Down into Darkness

By Cyn Wraith and Pyr00tje

Disclaimer: We do not own ‘Naruto’ or any of its characters.

Chapter 8: Foreboding

Sasuke and Sakura rushed through the darkening streets of Konoha. People who were still making their ways home for the evening turned and stared as the two rushed through the streets, heading for Hokage tower. Sasuke knew that even if Kakashi wasn’t there, the Hokage would be, and somehow he felt that the disappearance of the curse seal merited the attention of the Godaime. He could hear the cries of the people as he and Sakura ran past them, but he disregarded the noise. Everything else was unimportant.

Thoughts whirred through Sasuke’s mind. How is this possible? Why would the mark simply disappear? Belatedly, he wondered if Anko had lost her mark as well, or if it was only a phenomenon reserved for himself. But if that was the case, then why him? Things weren’t adding up, and for the genius of the Uchiha clan, that was more unsettling than the disappearance of the mark itself. He bared his teeth and his eyes shone their normal ebony black. He was not the type to get optimistic over such a change – it didn’t fit the order of things, and by disrupting that order, it seemed as if it would have far reaching consequences.

Panting, the pair arrived at the foot of the Hokage tower. They had no idea where to find Kakashi at this time of day, as their sensei had never made it clear how exactly they could contact him if the situation arose, so they had headed straight towards the headquarters of the fifth Hokage. Sasuke ignored the chuunin guards that had been posted there since the fiasco at the Chuunin Exams – they could follow his movements (even if it was particularly difficult), and they knew both him and Sakura well enough to let them pass. With a grunt, Sasuke realized how poor the security in Konoha really was. For all they know, we could be Bunshins of some sort – sent by an enemy. Or an enemy could be using Henge to imitate us – they’ve let their guard down, something that should never happen, particularly after Orochimaru’s attack. One can’t detect ill-intent in a clone just based on chakra! Baring his teeth, he made note to discuss the flaw with the Godaime right after they informed her of the strange behavior of the mark.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tsunade sat at her desk, trying desperately to think of some alternate course of action. It had been the Sandaime’s wish that Naruto’s secret would stay just that – a secret to all but those who had fought the Kyuubi over a decade ago. Naruto had just begun to be accepted by his age group, and through his bright personality and undying optimism, he had endeared himself to them, despite what their parents had told them. However, would the bonds of friendship that he had formed since he had become a genin be strong enough to hold against the terror that mention of the kitsune demon struck into the hearts of the residents of Konoha? She feared that should Naruto be saved, he would only face rejection from all that he had come to love. However, as much as she cared for Naruto like a brother, she had been charged with the care of the residents of Konoha, and things had now reached a point in which she could not reconcile her wish to keep the villagers safe while maintaining Naruto’s secret.

What must be done must be done. Tsunade sighed. We should have watched out for Naruto more. We knew that the Akatsuki were after him, and yet we did nothing to protect him. Someone of Naruto’s level, despite the presence of the Kyuubi, would never be able to defeat Itachi or even Kisame. Fingering a pen, she resisted the urge to fling it into the door – and a good thing at that, for at that moment two figures burst in panting as if the hounds of Hell were on their heels.

“Godaime-sama!” shrilled the familiar voice of Sakura as Sasuke stood beside her, a shade paler than usual. Tsunade leaned forwards, concerned; it was not often that one saw the last remaining Uchiha in Konoha so disturbed.

“What is it Sakura-san?” queried Tsunade. For some reason, she felt that the answer to her question would only complicate matters further.

In response to her question, Sasuke turned and pulled his high collar down, revealing a bare neck. It took Tsunade a second to realize what was wrong, but then it hit her.

“Orochimaru’s mark…”

“Gone,” replied Sasuke. “Sakura-san and I were talking, and she noticed that it had disappeared.”

Tsunade nodded slowly. It made some sense, she supposed, that since Orochimaru was dead that the mark he had left would dissolve. However, this also confirmed Jiraiya’s report and the fact that the danger presented by Naruto and Itachi was unavoidable. Slumping back in her chair, she turned to the two genin.

“Jiraiya returned earlier today from his mission. He brought the news that Orochimaru, Kabuto, and the Sound nin that had aided in the death of the Sandaime had been killed.”

