Forgiveness

I don’t own Naruto nor do I make money from it.



A/N: I apologize for the wait. Please enjoy and I would be ever so happy with some reviews :P



Warnings: Cursing, blood, slight violence



Forgiveness



Chapter Five



There was quite a bit of commotion at the gateway into the village; so much commotion a frown replaced the cheery smile normally splitting Naruto’s face. He grabbed a confused genin by the shoulder, determined to discover the reason for the gossiping confusion among the ranks. Chakra was flaring excitedly across the city and he didn’t like it. Something had happened while he was away.



“Hey kid--what’s up with everyone? Was there an attack?” Naruto plastered a comforting smile on his face--a trait learned from Sai--and waited for a replay from the very nervous genin.



“The Uchiha house was attacked.” The boy winced as the jounin’s grip tightened painfully on his shoulder.



Naruto didn’t respond. He released the genin, taking to the rooftops with a speed of which his father would have been proud. He didn’t even bother waiting around to see if the terrified youth had anything else he wished to include in the very short debriefing of the current events surrounding the Uchiha household. All Naruto carried about was reaching his friend and family.



“Sasuke!” Naruto landed at a run, racing towards the opened door. Two ANBU attempted to refuse him access which in turn sent rivulets of anger coursing through him. Of course, it wasn’t like the days of his childhood when such anger would have sent him into an uncontrollable state, allowing the monster inside him little moments of freedom to vent its rage on any who dared step before its vision. These days, he possessed quite a bit more control and restraint thanks to the training of both Tenzou as well as the sage training he underwent at fifteen.



“I would suggest you step aside or I will see to it that you can’t walk for a week,” Naruto growled, mentally pushing away the tendrils of hate swirling up in him from the nine tailed monster. He might be in complete control of himself but the monster was never one to be discouraged by such a thing as human willpower. Any chance he saw, his tails of madness and hatred would coil up in the back of his carrier’s mind, offering a taste of what Naruto continued to deny himself.



Ultimate power. It was the most addictive substance in the world. He remembered well the taste of it pouring through his veins as the power of the fox flooded his pathways with astronomically powerful chakra. He still longed for the taste just as an alcoholic thirsting for a drink. There was so much he could do with just a fraction of its power. Thoughts such as those were where the danger lay. One could never take just a little. The little taste would bring on a hunger for more. Just a little more couldn’t hurt. Those words would lead to recreating the nightmare he never wanted to experience again. The pain alone was beyond anything he had ever experienced. --the ripping of flesh, healed by the chakra only to be ripped from him again. Naruto pushed back the tantalizing taste of what he could have, his eyes flashing dangerously to the two ANBU.



“Let him through.” A dry chuckled followed the order as Naruto stepped through the doorway.



He arched a brow at the voice, wondering just what happened to bring even the Hokage out of the tower. Normally Sakura kept him practically chained to the chair behind his desk. “Kakashi…”



A visible brow arched as a hand gestured for him to continue. Naruto gritted his teeth at the amused eyes. God he was annoying. “…sama.”



“Much better, Naruto. You are getting the hang of it. It won’t be long before you say it without even thinking.” Kakashi’s unseen smirk wasn’t lost on Naruto as he lifted his middle finger in a vulgar gesture before scanning the area. He noted the torn screens, obviously made from a sword. There were a few random kunai around but other than some scuffle marks he’d noticed in the grass with a trail, nothing seemed horribly out of the ordinary. He was actually surprised Sasuke hadn’t splattered his attacker’s organs all over the place. His friend, even on a good day, wasn’t the most sane individual if his property was assaulted--especially since he’d become a father.



“What happened, Kakashi?” Naruto asked, jaw clenching at the pointed look he received from the Hokage. “…sama.”



“Oh, so much has happened. I think you had best see it for yourself.” Kakashi lead the way, opening the sliding door to reveal the family room where Sasuke, Miko, and Ryuu sat quietly. He was relieved to see all three were alive and safe but the scene bothered him. It wasn’t something a casual observer would have seen. It was emptiness--a horrible emptiness brought on by deep set guilt. It was understandable, he supposed. After killing you own brother; that kind of trauma didn’t just vanish. Madara’s interference hadn’t helped either. Sasuke’s mental state all those years ago was something Naruto avoided thinking of unless he had to. He’d nearly lost his best friend to the all encompassing madness Madara dragged the entire shinobi world into.



