Tainted Blood of a Ninja

The journey to Konoha was a very silent one. At first it had bothered Kisame that his partner refused to talk unless it was useful to him in some way, but over the years, he got used to the silence. He had grown accustomed to walking in silence, thinking about their current mission or amusing himself by recalling various arguments between Deidara and Sasori over the true definition of art. Didn't they realize that art was like beauty? Its true definition depended on the person defining it. He adjusted his sword and continued walking alongside his shorter, more stoic partner.

Itachi had gathered enough information from an attendant in the previous town to know that the jinchuuriki had headed back to the Hidden Leaf village in the company of an older male. He also knew that his little brother was still there also. He thought of every possible outcome that would result should Sasuke find out that he was back in town. 'Of course, he will want to fight me...but four years isn't enough time to become strong enough.' He smirked behind the collar of his cloak. 'I'll remind him of that. Maybe even repeat the brief beating I gave him the last time I saw him.'

They finally reached the gates of Konoha with a light mist surrounding them. The guard there stepped forward preparing to stop them and ask questions, but Itachi looked at the man and he fell back, asleep. They both continued on into the village.

"Really. You'd think a village that had just been attacked would be a bit more secure." Kisame chuckled. This didn't get a response from Itachi.

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*Three hours later*

Sasuke wandered around the village looking for Kakashi. They were supposed to meet up to talk about something. It had been two hours since he had last seen the Jounin and even for Kakashi, that was abnormal. He resolved to just go by the man's apartment to see if he had gone there to read his stupid book. Sasuke scoffed as he turned and headed in that direction. He wouldn't put it past him to do such a thing.

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*In Kakashi's apartment*

Might Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai surrounded an unconscious Kakashi. Although they hid it well, Gai could tell that Asuma and Kurenai were slightly fatigued from their brief encounter with the Akatsuki members. Gai stared at Kakashi, thinking.

"Based on how they're acting, they haven't found Naruto yet." He murmured to no one in particular. He shifted a bit to get comfortable in his chair as Asuma stood on his right and Kurenai stood near the door close to his left. They all faced Kakashi, a hint of worry visible in each of their expressions.

Asuma nodded, acknowledging Gai's observation. "About that, isn't something funny? They were already in the village. It's easy to find Naruto in this village." He shifted and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He stuck one in his mouth, holding it between his lips, then returned the pack to its place in his vest. "Itachi already knows Naruto's face."

"Ssh." Gai held a finger up to his lips as the door opened and Sasuke appeared in the doorway.
Sasuke surveyed the scene with interest before he spoke, "Kakashi...why's Kakashi sleep? And why are Jounins gathered here? What happened?"

Gai closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest, "Nothing much happened."

Sasuke didn't buy this in the least bit. He was about to open his mouth to tell the green frog man this much when someone appeared in the doorway behind him, out of breath. "Is it true that the Itachi Uchiha came back? And he's after Naruto?" Sasuke turned around and looked at the man, not really seeing his face as his words took time to register in his head. Gai sighed and his head dropped, having a good idea as to what would happen next.

Kurenai covered her forehead with one hand. "Idiot."
'Itachi...here in Konoha?...What would he want with Naruto?' Sasuke felt something within him unlock as he stared, looking at nothing in particular. The hatred that he had kept bottled in for so long came spewing out, coating his skin and making it tingle. He felt himself grit his teeth hard and ball his fists up so tightly. 'No...I won't let him harm anyone else I care about.' Sasuke pushed past the man and ran back down the stairs.

Gai stood up slowly. "And why did things turn out like this?" He asked sarcastically, sending an accusing glance towards Ebisu.

"What? Did I say the wrong thing?" The man asked, utterly confused.

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Sasuke dashed through the village determined to find Naruto before his brother did. 'I have to find Naruto before he does or else...I won't let him hurt Naruto...I'll kill him this time...' His first thought was to check Naruto's apartment. There he ran into Sakura and Mitsukai who were leaving food for him.

"Where's Naruto?!" Sasuke demanded making both girls pause at his tone.

"I-I don't know. He's not here." Sakura stuttered. Sasuke promptly jumped and disappeared. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know...but I'll find out." Mitsukai muttered and ran after Sasuke. Sasuke noticed that he was being followed by his teammate but didn't care. He was on a mission. He stopped by Naruto's favorite ramen shop and asked if they had seen Naruto. The owner smiled.