Sasuke’s mind reeled from this new information. Orochimaru’s taint had affected his life to a great extent ever since the second task of the chuunin exams, and though he had tried to resist the lure that was the Sannin’s power, it had been quite seductive. He knew that had Orochimaru continued to try to poison his mind against Konoha and had Naruto not been spirited away by his brother, things may have been quite different, and he shuddered at this thought. Still, he couldn’t help feel a strange sense of disappointment – the mark had almost been a promise of security for him – it had aided him in battle before, and though he had attempted to keep it at bay at Kakashi’s request, it had been a part of him that he could not ignore. And now it was…gone.

Sakura began to question Tsunade about what had happened, but Sasuke remained in a state of semi-shock. He may have helped me kill Itachi…but he shook his head almost violently. No. That is not my path anymore – I told Kakashi that I would not focus on my vengeance anymore. I need to train to save Naruto.

Naruto! That thought sent his mind spiraling in an opposite direction, for he had been under the impression that Jiraiya’s mission had been to bring Naruto back. The man had disappeared right after Naruto had, and he had been the blond genin’s sensei during the chuunin exams. If Jiraiya is back…then where is Naruto? Troubled, he turned to Tsunade.

“Is Naruto back?” he interrupted Sakura mid syllable, shocking both and causing Tsunade to jump slightly in her seat before narrowing her eyes.

“Why do you ask?” she responded curtly.

“Jiraiya was sent after him, was he not? And you said Jiraiya is back. So where is Naruto?” Sasuke’s sentences were clipped and he stared intently into the fifth Hokage’s face, trying to discern the truth about his missing rival and friend. Tsunade paused a long moment, fixing Sasuke with an intense gaze of her own before leaning forwards, a serious look on her face.

“Sasuke – just how much do you know?” she asked. The last thing she wanted was to give Sasuke a reason to run off, and if he didn’t know that his own brother was the reason for Naruto’s absence, then she didn’t feel as though she should be the one to tell him. However, he alleviated her fears.

“I know everything. Kakashi-sensei confirmed it – you don’t have to worry about my going after Itachi.” He stated, correctly interpreting what her cause for concern was. Tsunade sighed weariliy.

“No, Naruto is not back. Jiraiya was unable to intercept him or Itachi, and felt that it would be best if he were to return to Konoha with the news of Orochimaru’s fall.”

Sasuke glared. “So he just abandoned Naruto?” he hissed, furious at the old Sannin. Tsunade shook her head.

“No. But he was unable to pursue the two any further and together Naruto and Itachi had already been able to infiltrate the entire Sound fortress and take out Orochimaru. If they could do that on Orochimaru’s territory, Jiraiya would have stood no chance against the two of them.” Tsunade said.

Sasuke recoiled from her statement. “What? Impossible! Naruto would never help Itachi!” His voice was steadily gaining volume, a far cry from his normal apathetic self.

“Not willingly.” Tsunade stated evenly, waiting for Sasuke to collect himself. Taking a few deep breaths, the genin did just that before turning back to her.

“Then how,” he began, his voice hard, “is Itachi managing to control Naruto. And,” he continued, “Since when did Naruto possess enough power to help destroy one of the Sennin?”

Tsunade lowered her head in defeat. “Sasuke, it would be too long of a story to tell now. But tonight there will be a meeting of all the Shinobi currently located in Konoha. The main point here is that Naruto has become a very real threat to the Hidden Leaf, and one that I can no longer ignore. I can only hope that the secrets I reveal do not change your opinion of Naruto, as he is a truly great Shinobi and may one day still be Hokage.”

“A threat?” Sakura put forth timidly. Sasuke turned and stared at her until she lowered her eyes before he turned to Tsunade.

“Then we’ll see you tonight Gondaime-sama.” His tone was not disrespectful – rather, he placed emphasis on her title to remind her of her position in hopes that she would continue to maintain her high opinion of Naruto. Before she could respond, he motioned to Sakura and the two left the Godaime’s office.

As they left Tsunade sat for a moment in silence. Orochimaru’s mark was gone – something that had been a great threat to the people of Konoha and especially to Sasuke and Anko was gone, supposing that Anko’s mark was gone as well. She could not help but feel a little guilt that she had nearly forgotten Sasuke’s mark – in her concern about Naruto, she had been neglecting her duties as Hokage. However, she was in charge of the safety of the whole of Konohagakure and would do her best to ensure that her people remained safe.