“Hey bastard, what happened? You look like hell.” Naruto frowned as the vacant eyes turned to stare through him, almost as if he wasn’t there.



“Unca Ruto!” Ryuu jumped from his seat beside his mother, rushing towards the blond shinobi who easily scooped him up to settle on a hip.



“Naruto, I told you to watch your mouth around Ryuu. It took me a month to keep him from calling Sasuke…you know…” Miko growled, though her eyes held a gleam of fondness.



Naruto had the good grace to blush at the admonition. “Sorry, Miko. I was just worried. They said you had been attacked. What’s wrong with Sasuke?”



“He’s not dead.” Sasuke lifted a shaking hand to his eyes. “Whose eyes did he give me if they weren’t Itachi’s?”



“Come again?” Naruto knew in those dark days when his friend was all but lost to him, his eyes were nearly gone, destroyed from overuse of the sharingan and all the abilities it came with. Everyone--including Sasuke--had assumed Madara had transplanted Itachi’s eyes in order to replace Sasuke’s nearly dead ones.



“I saw him…Itachi. He wore a mask but I knew it was him. No one else has eyes like that…eyes that seem to see directly into your very being. It’s like he knows all your secrets…all your weaknesses. I thought he died…I thought…” Sasuke ran his hand through his hair, mussing the already spiky locks.



“Are you saying Uchiha Itachi was here? Where has he been all these years? What was he doing here? Where is he now?” Naruto was thoroughly confused. He like everyone assumed Itachi Uchiha died with honor.



“If I knew that, do you think I’d be sitting here?” Sasuke yelled the question, his body practically radiating distress and confusion.



“Miko, I think you should take Ryuu and go get something to eat.” Naruto handed off the little boy shaking in his arms at his father’s obvious distress. The woman nodded shakily, taking her son and moving towards the kitchen.



“Sasuke…you need to calm down. You are scaring your wife and son.” Kakashi settled in a plush chair, his visible eye pulled down in concentration.



“Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down? I stabbed the brother I thought had been dead for seven years. How else am I supposed to react?” Sasuke began pacing before the fireplace, his hands clenching and unclenching in what Naruto assumed was nervous tension.



“What happened?” Naruto asked, feeling blind in the conversation.



“Sasuke sensed an intruder in the house. Itachi probably didn’t think his brother was that good at chakra sensing or his own was fluxing uncontrollably. Accounts say he was wearing a mask similar to mine so we can assume he didn’t want to be recognized. He’s been marked as deceased in the Bingo Book for seven years. He probably could have walked into town and not been recognized easily.” Kakashi’s eyes swept towards where Sasuke had stopped pacing to stare off towards the window. “Sasuke attacked, thinking it was someone trying to kill him or his family. He injured Itachi. He must have caught his brother off guard. Uchiha Itachi isn’t the type to be easily injured. Surprisingly enough, Hoshigaki Kisame was with him. He’s been off the radar; we assumed he was laying low. They escaped but I would imagine they are moving slow. From the amount of blood on the lawn, they’ll have to stop soon and treat his wound or he won’t make it far at all.”



“They can’t have gotten far then!” Naruto exclaimed.



“Hokage-sama!” A masked ANBU crouched before Kakashi, his head bowed. “We found a blood trail. It’s fairly heavy, heading eastward. What are your orders?”



Kakashi brought his hand to his chin, stroking the skin through the mask. “Hmm.”



“I’m going after him.” Sasuke stood, already strapping one weapons.



“I can’t let you do that. You are too emotionally charged as is. It’s likely you won’t be able to control yourself.” Kakashi shook his head negatively.



“I’m not going to kill him…” Sasuke growled, his eyes flashing. The ‘again’ was unspoken as he glared at his Hokage.



Naruto jumped to his feet. “I’ll go. You know I’ll bring him back. There had to be a reason he came back. If he wanted to hurt anyone, he would have acted before now.”



“Naruto…you just got back from a class A mission. You look exhausted and I’m sure the stress of worry for Sasuke and his family didn’t help either. I don’t think…” Kakashi began, shaking his head.