"Yes, he just left here not too long ago with some old man with white hair. They were talking about leaving."

"Did they say where?" Sasuke pressed.

"My guess is the nearest town." The man shrugged. Sasuke turned and ran; Mitsukai close on his heels. She'd never seen this expression on his face. He was truly concerned.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Mitsukai ran alongside Sasuke. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye for a second.

"Naruto's in trouble. I have to find him before something bad happens." He closed his eyes for a second then opened them, "He's in danger, Mitsukai."

Mitsukai's eyes widened. "Danger?"

Sasuke didn't say anything else opting to instead keep running. Once they reached the small town outside of Konoha, Sasuke came to a complete stop. "Mitsukai, we'll have to split up to cover more ground. Do you remember what Jiraya looks like?"

Mitsukai nodded.

"If you find Naruto first, guard him with your life. Do you understand?"

Again, Mitsukai nodded. Sasuke immediately turned and ran to the left leaving Mitsukai to keep going forward. 'I wonder what's going on. I've never seen Sasuke act this way before. He actually cares about Naruto and obviously wants to protect him...Then I must do the same.'

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Naruto heard a faint knock on the hotel room door. Hopefully room service had brought the extra pillows he requested so that he and his clones could have a proper pillow fight. After all, Jiraya had ditched him for some girl.

He swung the door open and froze...Two men wearing black cloaks with red clouds stood just outside the door. One of them was extremely taller than the other and resembled a shark; his skin was even blue. These guys weren't with room service.

The blue man studied Naruto carefully then grunted. "It's hard to believe that a child carries the Nine Tailed Fox."

Naruto's eyes widened with surprise. 'How does he know about the Nine Tailed Fox?'

The shorter raven haired man looked down at Naruto with red eyes...that vaguely reminded him of someone. "Naruto, you're coming with us."

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Sasuke dashed from hotel to hotel, restaurant to restaurant, becoming more anxious with each step. He asked every owner or attendant if they had seen a tall white haired man and a loud blonde obnoxious boy about his age. They all shook their heads no. He hoped that Mitsukai was having better luck than he was at the moment."It's him...he's here." Sasuke muttered to himself, definitely sensing his brother nearby.

~Flashback~
Sasuke went into the kitchen where his mother was preparing his lunch to take with him to school. He went to his usual spot and sat down adjacent to his father, who was silently drinking his morning coffee. Sasuke looked at him, recalling that Fugaku had told him a little over a week ago to stop following his older brother around. As a result, Itachi became distant.

"Father," Sasuke found a spot on the table to stare at while he continued to speak, "Brother never wants to watch over me anymore...why is that?"

The man sighed and sat up a little straighter. "Itachi has always been a little strange. He has a hard time dropping his guard around other people and letting them in."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke finally brought his eyes up to his father.

"I have a hard time reading him...and I'm the boy's father."
Sasuke stared at him. 'Is that his way of saying he doesn't know?' Mikoto handed Sasuke his lunchbox. He corrected her telling her that he would be training late that day then dashed out the door...not knowing that that would be the last time he'd see his family alive.
~End

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Mitsukai jumped from roof top to roof top, searching the crowded streets below her. 'How hard can it be to find a huge old white haired fart? It isn't like he--' She stopped so abruptly that she nearly lost her balance and would have fallen off the building. Jiraya was standing next to a beautiful raven haired woman who clung to him, as forced smile plastered across her face. Mitsukai felt strange looking at her; she'd never seen a woman happy and in Jiraya's company. In fact, she'd never seen a woman with Jiraya at all...

She jumped down and tapped Jiraya on his arm. He stopped chuckling and turned to see who had interrupted his blissful moment. "Oh, Mitsukai? What are you doing here? Never mind that, can you just come back a little later?" He then turned her around and gently pushed her away.

"But--"

"No 'buts'. Can't you see I'm with someone? It's rude to talk while grown-ups are talking." He waved a finger at her.

Mitsukai looked at him strangely. "She looks like she's my age...Now I see why Naruto calls you Pervey Sage."

Jiraya's eyes shot open and his hand covered her mouth then dragged her away from his "friend". He held her by her shoulders. His voice was a lethal whisper, "I swear you had better want something worth my time, kid! She's hot! And young! Don't ruin this for me!"