Turning, Tsunade called in the two chuunin that usually attended to her. As they both entered, she gave her orders.

“One of you is to find Anko and bring her to me. The other must alert all the Shinobi of Konoha that there is to be a meeting in exactly an hour to discuss matters relevant to the pertaining safety of our village.” She barked out, switching into her leadership mode.

One of the chuunin left, but the other turned to her in confusion.

“Tsunade sama…” he began uncertainly.

“What?” Tsunade snapped irritably.

“Does that mean you want me to use that jutsu?”

Tsunade shot him a penetrating glance, evaluating the chuunin. He was young, and had obviously never seen war before. In war times, or when Konoha was in particular danger, there was a jutsu that could be used that would call all the Shinobi of Konoha within a reachable distance to Hokage tower. It was linked to the Leaf forehead protectors which every Shinobi of Konoha wore, and would cause them to emit an unmistakable glow as well as causing them to vibrate. This was a message that was engrained into all Shinobi or potential Shinobi while they were still in the academy, though it had not been used in years – not since the attack of the Kyuubi on Konoha had the jutsu been warranted. This was because it called all Shinobi – not just Jounins or Chuunins, but any Genin as well who was in the vicinity. Thus, it was only used for the direst of emergencies, or in the face of a threat that no Shinobi of Konoha could afford not to know about. The Hokage almost never performed it because they required the time it took to prepare the jutsu to prepare for addressing the Shinobi. Thus, the task always fell to one of the Hokage’s assistants.

The chuunin in front of Tsunade was pale – every Shinobi was taught the significance of the jutsu, and if Tsunade felt that the jutsu should be used, it would mean that a disaster that rivaled that of the attack of the Kyuubi was approaching Konoha, and would require every available Shinobi to confront it. However, such a jutsu was just what would achieve the desired effect of alerting all the Shinobi as to the level of danger which they now faced. So, Tsunade turned to the chuunin and stated her order.

“Yes. Use that jutsu.”

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

About a half an hour after they left Tsunade’s office, Sasuke and Sakura were startled by a strange glow emanating from their forehead protectors. At the same time, Kakashi was distracted from reading the latest edition of Come Come Paradise by the same glow from his own forehead protector. Iruka, who had just laid down to rest after a long day of teaching hyper potential Shinobi, was startled when a whining noise came from the dresser in which he had placed his own forehead protector. A mile away from the gates of Konoha, a team of ANBU who had just set out on a mission turned as one as they sensed the call of their Hokage.

All in Konoha was silent – to the citizens who were just turning off their lights and heading off to sleep, nothing seemed amiss. The Shinobi of Konoha however moved as one to Hokage Tower. None of them spoke to each other – they all had learned this procedure in drills while they had been academy students. Scared wide-eyed genins were guided by worried chuunins and wary jounins to the center of their Hidden Village. There, they met with others who anxiously awaited the appearance of their Hokage.

And in each of their minds, they questioned what would cause the Hokage to summon them like this. The older ones who had memories of the last time a Hokage had summoned them remembered the last stand of the Yondaime in the defense of Konoha, saving it from what would have been complete annihilation.

Far away, where two figures made their way into the headquarters of the Akatsuki, neither noticed their slashed forehead protectors glowing dimly for a few seconds before returning to their normal states.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Making their way into the Akatsuki headquarters had been simple. Itachi’s mission had been to bring back the ‘Kyuubi brat’, and it seemed to the other members of the terrorist group that he had more than completed his mission. Moreover, the boy seemed to have come willingly, and had fallen into step behind the rogue Uchiha. However, there was also the absence of Kisame to be noted. The leaders of the Akatsuki had long suspected that Itachi was discontent with his position within the organization. Though he was a brilliant Shinobi, his ability to work as part of a team was virtually nonexistent. It was only his bloodline technique that had convinced the Akatsuki to invite him to join them.

One of the Akatsuki members, shrouded in shadow, approached Itachi warily. Members of the Akatsuki were always fully alert, for all were S Class Shinobi, and all had partaken in deeds seen as unforgivable by the Shinobi of Hidden Villages. They could not afford to let their guard down, both in defense from potential hunter-nin and from each other.

Itachi turned to the man who approached him, Naruto following suit.