“You know I’ve more than enough energy for a simple retrieval mission.” Naruto balked, his own indignation joining Sasuke’s.



“This isn’t your typical retrieval mission. This is Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. Both are highly trained and potentially dangerous men. I know how strong you are…the entire village knows, but you’ve been away on a mission for three months.” Kakashi attempted to get his point across to the young man before him.



Sasuke slammed his fist against the wall, drawing the attention of all in the room. “If you won’t let me go, then let Naruto go. If he doesn’t go…I will…even if you order me not to.”



“Mah…you two are worse than dogs with bones.” Kakashi rubbed his head tiredly. “Have it your way. Uchiha, you stay. Uzumaki, you go.”



Naruto winced at the use of last names. Kakashi was pissed and it would likely be C rank missions for a while for the both of them. A glance at Sasuke showed him the other was thinking along the same route. At least they‘d made sure one of them would be sent to retrieve Itachi. His name alone was likely to have any ANBU attempt to use more force than necessary and end up dead. This way was best all around. “Thank you, Hokage-sama.”



“Oh, so now you use the honorific.” Kakashi grumbled, “Gear up, Naruto. You leave in fifteen minutes.”



~*~



“Itachi-san. We need to take care of that wound. We are giving them a trail straight to us.” Kisame shifted, pulling Itachi higher on his back.



“Just make towards the river. We can dress the wound there.” Itachi bit the inside of his gums to prevent the whimper of pain. The wound wasn’t fatal, it simply hurt like hell and bleed a little too much for comfort.



Another five minutes of fast moving had the two pausing beside the large river running through Fire Country. The rushing water provided a dull roar, masking the sounds of the forest as it wove through the trees towards the ocean, miles away.



Itachi grunted as he slumped against a tree. His body went into autopilot, parting his bloodied cloak to reveal the deep slash in his side. He grimaced at the sight but, grateful it was made with a smooth blade. It would be easier to treat as opposed to injuries with a serrated blade.



“Fuck, that’s a deep wound,” Kisame hissed, his teeth tearing open a med kit.



“Just sew me up. I’ll heal enough so it won’t be an immediate problem.” Itachi grunted at the first slide of the needle through his skin. It was the only sound he allowed to escape his lips. He’d felt much worse, though it never got easier. Anesthetic was too risky when they were on borrowed time. He could deal with the pain. He evened out his breathing--in and out.



The minutes ticked by as Kisame pulled the needle through the sliced skin, pulling the edges of the flesh together once more. Though nether were trained in high level medical skills, any shinobi worth his salt knew basic first aid and healing jutsus. Having a sharingan helped as well, allowing him access to the appropriate jutsus hand seals. Both had sewed up each other more than once though Kisame had considerable less experience as Itachi preferred to fight at a distance, where as the other enjoyed the thrill of close combat.



“We need to get moving. We’ve already spent ten minutes here. They won’t be long behind us.” Kisame began sorting through their packs, attempting to determine what could be left behind to lessen the weight.



Itachi lifted a chakra charged hand to the wound. He didn’t possess the skills of a medic nin but he did know enough to heal the injury to stop the blood flow and lessen the pain. “What weapons do we have?”



“Some shuriken, kunai, and your katana. I’ve got my sword and some kunai.” Kisame tossed Itachi a significantly lighter pouch. “Senbon? I can’t believe you still carry those.”



“Don’t leave anything that points to Mountain Country. You can’t risk them searching what you leave.” Itachi’s quick eyes scanned the scattered remains of a few changes of clothes and equipment.



“Wait…what?” Kisame watched his partner strap on the weapons pack, tugging off and tossing aside his mask to reveal the beautiful face so resembling his mother.



“I’m staying. I need to talk to Sasuke.” Itachi closed his eyes. He needed to make sure Kisame got away. He might live through being captured Kisame was still listed in the Bingo Book as a missing nin of Mist. There was no getting around it. Itachi became a missing nin for his country, Kisame did so for himself. The most he could hope for was to be executed painlessly. Itachi refused to add another death to his conscious. Keiko and Izumi needed Kisame, especially with the new baby.



