Naruto 1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

A small figure trotted out onto the hard ground bordering the wood. The frost had come early that night, the grass coated with a layer of freezing white. The days had been getting colder and colder; bring with it the promise of a harsh winter.

However, the icy surroundings seemed to be of no importance to the young boy venturing out into the darkness. He wore only a pair of shorts and a rather ragged looking T-shirt, yet he was not shivering and there was nary a goose-pimple in sight.

He sped up as he reached the trees, jogging underneath large boughs and weaving left and right past overgrown ferns and holly bushes. The moon was shining brightly through patches in the trees, lighting him up now and again in a halo of white.

Between one tree and the next, the boy was gone.

In his place a small wolf like creature burst forward into a pounding sprint. The creatures paws thudded against the stiff ground and its tongue hung out in a panting grin. He pushed his body as fast as it could go and then some, racing through the night and releasing the pent up energy accumulated over the month.

He ran for what felt like hours, basking in the exhilaration of the reckless pace he had set. As a human he was a fast runner but he was never allowed to go all out; in case someone became suspicious. As a wolf he was faster, outrunning any human and even most animals.

He was just about to head for a river he had smelt in the west when a loud, panicked howl rent through the usual chattering of the forest.

He stopped dead; body crouched close to the ground in preparation to flee if necessary. His nose twitched furiously at the air, searching for any clue as to the identity and situation of the other. Were they in pain? Or were they being hunted? If it was the latter then the former would follow swiftly.

His ears stood to attention on top of his head as they drunk in the sound around him, waiting for any sign that it was safe for him to move. His body itched to take him home, but his mind thirsted for information as to what was going on.

He was terrified, terrified that those who had haunted his nightmares as soon as he was old enough to understand would whisk him away this night. If the hunters his family had tried to avoid for many long years were here in this very forest…

He hadn't heard of them being in the village, they must have come from the other side of the forest; chasing the poor sole who had been trying to lie low in the next village over.

He crept silently forward, heading for the cry he had heard not minutes ago. His curiosity had won out over his logic and his father would_ kill _him if he ever found out that Naruto hadn't run away as soon as the sound reached his ears-

Loud growls interrupted his train of thought. The sound was much closer than before and with it came a strange whooping laughter. The slight clinking of chains came to his attention and he heard as the air was interrupted by the presence of some kind of rope filled with holes.

'_A net?'_

He should be running, should have left minutes ago but-

There it was again. A keening whine, full of pain and terror and Naruto _had _to help but it felt like his paws had frozen in the frost.

He found himself crouching in a bush, eyes wide and staring upon the activity filling the clearing in front of him. He was hidden from sight but he could see them as clear as day.

The men at the back stood like statues, using their torches to light up the space in a circle of flickering orange. Inside of the ring of men stood battle ready warriors. They wore combat gear, loose fitting trousers taped at the ankle to allow maximum freedom of movement and tight stretchy tops for full flexibility.

The men were warily eyeing a swaying shape which stood in the central point of the clearing. The wolf stood on a torn net of rope with metal weights marking each of the corners. It seemed the creature had managed to bite its way out of the trap before being cornered by the agile fighters opposing it.

Even now as Naruto crouched in the foliage his mind screamed at his to _get the hell out of here_ but he was captivated by the horrific sight in front of him.

The wolf snapped again, blood trickling through the hair on the right of its body. It stumbled to one side, panting loudly lie the men around it. As Naruto watched the wolf's nose twitched and its head swivelled in his direction. He stiffened even more as his elder (for the wolf was clearly fully grown) whined lightly in his direction, before twisting around and lunging at the hunter behind him.

The man faced the beast head on, catching a paw with his hand and twisting to the side as he followed through with the animal's momentum. The wolf went tumbling to the ground, rolling over in an attempt to remain on its feet. The statue behind him moved swiftly, plunging a needle into the shoulder of the grown male (the scent and timbre of the voice told Naruto all he needed to know of the other's gender).

The wolf glanced in his direction again, growling lowly in an attempt to warn him away. Naruto heard the desperation in the voice but was still unable to lift even a claw to get away. He was so terrified of being heard he could barely even breathe, yet he knew he needed to leave while they were still distracted.

As the elder wolf slowly dissolved into unconsciousness one of the combaters was already turning around, searching for the existence their prey had seemed to sense. Naruto had to go…_now._

He slowly crept back, doing his best not to make a sound. The man had not fixated on his hiding spot yet, he was still searching the bushes for something that, to him, may or may not exist. Naruto was hoping the man would give up and brush the occurrence off as a ruse, a distraction to try and help him escape.

No such luck.

As the others closed a large metal collar around their captive's neck, he held up a hand and called out a warning. Half of the men were instantly back on the alert and reaching for weapons strapped upon their person. One of the taller ones approached the searching man with only the whisper of leaves under his feet to announce his movement.

'_Christ, he's good.'_

Naruto had come to a halt once more. At this rate he wouldn't be able to leave his cover without being seen…But he'd be found eventually if he didn't move! He would have to make a break for it. He was faster and more agile than these men in his wolf form; it should be easy to get away.

Using the tension in his muscles he leapt out of the undergrowth and dashed away, just as something sharp thudded into the ground behind him. He heard shouts from behind as he traced his path back through the woods. A thought came to him then, as he sniffed his way back home.

'_My trail! They can follow my tracks!' _

His Godfather had always warned him to cover up as he went. You never knew, he used to say, caution will save your life one day. Thankfully he had – as always – stepped lightly when coming from his house and covered up anything that could be used to pinpoint the exact building he inhabited.

The hunters would be able to find his village, sure, but it would take more effort on their part to discover his dwelling. Hopefully by that point he would be long gone.

He changed direction to throw them off his scent, taking a more roundabout route back home. As he got closer to the village he lightened his steps to prevent them from following him any further. When he was within 100 yards of the row of fenced gardens bordering his own he shifted once more.

Where the wolf stopped the boy continued.

He travelled as fast as he dared, wishing only to be back with his father and knowing that his actions tonight could leave them travelling to a new village tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The hunters stood at the ending of a trail. Their eyes searched on ahead but they could not see a continuation of the paw prints left for them to follow.<p>

'_Sigh'_

"Looks like we've got another job, hey Itachi?"

"Hn."

"Well, not me. The leader wants me working on one of the flea-bags, apparently she's being very stubborn and Ibiki's talents are ill suited for those damn Alpha's."

"Hn."

The heavy set man appraised his skilled junior with amusement.

"It's your brothers initiation tomorrow isn't it?"

"…"

He chuckled slightly and turned back to their fresh catch.

"Well, looks like he's headed for Konoha. Reckon he actually lives there? Or do you think he's headed somewhere else?"

"…"

"Oh come o-"

"From what I have observed," Itachi interrupted in his ever monotonous voice, "He is not yet careful enough to think that far ahead. I believe he resides in the village for the moment."

"Well then, you have fun with that and I'll report back to the leader when I get back. You should take someone with you though, two eyes are better than one after all…"

Itachi stared silently at him, the fire from the torches causing a red glint to light up his eyes. Not another word passed between the two as the stoic man turned on his heel and stalked off between the trees.

Kisame gazed after the retreating figure for a moment before rounding back on his men.

"Right then you worthless scum, let's take him home!"

* * *

><p>Ok so, to those who were already reading this, I decided something was missing from the story and decided it needed a prologue. I will be re-writing the first few chapters (hopefully before the Christmas holidays end) because I think they suck. I am putting this up as the first chapter and taking the others down. When I put the rest back up, the story line will be the same but hopefully they will sound a lot better.<p>

If anyone doesn't quite understand just ask. Long story short you will be alerted that this story has been updated several times but this chapter is the only new one :) Please review and tell me if you like it or if you think of a way it could be better.


	2. When the Akatsuki Come to Call

Forgot to mention previously but I hope its implied that with every story I write I don't own Naruto or any references made J

**When the Akatsuki Come to Call**

It was a dark stormy night. The wind rocked the trees, often ripping the smaller ones from their perilous purchase in the muddy forest. The rain pounded against closed windows of small wooden houses.

The temperature had warmed slightly from the night of the last capture, yet Itachi was finding himself wishing the weather would return to its previous icy state. The combination of wind and rain was freezing him to the bone much more effectively than the frost ever could.

He stood alongside the village gate guards who, for the last couple of days had been backed (and closely watched) by members from his own organisation. This was standard procedure for them whenever they reached a suspect village.

After the second wolf had been spotted Itachi had followed as much as he could of the tracks left behind. This one was certainly good with his cover up; when he had neared the village all signs of travel had completely vanished. He had reached the wall ringing the settlement and trailed the edge until he came upon a small gap at the base; covered up with wire mesh.

Thanks to his small stature he had been able to squeeze through the gap (take that Kisame!) and had found himself on a small grassy mound, hidden behind a couple of stacked crates.

He had spent the remainder of the night scouting out the row of houses situated to the left of the hole-which he had rammed one of the crates into until it stuck and then rigged with a moderate explosive, (this would bring down part of the wall to block the way if anyone managed to remove the crate).

He had first taken mental notes on which houses were still lit up and which were veiled in the darkness of their surroundings.

Peeking through the windows of the lighted houses brought him no seemingly useful information. All he could see were either adults reading, or just heading off to bed. He didn't bother looking into the other houses. He had then wandered the streets, learning the layout of the village's infrastructure for future reference.

Next, he had wandered over to the gates to wait for the brainless idiots that made up 60% of his organisation. They knew only how to follow instructions and (due to their numbers) were useful when Itachi needed someone to shut down the village for him. Kisame should have sent them ahead once the last capture had been completed.

They were already waiting for him at the gate and he wasted no time in sending them to scout out the perimeter and take control of the other guard posts and exit points. He had taken a nap in the main guard quarters and awoke mid-morning, dreading the amount of patience he was going to have to spend that day.

Information gathering was definitely not his favourite part of the job.

He paced the market, his warm, tailor made cloak replaced for modern civilian garb- useful for blending in. The trousers were itchy and rubbed on all the wrong places but he made do.

He spent the day listening in on conversations, some had begun to notice the increased guard and others were spouting tails about their attempt to leave the village for outside visits. He listened closely to the latter stories and trailed those tellers closely until he deemed until he was satisfied that they were pure human.

Throughout the whole day he had a nagging suspicion that he was being watched. Subtle attempts to reveal the culprit left him empty handed; he was very on edge when he returned to his temporary quarters as night descended once more.

The next day brought him no more luck. He spent the morning questioning the guards about any suspicious activity occurring in the village recently. They came out with a negative and he returned to his _favourite_ past-time: people watching.

Just as he was about to find a nice tavern for lunch his well-tuned ears picked up the thread of a half whispered conversation coming from two women on a bench near-by. It sounded very one sided.

"I keep telling her she should get out more, I swear she's getting paler by the day and I haven't seen her at all since Wednesday. At first I thought her husband was going a bit…you know, weird on her. But then I noticed that he doesn't come out often either.

I only see him around when he's working; he doesn't even stay out afterwards for a drink. I told her I did, I said 'that child of yours will get bored if he doesn't play outside with the rest, you can send him round to run about with mine if you like.' She looked at me all pensive like, I think she's a bit over protective you know?

It can't be just because of the kid, she got like this a few years before he was born! He must be about 5 now right?"

The woman being chatted at nodded her head in a swift bobbing motion, completely engrossed in the gossip being thrown at her.

"It _must_ be her husband, I can't think of any other reason for how she suddenly changed. It has to have been around 10 years since she stayed over for tea; they keep very much to themselves nowadays."

The other woman shook her head in a rather gleeful manner bursting with the need to spill her knowledge."

"No, no, no don't you remember? It was that baby of hers wasn't it? The one that didn't make it."

"Oh yes, a still born wasn't it? I remember that, didn't want no one coming close; wouldn't even let her best friend into the house. No one's gone in since..." The first woman shook her head sadly before perking up and asking:

"Well anyway, how's little Timmy? Is he growing up well? Last I saw of him he looked set to become a very fine young man!"

Itachi listened for a bit longer but he knew he'd heard all he was going to get from these women without further interrogation.

Kushina…. He had the first piece for his puzzle.

* * *

><p>After a tasteless lunch of plain bread and water (he had forgotten to bring much money with him that morning so he had been reduced to the basic necessities) he searched out one of the organisations contacts who resided in the village. Their spy network stretched all the way across the world and they made a point to have contacts in all the major towns in each country.<p>

The man owned an inn close to the bustling village square, 'you're best bet for information in a place like this,' his greedy hands rubbing together as he raked in the money they gave him, to 'help' keep his business afloat in exchange for information.

The tinkle of a bell announced his entrance into the 'black alpha inn'.

The owner was leaning over the counter chatting to a couple of travellers who, by the sound of it, had been forced to stay on longer than they had planned due to the lock-down. He marked them out in his mind as possible targets (though he was pretty sure he was searching for someone young, the wolf had looked rather small) and made his way up to his contact.

The man spotted him before he reached the bar. He bounced up, clapping his hands together; the jovial smile already in place.

"Why hello there good Sir! What can I do for you this fine day?"

Itachi's face remained impassive as he slapped one gold coin down onto the beer stained surface and replied,

"I would like a room with a view, can you provide?"

The man's eyes widened slightly but he showed no other reaction as he slipped the coin into his pocket and turned to walk out from behind the wooden counter and gestured to a set of stairs ascending to the rooms above.

"Please, you will find all you need just up here."

Satisfied, Itachi followed behind the slightly bulging girth of his informant.

They had gone right to the back of the long hallway which was lined by slightly shoddy looking wooden doors and had entered one of the larger rooms at the end. This room had been specially designed with thick insulated walls to prevent sound leaking out and a rather bulky, solid door.

He had questioned the man about his findings and had received information on the character and habits of one 'Namikaze Kushina'. Her maiden name had been Uzumaki but – as per tradition – this had been changed when she had married Namikaze Minato.

She had been a very strong willed woman, born in the village and surrounded by friends of both genders. Namikaze Minato had been a traveller from the other side of the world – though no one quite knew the specifics for some reason.

They had married about a year after meeting and she grew pregnant a couple of months later.

The informant had heard many gossipers discussing her pregnancy a year later. A still born many said. She had been heavily pregnant and beaming with happiness one day and had vanished the next. The house was still inhabited but no one would answer the door.

Minato still turned up to work but would answer no questions on what had happened to his wife. Just as everyone started to worry she emerged from her hole to chat with some of her old friends. She had been very subdued and had stated in a very quiet voice that her baby was gone 'and would you please stop asking about it.'

She cheered up a bit throughout the years but kept her distance between herself and her old group of associates. Itachi had been starting to think that this trail was a waste of his time but he just couldn't shake off the hunch that there was more to this than it seemed.

The couple had had another baby 5 years later and they started emerge from there hideaway more often. One or other of them was seen towing their son around the market but they very rarely came out together. This had led to rumours of abuse amongst those who were uninformed of Kushina's first failed pregnancy.

The only non-family member to enter the house in 10 years was a middle aged white haired man, who had been seen going to and from the property at various intervals; often to house sit when the two parents went out together.

When Itachi asked after the man's whereabouts his informant had simply shrugged helplessly.

"No-one knows where he lives, the only time and place you're guaranteed to find him is in summer down at the lake. He's well known for being a massive pervert and he usually tries to spy on bathing women down there. He's a bit like Minato in a way, everyone knows him but no one knows where he's from. He often comes down for a drink now and then but he doesn't keep any sort of routine."

The bartender had given Itachi description of the couple along with directions to their house; for some reason he had been unable to recall any distinguishing features of the old man apart from 'white haired and robust.'