“Where is Kisame?” the man asked while staring piercingly at Itachi. He didn’t even spare a glance to the boy at his side.

“Dead” Itachi replied sharply. The Akatsuki member frowned, glancing at Naruto quickly as if measuring him before turning back to Itachi.

“Was it the demon child?”

“No. I’ll give my report once the others are here. Is anyone out on missions?”

“No. You took the longest on yours.” The tone of the Akatsuki member was slightly mocking in an attempt to cast a shadow on Itachi’s abilities. Itachi allowed himself a smirk in response. These people would deserve the fate they had coming to them. Beside him, Naruto took a step forward as though to defend his master, but Itachi lifted his hand towards the boy and he stopped. The Akatsuki member eyed this exchange warily.

“I’m sure your report will be quite….enlightening.” he stated, his eyes darting between Itachi and Naruto.

Soon enough, six more members of the Akatsuki joined Itachi and the first one. All enquired after Kisame’s whereabouts, but Itachi waved them aside until all were assembled. Then, he turned towards them, the light catching his eyes as he turned, turning them a startling red before he plunged back into the shadows that hid the rest of the Akatsuki.

“I have completed my mission – look! The demon child of Konoha is here.” He began, sweeping his arms around him to encompass the entire room as he completed his message. The other members glanced at Naruto, evaluating him, before one turned back to Itachi.

“Are you sure this is the boy?” he asked.

Itachi nodded. “He is the legacy of the Yondaime Hokage.”

“There is no demon in him – we cannot detect the presence of the Youma.”

Itachi grinned. “I destroyed the Kyuubi after I captured the boy.” This statement caused an uproar among the members of the Akatsuki.

“What do you mean, killed him!”

“You fool, Itachi!”

“He is of no use to us now!”

But Itachi only smirked and waited till they quieted once again. Then, one member spoke up.

“Explain.”

“Are you all so arrogant as to believe any of us could have controlled one of the Youma?” Itachi began. “Kyuubi would not have cooperated with any of us, and had we banded against him, he would have killed us. The only one capable of controlling the essence of the Kyuubi was the one who had been selected as his original container.” He gestured to Naruto. “The Kyuubi is dead, but his chakra was bound to this boy by the Yondaime, and cannot escape that seal, even through the death of the one who originally possessed it. While it still has life to cling to, it will remain as a part of the boy, something that can be controlled. So, I bound the boy to myself. He, and by extension the chakra of the Kyuubi, is under my control now.” Itachi finished triumphantly.

The Akatsuki were silent for a moment before the same one who had ordered an explanation – the spokesperson for the group – addressed him again.

“You should have waited for our consent before you did anything. The boy should have been brought before us so we could make a decision on what to do with the Kyuubi. I want you to relinquish your hold on the boy so that we as a group may take full control over him. Only then can we fully make use of his power.”

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them. The Akatsuki started at his fully activated Mange Sharingan. Averting their gazes as he looked straight at them, they missed the smirk on his face as he calmly stated “No. The boy is mine.”

“Itachi, you must obey.” The speaker from before stood, glaring down at Itachi while simultaneously avoiding the Shinobi’s eyes. “Do not bring our wrath upon you for your blatant disregard for our power.”

Itachi ignored them. “Kisame is dead.” He stated, watching the Akatsuki closely. “I killed him.”

To his pleasure, a number of the Shinobi jumped at his calm statement, and a mix of confusion and disbelief colored their expressions. Before any of them could respond, Itachi went on.

“This organization has been a challenge, no doubts there. But with the power of a youma at my side, I have eclipsed all of you in power. You have just been yet another means for me to test my capabilities, but I’m finished with you now.” Itachi turned towards Naruto, ignoring the angry cries and glares of his former group. “Naruto…kill them.”

The gazes of the Akatsuki swung towards the previously ignored Shinobi in their midst. All watched as the boy crouched into an attach position, his balance shifting to the balls of his feet while fangs and teeth extended to their fullest extent. Red eyes with cat-like slits turned towards Itachi, and the head bowed in acquiescence.

“As you wish, Master.”

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Shinobi of Konoha waited in silence as first Tsunade, then Jiraiya, appeared in front of them. All were silent in anticipation. Tsunade bent her head towards Jiraiya as the two stood before the assembled Shinobi. Then, she turned, meeting the eyes of a number of Shinobi. She noticed Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura standing together, the absence of their teammate all the more obvious. The other genin stood in their respective teams, their faces pale – they had never experienced this before. Everyone’s face was grim, but none more so than Tsunade or Jiraiya.