“Itachi-san…I’m not leaving you for those Konoha wolves. They will tear you apart. You’ll be imprisoned. You aren’t a hero to them. You are still in the Bingo Book even if they thought you dead. Now stop acting suicidal and get off your ass.” Kisame strapped his bags to his hips beneath the thick cloak.



“We can’t outrun them, Kisame. I won’t be able to keep up with the pace for long. This is only a temporary patch. I can hold them off long enough for you to get enough of a head start to disappear. Think of your family. It can only end two ways. Either we both run and they catch us or I stay behind to hold them off while you escape.” Itachi shed his torn cloak, revealing the slender well muscled body beneath. Unlike Kisame, his muscles were lean and hard--giving him a quick build as opposed to Kisame’s much heavier musculature. Blood darkened the side of the black shirt he wore.



Intense eyes focused on his partner. “You know it’s the truth.”



“Why are you doing this?” Kisame mumbled.



Itachi‘s eyes flared red, the black tomoe spinning lazily as he folded his hands over his abdomen. “Hn, then consider this settling the debt I owe you.”



“Fine. Far be it for me to interfere when you‘ve set your mind,” Kisame snorted, “You had just better not die. Izumi would be sad.”



“He’d get over it. Now get out of here, I can already feel them half a mile away. Take to the river. They’ll lose your scent faster.” Kisame nodded at Itachi’s instructions and took quickly to the water, leaving the other to ready himself for the incoming shinobi.



Less than three minutes passed. The roar of the river and the hiss of the wind through the trees provided background music for Itachi as relaxed his mind, conserving what remained of his chakra. His glowing red eyes missed not a single movement, from the drop of a leaf to the first shinobi entering the small clearing where he stood. He had to say he was surprised Sasuke wasn’t leading the small team of ANBU coming after him. Even though his brother knew the truth, he imagined he would have wanted to be there when they caught up. The Kyuubi vessel’s presence wasn’t so much a shock. He’d sensed him nearby as they exited the village. Sasuke’s connection with the blond ninja explained his presence.



“Are you Uchiha Itachi?” His voice has deepened, mused Itachi as he nodded slowly. His eyes continued to spin slowly, memorizing every movement. The only one among them who would even offer a challenge was the blond standing before him. It was sad showing of the standards of ANBU unless they expected him to come with no fight.



“You look different.” Naruto said, his eyes not daring to look into the dangerously spinning eyes.



“So do you, Uzumaki Naruto. I should thank you for saving my brother. I must say I lost hope and assumed you had failed.” Itachi smiled wistfully at the blond.



“Yeah, well…we thought you were dead too.” Naruto scratched at his cheek almost apologetically.



“I should have been,” Itachi murmured, his thoughts drifting over the events of the last few years.



“Will you come back quietly?” Naruto asked, his eyes now scanning the area for Kisame.



Itachi smirked, “That depends.”



“On what?”



“On whether or not you give up on following Kisame.” A small part of him wished they would say no. His hand’s itched to perform the signs for one of the many jutsus spinning through his mind. His eyes counted four ANBU other than Uzumaki. They would be easily taken care of should he need to attack.



Already he felt the hitch in his heart rate, signaling his excitement. It was such a close feeling to sexual arousal, he could feel himself hardening slightly in his loose trousers. Of course, it wasn’t arousal from attraction or need of release. It was a physiological arousal to the stimulants released in his blood as he mentally prepared for a possible battle. He’d been hard through half his battle with Sasuke--that didn’t mean he was sexually attracted to his brother. In fact, far from it. He practically gagged at the thought of having sex with Sasuke.



“Is that why you stayed behind? To buy him time?” Naruto asked, keeping his pose as relaxed as possible.



“Do we have a deal?” Itachi dug his feet into the ground, hands ready to speed through motions he was sure would take care of at least two of the ANBU, possibly three if they were newer members.



He watched Naruto’s eyes narrow, the excitement built in his blood. He’d been wise to choose this man to save his brother. Of course, he’d been a mere boy last they met but the decision remained a sound one. Itachi felt Kisame’s chakra fade, unable to track it any further. It disappointed him as well. He would have liked a good sparring session. He hadn’t had one since his days in ANBU. ANBU sparred to kill. You could very well die in an ANBU sparring session. During his time in the Akatsuki, all but Kisame and Orochimaru shied away from him in the spar arena. Kisame wasn’t the best sparring partner and Orochimaru…well, it was best not to think of him. The only time his limits were truly pushed was during his days in ANBU.



