Sunlight in a Dark Room
folder
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
16
Views:
1,441
Reviews:
192
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
16
Views:
1,441
Reviews:
192
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Warmth
Author's Note: Another big thanks to AmuseMe for the beta. ^______^ And is it just me or is anyone else worried about Itachi? In the manga, I mean. :P The long awaited fight is coming up and I'm not too sure who is going to come out alive. XD; *frets* I can't help but worry because Itachi is my favourite. 8D And man, did Sasuke and Naruto look crazy cool on that last page of 352. *swoons* XD And, that's enough rambling out of me. :D
Review Responses:
rozengrass: I sure hope he does. That's what I'm aiming for. *heart* :D
hina88: LOL. They should bath more often....*gets hit* XD Thank you for your wonderful review. I'm happy that you're still enjoying the story. ^_______^ It's getting more and more difficult to write so I'm especially happy that it's helping you think of them as a pairing. *smiles* Thanks again. :D
kkk: I know how you feel. I'm so impatient...XDDD I really like how Naruto teases him too. All in all, I think it's something Itachi hasn't experienced and definitely needs. 8D Unfortunately, there won't be any other definte pairings. I don't want to lose focus on Itachi and Naruto. :( It was very tempting though. XDDD Thank you for comment. ^_______^
AnA PaLaNa83: I really liked that part too. I was grinning like an idiot when I wrote it. 8D *laughs* And I totally agree with you. He seems like that sort of person. *heart* Your review is fantastic. *hugs*
Nusku: LOL. Naruto is probably the only person that could ever get away with that. XDDD
Amaya: Itachi is my favourite too!!! So I'm so happy that you think he's IC. *hugs* Thank you so much for your fantastic review. ^______^ I have ideas for another fic that I'm hoping to start after this one is done. :D
Schizolori: I know what you mean. I don't like it when he's made into that evil personified antagonist. :( But given his history and the way he's acted so far (in his small parts) in the manga it's easy to pass him off as that way. D: I wanted him to be different and I'm glad that you approve. :D Thank you. ^_____^
sainaru_fangurl: I'm really trying to keep it slow between them. It's getting harder because the story is actually almost done. I think it's a little more than half way complete now. D: I agree though. I don't really like reading fics with those kinds of relationships. D: Ah, Sai. *hugs him* He gets more attention later. ^_______^ Thank you. :D
jess: Thank you for your awesome comment. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. :D *laughs* I want Sasuke and Gaara to fight. Maybe later. *hopes* XDDDD
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. ^______^
~*~*~*~
Chapter 7 - Warmth
Surprising himself, Naruto actually managed to wake up before sunrise. That bath had done wonders to his aching body and he fell asleep as soon as he slipped into the bed the night before. The blond made a mental note to thank Itachi again. It seemed kind of odd for a captive to be thanking his captor, but Naruto thought it would be rude not to. Then he frowned when he thought of how many times he’d already thanked the Uchiha.
Naruto sighed. He shouldn’t be feeling like he owed Itachi anything, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped. Especially not after everything that’s happened in the last week.
He rolled over to find two red eyes regarding him silently.
Naruto stretched as he spoke, “You know? It’s kind of creepy to wake up and find someone watching you with red eyes.”
He didn’t miss the slight frown on Itachi’s handsome features.
“What?” Naruto asked.
“It’s nothing,” Itachi’s voice was quiet, “Lay back down. On your back.”
“Eh?” The blond’s eyes widened.
He watched as Itachi stood up, but suddenly disappear. Before he knew it, Naruto was being pushed down onto the bed; red eyes spinning as the older man lifted up his shirt.
‘Oh, this again,’ Naruto thought angrily.
Bastard Uchiha.
Naruto felt his stomach tingling and he looked down to see what exactly Itachi was doing. The older man had one hand holding up Naruto’s shirt and keeping him pinned to the bed, the other was hovering slightly above his abdomen. Blue sparks of chakra were being emitted from Itachi’s hand and to Naruto’s surprise, were being absorbed into the visible seals.
“What the hell is going on?” The blond whispered noticing that the seals were now glowing the same blue as the chakra from Itachi’s hand.
Itachi looked up at his captive, ceasing his test on the seal. He was not planning on telling Naruto what he thought was wrong, but it may be more beneficial if the blond was aware of the situation.
“What did it feel like?” Itachi asked seriously.
“What did what feel like?” Was Naruto’s dumb response.
“This,” Itachi answered, a little irritated that the blond could be so dense. He directed another concentrated wave of chakra to Naruto’s stomach. They both watched as the seals reappeared and glowed blue.
“It feels…really good, but weird,” Naruto answered quietly as the prickling sensation started to escalate. Itachi’s chakra was relaxing his body and Naruto felt like sleeping again. He whimpered quietly when that feeling was taken away.
“Can you describe it any other way?” Itachi frowned at the sleepy blond.
“Hm. Let me get back to you on that one,” Naruto yawned and attempted to roll over and go back to sleep.
“Get dressed, we’re leaving,” Itachi ordered as he got up off the bed.
Naruto groaned into a pillow, “How about a nap and another bath.”
There was a small moment of silence and Naruto hoped the Uchiha would say yes.
“Get dressed.”
Damn. Bastard Uchiha doesn’t want to waste time.
“Fine. Give me a few minutes, bastard,” Naruto grumbled angrily and rolled off the bed.
Itachi got up from where he was sitting and left Naruto alone. The blond surmised that he went to pay for their room. Finally rolling out of bed, Naruto yawned and stared longingly at the screen door that led to the bath. If only.
Sighing, Naruto rummaged through the bag that held his new clothes and got dressed. He decided he liked the outfit. It was comfortable and it felt durable, but it was not as eye catching as he would have liked it to be. Damn Itachi and his damn discreetness. The blond had felt like he had won a small victory when he pulled out the orange-accented jacket.
It felt good to be in new, clean clothes.
“Let’s go.”
Naruto turned around to see Itachi standing in the doorway, looking as emotionless and cold as ever.
“Did she hit on you again?” Naruto asked, grinning madly.
Itachi glared at him, turned and left.
The blond’s smirk only intensified before following his captor out of the inn. He was surprised the woman was even up this early, considering that last night she had stayed up late, lingering around their room. Naruto thought it was funny that Uchiha Itachi even had his share of fan girls…despite the cold and unapproachable attitude.
The sun was rising and the streets were quiet and barren. Naruto figured that there would be at least some people up, but there was no one. The shops were dark and empty, their owners probably still in bed. Damn Uchiha was an early riser. They made their way quietly back to the weapons shop and Naruto was not looking forward to seeing that asshole redhead again. He was still pissed off at him for the ‘girl’ comment the day before. Asshole.
By the time he and Itachi had reached the weapons shop, Naruto was practically fuming. The Uchiha took note of this immediately and spoke quickly.