“Shinobi of Konoha,” Tsunade began, her voice strong and unwavering. “In recent days, a threat to our village has risen. It is of such a magnitude that under its power, the Hidden Village of Sound has been destroyed from the inside. Orochimaru is dead.”

At this, many began to murmur. Sasuke’s hand once again went to the now bare back of his neck, and on the opposite end of the crowd, a purple-haired female Shinobi was doing the same. Tsunade waited for the murmurs to die down before continuing.

“This was the work of Uchiha Itachi.”

Of course, all the older Jounins and chuunin knew the story of the Uchiha clan, and the name Uchiha Itachi had always inspired a great deal of hatred. The Uchiha clan had been one of the most prominent bloodlines in Konoha, second only to the Hyuuga clan. A number of eyes darted to where Sasuke stood. The young genin was well known for his avenger status, and many wondered how he would take this information. However, Sasuke stood proudly before the questioning gazes, giving nothing away. Tsunade continued.

“Itachi has already caused this village much pain, but now he wields a power that will make him nearly invincible.” The Shinobi waited with bated breath, hanging on to Tsunade’s every word. Tsunade paused though, as if unwilling to continue. Jiraiya, seeing her hesitation, stepped forwards reluctantly.

“Itachi has been able to bind the container of the Kyuubi to him – the power of Nine-Tails Fox demon is completely under his control,” Jiraiya stated in a deep mournful tone that carried none of its usual cheer.

Every Shinobi of Konoha knew the story of the Kyuubi. As a whole, they turned to glance at the Hokage monument where the face of the Yondaime stared sternly at them before turning among themselves. The older ones who remembered glanced at Kakashi and his team while Iruka had turned as white as a sheet. The older Shinobi who had known Naruto’s identity looked frantically for the boy – his disappearance had not been announced, and their hearts sank further as they realized that he was not standing with his team or any of the other genin. They then looked back at their Hokage for confirmation.

Tsunade stepped forwards once again. “What Jiraiya speaks is true. Still, there is more. For the past twelve years, the vessel of the Kyuubi has lived within the walls of our village. It was the wish of the Sandaime that the identity of this person would remain a secret. However, it is now necessary for me to go against his decision and reveal the container of the Kyuubi: Uzumaki Naruto.”

During her speech, Sasuke had already begun to make the connection. It all seemed to make sense – Naruto had always shown odd bursts of power at convenient intervals, but on the whole had appeared to be a less than average Shinobi. Still, he had commanded the attention of Jiraiya and had gained the Sannin as a sensei. There had always been something about Naruto that had defied explanation. When Jiraiya had revealed that Itachi had been able to bind the vessel of the Kyuubi to him, Sasuke had put two and two together – for why else would an organization such as the Akatsuki be interested in the hyper blond Shinobi? Certainly not for his sense of humor. Still, though he had guessed it, Tsunade’s statement still came as a shock. Sasuke stood in a bit of a daze, and he almost didn’t hear Sakura gasp in shock or see the panicked reactions of the other genin. Almost.

However, it was hard to ignore the horrified expressions of the other genin as they too sifted through their memories of Naruto, trying to reconcile their image of the young Shinobi against the knowledge they now had about him. Sasuke glared at them.

“I don’t believe it!” muttered Kiba to Akamaru, receiving an affirmative bark in return. Ino had gone as pale as a sheet and Neji frowned a bit deeper than usual, his eyebrows furrowed as he remembered the strange chakra that he had seen around Naruto while they had fought during the chuunin exams. However, as Sasuke remained silent in his contemplations, Sakura stepped forwards and yelled at the other genins.

“Stop it!” she cried. They all looked up at her, confused.

“You’re all thinking that Naruto is evil! But he isn’t!” Sakura continued desperately. She turned up towards Tsunade and shouted. “You’re lying! Naruto’s no demon, and he would never help Itachi!”

The other Shinobi stared at the pink-haired girl, shocked. One did not just accuse the Hokage of being a liar. It was the single worst breach of etiquette a Shinobi could make, and yet this mere genin dared to defy the Hokage in front of the assembled Shinobi of Konoha at one of the gravest of meetings. However, instead of fury suffusing the features of the Godaime as the gathered Shinobi feared, Tsunade smiled at Sakura.