"Sasuke says Naruto's in danger. I was supposed to find you two and let you know...where's Naruto?" Mitsukai looked around. The smells from the surrounding restaurants threw off her chances of picking up any foreign scents. However, one particular scent that she couldn't identify yet somehow just knew lingered on Jiraya's company. Mitsukai stared at the girl and noticed a slight haze in front of the girl's eyes. 'A Genjutsu!'

"What do you mean he's in danger? I left him back at the hotel room--" Mitsukai ignored him as she went around him. She held up her index and middle finger to make the tiger sign then poked the girl in the arm.

"Release!" She said and instantly the girl's eyes closed as she began to fall unconscious. Jiraya caught her and looked up at Mitsukai, eyes watering up.

"What did you do that for?" He pouted. If Mitsukai hadn't been wearing her mask, he would have been able to see the fully disturbed look on her face.

"Did you cast that jutsu on her?" She asked pointedly.

"Wha-what?! No! Jiraya the toad sage doesn't need to force the women to want to be around him. They come--"

Mitsukai waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you didn't, then who did?"

Jiraya paused as it dawned on him what Mitsukai was getting at. He put the girl over his shoulder and stood. "You said that Naruto's in danger. I assume that someone's after him?"

"Sasuke didn't say...Master Jiraya, I've never seen him look so concerned before. What's going on?" She asked.

Jiraya was silent for a moment then turned. "I'll have to tell you along the way. Right now, every second is vital."

Mitsukai watched in awe as the man leapt up onto the roof of the building parallel to the one they were in. 'He moves pretty good for an old man.'

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Naruto stared at Itachi and Kisame, fear paralyzing him.

"Let's go outside." Itachi suggested taking a step back.

Naruto felt himself moving with him, stepping out into the hallway. 'These guys aren't just chumps.'

Kisame studied Naruto. "Hm...Itachi, it would be annoying if he moved around. Perhaps we should cut off a leg or two."

Naruto gasped, shocked. "W-what did he say?"

Normally if Itachi disagreed with Kisame he would say something. However, Itachi didn't say anything. Kisame's lips formed an evil smirk as he took a step forward, hand on the handle of his Sharkskin. "Then I shall."

"It's been a long time." A familiar voice said from behind the men.

Itachi smirked behind the collar of his cloak. 'I was beginning to wonder how long it would take him to get here...' "Sasuke."

Sasuke stared at his brother's back. "Itachi Uchiha."

Naruto switched his gaze from Sasuke to the man in front of him. 'Itachi Uchiha? An Uchiha like Sasuke?...So that's why he looked familiar!'

Kisame turned slightly to get a better look at the boy. "The Sharingan...and he's very familiar to you. Who is he?" Kisame looked at Itachi.

Itachi was secretly pleased with how this was turning out. 'By the sound of his voice, he's finally adopted the notorious Uchiha arrogance. Well then, it won't be hard to piss him off.' "My little brother." He answered sounding bored by the question.

'His little brother? Then that explains why he wanted to come back to his former village.' Kisame looked back at Sasuke but continued to speak to Itachi. "I heard the entire Uchiha clan was killed...by you."

Sasuke noticed that even the fish man had directed his attention to Sasuke but his brother was still facing Naruto. 'The coward can't even face me!' "Itachi Uchiha! I'm going to kill you!"

Itachi swallowed the tiny chuckle that threatened to ruin his calmness. 'If only he knew how stupid that sounded. A hamster wouldn't have even been slightly afraid of that empty threat.'

Naruto looked at Itachi. He remembered when Sasuke first mentioned to Kakashi that there was a certain man that he wanted to kill and when he was holding Sasuke in his arms during the fight with Zabuza and Haku. 'This is the guy Sasuke wants to kill?'

Itachi closed his eyes and took his time turning around to face his baby brother. Sasuke saw him move and closed his eyes too, preparing to look into the eyes of a cold-blooded murderer. They opened their eyes at the same time, both revealing their Kekkei Genkai trait.

Sasuke felt rage boil his blood as he slowly lost his ability to think rationally; his rage began to take over him. "Like you said, I hated you...detested you..." Images from the night his family was murdered by the monster in front of him claiming to be his brother flashed in his mind, adding fuel to the fire that was his anger. He concentrated his chakra into his left hand as the Chidori began to form and the sound of a thousand birds reached their ears. "And just to kill you, I've...I've survived!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped; this was the first time he'd gotten the chance to see Sasuke's new jutsu.