“Calm down and stay out of trouble,” he ordered.
“You, shutup! That jerk deserves a kick in the ass,” Naruto shot back without even considering what he was saying, “Calling me a girl when he looks more girly than I do.”
Itachi raised an eyebrow at the blond. It appeared that Naruto was too caught up in his anger at the redhead to realize exactly what he had just said to Itachi. No one had ever spoken to him in such a way whether they were aware of it or not. Foolish blond. All of this anger and attitude over a ‘girl’ comment. This, Itachi mused, is exactly what it felt like to deal with a spoiled child; remembering dealing with a younger Sasuke all those years ago.
“Keep out of trouble, Naruto,” Itachi tried again, speaking in a firm and cold voice.
Naruto pouted and glared at the older man, “Fine, bastard.”
Itachi accepted the response despite the rude name. He opened the door to the shop and was greeted by that eerie melodious voice once again.
“Ah, Itachi-sama. You’re rather late than usual.”
“Hn. Is everything prepared?”
“Yes. Everything that you asked for and the boy’s disguise are ready.”
Naruto couldn’t help but notice the leering grin on the redhead. He glared at the man, but remembering Itachi’s command, Naruto said nothing.
The redhead laughed, “Unfortunately, it’s not a girl disguise, but I could get you one if you wanted. It wouldn’t be a problem.” He winked, “You would look really cute too.”
“Shut the hell up, you…”
“It’s Keisuke,” the redhead cut Naruto off.
“I don’t care what your name is…” Naruto was again stopped from voicing his anger and frustration when Itachi put a strong hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in warning. Bastard Uchiha.
“Anyways, the only thing I could get for those whisker marks of yours was makeup. I didn’t think you two would be entering any towns anytime soon. If you hadn’t noticed, Itachi-sama hates crowds. Such a cold man,” Keisuke smirked at Itachi, “The makeup should last a while, if you use it properly. I suppose Itachi-sama could teach you how to put it on as well?”
“No,” that idiot weapons dealer was starting to get on the Uchiha’s nerves again, “He won’t need to use it often so let him figure it out.”
Naruto finally spoke up, “Don’t I get a say in this? I don’t want to wear makeup!”
The look that Itachi gave him spoke otherwise and Keisuke saw this.
“And that would be a ‘no’,” the redhead said smugly, “You two make quite the pair.”
“Shut up, bastard!”
“Enough, you two,” Itachi ordered, “Just give me the bag.”
“Always ruining my fun, Itachi-sama,” Keisuke pouted as he gave Itachi a small black bag, “As I’ve said before, everything you need is in here. I doubled the amount for the extra cargo you have and even took the liberty of getting you some extra money.”
“Hn.”
Naruto looked at the bag and frowned. It was so small.
“Everything is in there?” He asked.
Keisuke nodded, “It’s probably enough for a month or so. Maybe longer.”
“In that?” Naruto pointed at the bag.
“Yes, that.”
There was a small moment of silence before Naruto spoke again.
“How?”
Keisuke rolled his eyes, “Everthing has been stored via jutsu into several scrolls. It’s a basic skill that all shinobi should know.”
“Oh.” Naruto blushed at his own stupidity. Even now, it never fails.
“You’re a shinobi?” Keisuke asked, looking at Itachi, “I didn’t even sense your chakra signature.”
The Uchiha showed no sign of acknowledging the questioning gaze.
“That bastard,” Naruto pointed at Itachi, “sealed it up.”
Keisuke grinned, “Once again, Itachi-sama, I commend you in your taste in prey.”
“Let‘s go,” Itachi spoke before Naruto and Keisuke could get into another argument. He directed the fuming blond towards the door.
“Until next time, Itachi-sama,” Keisuke waved as he watched the pair leave. He idly wondered how long they had been together because he had noticed immediately that Itachi was different somehow.
~*~
“There was nothing there, Hokage-sama,” Sasuke reported.
He and his team had finally made it back to Konoha. Well, Sai had apparently carried him most of the way back. Damn Gaara. He knew the Kazekage was seemingly trying to help, but the man should mind his own fucking business. Now was not the time to be pulling shit like that. Sasuke stifled his anger however and returned his thoughts to the situation at hand.
Judging from the Hokage’s downcast features, it was obvious that the other teams that were deployed had not had any luck either. After all, there were no leads, no witnesses, and no clues. They were chasing ghosts.
The older woman nodded. She knew it would have been futile to send a team there, but the Uchiha had insisted and it was a convenient place to meet the Kazekage. Where else were they supposed to look? Jiraiya had not been able to find out anything regarding which Akatsuki base Naruto had been taken to. The group had several locations they frequented, but never stayed at for very long. They were always moving. The old pervert must missed something somewhere.
“This is grave news and considering the circumstances, I fear the worst,” Tsunade stated.
“There are still more places we can look…” Sakura began.
“It has been over a week, Sakura. What makes you think the Brat is still alive?” The blond woman interrupted her.
Sasuke’s anger rose instantly and he slammed his fist against the desk, “What makes you think he’s dead?”
“Calm down, Uchiha,” Tsunade sighed, “You know full well that the likelihood of his survival is slim to none. You were briefed on Shukaku’s extraction by both the Kazekage,” she looked to Gaara who nodded, “and myself.”
There was a short moment of silence before she continued.
“The Akatsuki were able to abduct him quickly and very efficiently. What makes you think he’s still alive?”
Sasuke didn’t respond. He was damn well aware of the situation. He blamed himself for it, but he wouldn’t accept his rival’s death. Not yet.
Tsunade read the look on the Uchiha’s face. A glimmer of hope managed to surface itself within her. She would not accept it either. She hoped that somehow, with Naruto being Naruto, he’d figure his way out of the situation. No matter how dire it was.
“I will allow the search to continue for two more weeks. If Naruto is not found before then, the village of Konoha will declare him deceased. Understood?” She hated the thought of it, but it was procedure.
When she received the, albeit grim, acknowledgement from Sasuke’s team, Tsunade continued, “I will send you three with Jiraiya. He has gotten word of a disturbance of sorts in the Rock Country. Apparently, there was a large surge of chakra from the north eastern area that has yet to be investigated. I’m not familiar with all of the details, but he will brief you on them.”
“Hokage-sama?” Gaara finally spoke up. He had remained silent during the entire debriefing, leaning against the wall and only listening to the rather pointless banter being passed back and forth. The mention of a mission finally caught his interest.
“Yes, Kazekage-sama?”
“If it is not too much trouble, I would like to accompany Uchiha’s team.”
Tsunade considered the offer. She knew very well of Naruto’s and Gaara’s friendship. Kindred spirits, she surmised. She was not surprised to hear that Gaara wanted to help when she had sent word to him.