“I am not lying, Sakura.” She said gently. “You are right – Naruto is not a demon, and he would never betray Konoha.” Now the rest of the genin stared at Tsunade, confused. Tsunade smiled grimly. “Naruto is not a demon because the Kyuubi was sealed within him by the Yondaime. His personality was his own. The reason this was kept a secret was so that he would not have to face hatred for holding the Kyuubi within him. The Yondaime had wished for the village to see him as a hero, and that is how you all should look at him. However,” and at this Tsunade’s tone turned dark. “Itachi had performed a jutsu on Naruto that has wiped out Naruto’s will – Naruto now knows nothing but that Itachi is his master. Even the Kyuubi has been destroyed. However, his power still exists inside of Naruto, and Naruto cannot control his own power while under Itachi’s jutsu.

“Naruto, under Itachi’s command, was able to kill Orochimaru. The real Naruto, though powerful, would have been unable to access so much of the Kyuubi’s power. He is no longer the Naruto we know though – he is now a tool, and one that will be raised against Konoha. Itachi plans to destroy the Akatsuki, but when he has done that, he will turn his sights against his former village. We must prepare ourselves.”

Many of the Jounin and ANBU took Tsunade’s final statement as a dismissal and sped off to begin preparations. Eventually, the only ones who remained in front of Hokage tower were the remains of Team 7. Both Sakura and Sasuke turned to Kakashi, desperately seeking guidance and an explanation. Kakashi sighed and stared at his two students.

“I knew about Naruto.” He answered their silent question. Sasuke nodded, accepting this, but Sakura wasn’t so easily satisfied.

“Why didn’t he tell us?” she demanded, her voice high pitched – it was obvious that she was trying to hold back tears.

“Naruto faced the hate of the village for years without knowing why. He only discovered that he was the vessel of the Kyuubi right before he became a genin. All he had known before then was hate for something he could not control. Would you have revealed something that people had hated you for all your lives when you had finally gained the opportunity to be accepted?” Kakashi asked.

Sakura lowered her head, trying to hide the tears that had begun to cascade down her cheeks.

“Is there still a chance to save him?” Sasuke asked, his voice hard.

Kakashi glanced over to Sasuke, trying to figure out the boy’s response to Naruto’s secret, but he couldn’t see through the walls that Sasuke had erected around himself.

“I don’t know.” Kakashi answered. The three stood in silence for a moment before Kakashi straightened his stance. “Come. We must prepare.”

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

“The Sand has offered us their full support.” Jiraiya offered to Tsunade.

The two were back in her office at Hokage Tower, pouring over her papers. Since discovering that Orochimaru had killed their Kazekage, the Sand had offered to ally themselves with Konoha once again. Now, with the death of Orochimaru, Konoha found itself facing a much larger threat, and the Hidden Village of the Sand had offered to aid them in this, in part for reconciliation for the damage done by their men during the Chuunin Exams.

Tsunade looked at the list of the three-man team that the Sand had offered to send before scoffing.

“This is just a team of genin.” She said disdainfully. However, Jiraiya picked up the list, examining it before recognizing one of the names on the list.

“No – don’t underestimate them.” He said. Tsunade glanced at him in confusion.

“What?” she asked incredulously.

“They may be able to help us more than you think.”

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Itachi and Naruto spun around, each engaging different members of the Akatsuki. One lay dead already, but they were still greatly outnumbered. Naruto executed a perfect jump kick before landing and swinging out his leg, catching one of the Akatsuki by surprise and sweeping the man off his feet. One thing about the Akatsuki was that though individually they were almost unmatched in their power, they were unable to fight together as a group – one of the reasons that they had become missing-nins in the first place. Executing a Rasengan, Naruto was able to graze another member of the Akatsuki, who was thrown back nearly ten meters by the force of the blow.

Meanwhile, Itachi also had his hands full. He was facing one of the leaders of the group, and was not faring well. He had been caught by a kick to the head that had screwed up his Sharingan for a moment – not long, but enough so that his enemy could send a genjutsu of his own. However, the Sharingan soon righted itself and he was able to break through the genjutsu. When he broke his way out of it, he had to dodge a couple of kunai before reengaging his foe.

