Dangerously Beautiful

Chapter 12 Awaken The young blonde perked up from where he sat, leaning over the roof once more to make sure what he had seen was real, perhaps all this talk of Sasuke going missing had just placed the image in his head of his young rival. Naruto steadied himself on the large wire antenna, his blue eyes staring blankly into the distance. Black hair, black clothing, but there was something distinctly different about him. Usually, even miles away he could sense the chakra of other people, a gift from being the incarnation of the demon fox, and the young Uchiha's power always seemed to emanate from his body, a raw, unharnessed ability that came with the clan's bloodline limit. But this time it was different... Naruto closed his eyes, yes, it was very different. The usual explosive sense of chakra that normally flowed out of his teammate like water was now reduced to a faint trickle. It almost matched the same feeling he received when the two trained for days and days on end until they were too tired to even speak to each other, let alone insult each other. The young blonde ninja hopped over a few buildings until he was on the very outskirts of their small civilization, inspecting the situation for a few seconds. "Damn Sasuke, what have you gotten yourself into now?" he muttered before making his way through the thick brush and greenery, leaping from limb to limb like it was second nature. Falling from the thin branches and landing on all fours, the young student followed the familiar sense of Sasuke, noticing that even though his chakra was nearly emptied, he still seemed to be moving at a surprising rate. Naruto stepped lightly, avoiding the crisp, rotten leaves that decorated the ground below his feet, and tip-toeing his way closer and closer, "Sasu..." he whispered quietly, feeling a rather ominous power very near to his body, "Sasuke..." he repeated, his step hurrying as he received no reply. The blonde took a few long jumps forward, suddenly coming to a stop upon what he had discovered. "Sa..." Naruto's legs felt limp; his stomach churned and bubbled nervously as he laid his sky blue eyes on the uneasy scene, his best friend, beaten so close to death he was unrecognizable. Bruises covered his normally pale skin, blood leaking from his knees, his neck, his mouth, the large stains spotted on his torn shirt, his dark eyes closed shut as if he had passed out. In front of him, dragging his unmoving body was none other than the Water country exile himself, Kisame. Naruto could feel his fists clench up at his sides, his knees shaking as his entire body was overcome by a wild, furious power. His eyes widened and turned blood red at the sight, his mind overrun with an unquenchable rage, his whiskers furrowing on his cheeks as a growl rippled through his tanned lips. Someone was harming his teammate, his rival, the one who had stood by him through so many missions, saved his life multiple times, and was one of the few people who had accepted him as a friend. His blood began to boil thinking of someone hurting one of his 'precious people.' Kisame spun his head around, his small brown eyes scanning the forestland around him, sensing a monstrous amount of demon chakra flowing up from the ground. It sent a chill up his spine to think of who-or what could be causing such a quake in the earth and a rumble in the sky. Naruto stomped his sandals in the softening ground, his intense eyes nearly burning a hole in his enemy's gut, "Get away from Sasuke..." he roared, stepping forward powerfully towards Kisame's frozen form. The S Rank criminal didn't know what to make of the situation, last time he and Itachi had seen the nine tails kid, he had been weak, ignorant, and hardly seemed worth the long trip to Konoha. But now, he was indescribable, almost as if he had finally released the sleeping demon that was hidden deep inside. Kisame remained standing firmly in place, staring with wide eyes at the young boy. Naruto's fingernails grew by an inch or two, becoming very volatile weapons, "Get away from Sasuke!!" he shouted once again, hurrying towards the missing-nin with extreme hate in his eyes. His entire body trembled as he pulled back a fist, ready to hit the bastard right in the mouth. The youngest Uchiha's black eyes fluttered tiredly open as he felt his kidnapper's arm wrap around his body, pulling his lifeless form off of the ground and holding his limp body in front of him like a shield. Sasuke stared forward, seeing someone approaching him quickly and blinking a few times, his head still aching iblyibly from the beatings. After a long glance he spoke up, his voice reduced to only a whisper, "Naruto?" Kisame grumbled, shoving a powerful fist to the side of Sasuke's skull to shut him up, and knocking him back into his unconscious state, "Shut up." He muttered angrily, holding his large