“Very well, I will send another team of ANBU…”
Gaara cut her off, “Thank you, Hokage-sama, but there is no need. I fear another team will only slow us down and I am confident in Uchiha’s team. I am also very capable of taking care of myself.”
Tsunade nodded, “And what of Suna?”
“I have left Temari and Kankurou in charge for the time being. They are more than able to take care of the village in my absence,” Gaara responded.
“I see. As long as it’s fine with Sasuke,” she looked over to the Uchiha.
“It’s fine,” he nodded his agreement.
“It’s settled then. Your two week time limit starts tomorrow morning, use it well. Jiraiya will be waiting at the front gate at sunrise. But, for now, all four of you are to rest until then. Dismissed.”
With that, there were three simultaneous poofs of smoke, leaving Tsunade alone with Gaara.
“Do you think he’s dead?” The redhead asked her seriously.
“Logically? Yes,” she sighed turning to look out the window, “But my instincts are telling me ‘no’. However, that could just be me hoping with everything I have that the Brat’s still alive. Somewhere.”
Gaara nodded, but said nothing. He felt the same way.
~*~
Naruto groaned, “Can we stop now? We’ve been walking all day. I can’t even see anymore.”
The blond had only been able to run for about half the day and refused to get onto Itachi’s back. After a lot of whining and annoyance on Naruto’s part, the Uchiha had relented and stopped for lunch. When they were finished, they resumed their journey at a slower pace until the blond started to complain about being hungry again. Itachi had skilfully ignored him that time and merely continued walking. Now, however, the blond had a point. The sun had set hours ago and there was no moon in the sky. Itachi could still see with his Sharingan, but Naruto was damn well hopeless.
“Hn,” Itachi finally spoke, “Stay here.”
The Uchiha left the blond standing alone on the path to search for a suitable place to camp for the night.
“Hmph. Bastard,” Naruto cursed under his breath. He was not used to traveling without chakra and his constant fatigue was a huge blow to his pride.
The blond sat down. Itachi wouldn’t be long, but damn was he ever tired. Naruto had deduced at sundown that they were heading east. Most likely towards the Lightning Country. He still hadn’t asked the Uchiha about what exactly they were doing and where they were going. Hell, he’d been too tired to even think about asking him.
A soft breeze next to him alerted Naruto of Itachi’s arrival.
“This way,” was all the older man said before leaving Naruto again and walking towards the area he had deemed worthy for their temporary camp.
Naruto sighed and followed the Uchiha through the dense underbrush of the forest. Camping near the path, in Naruto’s opinion, would have been a hell of a lot better than walking fifteen minutes away from the main path to a more secluded area. Itachi was a very cautious man. Naruto supposed the fact did not surprise him, but the blond did find that it got on his nerves somewhat.
“Do we really need to stray so far away from the road, Itachi?” Naruto asked, “I mean five or ten minutes is fine, but fifteen?”
Itachi frowned and did not answer. He idly wondered how the blond managed to survive his missions, considering how reckless he was when it came to stealth. During his time observing Naruto in Konoha, Itachi had been rather surprised at the working relationship his captive had with his brother. Together, they were professional, discreet, and very efficient. The odd time that Naruto trained alone under the ever watchful eyes of his ANBU guards, he appeared to regress to his old habits. Pure instinct and raw determination.
Traits that suited Naruto more.
“Finally,” the blond sighed when Itachi stopped, “You know? The area ten minutes ago, looked exactly like this place. I don’t see why we couldn’t have stayed closer to the path.”
“Hn.”
“Is that all you’re going to say on this journey of ours?” Naruto observed the older man with amused eyes, “Like I said before, Old Man, you need to relax and talk more.”
“Is that so?” Itachi decided to humour the blond as he sat down and looked through the black bag Keisuke had provided them.
“Well, yeah,” Naruto was quiet for a moment before speaking again, “I kind of like it. You know? When you talk.”
Itachi looked up and eyed his captive warily, but said nothing.
“What I mean is, I don’t like talking to a wall,” Naruto blushed and looked away; stuffing his hands in his pockets.
There was a rustling sound and then a small poof. Naruto turned back to the Uchiha and found himself face to face with a blanket?
“Here,” Itachi waited for the blond to take the offered item.
“Um, thanks,” Naruto wrapped the blanket around him and sat down next to his captor, “Are you going to keep watch?”
“Hn.”
Naruto took that as a ‘yes’.
“Well, wake me up when it’s my turn,” the blond yawned, leaning against the older man as he made himself comfortable.
Itachi found Naruto’s odd behaviour over the last week rather perplexing. It was not common for a captive to act the way Naruto does with him. No one would ever consider acting this way with him, but for some reason, the blond did. Itachi didn’t know why, but again, he found that he really didn’t mind the extra attention.
Itachi lifted his hand and let his fingers lightly run through blond hair and down a whiskered cheek.
Naruto was warm.
~*~
Itachi had sensed them the night before. There were about twenty of them. Nothing he couldn’t handle. But Naruto was a liability. The blond was capable of taijutsu and could probably handle himself, but he had no chakra. He wouldn’t be able to put any power into his moves.
The missing nin attacked at dawn.
Itachi had not woken Naruto up during the night to stand guard. He deemed it unnecessary because the Uchiha was used to long periods of time without sleep. Since the day he left Konoha, Itachi had never really slept. Never without the dreams. They didn’t bother him as much as they used to, but the elder Uchiha still saw them as clearly as the day he took his family’s lives. Perhaps it was another side effect to the Mangekyou. He didn’t know for sure, there had been nothing in the scrolls regarding such occurrences. Only blindness.
Itachi pushed his thoughts aside and reached down next to him to wake up Naruto. He shook the blond lightly and spoke in a quiet, commanding tone.
“Wake up. We have some things to deal with.”
Naruto groaned but was silenced when a hand clamped over his mouth. His eyes widened, but he did not struggle. He was surprised, however, when he was pulled into a strong embrace, hot breath ghosting across his cheek to his ear.
“We are surrounded. Four to the north, six to the south, and five each to the east and west,” Itachi was too close and the blond could not help but blush at this predicament. Goddamn Uchiha.
“Are you able to handle yourself, Naruto?”
It took a moment for Naruto to calm his racing nerves. He had definitely not expected to be woken up in such a way. Bastard.
He nodded and pocketed the weapons Itachi had discreetly handed him. His captor pulled away taking his warmth along with him. It bothered Naruto that he wanted to feel it again. He hadn’t been this close to the older man since he was first abducted.
Naruto frowned. What the hell was he thinking?
A firm grip on his arm warned him that the attackers were closing in. Naruto tried to sense something. Anything. But all he could feel was a slight flicker across his skin before it disappeared. Had he not been paying attention, Naruto wouldn’t have even noticed it. He smiled. It was small, but it was definitely something.