Itachi had put most of the information aside for later consideration and headed of toward the aforementioned house with a 'you'd better be right' glare aimed at the – now profusely sweating – rotund man.

* * *

><p>The house itself had been relatively unimpressive, it had the same four walls and thatched roof as those around it. The street was not empty but neither was it crowded, the few people out and about looked to be either travelling to or from the square and seemed completely uninterested in the activities of those around them. Of course, in Itachi's line of work you quickly learned to be paranoid in every aspect of life.<p>

The feeling of being watched from the day before had been strong in the morning but felt as though it had vanished when he walked out of the pub; still… you can never be too careful.

He walked down the side of the house towards the crates at the back, acting as though he had come to pick them up. Internally he raised an eyebrow as he noticed they were the same crates guarding the hole he had entered through.

'_Well, well, well…'_

The back window was situated quite high up: impossible to see through if you were just strolling past. Itachi had been crouched behind the crates pondering his next move when the back door flew open in the wake of a five year old boy, laughing raucously. The boy had a rather small stature and sported a mop of bright red hair.

Itachi watched closely as the boy ran a distance from the back door before turning and grinning triumphantly. Itachi followed the boy's gaze and watched the open doorway closely. He saw a slight movement from within the house.

"Hikaru? What are you doing? Get back in here!"

The voice was young and unsteady, coming out as a loud whisper. A wary looking face followed the voice, turning left and right as he searched the yard for any unwelcome eyes. Seeing nothing he crept out a bit further. He was older than the first boy but still quite short, supposedly this was Kushina's first son who was presumed to be dead and must be around ten years old by now if recent gossip was anything to go by.

His hair was a strange whitish blond and looked as though it hadn't seen the sun in years, his eyes were difficult to make out due to the distance between them and the fact that he was squinting in the late afternoon sunlight.

"Hikaru, please. Just 'cause mum and dad are out doesn't mean you can go around doing what you want, now come back!"

Itachi watched through the small gap in the crates as the younger child jumped back a bit further in a clear statement of '_come get me then!'_

The blond took a step forward, clinging onto the doorframe and looking increasingly desperate as his brother continued to play with him.

"Dammit Hikaru, I'll tell mum! You know she'll get angry with you!"

Hikaru's smile faltered for a moment before he screwed up his face in a very exaggerated pout.

"You never come outside with me, I want to play!"

"Hikaru…we can play inside, you know I can't come out and you aren't supposed to be out either; you were listening to dad right?"

Hikaru nodded slowly.

"Then you know things are a bit…touchy right now and we have to be careful to stay out of sight yeah?"

Hikaru nodded once more, the pout dissolving off of his face to leave a slightly distressed look. The blond beckoned his brother over and he smiled gently, understanding his brothers need to be active.

"Come on, I'll give you some ice-cream." He furrowed his brow in thought, "I'll even let you play with Mr. Cuddles."

Hikaru's face lit up like a lighthouse in a storm.

"Really? You'll really let me?"

"Yes, but only if you come inside right now." The blond put on a stern look which went completely over the 5 year olds face as he raced back through the back door, almost bowling his brother over in his rush to comply.

Itachi questioned his choice not to act until he had back up but knew he would probably never have been able to get out of the street with a screaming boy over his shoulder, and he'd already blocked up the back way. He stiffened as he noticed the boy had not yet retracted his head from the outside world.

The child had his face furrowed in concentration as he sniffed lightly at the air, searching (or perhaps tracing?) a scent in the air which Itachi had a suspicious feeling was his own. The boy's gaze drifted back and forth over the crates as he tried to match the scent to an image.

'_He might be smelling the explosive, or maybe he smells the other wolf on me still…?'_

A shout came from within the house, the brother no doubt. The blond took one more suspicious glance around before he retracted his head and shut the door.

After that little spectacle Itachi knew he had found his target. His back up was scheduled to arrive that evening so he had enough time to eat some decent food and catch up on reading his favourite book: Icha Icha Paradise. He had no idea who wrote the series as the writer had written under the alias-The legendary Gama Sennin, but whoever the guy was he was a genius.

* * *

><p>All of this had eventually led to where he was now, huddled in his – supposedly – water proof cloak as he watched the dull glow of a lantern announce the arrival of 3 horse drawn carriages owned by his organisation. He was glad they had finally arrived; any longer in this wind and all the water pounding against him would have frozen his body solid. He couldn't feel his fingers as it was.<p>

The carriages came to a halt outside the stables by the gate, the Akatsuki members by Itachi rushing in to secure the horses.

Men started spilling out of their wooden vehicles, becoming immediately drenched in the downpour. Half of them belonged to the upper circle of the organisation, where the more talented members resided. Itachi was part of it, along with Kisame and a few choice others.

They were the closest to the leader of the organisation who, along with his two closest advisors, had created the Akatsuki as a method of keeping the world safe from the monsters that walked it.

Now Itachi wasn't stupid. Unlike many of his co-workers he knew that most of the were wolves they hunted were not hell bent on terrorising the world and did not inject anything that moved with their deadly venom (which only the physically stronger humans managed to survive)

Itachi was only in the organisation because his father had pushed him towards it, insisting that it was the best thing a man of his talents could hope to achieve. He had also – to Itachi's great displeasure – pushed Sasuke, his brother, into joining.

Since this decision Itachi had turned the a cold shoulder to his relatives and had kept an eye on Sasuke as the foolish boy progressed through standard training with joy, glad to follow and try to beat the brother he so idolised.

He pushed aside his thoughts as he saw his closest associate step out of the leading vehicle. Itachi raised his brow slightly, causing Kisame to grin in a rather shark – like manner.

"Ah Itachi, did you enjoy your investigation?"

Itachi's eyes came close to glaring as he stood there in his sodden clothes with his dark hair clinging to the sides of his face.

"…"

"Why so negative? In a bustling village surrounded by gossiping old women, you must have had a great time!"

"….."

"Gee, no need to be so impatient. He passed ok?"

Itachi stared for a moment longer but then moved his eyes over to the open door of the carriage Kisame had just vacated. Movement came from inside, preceding the figure of a man who was at least a decade into adulthood. He had straight, dark red hair which reached down to his shoulders and was parted as such that the fringe fell over the right side of his face.

Itachi was _almost_ shocked. The big three (as most had nicknamed their leader and his advisors for ease of identification during a conversation) only usually came out on a mission if it was a special case e.g. the case had been open for more than five months or the target was especially violent or skilful.

He was unsure what about this case qualified it for extra help from one of the best fighters of their organisation.

The man – Nagato his name was – addressed Itachi after observing his surrounding and taking note of the identities and numbers of the extra employee's present.

"Itachi, you have found who we are looking for I trust?"

Itachi inclined his head in the affirmative.

"Then come, we must discuss what you have learned in a more… comfortable setting." He swept past Itachi, somehow managing to look refined and imposing despite soggy hair and quickly dampening clothes.

That night when the darkness had fully settled in and the storm had refused to budge, a group of cloaked figures could be seen marching through the streets of Konoha; all but one of the men pretending that they couldn't give a toss what the weather had decided to do today whilst the last one genuinely couldn't care less.

"How much further?" Murmured the man in front.

He was shrouded in an air of superiority, singling him out as the undisputed leader of the group.

"It's just round this next corner."

Itachi's voice refused to get any louder than a whisper in the damp weather, he hoped he wasn't developing a cold; Kisame would laugh at him every time he tried to speak…

They crept down towards his house in complete silence, those who had swords had them flicked slightly out of their sheaths for a faster draw. Like most coming from the more skilled section of the organisation, Itachi fought with more personalised weapons; namely his daggers.

He was one of the fastest and most agile of the Akatsuki and his daggers reflected this, allowing him to get in close and personal with his opponent for a fast paced act-react fight.

Kisame believed in the more subtle approach of 'I'm gonna wave a big ass sword around and see who's stupid enough to try and block it'. Most people didn't last long enough against him to realise he was just leading them on and by that point they'd been caught and didn't get a chance at another round.

They reached the last house in the row and allowed time for the grunts – who were mainly there to make up the numbers – to fan out around the house and stand menacingly by any escape route they found.

Through the front window they could see a slight glow from a candle, lighting up pale beige curtains which didn't even allow for a tiny peek into the room beyond.

Nagato- who was now leading this little excursion – stepped back as some of the left over men approached the door and, with a bang that had been considerably muffled by the storm, they kicked it down.

Through the newly made gap they could see a tall woman with long red hair, eyes wide open in fright. She let out a short, unbearably loud scream which Itachi worried would burst his eardrums before she cut it off quickly, turned tail, and fled into the front room.

If Itachi did not have a face made of stone, he knew his beautiful features would be marred by a very 'WTF?' Look at that moment; similar to most of the grunts who were _still_ standing randomly in the wake of the broken down door.

'_Seriously, are people not taught to think for themselves these days?_'

"Well go on then, go fetch"

_'Attack and destroy…do whatever it is you're here for just MOVE!'_

The men quickly regained focus, '_they're like robots, honestly', _and stomped over the threshold and after the woman.

Itachi finally managed to get out of his cold, wet surroundings and begun to shiver more noticeably as the cosy house warmed him up enough to unfreeze. He saw Kisame peak at him from the corner of his eye and quickly steeled his expression in an 'I'm not paying any attention to you and I am most definitely NOT shivering so don't you dare talk to me!' Kind of way.

Kisame just rolled his eyes and took the stairs, taking his pack of faithful hunting dogs on a search of the house. Itachi had warned them who to look out for, so now they just had to hope he was still in the house.

* * *

><p>Upstairs in his room a boy with short spiky blond hair started and dropped the book he had been reading.<p>

He heard the loud BANG as the door was forced open and his mother's shrill scream, which was abruptly cut off. He listened to the soft hurried footsteps of his father who had previously been secretly reading his godfathers latest book – a series which his mum hated with a passion.

The footsteps stopped outside his door and silently eased it open as he slipped through, locking it behind his for a bit of a delay should anyone come snooping.

Naruto looked into his father's eyes troubled which were made up of a shade of bright, clear blue, identical to his own.

"It looks like times up Naruto. You need to get out quickly; I will do what I can to delay them."

Naruto bit his lip and inhaled shakily as he rose to his feet. He didn't cry, no, his eyes were just watering from staring at his book for too long. A strange voice in his head chuckled at him darkly.

'_OI, shut it you!_

The voice raised his imaginary hands in mock surrender and turned away innocently.

Naruto's father swept him into a brief hug then let him go shooing him towards the 'escape window'.

"What about Hikaru?"

His father looked down and whispered:

"He's downstairs"

Naruto's eyes widened and he made to say something, catching himself just at the last moment as he heard footsteps ascending the stairs.

"Dad, they're coming up! Come with me you can't let them get you too…"

He trailed of as the man shook his head quickly.

"I need to look after Your mother and Hikaru, if there's any way I can keep them- keep them safe, I need to try"

His father was almost breathless by the end, they both knew the likely outcome of this night.

"Now go!"

He grabbed his warmest cloak and the travelling bag that had always been ready and waiting by the wall and slipped out the window without further delay. Wind and rain gusted through the bedroom and battered against the man's face. He hurried to the window and forced it shut but the barrage of weather had attracted the notice of the men who had just reached the landing.

The door knob rattled, then exploded as a huge ass sword crashed through the door.

'_What…?'_

It was covered in bandages and was clutched in the strong grip of a large, bulky man with a rather shark like grin. Without turning he ordered half of the men behind him to continue searching the rooms connected to the landing. He and the rest of the guys advanced on the blond man who was slowly backing away, staring at the wrapped sword with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What are you looking at?" Kisame growled at the senior blond in a rather territorial manner.

"That looks like a very interesting mechanism." The blond replied unconcernedly as he continued his retreat.

"I'm assuming the bandages are there to cover up the holes?"

"Get him." Kisame growled to no one in particular.

One of the men took it upon himself to make a grab for the blond – and found himself falling through the floor; breaking a leg upon reaching the ground below.

Kisame looked at the floor in slight surprise as Minato moved his foot, the trap door sliding slowly into place. He continued to trail his foot back and forth across the wooden floor as though shifting dust that wasn't there. Kisame just looked at him neutrally for a moment before sending another of his dogs to fetch.

Minato watched the – now wary – male approach, taking a step to the side when the poor fellow reached no- man's land. With a yell, he disappeared too. Through the gap below a voice called up:

"Kisame, what are you doing? It's raining men down here."

As the flap rolled back up he found the perpetrator looking at him strangely. He shifted uncomfortably and without his conscious consent his mouth said,

"Hn"

At that moment he froze, his mind reeling from the fact that he, Kisame, had just made such- such a – such an Itachi like sound. He was going to have to do something about this. The witness in front of him could never be allowed to live after such an embarrassing action on his part.

He stepped forward threateningly with various thoughts of murder and silent dead bodies in his mind, realising his mistake only as the blond in front of him took a step back. His eyes widened and he quickly back tracked, just as the walking dead man vanished.

"Oof"

The noise came from down below and sounded as though one of the hail stones had finally managed to land on something soft.

"There's nothing else up here Si-"

The employee had no time to finish as a large shape barrelled past him and raced down the stairs. He began to shout after it but stopped as he noticed the large bandaged sword resting on the shapes shoulder.

"Eh?"

* * *

><p><strong>AU:<strong> Right! So there is the re-write of my first chapter. Anyone who read this previously will hopefully notice that the chapter is a lot longer than it used to be. I will try to keep this sort of length up throughout the story because I much prefer it and I'm sure you do too!

Part of this story keeps switching tenses. I am aware of that but couldn't help the way my hands were typing (They have a mind of their own I swear!) I you were confused by that I would like to explain that this part of the story was sort of a flash-back/reflection kind of thing and I could never quite decide which tense it should be in.

If you find this unbearably annoying just say and I will do my best to correct it, I thought it sounded ok but two eyes are better than one!

Please don't hesitate to make a review- what you like/ don't like/ hope to see in the future.


	3. When the Worst Comes to Pass

When the Worst Comes to Pass

Naruto still hadn't moved.

He had manoeuvred himself down a branch of the tough vine that had, for many years, continued its climb up the old brick wall which made up the back of their house and dropped silently into one of a dozen small bushes that separated the house from the garden.

His father – being the paranoid man he is – had strategically cut and directed the growing plant to encourage it to grow up to each bedroom window, 'just in case a fire starts and we're all stuck two stories up,' he said.

Naruto had never considered it would come in handy like this (but then, he had never given real thought to the possibility that they might not remain hidden forever). However, even though he was no longer stuck inside the invaded house, he found himself at a loss as to what to do next.

He needed to get out into the forest and then around to the other side of town, that much was clear; but his back garden was no longer the safe escape route he previously considered it to be. Though hidden well, his sharp, naturally enhanced eyes could not miss the dark, looming figures of watchmen.

They were posted along the garden on either side of the house and he knew he would be spotted straight away if he tried to cross to the pile of boxes that guarded his escape hole despite the cover of darkness. Even as he thought it, a shout of: "Lights!" Came from within the house, encouraging movement from the shapes as each hurried to flare up a lamp light which they placed facing inward on the ground.

The garden was now bright and exposed and there was no chance he could get across now and he _really _needed _some kind of distraction _and _why hadn't his father come with him!?_

Naruto realised his breathing was getting loud and fast, so he spent a moment calming himself down; the last thing he needed was for one of _them_ to hear him. He breathed slowly in and out for a few precious seconds, listening to the commotion taking place above him.