arm in front of his face to block the blonde's strong attack. The missing-nin grimaced as Naruto pushed his knuckles into that strong, scaly skin of his limb, pressing harder and harder in an attempt to knock him down. The Water country exile tossed his prized Uchiha to the ground without a care, stepping forward as if he was ready to fight. Naruto leapt at him again, the persistence of his anger withstanding. He directed his next punch to Kisame's gut, faltering as his enemy easily avoided the attack and trying another one without delay. This one would make its target, Naruto knew it. His tanned fist skidded along the missing-nin's cheek, barely disorienting him. Kisame smirked, grabbing the boy by the arm and pulling him up, watching him like an entertained predator with his prey, "Don't think you can beat me so easily, demon fox." He teased, throwing his small body to the ground. Naruto rolled on the dirt; quickly returning to all fours and feeling his heart continue to speed up. How dare he call him the demon fox, like he was nothing more than a heartless monster, the destructive machine that had reduced the small town of Konoha to rubble twelve years ago... The young blonde hissed, he was more than that, he was the boy who would become Hokage, he was Uzumaki Naruto! With a launch of his feet, Naruto lunged at Kisame headfirst, letting out a terrifying cry. The large missing-nin dodged the attack, but barely. He knew if the young ninja picked up his speed a little, he would no longer be able to keep up with him. 'Dammit, he's gotten faster...' Kisame thought as he spun around, reaching for the boy's jacket in a desperate attempt to stop his movement. The tall shark grinned from one end of his headband to the next as he felt his large hand get a firm grip around Naruto's orange sleeve, "Heh, now I've got you, you little brat..." he said, his tongue slipping out of his blue lips in great satisfaction, giving the piece of clothing a strong tug. Kisame's gold eyes widened as the jacket flew limply into his arms, without the kid attached. He came close to letting out a curse before a small sandal smacked him straight in the teeth, knocking his towering body to the ground. The shark growled, sitting up immediately to see the young blonde standing over him as if he was already triumphant. That cocky bastard, how dare he show up an S Ranking criminal so easily. Kisame reached for the sleeping Samehade on his back, pulling it from its wrapping and lunging at his young rival. Naruto swallowed the forming lump in his throat, avoiding the attack by only a hair by tumbling out of the way. He stared at Sasuke's unmoving body, the blood leaking out of his mouth, the huge bruises and stab wounds, and above all, the pain in his face, then turning back to Kisame, his now red eyes focusing on the one who had harmed his friend, his rival. It was impossible for his muscles not to tense up. "I'll kill you..." Kisame let out a chuckle, holding his Samehade sword in front of him as a defense as the boy once again came at him with furious fists. Naruto's eyes sharply widened as the heavy weapon smashed upon his left shoulder, tearing a giant lesion in hift, ft, supple skin. The young blonde toppled to the ground, holding the large, bleeding tear with his hand. He couldn't believe how powerful that sword was. It wasn't merely a blade and a handle, the entire length was made of sharkskin, as the name implied, and even slight contact with it tore his skin to pieces. He decided then he needed to avoid that blade as best he could. With a loud shout, Naruto jumped at him, Kisame's Samehade easily repelling him, though the blonde managed to push on the blade with his sandals and thus escaped any danger. But he had still not landed a hit. Naruto spit on the dirt under his feet and coming at him once more. Each time, it seemed, his attacks were thwarted by that incredible weapon. Naruto huffed, holding his position a few meters from Kisame, his eyes once again trailing to Sasuke's limp body. He looked so helpless, so pained, like even moving him would break a bone. The young blonde began to think to himself, staring at his sandals carefully. Why was he so concerned with Sasuke's safety, or anyone's safety for that matter? They all didn't see him as anything more than the evil demon fox, the one who had killed their parents andtroytroyed their village. Yes, none of them cared for him-Itachi had convinced him of that. Naruto dug his long fingernails in the dirt, his mind racing at a mile a minute. If Sasuke wasn't his friend, if all along it was some tactical charade, then why had he done so many things to help him out? When Naruto had to take his first test with his Jounin instructor, Kakashi, and he failed terribly to get a bell, had Sasuke not been the first to offer his own lunch to him, knowing how badly he was starving? When