyone knows that the Uchiha clan is selfish and cut off. You came looking for this girl, and you're _still _concerned for her safety."

"She's my fiancée! Of course I would be concerned!"

"Future wife or not, if you were a _true _Uchiha, you wouldn't care."

"You don't know _anything _about the Uchiha's, do you?! You question me on being one, which I _am_, but you wouldn't know at all!"

"Shut up! Damasu, you're an idiot! This _is _the famous Uchiha Itachi!_ Anyone_ would know him anywhere. Besides, you couldn't have missed his sharingan," Muryo slapped his brother.

"S-sorry, Aniki," the younger looked completely saddened for a few seconds before making himself look menacing again. "Alright, who is this?" He jabbed his finger into Ameji's side, making her squeak.

"I'm Ishi Amejisuto," she replied, whimpering as the poke moved her, making her arms even more painful.

"Why were you looking for us?"

"It's a secret mission. I can't give any details," she said, trying to stay strong.

"Give us the details or we will hurt you more," Damasu threatened, taking out a kunai.

Itachi's chest tightened in fear for his companion. "No! We're here because-"

"Don't tell anything. It's none of their business. Even if I get even more hurt, that's just another day for a ninja," Amejisuto shot a sad smile toward her mentor before screaming as the younger man opened her cloak and slashed a deep cut across her stomach. The older brother decided that torturing them was going to be more fun than interrogation, so he put tape across Itachi's mouth to not hear his protests anymore and watched the torture with sick pleasure.

"You know what, this cloak gets in the way too much," he sliced it off and it fell to the ground.

Itachi felt slight power crawling through him again as he watched his future wife endure cuts across her arms and legs. He looked at Muryokuna, who was looking pleased as he watched his little brother slice up the young girl, and then at his fingers. He could feel them moving, and he knew that he could move his body again. He concentrated for a moment on gaining a surge of chakra and activated his sharingan.

"Itachi!" Amejisuto gasped as she saw him get up. The other men turned around in surprise, all of them knowing that the Uchiha wouldn't fall paralyzed again.

"You should really pay attention to any identifying factors on your victim's bodies," he said, pointing to the Ishi's fallen cloak. The men looked terrified as they noticed the red clouds on the black cloak.

"Y-you're part of the Akatsuki?!" They both yelled, suddenly terrified.

"Yes, and now that I have my body functioning again, we might even get to show you true pain," he took the kunai from Damasu, who was frozen in place, and cut the rope that held his partner. "Heal her _now_," he demanded. He held the kunai to his neck, forcing him to work as fast as he could.

"Just because we learned they're Akatsuki doesn't mean they're any more powerful than a minute ago!" Muryokuna hissed.

"Well you caught us off guard. Good technique," Amejisuto complimented bitterly. "But now it's our turn to fight back." She started whistling, targeting their eardrums since it was the quickest and most painful technique she could use without using her arms or enormous amounts of chakra. They screamed and covered their ears as blood started trickling out.

"My turn," Itachi pointed to both of them, casting a genjutsu, and they collapsed, twitching as they lay on the cold ground.

"Wait, we need to ask if they know Maku," the Ishi said, healing her cut.

"You know medical ninjutsu?"

"Tsunade-sama taught me a bit," she admitted. "But seriously. You should make them talk."

"Just give them a second," he said. Right away, they sat up, screaming again.

"Where's Maku?!" Itachi asked harshly.

"H-he lives in a huge house the next town over. You can't miss it," Damasu stuttered.

"Thanks. Goodbye," Itachi pulled out two kunai and his eyes turned normal again as he threw them into the brother's skulls, killing them instantly.

"What did you do _that _for?!" Amejisuto asked. Itachi grabbed her and kissed her harshly but sweetly. Pent up anxiety, anger and worry flowed out of him; the Ishi could practically taste the emotions. He pulled away and wrapped her in a tight hug, laying his head against hers and sobbing into her shoulder.

"From now on, you will not leave my side," he said firmly once he was done.

Ameji smiled. "Ok. I'm sick of being kidnapped anyway."

They walked up the stairs and out of the house, taking it easy and walking to the main town again to get a room for the night. They were exhausted and needed to heal up. They would go looking for Maku tomorrow.

* * *

**Ameji: IT FINALLY WORKS**

**Itachi: The site was so slow today _**

**Ameji: *sulks* sorry I didn't update in the past few days. I was busy with provincials and laying around, trying to get my summer started**

**Itachi: *cough*withstupidStephen*cough***

**Ameji: Hey, I hung out with Jordan and Sonja too**

**Sasuke: Ok stop with the gross love square thing**

**Ameji: Ew, I don't like Sonja and she doesn't like me!**

**Sasuke: With the other three guys, idiot!**

**Ameji: Well, I will always choose my Itachi~**

**Itachi: You should stop posting your personal life on here...**

**Ameji: But I love to brag! Anyways, I'M SO SORRY PEOPLE! I'M TOO FORGETFUL! **

**Naruto: Has anyone seen my ramen?**

**Ameji: THIS IS MY TIME TO SULK! GO MOPE ABOUT YOUR RAMEN SOMEWHERE ELSE!**

**Naruto: I wasn't sulking I was just aski-**

**Ameji: NUUUUUUUUU**


	21. Chapter 20

"Tsunade-sama! We just got a letter from the Kazekage!" Shizune rushed in the Hokage's office, waving a yellow piece of paper.

"Alright, let me see what he wants _this _time," the blonde woman chuckled, taking the letter. The assistant watched as the older woman's expression turned from happy to slightly worried with a slight tinge of relieved. "Amejisuto-chan and Itachi-kun are alright. Gaara-kun has talked with them a bit. They're on a mission to the land of waves to assassinate a rogue ninja, so thankfully they aren't part of the tailed beast capture squads. At least, not yet."

"That's good news!" Shizune said, picking up Tonton, the Hokage's pet pig, and giving her a big hug.

"Ooink," the pig protested.

"Yamato!" Tsunade called. The wood-style user appeared before her in a flash; he was guarding the door.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Go tell Ishi Amejisuto's Okasan and Uchiha Itachi's parents that their children are alright and are just doing regular ninja missions with the Akatsuki for now," she demanded.

"Of course." He disappeared.

"Since no harm seems to have come to them, it's probably safe to bet that they'll be going on missions freely but are being watched by the other member of the Akatsuki. We need to work on a plan for getting them out," Tsunade turned serious, thinking hard. "Shizune!"

"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Go get me Shikamaru-kun and Shikaku-san. I need their sharp minds immediately!"

"O-ok Tsunade-sama," the assistant bowed and ran out of the room, almost forgetting to leave Tonton behind.

* * *

Itachi opened his eyes drowsily, still worn out from the day before. It was so much emotional trauma to endure; even more than when his cousin got killed. He stared at the ceiling, wondering what would happen to him if his love died. Would he bother to go on living? _'Well, we can't let her die, now can we,' _he thought.

He looked over. If he hadn't sensed her, the closeness of the Ishi would've startled him. The small room they rented was the last one available due to the others being taken by other tourists, which surprised him because he never imagined a town like this would be a place where people would want to vacation at. The room they got only had one bed, but they were used to sleeping together. When they first got captured, Amejisuto would be too sad and scared to sleep alone, and it eventually became a habit (nothing happened other than talking and sleeping though).

The Uchiha suddenly remembered their mission and sat up quickly. "Ameji, you have to wake up," he said softly.

"Wha?" She woke up slowly. She went to rub the sleep out of her eyes but whimpered in pain.

"Something wrong?"

"My arms hurt almost as bad as when they were dislocated," she groaned.

Itachi sighed. "Try taking a bath in the hot springs. It might help relax your muscles," he suggested, wincing when the girl slowly got up, biting back a scream of pain as she gathered her torn clothes and put them in a garbage.

"Good thing you packed a bunch of clothes that were ready for summoning," she smiled, going to the suitcase that he'd summoned the night before and picking out more ninja clothes. "By the way, how can you summon inanimate objects? Isn't it a jutsu only for animal contractors?"

"It's more of a teleportation technique. Minato-sama had the best and quickest, but he shared the main aspects of the jutsu with the village. Only a few ninja can use it, like weapon users such as Tenten-chan, or some of the other ninja. You've used it too, but I guess you thought there was a difference between sending things by teleportation and summoning them," he explained.

"Oh, I understand now. Thanks for explaining it," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be painfully walking to the hot springs."

"I'll come with you. Well, at least till you have to separate. I think it's best to not put any unnecessary strain on your arms," he took the clothes she picked out and opened the door. Amejisuto shrugged (which ended up being painful) and walked out of the room. Itachi locked the door and they were off to the baths.

"This time, it's a public bath," Amejisuto joked, remembering her birthday mission.

"Not a unisex bath, right?"

"No. If it was, I wouldn't be fine with going," they reached the doors to the baths.

"I might just take one myself," Itachi said, feeling the comforting heat radiating from the doors. "Go straight to the room after. Don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone, and please don't be captured by anyone," he instructed.

"I'm not a little girl! You don't need to tell me this _again_. But ok, I'll see you later," she took her clothes and walked off.

The Uchiha smiled and shook his head, walking into the men's bath. They both got cleaned, refreshed and relaxed. Amejisuto's arms didn't heal completely, but they didn't feel as sore. The pain the remained could be put aside in her mind, since it was now bearable. She got back to the room and knocked on the door since Itachi had the only key. Thankfully, he was already in the room and fully dressed.

"Lets go get some food and then we can get going. What do you want to eat?" He asked, tying his hair back in its usual style.

"How about some pork gyoza? I'm kinda craving that right now," she answered.

"Ok, I'll send the suitcase back and then we can eat," he grabbed the clothes she was holding and stuffed it with the cloaks and headbands and the rest of the spare clothes before writing down a new transportation formula (in case someone else tried to summon it from the old formula) and sent it back to their room in the Akatsuki hideout.

They were dressed casually, as not to be immediately noticed as ninja by the enemy. Amejisuto had a regular dark purple tank top and black shorts with black sandals and a black purse, and Itachi had a dark blue shirt and pants with his normal ninja footwear. "Do I look tourist-y enough?" Ameji asked.

"Yes. What about me?" Itachi replied.

"It looks normal. At least you didn't wear bright red and yellow flower-printed clothes," she giggled.

They hid weapons in their clothes and left the room. They found a close restaurant and ate while they discussed their plan. They had to use normal civilian talk to disguise the plan to kill so they wouldn't be found out.

"Once we reach our next destination, we should find Usui. He probably didn't hear that we were coming to visit yet, so let's surprise him," Itachi said.

"Do you think he would be home alone? That would make things so much easier," Amejisuto munched on her gyoza.

"He's a pretty popular guy. He throws parties a lot but it would be easy finding him in the crowd."

"I'll let you talk to him first since he gets more relaxed around you, ok?"

"Alright, but if he starts talking about some girl, interrupt us."

"It would be weird if he started talking to me first. I get too caught up in our conversations and scare him away. You wouldn't get a chance to talk," she smiled.

_**Translation: **_

_**"When we get there, we have to search as quickly as we can. I doubt he's expecting us."**_

_**"Do you think he has guards? That would be more difficult than necessary."**_

_**"He probably does, and it will be easy to get through them."**_

_**"You put him in a genjutsu or something first, alright?"**_

_**"Ok, but if he dispels it, attack."**_

_**"He would run if he saw me there too at first so I'll stick to the shadows. You wouldn't get the chance to cast a genjutsu."**_

They quickly finished off their meal and left the town. "It's the next town over, right?" Amejisuto asked.

"Yes, we will probably be there in ten or so minutes. It would only take us two normally if we were running but we should stick with our civilian disguises," Itachi informed, sighing slightly.

"Well if we must act like civilians and walk normally," she inched closer to him and shyly took his hand. "We can at least act like a normal couple."

"We're a couple?" He asked, hoping for the more favorable answer.

"The whole point of dating is to find someone who has qualities you would want in a husband or wife, so since we are getting married anyway, technically we are dating right now." She looked down to try to hide her massive blush with her hair. "And if anyone suspects anything at first, they'll see we're holding hands. Ninjas don't usually do that, especially on missions."

Itachi could feel his face heat up slightly too. "That's some very interesting thinking. Good plan." He squeezed her hand slightly. She smiled and squeezed back. They walked quietly to the next town, enjoying the sights and sounds of the different land. It was no wonder the Land of Waves was a popular tourist place; it was beautiful!

They got to the town and immediately looked around for a huge house like the victims they killed yesterday told them.

Huge was an exaggeration.

Castle might've suited it better.

"He definitely has security," Itachi sighed. "If he doesn't, he's an arrogant fool."

"Well let's hope he's an arrogant fool because it's time to go kill him and we don't need distractions."

"You go from the back, I'll take the front. Try to stay in the shadows as much as you can - I want the attention on me," Itachi instructed. "By the way, I was thinking about something last night."

"What?"

"I think I figured out Pain-sama's jutsu to contact everyone at once," Amejisuto looked at him oddly as he put his palm on her forehead. His eyes closed and he started to concentrate. His palm started glowing slightly, and she felt his chakra seeping into her.

_"Did it work? Can you hear me?" _His voice echoed through her mind.

"How are you doing that?"

He pulled his hand away. "Just focus on gathering some chakra in your hand and imagine pushing it into my head," he instructed. She did as told and put her palm on his face.

_"This is so cool!" _She thought.

"Yah, but it unnecessarily drains chakra so we should only use it when it's an emergency, like if one of us is captured or almost killed. We shouldn't even make our escape plans like that, since Tsunade-sama probably is planning a way for us to get out," he whispered the last part just in case someone from the Akatsuki (like Zetsu) was listening in.

"Ok. This is so awesome though," she squealed.

"We should finish our mission. I'll contact you later," he ran off to the front. Amejisuto smiled and walked sneakily to the back, watching out for guards. She ran in and hid behind walls, looking around cautiously as she moved through the house.

"He's probably upstairs," she mumbled to herself. She was in a large foyer that had some pillars on the sides that she hid behind as she ran swiftly and silently through the mansion. "Isn't this supposed to be the _back_ of the place? Why is there a foyer?" There was a huge stairway in the middle of the large room and she prayed that no one would see her as she ran up them. Well, whoever she prayed to decided not to listen because the next thing she knew, she was surrounded by three heavily muscled men**.**

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" One of them asked.

"I don't have time for this," she sighed.

"Too bad. A puny girl like you won't stand a chance against us," another said.

"Brains before brawn," she winked playfully. _'Might as well have a bit of fun. I haven't done this since being on missions with Team 7.' _

"Are you implying you're smarter than us?" The last guy said.

"Oh much smarter. And prettier. And more talented," one of the guys screamed in rage and charged at her. She performed a few hand seals and he was suddenly surrounded by ten of her clones, who all took out kunai knives and started attacking him with speed that the man couldn't follow.

Soon, he was lying in a pool of blood, dead. Amejisuto laughed slightly before gathering her clones to attack the other two who weren't expecting a girl like her to be able to take down the toughest of them. They were caught off guard due to shock. In a few seconds, one other man joined the first and the brunette was left alone (she had dispelled her clones) with the last man. "How many other guards are there?" She demanded.

"A-about twenty or so," he stuttered.

"Thank you," she smiled before slicing his neck with the kunai. He fell to the ground with the other guards and Ameji sighed. "Another few people dead by my hands.. I wonder if killing them is the right thing to do."

She faced a few more men along the way, and the last one told her where Maku was hiding before she killed him too. He was in the very top room, probably relying solely on his 'strong' guards. She figured Itachi was already in there, and she ran to the room, still cautious just in case another guard popped up.