It sounded like his dad was making use of those trap doors Naruto had liked to experiment with, ever since his godfather showed him one which plunged the target into the stinking fluid of the sewers below his house. It had led to his mother complaining about him being too much like his father after she'd accidently stepped on one of the triggers and almost sent his father on a trip to the healer's quarters.

Naruto had always loved playing with traps and managed to alleviate most of his boredom by either pranking his parents with a newly invented trick or trying to catch out his exceedingly perceptive godfather, who somehow always avoided the traps set for him. As if that wasn't bad enough, he often made Naruto trigger his own work!

Thinking of his godfather helped Naruto to remember all of the man's lectures on the importance of diversionary tactics and examples of how best to put them into use. Sadly, most of the cases had been based on 'how would Naruto distract gate guards to pass unseen into or out of a settlement.'

There were few that dealt with crossing an open patch of ground surrounded by soldiers just waiting for you to make a move. There had been a few examples that dealt with a village square, but they had the advantage of being surrounded by busy people who were just waiting for the opportunity to get in somebody's way.

Naruto scoured the bush around him, searching for something to throw or…well, something. His inventor's brain seemed to have been left back up in his room in the past, where no one knew where he was and he could happily go all out to catch the next person through the door in a hilarious prank; usually involving paint or buckets of water due to his limited arsenal.

He tried desperately to think of a plan but his ears kept twitching back, picking up bits of the activity still occurring in his room. Sounded like Dad was another man down.

Eventually his searching fingers fell on a palm sized rock sitting by the roots to his left. It was rough and uneven, sharp in some places yet perfectly smooth in others; all in all it was very un-rock like.

'_What the hell is this?' _

He held the rock up in front of his eyes, using the lamp light filtering through the leaves of his bush to try and understand what he was looking at.

The smooth part of the rock was semi-circular with two indentations running down opposite sides, like a handle but without a hole. The other half was flat with rocky protrusions jutting out of its surface; the points were rounded though so it could hardly be used as much of a weapon.

He considered it for a moment longer, looking around to see if it were only part of a whole or if he could find any use for it. Nothing seemed to be presenting itself however, so he drew his arm back and chucked it high in the air above the field of light the guards had created.

The rock made no noise as it travelled, giving its target no warning as to it presence. One moment the guard was scanning the garden for signs of escapees, the next moment, he felt a jolt of sharp pain on the crown of his head. His vision went dark and his body crumpled to the ground, the thud of the rock and his descent to the ground alerting his colleagues to his misfortune.

The next man along let out a bark of surprise and rushed over to check out his fallen comrade, whilst the others on his side of the lawn all twisted round and lit up the area behind them, thinking he had been knocked out from behind.

Taking this as his queue, Naruto scurried along the back of the house and turned to run up behind the line of men that were still in position watching the spectacle opposite them with curious eyes. With both sets of sentries watching one side of the square Naruto was able to pass unnoticed up the other, moving silently to the pile of boxes which marked his safe spot, just outside the area exposed by the harsh glare of the lights.

Feeling pretty proud of himself for outwitting his pursuers and escaping from the nightmare that was currently his home, he relaxed and let out a small breathy laugh as he skipped over to the gap in the fence….only to find it gone!

Well, not gone per se, but someone had jammed one of the crates in to the hole.

'_They blocked off my escape route, how _dare_ they! I wonder how tight it's stuck….'_

He stretched his small arms to reach both sides of the box and slowly started tensing his undeveloped muscles, adding more and more pressure as the box refused to budge. It didn't seem to want to move, but he didn't have werewolf traits for nothing.

His canines grew longer and his pupils turned to slits as he let out some of his power, his muscles increased in strength and his mind barely just registered the increased smell of gunpowder as he gave one last big tug on the blockade.

* * *

><p>'<strong>BOOM!'<strong>

Itachi felt a small vibration in the ground before he heard the - more noticeable - sound of an explosion from outside. His inner Itachi smirked and considered a spot of evil cackling, before discarding the idea as too cliché.

He glanced at Kisame (who was having fun tying up blondie senior – very tightly) then signalled to some of his- 'ahem', his _leaders_ – minions, who dutifully traipsed outside after the swish of his cloak as he ran towards the disturbance.

Some of the men outside were creeping towards the explosion as though something was going to jump out and bite them any second, some were standing in place in case the explosion had been a distraction and the other half were either lying on the ground unconscious, checking the unconscious idiot or frozen with dumfounded looks on their faces.

'_Why on earth did we hire these people?' _

Itachi made a mental note of those simply standing there doing nothing as he continued to quickly (yet composedly) make his way to the mess of crates at the back of the garden, making himself a mental note to assign them for a good lashing and feeding duty when they got back to base.

Looking at the blown over crates Itachi couldn't help but let a small shot of humour invade his eyes at the thought that the boy fell for his explosion trap. Itachi was no crazy blond bomber but he still admired his own ability to blow people up, especially when it was Kisame.

Scanning his eyes over the charred area, he spotted a smoking silhouette darting for the opening.

"There, grab him!"

He pointed the figure out to the lackeys in front of him, wishing they had crowded just that bit further to the left so that he could have leapt through himself. _He _certainly wouldn't have barrelled straight into the wall in an attempt to grab the kid.

Itachi pushed through the half circle of _idiots_ and managed to grab one of the boy's legs as he wriggled his injured body through the hot, sharp edges of his hole. Itachi tried to tug him back but could find no purchase in the soggy soil, which had completely failed to be baked solid by the blast, as though his explosion wasn't as good as a couple of days of sun.

'_Gee, who would've thought?_'

The resisting leg seemed to get stronger and stronger against his hold, either Itachi's muscles were getting tired or this boy was somehow increasing his strength with every tug he gave.

Itachi twitched his head, signalling the men behind him who were just _standing there_ to help him pull back the little escapee. One of them ran forward to grab the leg just above where Itachi was holding, but somehow lost his footing in the mud and fell straight into Itachi.

He was forced to let go of the targets leg as he was almost pushed into the mud, he was able to regain his balance and slide out from underneath the fool still playing with gravity. A loud squelching sound accompanied the man's date with the dirt, but Itachi had no time to punish him now.

The blast had increased the radius of the hole to a point that a full grown man could now crawl through it with some room to spare – which meant that Itachi was able to keep his grace as he bent in half, _and then some_, managing to side step fluidly through the gap (what kind of an Uchiha would he be if he couldn't even do that much?)

"Follow," he spoke monotonously to the men behind him who all rushed the hole in their hurry to comply with his order. He was getting too annoyed now for this to be funny however and simply began his journey towards the tree line where the boy must have escaped to, as he was no longer in sight.

* * *

><p>Naruto ran full pelt into the trees, forgetting momentarily that these people could and would happily follow his (extremely obvious) tracks. By the time he remembered this vitally important fact he was already a good way into the forest and unsure of where he should go next.<p>

He could hear the approach of the men from 'the most annoying organisation ever invented' and - whilst they weren't exactly crashing through the undergrowth - it was obvious they had never been properly trained in the arte of stealth.

He knew he needed to hide now, then they would go past him and he could double back and try to help his father. First he needed to find a hiding place and make sure that there was no incriminating evidence to show the place he chose. He trod carefully for a minute or two, mindful of the searching noises behind him, before coming across a clump of bushes and crawling right into the centre.

It was easy for him 'cause he was so small, but those men would have a much harder time trying to get in here if they decided to look – which was unlikely.

A few minutes later the men were spreading out, searching in the bushes and scanning the thick boughs of the trees in the surrounding area. They seemed to be searching systematically in a long line which would be difficult for Naruto to find his way around, had he still been running. Naruto didn't move a muscle praying that the men would simply carry on and give no notice to the spiky holly bush he had managed to creep into.

He wished he had recognised it for what it was before he'd stopped to wriggle into it but sadly, in the dark, stormy night its nature had been concealed from his eyes. His heightened senses had missed the sharp edges of the leaves, and the scent had been washed into the ground. Not to mention he hadn't really been paying much attention to _what_ he was hiding in – ouch. He'd remember to keep that in mind next time he was chased away from his home.

He managed to find himself lucky, however, in the midst of this terrifying nightmare. When the men brushed past his bush they flinched and instinctively shuffled away slightly, not even considering that he would have wormed himself into such an uncomfortable place.

Slowly the men moved further into the forest and as the noise of rustling bushes moved to a safe distance, he relaxed his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief.

He was just considering how best to exit this stupid excuse for a bush when a small squirrel- crawling out from its hole in a tree- stiffened suddenly and raced back to safety.

The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood on end and he silently pressed himself lower into the wet forest floor, holly leaves digging into his hands. Were plants supposed to malt this badly? That might have been his fault mind…

Doing his best to ignore the prickly feeling in his palms he scanned his surroundings with his ears and nose, trying to sense the entity that insisted on avoiding the bare spaces of woodland visible through small gaps in the leaves.

Naruto only caught a slight whiff of rich, dark chocolate-

'_Chocolate? What the hell?'_

- pre-ceding the sight of an expensive looking boot which stepped noiselessly into view. Whoever this man was, he was a hundred times stealthier than those before him. Better even than Naruto himself, if he ditched the chocolate that is.

Naruto followed the shoe up, trailing his eyes up the hem of a damp black cloak and… finding that the bush blocked the rest of the view.

'_Great, why did I hide here again? On the other hand… if I can't see him then he can't see me right?'_

The figure was standing completely still from what Naruto could tell, either trying to pick up the tracks Naruto had painstakingly not made or listening for the sound of his movement.

'_So the other guys come through and make loads of noise, I come out when they leave and he catches me. Huh'_

If that were the case then this guy _seriously_ overestimated the speed of Naruto's thought process, he had only just gotten to the, '_We should probably get out of this bush at some point… well why don't you go out? I don't want to go first, you go!'_

Given time he would have gotten over the arguing and reached the, '_Ok on the count of three we'll move…ok maybe this three…This three!'_

And by the time he made a full circle and got back to the arguing he would have given up on his brain and crawled out of the holly bush. The statue outside didn't seem to have realised this as he came during the first half of the arguing stage, all the better for Naruto of course.

All he had to do now was wait until the guy moved on and then start all over again!

* * *

><p>Itachi once more cursed the utter idiocy of his companions. Their boots had crushed all the foliage around the woods and there was no longer any way to distinguish their footprints from the kid's ('<em>damn them<em>!'). Up to just a few feet back he had easily been able to pick out the smaller prints from that of the large boots that had tracked it; now that was all but impossible.

The boy obviously knew how to hide; he had trodden lightly once he had decided to play hide and seek – secretly Itachi's favourite game, though only Sasuke knew and would not tell anyone on pain of being strung up by his ankles and tickled 'till he cried, and then some.

He looked over the disturbed ground once more; then stopped as he saw a lone print on a patch of otherwise untouched mud. It was small and shallow, hardly visible save to those who knew what they were looking for.

As he stepped closer his practised eyes picked out the slightly deeper indentation where the toe had pressed into the ground to twist around.

The boy had stopped here, presumably to search for a place to hide and then found a nice hole in a random direction…? He could not see anything more nearby. This meant that he had _most likely _walked slowly and carefully to his chosen cover; which was _probably_ relatively close. If not he would've had to move faster and there _may have_ been more prints to track.

Mind you that could easily have been explained by the barrage of boots that had stampeded by moments later.

He almost sighed as he thought of how much_ easier_ it would have been had he kept everyone else behind him.

A quiet rustling came from behind him and he spun around, dagger inching out from under his cloak. He huffed slightly and slid it back in again. His stillness had worn out a small rabbit crouching by a tree and the creature had decided to run for it.

He was thinking about trying to wait out the infected boy that may or may not have been hiding nearby; until a shout from the men ahead convinced him otherwise and he silently ran on.

* * *

><p>Naruto couldn't breathe as the boots wandered closer to his bush. They were only a few feet away now and Naruto was sure that he would be spotted any minute. He was really curious as to why boots would stop in a place like this when he had the whole forest to pick from, what reason could he have to think that Naruto stopped here instead of just running full pelt in a freedom frenzy?<p>

Naruto got more and more agitated as the boots continued to do absolutely nothing, he began to look around for something _anything_ that could scare those damn boots away from his hiding spot so that he could start his escape argument all over again.

'_Come to think of it, if I started now then maybe I'd be ready to go by the time he finally left… Ahhhhhh, but what if he hears me before then or checks my stupid holly bush or something?'_

Knowing he had little choice if he wanted to keep his sanity at a decent level for the rest of the night, he resumed his search for something distracting.

A rabbit was cowering under the tree next to him and Naruto saw his chance. He flicked a small seed out through a small hole in the holly leaves. The seed skittered quietly over the wet leaves by the rabbit's feet and immediately it bolted from the perceived threat, the noise – while impossible for human ears to pick out under the pattering of raindrops from the storm (which was beginning to calm down) – was enough to convince the rabbit that its hiding spot had been compromised.

The boots shifted in a half circle and leaned forward slightly, the toe end holding most of the man's weight. Naruto stiffened once more, hoping his movements had been impossible to notice from the hunter's position. After a short moment the weight on the boots relaxed back into a more evenly distributed stance and a few minutes later they disappeared towards a well -timed shout from his cohorts.

Naruto allowed himself to relax once more before beginning his long winded argument that would eventually lead to him crawling out from under the spikey bush… Before realising that he probably didn't have time. He cursed whoever decided to invent the mere concept of time and started to painfully wriggle his way out of the holly.

* * *

><p>Back at the house, Nagato was trying to decide whether it had been a good idea to send Itachi out alone (until they discovered their individuality, thugs didn't count as real people) or whether he should have ordered Kisame after the talented Uchiha.<p>

Many others liked to compare Kisame to a shark due to the set of pointed teeth he enjoyed using to intimidate people who annoyed him. He often bared them subconsciously when he was considering the most painful way to dispose of the worthless individuals that sometimes came into his care.

It was how he had looked after he had finished struggling to tie up the stubborn blonde man who aided in the escape of their target – the couples' eldest son if he understood correctly.

But that stage had been passed nearly twenty minutes ago.

Kisame was now having a very loud staring contest with his captive, who seemed as though he had never really let go of his inner child; they looked like a perfect match. He wouldn't be surprised if Kisame asked to keep him, the man's most recent toy had begun to bore him as of late according to Itachi; something about him having 'lost the will to live.'

Nagato was hardly surprised of course, Kisame was always hogging the 'play room' (as he called it) whenever they didn't need it for their houseguests, so his 'interests' tended to yield pretty quickly. After that the shark-like man grew bored and left them in one of the cages during a full moon for their captives to maul.

In this case, Nagato decided he would probably indulge the larger man, as it would give them leverage should they need it once their target was caught.

Nagato stepped in just as it looked like the verbal match would degenerate into a very one sided physical bout, he found females very tiring to question and would much prefer the blonde male to be conscious for his information gathering.

"Where is the child likely to go, should he not be caught immediately?"

Kisame had gone silent as he talked, displaying the appropriate manners towards a senior member of the organisation so that Nagato didn't have to shout to be heard.

"Pfft. You expect me to actually _answer_?" The blonde replied, when it became clear that the question wasn't rhetorical.

Having a relatively good brain and plenty of experience in similar situations, Nagato had, in fact, not expected the man to reply with anything useful. However, he was a firm believer that people should be given a choice to do the right thing – by his standards – before any unnecessary force was used.

"You will, in time."

He then nodded to Kisame who immediately bared his teeth in a terrifying mockery of a smile, the kind civilians see over and over again in consecutive nightmares and tried to reassure themselves when they woke that '_it was just a dream.' _His eyes gained a slightly excited glint and he turned to eye up the blond who, by this point, looked rather resigned to his fate.