The memory shot another unperceivable flash of pain through him. He hadn’t wanted to join ANBU. He’d been more than capable of the job; however, every assassination he completed drained a piece of his soul. It was already torn ragged when he was brought before the elders of the village. Perhaps that was why he was able to perform the deed with Madara’s help. He was already numb from the previous missions. He’d been a hair’s breath from becoming a pure killing machine, devoid of emotions. Thoughts of his brother had kept the worst at bay, his cherubic presence a balm to the scarred soul. He suddenly found himself wanting desperately to see Sasuke. He wasn’t ready to die here but at the same time, he wasn’t exactly ready to surrender easily. His honor, such as it was, demanded more.



Moving almost unperceivable, his kunai was pressed against Uzumaki’s throat before any of them could respond. “Don’t drop your guard, even if you think you know your opponent.”



The ANBU following Naruto snapped into action, katanas pressing against his body, one even nicking the skin at his neck. A small trickle of blood escaped to wind down his neck. The grip on his kunai remained firm. His eyes locked with those of a deep sapphire blue. “Do you understand?”



Understanding twinkled in those depths as a grin spread across tan features. Itachi continued to stare deep, the red in his eyes fading to black. “Good.”



“You trying to teach me or something?” Naruto grinned, pushing the kunai from his neck.



“Or something.” Itachi forced a neutral mask over his face as chakra restraints were placed on his wrists.



“Is that necessary?” asked Naruto, crossing his arms as the ANBU set about securing Itachi.



“He attacked you. He needs to be restrained.” The hawk masked ANBU stated as he collected the discarded equipment.



Itachi fought back the smirk threatening to pull across his face at the roll of Naruto’s eyes. “Guys, if he’d wanted to kill us, you would be dead and I would probably still be fighting him.”



All four ANBU paused at the statement, glancing towards Itachi, standing quietly between them. “No man is that good.”



Naruto snorted, “You guys must be new.”



“I assure you, we are more than capable of handing a single S class missing nin,” arrogantly stated a bear masked ANBU.



Naruto rolled his eyes again, focusing instead on Itachi. “I thought you were dead.”



“I’m sure that was the mutual consensus all around.” Itachi slid his eyes towards Naruto.



“Pfft…I figured you would have come back before now. What were you here for anyway? You didn’t want to hurt Sasuke did you?” Naruto crossed his arms, a hard look crossing his face.



He’s grown up in more than body, Itachi thought. “I didn’t believe it was him.”



“Huh?” A confused expression crept across his face.



“Shall we go back to the village?” Itachi said, feeling the drain of the blood loss and chakra he‘d used.



“What’s with you? Why are you Uchiha emotional black holes?” Naruto griped as he escorted him in the direction of the village.



Itachi said nothing. He didn’t feel like answering the question. He’d played the emotionless monster for so long; some of the tendencies seemed to have taken permanent root. Izumi had been the first person to bring life to his soul since before the massacre of his family. For a moment, he lost himself in the memory. He could still smell the blood congealing on the floors.



“You’re just like Sasuke. He just sits and broods a lot too. Of course, he’s mellowed a little since Ryuu was born. You have a nephew, by the way,” Naruto commented, “Hey, are you listening to me?”



“Not really.” Itachi said, turning his eyes forward.



“Hey you should show the next Hokage some respect,” Naruto groused, crossing his arms.



A smile crept along Itachi’s lips. This shinobi was rather humorous. Perhaps the reason he got through to Sasuke wasn’t such a mystery after all. This was the first instance in a very long time he’d wanted to smile. He’d almost forgotten what it felt like to have that spark of light inside.



He was about to open his mouth to speak when the large stone walls surrounding Konoha rose in his vision. He may have just come from the village, but he still felt the crawling dread creeping through him. He’d felt it when he’d arrived with Kisame but it had been pushed back in his anxiousness to visit his parent’s graves.