The door was wide open and she could see that the man that looked exactly like the picture they got from Pain was on the floor already. She was right when guessing the Uchiha was already there. Maku suddenly got up and smirked. Amejisuto hid behind the door and peeked slightly into the room, making sure the target couldn't see her.

"You have some impressive skills, Uchiha, but there's only one of you. If there were more, maybe you could defeat me," Maku chuckled evilly. The Ishi shrugged and rushed in at blinding speed, doing the same as she had done to the guards by slitting his throat. He was dead within three seconds, and the mission was finally over.

* * *

**Ameji: Well that was a terrible ending to a really long mission**

**Itachi: It was only a few days long other than walking to Suna**

**Ameji: I guess... Anyways, I'm almost running out of pre-written chapters. Only 5 more are written so far**

**Sasuke: And then there's the fact that you take forever to remember to update so I wouldn't worry too much about it catching up quickly**

**Ameji: HEY! I was only a day late! I'm busy on Fridays now _ I should just update on Saturday mornings**

**Sakura: Well, updating any time is fine..**

**Ameji: I will update on weekends or Mondays!**

**Everyone else: ... *sighs***

**Ameji: ^_^**


	22. Chapter 21

"Pain-sama, we've completed the mission," Itachi reported.

"Good. I'll notify you when you get a new mission. Now for your chakra-"

"If it isn't too much to ask, could you let me and Amejisuto keep some of our chakra so I can continue teaching her?"

"Oh yes, you are Ishi's mentor," Pain sighed. "Alright, but only half of your chakra. If you try to escape, I will command everyone to attack and kill your precious fiancée." Itachi nodded and bowed before the leader put his hand on him and sucked out his chakra. "Now call her here."

"She's sleeping, leader-sama. We've travelled without any sleeping breaks for the past two days and she isn't used to traveling for that long without resting."

"Fine, I'll go to her myself," Pain walked out of the room with Itachi following close behind, silently trying to come up with a way to kill someone with the rennegan if he hurt Amejisuto. They got to the room where the brunette was sprawled across the bed, looking as if she had been knocked out.

The leader of the Akatsuki stretched out his arm and lightly touched the sleeping girl's head, taking slightly less than half her chakra (since she had so much). Itachi watched like a guard dog, glaring at the pierced leader until he left the room. He sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through the Ishi's soft dark brown hair. She stirred slightly, making him stop, and she rolled onto her side, whimpered a bit and then fell silent again.

_'How can someone so seemingly fragile kill a bunch of people and not be scarred?' _He wondered before getting up, taking off his cloak and changing into comfortable clothes that he slept in. He climbed under the blanket and pulled the girl close to him, wrapping his arm protectively around her before falling asleep too.

"Hey teme, we should get some ramen!" Naruto grinned, holding his arms up. "The glorious ramen awaits our return!"

"No, dobe. We have to report to Tsunade-sama before we do anything," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You were prepared to wait another week until you could go to your precious Ichiraku, so you can wait another ten minutes."

"You do know that only one of us has to report to Shishou, right?" Sakura reminded them.

"That's right!" Kakashi smiled. "And I am not the right person to do it. I promised my friend I would take care of his Walrus when I got back. See ya!" He ran off, leaving the other ninja groaning.

"Where the hell would someone get a walrus here? And be able to _keep _it?!" The pinkette yelled after him.

"Sometimes I feel like _he's _the genin," Sasuke mumbled.

"What? Makin fun of me or somethin?" Naruto challenged, getting in his face.

"You guys, please don't start a fight in the middle of the entrance. There are people around who could get hurt and them _I'm _the one who would have to heal them," Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I'll go report to Shishou. You guys can do whatever." She left to the Hokage tower, leaving the boys behind.

The blond turned to his boyfriend. "So…. Wanna buy me some ramen?"

* * *

"Hey Tsunade-Shishou, we're back," Sakura knocked on the door to the Hokage's office.

"Come in, Sakura-chan."

The pinkette entered the room and could instantly tell that something was wrong. "Did something happen while we were gone?"

"No, I'm just stressed out from all this paperwork. Shizune won't give me any sake either," Tsunade lied. "Anyway, it's nice to see you so soon. I take it your mission went well?"

"Yes. There ended up being an assassination attempt on the king but we stopped it. They had the nerve to try to kill us with blow darts! What kind of wimpy strategy is that?!"

The Hokage listened intently to the Team 7 mission report, but she couldn't help but wonder about the Uchiha family spreading the word that Itachi and Amejisuto had joined the Akatsuki. Sasuke was smart enough to be able to figure something was wrong and poor Mikoto would probably crack under the pressure of her son asking where the two _really _were. Sasuke would tell Naruto, and Naruto would tell the whole village, over-react and try to rescue them himself. That would be terrible due to the main purpose of the Akatsuki being to take the tailed beasts from the jinchuriki.

"But in the end, Sasuke ended up chidori-ing their asses and they all died, so we couldn't bring back the leader like you requested," Sakura finished.

"Thank you. You are dismissed," Tsunade said. She somehow managed to hear everything the pinkette had said even in her little world of worries.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune walked into the office. "Sai-kun has been going around asking people if he could have their daughters."

Sakura sighed, clenching her fists. She looked ahead with fire and determination in her eyes as she ran out of the room. "I'm going to kill him! He's such a baka!"

"We don't have to worry about him for much longer," Tsunade smirked.

"Uh.. We should worry that he might die," the assistant said.

"It's alright, we can count on Sakura to patch him up. If she doesn't.. Well… Even though he doesn't know better, it might be a good thing for him to learn his lesson."

* * *

"Tousan, Okasan, I'm back," Sasuke called as he entered his home. He had been with Naruto for the past hour and had (reluctantly) bought him over forty bowls of ramen. It was a good thing that the mission they were on had great pay, otherwise he would probably be broke by now.

"Welcome home," Mikoto ran to the entrance and hugged her son. "Your Tousan is in a meeting right now and won't be back till later."

"Is Eimi-chan around? I wanna talk to her about something that happened on my mission," he said with slight excitement.

Mikoto's gaze turned slightly sad. "No, she and your Aniki are out on a… Mission."

"When will they be back?" Sasuke asked, slightly suspicious. Usually when they were on a mission, his Okasan didn't seem so sad. "Or are they not coming back at all?"

"Oh, no they will come back. It's just that no one knows how long the mission will take. Not even Hokage-sama," she mumbled the last part.

"What kind of mission is it?"

"Well, you could say that it's like a spying mission from the inside. If you ever see them outside of the village, don't blow their cover, all right?"

"Understood, Okasan," Sasuke nodded. "So, do you want to hear about _my _mission?"

The mood was instantly lighter as Mikoto made a small snack of various vegetables, including about eight different types of tomatoes which her son greedily snatched up while he told her about the three weeks that he was gone.

While he was explaining what happened and how he pretty much killed all the assassins, he made a small plan to get more details of Itachi and Amejisuto's mission, if it even _was _one at all. The Uchiha woman saw the mischievous gleam in his eye and instantly got worried, wondering who he would try to pry information from first.

Yes, she knew him well enough to notice he was planning something. He was _her _son after all.

* * *

"Aah, another meal mooched off of the teme," Naruto patted his stomach, happy that he still had every penny from his earnings from the mission, unlike Sasuke. He walked down crowded streets towards his home, greeting people as he walked. He reached the apartment and opened the door, expecting nothing but his furniture, some dust and the faint smell of ramen to greet him.

"Hey Naruto, long time no see," an old man with long white hair greeted, sitting on the blonds couch and eating some of his precious ramen.

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto cried with mixed excitement and shock. "You're back from your trip!"

"Way to state the obvious," Jiraiya chuckled. "I got a lot of… _research _in while I was out." The kitsune shook his head and sighed, knowing not to even bother lecturing the man about his peeping habit. The sannin held out the ramen. "Want some?"

"No, I just got about fifty bowls of ramen at Ichiraku's," he yawned. "And I'm kinda tired. I'm going to sleep soon. Haven't got a good rest since we left the king's castle," he joked slightly.

"Aw, so you wouldn't have enough energy for a quick match?" Naruto's eyes sparkled in excitement, and the toad sage smirked, knowing he had caught his student's attention.

"Let's go, Ero-sennin! I've wanted to prove that I've surpassed you for a long time!"

"Alright, let me finish this ramen and we can head to the training grounds," Jiraiya slurped down the last of the noodles, vegetables and broth before clasping his hands together in a seal. "The training grounds in Mount Myōboku, of course," he vanished with a poof of smoke.

"Not fair!" The blond performed a few hand seals and disappeared too, teleporting himself to the mountain of powerful toads.

* * *

"Nngh... Itachi?" Amejisuto mumbled sleepily. He didn't answer, instead his hold on her tightened, making her notice he had his arms snugly wrapped around her torso and his head was nestled into her shoulder. This wasn't the first time she woke up like this, but it wasn't often that it happened. "Itachi," she whispered, trying to nudge him a bit.

"Hn?" He mumbled.

"When did we get back?"

"Yesterday. Go back to sleep, you sound tired still," he said, making her realise that she did feel exhausted.

"Mkay," she yawned. "Let me roll over."

He opened his arms, allowing her to move. She turned over and moved down a bit, putting her arms up slightly and snuggling up to him. "Ok, continue hugging me." He wrapped his arms around her again and buried his face in her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"Goodnight again," he smiled. His response was her pressing closer and nuzzling his arm and then falling asleep. "Aah, I love you," he mumbled before drifting off again. "Maybe even too much."

* * *

**Ameji: So I just wrote about the other members of team Kakashi's lives for a few chapters since the Akatsuki life is pretty easygoing for now**

**Itachi: You aren't late in updating for once..**

**Ameji: Hahaha! Expanding my update days really works! **

**Itachi: ... Just remember to keep writing**

**Ameji: ^_^**


	23. Chapter 22

Silence fell amongst the special talking toads as two ninja randomly appeared out of nowhere. Sure, they recognized and trusted the two ninja, but it wasn't often that a human appeared at Mount Myōboku without being reverse-summoned.

"Hey guys! How's it goin?" The blond of the two smiled.

"Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-kun, what brings you here?" A small old frog greeted them, breaking the tension. The other toads kept hopping along with their day as the white-haired sannin talked with the elder a bit.

"Fukasaku-sama, how nice to see you," he smiled. "You wouldn't mind if Naruto and I had a small battle here, would you?"

"No, not at all. Just make sure you don't break anything too badly and fight in the main clearing as you did when training with me," the old toad gave his permission. Naruto grinned and bent down so he could look at Fukasaku properly.

"Thanks Sennin Ji-chan!" He chanted. "I've been waiting for a match like this for a long time!"

"If it's alright, would you allow me to watch? I would like to see how far you've both gotten in sage jutsu. After all, that's why you came _here_, isn't it?"

"You're absolutely right," Jiraiya smirked. "And you can watch if you wanna. It will be an epic battle."

The elder toad nodded. "I would expect nothing less from you two." They walked over to an area (or in Fukasaku's case, hopped) where they could start the battle. The toad stepped back and watched as the two ninja froze and focused on gathering nature energy. A few seconds later, a red/orange colour gathered around Naruto's eyes. Jiraiya's nose grew bigger and new red lines appeared on his face, covering his eyes. He also gained a white beard.

Their eyes flashed open and all Fukasaku could see was a blur as the men raced at each other, ready to battle.

* * *

"Sai, what the hell are you _doing_?" Sakura marched up to the socially awkward ANBU member. He was currently asking a man if he could have his daughter. The man looked as if he was about to punch the poor boy in the face.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Every person I approach with the request to take their daughters ends up hurting me or yelling at me," he sighed.

"Sir, I'm very sorry about my friend. He doesn't really know any better," Sakura bowed slightly to the man in apology. He glared and walked away, taking his child with him. She turned to him with fire blazing in her eyes. "Besides, I'll punch you _myself_." She raised her fist and Sai started to panic before her knuckles collided with his chest, sending him flying across the thankfully unpopulated path.

She then marched toward him angrily. "What do you think you're doing? People think you're a pervert! Almost as bad as Jiraiya-sama!"

"Why would they think that?" Sai groaned, holding his chest as he stood up, shaking slightly due to the bruise that was forming on his torso from crashing into the ground too.

She shook her head and sighed. "You don't just go around asking people if you could have their daughters."

"Well I can't ask for their sons, I need their daughters specifically."

"Why is that?"

"I want to capture the innocence and peace of a young kunoichi, though any civilian child can qualify too."

"You Baka," Sakura shook her head. "Even if you have non-perverted intentions, you have to word it differently, like maybe 'can I borrow your daughter for an art project' and make sure that the parent knows it's strictly for that."

"I see… Those books aren't helping me much anymore. I apologize, Hag," he bowed his head. Sakura's eyes darkened for a moment before she calmed down again. Though she knew he meant well, being called 'Hag' still got to her a bit.

"Sai, could you please find a better nickname for me? And something that _isn't _insulting?"

He saw the forced smile on her face and remembered that she didn't like his old nickname for her. "Okay Sakura. I'll think of something else." He thought for a moment. "Hey, would _you _be willing to be my model?"

"I'm an eighteen year old Jonin, not an eight year old, if you haven't noticed."

"I have noticed. You're too tall to be eight, and your voice isn't really high," he said, studying her.

"Anything else that makes me obviously not eight?"

"If you are referring to womanly features like hip and chest size, it's hard to tell the difference. Especially when you wear that Jonin outfit. It hides the little amount of femininity that you have other than your face and hair."

"JERK!" Sakura yelled, loading her fist with chakra and punching him across the village.

* * *

"Tousan, you're back earlier than expected," Sasuke greeted.

"The same goes for you," Fugaku replied, barely paying attention to his son as he grabbed a plate full of food that Mikoto had saved for him and left to eat in his office.

"Hey, say something to your son," Mikoto whispered, seeing Sasuke's annoyed expression at his father blowing him off yet again.

"While your brother is away, you must be the pride of the clan in his place. Do not bring shame to this family," he said before leaving the room that was now filled with tension.

"Ah, what he means is keep doing what you're doing," the Uchiha woman forced a weak smile. "I'm going to go clean up his office before he finished eating. You know how he loves to work in a clean place…" She walked off.

Sasuke sighed and got up, leaving the house to go find Kakashi. At least his old sensei wasn't a complete disappointment among old men. Soon, the Uchiha district was behind him as he ran towards his team leader's apartment. He knew not to go to Naruto's house, since he sensed Jiraiya's chakra when he got into the village and felt his and Naruto's chakra disappear.

Once he reached Kakashi's home, he knocked on the door but sensed no one was there, so he decided to go to the Hokage to see if she knew where the man was. While walking to her office, he ended up seeing her in the halls of the Hokage mansion.

"Tsunade-sama," he bowed.

"Hey brat," she smirked when she saw his eye twitch. Aah, she loved teasing the young Uchiha. "Did you need something?"

"Yes. Would you happen to know where Kakashi is?"

"Kakashi-san's at the lake," Shizune answered. Sasuke had barely even noticed she was there before.

"Arigato," he said before running off to the lake. Once he got there, he was surprised at the sight of his old sensei petting a walrus.

"Oh, hey Sasuke," he greeted. "Wanna come pet Maiya?"

"…."

"What's wrong? She won't bite, if that's what you're scared of."

"No, I'm just shocked that for once, you weren't lying about where you're going," the Uchiha activated his sharingan to make sure the aquatic animal wasn't an illusion or a transformation. Nope, it all checked out. "What's a walrus doing in Konoha anyway?"