Meanwhile, Nagato turned to the woman he had been trying to ignore throughout the conversation. Thankfully she hadn't opened her mouth yet, indeed, she had a very tight lipped expression on her rather striking face. Her hair was dark red (though a few shades lighter than his own) and was half tucked behind her ears, loose strands escaping to trail over her cheeks.

Aside from the wayward hair and the forced kneeling position she looked like a woman to be reckoned with.

He noticed that her eyes kept trying to wander over to the right where her youngest child was being restrained with two large hands, one wrapped around his stomach and the other clamped over his mouth. The boy's face was turning an interesting shade of purple so Nagato gestured for the unconcerned brute to lower his hand slightly. As soon as his nose was free, the young boy took in great streams of air to placate his burning lungs. He also began to whimper quietly, fresh tears following their previous tracks down his face.

He turned his eyes back upon the red haired female who now had her eyes closed and an expression of relief relaxing the taut muscles on her face. This changed swiftly at his next question.

"It is time for you to choose between one son and the other. Tell us where your eldest is most likely to go or I will pour acid in _his_ mouth and we shall watch him burn."

As he finished his sentence, pained grunts started to emanate from the blond man on his right, along with gleeful chuckles of "I'll make you _scream_" from Kisame.

A stricken look took over her features as despair pierced her heart. Her eyes flickered back and forth between her son and her husband before coming to rest on his own face in an attempt to discern how truthful he was being.

He reached into one of the inner pockets of his cloak and pulled out a small vial, specially made to resist the corrosive properties of the _Acidum Salis _within. It had been difficult to find a material capable of holding the acid for long periods of time but eventually their scientist: Orochimaru, along with his trainee assistant – who was also attempting to pursue a career as one of the organisations medics – had been able to compose a mixture of plastic and glass which would hold the chemical.

The concentration used would burn his lungs and likely cause vomiting. In a young child Nagato would not need to use much to lead to the boy's eventual death.

"Kushina…" Minato managed to cough out through gasps of pain. Nagato looked to the side in surprise, seeing a small pool of blood slowly growing from the welts cut deep into the man's flesh.

"Don't risk it… she'll probably have him on his way out of the village now…. they won't be able to reach him on time."

"Nawww, don't give up that easily! I've barely even started." Kisame groaned in annoyance.

The blond chuckled and – instead of staying silent and likely ending his torture then and there – rasped out, "I never said _I_ would tell you, did I?"

Nagato wondered at the level of stubbornness the man was displaying as Kisame crowed gleefully and went back to trying to make his charge scream.

He turned back to the woman who now had a carefully blank look on her face. It said: 'Whatever I tell you next is going to be a lie, so please believe me.'

Sighing inwardly, he listened to her hastily woven tale… or a pre-made story, he didn't know for sure.

His face was dispassionate as she told him of another woman – a friend so she said – who had agreed to fast track him out of the village should anything go wrong. She was apparently having an affair with one of the gate guards, who told her of an unfixed hole on the other side of the village. The hole had a stables just outside it and the stable master owed them a favour for a free shoeing job her husband had done for him.

At that point the back door opened with a bang, the sound of the wind grew louder but the rain seemed to have disappeared completely. Nagato waited until Itachi strode into the room, followed by a much berated looking troupe of organisation members. His face seemed not to have changed from the moment he took off, though the trench lines either side of his straight nose looked somewhat deeper; as though sunken from annoyance.

"Later, Itachi."

He knew the Uchiha desperately wanted to hand out harsh punishments to the 'incompetent muscle men' behind him, but Nagato had no time for the prodigy's invisible temper until the boy had been caught.

"Number 19 Cross View road" He said, facing Itachi with a raised eyebrow.

Itachi replied with a monotonic, "It doesn't exist Sir. There is a Cross View road but the numbers only go up to 16, I walked down it on my way to the market."

"16! I meant 16! Do you expect me to remember everything under pressure?"

The woman was beginning to get on his nerves so he signalled to the man holding her to keep her quiet.

"In your opinion, where is the most likely –"

"Uhhhhhhhhh."

The blond man let out a long, loud moan and slumped forward in his bindings. His eyes were unfocused but a pained smile covered his face. Was he a masochist or something?

"Kisame, shut up. The adults are talking now."

It seemed as though Itachi's patience was wearing thin, his words had become slightly more clipped and his tone marginally biting.

Kisame pouted but cleaned up his bloodied knife all the same and stowed it away in a sheath on his hip.

"That all you got?" Blondie hissed out, trying to keep the pain from his voice.

Kisame put on his shark like grin and replied, "Don't worry; we'll get to play more later."

"…"

"Of course I haven't forgotten about you Itachi!"

Kisame sounded shocked at Itachi's mere mention of – wait … what?

'_Itachi didn't even say anything, what is he talking about?'_

"His face is just so much more interesting than yours, look at all that pain in his eyes!" Kisame continued, holding up the chin of the weakly resisting blonde for them all to see.

"… You were saying?"

Itachi turned back to the previous conversation, strangely seeming slightly calmer than before. Nagato had never understood the inner workings of the elite group below him; they were all lunatics.

"Do you have any idea where the boy might go?"

Itachi sifted through the information he had obtained the day before, searching for anything relevant t the situation.

"I heard that there was only one other person who regularly enters this house aside from those already living here. I have only a vague description; he is apparently either very forgetful or very good at staying out of sight. According to my source he is a 'white haired, robust and potentially middle-aged man'. No other distinguishing qualities were recalled.

He is also quite perverted and can often be found down by the lake in summer. I do not know where he lives."

Nagato strode over to the quietly sobbing young boy and waved the restraining hand away from his mouth. He prized open the weak jaw and readied his thumb over the lever opening of his vial.

"No, plea-"

"Where does this man live?" He interrupted in a deceptively smooth voice, tipping his elbow up slightly when she didn't answer immediately.

"The other side of the village," a male voice replied, "He lives in a cottage a few hundred metres from the last row of houses on the west side of the market. It's on top of a small hill near the outer wall."

Nagato looked over to the blond, seeing bright blue eyes fixated on the bottle in his hand; the pupils as small as full-stops on parchment. After a second he took his thumb off the opening and replaced the vial into his pocket. The man's eyes tracked his hand all the way down until it was empty of the acid and then closed his eyes; clearly exhausted.

He missed the same hand descending further until it reached the hilt of a sword, opening them only when he heard the slight grate of metal on hard leather.

* * *

><p>Naruto watched in horror as the sword flashed forwards.<p>

He had doubled back around and crept up to the front of the house, thinking that if he could signal his father then they might both be able to figure a way out of the situation. He had been worried that the front of the house would be guarded like the back, but it was completely devoid of any life.

He had never _really _considered….

Tears welled up in his eyes and he sunk to the wet ground under the window bay. From inside the house he could pick out his father's weak shouts as he mother was impaled. He could hear the squelch of the sword being withdrawn and the scuffle of boots across the hardwood floor.

He covered his ears with his hands but they were too sensitive; he could clearly hear the thump of his mother's body lifelessly hitting the ground. He wished he were anywhere else.

'_Help her you idiot! Get up! Distract them! She isn't- she _can't_ be-'_

The brain came to a screeching halt. He couldn't think about the possibility that _his own _mother was-. His body was folding deeper into the crouch, pressing harder against the slick cobblestones.

'_It's all my fault!'_

He was close to wailing in despair. The only thing he could do as the scraped across the wood to meet another neck was to crawl out from under the window and dash into an alleyway around the corner.

'_Just get away. Get away so I can't hear them any longer' _He knew where to go.

He sprinted through the streets as fast as his little legs could carry him. He was small for his age, apparently. He rarely saw other kids except from when they skipped past his window with their friends or parents, he was never allowed to go out and play with them.

He watched them on his night time excursions, imagining that he was with them. Sleeping on a mattress surrounded by friends…. He didn't go out during the day in case anyone looked too close and discovered what he was.

It wasn't exactly hard; he had long whisker like scars on his cheeks and slit pupils which gave an animalistic impression. The scars were not a usual trait of werewolves. His parents had never been able to figure out why he had them but then, the circumstances of his contracting the virus weren't exactly normal either.

Nevertheless his family had done all they could to keep him from feeling lonely, his brother had become his best friend. He didn't need anyone else. He never had!

Apart from now.

At that thought the sight of his mother's dying body refilled his mind. He almost collapsed to the ground at the image but he knew that if he was going to stay free then he had to carry on.

His father had always told him that if the worst came to pass and there was no place for him to return to, he was to run as fast as he could to a small cottage near the other end of town. Naruto's godfather lived there. He had come over to Naruto's house often and they had always had lots of fun together.

So Naruto ran down the alleys, taking the route that his father had pointed out to him time and time again, forcing it into his memory so that he could save himself if the need arose.

He was close now, just a few blocks away. Right at this corner and again at the next, then left at the tightly locked bakery. The house sat atop a small hill, reached by a narrow winding path that snaked up the front. He left the cover of the tight nit houses to begin the small climb.

When he reached the house he tried to stretch out a hand to knock on the scarlet painted door, but the shock of the day was finally catching up with him.

With an almost inaudible sigh his small frame thumped against the door and his consciousness gave out.

A few seconds later the door crept open and the owner huffed in surprise.

"Well" he murmured as he picked up the trembling body. "We're in a pickle". He turned back into the house and hooked a red sandaled foot around the door, pulling it shut.

* * *

><p><strong>AU:<strong> Finally finished! That was a lot of fun to write but it may be the last chapter **for a while.** I have exams coming up and I cant afford to fail them, so it is possible that I wont be writing until summer. I may update one of my other stories before then, maybe eve this one... but no promises!

If you find any discrepancies or other mistakes within my chapter please tell me; I'll be happy to correct them. Also, TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! I love hearing about what you think and what you are expecting (or perhaps didn't expect) so that I can improve my future writings.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I apologies profusely for my current lack of free time. I look forward to getting out the next chapter, whenever that may be. Please don't give up on me! I shall never abandon any story that I write.


	4. Fancy a Dip?

Fancy a dip?

Nagato whipped around to face the window, scanning the panes of glass closely for signs of movement. He thought he had seen a flash of colour in his periphery, a vast contrast from the dull haze of damp houses and muzzy rain that still fell from the sky.

Whatever – or whomever – it had been, they certainly hadn't hung around. Well, since they were just about finished here anyway…

"Itachi!"

His most accomplished underling gave the perception of straightening as he came to attention. Nagato did not know how he managed this, since he always stood ramrod straight anyway – Kisame always said it was to make himself look taller; Itachi was sensitive about his height.

"Find the cottage. If the boy is there, bring him to the guards quarters until I arrive… dispose of his helper. If they are gone then follow standard procedure; you may be able to find a clue as to where they might go.

The village gates are being watched for any escape attempts, we have completely locked the place down… unless you know of any other openings?"

Itachi thought for a moment, recalling his walk around the village.

"I haven't seen any, apart from the hole at the back of this house – which is now being guarded. There is a river that's cuts through around a quarter of the village, close to the west wall, but both ends are grated. They would have to have grade C explosives to blow a hole in those."

Nagato nodded thoughtfully, considering his next course of action.

"Take some men a get up there, I'll send a few guards to the grates – just in case. Will you need Kisame?"

They both looked towards the large man who had turned to grace them with a wide eyed stare; his excessively large sword resting on the head of the – heavily panting – blonde man.

"…"

"Itachi…" Kisame gazed imploringly at the stoic face presented to him, his lower lip pushed out at a strange angle. The look only served to twist his features into a terrifying mockery of a pout.

". . . . ."

Itachi turned his back to the childish actions of his partner, motioning his hand to the stragglers in the hall way as he pushed up his hood and swept out of the front door.

As the idiots filed out after him, Kisame's eyes lit up in a manic grin.

Nagato motioned the shark faced man away from his object of interest. Kisame's face fell slightly, but he dutifully complied with the wishes of his leader; falling back to lean against the wooden wall. Nagato strode forward and bent down in front of the limp blond, grasping the man's chin with his long fingers and jerking it up to meet his eyes.

He drew in a breath to mock the man for his loss-

Managing to catch himself – just barely – as he took in the closed lids and even breathing signifying sleep. He glared down coolly at the face that had haunted him for years, the only man – save for the leader of his organisation – who had ever managed to break his unfazed façade.

He refused to allow it to break now. He raised his free hand and slapped it once – hard – across the blonde's cheek.

"Ughhhh"

The man blinked his eyes open groggily (as though he hadn't just been _pretending_ to sleep), eventually bring them to focus off to the side, lingering on Kisame's sandaled feet.

Were Nagato a lesser man, he would have released the growl that was growing at the back of his throat. As it was, he simply tightened his fingers about a tanned chin to what he thought constituted as a painful grasp, and leaned closer to the man's ear.

"You have been a thorn in my side for quite some time Namikaze. I think it's time we rectified that, don't you?"

Not giving his adversary a chance to answer, he threw him carelessly to the side; satisfied with the loud 'thump' generated as Namikaze hit the floor.

"Kisame, take care of him."

"Ah! You mean-?"

"Yes, then wait by the carriage, this shouldn't take long."

Nagato walked towards the door, most of the remaining minions flocking after him. He paused as he reached the hallway, leaning back slightly as he said:

"Oh, and make sure they-" He gestured to the two remaining thugs, "-take care of 'that' will you?"

Kisame glanced at him dubiously, "Are you sure? What if-"

Nagato raised a hand to cut him off. "Are you questioning me Kisame?" he allowed a note of warning to creep into his, otherwise empty, tone.

Kisame turned his eyes to the floor, chastised. "No, 'course not. I'll do it."

"Good, I'll leave a couple of these," he waved towards the men crowded by the door, "behind to guard the house, so you won't have to worry about that"

Nagato turned as Kisame nodded his understanding and swept through the door.

* * *

><p>Itachi led the way through the streets to where he remembered the marketplace standing. His eyes constantly turned this way and that, searching for any movement, in case the boy was still running around outside.<p>

His troops were trotting along behind him, thankfully not making too much noise. When he got back to base, he was going to ask (beg) the leader to start an intensive training course for the muscle men; Kami knows he wouldn't be able to stand such utter incompetence for much longer.

When he reached the abandoned marketplace, he headed for an alleyway to the west, lined by two empty wooden stands. Plastic roofing had been pulled over both, but it wasn't doing much good in this weather. The wood had been soaked through by the torrential rain earlier in the night and, by the looks of it, it wouldn't be drying for a while.

The street wove slightly this way and that, but it always returned to the same direction. There were many side alleys coming of the main path, leading through rows of houses, but Itachi never deviated from his route heading west.

The path took several minutes to traverse as it led all the way to the edge of the village proper. As his group exited the enclosed walls they encroached upon a wide plane of damp grass, which created a barrier between the settlement and its outer wall.

A path cut through the tangled mess of greenery, with a small bridge humped over the wide waterway below. Following the harsh weather, the river was almost bursting its banks and the strong current was tugging away chunks of earth, carrying them away to its sink in the south.

Itachi looked up at the sound of a small splash – barely discernible under the roll of thunder that rumbled overhead. He scanned the water on his right for the cause, seeing a large chub skip out of the water before falling back in again; attempting to hold steady against the current. It looked to be a rather wasted effort from his point of view…

Dismissing the creepy fish (all water dwellers were creepy, which was why he hated Kisame) he led his stalkers over the red bridge and started up the hill towards the small cottage nestled on the top.