Sasuke and Naruto fought against Haku in the Water country, hadn't the young Uchiha stood up and fought while Naruto was unconscious, receiving every blow and still refusing to back down? When Itachi and Kisame had first entered Konoha in search of the Fourth Hokage's heir, hadn't Sasuke struggled to find Naruto to protect him from his murderous brother, putting all thoughts of revenge and the Uchiha clan out of his mind so he could concentrate on finding and saving the young blonde from danger? Naruto's red eyes softened. Sasuke had been a true friend to him, even through all their fighting, name-calling, and rivalry; they had still become close friends. Tears came to his eyes at the thought, the madness inside of him raging as he remembered how much Sasuke had cared for him when he found out he and Itachi had become close, risking his own safety to try and convince him of how dangerous it was. Naruto balled up fists, a fiery chakra flowing from his skin and tearing away at his clothing. In his right hand, the bright red energy gathered slowly, trapped in a slight ball form, as if he were attempting to do 'that' attack. Kisame's golden eyes widened, was Naruto actually harnessing raw chakra in his hand without any sort of barrier? He backed a few feet up, his large foot tripping over Sasuke's body and causing him to stop in his tracks. Since when was this kid so strong? Since when could he so easily be beaten by a mere Genin? Something was terribly wrong about this situation. Naruto let out a long roar, "Aaarrggghhhhh!!" as the chakra in his hand charred away at his palm and he began the short trek to Kisame's body, the Rasengan he had made clearly visible. He would end it now, even if the chakra of the demon fox blew off his entire arm, it would be worth it to protect his friend. His sharp claw came quickly towards the shark, the chakra sparking and spinning wildly in his hand before finally... Boom. Itachi's head spun around, along with everyone else within a mile's area, all of them suddenly turning to see the forests of Konoha fill with smoke, a few birds flocking fearfully out of the trees as many of them toppled over. It was impossible for anyone who was out in the village streets not to hear the loud explosion from the shallow outskirts of the town. Many of them shrieked or began rumors of what might be happening only a few seconds afterward. The eldest Uchiha narrowed his eyes; knowing whatever was happening must have had something to do with his angered partner, probably a cooked-up plan for revenge. Itachi leapt over a few buildings before reaching the brushy outskirts, looming over the entrance gate to Konoha for a few seconds before deciding he should investigate. It wasn't hard to find the source of the destruction, as the rising smoke provided a clear line to the culprit. He stopped a few meters from the location, hiding himself in the branches of the trees to get a closer look. His blood-red Sharingan shot open as he recognized the one who had caused the explosion. "Naruto..." he muttered aloud, recognizing immediately there was something distinctly different about him, mainly his burning chakra. "So this is the true power of the fox..." Itachi decided he should step in, seeing the enormous crater the blonde had created with his attack and both of their bodies blasted to opposite ends. Naruto groggily rose, seeing the eldest Uchiha standing in front of him, ready and prepared to battle his former partner. The dark-haired missing-nin lowered his head, staring at Kisame, who was struggling to stand; by his side was a beaten Sasuke. It only took a few seconds for Itachi to figure out exactly what was going on. Naruto forced himself to stand, determined to continue his fight with Kisame until the end. The tall shark grumbled, wiping the blood from his torn lip and holding his side, which had been severely burnt and torn from the explosion. Luckily for him, he had managed to dodge the brunt of the attack, seeing the trees that had been reduced to splinters just a matter of feet from him. Itachi stepped forward, his black cloak dancing in the wind, "Kisame, just what the Hell do you think you're doing?" he questioned, his red eyes almost demanding an answer. The exile from the Water country was glad to explain, heading over to Sasuke's unconscious body and causing Itachi's skin to crawl. Slowly Kisame picked the young boy up from the ground, holding his arm around his collarbone with a wide grin, "Ah, Itachi, I'm glad yer' here." He mumbled, his hand weaving across Sasuke's pale neck, "I was just taking care of a little problem of yours." He muttered, his grip tightening on the dark-haired boy's neck. "Put him down." Itachi said, his voice so calm and collected, as if the kidnapping and beating of his brother was only a small inconvenience to him. The eldest Uchiha was forced to hold