"Chidori?" Itachi asked in an "are you serious" tone although he was impressed that his brother was able to perform a jutsu that was related to their dark past.

"I'm going to kill you!" Sasuke yelled.

Itachi inwardly sighed. 'I wish he'd quit telling me what he's "going" to do and just try it already. The Sage will be back soon.'

Sasuke smashed his Chidori into the wall and charged at Itachi at a fairly fast pace. "Die!!!!" He yelled.

Itachi frowned slightly and knocked Sasuke's arm away and a brief strong wind blew the Chidori towards the wall and created a giant hole where Naruto's room had once been. Itachi quickly grabbed Sasuke's wrist. It was the first time Itachi had touched the boy since the last time he poked him in the forehead right before leaving Konoha. The chakra crackled until it died down and faded.

"What happened?" Naruto whispered to himself. "Sasuke's technique was easily avoided..." Itachi began to bend Sasuke's wrist at an odd angle, and Sasuke grunted uncomfortably. "Not good..." Naruto made the tiger sign to summon the Kyuubi's chakra. "I have to do something!"

Naruto was soon surrounded by the swirling red chakra and Kisame looked at him with interest. "His chakra is filling up the space. I see, this is the Nine Tail's chakra."

Itachi looked at the anger in his brother's eyes. Yes, there was certainly a good amount of hatred in them for him. Unfortunately, Sasuke was still attached to his emotions and the fun had to end. "Enough." Itachi barely moved his own wrist and the sound of bone snapping followed.

Sasuke screamed out in pain then fell to the floor laying flat on his stomach.

"Sasuke!" Naruto looked at his fallen teammate. "That's it. Ninja art summoning jutsu--"

"Too late." Kisame said as he swung his sword, and all of Naruto's chakra disappeared.

Naruto suddenly felt empty. "Hey, I can't feel my chakra. Come on, come on." He tried to summon his chakra again. "What the heck is going on?!"

Kisame chuckled at the kid's stupidity. "Sorry, kid. My blade Sharkskin cuts through chakra and devours it." Kisame looked over his shoulder at Itachi who was looking down at his brother. "We don't need the hassle of this kid whipping out any more jutsu. Forget the legs, maybe I ought to start off with those arms of his." Kisame leveled the blade at the blonde boy.

Upon hearing this, Naruto tried even harder to summon his chakra. "Why isn't it coming?!"

"You're wasting your time." Kisame raised his blade and prepared to swing.

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"We're almost there, Mitsukai." Jiraya looked over his shoulder at the silver haired girl whose deep blue eyes now reflected worry. "It'll all be alright. I promise."

Mitsukai nodded but didn't believe him. Instincts told her that after today, her peaceful stay in the Hidden Village would come to an abrupt end.

"Mitsukai, hold onto me." Jiraya ordered and she grabbed his shirt in both hands tightly. He held up his hands and performed several hand signs then touched the ground with the palm of his hand. "Ninja art summoning jutsu!"

An orange frog about Mitsukai's height appeared. "Go find Naruto and protect him until I get there." Jiraya ordered. The frog nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now for us. Hold on tight." Jiraya performed some more hand signs and they too disappeared in a puff of smoke.

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Itachi stared at Naruto while Sasuke shivered on the floor. His body was beginning to get cold and numb from the broken bone and if he didn't watch it, he was sure to go into shock. Sasuke looked up in time to see Kisame bring his sword down forcefully.

"What the--?" Kisame stared in disbelief as an orange frog dressed as a ninja held its arms up, blocking his hit. Smoke appeared and a man's voice rang out.

"You two don't know me at all, do you? You should've done your homework. Jiraya the toad sage falls victim to no woman's charm. Rare beauties drop for me like blossoms..." Jiraya stuck his chest out and continued to boast. Naruto stared at the man in disbelief while Mitsukai contemplated covering up her face entirely with her mask, eyes included. Then she remembered that there was danger present and surveyed the scene before her. The first thing she saw was Sasuke lying on the ground...wrist apparently broken. 'Sasuke.'