It was a very neat looking thing, surrounded by several different types of flowers – none of which Itachi had ever come across before and all of which looked, potentially, rather dangerous; if the rule of brightly coloured plants was anything to go by.

A light was on inside, and Itachi could see the imprint of small feet treading heavily into the ground leading up to the door.

The front door seemed to be slightly ajar, giving Itachi the distinctive impression that this search was going to be longer than he had hoped, why couldn't they just stay put and get caught like normal people?

Feeling far too worn out to expand on that thought, Itachi held up a hand to halt his minions. If the house was empty, Itachi wanted to get a good look at any clues hinting at the direction his target was headed for. After all, you never know when people are going to be stupid – Itachi just made sure he was there to reap the benefits when they did.

He kept his distance as he opened the door; pushing it forward with an outstretched arm. He didn't want to get kicked in the – 'Ahem' – should some idiot decide to surprise him.

* * *

><p>Naruto blinked his eyes open in shock as a bucket of cold water splashed over his face. He spluttered, hands automatically coming up to wipe at the liquid which ran into his eyes.<p>

"C'mon brat, this is no time for sleeping."

Naruto was hauled to his feet as he attempted to recover his senses, swaying slightly as the supporting hand left his elbow.

"Here's your bag and your hat! No, wait, that's my hat."

The new accessory on Naruto's head was quickly removed and replaced onto the mass of long, spiky white hair adorning his Godfather's head.

His lower lip started to tremble and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, mixing with the water on his face and trickling down his cheeks.

"U-uh kiddo, there's no time for that nonsense. I'm sure you didn't take time to cover your tracks did you?"

He glanced knowingly down at the mop of blonde hair.

Naruto lowered his head in shame at his forgetfulness, he couldn't do anything right!

"It doesn't matter much now anyway. I know Minato would die before he gave us away! But those guys can be very persuasive. Bah! We don't have time, c'mon – out the back with yah."

Jiraiya sent Naruto out the door then turned around to make some last minute adjustments. He set up a few of his classic tricks that were waiting around the house to be primed – nothing major, but it would put them off their game for a few precious moments.

Lastly, he set up his speciality, connecting a few wires here and there and wiring them all up behind his kitchen counter.

With everything set up and ready to go, he picked up his travelling pack, adjusted his farmer's hat, and hopped out the back to join Naruto.

Together they ran around the house to his front garden. Jiraiya picked up a few bright red tomatoes lying amidst their green and yellow counterparts in a wide mud patch (which he had forgotten to cover from the rain). He stuffed them under the lid of his pack and continued down the path towards the bridge.

He narrowed his eyes at a small movement between the houses across the river, making out hazy shapes emerging from the village. He dove forward, hauling Naruto about the waste and barely mumbling out a –

"Hold your breath."

-before he pulled them both head first into the water.

Their intrusion scared a stubborn fish – who had been trying to swim against the unyielding current – towards the water's surface. Jiraiya didn't see much after that; he was doing his best to keep them down by the water bed as they were dragged along the stream, heading south to the wall.

He knew they wouldn't be able to get through the grating, but he needed to get them out of sight of the hunters.

After about thirty seconds of being tossed about under water, he grabbed onto a large root that had been exposed by the rough weather, flexing his muscles to drag them both to the surface.

Naruto took a large gasp of air as they broke through, only having had time for a small sip before he was dunked into the stream. His lungs were burning, and he couldn't stop panting.

Jiraiya hoisted him half way up what remained of the bank, supporting him until he had grabbed handfuls of grass to pull himself up with. His Godfather followed him, after an exhausting struggle with the water; managing to push a perilous foothold into the muddy bank to help him up.

"What the hell was that for?"

Naruto's voice came out as barely a whisper as his lungs still strained for the air they had – for too long – been denied.

"Did you not see them?" Jiraiya huffed out, his tone refusing to hold any more power after the massive struggle the river had presented.

"How many times have I told you to _always_ be aware of your surroundings? They were almost upon us, had we got out any later we would have been done for!"

Naruto collapsed against the grass, too exhausted to think about the implications his inattentiveness could have cost him. Jiraiya jabbed him sharply in the ribs, jolting him out of his sleepy haze.

"C'mon, we're not out of the woods yet. Once they finish playing in my house they'll step up the search, we gotta get out of here before then. I'm not sure whether or not they will have blocked up the grates, but they'll find us quicker if we try to get out that way.

They've most likely got all the gates covered and I accidently blew in my escape hole when this mess started, I was only in the middle of clearing it out. We're going to have to get the guards out of the way somehow.

Let's check out the situation, then we can plan."

He pushed himself to his feet, waiting for Naruto to follow suit before leading them into the south west quarter of the village.

* * *

><p>The door wouldn't budge.<p>

Itachi pushed slightly harder against the smooth surface with the tips of his outstretched fingers, only to receive the same result.

He stepped back and considered the block of wood blocking his path. He didn't want to body slam it, in a situation like this it seemed quite likely that the door was in some way trapped, in which case, storming straight in could be quite deadly.

Best to send the people whose existence (or lack of) makes no difference in the grand scheme of things.

He turned to the nearest thug and turned on his terrifying Uchiha glare, which was very effective on untrained individuals (he had to use it sparingly on Kisame; the idiot was already developing an immunity)

"Break it down"

The man gulped loudly and hurried to comply with his order. He tested the door first with his shoulder, trying to judge the necessary amount of force before stepping back and preparing for the impact.

'_Well, what do you know? Some of them actually have brains…'_

He managed to re-focus on the present just as his thug barged into the door. Something heavy scraped across the floor on the other side and the man, not expecting the easy give, stumbled straight across the threshold.

All Itachi heard was a muffled '_twang_' and a thump, before his minion cried out and stumbled backwards, collapsing in a heap by Itachi's feet. He convulsed for a moment or two, his limbs jerking erratically until whatever poison had been used managed to shut down his system.

'_That was quick, I wonder what it was.'_

Itachi bent down and reached for the shaft sticking out from the middle of a muscled chest. With one, swift tug, he wrenched the bolt free, being careful to keep his skin away from the head. He tucked it into one of his external pockets; if he gave it to their scientists they might be able to reproduce the effects.

With a mental shrug, Itachi stepped aside and allowed his wary followers to step through the frame before him, he wasn't going to let himself get caught in any debilitating traps if he could help it; Kisame would never stop laughing at his for it. Not to mention, he couldn't leave Sasuke to fend for himself…

Itachi followed the men through the door when no unexpected shouts of surprise of pain could be heard from inside, pausing to scan the room before he went any further.

He was standing on a very bright orange '**Welcome Home!**' mat that he did not trust one bit, so he quickly side stepped off of it, onto the safer looking hardwood floor on his left.

He glanced around the room, spotting the wire running out from behind the open door; presumably attached to the door handle. He walked around it to get a better look, pulling the door towards himself sub-consciously as he did.

There was a small 'phut' then, with a sound not unlike a pistol shot, a small section of the wall to his left exploded in a shower of glitter and purple smoke.

Recognising the colour Itachi shouted out: "MASKS!" Before putting on his own filter and narrowing his eyes against the rapidly spreading smog.

The standard issue Akatsuki masks were akin to the covers worn by healers at the local Cross stations, except the ones in Cross stations didn't have four mesh layers coated with antitoxins for the most common gaseous poisons currently known.

Akatsuki members are also required to carry antidotes to a wide variety of less common poisons, gaseous or otherwise.

Itachi heard a yell and looked over at the unlucky fool who had fallen prey to the smoke, unable to get his mask on in time. The man hacked as the thick fog entered his lungs, cringing at the taste. A few moments later he let out a gasping chuckle before…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach and rolling here and there; thumping his legs against the wood as he howled with unwelcome laughter.

Itachi rolled his eyes and jabbed his thumb behind him, pointing towards the open door. Two of the men struggled with the third on the floor, trying to grab a hold of his flailing arms so that they could drag him out of the door. They were finally able to catch his wayward limbs and drag him towards the door.

As the man holding the right arm of the laughter stricken thug stepped onto the welcome mat, his legs suddenly seized up; as though he was trying to find purchase on the solid ground. The reason became clear not a moment later when the mat beneath his feet gave way, swinging down like it was on a hinge.

The thug disappeared with it, falling down into the new found hole.

A loud yell disappeared with him, turning into a faint gurgle as a splash of water drowned out his voice. Itachi waited to hear the movement of water that would signify his return to the surface, but all that could be heard was the rush of water. His nose crinkled up slightly as the smell of wastage wafted out from the hole.

Ah, the sewers.

As the mat rolled back into place Itachi allowed himself a moment of relief, glad that he had been smart enough to avoid the offensively coloured trap mat.

Returning to the present moment, Itachi wiped his sleeve across his face, trying to dry his face of the moisture that lingered on it from the drizzle outside. His clothes were soaked through though, so it didn't make much of a difference. His hand descended across his mask, which was also damp; could nothing stay dry today?

He gave it up as a lost cause and went to investigate the sudden appearance of the smoke and the activation of the sewage trap. The laughing thug had finally been hauled outside with careful avoidance of the mat, so the headache that had started to build up at his right temple drew back to a barely noticeable throb.

He would give _anything_ for a decent night's sleep…

Putting his desires aside for the moment, he bent down to examine the floor by the front door he had pulled aside previously. A small knot of wood stuck up from the smooth oak that made up the rest of the floor, slightly twisted with a noticeable seem from where it jutted out.

Bracing himself, he pushed down on it slightly, relaxing when no other reaction – save for the slight dissension of the knot – occurred. He crouched down to get a better look, wrinkling his nose in discomfort as his wet clothes bunched up in between his stomach and thighs.

He heard scuffling behind him as his remaining men drew closer to get a look. He was running out of patience and he really didn't need their input when it came to brain work so…

"Search the house."

His voice came out one tone below its normal level, a sign of his aggravation – not that anyone would notice. Kisame was the only one who- well, never mind that now.

"Watch out for anymore traps and take note of –but do not touch – anything of value. It's possible they're still hiding inside somewhere, so _carefully _check every cupboard."

When the small crowd had moved away, Itachi returned to the object of his scrutiny. He analysed the positioning of the chest of drawers that had been barring the door from inside the house. It had no legs, just a flat bottom. It must have been resting on the knob, holding it down, until his minion had flung it aside.

He then looked at the door. The underside was less than a centimetre from the floor, allowing it to keep the knot of wood in its hole. Really, the whole thing had happened entirely by chance. If the thug had used just a bit more pressure, the door would have swung straight over the trap and the gas would have been released whilst they were still outside.

A good smoke screen perhaps, if the target was still inside when they had reached the door. So it was still possible that the boy was hiding somewhere within the house… despite the logic, Itachi remained convinced that they would have no luck in this house; he simply could not rid himself of the slight tingling sensation running up the back of his neck.

It was as tough something bad and entirely unexpected were about to happen.

Although he had long ago learnt to never ignore his instincts, he could not risk possible claims of desertion that may follow him if he decided to walk out the door right then. He needed to keep his bosses convinced of his loyalty, he didn't want to risk Sasuke's safety…

Pushing his thoughts aside for the moment, Itachi moved his attention to the mat. It must have been activated by the same trigger, because it had been fine when he first stood on it. The movement of the door was the only thing that had changed between him being on the mat and his minion trying to cross it.

He would like to tear up the floor and find out how all of these things were connected; maybe Nagato would allow him some time when this night was over.

Now for the bolt.

That must have been caused by the opening of the door; an entirely different trigger. He stood back up and returned his attention to the door handle, where he had started. Sure enough, a length of thin wire was looped around the handle, hanging loosely as it led off around the room.

He traced it with his eyes, following it up to a small loop embedded in the wall on his right and then across to the wall opposite him, where it attached to the back of a – rather obvious – cross bow; mounted up near the ceiling.

The tension of the wire must have been holding back the string in place of the catch, loosing the bolt when the door had been opened and the tension disrupted.

Satisfied for the moment (and very impressed with whoever set up the complex traps) Itachi looked around the rest of the front room for anything of interest.

There was a niggling feeling in the back of his brain, as though he were missing something extremely obvious. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.

He was just looking around the room once more, trying to notice whatever abnormality was right in front of him when a pained shout rang out from somewhere below him.

Very slight creases in the invisible lines on his forehead announced his curiosity, as he swept into the adjacent room to discover the source of the offending noise; leaving the frustrating oddity behind him.

* * *

><p>Juusha sucked in a pained breath as he sat on the floor nursing his injured foot. He glanced around his current resting place, taking in what his eyes had missed in the dim light of the basement.<p>

Really, he should have been looking out for something like this, what with the happenings in the front room. Itachi-sama was so going to kill him for missing such an obvious trap, he should have kept his mouth shut and pretended nothing had happened.

Caltrops lined the stone floor all around him. He was currently sitting on the bottom step of a staircase leading down from – what looked to be a kitchen – into the basement. He had immediately walked forward and pushed his heel straight onto the spikey metal, the hole in the sole of his boot offering no protection against the penetration of the pointy object.

He had tried to get his boots replaced (or even _mended_!) before starting this job, but the shoe maker was refusing to issue him new ones and was too upset over his girlfriend running off with another man to fix them.

Therefore, Juusha had been forced out on the job with broken boots; obviously a bad idea. There was no way Itachi-sama would pause to listen to his excuses, so he would just have to grit his teeth, ignore the throbbing pain in his heel and get on with the job. Surely that was what Itachi-sama would do – if he ever got into this situation in the first place.

Juusha heard a noise on the staircase behind him. He stood up on his good foot, put on a brave face and turned around-

Just as Itachi hopped off the last step and landed straight on the caltrop Juusha had recently pulled out of his foot.

Juusha stared as Itachi froze, leaning on his left leg with his right hovering just above the stupid piece of metal, his hands hovering either side of his waist for balance.

Without moving his body, Itachi-sama turned his head to look Juusha straight in the eye.

"Any injury?"

His voice was completely monotonous, Juusha couldn't even begin to figure out what the man was thinking; was he in trouble?

"My foot sir, but nothing I can't handle! I can carry on, I swear!"

Juusha had heard nasty tails of useless soldiers; he didn't want to become an old story to scare the new recruits with.

Itachi lowered his arms, putting his elevated foot back on the ground, well clear of the spike. Juusha watched as one of the legends of their organisations (and Juusha's idol) glanced around the room, analysing all of the objects within with a penetrating red gaze.

No, wait. Itachi-sama's eyes were black – as black as the darkest night – why had he seen a flash of red beneath Itachi-sama's fringe as he searched the room?

It must have been because of the stories. Awe filled tales of the man who, with one glance, could take in and remember everything within his field of vision. Tales of how his eyes turned red when he fought, allowing him to predict and counter every move his opponent made – he never lost a fight. The scarlet glint was often at the heart of ghost stories told to children on rainy days to keep them in check, lest they be stolen away in the dead of night for their misbehaviour.

But that was impossible, no one could have red eyes; right?

* * *

><p>Shuuto cringed as he felt something move beneath his foot. He heard a quite noise from the bed, echoed from the bathroom and the room he had just left; Itachi-sama was <em>so<em> going to kill him…

* * *

><p>In the silence of the room, the quiet <em>'fsh<em>' of a fuse was very easy to hear. Juusha barely had time to think as Itachi-sama hurled himself away from the noise. Just as he was about to run up the stairs, a bright light filled his vision as the cupboard in the corner exploded in a flash of yellow.

He was thrown back by the shock wave towards the cellar wall. An ember from the explosion followed after him, landing on his cloak.