Although, he doubted it would help him at all as he fought the opponents that now surrounded him and Itachi.
No words were spoken. Itachi eyed their attackers warily with Sharingan eyes as he attempted to come up with the best way to go about killing all twenty men while protecting the practically useless blond. He knew, without a doubt, that the missing nin knew that Naruto was helpless. They would distract him and try to kill his captive.
The nin were not strong but they weren’t weak either. They were more than capable of taking out Naruto if Itachi didn’t watch out for him closely enough. The Uchiha reasoned that he would be able to take out a fair number of them on his own before any of them managed to get near the blond.
He was wrong.
The missing nin front of them moved first. The man charged at Itachi with chakra accelerated speed for a direct attack. It was the Uchiha’s first mistake to underestimate these men for two nin from behind attacked with the same swiftness as the first. Naruto was knocked away from Itachi and towards another group of nin.
“Shit,” Naruto swore as he got up from the ground, “Bastards could at least push a little gentler.”
He looked up at his opponents. There were four which meant that sixteen were fighting Itachi? Talk about an unfair fight. Naruto mused as he stood in one of the many defensive poses that Lee had taught him. He waited for his attackers to move first.
The man on his left charged at him and Naruto expected another one or two to attack from behind. The same strategy used to split him and Itachi up. Naruto dodged the punch from ahead and pulled the man past him and into the arms of the man who was attacking from behind. They collided and fell to the ground. They wouldn’t be down for long, but at least these guys were weaker than the ones that had attacked Itachi.
The nin on his right threw several shuriken at the blond. Naruto dove to the ground but was unable to prevent one of the sharp projectiles to slice across his left shoulder. It hurt like hell and he could feel the blood pouring out. Naruto automatically clutched the wound in his right hand as he waited for the next attack. The two men on the ground had already gotten up and Naruto was once again surrounded on all sides.
Fuck.
Itachi had disposed twelve of the men quite easily. It was only the last four that were putting up a half decent fight. They were fast. He had discovered with his Sharingan that the nin were using a jutsu. Just before one attacked, the Uchiha activated his bloodline limit and copied the elaborate move. It would definitely prove useful in the future.
Repeating the hand signals at a speed much faster than those of his attackers, Itachi put that jutsu to good use. Like the first attack on himself earlier, the Uchiha charged at one of his opponents and killed the man before he even realized Itachi had moved.
This jutsu was very useful indeed.
He turned to the last three and, instead of attacking them directly, Itachi circled them and threw several well aimed kunai at their throats. A series of choked cries and gurgling sounds were emitted from the dying men. Itachi double checked their fading chakra signatures to ensure that his enemies were dead.
Satisfied, he turned to see how Naruto was faring. There was one dead man at the blond’s feet and three were still alive. A small feeling of pride found its way out of Itachi’s suppressed emotions as he watched his captive manage to take care of himself. Given his circumstances, Naruto was handling himself rather well.
Itachi noticed that Naruto was wounded and bleeding. His left shoulder was the more serious out of the injuries and it looked like the blond was about to collapse. Yet, Itachi didn’t move. He merely watched as Naruto refused to give up.
Raw determination.
The remaining missing nin had not even notice their comrades’ demise. Convenient for him, but it definitely wouldn’t be for them.
Naruto tried to ignore his injuries and concentrate on the remaining three men. The one he managed to kill had been the same one that had attacked him head on. Naruto may be slower, but his taijutsu level was much more advanced. He had used one of the kunai Itachi had given him and thrust the weapon into the man’s chest.
One down, three to go.
He swore again when all three attacked him simultaneously. Where the hell was Itachi? Naruto couldn’t waste any time to search for the Uchiha so he focused all of his attention back to the task at hand.
Avoiding a punch to his gut, Naruto thrust his palm into one of the nin’s face, breaking his nose. The blond turned around with his elbow out to get another man in the face, but it was blocked. The other nin grabbed onto Naruto’s arm and pulled him against a strong chest. Two arms were hooked around his and Naruto found himself on his knees in a hold he could not get out of. The other ninja had the blade of a katana against his throat.
Naruto felt useless. This was his second fight without his chakra and he had barely been able to defend himself, let alone attack. Now he was at the mercy of these random assholes.
He looked at his enemies and noticed that the third one had disappeared. Naruto scanned the area and saw the many bodies of the nin that had attacked Itachi. He noticed a movement to his left and saw that third nin’s body drop to the ground. Dead. Itachi had sliced the man’s throat.
The Uchiha looked up and bore his blazing eyes into those of his captive. A silent conversation passed between the two before one of the remaining two nin spoke.
“I will not hesitate to kill him,” the man hissed when Itachi was about to move.
The elder Uchiha stilled his movements. He waited for Naruto to nod before he performed the proper hand seals and disappeared from sight. Just as the missing nin was about to slice Naruto’s throat, he felt warm liquid running down his torso. He stared wide eyed at the blood flowing down his body towards the ground. Falling to the ground, the last thing the man saw before everything went black was a pair of satisfied red eyes.
Itachi turned to the last nin holding Naruto and pulled the blond from the man’s weakened hold. The shinobi had lost his nerve and appeared to be trembling in fear. He was alone and he was going to die. The look in the dark haired man’s eyes was that of a killer. A murderer. He closed his eyes when Itachi pulled out his own katana.
The attack never came.
The nin released the breath he had been holding and chanced opening his eyes. The sight before him was puzzling, but he was very grateful for it. The blond man was standing in between himself and the dark haired man; his tanned hand grasping the paler hand holding the sword. The nin couldn’t see the blond man’s face, but he could see the other’s very clearly. Then the shorter of the two spoke.
“That’s enough, Itachi.”
The Uchiha glared down at Naruto’s defiant eyes. He would not let him kill the last nin. The last of their enemies. The hand on his own tightened as Naruto turned and glared at the man on the ground.
“Leave. Now or die,” the blond’s tone was serious and commanding. Seeing that the nin nodded and disappeared from sight, Naruto relaxed and looked back to Itachi.
“Thank you,” Naruto smiled up at the older man before his eyes rolled back as he passed out.
Itachi caught his captive before he fell to the ground. Hooking his arms under the blond’s legs, he lifted him up and paused.
Naruto was cold.
He deduced that it was from blood loss. He needed to hurry. Itachi judged from the amount of blood loss, Naruto would not be able to survive without proper care. He would have healed him with chakra, but it would do no good anyways with the seal absorbing everything. Damn it. The Uchiha grabbed one of their discarded blankets and wrapped it around the shivering body in his arms.
Resting Naruto’s weight against his chest, Itachi performed the seals to the new jutsu he copied and rushed towards the closest town. It was a small one, if he remembered correctly, but it would have to do. They were roughly two days away. With this new jutsu, Itachi estimated it would take less than half that time.
He hoped Naruto would be able to hold on until then.