"...storm." Mitsukai ducked just in time to avoid Jiraya's swinging arm. She took a few steps to her right to give him room to do whatever he wanted without accidentally hurting her. He continued to talk so she returned her attention to Sasuke. However, this time, due to her new position, she didn't see Sasuke; she saw a very familiar face. The black cloaks with red clouds, headbands with the single line drawn through the village emblem...She could feel pieces of her memory become clearer at a faster rate than when she tried to force it on the bridge with Kakashi and Jiraya.

"The Akatsuki." She whispered, recalling hearing one of its members say its name in front of her. At the moment, the fish-headed man didn't seem familiar to her...but other did. He looked just like Sasuke, except older. As her eyes studied his face, mentally pieces of her memory sorted itself. She remembered a blonde guy fighting the man in front of her...and losing. 'I had to save that guy from killing himself. He meant a lot to me.' That person's name eluded her at the moment. She looked at the raven haired man's eyes. 'Just like Sasuke's...I've seen them before.'

"...the ladies worship at your awesomeness!!!" Jiraya struck another pose.

"'Awesomeness'? Is that even a word?" Mitsukai asked herself out loud though no one else heard her.

Everyone stared at the man as if he were insane.

Naruto finally snapped out of his stupor and began ranting. "Aw, don't gimme that. One wink from a pretty girl and you turned into a mountain of mush. You fell for it like a ton of bricks, Pervey Sage!" He folded his arms across his chest.

Jiraya let out an embarrassed chuckle and rubbed his head, "I really wish you wouldn't call me that in front of other people."

This earned more blank stares from the other four people watching their exchange.

Naruto lost it. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WE'VE GOT WORSE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT OTHER THAN WHAT THESE PEOPLE THINK OF YOU! GET WITH IT, PERVEY SAGE!" Naruto pointed at Kisame and Itachi.

"DIDN'T I JUST ASK YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT?!" Jiraya stepped forward ready to strangle the kid himself. Mitsukai bowed her head, ashamed to say that she had arrived there with one of them and was the other's teammate. Just...ashamed.

Itachi continued to stare, not knowing what to think of the scene. Kisame chuckled. Mitsukai noted that she would too if the situation beyond Naruto and Jiraya weren't so serious; these two were a joke.

"Whatever name you go by, Master Jiraya, I must say you're something of a disappointment..." He continued to speak but Mitsukai didn't hear him. For the first time, the other man looked directly at her. She held his gaze for as long as she could stand to, but the minute she felt herself get sleepy, she looked away.

Itachi studied the girl. She looked very familiar...but it couldn't be her. Instead, Itachi figured it would be best if the girl was unconscious while he and Kisame handled Naruto and Jiraya...the last thing they would need is interferance. However, she didn't hold his gaze long enough for him to cast the Genjutsu on her. She instinctively looked away, as if knowing what he was trying to do. His eyebrow rose with curiosity. 'Who is she?'

"Whaaaa?! You already know who he is?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

"Uhhh..." Jiraya smiled nervously, "Don't be fooled by appearances or anything this squirt might say."

Kisame noticed the girl draped over Jiraya's shoulder. "So, you somehow managed to release the Genjutsu we cast on her, eh?"

Jiraya looked directly at Itachi, knowing exactly who had casted the jutsu. He walked over to Mitsukai and put the girl down, propping her up on the wall. "What kind of a coward would do something like that? Using his Sharingan to inflict an illusion jutsu on an innocent woman, all in order to separate Naruto and me." He then stood straight. He laid a hand on the top of Mitsukai's head, silently thanking her.

Naruto's jaw dropped. 'To...to separate us? But why?'

Jiraya looked at Itachi. "I know that he's the one you're really after."

Itachi paused. He remembered during his brief fight with the Konoha Jounins, Kakashi had told them he knew the name of their organization and that they were after Naruto. "That explains how Kakashi knew. Now I understand...he learned it from you." Itachi briefly closed his eyes then opened them. "You're right. Naruto is the prize that the Akatsuki are after...and we will have him."

Naruto's eyes widened with panic. "Wha-what's going on?" The frog disappeared, leaving Naruto vulnerable to Kisame once again.

"No way you're getting Naruto." Jiraya stated evenly. Mitsukai nodded and stood next to Jiraya. This time both of the Akatsuki members looked at her. The first thing Kisame noticed was the tattoo on her left leg: the dragon surrounded by the five elements that wound up her leg. He blinked several times to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"We'll see about that."

"Actually, this is all very convenient. I can eliminate you both at the same time."