a fuming Naruto back, feeling his unbridled chakra seeping from his skin. The young blonde couldn't hold in his killer instincts any longer had had attacked Kisame on his own, claiming him as his prey, and now Itachi just waltzes in and takes his place? Naruto growled, knowing he had to release his anger for Kisame out on someone. Itachi held his arm out, keeping the raging boy back and feeling Naruto's teeth sink into his arm, biting the Uchiha to release his stress. Itachi was surprised to see how animalistic the boy was when he allowed the demon fox to take over. Kisame let out a resounding laugh, still holding his partner's susceptible young brother, his large fingers curling tighter around the boy's neck until Sasuke finally let out a gagging sound, even after losing consciousness. His face tightened in pain as the air was slowly cut off from his lungs. "I didn't know you cared so much about your little brother, Itachi... Far as I can tell, you should have finished a weakling like him off five years ago. Or are you going soft now?" he questioned, quickly grabbing his younger brother's neck and nearly crushing his spine with his immense strength. Naruto's eyes reddened, someone was harming his friend again, if Itachi didn't do something about it soon, he was going to take matters into his own hands. "That's not it." Itachi murmured, closing his delicate eyes, "If anyone is going to kill Sasuke, it is going to be me. I won't let someone from outside the family end an Uchiha chapter so easily..." Kisame felt so entertained by this situation, for once in his life he had the ball in his court, he was the one who was dominant to Itachi. Finally, after this long time of the two being partners, he felt as if he was in ge. ge. The power surge that pulsed through his body and supplied adrenaline caused him to squeeze harder on the young Uchiha's pale neck, simply to see how Itachi would react. Kakashi sighed, perched on the rooftops of Konoha with his fellow Anbu members, seeing a few of them only a few feet from his location. He sometimes hated this job, knowing he could not control the target of attack, knowing he could not decide whether he would do the job or not, and especially hating this monotone time when he was assigned on 'watch' duty. Basically it involved standing at whatever post you were assigned and staying there, staring at the same piece of land you were made in charge of for hours on end. It simply made the young Jounin impatient. He ran his fingers through his wild gray hair and huffed, staring at the setting sun and quickly noticing the puffs of gray smoke arising from the South. His eyes shot open as he turned to his fellow Anbu, "Hey, look at that." He muttered, pointing to the large forestland with a certain amount of urgency in his voice. Something clearly wasn't right. A few of the Anbu next to him took a few steps forward, raising their ceramic masks a bit to see clearer, "Oh that is strange..." "I wonder what's happening..." Another muttered below his breath. The captain of their particular group hissed under his mask, "We are Anbu members, we can't loose sight of our mission so frivolously. Whatever is happening outside of the city walls is none of our concern." He said, his voice serious and unwavering, like he wouldn't bend even so much as to look to the smoke on the horizon. Kakashi felt a twinge on the back of his neck, knowing that definitely wasn't a good sign. His feet were getting incredibly itchy from staying in the same place for so long, and something inside of him was tossing and turning at seeing the destruction, like something was telling him it was no mere coincidence that two S Rank criminals were in town, and now the forest was being demolished. The gray-haired Jounin grumbled, "But shouldn't we at least investigate what's happening out there?" His captain was growing tired of his subordinate's complaining, "We are to remain at our post." He repeated in frustration. Kakashi waited a few minutes, his dark eyes moving back and forth between the southern forests and his proper post in the center of town, knowing how torn he had become between his assigned duty and the strong pull he was receiving from the sounds and sights abroad. Finally, after a long time of this torture, the somewhat nervous teacher tore his cat-themed mask off of his pale face and hurried out to see what was happening anxiously. His captain let out a shocked yell, furithatthat someone had disobeyed his orders. The gray-haired teacher couldn't hold himself back any longer; his stomach was churning in his chest as he approached the frenzied scene. Something inside of him began to wonder if this massive explosion had anything to do with Sasuke's disappearance over the past few days. His heart began to beat faster the closer he got to the southern border with a quickening rate of speed. Itachi