His feet froze where they stood as he looked on the village. His heart began to pound with something akin to dread. Sasuke was alive. Would he finish what he’d failed to do seven years earlier? Would he want to see him at all?



“What is it?” Naruto asked, pausing when Itachi did.



He closed his eyes for a moment before taking a slow breath and walking forward. He wasn’t afraid for his life. He couldn’t call himself a shinobi if he was. His fear came more from what Sasuke would say to him. Or more importantly, what he would say to Sasuke. Even with the truth, his brother could very well continue to see him as a monster. He wasn’t sure if he could bear to see the same hatred in Sasuke’s eyes as he’d seen when last they met.



“I’m taking you directly to the Hokage.” Naruto said, removing the restraints just outside of the gate.



“What do you think you are doing?” The hawk faced ANBU squawked in in indignation causing Itachi to arch a brow. Just because he wore the mask of a bird didn’t mean he had to sound like one.



“Get over it. He’s not a criminal in this village.” Naruto shot an evil look towards the ANBU before taking Itachi’s arm.



“What did you mean?” he asked, unsure how to respond to a statement such as that.



Naruto directed them directly towards Hokage Tower, all the while muttering about how he was pretty damn sure Sakura would have had Kakashi back behind the desk not five minutes after he’d departed. “About what?”



Itachi didn’t reply, his eyes locked on the tower as Naruto urged him through the door. A few shinobi recognized him. He could tell by the way their fingers twitched, as if waiting to see if he would attack so they could reach into their weapon packs. It was to be expected. He was an unshackled S-class missing nin from Leaf. Once upon a time he’d been considered one of the most dangerous men alive.



“Hey Sakura-chan.” Naruto waved, flagging down Kakashi’s assistant with a grin.



“Is that…” she gaped for a moment before blinking back her shock and placing a more professional mask on her face.



“Is Kakashi in his office?” he asked, grinning at his former teammate.



A furious look washed over the creamy complexion of the woman‘s face as she slammed the book she was carrying across the blond‘s head. “That’s Kakashi-sama or Hokage-sama, you dimwit!”



“God damnit!” Naruto yelled, rubbing his head.



“Show him the proper respects and I won’t have to injure you any more.” The girl glared at Naruto before leading them to the main office of the Hokage. Knocking once, she paused. “You had better be reading scrolls when I open this door.”



Naruto snickered, causing Itachi to wonder if the conversation revolved around an inside joke he wasn’t privy to. Whatever the case, he followed the two inside to see Hatake Kakashi seated behind a desk, his visible eye lighting up with interest as Itachi walked in to stand beside Naruto.



As any trained shinobi, his eyes darted quickly around the office, targeting any weaknesses and exits. Little had changed in the room since the last time he’d stood before the Hokage’s desk. When his gaze finally settled on the Hokage, he found an intense look of interest in the man’s intense eye.



“I brought him back, Kakashi.” Naruto’s grin spread across his face at the once again dropped honorific.



A particularly thick stroll found its way across his skull with a thud. “Ouch, Sakura! Stop hitting me over the head with things.”



“Just be glad it wasn’t my fist, you moron. Show some respect to your Hokage,” she growled, closing the door to leave the three alone.



“Well-well, look at what the fox dragged in.” Kakashi’s grin was completely obvious through his mask.



Naruto continued to fume over the injury to his head, glancing at Itachi as he stood quietly before Kakashi. Itachi said nothing. There was really nothing he could say--or wanted to for that matter. He would do as he always did, watch for others to make the first move and then plan his counter attack.



“And Kisame?” Kakashi turned his gaze to Naruto.



“Gone. He threatened to kill us if we moved to go after Kisame.” Naruto glanced sideways at Itachi.



“Why would you risk yourself for your partner to survive? For that matter, how have you stayed under the radar for so long? I would imagine you would have been seen before now.” Kakashi propped his chin on his fist, his eye never leaving Itachi. His voice might have seemed lighthearted but his eye spoke a different story. He was very serious.



Itachi opened his mouth to reply. He never had the chance as his words were cut off as the office was slammed open. Everyone turned to see Sasuke panting in the doorframe.



“Itachi…” Sasuke’s eyes were wide as he took in every inch of the man standing before him.



“Hello, little brother.”



To be continued.