"I have no clue. Mikuno-chan just asked me to watch her walrus for her while she was away. It's a good thing we ended the mission when we did; Maiya was feeling really lonely," the white haired Jonin patted the creature.

"How did I not know there was a walrus here," Sasuke mumbled to himself.

"Hey, would you be a good little boy and swim with her? I don't want to catch a cold right now."

"What about me?!"

"You have Itachi-kun or Amejisuto-chan or even your parents to take care of you if you do. I only have Sakura-chan and Tsunade-sama," he sighed. "Maybe Sakura-chan will be able to heal me with her love."

Sasuke punched him, sending him flying into the water where the walrus happily joined him. "Great. My ex-sensei is a pedophile. You truly take after Jiraiya-sama," he shook his head.

"I was kidding!" Kakashi yelled as Sasuke walked away, disappointed that he had no adult males that he could manage to stay around freely for more than five minutes.

"No you weren't," he called back, deciding on looking for Shino or Shikamaru. At least _they _weren't complete morons.

* * *

"Amejisuto, it's time to wake up. Pain-sama is calling for everyone to gather in five minutes," Itachi poked the sleeping brunette, who groaned and opened her eyes.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner than?" She asked as she got up, brushed her hair and put it in a high ponytail before throwing her cloak on over the clothes she slept in.

"I thought it would be best to let you sleep as much as you could. By the way, we're still allowed to train as long as we don't try to escape, alright?"

She looked at him and nodded. "Thanks for arranging that. It'll feel good training again. I felt the effects of lounging around for two weeks when we were on our mission."

"Yah, I did too. Now, let's go," Itachi hugged Amejisuto before taking her hand. She blushed and looked at their intertwined hands. "I liked when we did this. It feels nice," he explained.

They walked to the main gathering room where most of the other Akatsuki members were already gathered and waiting. "Finally! You lovebirds took forever!" Kisame said.

"What were you doing in there? Oh wait, I bet I know what it is," Hidan winked. "I _knew_ you guys were secretly naughty."

The brunette flushed red and turned angry/embarrassed. "It's not like that, pervert!"

"Stop making them uncomfortable Hidan, un," Deidara glared.

"All of you be quiet," Konan entered the room, making everyone (except Hidan) straighten up slightly.

"It's time to extract the tailed beast from the recently captured jinchuriki," Pain said, walking behind the bluenette.

"What are we on now, un?"

"The six tails. Zetsu and Konan have successfully captured the five tails and we will do the extraction before the next team leaves, which will be me and Konan. Let's go to the extraction statue," he turned and signaled the rest of the Akatsuki to follow.

"E-excuse me, but does that include us too?" Amejisuto asked.

"Yes. It will go faster if all members join in."

"Leader-sama, there are eleven of us and only ten fingers on the statue," Orochimaru pointed out.

"Zetsu is about to leave for a spy mission to see where the six tails is. He's the type to move around and travel," as he said that, the green/black/white plant man faded into the ground.

"Goodbye," The white half smiled creepily, sending chills down the Ishi's spine.

The group followed the leader to a large room that didn't have any designs on the walls. It was just a huge cave with an odd looking statue in the back. It had several eyes, spikes coming out of it and two 'hands' raised and chained together. It's size was intimidating, and even though it _was _just a statue, Amejisuto was reluctant to get any closer to it. Unfortunately for her, Pain ordered everyone to get on their respective fingers.

"Uchiha, you get the right ring finger. Ishi, you go on the right pinky," he told them. They hopped up and felt uneasy as a strange chakra flared under them. _'Is this really a statue?' _The brunette wondered.

Pain held up his hands and demonstrated which seals to make and what to say to activate the jutsu as Konan could be seen carrying in the almost dead jinchuriki and placing the body between the hands and head of the statue. "Ok, I'll give you all of your chakra but don't try to escape, alright?" The orange haired man said before releasing the chakra barriers he placed inside the two newest members.

The instantly felt their chakra return of full power. _'Too bad we can't use any of it right now other than to do this weird extraction thing,' _Amejisuto sent her thoughts to Itachi.

_'Yes, but it isn't a good idea to waste it right now. I have a feeling this is going to use up a lot,' _he thought back. She nodded, making Hidan and Orochimaru look at her oddly, before preparing to perform the jutsu in sync with everyone else.

"Ok, we're ready," Konan called before jumping to her spot.

"Three, two, one," Pain counted. "Now!"

Everyone quickly did the hand seals and focused on visualising their energy mixing and surrounding the body, lifting it into the air, and reaching within it to take the beast out. Amejisuto was surprised to see a red fluid seeping out of the eyes and mouth of the body. Blobs of it went up the mixed chakra path to the statue's mouth.

She and Itachi noticed one of the eyes slowly opening. It was a bit creepy, but the Ishi decided to only focus on getting the entire demon out of the soon to be ex-jinchuriki. She blocked out the strange sound of the extraction, the choking sounds that were coming out of the body, the weird feeling of foreign chakra mixing with hers. She blocked out the eerie feeling she was getting from the statue, the overpowered sensation she was getting from the looks she was receiving and last of all she blocked out the thought that she was killing an innocent person that could've been just like her friend.

_'Naruto-kun… How is he doing?'_ she wondered. _'What about the rest of the Uchiha family? Sasuke-kun? Sakura-chan? Kakashi-san? Tsunade-sama? Even my Kaasan and Sora! What's happening to them?' _She couldn't help but worry about all the people she was taken from, and a wave of homesickness washed over her. That and guilt once she looked over to the man standing only a few feet away from her. Guilt that it was _her _fault they were killing this poor man, that it was _her _fault he was away from his precious otouto and parents. Sure, he reassured her constantly that it was his choice to go after her but…

_'I wonder how Itachi truly feels about all this…'_

* * *

**Ameji: I'm continuing the short 'how is Team 7' things since not much is going on with me and Itachi ^_^**

**Itachi: I think that extracting a demon from a human is under the category of 'something's going on'**

**Ameji: You know what I mean **


	24. Chapter 23

"Rasengan!" Jiraiya announced while holding out his palms. Large balls of energy swirled in his hands and he ran towards his student.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto called forth two clones that instantly set to work. Soon, a similar swirling energy ball was formed except it was surrounded by sharp wind blades. "Rasen-shuriken!" He ran forward to meet the older sage's attack. The jutsus collided, making a blast that sent both flying the opposite way. They landed on their feet and ran at each other with fists clenched.

Naruto got the first hit in but it didn't faze Jiraiya as his face was impacted with a fist. Instead, he focused on sending the blonde back so he could use some weapons. Not that he was bad at taijutsu, he just thought that the battle should be a bit more… Interesting. They _did _have an audience after all.

The kitsune dodged the attempted blow at his chest and leaped into the air, performing a few quick seals. Clones surrounded him and got ready to charge at the old man while the real Naruto took out a few kunai and threw them with wires attached; he had learned a few things from Tenten just in case he was in another epic battle (though he was really bad with almost anything other than kunai and shuriken). Jiraiya repelled all the clones with swift kicks and punches and narrowly avoided the sharp weapons. His eyes widened when he saw the strings attached to them and jumped out of the way when Naruto sent chakra waved down the wire and into the ground.

The force of the chakra shook the ground and the man had to jump in the air to avoid getting unbalanced. Even _his _chakra wouldn't stick to the ground if Naruto's was pulsing through it. He was taken by surprise when he felt wind shooting up at him. He looked down, and saw that there was a clone on the ground using wind blades, though the ones he was using weren't the originals.

"Asuma sensei gave me these. Since he's stuck at home with Kurenai sensei and their unborn kid, he wanted me to have them and put them to good use," Naruto smirked. "I've been waiting to use them in a real fight."

"Lucky you. Those weapons are powerful and Asuma-kun loves them," Jiraiya said, impressed that the teen could use them so easily. _'He's really advanced even more while I was gone,' _he thought as he dodged a few more wind strikes. He landed on the ground, as did Naruto, and they ran at each other again, this time the blonde was equipped with the obviously activated blades that were glowing with the wind nature chakra.

Jiraiya performed a few seals again. "Thousand hair needles!" His long hair hardened and spikes shot out, launching over the wide field and at Naruto at the blink of an eye.

Naruto quickly spread chakra to the outside of his body, making it like a small shield to try to prevent the needles from penetrating deep in his skin. He managed to quickly spread it across his torso but the needles were too quick and shot and stuck in his arms and legs. He covered his head with his arms.

He tried to avoid the rest of the needles in the ground by jumping up again and summoning a few shadow clones to do a rasengan harem on the ground to scatter and break them. While they were doing that, Naruto got rid of the needles in his skin and performed a few hand seals. "Sexy jutsu!" There was a poof of smoke that soon cleared, revealing a pigtailed blonde in a skimpy bikini landing on the ground (or by now, we should call it rubble). "Jiraiya-sensei," she purred, walking closer to him. If anything, Naruto knew his teacher's weak points never changed through the years. He summoned another few clones, all dressed in different 'fantasy outfits'. There was a schoolgirl, a French maid, a sexy neko and a nurse. Jiraiya's nose started leaking blood and he smiled creepily, forgetting he was in the middle of a battle.

"Oooh, pretty ladies," he grinned before falling over, his face red (from the blood and the effects of the jutsu).

Fukasaku watched the battle, intrigued at the awesome parts, but now he was shaking his head in shame. "He hasn't learned to block that out yet?"

The battle was over with Naruto as the victor. Jiraiya was face-down in a pool of his own nose-blood and the blonde transformed back to his one normal (as normal as he can be at least) self, dancing around in victory. "Hah! I beat you Ero-sennin!" He bragged, though the man couldn't hear him from deep within his perverted thoughts in unconsciousness. "Did you see that Sennin Ji-chan! I was awesome!"

"Even after all these years, he still loses against the sight of a pretty woman," the frog sighed. "But using that last move after wearing him out slightly was smart. You really know your sensei well."

"Hahah, yeah," the blonde scratched the back of his head and smiled, letting the natural energy seep out of him and returning to his normal ninja-ness. They could see Jiraiya's beard disappear too and knew he had no natural energy left either. "Well, that was fun. I WON! WOO!" Naruto started running around with an extra joyful bounce in his step. "I've surpassed the perverted sensei! Believe it!"

* * *

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Sakura said, holding the last hand seal. A small puff of smoke appeared, revealing a younger version of herself. "If you so much as touch her other than when positioning her, I will know and I will destroy you," she threatened the bruised and swollen Sai that was sitting on the ground, holding ice packs to his wounds.

"Alright, I'll be sure not to do that. Not that there's anything to tou-" He stopped talking when noticing what he was about to say and the clenched fist that was ready to be aimed at his face again. "Ok, got it," he rephrased.

"Smart boy. Now, I'll be off. Once you're done drawing her, tell her to dispel. She'll do it on her own," the pinkette walked off. "I'll be with Kakashi-sensei if you need me."

"Hm, Amejisuto-chan told me that Sakura likes me in a romantic way. Why then hasn't she approached me nicely instead of hurting me every time we see each other?" He said to himself while watching her walk away. The young clone of her stood next to him, staring off into space and not really paying any attention to what Sai was saying. "Maybe while having a romantic interest in somebody it is required to hurt them."

He started walking the other direction to his apartment with the clone following close behind. Once they got there, he opened the windows to let the warm breeze in. He took out his paint brushes and a blank canvas and set them up in his favorite place to paint: just a bit behind where one of the windows was. The little Sakura was positioned slightly after that. Once she was in the perfect stance with the right amount of light flooding around her, he told her to freeze.

Several paint brush strokes and colours later, he stepped back, only _slightly _pleased with his work. "Hmm, there's something missing," he mumbled. "Stay there, young Sakura-chan, I'll be right back," he said as he spotted something outside. A few minutes later, he placed a delicate cherry blossom on the clone.

Once he painted the last details in, he was proud of his work, for once. "It's pretty," the clone smiled once she saw it.

"This might be one of my best creations yet," he smiled slightly, looking over every little detail, not finding any mistakes. He then turned to the clone. "You can dispel now. Thank you for your assistance," he said. She nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He then turned back to his painting. "Now what should I call it?" He wondered. He thought for a few moments before hanging it on the wall and writing under it.

_Graceful power_

* * *

"So you really weren't kidding, huh?" Sakura said, putting her hands on her hips. It was pretty much the same conversation that Kakashi had with Sasuke. The disbelief from one and slight offense from the other. "Alright, just don't kill her."

"I would _never _kill a magnificent creature such as this," Kakashi gasped dramatically, wrapping his arms around the walrus as much as he could. "She's my new best friend!" The pinkette rolled her eyes and tried to think of anything better she could be doing.

_**'Working at the hospital, visiting Ino-pig, running errands for Tsunade-sama…'**_ 'Inner' listed.

"Sasuke ran off before he got the chance to truly know this wonderful creature, so can't you take a chance on it and also be better than him?"

The medic's eye twitched. _**'Stupid sensei.. Knowing our weakness.. Out of everything else there is, he just HAD to go with the low blow. He just HAD to give us an opportunity to be better than Sasuke.'**_

"Fine, I'll take care of the stupid walrus with you," she sighed.

"Her name is Maiya and she belongs to one of my friends," Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Why in the world does someone trust you enough to take care of their pet?"

"Maybe because I'm so good with my summoned dogs," he shrugged. "Now strip down and play with her in the water."

"Hey! Why can't _you _do it?!"

"What? So eager to see me without clothes? Oh, Sakura-chan, you should already know that there is no need to be subtle," he winked. "You can just ask anytime and I would take off my clothes just for you-"

"Pervert!" Sakura yelled, punching Kakashi into the water where Maiya -once again- happily joined him.

"You kids these days.. Even Sasuke-kun did the same thing an hour ago," the masked Jonin fake-cried.

"You deserve it. Even if it's an opportunity to be better than Sasuke, I'm not putting up with this today," the strong kunoichi stormed away toward the hospital to do some work there, leaving the older man and the walrus alone in the lake.

He turned to Maiya. "I guess it's just you and me again," he whined, petting the happy water creature.

* * *

"So this is what you guys do all day?" Sasuke asked, laying down on the grassy hill.

"Yup. Cloud watching is the best thing ever," Shikamaru smiled, keeping his eyes on the fluffy white clouds that were dotted across the blue sky.

"And it's even more enjoyable with snacks, though that goes for everything," Choji took out a few bags of chips. "Do you want some, Sasuke?"

"No thanks," the Uchiha said.

"I have ketchup flavor."

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke reached out for the offered snacks, which the kinder ninja placed in his hand with a smile. They laid on the hill, relaxed and calm, with the only noise being the casual crunch of the chips.

"Hey, what's that?" Choji asked, pointing to a flying object.

"It looks like a messenger bird from Suna," Shikamaru squinted.

"I wonder if something's happening," Sasuke mumbled.

All three stared at the bird for a bit longer before shrugging and laying down again.

"If it's important, someone will tell us."

"There's no point in worrying. Too troublesome."

"Hn."

Sasuke took the cloud-watching time to think about how to get more information out of his mother. _'I know something's up with Aniki and Ameji-chan. She seemed too tense when I brought them up. She would tell me if they died, and unless it was an ANBU mission, she usually tells what kind of mission Aniki's on. Of course, if she didn't know then it would be pointless to ask, but she's not good at lying to me. They're hiding something._

"Hey, Sasuke," Shikamaru caught his attention. The Uchiha turned his head to look at his comrade (that he was seriously thinking of promoting to friend).

"Yah, what?"

"Whatever you're worried about, just let it go for now. If it's important, it will come back on its own."

"Hn. You're right, but my own mother lied to me and I want to know why."

"Well maybe she did it to protect you," Choji spoke up.