He quashed the thought immediately. Again, his wandering thoughts unnerved him.
He glanced down at the younger man in his arms. What was it about Naruto that made him feel things?
His situation was becoming more and more dangerous as their time together increased. Itachi knew this, but he still could not understand it.
Or was it that he would not?
Review Responses:
rozengrass: I sure hope he does. That's what I'm aiming for. *heart* :D
hina88: LOL. They should bath more often....*gets hit* XD Thank you for your wonderful review. I'm happy that you're still enjoying the story. ^_______^ It's getting more and more difficult to write so I'm especially happy that it's helping you think of them as a pairing. *smiles* Thanks again. :D
kkk: I know how you feel. I'm so impatient...XDDD I really like how Naruto teases him too. All in all, I think it's something Itachi hasn't experienced and definitely needs. 8D Unfortunately, there won't be any other definte pairings. I don't want to lose focus on Itachi and Naruto. :( It was very tempting though. XDDD Thank you for comment. ^_______^
AnA PaLaNa83: I really liked that part too. I was grinning like an idiot when I wrote it. 8D *laughs* And I totally agree with you. He seems like that sort of person. *heart* Your review is fantastic. *hugs*
Nusku: LOL. Naruto is probably the only person that could ever get away with that. XDDD
Amaya: Itachi is my favourite too!!! So I'm so happy that you think he's IC. *hugs* Thank you so much for your fantastic review. ^______^ I have ideas for another fic that I'm hoping to start after this one is done. :D
Schizolori: I know what you mean. I don't like it when he's made into that evil personified antagonist. :( But given his history and the way he's acted so far (in his small parts) in the manga it's easy to pass him off as that way. D: I wanted him to be different and I'm glad that you approve. :D Thank you. ^_____^
sainaru_fangurl: I'm really trying to keep it slow between them. It's getting harder because the story is actually almost done. I think it's a little more than half way complete now. D: I agree though. I don't really like reading fics with those kinds of relationships. D: Ah, Sai. *hugs him* He gets more attention later. ^_______^ Thank you. :D
jess: Thank you for your awesome comment. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. :D *laughs* I want Sasuke and Gaara to fight. Maybe later. *hopes* XDDDD
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. ^______^
~*~*~*~
Chapter 7 - Warmth
Surprising himself, Naruto actually managed to wake up before sunrise. That bath had done wonders to his aching body and he fell asleep as soon as he slipped into the bed the night before. The blond made a mental note to thank Itachi again. It seemed kind of odd for a captive to be thanking his captor, but Naruto thought it would be rude not to. Then he frowned when he thought of how many times he’d already thanked the Uchiha.
Naruto sighed. He shouldn’t be feeling like he owed Itachi anything, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped. Especially not after everything that’s happened in the last week.
He rolled over to find two red eyes regarding him silently.
Naruto stretched as he spoke, “You know? It’s kind of creepy to wake up and find someone watching you with red eyes.”
He didn’t miss the slight frown on Itachi’s handsome features.
“What?” Naruto asked.
“It’s nothing,” Itachi’s voice was quiet, “Lay back down. On your back.”
“Eh?” The blond’s eyes widened.
He watched as Itachi stood up, but suddenly disappear. Before he knew it, Naruto was being pushed down onto the bed; red eyes spinning as the older man lifted up his shirt.
‘Oh, this again,’ Naruto thought angrily.
Bastard Uchiha.
Naruto felt his stomach tingling and he looked down to see what exactly Itachi was doing. The older man had one hand holding up Naruto’s shirt and keeping him pinned to the bed, the other was hovering slightly above his abdomen. Blue sparks of chakra were being emitted from Itachi’s hand and to Naruto’s surprise, were being absorbed into the visible seals.
“What the hell is going on?” The blond whispered noticing that the seals were now glowing the same blue as the chakra from Itachi’s hand.
Itachi looked up at his captive, ceasing his test on the seal. He was not planning on telling Naruto what he thought was wrong, but it may be more beneficial if the blond was aware of the situation.
“What did it feel like?” Itachi asked seriously.
“What did what feel like?” Was Naruto’s dumb response.
“This,” Itachi answered, a little irritated that the blond could be so dense. He directed another concentrated wave of chakra to Naruto’s stomach. They both watched as the seals reappeared and glowed blue.
“It feels…really good, but weird,” Naruto answered quietly as the prickling sensation started to escalate. Itachi’s chakra was relaxing his body and Naruto felt like sleeping again. He whimpered quietly when that feeling was taken away.
“Can you describe it any other way?” Itachi frowned at the sleepy blond.
“Hm. Let me get back to you on that one,” Naruto yawned and attempted to roll over and go back to sleep.
“Get dressed, we’re leaving,” Itachi ordered as he got up off the bed.
Naruto groaned into a pillow, “How about a nap and another bath.”
There was a small moment of silence and Naruto hoped the Uchiha would say yes.
“Get dressed.”
Damn. Bastard Uchiha doesn’t want to waste time.
“Fine. Give me a few minutes, bastard,” Naruto grumbled angrily and rolled off the bed.
Itachi got up from where he was sitting and left Naruto alone. The blond surmised that he went to pay for their room. Finally rolling out of bed, Naruto yawned and stared longingly at the screen door that led to the bath. If only.
Sighing, Naruto rummaged through the bag that held his new clothes and got dressed. He decided he liked the outfit. It was comfortable and it felt durable, but it was not as eye catching as he would have liked it to be. Damn Itachi and his damn discreetness. The blond had felt like he had won a small victory when he pulled out the orange-accented jacket.
It felt good to be in new, clean clothes.
“Let’s go.”
Naruto turned around to see Itachi standing in the doorway, looking as emotionless and cold as ever.
“Did she hit on you again?” Naruto asked, grinning madly.
Itachi glared at him, turned and left.
The blond’s smirk only intensified before following his captor out of the inn. He was surprised the woman was even up this early, considering that last night she had stayed up late, lingering around their room. Naruto thought it was funny that Uchiha Itachi even had his share of fan girls…despite the cold and unapproachable attitude.
The sun was rising and the streets were quiet and barren. Naruto figured that there would be at least some people up, but there was no one. The shops were dark and empty, their owners probably still in bed. Damn Uchiha was an early riser. They made their way quietly back to the weapons shop and Naruto was not looking forward to seeing that asshole redhead again. He was still pissed off at him for the ‘girl’ comment the day before. Asshole.
By the time he and Itachi had reached the weapons shop, Naruto was practically fuming. The Uchiha took note of this immediately and spoke quickly.
“Calm down and stay out of trouble,” he ordered.
“You, shutup! That jerk deserves a kick in the ass,” Naruto shot back without even considering what he was saying, “Calling me a girl when he looks more girly than I do.”