"Stay out of this!"

"Huh?" Naruto's attention snapped back to Sasuke, who had been lying on the floor this whole time. Mitsukai watched as Sasuke struggled to his feet and looked up at the man in front of him.

"The only one who's going to eliminate him...is me!"

"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered.

Jiraya stared at the younger Uchiha with concern. Then it came to him. "Of course. Revenge."

Itachi and Kisame looked over their shoulders at the boy.

Itachi looked down at the weakened child. 'If I had the time, I would allow him to humor me with this pitiful display of determination. But we have a mission to keep to. Besides, I know it would piss him off more than anything else to just dismiss him like father used to do.' "Go away. You don't interest me at the moment."

Sasuke's blood boiled and steam almost literally came out of his ears. 'He comes back just to take Naruto, who isn't special in any kind of way, and ignore me, the person he left as an orphan and told to get stronger just so that I can kill him later? He's officially gone crazy and it's time to end this.' Sasuke balled his fist up and swung. "WELL, GET INTERESTED!"

Itachi smirked behind his cloak collar. 'Bingo.' Itachi lifted his leg and kicked Sasuke in the chest. Mitsukai watched in horror as her teammate was sent flying down the hall, where he crashed into the wall, and slid down to a sitting position.

She took a step forward but Jiraya held out his hand. His eyes relayed one simple message. 'Don't call attention to yourself.'

She couldn't understand why he would want her to stand by and do nothing, yet she obeyed him since he obviously knew more about the potential danger than she did. It was foolish to run into any battle and not know what your opponent was capable of. She looked at Sasuke. 'Sasuke, you were the one to tell me that. Why aren't you following your own advice now? You're letting your emotions overshadow your ability to think rationally. Your emotions...are making you weak.'

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto yelled, getting angry. Sasuke began to fall over on his side. "Why you lousy--"

"No, Naruto! Don't butt in. Mind your own business." Sasuke panted.

Mitsukai sighed inwardly. 'Oh, boy. Here's comes another classic example of Team 7's definition of teamwork. He thinks he can handle this all on his own...'

"I've told you before..." Sasuke stood with a pained effort. Itachi looked at him. "I've lived my whole life for this day, this moment...THIS FIGHT IS MINE!!!" An image of Itachi standing over their dead parent's bodies flashed through his mind and Sasuke launched himself back down the hall at his brother. Itachi didn't even bother to be offensive this time. He merely blocked the pathetic punch with his left hand and used his right hand to backhand the boy, once again sending him flying back down the hall spinning in mid-air.

Mitsukai cringed when she heard the sickening thud of Sasuke's body hitting the wall and then the floor. She had to admit, however, that Sasuke had a nice ballerina spin.

"Sasuke..." Naruto couldn't stand to watch his teammate taking such a beating. He looked over at Mitsukai and saw that she felt the same way.

"Not...finished..." Sasuke gasped trying to control his labored breaths. He tried to lift his left hand to make the signs for the Fireball jutsu but he couldn't even feel his arm at that point.

Itachi was beginning to get annoyed. 'He can't even manage to make the hand sign. This is costing us time that we do not have. Our chances of grabbing the Kyuubi at this point are null. I might as well give him the fight that he's craving so badly.'

"This fight is mine." Sasuke willed his body to move, to stand up and face that monster.

There were very rare instances where Itachi failed a mission...and whenever he did, someone always paid dearly. He narrowed his eyes. "So be it."

Jiraya heard the slight hint of anger in Itachi's voice and started to step forward to intervene but Kisame stopped him. "You heard him, old man. This fight is none of our business. Let's let the two of them sort it out."

Mitsukai watched as Sasuke's target turned and began to walk towards him. By now, her mind was screaming at her to do something. Part of her just knew that if she didn't, Sasuke wouldn't walk out of here.

Sasuke noticed his brother was close to him and jumped to his feet and prepared to swing. "NOW FINALLY--" But he was cut off by a swift knee to his stomach which caused him to double over in pain. 'How?' Itachi drove his elbow down hard and hit a spot near the base of Sasuke's skull causing lights of every color of the rainbow to flash before his eyes. Down the hall, he saw Naruto and Mitsukai watching with pained expressions. Itachi's knee connected with Sasuke's jaw and intense waves of pain pulsed from that area. The force of the blow knocked Sasuke straight up and Itachi seized the opportunity to punch him in the stomach, just like he had the night of the massacre. Felt the wall attempt to give him cushion but being pinned between its hard surface and Itachi's powerful punch did little for him. Very little. 'All of these years...and nothing has changed. How can it be?' Itachi pulled back and allowed his sibling to fall to the floor.