took a long step forward, standing his ground firmly to show Kisame, his former partner that he would not back down so easily. The towering shark let out a low laugh; pulling his strong grip around Sasuke's neck once again and watching him struggle desperately in his arms. The youngest Uchiha trembled, limp arms reaching up from his sides to tug at the broad palm that had taken his breath away. It was hard for both Itachi and Naruto to suffer through hearing those painful cries and shouts the beaten boy was letting slip through his mouth. Kisame's gills expanded, "What a little prick this kid is..." he commented, continuing to cut the boy's air off. "Drop him or I'll kill you." Itachi threatened plain and simple, wondering why he was suddenly feeling so protective and defending his little brother-as if some 'big brother' gene had suddenly kicked in upon seeing Sasuke's torn, bleeding body. Kisame grinned, "I wonder about that... I never knew how weak you were, Itachi. Everyone in Akatsuki knew that minor attachments to other people were what made the rest of the world frail and easy to manipulate, but even now you're getting protective of this kid? What use does this little brat have to you?" he questioned angrily, immensely enjoying the gagging sounds and blood that was trickling out of his white lips. The young blonde fumed, releasing his tight bite on Itachi's thin arm and growling like a hateful animal, his chest heaving as he realized what the bastard criminal had just implied. He had dared to say that Sasuke's life was worth nothing more than how useful he was to other people? Naruto gritted his teeth back and forth, reminded of the lonely days of his childhood when his own existence was regarded as nothing more than a nuisance, a reminder of their traumatic past that no one seemed to find a use for. To think that Kisame would reason that the only valuable lives were those that were of use to him made the boy physically sick. Naruto couldn't hear this sort of talk anymore, not when they were talking about his best friend like that. Without a second thought or any sort of consideration for how dangerous his actions were, the young blonde ninja lunged with a loud shout at the shark's body. He lowered his head powerfully like a bull, ramming into his enemy's gut with extreme force and managing to disorient him, but only for a few fleeting seconds. Kisame bit his thick bottom lip, dropping Sasuke's limp body from his arms and bending down to grab the thin handle of his Same hade to replace it, finally having enough of the impertinent boy's annoying attitude. He would shut him up by tearing the very lips from his face and the tongue from his mouth. Naruto took in a quick breath, seeing the incredible sword being raised over Kisame's head and knowing he was not long for this world. His blood seemed to cool, his heart stopped as everything around him moved in a paced slow motion. No matter how much time he had been given to avoid the attack, it was impossible, as the mere fear of being ripped to shreds by the thousands of scales covering the blade had frozen him in his place. Tears came to his red eyes as he began to come to terms with the fact he was going to die. Slowly the boy closed his eyes, hearing his name called by the eldest Uchiha behind him, "Naaruutoo!" Itachi called, his voice slurred by the blonde's distorted sense of reality at that moment. As the shadow of the falling blade came closer, covering his small body in darkness, Naruto could almost feel the cold, clammy hands of death upon his frigid shoulders. The young blonde opened his eyes, noticing he had not yet felt the strong force of the Samahade sword hit his young body and wondering what had happened. His pearl blue eyes widened just in time for a liquid red substance to spray over his torn clothing, some of it smacking him in the cheek. Naruto looked up to see what had caused such a bloody occurrence and noticing Kisame was standing completely still above him, his sword falling from his hand limply and making a loud 'thud' on the ground. Behind him, the blonde's familiar teacher stood, his kunai firmly embedded in the tall shark's throat. Kisame choked out a final, wretched breath and toppled onto the ground lifelessly. The young Jounin behind him huffed, tearing his weapon out of the S Rank criminal's thick throat and stuffing the bloody weapon back into his holster. Kakashi was quick to notice his missing lover sprawled helplessly on the floor, his beaten and bruised body, and the blood that seemed to be leaking from every place on his body. Immediately the sight brought the gray-haired Jounin to tears, forcing him to hurry over and take the young teen up in his arms, his fingers gracing his student's wounded neck to check for a pulse. Luckily, though it was faint, there still was a good indication of a heartbeat, and