Naruto, concentrating on his adversaries, was caught off guard as his master was caught under the genjutsu and diverted his attention from his own match for a split second. However, it was enough for his sides to become pierced by a flurry of kunai that hit him from all sides, courtesy of one of the Shinobi he had been fighting. Letting out a howl of rage, Naruto snarled and pounced at the Shinobi, chakra covering his body and emanating from it in waves.

Itachi looked up from his opponent to see the waves of orange and red chakra lighting up the shadowed room and revealing the pale and angry faces of the Akatsuki. All, including Itachi, wore the black robes covered in crimson clouds. Suddenly, Naruto let off a wild cry and the waves of chakra began to pulse even more brightly. The fighting stopped as all the members of the Akatsuki save Itachi watched in dread as Naruto began to transform. Meanwhile, Itachi – caught up in glee at his servant’s performance, was able to dispatch the Shinobi he had been fighting with a quick shot of a fire jutsu that, coupled with the now tangible chakra of Naruto, consumed the Shinobi completely and left behind only charred remains.

Naruto screamed as his bone stretched and grew. His face became longer and developed into a pointed snout while his spine bent in an awkward position, forcing him onto all fours. His legs twisted and his fingers became gnarled as they shortened and their claws grew. Orange fur covered his entire body and seemed to ripple as the chakra continued to flow off of him. His eyes narrowed and his ears grew pointed and longer, fur covering them as well. A tail grew from him, but quickly separated into nine individual tails that waved in rhythm to the chakra that still emanated from his twisting frame. All his teeth, not just his canines, became pointed and his mouth twisted into a feral grin.

Next, his body began to grow, slowly at first, but at increasing speed until he towered above the Shinobi. The once short boy had completely transformed into the image of the most powerful Youma – the nine-tails fox demon. Naruto had assumed the image of the Kyuubi, and the Akatsuki paled as the red pitiless eyes of the fox that had appeared in their midst glared at them. Itachi smirked – Naruto had not just been housing the chakra of the Kyuubi – with the death of the demon, Naruto had in essence become a demon in his own right. And with the power of the Kyuubi, Naruto would be unstoppable.

With a single swipe of his tails, Naruto brought the Shinobi down. He used his teeth and claws to tear strips from their bodies, and by the time his attacks had abated the Akatsuki was no more.

Itachi watched as Naruto shrunk back into itself. His form let out inhuman cries as it shrunk and twisted back into that of a shaking boy. When he finished transforming back, Naruto was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. The stripes, both on his cheeks and the ones that had appeared over his body when he had first consumed the essence of the Kyuubi were darker now, and his hair was a dark auburn.

Weakly, the boy raised his head to Itachi, his eyes widening.

“You! What have you done to me!” Naruto cried, and Itachi realized that the stress of the transformation as well as the low levels of the boys chakra had caused his seal to fail.

Naruto stepped forwards, his limbs shaking from exertion as he looked over the chaos that he had caused in his demonic state.

“Oh my God…” he whispered in shock before turning back to Itachi. “You bastard!” he screamed, fury coating his voice. He lunged at Itachi, but he was too weak from his previous exertions to do anything, and the Shinobi caught him and held him. Itachi then shook him violently.

“You are my tool.” He whispered furiously at Naruto. “You exist only to do my bidding.”

“No…” Naruto moaned, trying to struggle out of Itachi’s arms, but the last member of the Akatsuki held him tightly.

“Yes…” Itachi hissed. He released Naruto suddenly, and without his support, the boy fell. Then, his hands assumed familiar symbols before he grabbed Naruto’s shaking shoulders, strengthening his control over the younger Shinobi.

“No…” Naruto gasped out. But then Itachi released him and all he knew once more was darkness.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Sorry about the late update. I could site a number of reasons like AP classes, SATs, AP exams, final exams….but I’m sure you don’t want to hear them.

Basically, real life got a hold of me, and though I wanted to write, I couldn’t until now.

This chapter was incredibly hard to do. Suffice to say, this is my third rewrite of it, as well as the one I’m going to post. I would like to thank all those who waited so patiently for it, and commend all those who kept up their hope that it would be continued.

I hope to finish the fic this summer, and I should have time to do so. I have a camping trip this weekend, but after that I will start Chapter 9.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter…its not my favorite, but I worked really hard on it. If you have any suggestions, please review