"No, Uchiha-san wouldn't lie to his face even if it was to protect him. Hokage-sama probably ordered her to keep her mouth shut. I wouldn't argue with it though since she knows best," Shikamaru closed his eyes. "You'll find out in time."

"Hn."

They then went back to watching the skies in silence, and eventually, all three drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I feel terrible," Amejisuto fell backwards on her bed. "We killed an innocent man with a bunch of criminals."

"We joined this group, so we have to participate," Itachi said, also drained and feeling guilty.

"We didn't even want to join though! Wasn't the point of getting you to join to not have to fight against you when they go after Naruto and start wars?"

"Yes, but the more they use me, the less work and strain they have to carry themselves. At least, that's why I _think _they're doing this to us. I don't mind that they use me for simple missions that Hokage-sama would send us on, but extracting a demon is completely different. Even if they use me, I don't want them to use you too," he took off his cloak and the wrappings on his arms and legs.

"I wish I wasn't so helpless against them. If I wasn't, we wouldn't be here right now. We would be having lunch with our family!"

"_Our _family?" Itachi smirked.

The brunette blushed and looked down. "Well once I marry you, they will officially be my family, but since I've lived with you for a while before we got dragged here, I had already thought of you guys as my other family. Your Tousan still scares me a bit though."

The Uchiha chuckled slightly. "He scares most people, even me sometimes."

"You get scared?!" The Ishi asked, astonished.

"Yes, I may be an awesome Uchiha ninja but I still have my fears. Only a few though," the Uchiha answered, happy to distract her. He was glad that she was now thinking of something else besides the extraction they just completed.

"What are they?"

"Well, my worst fear is losing you, my second worst fear is you getting hurt, and then it's my otouto getting hurt, and I'm slightly scared of my Tousan but Kaasan scares the crap out of me when she's angry," he joked. He looked at his fiancée's face and saw she was blushing even harder.

"Why do you always do this to me?"

"What do I do?"

"It's as if you enjoy seeing my face turn red," she looked away. "Always saying mushy and embarrassing things.."

"I don't say anything that isn't true unless it's an obvious joke," he smiled softly.

"I think you care too much about me," she mumbled.

"I could never care too much about you. You're the most important thing in my life-"

"That's exactly what I mean! It's weird hearing you talk like that and especially since it is about me."

"Why?"

"It always makes me blush and I can't take mushy things that well, if you haven't noticed. I can cuddle without shame but words just set off my embarrassment and stupid blushing," she ranted. She got pulled into a hug.

"So what you're saying is that I can be as physical with you as I can as long as I don't say anything that would make you blush?" He whispered in her ear.

"Y-yah," she stuttered.

"How about this: I'll keep saying those things and I will keep in physical contact with you as much as possible so it's a win-win," he smirked.

"What? No fair!" She cried before he grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed, holding her close.

"And because you gave me that short speech, I'm going to do that even more than I already do, but just for you, I will only do these things when we're alone. Is that better?"

"Of course it isn't!" Itachi smiled and held on tighter to her as she tried to squirm out of his grasp before sighing and giving up. "Fine, do whatever. You will just owe me big time."

"For what? Making you react a certain way that I can't prevent?"

"You can prevent it by not saying anything! So in order to pay me back, you have to… Have way more chores than me when we're married! And when we have kids, you have to be the one responding to their screaming in the middle of the night," she said absentmindedly. When he stayed silent, she ran through the last sentence in her mind before turning bright red again.

"Planning our future already, Eimi-chan? I bet you're envisioning a house filled with hyper children and us sitting on rocking chairs with me reading the newspaper and you feeding the newest baby," He grinned.

"Oh shut up!"

"Now, now, that's no way to treat the future father of your children," he poked her cheek.

"Gah! I didn't mean it that way!"

"Will you stop being so mushy after ten please? I'm trying to get some rest," Kisame opened the door.

"Hey! Ever heard of knocking?" Itachi threw a pillow at the blue man. "Go back to the blue man group and leave us alone." Ameji was amused to see his comment turning the shark man's face red. _'How does that even work?' _she wondered, laughing. They heard someone else snickering from the hall.

"Who knew the serious Uchiha was secretly funny, un," Deidara appeared and turned to his partner. "But he's right. You should go back on tour and stop bugging everyone."

"Shut it Blondie," Kisame snarled before walking off.

"You know, if he wasn't so touchy when people made fun of him, I think he and I could be good friends," Amejisuto thought out loud.

"What?! Be friends with fish face?! Why, un?" The bomb enthusiast asked, wide eyed. Itachi's expression was the same, but he kept quiet to listen to her answer.

"I don't really know.. I feel like he would be a fun person to joke around with. Kinda like a reckless Aniki or something," she shrugged. "It's hard to explain."

"You are one weird chick, un," Deidara shook his head. "Well I'm off to bed, un. See ya!"

The two Konoha-nin stared at each other for a moment before Itachi pulled Ameji down, capturing her again. "You two are an extremely cute couple," Konan said, startling them. They had yet another visitor.

"Thanks I guess?" The brunette mumbled, unsure of how to respond.

"I just came by to tell you that Pain-kun and I are going on our mission. Orochimaru and Kakuzu are in charge, but if they hurt you at all, they will perish. Do not try to escape. You may use the training grounds, but Deidara and either Zetsu will have to supervise," she listed the rules as if they were children and the mother was leaving a babysitter behind.

"We understand, Konan-sama," they both answered. The bluenette gave a small smile.

"Good. I will see you all in a few days," she closed the door and they heard her footsteps slowly fade.

"Well, it's getting late. We should sleep," the Uchiha suggested.

"Okay," the brunette took off her cloak and bandages. They both took turns changing in the bathroom and getting ready to sleep. Itachi turned off the light and hopped into the vacant bed, putting his arm over his fiancée as he usually did. She turned over so they were face to face. "I have a question for you," she said, breaking the silence that had barely settled since the lights turned off. "And you have to promise to be honest, no matter how much it could hurt me."

"I promise," he sighed. He didn't like the idea that his answer could potentially hurt her.

"How do you feel about leaving everything behind just to go after me?" She said nervously.

"The only thing that saddens me about this situation is that you seem to have no faith in us getting out of here. I do miss my family, but even if this happened again, I would still choose to go after you no matter what. Like I've said, you're the most important person to me," he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes before cupping her cheek softly. "I love you more than anyone."

She smiled softly at his response, her eyes closing slowly as she started to fall asleep. "I love you too. But I gotta ask… How have you managed to hide it from me for so long?"

"It wasn't easy, but once you get trained with the ANBU, it's less of a challenge," he joked. He looked down at the now-sleeping girl and kissed her forehead before giving up his consciousness as well.

* * *

**Ameji: Hahah such mush**

**Itachi: In real life, if someone said that stuff to you, you would punch them until they couldn't talk any more**

**Sasuke: You scare me in real life. You're like another Sakura, punching everyone for anything**

**Ameji: Mwahahah**


	25. Chapter 24

Two more months passed and the kidnapped couple grew used to living with the Akatsuki. The teams had only managed to catch the seven tails and were taking a break due to the knowledge that the eight and nine tailed jinchuriki were the most powerful, and the eight tails - Killer Bee - had control over his demon octopus's powers, so he would be difficult to defeat even if Pain himself faced him, so instead, the rogue ninjas spent their days like they usually did before the whole demon hunt: training, going on regular missions, and other strange things..

"No, _firmer_. Positioning is everything," Itachi commanded, observing as his student then changed to a solid and stable position appropriate for the activity they were doing. "Alright! Now.. Start!"

"One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!" Amejisuto and Deidara shouted before moving their thumbs. Their hands were locked together and both were staring at their battle of thumbs. The intensity was rising as they moved quicker, pinning the other down for a few seconds with almost-bruising strength before they escaped. Hidan, Itachi, Kisame and Tobi were gathered around and watching.

"This is boring," Hidan yawned.

"How about we make it interesting?" Kisame smirked, pulling out a few coins and placing them on the large table that had the thumb wrestlers fighting on the other end. "I'm not dumb enough to bet large amounts, but I'll place money on this nonetheless. I bet Deidara will win."

"Hn, why not. I bet on Ameji because she can hear me and would hurt me if I didn't," Itachi took out a few coins and added them to the pile.

"Thanks for your confidence in my skills," the brunette rolled her eyes before focusing again.

"Don't tell Kakuzu we're doing this. He would have a cow. I bet on Deidara too. I would say it's because girls are weak but I can't say it when both are girls," Hidan threw some loose change on the table.

"Hey!" The two in competition objected before going back to the intense battle.

"I think Amejisuto-chan will win! She's awesome! And even if she doesn't, she's _still _awesome!" Tobi put down a bit more than the others.

"Woah, Tobi-kun, that might be a bit too much-"

"Nonsense! Tobi can bet on whoever Tobi wants with however much money Tobi wants to add," the masked man crossed his arms childishly, not even apologising for interrupting Itachi.

"I didn't know that he still had money. Figured he'd spend it on candy and stickers or something," Hidan smirked.

"EW! DON'T LICK ME, THAT'S CHEATING! Not to mention gross!" The Ishi's voice called the surrounding members' attention. They looked over and saw she was glaring and Deidara was looking at her, amused.

"What? You a germaphobe or something, un?"

"If I say yes will you do that again?"

"Yes, un."

"Then no," she sighed.

"Ok, that's good to hear, un," the blond smiled ever so innocently as the brunette screamed again after feeling the tongue slither out once more.

"Is that against the rules?" Tobi asked.

"I doubt the creators ever really came across people with mouths on their hands, so no. Besides, who would bother writing a rule book for thumb wrestling?"

"Tobi should!" The 'childish' man squealed before taking paper out of who-knows-where and started jotting down rules. "And tongue interference isn't allowed! Do it again and senpai gets disqualified!"

The thumb wrestle went on for a while and everyone stayed silent before Kisame started to get annoyed. "One of you guys just win already!"

"Alright, fish face, I'll be sure to finish this quickly, un," Deidara said confidently.

"That's what _you _think," Amejisuto smirked, using a smidge of chakra in her thumb to pin his down and hold it there for eight seconds of him struggling.

"Yay! Ameji-chan wins!" Tobi got up and danced around happily.

"So Tobi-kun and I split the money," Itachi smirked, counting the change and splitting it evenly. "Here Tobi-kun," he held out the other man's winnings.

"Nah, keep it. Tobi's just happy he got to see a pretty girl kick senpai's butt!" He giggled oddly.

"Why you-"

"I won't stop getting you back, Senpai!" The masked man ran away at top speed while Deidara sat down on a couch with a sigh.

"Jeez, you put clay bombs in his and Orochimaru-sama's room a _few _times and the kid is trying to get me back. I have no clue what me losing this really did though, un. He had nothing to do with it."

"Hasn't Orochimaru gotten you back yet?" Hidan asked.

"All he really does is give me that creepy glare, un," the blonde leaned back and closed his eyes in thought. "Well, there was one time where he put snakes in my bed but they were harmless. Un."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. He didn't care that even Orochimaru was trying to take revenge?

"Well anyways, Itachi has a history lesson to teach me so we gotta go," Amejisuto hopped up and grabbed her fiancée's arm and started walking with the Uchiha dragging slightly behind.

"Why are you even learning that stuff? You guys live here now so there's no need to learn things to impress a clan that you'll never go back to," Kisame said.

The two stopped and Ameji turned around with a sad smile. "Well one can only hope."

* * *

"So other than those few troublesome Uchiha members, your clan history is pretty close to the Senju clans it seems," Ameji said after hearing the basic history and main events of the Uchiha Clan. She moved around slightly on the bed; her butt was starting to hurt from sitting too long. It had been about two or three hours of Itachi talking about his clan, and her brain was exhausted.

"Not exactly, but whatever. It's not like you're getting tested on this, it's just basic information," Itachi stood up and stretched. "I wouldn't say anything like that in front of my Tousan if I were you though," he looked over with a humored glint in his eyes.

Amejisuto looked down at her lap and fidgeted nervously. Itachi knew that as a sign that something was on her mind and sat down once more, looking at her intently. She looked up at him and sighed. Without him even saying anything, she just knew that he was expecting her to say something. _'We've spent way too much time together,'_ she mused.

"Kisame-san and everyone else might be right… We may never be able to leave," she sighed. "I don't want you to think I've given up hope, but we're surrounded by S-class criminals and someone who has the rennegan. If we try to escape, we will be killed."

"We _will _escape one day," Itachi said confidently.

"Yes, but it might not be anytime soon. I hate to say it, but I think we should just accept that we'll be staying here for a long time, so we might as well treat it like our new home."

The Uchiha nodded slowly. "As long as we don't have to participate in the demon hunt, I would be willing to agree to accept this as a permanent place until there's a chance of escape. We might as well make the best of it."

"I hope we can escape one day though."

There was a knock on the door and Deidara entered the room. "Hey Amejisuto-chan, are you any good at cooking, un?"

"I can make snacks as long as I don't use the stove," she gave a smile and a thumbs up. Deidara chuckled before looking at Itachi.

"How about you, un?"

"I'm quite good with the culinary arts, yes," the man nodded.

"Great! You're on dinner duty tonight, un! Bakudan onigiri please!" The blond ran out of the room laughing before anyone could protest.

Amejisuto lifted her hand to her mouth, trying to cover up a giggle. "Well, makes sense for him."

"Well I guess I'm stuck as cook. Is there anything special that you want?"

"I'll just have the same as Deidara-san," she shrugged. "No point in giving you extra work. Besides, it sounds good…"

"Alright, I guess I should get to it then," they left their room and headed to the kitchen where they found sticky notes on the fridge with everyone's orders. "What do they think I am? A restaurant?!"

* * *

"I overheard the two talking that they will accept this as their home for now," White Zetsu reported.

"Hopefully, we will gain their loyalty. I wouldn't let them on a tailed demon mission, but if war occurs, they will be on our side once we gain their trust and support," Black Zetsu said.

"I doubt it will be that simple," Pain objected. "If war breaks out, surely they will escape and join Konohagakure. No, we have to subtly brainwash them over time."

Madara glared at the ground. "I doubt that they could be brainwashed. The Uchiha definitely would not fall for it, and the young girl is probably on high alert due to being captured so easily more than once. We need to come up with a good plan, like keeping them isolated if war breaks out."

"I thought brainwashing sounded like a good plan," Konan spoke up. "We can't be too certain that a war will start so soon though, so there isn't really a reason to be discussing it. I suggest we try to gain their trust."

"I have a better idea," White Zetsu grinned evilly. "If they've decided this is their home for now, we should just destroy the other one so they have nothing to go back too."

The other members thought about it silently for a moment. "The Kyuubi is in that village. We would have to fight him in order to go through with destroying Konoha," Pain broke the silence.

"Well then, we might as well go for the eight tails for now so when we fight the nine tails, we can do the extraction once he's almost dead," Konan shrugged.

"So it's agreed that we will destroy Konohagakure?" Madara asked. The others nodded. "Then it is decided. In the next month, prepare to fight the eight tail's jinchuriki, Killer Bee."

"Who should we send?" Pain said as Madara started walking to the door.

He looked over his shoulder as he touched the door knob. "Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame and you two," he looked at the rinnegan user and his life-long partner before leaving and switching to his dumb high voice to greet Deidara.

"Hey! How's it goin, Senpai?!"

"Get out of the way, Tobi-baka! Itachi-san is making dinner and I'm starving, un!" The others heard the blond growl before hearing an 'oof' from the masked man as he had been pushed into a wall.

"Uchiha-san can cook?" Pain thought out loud.