Itachi raised an eyebrow at the blond. It appeared that Naruto was too caught up in his anger at the redhead to realize exactly what he had just said to Itachi. No one had ever spoken to him in such a way whether they were aware of it or not. Foolish blond. All of this anger and attitude over a ‘girl’ comment. This, Itachi mused, is exactly what it felt like to deal with a spoiled child; remembering dealing with a younger Sasuke all those years ago.
“Keep out of trouble, Naruto,” Itachi tried again, speaking in a firm and cold voice.
Naruto pouted and glared at the older man, “Fine, bastard.”
Itachi accepted the response despite the rude name. He opened the door to the shop and was greeted by that eerie melodious voice once again.
“Ah, Itachi-sama. You’re rather late than usual.”
“Hn. Is everything prepared?”
“Yes. Everything that you asked for and the boy’s disguise are ready.”
Naruto couldn’t help but notice the leering grin on the redhead. He glared at the man, but remembering Itachi’s command, Naruto said nothing.
The redhead laughed, “Unfortunately, it’s not a girl disguise, but I could get you one if you wanted. It wouldn’t be a problem.” He winked, “You would look really cute too.”
“Shut the hell up, you…”
“It’s Keisuke,” the redhead cut Naruto off.
“I don’t care what your name is…” Naruto was again stopped from voicing his anger and frustration when Itachi put a strong hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in warning. Bastard Uchiha.
“Anyways, the only thing I could get for those whisker marks of yours was makeup. I didn’t think you two would be entering any towns anytime soon. If you hadn’t noticed, Itachi-sama hates crowds. Such a cold man,” Keisuke smirked at Itachi, “The makeup should last a while, if you use it properly. I suppose Itachi-sama could teach you how to put it on as well?”
“No,” that idiot weapons dealer was starting to get on the Uchiha’s nerves again, “He won’t need to use it often so let him figure it out.”
Naruto finally spoke up, “Don’t I get a say in this? I don’t want to wear makeup!”
The look that Itachi gave him spoke otherwise and Keisuke saw this.
“And that would be a ‘no’,” the redhead said smugly, “You two make quite the pair.”
“Shut up, bastard!”
“Enough, you two,” Itachi ordered, “Just give me the bag.”
“Always ruining my fun, Itachi-sama,” Keisuke pouted as he gave Itachi a small black bag, “As I’ve said before, everything you need is in here. I doubled the amount for the extra cargo you have and even took the liberty of getting you some extra money.”
“Hn.”
Naruto looked at the bag and frowned. It was so small.
“Everything is in there?” He asked.
Keisuke nodded, “It’s probably enough for a month or so. Maybe longer.”
“In that?” Naruto pointed at the bag.
“Yes, that.”
There was a small moment of silence before Naruto spoke again.
“How?”
Keisuke rolled his eyes, “Everthing has been stored via jutsu into several scrolls. It’s a basic skill that all shinobi should know.”
“Oh.” Naruto blushed at his own stupidity. Even now, it never fails.
“You’re a shinobi?” Keisuke asked, looking at Itachi, “I didn’t even sense your chakra signature.”
The Uchiha showed no sign of acknowledging the questioning gaze.
“That bastard,” Naruto pointed at Itachi, “sealed it up.”
Keisuke grinned, “Once again, Itachi-sama, I commend you in your taste in prey.”
“Let‘s go,” Itachi spoke before Naruto and Keisuke could get into another argument. He directed the fuming blond towards the door.
“Until next time, Itachi-sama,” Keisuke waved as he watched the pair leave. He idly wondered how long they had been together because he had noticed immediately that Itachi was different somehow.
~*~
“There was nothing there, Hokage-sama,” Sasuke reported.
He and his team had finally made it back to Konoha. Well, Sai had apparently carried him most of the way back. Damn Gaara. He knew the Kazekage was seemingly trying to help, but the man should mind his own fucking business. Now was not the time to be pulling shit like that. Sasuke stifled his anger however and returned his thoughts to the situation at hand.
Judging from the Hokage’s downcast features, it was obvious that the other teams that were deployed had not had any luck either. After all, there were no leads, no witnesses, and no clues. They were chasing ghosts.
The older woman nodded. She knew it would have been futile to send a team there, but the Uchiha had insisted and it was a convenient place to meet the Kazekage. Where else were they supposed to look? Jiraiya had not been able to find out anything regarding which Akatsuki base Naruto had been taken to. The group had several locations they frequented, but never stayed at for very long. They were always moving. The old pervert must missed something somewhere.
“This is grave news and considering the circumstances, I fear the worst,” Tsunade stated.
“There are still more places we can look…” Sakura began.
“It has been over a week, Sakura. What makes you think the Brat is still alive?” The blond woman interrupted her.
Sasuke’s anger rose instantly and he slammed his fist against the desk, “What makes you think he’s dead?”
“Calm down, Uchiha,” Tsunade sighed, “You know full well that the likelihood of his survival is slim to none. You were briefed on Shukaku’s extraction by both the Kazekage,” she looked to Gaara who nodded, “and myself.”
There was a short moment of silence before she continued.
“The Akatsuki were able to abduct him quickly and very efficiently. What makes you think he’s still alive?”
Sasuke didn’t respond. He was damn well aware of the situation. He blamed himself for it, but he wouldn’t accept his rival’s death. Not yet.
Tsunade read the look on the Uchiha’s face. A glimmer of hope managed to surface itself within her. She would not accept it either. She hoped that somehow, with Naruto being Naruto, he’d figure his way out of the situation. No matter how dire it was.
“I will allow the search to continue for two more weeks. If Naruto is not found before then, the village of Konoha will declare him deceased. Understood?” She hated the thought of it, but it was procedure.
When she received the, albeit grim, acknowledgement from Sasuke’s team, Tsunade continued, “I will send you three with Jiraiya. He has gotten word of a disturbance of sorts in the Rock Country. Apparently, there was a large surge of chakra from the north eastern area that has yet to be investigated. I’m not familiar with all of the details, but he will brief you on them.”
“Hokage-sama?” Gaara finally spoke up. He had remained silent during the entire debriefing, leaning against the wall and only listening to the rather pointless banter being passed back and forth. The mention of a mission finally caught his interest.
“Yes, Kazekage-sama?”
“If it is not too much trouble, I would like to accompany Uchiha’s team.”
Tsunade considered the offer. She knew very well of Naruto’s and Gaara’s friendship. Kindred spirits, she surmised. She was not surprised to hear that Gaara wanted to help when she had sent word to him.
“Very well, I will send another team of ANBU…”
Gaara cut her off, “Thank you, Hokage-sama, but there is no need. I fear another team will only slow us down and I am confident in Uchiha’s team. I am also very capable of taking care of myself.”
Tsunade nodded, “And what of Suna?”