Kakashi was close enough to the youngest Uchiha that his warm breath spread over him, proving he was also still breathing. God, what had happened to him over the last couple of days? The Jounin pulled the beaten boy closer, wiping his sweaty black bangs off of his pale forehead and placing numerous kisses on the area, tasting some of the boy's sour blood, and suddenly becoming extremely grateful that he was still alive, "Thank God, thank God..." he muttered in relief, his salty tears running off of his cheeks. Naruto soon collapsed as well, his body exhausted from using so much of the power of the demon fox, his arms and legs no longer able to support him, his eyes rolling up in his head as he fell to the softened dirt, a smile on his face as he realized all of his precious people were perfectly fine, that there was no need for any more fighting, at least for now. Kakashi heaved the heavily beaten Uchiha over his shoulder, hearing Sasuke let out a distinct his as his bruised ribs and aching gut were forced into a less-than-desirable position. His instructor kindly rubbed his back, "Shh, shh, Sasuke, it'l all all right." He encouraged, taking a few steps and reaching down to scoop his second student in his arms, holding one over each of his shoulders and beginning the long walk back to Konoha, more specifically, the hospital. He passed Itachi's still form coldly, both of them virtually silent and staring ahead at the scenery directly in front of their eyes rather than risk even daring to make eye contact. Kakashi was the first to break the silence, and stare at his former boyfriend with a certain amount of contempt in his frozen eyes. "I think you better go." Kakashi muttered quietly before continuing on, his number one priority now being the safety and well being of his students. Itachi stood perfectly still, ignoring the gaze that was nearly burning a hole in his chest and trying to calm his insane heartbeat. It was hard not to listen to those intense words from the lips of the one who had once used those same lips to tell him he loved him, but never the less, the eldest Uchiha was forced to shut off his ears and his heart to the Jounin. Kakashi began to walk away, his back soon facing Itachi's own as the two remained relatively silent as the grave. When the eldest Uchiha was absolutely sure his former lover was far away, he felt to his knees, staining his long cloak with the muddy dirt under his feet. Curiously he placed a hand on his cheek, noticing the warm tears that were now cascading down his face uncontrollably. Itachi felt almost like laughing, wondering why he would suddenly burst into tears at such an inopportune moment. He covered the shameful act with the palm of his hand, wiping away every tear that he shed but unable to stop the flow. He balanced on his knees, grabbing fistfuls of dirt in his hands and nails and attempting as best as he could to sort out why he would suddenly cry. "No, dammit, I'm not going to cry for him..." "I can't do it anymore." "I can't live like this anymore..." He mumbled quietly, his voice cracking as he continued to weep like this. He hated acting so childish, crying so openly, it all made him feel so weak and powerless. But why had he started crying? Itachi held his aching temples, knowing it had something to do with his ex boyfriend leaving so coldly and abruptly, like he could care less about him. Perhaps that was it, that was what had frozen the eldest Uchiha's heart to a frigid, unresponsive muscle when Kakashi had passed him and caused him to fall to the ground bawling. Itachi again tried to wipe his eyes, knowing the red around his sockets would not fade so easily. "'I think you better go.'" wor words seemed to echo terribly in his head, knowing this was most likely the first time Kakashi had pushed him away so forcefully, telling him in his own words that he no longer wanted to see him, he even didn't want him in the same city. Itachi took in a deep, refreshing breath to calm himself, his blood-red eyes traveling over to the young Jounin's fallen Anbu mask, picking it up from the dirt and wiping it off carefully before staring at it for a long while. What he'd like to be able to cover his emotions that easily. Author notes: Woo-hoo baby! I finished this chapter early, oh yea!! It's only Thursday night and not like Saturday - . -;; anyway, I'd like to clear up my stupid mistake, DB will probably end in like 6 or 7 chapters, not 4 or 5, because when I was planning out the last few chapters, I realized I would need more, you know? Wahhh me love episode 83, even if it's raw, the Japanese is really simple so I can understand! Yay! And in answer to Kei=Hao=Asakura, I get my anime via bittorrent on... N a r u t o f a n . c o m Yeah, I don't want to advertise, but it is the best manga and anime Naruto site I know of ^^. So yea, and a DSL connection helps too.