"Maybe not _all _men are hopeless," Konan smiled slightly, looking intently at her friend before laughing a bit. The mood wasn't as serious now, and the bluenette was thankful. She didn't like the tension and dark mood that those small meetings brought, though most people wouldn't believe it due to her being seemingly serious all the time. "I would like to try Uchiha-kun's cooking too." She headed out. Pain sighed and sat down, knowing the woman would bring him back something.

"I wonder if he would take a request of frying up some bodies," Both Zetsu's said before they disappeared, leaving the orange haired man behind in his seriousness.

* * *

**Ameji: I wasn't sure if I updated last week or not because I'm stupid sometimes xD So if I didn't, sorry... If I did, then you get 3 chapters in 2 weeks ^_^**

**Itachi: Hurry up, you have a bunch of sushi to finish!**

**Ameji: Its coooolllddddd..**

**Sasuke: Then you shouldn't have put it in the fridge for 2 days. **

**Ameji: Here's to hoping that sushi won't poison me x3**

**Sakura: Well that was random...**


	26. Chapter 25

"Are you sure Aniki and Ameji-chan are alright? They've been on this mission for such a long time," Sasuke asked for the umpteenth time in the past few months, which anyone could tell was annoying his parents.

"Itachi is an Uchiha and Amejisuto is his apprentice. There is only a very slim possibility that they are hurt or even dead," Fugaku said without emotion, flipping to a new page in the newspaper he was reading.

Mikoto sighed at her husband's lack of concern for his eldest son and their future daughter-in-law. "I'm sure they're just fine. It's been a few months and they should be getting home soon."

"Seriously, what are they doing?" The young Uchiha almost whined (but he didn't because Uchiha's don't whine).

"Sasuke, you have been asking the same question since you got back from that one mission. Enough already," his Tousan scowled.

He hung his head and stayed quiet, remembering what Shikamaru had said to him a few weeks before. If it was really important, they would tell him. "So, I have this mission I'm going on with Neji-kun soon," he decided to change the subject.

"What kind of mission is it?" Mikoto went over to the fridge and pulled out some vegetables and fruits for a healthy afternoon snack, and started to cut them up. She listened half-interested as she arranged the food into an appetizing arrangement. She set the plate down on the table where Sasuke instantly went for the tomatoes while continuing on with the mission details. Something about tracking a prisoner that escaped. Once he finished talking, he started devouring the rest of the snack (gracefully, as Uchihas do,) and his mother drifted into her own thoughts, once again directed toward the subject of her eldest son and his bride-to-be.

She worried and thought about them a lot, and it was aggravating that she didn't know how they were doing. They could be locked up, tortured or even dead for all she would know, and yet she was at home unable to do anything, with a husband that just didn't care and a son that would go on a rampage and get killed if he knew what was going on.

"Kaasan, is there something wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"Why would you ask, dear?" She put on a fake smile.

"You're sighing a lot."

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm just a bit tired today," she replied. Her youngest son eyed her suspiciously once more and returned to eating, leaving her to wallow in her thoughts once more.

* * *

"I said I'm fine, Itachi!" Amejisuto said, yanking her arm out of Itachi's hands and wincing slightly. She had just sparred with Tobi, and to her surprise could make himself intangible, but he actually bothered to spar with her a bit before she threw a punch that would've broken his mask. She passed right through him, but since it caught her off guard, she didn't remember to soften her fall and landed badly on her arm. Of course, he apologised a million times but Itachi had run over to her and was currently checking her arm for any damages.

"I think you might have a fracture. You need to have it wrapped and iced right away," he left but got back quickly carrying a few rolls of bandages and an ice pack. He tended to her limb while she kept quiet and glared at the ground, knowing it would be best not to protest. It _did _hurt, but she didn't see the need to be over-caring about it. Ninjas got injured all the time!

All members in the training grounds, who were made up of Amejisuto, Itachi, Tobi and Deidara, froze when hearing Pain's voice ringing in their minds, telling them to get to the main meeting room. They dropped everything they were doing and ran to the room where the other members were already gathered. "We have decided on who will go on the hunt for the eight tails," Pain announced.

All members straightened up (some with fear, others with excitement) as the pierced man paused to gather the curiosity of the Akatsuki before smirking. "I will be going myself, alone with Zetsu, Hidan, Kakuzu and Kisame. The next month will be filled with training and sparring to get prepared for the capture of one of the most powerful jinchuriki."

The listed members other than Zetsu cheered while the others sighed in relief, though it was hard to tell if Konan and Tobi had any reaction at all. They rushed to the training grounds and the others could hear battle cries and clashing weapons almost immediately. In the Akatsuki, it was easy to tell who the bloodthirsty ones and lovers of fighting were.

Ameji and Itachi decided to avoid the training grounds and instead headed to the kitchen to get a snack. In the past few days, ever since Itachi was forced to make dinner that one night, he had been appointed official Akatsuki chef for the most part since everyone loved that his cooking wasn't burnt, raw, inedible, disgusting or made eating them make them cannibals.

He heated up a few bowls of leftover tempura udon and he and Ameji dug into them quickly, hungry from training so hard. The brunette was having a bit of trouble since she had to eat with her left hand since her right hand was most likely fractured and was currently wrapped up in a billion bandages.

"Need some help?" She looked up and saw Itachi was already finished with his food and putting the bowl in the sink.

"Help?" She said, tilting her head to the side, trying to understand what he meant. How could he help her?

He walked over and took her chopsticks, and before she could protest, he held them in front of her mouth. They were now filled with noodles. "Come on, it's not like I poisoned it," he joked when she hesitated.

"No, it's just embarrassing to be treated like a little child," she sighed before giving in and opening her mouth.

"Good girl," he teased when she had a mouth filled with food. She couldn't talk back, so she settled for glaring instead. He fed her in silence like that for a few minutes until the bowl was empty. He then took her dishes to the sink while she finished swallowing her mouth full.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Any time," Itachi winked. "Now let's go to our room so we can get a better look at your arm."

It turned out that her arm was only badly bruised with a possible hairline fracture, but she would heal quickly. The Uchiha finally backed off and started letting her do things by herself again after making it so that she _could _actually move her arm by taking off the billions of bandages that cushioned it.

They decided it would be best if they took the rest of the day off of training anyways, and maybe the next day for Amejisuto. Instead, they decided on looking for Konan and asking for small tasks they could do. It was easier to find her as they thought it would be; she was in the main office room, sitting on a couch and looking through a few files.

"Itachi-san, Amejisuto-chan," she greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Is there any small task we can do while Ameji's arm heals?" Itachi asked. The blue haired woman thought for a moment before opening a drawer in a nearby desk.

"Kakuzu-san has a large interest in hunting down ninja in the bongo book and turning them in, but some ninja are not worth it. He's too stubborn to agree to understand, so I said I would go through the book and mark down the ones he could capture. Could you please go through it and mark down their locations after sending Zetsu to find them?" She requested, handing over a large book with many ninja names and faces in it with large amounts of ryo written underneath. The two nodded and Itachi took the book. "You can complete it wherever, just don't take out any names even if they are your friends."

"Understood," they said simultaneously before leaving Konan to go back to her work.

"Wow, there are so many people in here that I've never even heard of," Amejisuto flipped to another page, reading intently on a file abut some Iwagakure missing nin that was worth over five billion ryo. "Usuyo Samokachi, twenty four years old. Listed in the bingo book for killing his own genin squad and then all the other genin of his village. He was an ANBU captain so he's highly skilled."

"Sounds easy enough," Itachi shrugged. "That type of person would probably stick close to his home village to hunt down some random genin."

As if summoned by just their thoughts, a Zetsu clone appeared. They had already sent out a few; this was the fifth, so they weren't surprised at all at his sudden appearance.

"You should go search around Iwa for this man," the brunette held up the photo of Usuyo. Just as quickly and silently as the Zetsu clone appeared, he left.

"This is boring but also interesting at the same time," Ameji said as she looked through a few more files. After a few moments of silence other than the shuffling sound of the papers, she gasped and stared wide-eyed at one of the sheets.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked, crawling over to where she was and looking at the paper. His eyes grew wide too as he saw a stamp on the sheet marking the person to be hunted next.

"Asuma-sensei."

* * *

**Ameji: I almost forgot to update. _Almost._**

**Sora: Hey this is my first time in the commentary!**

**Ameji: It's called end comments**

**Itachi: I think both would work...**

**Sasuke: Don't get involved in girl fights. They will rip your head off!**

**Ameji: We're not fighting. Yet.**

**Sora: Be afraid, Sasu-gay. Be _VERY _afraid.**


	27. Chapter 26

"Team Asuma, Izumo-kun, Kotetsu-kun, I'm assigning you to a mission of finding and capturing two of the Akatsuki."

The listed ninja and Shizune looked at Tsunade with shock clearly written on their features.

"Hokage-sama, are you sure we'll be enough?" Ino asked, fear and doubt evident in her voice.

"The Akatsuki are strong, but together, you are stronger. There's power in numbers, and it's even better if those numbers have a lot of power themselves too," she replied.

"Which ones are we going after?" Asuma inquired, not feeling an ounce of fear at all.

"Their names are Hidan and Kakuzu. Hidan has white hair and is usually carrying a scythe and Kakuzu is apparently a creepy looking man with stitches everywhere. We got the info from Kirigakure, who's two tailed jinchuriki got captured."

"We're finally being assigned an important mission," Kotetsu and Izumo cried silently with joy.

Tsunade glared at them slightly annoyed. "What? Getting my sake isn't important enough?"

"N-no, getting your sake is an honor," Izumo stuttered.

"We meant that we will be helping out even more by eliminating threats and keeping our team mates safe," Kotetsu explained quickly, trying to avoid as much of the female Hokage's wrath as he could. He saw her tense up and then sigh.

"Alright. Anyways, be as careful as you can. We will be sending backup if you contact us for help. They were last seen heading toward the village on the main road from Suna, about two hours away. Go and stop them," she ordered.

"Hai," they all bowed before running out of the building and through the village gates.

The blonde woman watched them from the window and sighed.

"Tsunade-sama, do you think it was a good idea to send only five people on a mission like that?" Shizune spoke up.

"I don't know. I just hope that they can make it of out alive. I'll be devastated if anything happened to any of them since it would be my fault."

* * *

"Well, well, look what we have here," Hidan smirked, looking at the Konohagakure ninja squad that had landed before him, or as he liked to call them: fresh sacrifices. He and Kakuzu had taken a break from training with the other Akatsuki members to hunt down some ninja from the bingo book. They had just killed a bunch of monks and captured a man called Chiriku, who was one of the twelve guardians or some crap like that; Hidan didn't really care. Kakuzu was actually still inside the building that they were all next to, receiving ryo from the capture of Chiriku.

"You're Hidan of the Akatsuki," the oldest ninja glared, getting in a fighting stance.

"And you're ninja who are messing with the wrong Akatsuki member," the Jashinist held out his scythe. The younger ninja got into a certain order and went into different stances as the Akatsuki member looked on with amusement. He saw the older one charge at him with blades with glowing air around them.

"Asuma-sensei!" Most of the team yelled. The younger one with his hair pulled back in a spiky ponytail was the only one of that group who was calm about Asuma running at him. Hidan smirked and prepared to move out of the way, but was shocked when he couldn't move. He looked down and saw that the ponytail kid had a shadow attaching them.

Asuma's blade sliced right through his neck. His head fell from his shoulders to the ground, rolling away slightly. The ninja squad members loosened up, satisfied at the quick win. "Wait, don't get too careless. That was too easy of a win, especially when it comes to the Akatsuki," the shadow user said, glancing suspiciously at Hidan's unmoving body.

"What do you mean, Shikamaru-kun?" The blonde girl asked.

"He's right, Ino-chan," the 'fluffy' teen in the squad narrowed his eyes at the Akatsuki member. "It was too quick."

"You little pests are right," the Konohagakure ninjas stared at the talking head of what was supposed to be a dead Hidan. They watched as the limp body suddenly got up and walked to where the head was, picking it up and putting it on the top of the neck where Asuma had sliced through. "Damn, I need Kakuzu to sow me together again," he growled. "KAKUZUUUU!"

"Don't be such a rude partner or I will kill you," the other Akatsuki member came out of the building.

"I refuse to call you Kakuzu-san, or anyone for that matter," Hidan narrowed his eyes. Kakuzu had just noticed the company and had his attention set on them, ignoring the Jashinist.

"I recommend leaving now before you set off my temper and get killed," he said emotionlessly. He really didn't want to go through the trouble of fighting when he had bounties to collect. That was when he saw Asuma and the mostly white cloth that stuck out from under his Jonin vest. "I know you from somewhere."

The wind user and the Akatsuki member glared at each other for a few moments. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma."

"You are worth thirty five million ryo if I capture you," the man stepped forward slightly. His mind had changed; he was now wanting to fight so he could get that money.

"Let me do it," Hidan cut in. "That is, once you make my head connect to my body again."

Kakuzu sighed with annoyance and sent out small cords from his arms, reconnecting the body parts of his albino team mate. After it was finished (with the ninja squad watching in mild fear and disgust), Hidan moved his neck around a bit to make sure it was readjusted properly. While he did that, he drew a circle with a triangle in it from his blood, which the other team just saw as some weird meaningless pattern. "Thank you for waiting, now it's time to die," he smirked, launching himself toward the squad.

He saw shadows moving along the ground and was sure to dodge them all, not wanting to be immobile with Shikamaru's shadow jutsu. "Team formation B!" Asuma called. Everyone scattered and circled around Hidan, each trying to get close and strike him. He was great at dodging, but so were they. He couldn't get any of them with his scythe.

"Asuma-sensei!" Shikamaru yelled. The man looked up and just barely leaped out of the way as cords stabbed the ground where he was just standing.

"Stay out of this! It's _my _fight," Hidan growled. His partner stared at him boredly.

"You're taking forever. We need to get this done and over with so I can collect the bounty."

While they were slightly bickering, Asuma took the opportunity to charge silently at Hidan. Unfortunately for him, the albino was still on his guard and flicked out his scythe, the blade slicing a small cut in the attacker's cheek.

"Sensei!" Ino cried.

"It's alright, it's only a small and shallow cut," the wind user assured.

"It only takes one drop of blood," Hidan smirked evilly. He walked to where he drew the strange shapes in the ground, and the ninja squad looked on in shock and fear as he licked the few drops of Asuma's blood off of his blade. His skin turned black with a few white splotches, the main one being on his face. His blood red eyes stood out even more against the extreme shades of colour on his body.

"What… What is this?!" Izumo backed up slightly. Kotetsu took out a kunai and gripped it tightly, holding it on front of him just in case Hidan suddenly got some extra power or was made of weapons now or something, though it was evident that he was solely focused on Asuma.

"Now, should I torture you a lot or a little?" The Jashinist thought out loud.

"You only got lucky that one time. You won't be able to get another hit on me," Asuma said arrogantly.

"Oh, you're so sure about that, are you?" Hidan took his blade and cut a deep wound in his side.

"That's completely pointless," Choji was confused for why the Akatsuki seemed to be very proud of self mutilation. "He's only hurting himself." That was when Asuma let out a loud gasp and fell on his knees, holding his side in the same place as Hidan had hurt on himself.

"Haven't you figured it out, kiddies?" The man smirked. "I'm immortal, which means I can't die. Hurting myself isn't even painful anymore. It actually feels good." He sliced the back of his left knee as he saw Asuma try to get up. The wind user fell back down with a pained grunt before slowly crawling towards Hidan. "It's not a good idea to have hope here. You're going to lose."

