"Kill me." Naruto uttered. Naruto wasn't bound, tied, gagged, chained, jailed or kept in any restraining equipment, and was even sitting in the forest with his captors, Kisame and Itachi, eating dinner. All three knew the reason - if Naruto did try to run, his legs would be chopped off by Kisame in an instant. Naruto had attempted to escape already, though the furtherest he got was less than a meter, and after the tenth time, Kisame threatened to chop off his legs. Kisame already had taken Naruto's sword off him, and carried it with his own, on his back. "You're not going to kill me are you?"
"I will after dinner." Kisame said, his mouth full of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Itachi muttered to Kisame, taking time to savour his noodles.
"I know I've asked, but when are you going to do something other than make me follow you?" Naruto asked. It had been a week, and while Naruto was in fear for the first couple of days, he was bored. All they ever did was walk, and all he ever did was walk with them. Sometimes Kisame would disappear to get supplies, but Itachi was always watching Naruto, making sure he never crossed the line.
"When we find no more need for you." Itachi replied simply. In the week they had had together, they had developed a strange hostage-captor relationship, in which they easily put up with each other, and few problems resulted in the outcome. Naruto of course had to get used to some of Kisame's and Itachi's strange mannerisms, such as Kisame's habit to slice things in half, usually trees and the occasional unlucky passer-by. Itachi on the other hand, had an unusual twitch that would happen when least expected, and would usually result in Itachi lighting something on fire. In one of the few conversations Itachi had with Naruto, he explained that the Sharingan had side-effects, in his case overusing its abilities resulted in an occasionaly leak into what he had copied from other people. He often meditated to keep his Sharingan under control, and rarely showed emotion.
"Right after you achieve world domination?" Naruto would've laughed, though he had to watch his tongue when around Itachi and Kisame.
"No." Itachi said, puting down his bowl of noodles.
"Itachi -" Kisame said, about to stop Itachi in explaining their plans.
"Do not worry, he needs to hear this for our plan to work." After that sentence, Naruto could feel himself leaning closer to Itachi, to see what he had to say. "You see Naruto, our plan does not involve anything to do with world domination. Because after all, answer me this - what do you get out of world domination?"
"Anything you want, I guess." Naruto said.
"You know we can already get whatever we want without having to go through the whole 'World Domination' plan." Itachi replied. "It's a waste of time, and there's no point. The Leader may be powerful, but his ideas are flawed. Once he captures all the bijuu's and achieves world domination, he'll still be left with the empty feeling he had in the beginning, besides that, everything around him will have gone crashing down."
"So, if it's not world domination that your after, what's your plan anyway?" Naruto asked.
"I told you before, right now, we can get whatever we want. But you see, if someone else succeeds in their plans of getting world domination, then it'll be harder for us to get what we want. Kisame and I originally left our villages for an easier life, we met up before we joined Akatsuki, and we joined Akatsuki because we thought it would gives us an easier life. Obviously, a bad mistake." Itachi said. "So our plan is simple, but hard to execute at the same time. Kill the Leader, and destroy Akatsuki and everything related to it."
"All for an easier life? That doesn't sound like a very valid reason." Naruto though out loud.
"We know. We're just telling you one of the reasons - just because we explained our plan, we're not going to tell you exactly why." Itachi said. "It might be revealed later though."
"Itachi, duck." Kisame stood up and held his sword up high. "We have some friends here."
- -
"I'm going after him." Kakashi said.
"You're not going after him." Jiraiya replied, "the ANBU team we sent has already gone missing!"
"That's because they don't know where to look, I do!" Kakashi said. "I can track Naruto!"
"I know you can, but whether you come back alive is another issue." Jiraiya said. "Along with that, a source related to the Akatsuki said that Naruto will be kept alive anyway. The best thing we can do to keep him alive is not to piss them off enough for them to kill him, or use him as a bargaining tool."
"That can't be the only solution." Kakashi, for once was frustrated. His normal calm demeanour was replaced with worry for a student he had a hand in teaching himself, and watched him grow along the way.
"You're not an ANBU anymore Kakashi, you can't go on a rescue mission, you have a genin team. You should be doing something more suited, like a retcon mission." Jiraiya said, as Kakashi took his subtle hint.
"Are you suggesting?" Kakashi asked.
"I'll trust your more reliable than Naruto in keeping his word about it just being a retcon mission? I have three rules to lay down first." Jiraiya replied, as Kakashi nodded, ready to do whatever Jiraiya wanted in order to rescue Naruto. "You still have Sasuke and Sakura to take care of, but Naruto's spot is missing - his spot needs to be filled. Along with that, one team won't be enough, even if it only is a retcon. So I suggest bringing another genin team, and along with that, you are to call the ANBU straight away if a need for backup arrives. I trust you have the device that sounds of the distress signal?"