“I have left Temari and Kankurou in charge for the time being. They are more than able to take care of the village in my absence,” Gaara responded.
“I see. As long as it’s fine with Sasuke,” she looked over to the Uchiha.
“It’s fine,” he nodded his agreement.
“It’s settled then. Your two week time limit starts tomorrow morning, use it well. Jiraiya will be waiting at the front gate at sunrise. But, for now, all four of you are to rest until then. Dismissed.”
With that, there were three simultaneous poofs of smoke, leaving Tsunade alone with Gaara.
“Do you think he’s dead?” The redhead asked her seriously.
“Logically? Yes,” she sighed turning to look out the window, “But my instincts are telling me ‘no’. However, that could just be me hoping with everything I have that the Brat’s still alive. Somewhere.”
Gaara nodded, but said nothing. He felt the same way.
~*~
Naruto groaned, “Can we stop now? We’ve been walking all day. I can’t even see anymore.”
The blond had only been able to run for about half the day and refused to get onto Itachi’s back. After a lot of whining and annoyance on Naruto’s part, the Uchiha had relented and stopped for lunch. When they were finished, they resumed their journey at a slower pace until the blond started to complain about being hungry again. Itachi had skilfully ignored him that time and merely continued walking. Now, however, the blond had a point. The sun had set hours ago and there was no moon in the sky. Itachi could still see with his Sharingan, but Naruto was damn well hopeless.
“Hn,” Itachi finally spoke, “Stay here.”
The Uchiha left the blond standing alone on the path to search for a suitable place to camp for the night.
“Hmph. Bastard,” Naruto cursed under his breath. He was not used to traveling without chakra and his constant fatigue was a huge blow to his pride.
The blond sat down. Itachi wouldn’t be long, but damn was he ever tired. Naruto had deduced at sundown that they were heading east. Most likely towards the Lightning Country. He still hadn’t asked the Uchiha about what exactly they were doing and where they were going. Hell, he’d been too tired to even think about asking him.
A soft breeze next to him alerted Naruto of Itachi’s arrival.
“This way,” was all the older man said before leaving Naruto again and walking towards the area he had deemed worthy for their temporary camp.
Naruto sighed and followed the Uchiha through the dense underbrush of the forest. Camping near the path, in Naruto’s opinion, would have been a hell of a lot better than walking fifteen minutes away from the main path to a more secluded area. Itachi was a very cautious man. Naruto supposed the fact did not surprise him, but the blond did find that it got on his nerves somewhat.
“Do we really need to stray so far away from the road, Itachi?” Naruto asked, “I mean five or ten minutes is fine, but fifteen?”
Itachi frowned and did not answer. He idly wondered how the blond managed to survive his missions, considering how reckless he was when it came to stealth. During his time observing Naruto in Konoha, Itachi had been rather surprised at the working relationship his captive had with his brother. Together, they were professional, discreet, and very efficient. The odd time that Naruto trained alone under the ever watchful eyes of his ANBU guards, he appeared to regress to his old habits. Pure instinct and raw determination.
Traits that suited Naruto more.
“Finally,” the blond sighed when Itachi stopped, “You know? The area ten minutes ago, looked exactly like this place. I don’t see why we couldn’t have stayed closer to the path.”
“Hn.”
“Is that all you’re going to say on this journey of ours?” Naruto observed the older man with amused eyes, “Like I said before, Old Man, you need to relax and talk more.”
“Is that so?” Itachi decided to humour the blond as he sat down and looked through the black bag Keisuke had provided them.
“Well, yeah,” Naruto was quiet for a moment before speaking again, “I kind of like it. You know? When you talk.”
Itachi looked up and eyed his captive warily, but said nothing.
“What I mean is, I don’t like talking to a wall,” Naruto blushed and looked away; stuffing his hands in his pockets.
There was a rustling sound and then a small poof. Naruto turned back to the Uchiha and found himself face to face with a blanket?
“Here,” Itachi waited for the blond to take the offered item.
“Um, thanks,” Naruto wrapped the blanket around him and sat down next to his captor, “Are you going to keep watch?”
“Hn.”
Naruto took that as a ‘yes’.
“Well, wake me up when it’s my turn,” the blond yawned, leaning against the older man as he made himself comfortable.
Itachi found Naruto’s odd behaviour over the last week rather perplexing. It was not common for a captive to act the way Naruto does with him. No one would ever consider acting this way with him, but for some reason, the blond did. Itachi didn’t know why, but again, he found that he really didn’t mind the extra attention.
Itachi lifted his hand and let his fingers lightly run through blond hair and down a whiskered cheek.
Naruto was warm.
~*~
Itachi had sensed them the night before. There were about twenty of them. Nothing he couldn’t handle. But Naruto was a liability. The blond was capable of taijutsu and could probably handle himself, but he had no chakra. He wouldn’t be able to put any power into his moves.
The missing nin attacked at dawn.
Itachi had not woken Naruto up during the night to stand guard. He deemed it unnecessary because the Uchiha was used to long periods of time without sleep. Since the day he left Konoha, Itachi had never really slept. Never without the dreams. They didn’t bother him as much as they used to, but the elder Uchiha still saw them as clearly as the day he took his family’s lives. Perhaps it was another side effect to the Mangekyou. He didn’t know for sure, there had been nothing in the scrolls regarding such occurrences. Only blindness.
Itachi pushed his thoughts aside and reached down next to him to wake up Naruto. He shook the blond lightly and spoke in a quiet, commanding tone.
“Wake up. We have some things to deal with.”
Naruto groaned but was silenced when a hand clamped over his mouth. His eyes widened, but he did not struggle. He was surprised, however, when he was pulled into a strong embrace, hot breath ghosting across his cheek to his ear.
“We are surrounded. Four to the north, six to the south, and five each to the east and west,” Itachi was too close and the blond could not help but blush at this predicament. Goddamn Uchiha.
“Are you able to handle yourself, Naruto?”
It took a moment for Naruto to calm his racing nerves. He had definitely not expected to be woken up in such a way. Bastard.
He nodded and pocketed the weapons Itachi had discreetly handed him. His captor pulled away taking his warmth along with him. It bothered Naruto that he wanted to feel it again. He hadn’t been this close to the older man since he was first abducted.
Naruto frowned. What the hell was he thinking?
A firm grip on his arm warned him that the attackers were closing in. Naruto tried to sense something. Anything. But all he could feel was a slight flicker across his skin before it disappeared. Had he not been paying attention, Naruto wouldn’t have even noticed it. He smiled. It was small, but it was definitely something.
Although, he doubted it would help him at all as he fought the opponents that now surrounded him and Itachi.
No words were spoken. Itachi eyed their attackers warily with Sharingan eyes as he attempted to come up with the best way to go about killing all twenty men while protecting the practically useless blond. He knew, without a doubt, that the missing nin knew that Naruto was helpless. They would distract him and try to kill his captive.