"Sensei!" The three teens cried. Hidan punched himself in the ribs hard, breaking a few of his bones.

"You guys should.. Get out of here…" Asuma wheezed.

"But-" Shikamaru started to object, only to be interrupted by his team leader.

"Just go!"

"Izumo," Kotetsu whispered, at a loss of what to do as co-captain of the team.

"He's our team leader; if he tells us to retreat, then we should… Right?" Izumo answered.

"I think not," Choji stepped forward. "Shikamaru!"

"Right!" The ponytailed teen performed a few hand seals and the shadows around him started bending to his will. "Push him out of the symbol. I think that's the key to stopping that bond of pain."

"Then let's go! Ino-Shika-Cho formation!" The three shouted.

Hidan noticed the change in attitude from the squad from discouraged to determined. He noticed shadows creeping along the ground once more and laughed. While he was in his symbol, petty elements, ninja tools and shadows couldn't reach him. "Nice try, kiddies, but your dumb shadows won't get me now," he smirked.

"Oh yah? How about that?" Shikamaru said, pointing behind the immortal. Hidan's eyes widened when he saw Choji turn into a spinning human boulder that was heading right for him. He wouldn't dare move out of his symbol on his own; it would break the bond between him and Asuma and it would be a pain to re-establish it since he was supposed to be dead by the time the bond breaks the first time.

He crouched down, hoping for the best as the 'big boned' teen plowed into him. Unfortunately for him, he got moved out of his symbol by just a few inches, breaking the link between him and Asuma. He looked over and smirked as the oldest male on the squad was still on the ground, gasping for air as he struggled to roll over and get up.

"Finishing this will be easy," he said confidently.

"Not so fast," Shikamaru interrupted his silent pre-victory inner party. "You should look where you're standing."

Hidan looked down and mentally swore when he saw a thick shadow connecting him to the pineapple-haired teen. _'Damn it! He caught me! And what is that old geezer doing about it?' _He looked over where Kakuzu was leaning against the building, counting money. _'Then again, I told him not to interfere. Whatever, I'll win this alone somehow.'_

Shikamaru knew that he didn't have much chakra left to hold the jutsu. "Ino-chan, now!"

"Mind-transfer jutsu!" The blonde announced before she left her body slumped on the ground, invading and taking over Hidan's body. "Ew, this is really gross. It's like I'm covered in blood but I can't actually see it."

"Ino-chan, please hurry up before you run out of chakra and leave me, Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san to fight an immortal," Choji said, picking her left-behind body off of the ground and putting it against a tree.

"How _do _we fight an immortal," Kotetsu asked.

"Good question," Shikamaru answered.

"You don't, especially when his partner gets bored of him failing to fight off a petty squad," Kakuzu, who previously stuck in the backround, was suddenly next to Hidan with wires ready to attack his partner and kill the soul of the intruding girl. This had turned out to be a pain to wait for Hidan after all…

"Ino-chan, get out of there!" The other squad members cried.

"Release!" She called, her soul leaving Hidan's body a millisecond before Kakuzu's wires stabbed through him, ripping his body apart slightly.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?! I may be immortal but I'm still against you trying to kill me!" Hidan yelled in fury.

"Then don't get possessed next time," the old man replied, glaring at his partner.

"You say it like it's controllable," the albino hissed. "Anyways, if you want to help then do what you want. I'm so pissed off that I don't even care who gets killed by who."

"As long as I don't have to wait around any longer," Kakuzu glared at the squad.

"Retreat!" The forgotten Asuma cried out before falling over again.

Hidan marched over to the man. The Konoha ninjas looked on in horror as he swung his scythe down, cutting open the wind style user's chest and stomach. "Asuma-san!" Kotetsu yelled.

Izumo did a few hand seals and turned into water that quickly flowed to Asuma, picking him up and carrying him away from Hidan and back to Shikamaru, Ino and Choji. "Anyone know a teleportation jutsu?" He asked. The others shook their heads and glared at the enemies who were slowly advancing toward them. Right when the two were about to attack, they suddenly stopped in their tracks.

_'Kakuzu, Hidan, come back to the base immediately,' _Pain's voice rang in the Akatsuki members' heads.

"But we're in the middle of something," Hidan growled.

_'Don't argue, just get here. If you protest again, I will cut off your head and limbs and pin you to the wall.'_

"Okay, okay, calm your-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you," Kakuzu interrupted. He turned to the opposing ninja. "It was a shame we couldn't finish you off and collect the money from your bounties." The two turned around and ran off at inhuman speeds.

The attention of the ninja squad members was turned to the dying man, who was gasping for air and holding back gasps of pain. "Sensei!" Ino cried, instantly performing medical ninjutsu, trying to heal him.

"It's no use. Don't waste your chakra," he wheezed.

"But-"

"Ino-chan," Shikamaru shook his head. She stopped and dropped her hands to the ground. Tears filled her eyes and she started shaking.

"If we'd left the first time he told us to, he wouldn't be dying," she sobbed.

In the limited time he had left, Asuma spoke soft and encouraging words to each of his students, telling them he was proud to have taught them, and in his last breath, asking Shikamaru to take care of the child that was currently growing in the woman he left behind, Kurenai Yuhi. The light had finally dimmed in his eyes, and they all bowed their heads to mourn. Asuma was dead.

* * *

**Ameji: Yes, even in this non-massacre story, I killed Asuma. I don't think Itachi had anything to do with Hidan killing him so... Yah... Sorry xP**

**Itachi: We have an announcement as well.**

**Ameji: Oh yah! I'm moving soon and won't be able to post as much or even write as much as I do now, so in a few chapters, I'll be cutting it off and making a sequel in a few months once it's progressed to my satisfaction.**

**Sakura: I hope that you guys will keep an eye out for it and not get too impatient ^_^ We promise it will be continued until it's completed.**

**Ameji: Mhm. I don't wanna be one of those people that has a really good story and then stops for no reason and never even posts any notes saying that they just don't feel it any more. I just finished one of those a few minutes ago actually... **

**By the way, I don't know if it's ok to recommend other authors but if you like ItaSaku or GaaSaku or anything, paws-bells is my favorite author for them! Beware that a few of the stories are unfinished though... But it's so awesome! I wanna be as good of a writer as them (not clear if it's a guy or girl writer, though I assume girl).**

**Well anyways, thanks for reading so far ^_^ I remembered to update, though technically the weekend is over by 22 minutes.**


	28. Chapter 27

Soft, wet drops fell from the gathered clouds in the sky. The atmosphere of Konoha was melancholic, and it was as if nature itself was crying for the loss of the highly respected Sarutobi descendant.

Most ninja and quite a few citizens were gathered on the top of the Hokage mansion. Usually, funerals weren't held there, but Tsunade insisted on letting it take place there due to Asuma's great influence and high achievements.

The people closest to him were standing in the front of the crowd. Their tears blended in with the rain that dripped down their faces, disguising the pain. Most didn't enjoy crying, but it was hard not to when a loved one died.

Kurenai was crying the hardest, cradling her stomach and weeping that the baby growing inside of her would never know its father. Ino was bawling; her whole body was shaking as she cried almost as hard as when he actually died. Choji was trying to stand as still as he could but the occasional sob made him appear as if he was jumping every few seconds. Shikamaru was one of the only ones who succeeded in staying still and keeping quiet as tears ran down his face.

"And we will all remember Sarutobi Asuma as a brave leader, a strong sensei and a wonderful friend," Tsunade choked back a sob before stepping away from the shrine and into the crowd as they started to line up to put flowers, pictures and other small gifts on it. After a while, the crowd started to dissipate, leaving only Kurenai and Shikamaru standing there.

"He asked me to be your child's sensei," the teen broke the silence. Kurenai looked over at him with mostly dull eyes.

"We both agreed that we would want her to be under your care as she grows up," she replied.

"I'll do it."

The woman looked over with slight surprise. "You decided so quickly?"

"It's time for me to grow up. Asuma-sensei taught me the real goal as a Konoha ninja - to protect the king," he walked closer to her and placed his hand on the small bump on her belly. The kunoichi smiled faintly.

"I'm putting my child's future in your capable hands."

* * *

"What a fitting day for rain," Itachi mumbled, sitting down against a tree in the training grounds.

"Why? Did something happen?" Amejisuto asked, taking a seat next to him after finding as dry of a spot as she could.

"I don't know, but the atmosphere is melancholic enough to make rain the suitable weather," he sighed, looking up and closing his eyes to enjoy the feeling of rain on his skin. The brunette laid her head on his shoulder. She inhaled deeply and smiled.

"I love the smell of rain. It's so fresh."

They sat in silence, enjoying the small water droplets that fell lightly on them. The tree they sat against protected them from being completely soaked but still allowed a bunch of smaller drops to pass through the leaves.

"I'm surprised Kisame-san hasn't been running around screaming for joy yet," Ameji joked.

"I wonder if he would transform even more into a shark when touching water that isn't part of a jutsu like mermaids have to be wet to have fish tails," Itachi chuckled at the thought.

"Maybe we should ask him sometime," she smirked. "Or just dump a bucket of ocean water on him sometime."

They laughed for a while before settling down and enjoying the peace of the rain, though it still felt like a sad day for a reason unknown to them.

"Hey, if you aren't going to train then get out of the training fields," Kakuzu interrupted the silence.

"Are you going to train?" Itachi asked.

"No. I'm already as good as I'll ever get, which is better than pretty much everyone," he bragged.

"Then you should stop being such a hypocrite," the Uchiha said as he closed his eyes and continued letting the rain fall on his face.

"Sorry Kakuzu-san, but you aren't our leader or me so I doubt he would listen to anything you tell him," Amejisuto shrugged. "And I'll always stick to Itachi since Hidan-san and Orochimaru-sama scare me and I don't want to run into them alone."

"Fine. I'm not allowed to hurt either of you, so count yourselves lucky that I'm not mad and decide to break the rules," he walked away.

"Well, that was pointless," the brunette sighed.

"You're afraid of Orochimaru-sama and Hidan?"

"I have a feeling that Orochimaru-sama would take any opportunity to dissect me and Hidan-san… Well I would just rather stay away from him when I'm alone."

"Understandable," Itachi agreed.

After another hour or so of sitting there in silence, the rain started slowing down even more and disappeared completely. The fields around them were now visibly muddy and slippery, and as they walked back to the hideout, they almost slipped several times due to the lack of use of chakra for balance since they didn't want to waste any of it on something normal people could do without it.

Pain was waiting for them at the entrance. They both stopped in front of him and bowed.

"Pain-sama," they greeted.

"Both of you come see me in the main office once you're all cleaned up," he ordered before walking away. The two looked at each other and shrugged, though Ameji was hiding her uneasiness. Pain still scared her slightly, though she knew he probably wouldn't hurt her, especially if he wanted Itachi to stay in the Akatsuki.

They went straight to their rooms, walking barefoot the whole way there due to their muddy shoes, and quickly cleaned themselves up and took showers. Once they were presentable, they left to go find the leader of the Akatsuki.

He ended up being in the main office like he said with Konan and Orochimaru, who made Amejisuto take a step back, hide slightly behind Itachi and grab onto his hand.

"You wanted to see us, Pain-sama?" Itachi bowed. Amejisuto did too after a moment of getting over her shock and unease.

"Yes, I have a task for you two," Pain started. Konan stepped forward and gave them a picture of a young teenage girl with long purple hair, blue eyes and a purple Kusagakure band on her arm.

"Her name is Stephanie Soule. You will find her, and you will capture her."

"Is she a Jinchuriki?" Asked Itachi.

"No, but she knows a lot of information about us and needs to be interrogated. We can't kill her just yet," Pain said.

"She isn't on a mission right now, so she should be somewhere in Kusa. I will find and inform you on her whereabouts if she ends up being sent away, but I'll leave finding her in the village for you," Zetsu smirked before fading away into the ground.

"Now go. You have two weeks," the rinnegan user ordered. The two Konoha ninja bowed once more and ran out of the room. They already had things packed in the teleportation drawer for missions that they weren't expecting, so they just left the hideout straight away in the direction of Kusagakure.

* * *

"And just where are you three going?" Tsunade stared angrily with her hands on her hips, making her look like a small barrier and stopping a few shinobi.

"You know perfectly well, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru said dully, having suspected the blonde of catching on to them leaving.

"We _have _to go," Ino stepped forward, not showing her fear of being punched back to the flower shop.

"He was our sensei. W-we need to avenge him," Choji stuttered slightly, doing the same as Ino but less successfully.

The old woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Even if I was willing to let you go, there would be no way you would be able to do it with just the three of you. There needs to be a four-man squad."

"That's why I'm volunteering to go with them, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi appeared in front of them.

The blonde glared at him for a long time before sighing. "Fine. Just please don't get yourselves killed." She watched as they bowed and left, leaving her praying that she wouldn't lose another so soon.

* * *

**Ameji: Oh the boring yet exciting buildup chapter xD I have now caught up to completed chapters, though I'm almost finished chapter 28.**

**Itachi: In other news, we're going to a wedding tomorrow and so all day today we were in a car for 9 hours and now we're at her grandmother's house.**

**Ameji: Oh suck it up, soon we'll be going to my dad's... And he doesn't even like anime... *Shivers***


	29. Chapter 28

"I don't think I've ever been to Kusagakure before," Ameji said, trying to think of all the missions she had been on while she lived in Konoha.

"I've only been there a few times, but I doubt that anyone would immediately recognise me," Itachi shrugged.

"That girl, Stephanie, looks kind of familiar…"

"I think she's been on missions with Konoha squads a few times. If my memory is correct, she is mainly a messenger and sometimes is sent as a diplomat."

"Is she powerful?

"How would I know? I got my information from the Hokage. If there was a Kusa nin in our village and she was pretty much radiating power, then I would know."

They were silent after that for a few hours of running through trees in the direction of their target. Each thought of different reasons as to why Pain would want to keep this Stephanie Soule girl alive. If it was just because she had to be interrogated, they could do it or Zetsu could step in and do it quickly due to his quick modes of transportation through the ground.

Deciding to just drop the subject of their thoughts, they instead focused on the journey. Amejisuto had brought the food this time instead of dropping by small towns and buying whatever for the day. She pulled out an energy pill every once in a while and always offered some to Itachi, though he never needed them and declined the offer.

After a few days of almost non-stop running and jumping, the pill supply was starting to get low and the brunette stopped taking them. "These just can't be good for your health, can they?" She started slowing down and not being as precise as to where she landed on the next branches, almost falling off a few times. Itachi noticed and shook his head. Why hadn't she said anything? "I mean, it would probably be like drinking six hundred red bulls with all the pills I've taken in the past few days. I'm expecting a heart attack soon."

"We should get some natural energy by resting up when we get to the next small town. There should be one only a few minutes away," Itachi said, trying not to be a participant in a growingly paranoid girl's worrying.

She was a strong kunoichi with a lot of chakra that would at least protect her insides.

They were nearing the town and once it came into sight, Amejisuto gasped in delight. Though she was exhausted, she immediately perked up at the beautiful sight.

It looked kind of like Airin, where they went on her traditional birthday mission, in the way of it being more of a resort town. "We're staying here?"

"Yes, we need rest. I doubt that Kakuzu would be too mad about us not finding the cheapest motel ever, especially after he just recently got all that money from the bounty he brought in about a week ago," Itachi smirked, leading the way to the nearest hotel. "We can probably stay here for a bit in the morning instead of rushing off."

The Ishi nodded and smiled. "This will be a nice small break."

* * *

"You know, you can go grave-robbing and get that Asuma guy," Hidan said, trying to get his partner in a better mood so he would stop cutting off his limbs every few hours because of a few words that set him off.