With a whoosh, his whole body lit up in flames. He writhed around on the floor where he had landed, forgetting about the pain of his broken femur in favour of putting out the fire that had begun to melt his flesh. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as the heat surrounded his face, burning off his hair in seconds.

He rolled on the cool, stone floor but that didn't seem to make any difference, the flames continued to lick away at his clothing, his skin. He never realised he could be in so much pain.

Eventually his brain became unable to handle the stress of the size and number of signals it was receiving. His struggles eventually died although the fire continued to ravage his body; his limbs still twitching minutely as his body shut down.

* * *

><p>Itachi glanced around the room, disregarding the man standing in-front of him with a determined twist on his lips and a pleading glint in his eyes. Itachi knew he would go on – <em>had <em>to go on, he would be killed otherwise; no mercy was shown to those who had passed their sell-by date.

He only had a hole in his foot anyway; he would be fine as long as it didn't get infected.

Making sure his foot was well clear of the spike he _hadn't_ stepped on; Itachi lowered his stance and continued to look for anything of interest. He was just about to head over to the very foreboding looking cupboard to his left when he heard it.

'_fsh' _

Having been in a similar situation before, Itachi leapt away from the noise – which sounded as though it had come from _inside_ the cabinet – only remembering the other man who had stood with him as he held his arms up to shield his eyes.

What was his name? Fuu-something?

It was too late to call out and warn the inexperienced thug, too late to protect him from the ensuing explosion that rocked the house.

Itachi was pushed flat against the wall he was using to brace himself, the one opposite the blasted cupboard and its explosives.

He managed to protect his head – mostly – he certainly didn't think he'd sustained a concussion. There was a loud crack next to him; he tried to get rid of the loud ringing in his ears as he turned to find the cause of the sound.

Lying in a heap on the floor with his leg bent at a very odd angle was the only thug who had thought the cellar was a good place to investigate. Itachi could congratulate him for having a brain - even if it hadn't led to the best outcome, shame he didn't know the guy's name (he never bothered learning who they were until they reached higher ranks, there were just too many underlings to remember).

Itachi was about to go over and help him up when he saw a stray ember from the explosion land on the man's winter cloak.

'_It's good his clothes are still damp from the rain, otherwise we'd have a fire to… eh?'_

His thoughts trailed off as the thug's body lit up in flames, adding to the heat of the inferno that raged where the cupboard had once stood. The man writhed on the floor, his broken leg swinging in and out of sickening positions as he tried to escape from the unbearable warmth that swamped his body from head to toe.

There was nothing to be done, an eruption like that could only mean one thing: gasoline. If _he_ was covered in gasoline that meant Itachi was likely to be as well, so there was no way that he could help the man screaming bloody murder at the ceiling.

He needed to get out before the slowly spreading fire caught up to him too.

The staircase had been completely obliterated by a collapse in the floor above that Itachi had only just noticed. The ceiling had caved in – likely the result of a similar explosion occurring upstairs.

'_If I ever find out who set that off… if anyone else even survived. If not then I won't have to think up new revenge methods'_

The old ones were boring both him and Kisame now; they really needed to find some inspiration for new scare tactics and torture devices.

He looked around for another exit, now that he had no way of reaching the front door he needed to find an alternative way out. He searched the limited space of the ruined cellar for an escape route, a house this trapped must have several hidden outlets for emergencies; whoever owned the place must be extremely paranoid.

Itachi resolved to congratulate them – _Before _Kisame put his sword through their chest this time – this house was surely the work of a genius.

He swept his gaze across the walls and down onto the floor, finally spotting the barely noticeable cracks running in a square between the giant stone blocks. There was no noticeable difference in colour, but Itachi hoped there was a difference in size… he did not want to try and lift several of those blocks by himself.

Sure enough, the image was only camouflage; a very well painted square of wood well hidden in the joins of the natural flooring.

He tried to lever open the door, frowning as it remained stuck to the ground. The heat of the room was getting slightly unbearable now as the fire spread to the crates in the corner, the crackle of the flames was loud in his ears and thick smoke was beginning to spread around the room.

His fingers ran over indents in the floor, holes with no obvious pattern just in front of his potential escape. Perhaps he needed some kind of key, something with points that he could press into the floor…

He had nothing on hand that would work and a quick glance around the room showed no obvious way of releasing the door, it was time to bring out the big guns then.

From within an outer pocket he withdrew a small ball of metal. He pouted at it for a moment before removing the pin, dropping it on the wood and retreating to the back of the cellar, one of the only places the fire had yet to reach.

He covered his eyes just in time to feel a small piece of wood fly into contact with his forearm. He quickly shed his cloak and threw it to the side not a moment too soon, the whole thing lit up before his eyes. He suppressed a shudder at the close shave and strode towards the dark hole in the floor.

"Oh for the love of-!"

A gruesome smell wafted out from below him. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting exactly but this hadn't made his list of possibilities. It should have, considering the events that had occurred earlier and the fat that he was already slightly buried under ground… but still!

Resigned to his fate Itachi closed his eyes, plugged his nose and stepped forward; falling the short distance into the sewer waters.

* * *

><p>They hurried through the streets, stopping to peer around corners and always listening for approaching footsteps. They had to modify their route here and there to avoid the occasional cloaked men who were often staring at the ground and muttering to themselves.<p>

The duo passed a few ladders propped against the sides of buildings, they had been there for as long as Naruto could remember and he knew the position of each and every one of them.

As they got closer to the south gate they encountered less and less hunters, not as comforting a thought as it should have been considering the Akatsuki should have had every exit very closely guarded by now.

They rounded a corner by a small – but well known – bakery, popular for its moist cakes and excellent combinations of savoury and sweet pastries that bled a delicious flavour into every corner of the mouth when ingested. A basket of washing had been left out on the corner, its contents completely soaked from the night's downpour.

The woman who left it out was going to get very upset in the morning, most people only had two or three sets of clothes to last them the week. They would have to wear their dirty clothes again the next day.

They finally got to the corner just before the buildings gave way to an open square in front of the gate. This was where the traders halted their wagons for a guard check – in case they were illegally transporting high class firepower or smuggling in long swords for the common folk.

Only guardsmen and the Akatsuki were allowed such weapons. If a traveller wished to defend themselves in the woods, they had to attain a permit from the village overseer before they were granted permission to carry anything larger than a dagger.

Jiraiya held his hand out to stop Naruto before he stepped out into the open (not that he was going to; he wasn't _that _stupid). They peeked round to look at the gate station, checking for any activity. The guards were sitting in their sheltered hut, which was open at the front and had windows all around so they could see anyone trying to creep past.

They had full view of the square.

Naruto strained his to catch any noise other than the sound of the guards playing poker in their boredom. The night seemed to have come to a standstill, the rain had stopped and the wind had died down; there was barely any movement around.

Despite that, he felt as though there were people all around; hiding in the shadows of the buildings. It was unnerving to feel this way.

He glanced at Jiraiya, searching for any confirmation of his thoughts. His godfather raised an eyebrow at his pensive expression and drew his forefinger up his left arm, signifying raised hairs to show he felt the same way. He then pointed to his ears.

Naruto frowned and faced forward once more, creasing his forehead in concentration as he allowed a trickle of his power to escape; further augmenting his hearing.

There it was – no, there. He could hear dripping from somewhere to the left of the square.

"Can you see their boots?"

Jiraiya asked him, staring off towards the guard hut.

"Their boots?" Naruto clarified

"Mmmmm…"

Receiving no further answer Naruto took that as a yes and returned to looking at the gate station. He focused in on the guard who currently seemed to be winning the card game, as he had just cocked his leg back so that his boot peeked out from the lining of his cloak.

Naruto raked his enhanced eyes up and down the leather but could not imagine what Jiraiya was looking for. Only one way to find out…

"They're black leather. Come up to mid-calf with a buckle around the ankle. Thick soles and they have a silver marking near the top."

He summed them up in a voice no louder than a whisper and turned back to Jiraiya, waiting.

"Can you see what the marking is?"

"Ummm…"

Naruto looked back once again, trying to focus his eyes in on the tiny symbol through the mist that had sprung up from the damp streets. He knew he had super vision but sheesh!

"I think it's some kind of spiral, maybe… and it's got little wiggly lines coming out from it. A bit like sun rays."

"Ah, thought so."

"What?"

"Didn't your father teach you anything kid?" Jiraiya turned his attention to Naruto and sighed, running a hand through his long hair.

"That's the symbol the Akatsuki use, it accompanies their stupid house rules that I really can't be asked to…

Jiraiya trailed off as he glanced at Naruto, who was standing there like an idiot bobbing his head up and down as he listened to the explanation, interest sparking in his blue eyes.

"The spiral is meant to symbolise their eternal commitment to the organisation, never betraying, never resigning."

He continued in a whisper with a roll of his eyes, reluctantly reciting the rules that were ingrained into the mind of every Akatsuki member like a prayer.

"Just like how, if you continue to halve a number it will never reach zero, a spiral also never ends. To leave he organisation is to give up living. If you try they will hunt you down. The lines show that all of their lives have led to this moment, this job.

In short the guards have been replaced and we need to figure out a way around them. Even if we try to run past the hut they're likely to have a bunch of guys waiting outside in ambush."

"Is there a sewage leak?"

Naruto inserted the question into the discussion when his Godfather took a break from his explanation which had dissolved into random mutterings at the end.

Jiraiya blinked, slightly thrown off by the unexpected query. He then frowned, thinking if he had heard any news of drainage problems.

"No, I don't think so. I haven't heard any complaints from this side of the village; why do you ask?"

Naruto frowned as he took a small sniff of the surrounding air, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the smell once again drifted under his nose.

"There's a really weird smell coming from somewhere around here… It's like someone's toilet just exploded or something…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I know this took a long while and I am very sorry for keeping you waiting. Exams are good and over (YAY!) and I have returned from a very relaxing holiday in Venice.

It took a long time to write this chapter as I kept trying to go at it when I was lacking in inspiration, so I had to keep going back and changing bits.

I tend to get the most ideas when I'm at work, obviously I can't write then and I'm too tired to do anything when I get back.

At any rate, excuses aside… it's out! And the next one shouldn't take as long. Please tell me what you think! I'm always interested in improving so if you find something that isn't quite right, or if you like it or if you don't – just say :D

Itachi's parts were especially hard, I kept thinking of funny things for him to say or do during such serious situations and I have been informed that it kind of ruins the mood. But there is lots of fun coming up in future when Kisame and Itachi finally re-unite.

I left it on a cliff-hanger, I know and I'm sorry. Read the next instalment to find out what happens!


	5. When Life Backs You into a Corner

So if anyone was confused about Jiraiya's house, here is the explanation. 1st, I think I made it nice and clear, but the gas was supposed to come out as soon as the door was opened. The fat that the door landed on the switch was purely accidental. 2nd, the mat is activated with the gas, so if the door hadn't stuck on the switch, first one across the threshold would have taken a dive.

3rd, the switch in the bedroom is linked to all the cupboards mentioned + the toilet + the stove. Stepping on the switched blew the whole house. Pretty sure I mentioned this, but the gasoline _was _in the smoke - which was laughing gas. The bolt used to kill the man who opened the door was primed in a cross bow. The part that pushes the bolt was connected to a wire that ran around the room and wrapped around the door handle.

The tension of the string held back the release. When the door was flung open, the wire fell slack and allowed the bolt to fly!

I think that's everything. If you need anything clarified, just ask.

* * *

><p><strong>When life backs you into a corner…<strong>

Itachi flung out his arm, searching for the ladder he had seen just before the current had dragged him under once again. He had missed several of these now, the water was just that bit too strong for his bulging muscles to resist. Maybe this time…!

His hand contacted the ladder hard and he pulled with all his might, letting out quiet grunts at the effort he was making. His fingers had gone numb from the long exposure to the freezing water – it was late autumn after all – and he could barely feel the metal under his tight grip.

He strained to pull the rest of his body towards the climb to freedom, but the water had already swept him too far past; his muscles were too worn out to counteract the flow.

With a short gasp he let go once more, dipping beneath the surface of the murky water and doing his best to keep his eyes and mouth shut. He could feel his body weakening to the point of exhaustion, and he knew that if he didn't find a way out soon, he would be just another MIA of the organisation (a sorely missed one of course).

He briefly wished that Kisame were down here with him, that man could swim like a shark and would have been able to get them up, no problem.

But alas, he was alone in this foul underground; and wishing for help was not going to get him anywhere. He pushed his arms and legs into action, propelling himself once more towards the poor excuse for air above. He drew in a deep breath of gross oxygen as his head broke the surface and opened his weary eyes.

Blurred though they were with droplets of sewage water, they were still able to make out the hazy outline of another ladder looming close ahead. He blinked rapidly to clear his sight, doing his best to float on the surface of the rushing water.

With the unfeeling mess his body had become he couldn't be sure, but had the strangest feeling that his legs were dragging along something. This belief was further amplified as his upper body began to lean forward, as though something were tilting him, making it more of a struggle for him to keep his head above the water.

He could see a lot better now, and was surprised to find himself drifting slowly towards the ladder he had spotted. Only now could he make out that it was set into a wall with two paths either side of it, causing the central tunnel to fork off in different directions.

He suddenly found himself coming to a stop, realising that the deep water he had been in previously had become very shallow, very quickly – either that, or he had lost some time along the way … somewhere...

He lay on his front for an indeterminable amount of time, his face to the right and only half of his mouth open for air – the other half was still immersed in water. His legs were numb, but he knew that if he wanted to survive then he would need to stand up and climb that damn ladder.

Why the hell couldn't they just have doors?!

Knowing that he had arms somewhere, he put all of his thought into contracting the muscles he couldn't feel, a brief moment of satisfaction flaring in his mind when his hands appeared in front of his face. It had been a while since he'd been this cold, but this certainly wasn't the first time he found himself in such a situation; albeit not in a sewer.

He slowly pushed his upper body off the ground, focusing on the positioning of his arms and increasing his power outage bit by bit, so that he didn't accidently flip himself over or flop back on the ground. It was hard to do without the right sensations from his biceps, but at least the muscles were still responsive.

As he hauled his body up, out of the water, painful tingles started to race up and down his body. His fingers were twitching from the sharp stabs running through them; he rubbed his hands together, trying to encourage some heat into the stiff digits.

As he slowly rose up onto shaky legs, his whole body began to shiver, and goose pimples broke out across his flesh once the surface had warmed up enough to realise it was cold. Not wanting to remain in the sewers much longer, but knowing he had to re-gain control of his muscles before attempting the climb, he took the time to slowly clench each muscle; holding the contraction for a few seconds before releasing it.

The attention allowed his muscles to warm up faster, reducing his shivers and giving him enough control over his body to feel safe on the metal rungs.

As he began his ascension, he briefly wondered where he would find himself when he was through the drain.

'_I hope it's not locked…'_

He lifted up a shaky hand to push at the covering, directing his dwindling strength into the arm. The cover wouldn't budge.

* * *

><p>Nagato wasn't entirely sure what he was doing back at the house. He had stationed his thugs at various points around each village gate – though most were sitting around the guard's quarters awaiting his instructions. <em>He <em>was waiting for Itachi to return, either to inform him of a successful capture or to tell him which direction the target had escaped in.

The latter would annoy him, but now he knew exactly who he was dealing with he expected the night to last a good while longer. At least they weren't chasing on a full-moon again, every time that happened they had to put several men down from infection.

Shaking the depressing thought aside, he continued to look around the up-stairs of the house. It had been searched already of course, but his view of 'valuable' tended to be slightly different from that of his employees. Naturally he would take money (it was for the good of the organisation after all) but he was far more interested in…

'_Ah, there it is_.'