The nin were not strong but they weren’t weak either. They were more than capable of taking out Naruto if Itachi didn’t watch out for him closely enough. The Uchiha reasoned that he would be able to take out a fair number of them on his own before any of them managed to get near the blond.
He was wrong.
The missing nin front of them moved first. The man charged at Itachi with chakra accelerated speed for a direct attack. It was the Uchiha’s first mistake to underestimate these men for two nin from behind attacked with the same swiftness as the first. Naruto was knocked away from Itachi and towards another group of nin.
“Shit,” Naruto swore as he got up from the ground, “Bastards could at least push a little gentler.”
He looked up at his opponents. There were four which meant that sixteen were fighting Itachi? Talk about an unfair fight. Naruto mused as he stood in one of the many defensive poses that Lee had taught him. He waited for his attackers to move first.
The man on his left charged at him and Naruto expected another one or two to attack from behind. The same strategy used to split him and Itachi up. Naruto dodged the punch from ahead and pulled the man past him and into the arms of the man who was attacking from behind. They collided and fell to the ground. They wouldn’t be down for long, but at least these guys were weaker than the ones that had attacked Itachi.
The nin on his right threw several shuriken at the blond. Naruto dove to the ground but was unable to prevent one of the sharp projectiles to slice across his left shoulder. It hurt like hell and he could feel the blood pouring out. Naruto automatically clutched the wound in his right hand as he waited for the next attack. The two men on the ground had already gotten up and Naruto was once again surrounded on all sides.
Fuck.
Itachi had disposed twelve of the men quite easily. It was only the last four that were putting up a half decent fight. They were fast. He had discovered with his Sharingan that the nin were using a jutsu. Just before one attacked, the Uchiha activated his bloodline limit and copied the elaborate move. It would definitely prove useful in the future.
Repeating the hand signals at a speed much faster than those of his attackers, Itachi put that jutsu to good use. Like the first attack on himself earlier, the Uchiha charged at one of his opponents and killed the man before he even realized Itachi had moved.
This jutsu was very useful indeed.
He turned to the last three and, instead of attacking them directly, Itachi circled them and threw several well aimed kunai at their throats. A series of choked cries and gurgling sounds were emitted from the dying men. Itachi double checked their fading chakra signatures to ensure that his enemies were dead.
Satisfied, he turned to see how Naruto was faring. There was one dead man at the blond’s feet and three were still alive. A small feeling of pride found its way out of Itachi’s suppressed emotions as he watched his captive manage to take care of himself. Given his circumstances, Naruto was handling himself rather well.
Itachi noticed that Naruto was wounded and bleeding. His left shoulder was the more serious out of the injuries and it looked like the blond was about to collapse. Yet, Itachi didn’t move. He merely watched as Naruto refused to give up.
Raw determination.
The remaining missing nin had not even notice their comrades’ demise. Convenient for him, but it definitely wouldn’t be for them.
Naruto tried to ignore his injuries and concentrate on the remaining three men. The one he managed to kill had been the same one that had attacked him head on. Naruto may be slower, but his taijutsu level was much more advanced. He had used one of the kunai Itachi had given him and thrust the weapon into the man’s chest.
One down, three to go.
He swore again when all three attacked him simultaneously. Where the hell was Itachi? Naruto couldn’t waste any time to search for the Uchiha so he focused all of his attention back to the task at hand.
Avoiding a punch to his gut, Naruto thrust his palm into one of the nin’s face, breaking his nose. The blond turned around with his elbow out to get another man in the face, but it was blocked. The other nin grabbed onto Naruto’s arm and pulled him against a strong chest. Two arms were hooked around his and Naruto found himself on his knees in a hold he could not get out of. The other ninja had the blade of a katana against his throat.
Naruto felt useless. This was his second fight without his chakra and he had barely been able to defend himself, let alone attack. Now he was at the mercy of these random assholes.
He looked at his enemies and noticed that the third one had disappeared. Naruto scanned the area and saw the many bodies of the nin that had attacked Itachi. He noticed a movement to his left and saw that third nin’s body drop to the ground. Dead. Itachi had sliced the man’s throat.
The Uchiha looked up and bore his blazing eyes into those of his captive. A silent conversation passed between the two before one of the remaining two nin spoke.
“I will not hesitate to kill him,” the man hissed when Itachi was about to move.
The elder Uchiha stilled his movements. He waited for Naruto to nod before he performed the proper hand seals and disappeared from sight. Just as the missing nin was about to slice Naruto’s throat, he felt warm liquid running down his torso. He stared wide eyed at the blood flowing down his body towards the ground. Falling to the ground, the last thing the man saw before everything went black was a pair of satisfied red eyes.
Itachi turned to the last nin holding Naruto and pulled the blond from the man’s weakened hold. The shinobi had lost his nerve and appeared to be trembling in fear. He was alone and he was going to die. The look in the dark haired man’s eyes was that of a killer. A murderer. He closed his eyes when Itachi pulled out his own katana.
The attack never came.
The nin released the breath he had been holding and chanced opening his eyes. The sight before him was puzzling, but he was very grateful for it. The blond man was standing in between himself and the dark haired man; his tanned hand grasping the paler hand holding the sword. The nin couldn’t see the blond man’s face, but he could see the other’s very clearly. Then the shorter of the two spoke.
“That’s enough, Itachi.”
The Uchiha glared down at Naruto’s defiant eyes. He would not let him kill the last nin. The last of their enemies. The hand on his own tightened as Naruto turned and glared at the man on the ground.
“Leave. Now or die,” the blond’s tone was serious and commanding. Seeing that the nin nodded and disappeared from sight, Naruto relaxed and looked back to Itachi.
“Thank you,” Naruto smiled up at the older man before his eyes rolled back as he passed out.
Itachi caught his captive before he fell to the ground. Hooking his arms under the blond’s legs, he lifted him up and paused.
Naruto was cold.
He deduced that it was from blood loss. He needed to hurry. Itachi judged from the amount of blood loss, Naruto would not be able to survive without proper care. He would have healed him with chakra, but it would do no good anyways with the seal absorbing everything. Damn it. The Uchiha grabbed one of their discarded blankets and wrapped it around the shivering body in his arms.
Resting Naruto’s weight against his chest, Itachi performed the seals to the new jutsu he copied and rushed towards the closest town. It was a small one, if he remembered correctly, but it would have to do. They were roughly two days away. With this new jutsu, Itachi estimated it would take less than half that time.
He hoped Naruto would be able to hold on until then.
He quashed the thought immediately. Again, his wandering thoughts unnerved him.
He glanced down at the younger man in his arms. What was it about Naruto that made him feel things?
His situation was becoming more and more dangerous as their time together increased. Itachi knew this, but he still could not understand it.
Or was it that he would not?