Chapter 43: Jinchuuriki Meets Akatsuki 1/2

Sorry for this chapter being a bit late. I got really caught up in playing Final Fantasy XIV, thanks to a friend of mine getting me some game time on it. That game is really addicting. Hopefully you all aren't too mad and I'm not too late when this chapter is released.

Diehard NaruHina LeafRanger: I guess some people have just forgotten their commitments. *sniffs disdainfully*

LeafRanger: I have not forgotten my fanfics, I'm just distracted. Besides, writing these is a hobby, something I do for fun and to hopefully inspire others to start writing like I was inspired by Marchgirl, the author who helped me get onto this site.

Arashen: I remember those days. When you were wide eyed, naïve, innocent. *sighs in nostalgic remembrance*

LR: *Deadpan stare* I wrote a fanfic about Yugito aging backwards, a jinchuuriki OC with a dragon sealed in him, and Naruto and Hinata gaining special powers and armor so they were more like fantasy power rangers then ninja. And they beat the main villain with the power of love, friendship, and belief.

Arashen: Mmm, yes, the fanfic that gave birth to me.

LR: *sighs, rubbing my face* Sorry for the extra nostalgia, but an episode of Nostalgia Critic made me feel even more nostalgic then when I was thinking of restarting the Ranger Lair here. He was talking about why he started doing Nostalgia Critic, and how different things were from back then. To be honest…I really miss the old Nostalgia Critic.

RagingStar19: C'mon, this is supposed to be zany and goofy, not all sappy.

LR: *clears his throat* Yeah, anyways let's get to review replies and announcements. First off, as mentioned in Maelstrom Siblings, timbarney110 has a Harry Potter fanfic challenge for anyone who is interested. Please contact them for details if you're interested in taking it on.

To anonymous guest Tsukasa: I'm sorry for the wait on each chapter, but I'm writing three separate fanfics, and I rotate which one I'm updating so all three of them continue to get updated. I don't want to leave readers and fans of any of them hanging for too long. Sorry again though, for the wait.

To anonymous guest reviewer, thank you for the corrections. Sadly, the sheer amount of comments and notes you added in are too much for me to address here. Sorry.

To anonymous guest reviewer number 2, thank you for your comment about my argument against the flamer that I did back in chapter 28. Logic sadly doesn't work against idiots like that, but showing that to everyone else can better help them handle such people.

And to my…last anonymous guest reviewer, number 3, thank you for your review. Glad you enjoyed seeing Kabuto die, and thank you for your suggestions. I'll consider them for my upcoming chapter(s).

Diehard LeafTayu Ranger: Bored now. Where's my foul mouthed red haired flute player? *get's smacked upside the head by Elroth's bow*

Elroth: She's mine! *The two start engaging in a fight over Tayuya, as the others start taking bets*

LR; *sighs* So much for peace and quiet. *Goes to break it up*

Just as a heads up, there are two scenes of mental torture that might be dark for some viewers. I am sorry if any of you end up uncomfortable from the scenes. If you want to skip them, there will be warnings before and after each scene.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the respective properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft. This is a non-profit fan-made work of fiction. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 43

Jinchuuriki Meets Akatsuki

Kiseki back-flipped through the air, barely avoiding a devastating blow from the massive bandaged blade wielded by missing nin Kisame Hoshigaki. Said sword slammed into the sidewalk with enough force to break it, leaving a small crater and a web of cracks in the cement where she had stood. Kiseki landed gracefully and immediately pushed herself forward to try and catch her opponent off guard, but Kisame easily drew the massive blade back and spun, bringing the sword around in a crushing side swing that would have shattered her ribs if it hit. The Uchiha Assassin barely managed to duck in time, back stepping quickly to get out of range of Kisame's blade.

Once again safe from her opponent, at least for the moment, she studied him carefully. She knew the trick for dealing with someone who had a longer weapon was to get in close to prevent them from employing the range advantage their weapon afforded them. The problem was getting in close enough to do so, and Kisame apparently had trained himself to prevent that from happening. Despite his blade's massive size, length, and weight, he wielded it easily with a single or both hands, the blade able to cut through the air with murderous speed. Combined with his own significant height and reach and he was able to easily lash out at opponents at great ranges and recover quickly, before they could get in close to engage him.

She eyed the bandage-covered blade warily, knowing that each of the Seven Swords of Kiri had special abilities that made them more than simple weapons. Yet the abilities of the weapons were shrouded in mystery due to Kirigakure doing their best to keep them secret, even when most of their wielders became rogue ninja. So at the moment, she had no idea what this weapon could do.

Deciding to try a different approach, she quickly stabbed both blades in the ground before quickly flipping through handsigns. Drawing in air she launched a large fireball directly at Kisame, quickly grabbing her swords up and rushing behind the fireball to use it as a distraction.