"I do." Kakashi smiled under his mask. "I'll assemble the team and we will leave tomorrow morning."
"It will take more than a few days to reach them, so I suggest you and your teams be prepared." Jiraiya said.
"As you wish, Hokage-sama." Kakashi mocked, calling him the official title.
- -
"It seems you guys had to show off and capture the Kyuubi three years too early." A tall man with slick white hair, in the same Akatsuki cloak as Itachi and Kisame, carrying a large scythe aswell.
"Glad it's only you and Kakuzu, Hidan." Kisame said, returning to his former stance.
"Oh you shouldn't be." Kakuzu, who's eyes were the only part of his body visible, said. The rest of his body was covered by the Akatsuki cloak, and his head had a cloth wrapped around it. He carried no weapons, though Itachi knew he was dangerous. "You see, you already know that the amount you contribute to Akatsuki is the amount you recieve from the big picture when we succeed. And since the Kyuubi is of the highest importance, it is given the highest amount."
"What Kakuzu wants to say is," Hidan took over from his partner, "hand over the Kyuubi, Itachi, and let us have the glory this time instead of you two. Or of course we could have a long, bloody battle over it."
"That won't be necessary." Itachi said, Hidan almost smiling. "You see Hidan, the battle won't take that long. Naruto, it would be in your best interests to stay behind Kisame and I."
"Don't listen to him Kyuubi, come to us." Hidan said, licking his lips.
"Bunshin Daibakuha!" Naruto called, even though he didn't really like either groups, he preferred Itachi over Hidan. The exploding bunshin Naruto created caught Hidan off guard, and with that, the battle began.
"Sharingan!" Itachi activated his Sharingan as his eyes turned red.
"Suiton: Bakusui Shoha! (Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave)" Kisame called, as both he and Itachi simultaneously jumped in the air, and a rush of water came from his mouth, filling the entire area beneath him with water.
"I'll take freaky eyes, you take fish boy." Hidan said, as he drew back his scythe once more, and threw it towards Itachi once again, who easily deflected it.
"This should be fun." Kisame smirked, revealing his shark-teeth while he withdrew his sword.
"I guess you're in for a treat." Hidan grinned as he faced Itachi across the water. "I already finished my ritual. And as part of my religion, I'll take extra joy in killing you before grabbing the demon-brat."
"That is if you can catch me." Itachi replied, as Hidan charged towards him, wielding his scythe. Itachi lifted one arm and pointed a finger at Hidan, who continued in his path, ignoring the movement. "You should know me better, Hidan." In Hidan's eyes, Itachi's body split into a dozen raven's all soaring into the sky, as he had been immediately caught in the genjutsu.
"You're illusions can't fool me!" Hidan called as he threw his scythe upwards, where the ravens were reforming into Itachi.
"Really?" Itachi smiled, as he pointed upwards, and Hidan looked up to see a giant fireball descending. While Hidan was distracted by the fireball, Itachi slashed the rope connected to the scythe, breaking it and spiralling it down to the water.
"It's all an illusion..." Hidan told himself repeatedly.
"Is it?" Itachi asked, as his body split into the ravens once again. Hidan was proven correct when he confidently stood where the fireball was headed and it simple passed through him. "Very clever of you to face it head on." The raven's reformed into Itachi's body behind Hidan. Hidan turned around to see five fireballs rushing towards him from each side.
"I told you before, you can't trick me." Hidan said, but as soon as he could feel the heat of the fireballs coming towards him, he knew there was no escape. He could tell only two fireballs at most were real, whilst the others were just products of Itachi's genjutsu. He barely escaped the attacked, but became trapped in another one.
"Suiton: Suigadan. (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet)" Itachi called, as the water rose up underneath Hidan and attacked him, crushing him with its spike-like formation.
"You won't be able to kill me!" Hidan yelled, as the water engulphed him.
"So says the one that has obviously lost." Itachi dodged quickly, as Hidan jumped out of the water and towards him, holding a long pike. "Well look who's back from the dead."
"I already told you, I don't die." Hidan said, as he landed back on the water, facing Itachi. He rushed towards Itachi once again, who use Hidan's momentum to steal the pike from him, and continuously stabbed Hidan's body with it.
"Just because your immortal, doesn't mean you can't feel pain." Itachi said. The moment Hidan had turned up to look into Itachi's eyes was the moment that Hidan had lost the battle. Itachi's Sharingan began spinning as it changed into Mangekyo Sharingan, and he locked Hidan in his gaze. Naruto watched on from a distance, the glance was no longer than a minute, though Hidan came out a broken man. "Bunshin Daibakuha!" Itachi jumped back, summoning an exploding bunshin, and using it to explode on Hidan's paralyzed body, seperating his head from his body, and other limbs along with it. Itachi watched as Hidan's bodyparts sank, falling underwater.