"I may be a ruthless killer that will do anything for money, but I am also not an idiot unlike you," Kakuzu mentioned nonchalantly, like he hadn't just called Hidan an idiot (though the albino wouldn't be able to do anything but get mad anyways).

"How is it a bad idea?" Hidan growled.

"He is most likely buried in Konohagakure grounds. It would be like walking into a death trap. We may be extremely powerful, but we would still have odds against us." Kakuzu paused in his walking and quickly jumped up into the trees.

"What the he-" The Jashinist was interrupted by an explosion that circled around him, burning him slightly. After a few seconds the clouds of smoke disappeared, revealing the same teenagers that participated in his previous fight with Konoha nin, and a tall man with silver hair and a mask. Hidan knew him but he couldn't quite put his finger on where from…

Turning back to the explosion situation, the albino looked up behind him. "You could've warned me you bastard."

"If you can't sense a trap, then you shouldn't be a ninja," the old man hopped down from the trees and spotted the squad. "Oh look, the kiddies are back."

"And this time, we're going to defeat you," the spiky-ponytail kid - Shikamaru - spoke.

"Alright, amuse us," Hidan smirked, launching himself into battle first facing off with the Nara.

Kakuzu looked annoyed, staying back for a few minutes as a one-on-one fight went on between his partner and the shadow user, before deciding that he might as well fight. The quicker he won, the quicker he would be able to search for more valuable ninja.

He sent wires from his arms toward the three other onlookers who reacted quickly, taking out kunai and blocking. The silver haired nin ran at him, hoping for a close combat battle. Kakuzu smirked underneath his mask as he recognized Kakashi Hatake, the non-Uchiha with the sharingan and copier of over a thousand jutsu's. He was worth quite a bit; possibly even more than Asuma Sarutobi.

In one of the Konoha ninja's hands, he saw a few sparks erupt into a ball of lightning that he could hold in his palm. It was quite loud, sounding like a mix of metal clashing together and birds chirping. _'So __**this **__is the famous chidori attack,'_ Kakuzu thought, deciding to have a bit of fun with the ninja.

Kakashi could barely believe it as the Akatsuki member didn't defend himself, letting him shove a palm full of lightning through his heart. The man fell over and the copy ninja stared in disbelief. "He went down so easily."

"Wait Kakashi-sensei, didn't Hidan go down easily at first last time too?" Ino inquired.

"Oh, the blonde's got a bit of a brain in there," Hidan smirked at the girl's upset look.

"Don't focus on her, focus on me!" Shikamaru distracted him, sending shadows that swirled around his opponent and shot up, solidifying in spikes that pierced the immortal.

"Why you brat," he growled. Shikamaru straightened up and fled deeper into the forest they were in with Hidan following closely behind, leaving Ino, Choji, Kakashi and Kakuzu in the clearing.

* * *

"You incompetent child, get back here and fight me. Stop running like a scaredy-cat!" The albino yelled.

"Oh wow, some actual intellectual vocabulary _does _sit in your brain," Shikamaru taunted, making sure to insult and aggravate the Jashinist as often as possible in order to keep him on his trail. They reached a point much deeper in the forest. An extremely familiar point to the genius. _'We're here.'_

"Why you little-" Hidan was slightly confused when the teen whirled around, a determined and slightly smug look was etched on his face.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" He asked.

"In a forest. What, do you think I'm a moron?" Hidan spat, getting ready to attack again.

"Actually, yes."

The Akatsuki member was taken by surprise as he found he couldn't move his body at all. He looked down and noticed there were shadows all around them, and some were under the Konoha nin's control, having climbed up Hidan's body while he was distracted and tightening in the exact spot that Shikamaru had planned.

"You're in the Nara district. My clan's forest. The deer here are our eyes and ears, and if we wish it, no one can escape this area."

"What are you talking about? I will escape with no trouble," Hidan smirked, trying to wiggle out of the grasp of the shadows.

Shikamaru threw a paper bomb at the ground and lifted the Jashinist slightly with the shadows, revealing a large hole that was now under him. "You're partner is right. You shouldn't be a ninja - you fall in traps too easily." He then threw several paper bombs onto the strands of shadows that held Hidan and opened the lighter Asuma gave him quite a while before when he wanted to quit smoking for his unborn child. He flicked it and a small flame poured out of the tip.

"Try to escape when you're in a thousand pieces," he threw the lighter at the bombs.

The reaction was immediate; all the bombs went off, more powerful than they would've without the aid of the flame. It was an instant chain reaction. Dirt, leaves, rocks and pieces of Hidan all fell into the hole at different moments, mixing the Jashinist's remains up enough for it to be impossible to reassemble himself. He then placed paper bombs around the outside of the hole, making them explode and cave in to fill it.

"I wonder how the others are doing," Shikamaru mumbled. "I should go help them.."

* * *

Kakashi and Kakuzu were in a heated battle one the former realised that the Akatsuki member was in fact still alive, just as Ino had been worried about. The instructions the copy nin had given them before they even sprung the trap on the two criminals was no not be involved in either of the fights unless he or Shikamaru had called for assistance; Ino was the healer of the group and Choji could get them back to Konoha in a few steps with his expansion jutsu.

They were left to stand back and watch on as the Jonin struggled to hold his own against the older and more powerful ninja.

"He still hasn't called you for help?"

They jumped slightly as they didn't notice their other team mate was standing right next to them. His chakra _was _incredibly familiar to them, after all.

Choji shook his head. "He's too stubborn to call us in."

"At this rate, he'll be dead before he even asks us for help," Ino sighed, worried for their comrade's safety.

"And the information about our opponent?"

"Well Kakashi-sensei ran his chidori through Kakuzu's heart but it was a mask inside. Apparently he has three or four more and they're all his hearts," Choji explained.

"That helps a lot." Shikamaru got into his thinking stance while Kakashi and Kakuzu kept at it, getting a few blows in each. The Konoha Jonin had a great disadvantage but was still trying and refusing to ask the Chunin to help. "Alright. We have to help him in this," he finally spoke again.

"Ok Shika-kun, what should we do?" Ino asked.

"Ino-chan, you go for the heart that's probably located on the bottom right of his torso. Choji, go for the bottom left. I'll go for the top left and Kakashi-sensei can just be used to distract him," he said in a quieter voice so Kakuzu wouldn't hear the plan.

The teens nodded and approached the Akatsuki member from different directions. Shikamaru ran in first, trapping the man with shadows, leaving opportunities for the others to attack. Ino went in with flower bombs in her hands, throwing them in the general area on Kakuzu's body that she was supposed to target. Kakashi stopped fighting and stood back as the explosion broke another of the masks.

The shadow user was running out of chakra and knew he had to end his quota quickly. "Choji!" He called as he pierced his mask with a sharp shadow, effectively shattering it. The Akimichi shoved his hand in the lower left of the body, using an expansion jutsu to crush the mask. He was still glaring at them though, and they knew that he had at least one more mask in his body.

Shadows seeped away from his body and he was able to move once more; the Nara had finally run out of chakra. "You're doomed now, kids," he cackled, aiming his cords at Shikamaru.

"Not this time!" A voice called with a body following and landing down on the criminal with a blur orb in his palm. He smashed it against the evil nin's face, breaking the last mask and even obliterating most of his body.

The original squad looked at the newcomer and instantly recognised the blonde hair, blue eyes and whisker marks. "Naruto-kun!" Choji cried with happiness that the jinchuriki had rescued his best friend from being torn apart by an Akatsuki.

"I wasn't too late! Woo!" The blonde cheered. "Baa-chan sent me as backup just in case. She actually had good intuition this time. By the way," he looked around. "Wasn't there another member?"

"I already took care of him," Shikamaru said, walking towards Naruto a bit. "Thanks for saving our butts. We owe you."

"You guys never owe me. No one does! Though if you insist, it could all be repaid by a bowl of Ichiraku ramen, your treat," he replied with hope shining in his blue eyes.

The shadow user sighed. "Alright. We should go back to the village and report to Hokage-sama."

"Yes, let's go," Kakashi finally talked after that whole battle, leading the way back to Konohagakure with the other teens following closely behind.

* * *

"I'm afraid we have lost Hidan and Kakuzu," Zetsu reported to Pain, Konan and Madara.

"Quite the loss; they were some of the more powerful members," Madara shook his head.

"Who should we send as their replacements on the eight tails hunt?" Konan asked.

"I will go and so will Orochimaru," the elder Uchiha said almost too quickly, like he had already known somehow that the 'immortal duo' would be defeated.

"Should we attack Konoha after?" Pain inquired.

"It would be in our best interests if we didn't. Kakuzu and Hidan were defeated by a mere team of four normal shinobi and the last blow by Uzumaki Naruto. Taking down Konoha won't be an easy task without our store of tailed demons. We can't risk using the demons so soon on a task like taking down Konohagakure; we have to use it on a something bigger that would defeat the nine-tails jinchuriki in the process."

"Wait, does that mean what I think it does?" Konan asked.

"Yes. We will have to start the fourth great ninja war."

* * *

**Ameji: Hi ^_^ **

**Itachi: A war? Seriously? You could've avoided it.**

**Ameji: I didn't wanna~**

**Itachi:...**

**Ameji: Either in the next few hours or next few days (I haven't decided yet) I will be updating twice and finishing up Inevitable. The sequel will be out in November or December (haven't decided that either) and I will give a link once the first chapter is out :3**


	30. Chapter 29

Soule Stephanie, a twenty year old Kusagakure kunoichi with long purple hair and blue eyes, was taken by surprise as two unknown shinobi had jumped in front of her with no warning. They were in the middle of an abandoned field, about twenty minutes away from her village. She gasped as she recognized their cloaks; the red clouds against the black fabric were a dead giveaway that these ninja were part of the Akatsuki.

Of course, as a kunoichi who was known to have Intel on the criminal organization, she was expecting them to find her eventually, but not this soon. Looking closer at them, she realised she had never heard of the descriptions, let alone names, of these two members before.

"Oh, sorry. Did we hurt you at all?" The female member asked as she offered a hand up. That was when Stephanie noticed she had been pushed to the ground.

"I don't think Pain-sama wants us to be nice to her," the male of the two spoke.

"He said not to kill her so there's no use of being hostile and rude. She might start a battle then," the brunette reasoned with her partner.

"Hn." The purple haired girl looked closer at the raven and her face grew pink.

"Y-you…" She mumbled before jumping on her feet and attaching herself to the man's arm. "You're hot! Wanna get married?" The Kusa kunoichi immediately sensed danger and turned to look at the other girl whose concerned gaze turned into a sharp glare and a snarl.

"Get off of him this instant," she growled.

"And why should I do that?"

"Yah Eimi," Itachi called her by her nickname for the first time in a few months, "Why should she let go of me? It's not like you're going to attack. You wanted to prevent that, didn't you?" He teased.

"You should make her let go because you're _mine_," Ameji hissed, glaring even harder at the other girl. The Uchiha was impressed - if his fiancée worked on her glare a bit more, she would fit right into his clan by the standards of the hereditary evil gaze. He also found it amusing that she could get so jealous.

Of course, he would never stoop so low to even give Stephanie the satisfaction of him flirting with her, but for now he would allow the girl to cling to his arm, though it did bug him ever so slightly.

"So, you guys are from the Akatsuki, right?" She asked.

"If you already assumed that, why would you allow yourself to cling to a criminal that could easily kill you?" Itachi responded.

"I've been prepared for one of you guys to assassinate me for a while now, so I'm not too afraid."

"You should be," Ameji was now radiating an extremely bloodthirsty aura. "I don't care if you aren't afraid of the group, but you better be damn afraid of me!" She ran forward and punched the other kunoichi, who let go of Itachi in surprise and pain and landed on the ground once more. The brunette then gathered chakra in her lungs and started whistling the deadly tune that would tear through any part of the girl's body - she had been training.

Stephanie screamed slightly as cuts appeared on her face and shoulders. Most were extremely shallow cuts, barely scrapes, but the few that weren't scratches ran _deep_, cutting her lips, ears, nose and were as deep as kunai around her collarbone. "Stay away from my fiancée!" The Ishi spat.

She struggled to get up with the wounds, but managed to stand again. "Fine, I'll leave him alone. I feel bad for the guy, apparently being engaged to _you _and all."

"Just come with us," Amejisuto snarled before grabbing the Kusa kunoichi's arm and tugging harshly to drag her back to the base. Itachi cast a genjutsu that made it like she was sleepwalking; she could still go with them, she just wouldn't be able to remember anything of the journey as if her eyes were closed the whole time. It would take a while to get back to base at the slow pace. They had just over a week left and would be lucky if they made it on time.

* * *

Deidara groaned as he wandered through the damp depressing land of water. Why Kisame wasn't assigned to capture the Kirigakure ninja that the blonde was on the lookout for, he didn't know.

The bomb enthusiast growled as his hair started puffing up slightly. He wasn't too girly or anything; he just didn't want to capture someone who was only weakened due to laughing at a man who looked like he had a giant yellow puffball on his head. Hopefully this 'Hazunu Jun' would be captured easily.

"Of _course _Leader-sama would give the only justifiable capture to the goodie team," he mumbled, used to getting unreasonable and unfair targets. After his three years spent in the Akatsuki (being forced in because Orochimaru defeated him by having more snakes then Deidara had in explosives handy) he should've lost all sense of justice.

It still was unfair to the bluenet he had to capture. Itachi and Amejisuto were the only team who had to go get a real threat to the Akatsuki.

Yes, there were more. He thought back to the meeting room where they gathered a few hours after the Konoha duo left. He was assigned first to capture Jun and left, though he knew there were more ninja that the criminals were being sent out to capture but not kill.

Deidara shrugged; he had learned to not bother questioning Pain's motives a long time ago.

* * *

Kisame Hoshigaki, most ruthless killer from a previously ruthless and blood-thirsty village, had finally captured Tsugoi Aika with difficulty. At a point in their fight, he was questioning if she was actually the eight-tails jinchuriki, but Samehada had assured him that she wasn't.

_'Maybe I'm just getting old,'_ he thought as he picked the unconscious Kumogakure girl up with slight difficulty. He chuckled to himself. _'Nah.' _

He started walking back to the Akatsuki base with a slight limp. Unlike Deidara, he didn't feel guilty at all for capturing an innocent person that had nothing to do with anything. Actually, he didn't really care. The Akatsuki was where he fit in; living with killers and criminals like himself was not quite satisfying but not uninteresting. It was now his family, and he had even accepted Itachi and Amejisuto into it already. He inwardly glared at what a softie he could be sometimes.

He focused his attention back to the girl he was capturing. She was already coming back to conciousness, and he didn't feel like fighting her anymore. He dropped her, giving her more bruises, and took out his spiky sword to take almost all of her chakra. Of course, Pain would do the same when he got back, but whatever.

The reason they were even capturing these people was a mystery to him that he barely cared about. Of course he was curious, but he just knew it either wasn't too important or Pain would tell them later.

* * *

Orochimaru grinned evilly as one of his snakes slithered up to the Iwagakure kunoichi and bit her on the left thigh, getting its poison into her bloodstream as quickly as possible. She jumped up, screaming in pain as the venom burned through her blood.

The snake master was hiding in the bushes, watching Tsuku Heiwana twist, gasp and cry out in anguish. What a great coincidence for him that she was alone; if anyone had been around they would've helped her and found him.

"Such innocent but powerful blood needs to be harnessed for the collection of Akatsuki hostages," he hissed, walking to her. She looked at him in horror and let out one last cry, and fell quiet with a choked gasp. "Don't worry, the poison won't kill you. Such a shame," he set out a scroll and transported her to headquarters. If his timing was correct, she would get there when most other hostages did.