He stepped around a knot in the floor – no doubt designed to bring something down on his face… ah yes, he could just about see the eggs now – and made his way cautiously to the thin cracks, only faintly visible against the dark blue wall making up one side of that _damn Namikaze's _bedroom.

This must be it.

They had been searching for Namikaze for nearly eleven years now, searching for the formula he had _stolen _from the organisation, before running off with that red-headed whore of his. The man had been their top scientist once, at the young age of 18. A true child genius, he had been searching tirelessly for a way to subdue the beasts that roamed their world.

Looking back on the long pages of research left by his predecessors had prompted him to abandon the search for a permanent cure to the disease. Instead, he began to look for a way of allowing the monsters to retain their human minds during the transformation; removing their desire to bite any living creature.

Namikaze had had to promise he would return to the original research after a specified amount of time with no breakthroughs, after their leader had threatened to throw him to the wolves due to the lack of results.

No one was entirely sure what happened to him. One day he'd announced that the formula was close to completion, the next – gone. Just like that.

His lab had been cleared and all of his preparation work and equations were gone. His assistants had no clue how to restart his investigation – though they had been trying ever since. Even Orochimaru, their new head scientist, had no clue how the blonde had even _started_; let alone how he could finish.

Now though, now he would be able to get his hands on the formula, and they would be much better equipped for fighting those abominations! His friend would be very happy indeed…

He ran his hands over the blank wall, his searching fingers catching faintly on the barely visible cracks. How on earth…

He took a step back, his eyes flicking back and forth over the wall as he looked for a way in. There didn't seem to be any hidden latches or notches, but there had to be a way to get through! The entire wall was devoid of any protrusions and the only knot he'd seen so far was the one to release the eggs (definitely a waste of good food, in his opinion).

Unless… maybe it was a double bluff, anyone trying to get through this door would attempt to avoid the eggs on the way in; perhaps to get one you had to suffer through the other? But the knot of wood in the floor was designed for unsuspecting idiots to step on, surely.

Unless he considered those looking for his formula to be too smart to get caught in the messy trap, but not clever enough to consider a dual snare.

Nagato considered himself a very clever man, perhaps not on par with a top scientist, but definitely more well versed in the art of tactics and strategies. He knew what Namikaze was up to now.

Just as he was turning away to re-examine the floor trap, his eyes caught a discrepancy in the wooden flooring. Not quite as outlandish as the knot, but a noticeable difference all the same.

He bent down to have a look, his cloak flaring out gracefully with the movement. Ah, _as he'd thought_. There were a few dents in the floor – about 5 – carved quite deep into the ground. The holes were too narrow for him to push his fingers into and were set out in a very specific pattern, like compass points with one hole marking the centre.

He sat back on his heels; his sharp eyes flitting about the room as he searched for an object – or several – that could act as a key for the strange lock. He really _had_ to find out how Namikaze did all of this; even he had never heard of such a lock.

He saw nothing useful in the room, but his mind seemed to be stuck on something outside… had he seen something similar?

'_Yes,' _he decided _'I have'_.

Upon his return to the house he had taken a walk around the back garden, weaving in and out of the burning torches left behind from the earlier commotion which allowed him to see clearly in the dark surroundings.

He had a habit of patrolling the outside of any building he needed to enter. Part of his paranoia, as it was.

Aside from the massive tree growing up the back, the garden had been pretty standard; the only object laying around in the unruly grass being a very smooth rock with unnatural protrusions.

He hadn't really noticed it at the time, seen it – yes – but not really noticed it. Thankfully, his brain filed away everything he saw and then some. Perhaps the rock was what he needed. It was possibly a bit far-fetched that a random rock was the key to a secret door, but knowing Namikaze as he did,

He acted upon his thoughts immediately, exiting the room with long, fast strides – taking care to avoid the egg trap. When he got outside he turned to the left, his memory guiding him towards the drain cover he could see nestled between two of the torches.

Just behind it, almost completely hidden in the long, thick stands of wet grass, the light grey edge of a rock met his searching gaze. It was unnaturally smooth and had two parallel grooves running down each side; almost like handles.

As he neared it he heard a soft thud coming from the drain. He stopped where he was, all of his muscles held taught and ready to fight – he would never flee. There was a soft groan (likely much louder on the other side) then a louder thud, as though whoever it was, was trying to break out.

Nagato trod silently towards the heavy metal cover, wondering whether or not it was worth seeing what idiot had got himself stuck in the sewers. Logically, it was likely to be either one of his men, or their target.

If it were the latter he wouldn't want to risk scaring them off, but he needed to find out somehow…

He knelt down in the grass – using his cloak to keep his trousers dry – and rested his hand on the thick Iron, thinking for a moment before firmly tapping out a pattern that simply meant: _'Report'_.

There was silence for a moment, before an answering pattern came from underneath him. He was thrown for a moment by all of the expletives that were being tapped to him, until he recognised the modified code that Itachi had worked out with Kisame, when the big guy had decided the original cipher was too polite.

Though the stoic man hardly ever swore out loud, his language could rival that of a sailors when he thought only Kisame was there to hear him. Nagato had happened to walk past once or twice when the two were creating the modifications, and thought it was in his best interests to listen in.

Although he only knew bits and pieces, it was enough to get the gist of what Itachi was saying. Nagato didn't think he was in the mood for reporting just yet.

He looked for a handle or groves on the surface that would allow him to pull up the cover, his brow creasing slightly in confusion when no obvious grips made themselves known to him.

He tapped out a '_Wait' _as he thought, receiving a _'Hurry up' _for his trouble. He sat back on his heels and drew the palms of his hands all the way across the centre of the grate and around the perimeter. He lifted an eyebrow when his fingers contacted deep groves on the concrete surrounding the metal.

'_This feels familiar…'_

He rose to his feet and stepped over the drain, bending to pick up the stone – turned – key. He examined it for a moment, noting the pattern and different lengths of the outcroppings, before turning back and matching it against the holes.

'_Perfect fit' _he thought, as he pushed down on the smooth top of the rock. There was a quiet grating sound followed by a click as the cover popped up in front of him. He dug his fingers under the rim and contracted his biceps, heaving the lid up and letting it fall with a cushioned squelch on the muddy ground.

His nose wrinkled without his consent as he was greeted with the strong smell of sewage and a dirty, wet head of black hair preceding Itachi's body, as he flopped over the rim of the manhole.

Nagato stepped back with the key as Itachi hauled himself out completely, allowing himself to flop carelessly onto the soft ground with a relieved sigh. Although he didn't show it, Nagato was surprised. Itachi rarely allowed himself to appear so defenceless in front of another – even Kisame didn't get the honour.

Though that could be because he constantly attempted to 'surprise attack' the man, with the constantly upgraded mechanisms of Samehada.

* * *

><p>"…then the whole house blew up. I can only think that the smoke was laced with gasoline, I know of no other way it could have gotten on to all of our clothes. To the best of my knowledge all of the others were killed in the blast."<p>

With the guard quarters located near to the targets house, Itachi had been able to nip over and grab a change of clothes. His body was now swathed in the standard uniform reserved for Konohan guards, minus the cloak. He didn't want any material that could get in the way of the fighting that was sure to come.

"I found a grate and blew it open; I had no choice but to go down. Due to the excess rain, the current in the sewers is very strong and I was unable to fight against it. The water ran thin at the last ladder – the one you found me at – so I was eventually able to pull myself up.

The boy wasn't at the house when we reached it, but I don't think we missed him by much. I'm not sure which direction they took but…"

Itachi trailed off as a memory from earlier flashed through his mind. His left eyebrow twitched.

"Unless Chub are well known for being flying fish, I believe they may have escaped down the river. They are likely headed towards the South gate."

He halted his movements and faced back the way they had come, towards the south. Beside him, Nagato also came to a halt, turning to face him with a slightly sceptical look creeping over his features.

"That river is very strong and very fast. You believe he could have survived it?"

"Perhaps not by himself, but we currently have no idea who is protecting him. Though I heard he was an old man… Well, supposedly middle aged, but he already has white hair."

Nagato was silent for a long moment, pondering the new information whilst beginning to walk back in the other direction. With no other thoughts as to where they may have gone, Itachi followed him; taking another large bite out of the chocolate bar he'd left in his room last night.

He needed to build his strength back up after all.

"Go there, take the rest of the men with you and _catch him_, Itachi. If you fail... you will be restrained in the white room. Your brother will man the desk."

Itachi managed to catch the shudder before it ran down his body. Sasuke... he couldn't do that to Sasuke, it wasn't an option.

"And Kisame won't be allowed to engage in his activities until you're out."

Failure… was out of the question.

* * *

><p>They hadn't shown up.<p>

Itachi was getting increasingly worried that they had picked the wrong gate. Either that, or their targets had managed to get out before reinforcements had shown up. He wouldn't be surprised; they'd had a head start on him after all…

He was currently stationed up on one of the rooftops with a group of men. He had placed the others at strategic points surrounding the tight alleyways lining the square. They all had very specific instructions and were prepared for the perfect ambush – provided they weren't already too late to put it into action.

He lay low, watching the streets for any sign of movement.

'_I will _not _be put in the white room__. Sasuke's mentality is frail enough already without being put at the controls again.'_

Whilst he could handle the ongoing torture, his brother had always struggled to do what was necessary without hurting himself as well. The fact that the men around him would either be run through or face public corporal punishment for 5 days barely even crossed his mind. There was a reason it was so hard to reach the upper ranks after all.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the barest whisper of sound; so sight he could have imagined it. But he had learnt long ago to trust his senses implicitly; this was something he couldn't ignore.

His eyes shifted to the source, searching the streets leading towards the gate on his left. The darkest hour of the night was swiftly approaching so without his torch it was hard to make out much detail. Nevertheless, he was able to see two dark blobs against the lighter colour of the wall, slowly making their way towards the large village exit.

He momentarily lost them as their movement ceased, but spotted them again as one stepped away from the wall slightly where the alley met the square, his silhouette visible in the open space.

He signalled to the man behind him to light up their torch. It was a small one, invisible to their targets due to the angle – the edge of the roof blocking their view – but within sight of the men stationed on the buildings around them. They would, in turn, signal the footmen and all would wait for Itachi to start the hunt.

It was time to go fishing.

* * *

><p>Naruto took a deep breath as he prepared for their next move. His heart beat was already elevated in anticipation; adrenaline coursing through his system as he waited anxiously for Jiraiya's signal. Stupid old hermit – he hadn't even told Naruto what the signal was, just: "You'll know it when you see it!"<p>

Helpful.

He had a sneaking suspicion it was something to do with the package Jiraiya had collected before they arrived at the gate, though. After they had recovered from almost drowning, the old man had led him on a winding route through part of the town; heading the wrong way for the south gate and refusing to answer any of Naruto's confused questions.

He had been left at the head of a dead end, whilst Jiraiya darted into the alley; re-appearing quickly with a brown paper package. Naruto tried to see where he had gotten it from, as the bulky bundle wasn't the slightest bit wet, but He had been hauled away and put back on track – towards the gate.

Now he had been left on his own to wait, bored and with strange shivers running up and down his spine. Was he being watched?

The feeling had been with him since he'd entered the street, refusing to go away (despite the fact that he could clearly see some guards positioned off to his left; they hadn't looked at him once). In fact, they hadn't glanced around even _once _since he'd been there… wasn't that what watchmen were supposed to do?

With no prior warning an explosion rocked the ground beneath his feet. He stumbled as brightly coloured sparks lit up the dull night sky, loud, resounding **'Boom'**s hammering into his ear drums.

'_He could have at least warned me!'_

He recovered his feet and took off at a sprint, running back up the alley and into the conjoining street, making his way around the square in the opposite direction to where the fireworks had been lit. Bright, loud and clear. Colourful too; Jiraiya's distractions were always the best (and the most obvious).

It was a topic his father and Godfather argued about constantly. Whilst his father maintained that: the best distraction was one where the target didn't even realise something was happening, Jiraiya believed that there was no point in a distraction if it wasn't noticed.

After watching them target each other several times (each using the others tactics when it suited them) Naruto had come to the conclusion that it depended on the situation. Both ways had their uses. In this kind of environment –where you needed to divert the attention of several people at once – a big, obvious distraction worked best.

He nodded mentally as he silently passed two hunters, staring at the commotion with wide eyed confusion; definitely the best. Had the situation been any different, he would have joined them.

As it was, he needed to relocate himself closer to the exit, where Jiraiya would meet up with him when he'd finished having fun. From there, they could sneak into the guard post and crawl into the tunnel Jiraiya had dug – once upon a time. If there was one thing the renowned pervert was good for, it was escape routes.

As he ran, he noticed that the horrible smell of sewage didn't seem to be going away. It seemed to be mingled in with the wind that was blowing from behind, along with the rich – and slightly bitter – smell of dark chocolate.

Chocolate… he'd smelt that before. When was it…?

He could hear shuffling up ahead, the sound of unpractised men trying to move quietly. It sounded like he was heading straight into an ambush, or so they thought. Luckily for him, the floor wasn't his only path.

Halfway down the street, he turned left into a dead end instead of continuing on around the corner; no ambush for him! He scurried up a ladder set into the wall, climbing towards the rooftops.

As he ascended, the smell of chocolate grew stronger. It was almost as though someone had left a bar on top of the houses, but surely no one else came up here? He had just reached the top rung when a memory of the afternoon drifted back to him.

It was when Hikaru had disobeyed him and run outside, wanting to play (not that Naruto could really blame him). When he'd finally persuaded his brother to get back inside, he had caught the faintest whiff of chocolate and gunpowder; the same gunpowder that had later exploded in his face. He wasn't going to get blown up again, was he?

As he stepped up onto the roof the scent brought up another memory, one from a few nights ago that triggered a connection he should have made before. That smell had been present when he's watched a fully grown wolf trussed up as though he were just a pup, too worn out to put up a proper fight.

The smell of sewage had completely masked the other scent when he'd been on the ground, but now it was there, good and clear. He twisted on his feet, not having to search far for the man who was _right behind him,_ only a roof top away. He was surrounded by a few others, all sneering at him – safe in there assumed superiority.

He didn't notice the object the raven haired man had been swinging round and round in his hand until he let loose, the rope hurtling towards Naruto's legs. Naruto, for all his mock fighting and preparation, was entirely _un-_prepared for the fear he felt as he face the object of several nightmares, and therefore failed to dodge the incoming projectile.

He was knocked clean off his feet, as the weights on either end of the rope twisted firmly around his ankles, pulling his legs tight together and sending his body flying with the force behind the throw. The pain of the fall jolted him out of his stunned stupor, allowing his brain to kick start into full throttle as his hands flew down to tug at his bonds, his panicked thoughts racing a mile a minute.

As his tormentor started jogging towards him, he realised that pulling was not going to help. He took a breath, put his brain into gear and picked up one of the weights, unwinding the trap. With all the adrenaline rushing through his veins, he was moving fast enough to unravel his restraints and jump up; just as the man cleared the gap between their two buildings. He immediately turned around and raced off, unsure of which direction he should head in. He couldn't lead these men to the meeting spot and ruin Jiraiya's plan.

Normally, werewolves could only access their animalistic traits on the night of the full moon – when they turned. In their human form they were naturally stronger than unbitten individuals, with heightened senses and a greater craving for meat. If a wolf had been slacking or had never bothered to train their body, then a trained human would be able to overcome them – especially if the wolf was still young.