Mitsukai watched the brutal beating and felt herself become angry. No one deserved such treatment...especially someone she had grown to care for like she did Sasuke. In her eyes, he was her little brother. In fact, in the short amount of time she had thus far spent with her team, she saw all of them as her family. Her hands balled up into fists. 'And no one harms my family.'

Itachi reached down and picked up Sasuke by his shirt, pinning him to the wall by his throat. "You're still weak." Itachi's voice was cold and barely a whisper, yet Sasuke heard him clearly. "You don't have enough hate. And you know what?" Itachi leaned in with a sinister smirk and whispered into Sasuke's ear. "You never will."

Sasuke looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Mangekyou Sharingan!" Itachi's eyes changed and Sasuke felt himself being pulled into another dimension.

The hairs on the back of Mitsukai's neck rose instantly as a combination of anger and fear for Sasuke's life took over her mind. "No!" She called out.

Jiraya didn't know what to do. With Kisame blocking the way, he couldn't get to Sasuke and even then he couldn't leave Naruto and Mitsukai to fend for themselves. He felt a light breeze and looked over to his right. Mitsukai was gone. He looked up and she was standing next to Sasuke and Itachi with an intense look in her eyes. He looked closer. Her blue eyes were slowly turning gold.

"Damn." Jiraya mumbled. If these two weren't sure if this was the same girl they presumed to be dead, they sure would be now.

Mitsukai grabbed Sasuke's right hand and sent her chakra into him, intending to release the Genjutsu she was sure the man was using on him. An image of gold eyes belonging to an animal flashed under her eyelids and her eyes shot open...but she wasn't in the hotel anymore. She watched from a distance as Sasuke stood at one end of a dark room with one huge window and his opponent stood almost seven feet away with a man and a woman between them, sitting back to back. Mitsukai inched forward to get a better look and gasped. All four of them looked alike.

She looked down to the table next to her and saw a portrait of the people in front of her. 'Sasuke's...family? This guy...is his brother?!'

Her eyes returned to the two boys. Her jaw dropped in a silent scream as the older sibling raised his katana and sliced his own mother's neck open then stabbed his father. Red blood spayed Sasuke and the wall behind him making her notice that everything including them was in black and white except the blood.

'Is this a memory? What kind of Genjutsu is this?' Sasuke's screams of terror pierced her thoughts and she watched as he grabbed his head, begging not to see any more. It was then that she realized that he looked a lot younger and a few inches shorter.

'This must a memory.' She concluded as the scene changed and they were standing out on the street under a black moon with a red sky. Bodies fell at Sasuke's feet and blood continued to spray on him. All of these people...they were family to these two. And the oldest was making the younger one relive this painful memory as if it were simply some horror movie that they were watching for fun. Sasuke screamed and fell to his knees as the other began to walk towards him.

No more. I will protect him with my life.' Mitsukai ran and put herself between Itachi and Sasuke. She looked at him defiantly, eyes daring him to try to get past her. However, Itachi was no longer intent on reaching his brother to finish the damage.

"How did you...?" Itachi asked, voice measured and even, yet his eyes held curiosity. He couldn't think of the words that could describe what she had done, but it was a surprise to see her there in his alternate universe.

"Back off. I won't let you harm him any more." Her delicate voice actually held the tone of a threat. Itachi didn't take too kindly to threats. Itachi pulled back and the three of them returned to their world. Itachi head footsteps and looked over his shoulder to see Naruto rushing at him, followed by Kisame. Mitsukai saw the blank look on Sasuke's face. 'I didn't stop him in time...' She could tell that the damage the Genjutsu had done to her teammate was pretty extensive. She let a hand caress his cheek.

"Forgive me, Sasuke." Mitsukai murmured. Itachi heard her speak and looked back at her. His eyes traveled from the color of her hair and eyes down to the tattoo on her leg.