He knew of the plans Pain had made and was excited for it. Bloodshed was always fun to watch and battles were great opportunities to find and 'collect' special kekkei genkai.

* * *

Yutakana Dekkusu was going about his day, feeling like he was being watched. Though it wasn't unusual to be watched due to being in a high-classed clan in Sunagakure, this was different. It wasn't stares of jealousy or respect… It felt evil and bloodthirsty. He was immediately ready to battle but didn't give it away as he pulled out a special kunai and looked at it, pretending he was just mesmerised by the design.

He could feel the person's malicious chakra to the left.

Of course, Dekkusu didn't want to start a battle in his precious village. Due to the large amount of chakra his soon-to-be opponent had, he doubted he would even stand a chance, but he had some hope that he might be able to win and pull it off without alerting anyone else and putting them in danger.

xxxcxxx

Madara watched the boy with interest. _'He knows I'm here,' _he thought, amused that the orange haired teenager was obviously leading him out into the desert and away from Suna. _'This is going to be a decent battle. Not too easy, but I'll win in the end.'_

* * *

"Leader-sama, I brought the ninja you requested," Deidara bowed, presenting a spiky blue haired boy with bright green eyes - so bright they practically glowed. His headband marking was one of Kirigakure.

"Good. Now go rest," Pain ordered.

The blonde left, only to be replaced a few minutes later by Kisame. "I brought the kid," he shoved a gray haired and eyed girl with a Kumogakure headband into the meeting room and left without being dismissed; not that the Akatsuki 'leader' cared.

Within the next hour, he also received an Iwa kunoichi with short black hair and unusual dark pink eyes, a young boy from Suna with orange hair and black eyes and the woman from Kusa with purple hair and blue eyes. She seemed more outwardly injured than the others, having cuts instead of just bruises. The orange haired man shrugged.

If Pain could count on anything from his criminal organisation, it was punctuation, though it was odd that he got the Kusa kunoichi last even though he sent that team out first. He sat down and sighed, not really giving a damn, instead running through the upcoming events in his mind once more.

After a few minutes, he approached the captured ninja from the great villages, taking all chakra except what was necessary to keep them alive. He then tied them up and transported them to the hideout's dungeon that only he, Konan and Madara knew about. Not even Orochimaru, the man who built most of the hideout with his snakes, knew it existed.

He didn't need to take ninja from Amegakure, Konohagakure or Otogakure; he and Orochimaru were the leaders of two of those listed villages and they already had their hostage from Konoha in their grasp.

* * *

**Ameji: I've already written most of the last chapter so yah.. Inevitable will be finished soon..**

**Itachi: We will post the last chapter tomorrow **


	31. Final chapter

The winds of Konoha were heavy and damp; bringing chills and whispers of upcoming disaster. Something bad was about to happen, and everyone could feel it.

All shinobi and civilians could feel the air tensing. They stared at each messenger bird that flew by, afraid that one of those letters would seal the fate of the town. Tsunade was one of the more affected people though, being worried about her home. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew something was off.

It was then that she got the letter summoning her to a Kage meeting, and it was one that even had the Dorokage******, the leader of Kusagakure, which was extremely rare.

"Shizune, get Kakashi-kun and Guy-kun as quick as you can!" She ordered. The timid woman bowed and shuffled out of the room as fast as she could, leaving Ton-ton behind. A long hour passed before she returned with the copy ninja and the easily excited taijutsu master. She spoke before they could even ask what was happening. "Shizune and Guy-kun, both of you are coming with me to the land of Iron right away. Kakashi, you're going to be my replacement here, so take good care of Konoha."

And with that, three of them were gone out the window (Tsunade had informed the ANBU of her intentions already so everything was set up) and they were soon out of the village and running at high speeds towards the snowy land of neutrality.

Those left behind in the city slowly returned to their homes as the day was done and there was no need to stay outside in the overwhelming atmosphere any longer.

* * *

"Good. All those Kage are gathering; it's our time to strike," Madara laughed evilly.

The gathered criminals looked at the masked man in shock and slight fear with the exception of Pain, Konan, Zetsu and Orochimaru (who had just thought that 'Tobi' just had split personalities or something.)

"Wait, who are we fighting?" Amejisuto asked.

"You won't be going. I will be alone when I attack the Kage, though Zetsu will come with me," the old Uchiha responded. Itachi, Amejisuto and Deidara eyed the man like he had grown a new head.

"Are you crazy, un?! We may be strong but we're no match for all the Kage together, let alone individually!" Deidara shouted.

"I will not be fighting them the whole time. We have hostages from each of their villages; they will either hand over the jinchuriki to get back the powerful ninja from proud and noble clans, or they will choose to participate in a war and risk their deaths. We will not fight for long."

"Is _that _what we've been doing for the past few weeks, un? Why not capture the jinchuriki?"

"They're too strong for us. With a war, we will be able to capture them and use their power to destroy the shinobi world and make a new one with only peace!" Madara laughed evilly, making most remaining members nervous.

* * *

Amejisuto and Itachi were forced to join the rest in waiting as 'Tobi' and Zetsu went to the summit. Deidara was pacing out of nervousness and the Konoha duo were on the couch, their hands clenched together in fear and panic. How did things get out of hand so quickly? There was no way that a war could be won, especially with six members that were ready to fight but were getting old, and the other three members unwilling to fight.

Maybe now was a good time to try to escape…

Deidara looked over as the couple looked at each other, sharing telepathic messages. The blonde could tell that they were more afraid than he was and would most likely try to get out of there.

He walked over and sat with them. "I know what you're thinking, and I think it would be best for you to escape, un," he mumbled so the other members didn't hear him. Pain and Konan left the room a while ago, but Kisame and Orochimaru were still in the room having their own discussion.

The two Konoha nin looked at him in shock and disbelief. "We won't fall for your tricks," Amejisuto spoke after a bit of hesitation.

"I swear on my C4 bombs that I'm not lying, un," he assured them. "There will probably be a war and we should have no part in it. It's too much for us, un."

"What do you suggest we do," Itachi glared, still suspicious.

"I want no part in the Akatsuki, let alone this war, but I can't go back to a village. I'll cause a distraction and try to take out as many members as I can while you escape, un."

"Are you sure?" Ameji asked, concerned for her friend.

"Positive, un. Let's do it tomorrow."

"Alright, we'll trust you," Itachi said, nodding in agreement of the plan.

* * *

"We have captured noble clan members from each of your villages. If you want them back, hand over the eight and nine-tailed jinchuriki," Madara glanced down at all the Kage and the people they brought to the summit. They were all glaring at him, wanting to attack again, though they knew from a few moments ago that he could just let all their attacks go through him, making the idea of them sending lava, dust, sand, rocks, water and any other element flying at him.

"I will not hand over Killer-Bee just to get Aika-chan back," the Raikage growled.

"And even though we love Itachi-kun and Amejisuto-chan dearly, we will not risk the destruction of the world just to get them back," the Hokage agreed.

"You Konoha ninja always want to seem like the nicest and most compassionate shinobi village," the Tsuchikage hissed at the blonde.

"Well we are," she narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, but look at how many Akatsuki-nin you have. There's Orochimaru-sama, Uchiha Itachi, Ishi Amejisuto and apparently fricken Uchiha MADARA!" The short man pointed furiously at the real Akatsuki leader who had already revealed his 'true' identity.

"Itachi-kun and Amejisuto-chan are hostages," she argued.

"Enough arguing like young children. We have a problem to face together," Gaara spoke, silencing the oldest of the Kage.

They both turned their attention back to the evil Uchiha. "We will not hand over the jinchuriki," the pretty Mizukage announced with all other Kage agreeing.

"If you don't, your hostages will die and you will have started the fourth great ninja war," Madara glared, not happy with the decisions of the shinobi leaders.

"So be it. We will defeat you so quickly that the war will only last a few minutes," the Dorokage said, finalising their decision.

"I will be back with my own army in a month," the Akatsuki hissed before disappearing with his kamui.

* * *

"We will be going to war in thirty days," Pain reminded everyone. "Orochimaru-sama, we will need your knowledge of jutsu. Please come with us to see Madara-sama." There was no point in calling him Tobi anymore. Once he got back, he shocked everyone with his announcement of what happened at the summit and who he really was.

Pain, Orochimaru and Konan walked off towards the main meeting room. Deidara followed a few minutes later while Amejisuto and Itachi waited with anticipation for the signal to run as fast as they could.

_**BWOOM! BOOSH! SSSHHHHBLAAMMMM!**_

The whole base shook as the explosions went off. Kisame and Zetsu ran towards the noise in curiosity, concern and slight panic.

Tears gathered in the Ishi's eyes at her friend's sacrifice. She had known that he would self destruct soon to try to wipe out any life from the surrounding area. Itachi knew this too and started running as fast as he could after picking up his fiancée bridal style, knowing he could make it if he tried hard enough. He was also hoping for the best for those hostages that they had set free when Pain and Zetsu were talking to Madara. No one else knew they were gone except Deidara.

After the five minutes that Deidara had agreed to give them, they were out of the danger zone and looked back as the whole underground base broke and an odd white starfish-shaped thing grew to a massive size before exploding and making a large crater filled with nothing within a forty-mile radius.

"Deidara…" Amejisuto mumbled, upset for the loss of the blonde and even of Kisame (he was fun to be around too).

"We have to go. We're finally free!" Itachi smiled sadly. They started their journey back to Konohagakure.

* * *

"Aniki! One-chan! You're finally back!" Sasuke cheered as he ran to hug the two people that he'd missed so much as they walked through the gates of Konohagakure for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Where were you for all those months?"

"Uh… It's classified for now," Itachi smiled sadly at his brother, glad that his brother probably knew nothing of his capture and that he and the Ishi had abandoned their cloaks at the destroyed base.

"We need to see Tsunade-sama, is she around?" Ameji asked.

"I was actually waiting for her, that's why I'm here," the younger Uchiha said. "She should be getting back any minute."

The three decided to wait together, and sure enough, the Hokage was in sight after an hour or so. She was in shock as she saw the two escaped ninja waiting for her. "You… How?" She could barely speak.

"Sasuke, go home. We have to talk to Tsunade-sama alone," Itachi said in a tone that Sasuke knew not to argue with. The duck-butt haired teen walked off, leaving the blonde to recover from shock, as well as Shizune. Guy was just confused as to why everyone was so surprised to see them. They were just on a really long mission from what he'd heard.

"Guy-kun, your mission is done. Please leave us alone to go over the past few months with these two," Tsunade dismissed him. He bowed and dramatically left the scene, mumbling something about having another competition with his rival.

"It's been a while, Hokage-sama," Itachi greeted.

"Yes it has. Come with me," they went to the Hokage mansion, being greeted on the way there by almost everyone in the streets. Once they were inside, Tsunade took her seat behind her cluttered desk, folding her hands on her lap with seriousness and impatience. She didn't need to even ask before Itachi spilled out all that had happened over the months, including the event that had occurred just the day before.

Amejisuto stayed quiet, only speaking when she was adding something to her fiancée's story or correcting him.

By the time he had finished giving the detailed report, a few hours had already passed.

"So there will be no war," the blonde said happily after a few moments of processing. "Shizune-chan! Send word to the other Kage that the Akatsuki has been destroyed immediately!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," the assistant ran out the door, ready to spread the good news.

"And will you return to the Uchiha district?" She asked the two younger shinobi.

"Yes. We should get going right away," Itachi nodded, turning to the brunette and holding out his hand. She smiled and took it, leaning on him for a brief moment to signal that she was exhausted.

The Hokage looked at them in shock. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you," the Uchiha smiled. "She found out we were engaged within the first two days of being captured."

"Yes, and it was a good thing that we were already in love by that time," Ameji giggled. "We should seriously leave though. Is it alright if we stop by the Ishi district?" She asked Itachi. He nodded and they both bid farewell to the Hokage before leaving the mansion, greeting familiar faces on the way to Amejisuto's old home.

By the time they got to her old house, she was extremely jumpy, having left behind her exhaustion and replacing it with pure excitement. She quietly opened her door and whistled softly, alerting her mother to her presence.

The older woman reacted right away, running to the door and almost knocking her daughter over when she crashed into her to give a hug. She was beaming and struggling to talk through the wind. "We're alright Okasan," the brunette smiled. "And I already know about the engagement. You don't need to worry about that."

Itachi waited patiently as the mother and daughter caught up a bit. Eventually, Amejisuto made a promise that she would return the next day.

The anticipation of seeing his parents was hitting him hard as they walked to the Uchiha district. Would his parents be mad that he chose love over honour? Would they be disappointed that he left behind everything to save his apprentice and fiancée by joining criminals? Would he be banned from being the Uchiha Clan leader or even worse, banished from the clan itself?

"Itachi! Amejisuto-chan!" Mikoto ran to greet them with happy tears and a smile, smothering her eldest son in hugs and a few kisses."I missed you both so much! Welcome home. The others are already having dinner, but you're only a little bit late," she babbled on, happy that she was reunited with the two.

The tension and unease that Itachi had felt before had vanished with his mother's cheerfulness. They left to the Uchiha estate and Amejisuto and Mikoto were chatting non-stop the whole five minutes.

Once they finally reached his home, he hesitated before stepping inside. The first person he saw was his father, who was waiting for him and his apprentice. "You're back," he said with no emotion in his voice, though Itachi could see that there was a glint of pride in his father's eyes. "It took you longer than we hoped."

* * *

Konan woke with a gasp, immediately sitting up and looking around. "You're finally awake," Pain smiled. She saw that he, Madara, and Zetsu were alright as well. They had all survived Deidara's self destruction.

"What happened to everyone else?" She asked.

"The Uchiha and Ishi escaped, and everyone else is dead," her old friend answered.

"I know I said before that it wasn't a good idea, but I now give you permission to destroy Konohagakure. Make sure our old members get killed during the process," Madara ordered, sealing the fate of that village. Pain and Konan nodded, knowing exactly how to get it done. The old Uchiha narrowed his eyes behind his mask. "They will all pay."

* * *

**Ameji: So this is the final chapter of Inevitable! There will be a sequel starting hopefully in November. I would start it earlier but I'm moving to my dad's and he doesn't like anime or that I write all the time, so combined.. Well if I'm lucky I'll get a few hours in a week xD**

**Also, the Dorokage thing was made up as far as I know. I couldn't find the name for the actual leader of the hidden grass village...**

**Thanks for reading this whole thing you guys :3 I think my writing styles changed a bit throughout this since I started writing it in December last year for English class.**

**And to all who favorited, followed and commented, thanks for the support. And to those who have** **read this whole thing, your silent support helped motivate me a lot too x3**

**Sorry if the Japanese stuff was badly done. It just felt like the kind of story where I wanted to try it out even though I'm not great with it. I might just end up writing a new version where the Japanese language is more fluent (like gomenasai instead of sorry) but I'll probably leave this as is.**

**Itachi: Wow, the last update is on your 'sweet 16'.**

**Sasuke: Maybe you should call it your bittersweet 16**

**Sakura: Don't make me kill you Sasuke.**

**Ameji: I will post a link whenever I start the sequel :3 Byee~**


	32. The Sequel: Indestructible

**Hellooo!**

**For those of you who loved this and were excited for the sequel but didn't know it was out yet, it's out**

**Here's the link: **

s/11237070/1/Indestructible

**Sorry it took forever... I'd been updating it on Quotev but was moving around so much that I knew it wouldn't be easy to post all of it here until I was finished it**


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Naruto, Adventure, Romance