"What did you do to him?" Naruto asked, as he watched in horror as the pieces of Hidan's body sank in the water. "Was it the same thing that you did to Karin?"
"Naruto, ever since I killed my entire clan," Itachi said, admitting to his misdeeds, "I have never killed a single person. I simply used the Sharingan to knock out Karin to fuel your anger. And I knew that I couldn't kill Hidan without using too much chakra, so I opted for the next option - destroying his mind so much so that he'll never be able to fully function again, and blowing his body to pieces, so he will never be able to reform. Currently, Kisame is doing the same thing." Naruto could feel the water underneath them shake, as Itachi deactivated his Sharingan.
"What was that?" Naruto asked.
"Kisame just won."
- -
It had been three days since Kakashi and his team had set off. Team 7, including Neji, who after coming out of hospital demanded to be on Naruto's rescue team, and Team 10, who was mostly influenced by Ino to join.
"Are we there yet?" Shikamaru sighed.
"His scent is stronger than before." Pakkun said, as he lead the team towardes Naruto. "Though as before, it is still weak."
"But still," Kakashi said, "we're getting closer."
- -
"What is the point of this?" Naruto asked once again, as he followed an exhausted Kisame and as always, the emotionless Itachi. "Bringing me along, killing your comrades. Why am I so important?"
"In three years, you will be hunted by the Akatsuki." Itachi stopped, as he spoke to Naruto. "They will come after you for the Kyuubi, as it is the last biju they must collect, for their plan to be fulfilled."
"And that plan is?" Naruto asked.
"Once the biju's are all collected, the power created when the sealing is released is catastrophic." Kisame replied. "Which is why at all costs, we have to make sure that you never get captured."
"So why don't you kill me?" Naruto asked. "Wouldn't that kill the biju as well?"
"We wish we could." Itachi said, pulling out a kunai, and stabbing Naruto in the arm.
"What was that for?!" Naruto yelled, but slowly saw the stab wound began healing itself. "So if you try to kill me, I'll heal myself every time?"
"Not every time - for as long as the Kyuubi chakra supports you. It would take more than one stab wound to kill you." Itachi replied.
"So technically, why am I following you guys? You can't do anything to me!" Naruto smiled, preparing to leave.
"As with Hidan, just because you'll heal if I stab you, doesn't mean you can't feel pain." Itachi said.
"And with Hidan and Kakuzu, what's going to happen to them?" Naruto asked. "Does this mean you'll be kicked out of Akatsuki?"
"Zetsu is on our side as well." Kisame explained. "Along with that, a Konoha team is on the way to pick you up in three days. And with the ANBU teams that have continuously pursuing us, we just told Zetsu to say that they were killed by Konoha."
"So we have three days." Itachi added. "Three days to make you able to protect yourself, before we have to return to Akatsuki, acting as if nothing ever happened.. And to give you this." Itachi produced a ring, much like the one he wore on his finger, except with a different symbol. "This is a ring used to communicate between Akatsuki. If anyone else tries to capture you, activating it with your chakra will call us."
"You're going to train me in three days?" Naruto asked. "So I can protect myself from people like you?"
"Only for the two minutes it will take for us to arrive." Kisame flashed his shark-like grin, as he withdrew both his and Naruto's sword. "Here's your sword back. Training starts now."
A/N: Useful bit of information - check my profile page for updates, it will usually say if my chapter release will be late or early or not. I decided to throw out a random idea of Itachi and Kisame training Naruto, from a past review someone gave me. Though I had to get a good enough reason as to why they would, and this idea popped up. Itachi and Kisame are going to take down Akatsuki, with some help of course.
So, before I continue, apologies for the late release and, I hope you enjoyed the total randomness of this chapter. Now I will say that I brought Hidan and Kakuzu in this chapter just so I could see Itachi fight. Though in rankings in Akatsuki, Itachi and Kisame are way above Hidan and Kakuzu. Now for the replies to the reviews.
uchiha-itachi-3434 : Well that little Hidan fight was just for you then :D.
Quathis : Probably from the ones Kidomaru shot at him?
DarkSyde24: Well next chapter though it doesn't seem like it, Itachi and Kisame will encounter Team 7+10.
crazy hippie of insanity : Thankyou! I was waiting for someone to correct me in case I got any errors in the story. Though I'll keep it like that cause it fits.
'til next time, which I hope will take shorter than this one did. Btw, new band, new chapter titles. This is the ending arc of part 1.