"What is your name?" Itachi's tone was even yet not demanding.She looked at him and frowned. "Mitsukai. Why?"
It was as if time had stopped for a moment. He stared at her in disbelief. The Mitsukai they had known didn't remember her real name, yet this one did. This one also demonstrated power and skills no one except a member of the Akatsuki could possess. She also had the exact same tattoo that he and Kisame had taken her to get. The same tattoo he had drawn himself. However, the main thing that convinced him it was her was her hair color. He remembered the conversation with the leader about it. The color was a physical marking of the demon within her...

Before Itachi could say anything else, the walls were covered by pink and orange goo and Sasuke was pulled from his grasp. Mitsukai also let go and tried to shift her feet but couldn't.

"Naruto! Mitsukai! As long as you stay still and don't move, you'll be fine." Jiraya shouted down the hall from his crouching position.

Itachi ignored Jiraya as he began talking directly to him and Kisame. Time had run out. It was time to go. "Kisame, come."
Kisame turned to follow but his heavy sword was stuck to the pink and orange sherbet goo. "Easier said than done." He grunted then with one hard yank, pulled free. He and Itachi ran down the hall.

"Oh, no you don't." Jiraya sent more chakra into the goo and as a result, it shot from the walls and chased after the pair.

Kisame looked over his shoulder and saw the goo tentacles coming after them. "Don't look now but there's a wall of flesh coming after us." He stopped and swung his sword in an attempt to stop some of the tentacles from grabbing them. "It's no use. It's too fast; we won't make it." They continued to run and Itachi closed his eyes.

Mitsukai watched in awe as a black circle appeared on the wall and as soon as Itachi and Kisame reached it, it disappeared and created a large hole in the wall. They leapt out and were gone. Jiraya came dashing around the corner with Naruto on his heels.

As Jiraya and Naruto inspected the black fire that surrounded the hole, Mitsukai looked at Sasuke who was still lodged into the pocket in the wall of goo. His eyes were open, yet it was obvious that he wasn't staring at anything in particular. He was dangerously close to being brain dead. Wanting to asses the damage, she held up her index and middle finger and touched his forehead. She sent blue chakra into his head and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she determined that it was pretty bad. He would be okay, but that it would take months for his mind to heal itself. The goo receded and Sasuke was released. Mitsukai caught him and set him down, propping him up against the wall. She then straddled his lap and placed her hands on either side of his head, determined to make up for not saving him sooner. She sent steady pulses of chakra in, making sure she stayed focused or she would possibly kill him. She was happy to see that as the minutes wore on, he stopped drooling and his eyes slowly closed; he appeared to be sleeping now. Unfortunately, she didn't know enough to completely heal him. She held his wrist and healed that too.

She stood and looked up. Naruto and Jiraya were coming back their way. She didn't say anything about what she'd done.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So we just run away again? We do a lot of that..." Running away from a fight was one of Kisame's biggest peeves and doing it twice in one day less than three hours apart had put him in a very bad mood.

Itachi ignored his tone. "There's no rush for now. We'll get Naruto when the time is right. Besides, I felt it wise for us to find someplace to rest a while and recharge my powers." 'On top of Tsukuyomi, to have to use the Amaterasu as well...it was more exhausting than I thought.' Itachi allowed his Sharingan to fade as they continued to run.

Finally, they stopped to rest for a while and formulate a new plan. Itachi sat down and leaned against a wide tree trunk, preparing to fall asleep for an hour straight as he always did whenever he used the Mangekyou Sharingan. Over the years, it was putting a greater strain on his body. He usually limited usage to once a day if needed. Other than that he didn't use it often. But three times in one day...He knew he would be asleep for hours.

"Itachi?"

Itachi lifted his gaze to his blue partner.

"Did you see her? That girl?"

Itachi didn't take his time to answer this question as he normally did for she had caught his attention as well. "Yes."

Kisame was surprised by the ready answer. "Who is she?"

"She told me her name was Mitsukai." Itachi closed his eyes.

He heard Kisame inhale sharply. "B-but that's impossible. I pulled her body out of the fire myself."

"Well, according to the being that we just encountered, I don't think you found the right body." Itachi looked at Kisame. "She has the hair, the eyes, and the tattoo. That same tattoo that we took her to get in case she ever got away and we needed to identify her. That's her."

"Then that means...we never failed to keep her alive. She simply got away somehow." Kisame looked at his hands. "I wonder what the Leader would say if we told him she was still alive."

Itachi closed his eyes again. "We'll find out soon enough...because we're taking her back with us."