Naruto, however, had the joy of shifting whenever he wanted to. His father had once told him it was due to the young age at which he had been bitten, which was also probably why he didn't lose his mind when he turned. After that, the man had muttered something about his mother and inconsiderate assholes, who had no right to be even _partially _human. Naruto had dropped the subject after that, leaving his father to his dark mutterings and depressing mood.

Jiraiya had told him to keep the information as close to the belt as possible:

"If they know what you can do, they'll cut you up and rummage around inside to find out why!" He'd once been told in an overly cheery tone. Just what a 7 year old needed to hear.

So, although he didn't really want to show off his ability to shift on a waning moon, he really needed the extra speed to get away from the stupidly well trained man; currently attempting to step on his heels.

He allowed a tiny bit of his power to bleed into his blood stream, gritting his teeth at the slight pain emanating from his lengthening nails and canines. If he put out too much, his eyes would turn red – another unusual trait, but he couldn't help being weird.

With the extra boost, he was able to kick some distance between himself and his pursuers just as he felt a hand rake across the material at his back. He quickly tore off the fastening on his cloak, allowing his arms to slip out of it as a fist closed around the hood, pulling the cloth from his body. At least now he didn't have to worry about getting too hot.

He cleared the gap to the next rooftop with ease, taking a step before planting his feet and twisting around; leaping back across the gap just as the hunter's feet left the edge. He had jumped diagonally to try and increase the distance between himself and his follower, finding the gap to be too small as a leg extended out before his own, tripping both of them. The man had used Naruto's legs as a way of twisting his body around, causing him to land facing the direction in which Naruto was now free falling. Naruto, on the other hand, was trying his best to keep from face planting the ground, crossing his hands and throwing them out in front of him; bracing his arms. He landed hard on his palms and immediately used the cross position to twist his body around, releasing the pressure on his wrists as he finished facing the man, sliding backward with the momentum and scraping most of the skin off his hands.

He winced at the sharp pain, not having much time to take care of it as the other men caught up. He ducked under a charge and dove around a punch, using his elbows where necessary to keep his hands from further harm. They had already started to heal, but still had a ways to go.

He threw himself forward, ramming his shoulder into the solar plexus of the man blocking his way and managing to create a hole in the disorganised huddle. He sprinted through it and headed back to the ladder he'd previously used, planning to return to his starting point and find a different way around. He only remembered the other players in the ambush when he found them crowded at the bottom of the ladder, blocking his escape route.

'_Curse him and his band of bull-headed baboons!' _

Disregarding that idea completely, he took a step back and jumped across to the next roof, heading in the direction of the – now exhausted – fireworks. He wasn't sure if Jiraiya would still be there but he didn't really have many options at the moment.

Behind him, he heard the man clear the gap he had just crossed, many more thudding footfalls warning him the others weren't far behind. For some reason, only the man leading the chase seemed well trained, the rest were only sub-par at best. In spite of the situation, he couldn't help but wonder why.

He groaned out loud as he raced across the flat stone, more men were climbing up in front and to his right – where the square sat. Where the hell did they all keep coming from?!

Since those ladders were now out of order, Naruto changed direction; heading off to his left where he knew a drain pipe diverted off of the gutter.

He was going to have to lose his pursuers within the twisted maze of streets below. On his home ground, _he_ had the advantage!

As he ran towards the edge, a loud "B4!" rang out from behind him. He was tempted to look back and see what was going on, but he couldn't allow himself to slow down; wanting to keep as far ahead of the hunter's as possible.

When he reached the drainage pipe he crouched down and swung his body off the side, grasping the plastic with both hands so that he hung from the wall. The pipe was crossed with metal bands that kept it bolted to the brick, which he used as he would the rungs of a ladder; clambering down to the floor.

He leapt back immediately as a larger body followed his own, practically sliding down the drain for all the steps he bothered to use.

Naruto cursed and twisted left – his right was blocked by a wall – racing to the end where a street ran perpendicular to his alley. He flew around the corner, heading right this time to try and get around to Jiraiya.

Too late, he realised his path was already blocked by at least five black cloaks; all sporting cocky grins on their shadowed faces. He slid to a stop and turned back, his feet freezing as the man smelling of chocolate stepped out, guarding his only other chance of escape.

For some reason, that man was the only one wearing the standard guard uniform; yet he was far too good for any guard Naruto had seen.

As he stood between the two groups, deliberating which would be easiest to get past ('_one really good fighter, or five… not so good ones?) _The man took a step towards him. Naruto took a step back in response, and then another as his pursuer continued stalking forwards.

The group behind him had also begun to drift forward, and he let out a curse as he realised he was about to become a Naruto sandwich.

'_Five it is then' _He thought as he twisted around once more, dashing towards the cloaked men who had crouched in preparation for his attack.

'_Perfect' _

He built up his momentum and darted to the left, swapping the cobbled floor for smooth brick wall. The man closest to him straightened up and reached out his hands, grabbing for Naruto's waist. Naruto slid through the middle of them, laying his hand down on the hooded skull and cartwheeling over his head.

His legs kicked into the chest of the second man standing behind the first, pushing him down in a flurry of brown material and a cough of air, escaping from bruised lungs.

He hopped off the body and ducked under grasping fingers; avoiding capture by a hair's breadth.

He tore down the rest of the street with wild abandon, skidding slightly as he tried to take the next corner without slowing down. He jumped over the washing basket he'd passed with Jiraiya when they had first snuck towards the square – unsuccessfully, he might add.

He smirked as he heard one of his followers trip over it, bringing another down with him.

He turned into another alley, once again scurrying up the ladder there and escaping onto the open roof top. He really needed some space right now.

He turned to look behind him, seeing how much of an advantage he'd managed to gain.

His eyes turned wide in shock and he ducked swiftly to avoid the right hook to his face. He rose back up in time to meet the front kick to his abdomen, letting out a gasp of air as he both heard and felt something crack.

He flew back with the force of it, hitting the ground hard and sliding backwards; stopping just before the tiled edge of the roof.

Hacking out a globule of blood, he gingerly pocked his damaged ribcage. The third rib from the bottom wasn't holding its position, but he didn't think it had punctured his lung, in spite of the blood. He didn't know how long broken ribs took to heal, but the skin on his hands had already grown back.

He painfully drew himself up onto his knees, looking up to see his attacker taking long strides towards him, an annoyed glint in his eye belying his stoic features.

Naruto groaned lightly. It was a bit far and it was going to hurt but, just like an injection, it was better than the alternative.

He flopped back down and rolled his body off of the roof.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya straightened and regarded the groaning men in front of him. They hadn't been able to snap out of their focus on Naruto fast enough to counter his attack, and now they had paid the price of inexperience.<p>

No one had seen him crouching on top of the roof, waiting for Naruto to climb up so that he could jump down between his godson and those blasted Akatsuki fools. One of them had been right on the kids heels, and he hadn't been able to stop him – for risk of revealing himself too early to the others.

Sadly, that one man looked to have the skill of an upper circle employee – which meant Naruto had little to no chance of escaping on his own.

He was half tempted to kill the men writhing at his feet, but he knew that they were just cannon fodder, easily replaced. He also didn't have the time.

Instead of following Naruto up the ladder, he ran past the alley and towards the corner of the building; he would meet them on the other side.

* * *

><p>Naruto hissed out a pained breath as he kept his fingers curled around the gutter, the position pulling on his injured side. He stabilised himself before pushing back, twist around as he descended towards the building opposite. He raked his palms across the rough brick, hands and feet digging into the wall until he let himself drop to the floor.<p>

He stumbled slightly as he landed, hands automatically clutching his side to try and alleviate some of the pain. He could tell it had started to heal, already the bone felt ore solid; more attached.

He began to move again, half limping towards the next corner. He made it only five paces before a hand gripped his elbow and pulled him back. When he was level with his raven haired attacker, a second hand wrapped around his neck and slammed him into the wall.

His head jerked back and cracked into the brick, red lights flashing across his eyes and leaving black spots to float around in his vision. He struggled to take in air, his head pounding as barely oxygenated blood rushed up; leaving his legs weak and shaking.

His hands automatically rose up to tug at the restriction around his airways, looking up to see black eyes boring into his own.

The hand loosened just enough to allow oxygen into his system. He gasped in the precious substance and stopped struggling for the moment; taking the time to recover his senses.

"Where is your companion?" His voice was alike to velvet, soft, yet sturdy; the tone and volume perfect for Naruto's aching skull.

Naruto stared into hard black irises, only a harsh rasping escaping his lips as he caught his breath.

The hand around his throat tightened again and the lips above him twitched.

Naruto's eyes burned as his air was slowly cut off once more, he struggled to keep back the moisture he could feel building up from his tear ducts. He would not let this man scare him, and he would _not_ talk.

He was lifted up, his toes barely touching the ground as the man held him aloft. The pitch eyes were no longer looking at him, focused instead on the actions of his second hand as he unhooked a band of metal from his belt. It was slim and circular, with a strange, bulky latch at the front that was currently undone.

The man looked back up to him and Naruto snarled, twisting his body and flailing his legs, trying to kick the guy where it hurt. Suddenly, his back left the wall, and an accelerated falling sensation overcame his body, his neck gripped in a choke hold. Pain flared again in his head and back as he was rammed into the floor.

Unconsciousness threatened to take a hold of him as the hand left his neck. He took in sharp pants of air as he felt legs straddling his chest, restricting his lung volume and causing his heart to thud painfully against his chest.

This time, he was unable to stop the water that leaked from the corners of his eyes, as the sensations of his body overwhelmed him. He had never been in so much pain.

"Stop… get - *hic* - get _off_ me" He was half sobbing by that point, unable to stop the outburst once it had started.

There wasn't even a twitch from the expressionless face above him, making him feel even more helpless as he cried.

Naruto struggled to see through his tears as both hands returned to his neck. He flinched away as cold metal touched his skin, but was unable to resist as a lock snapped under his chin.

He was only one step away from shifting. He couldn't hold it back much longer, but he couldn't let this man find out! He clenched his fists around lengthening nails and tried his best to keep his mouth closed. There was a snap as his rib immediately moved back into place, and he began to push his arms up against the thighs crushing them; using the strength coursing through him to push the man off his chest.

Before he could do much more, the weight on top of him shifted and rolled off, leaving Naruto staring into the clouded sky above.

A mane of white hair came into Naruto's view; he could honestly say he had never been more happy to see his godfather in his life.

Jiraiya came down hard on the grimacing man, short sword to hand and extreme rage written all over his face. There was no time for words as the two engaged in a very intense sword fight, the raven haired man procuring a pair of daggers from yet another pocket, hidden within the baggy uniform he wore..

Whilst the man was clearly very skilled, it seemed that Jiraiya had the upper hand in this fight. He was giving much more than he got, and the man was slowly forced to retreat back down to the previous corner, giving up ground as he tried to keep the sword away.

Naruto sat up slowly, taking deep breaths to calm his mind and reverse his partial transformation. He looked up just in time to see Jiraiya swipe his sword across their adversary's shoulder, blood soaking into his brown shirt. He twisted to the side, putting his injured arm behind him as he backed away.

Jiraiya seemed unwilling to pursue him too far. He stood between the man and Naruto, sword held deceptively low in both hands in spite of the confident aura he exuded.

The raven haired attacker took his eyes off Jiraiya for a _second_, sending a calculating gaze towards Naruto, who stared back with hate filled eyes; his fingers probing the collar about his neck.

Lightning fast, Jiraiya struck. His sword arced towards the right side of the man's ribcage, since the other side was turned away. The man brought his knives up hurriedly, barely managing to block the swift attack. The force broke his balance and sent him sprawling to the floor where he quickly rolled over to spare his injured shoulder. Before Jiraiya could go after him again, he jumped to his feet and dashed back up the street; speeding round the corner and out of sight.

Jiraiya stared after him for a moment until Naruto said, "He's gone, I think he's going back to the gate… though he said something about 'C5' to some others around the corner."

His godfather turned around and assessed him quietly, seemingly discarding the new information. His eyes roved all over Naruto's body, before coming to a stop on the collar that now adorned his neck.

"You ok kid?" He asked gruffly.

Naruto's hands were now tugging at his new necklace as he tried not to panic.

"Can we get it off?" A note of desperation bled into his voice, he felt so trapped.

The hope welling up in his chest in want of a favourable answer plummeted, as Jiraiya shook his head.

"It's … complicated. The lock is designed to hold up against fully grown werewolves, it's supposedly unbreakable. I've never been able to get my hands on one, so I haven't had a chance to examine the mechanism. What I really need to find is one that hasn't been closed, then I can poke around the inside and see what holds it together. I've heard that there _is_ a key – within the Akatsuki stronghold; just the one. We'll have to look into it…"

Although the odds of them getting their hands on it were little to none, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little better now he knew there was a chance.

"What we really need to be worried about is the control."

Jiraiya's eyes looked grave, and Naruto hesitated a little before asking, "Control?"

"Yes, the collar has an inbuilt electrical circuit; it acts a bit like a conductor. I heard it was something _Orochimaru_ –" he spat the name with distaste. "-came up with."

"Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya glanced down from his search of the alley to consider him for a moment.

"Nothing you need to worry about yet kid. You need to be more concerned with that control, like I said. It's a chunky square of metal with a few dials and a button. If they press the button, it will break the circuit and the electricity will flow into your body, giving you either a big or small shock; depending on the setting.

That's also why it would be dangerous to try and force the collar open – we'd break the circuit and get the same result. The key shuts off the electricity. "

Naruto glanced down and frowned, thinking. When the man had fallen over he'd heard something drop… like metal onto stone! He raked the ground behind the old man with his eyes, searching for… Yes!

He scrambled up and went after it.

"This! Is this it?" He asked excitedly, holding the small metal box up for Jiraiya to see. It had a small red button on the centre and two dials on either side, just like the man had described.

"Well, that's one thing we no longer have to worry about. Pass it here."

Naruto handed it over and watched as Jiraiya slammed the bottom of it against the wall; taking care to avoid the button. The box split open into two halves.

Jiraiya threw the underside to the floor and focused on the top half. There were several wires poking out the back – Jiraiya spent a minute playing around with them before letting out a triumphant: "Hah!"

He ripped one of them – a red one – out of its socket, Naruto cringing in expectation of a shock. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and looked back at Jiraiya – who was stowing the control into his pack.

"Is that it?"

"Mmhm, they won't be using _that _anymore." A smirk settled briefly on Jiraiya's face, before he turned serious again and looked around them.

"Right, I think it best if we stay on the ground for now; don't want them seeing us. Keep your ears open, we'll take a look at the square from the other direction, If it's not possible to get past then we'll have to think about using another gate. If we're still here by morning, our chances of getting out will be close to zero – they'll call in reinforcement soon, I'm sure."

Naruto nodded, his thoughts had taken a similar turn, and he briefly wondered if anyone was guarding his hole… It probably wasn't even worth thinking about.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aaaaand we have the next chapter. It felt a lot darker than the others, much less humour – though I could be wrong. Your thoughts?<strong>

**I hope I explained the happenings in Jiraiya's house adequately, if anyone is confused just ask (I drew out a house plan and everything). I feel like I didn't do Nagato any justice. He kind of lost his mysterious, '_I am the leader_' attitude. Oh well, you cant have everything!**

**You may think that itachi lost to easily there, but (although he acts older) he is only 16. Naruto sees him as a man because he is only 10, so itachi looks old to him. Jiraiya has kept up his training, and is very deadly because of it. Itachi still has a lot of training to do.**


End file.

Naruto, Adventure, Supernatural