What she saw stopped her cold, however, as Kisame brought his blade up right in the path of the fireball. Her jutsu hit home only to quickly disperse into nothing, leaving behind the blade largely untouched beyond some of the bandages being singed. Kisame smirked as his blade actually seemed to squirm and wiggle under the bandages, as if it were alive. "I have to thank you. Samehada hasn't had a treat in a while," he said as he hefted the blade, resting it on one shoulder.

Kiseki narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what happened, before finally responding. "Your blade…it absorbs chakra?" She asked.

Kisame continued to smirk at her. "Got it in one. My blade here loves to gobble up chakra, so please, feel free to launch more ninjutsu at me. She's quite hungry," he said, before kicking off towards her, bringing the sword down in a fast strike as she barely dodged out of the way.

The fight was not going any better for Asuma or Kurenai. The two of them had been knocked into the waterway by two shadow clones that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and now Itachi was fighting the pair of them. Asuma was fighting him in close quarters, using his taijutsu and trench knives which he had enhanced with wind chakra to not only give them a deadlier cutting edge but to also extend their reach. Normally the wind chakra was invisible, making it next to impossible for enemies to dodge his attacks, but Itachi's Sharingan eyes allowed him to easily see the chakra being used, and so he was able to anticipate and dodge Asuma's attacks. Even now, he leaned back far enough that even the trailing edge of wind chakra missed him, kicking Asuma in the side while reaching up to grab the downward stab by Kurenai. He twisted her arm, causing her to cry out in pain as the kunai dropped from her hand, right into Itachi's other hand, allowing him to parry another blow from Asuma before he threw Kurenai at the cigarette smoking Sarutobi.

Asuma barely caught Kurenai, skidding back while suddenly unleashing a cloud of flaming ash from his mouth directly at Itachi. The cloud engulfed him, giving Asuma a moment of hope that he had hit the former Konoha ANBU, only to see the ash be blown away by a cyclone of water that quickly dissipated, revealing Itachi completely unharmed. The former Uchiha stoically stared at Asuma before his hand flickered up, sending several shuriken directly at him and Kurenai. Both jounin blocked the shuriken, only to cry out in pain as cuts appeared on their arms, cheeks and legs. Almost instantly the Itachi in front of them disappeared while another one appeared between the two, crouched with two kunai in hand, each blade dripping with blood.

Kurenai nearly collapsed, her legs buckling slightly. "G-Genjutsu," she muttered, catching on. Itachi had somehow managed to place them in a genjutsu at some point, causing them to fight a fake Itachi while the real one made his move.

Itachi gave them no reply, simply spinning and bringing the blades up, readying to stab them both in the neck, when a dragon of water slammed into him, causing him to disperse into smoke to reveal a sodden log being thrown into the wall of the waterway.

Asuma and Kurenai looked up to find Kakashi standing there, book in hand. "Sorry, had to take the long route here after getting rid of Sasuke," he said nonchalantly, his one visible eye taking in Kiseki and Kisame's fight.

The female Uchiha grimaced as she was again forced back by Kisame's blade, realizing that if she had any chance of actually hitting Kisame, she had to take drastic action. Dodging another attack she charged forward, blades held at the ready. She saw him react exactly how she intended, turning the slash she had just dodged into a turn for a quick thrust towards her. She ducked down to the side, the blade missing hitting her chest but slashing her arm, causing her to wince in pain as whatever was under the bandages cut her flesh as well as the bandages. Paying it no mind she kept going, slashing low at Kisame as she passed him. She was rewarded by the feel of her blade cutting into him, before her eyes widened as she realized there was not nearly as much resistance as there should be from a human body as her blade passed right through him. She spun around in time to see Kisame disperse into a puddle of water, while the real one appeared on the waterway with Itachi, both looking no worse than when the fight started.

Kiseki quickly joined Kakashi and the others, grimacing as she looked at her arm and saw a jagged cut there. She looked to Kisame, seeing that the bandages had come loose, revealing a bluish-gray scaly looking blade underneath, each scale coming into an almost serrated point. She bit her lip, realizing the damage she could have sustained would have been a lot worse if he had hit her with more than just the edge of the sword.

Kisame chuckled softly as he looked to his comrade. "Your former clansman there is quite a fighter. I actually wasn't bored for once," he said. "Can I keep fighting her?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes, taking them all in. "We don't have time for this Kisame. This was meant to be an infiltration, not an assault," he said quietly.

Kakashi finally put his book away, studying them. "So it seems our uninvited guests were a lot more dangerous. I almost wish I had rounded up an ANBU squadron before coming," he said as he lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan eye. "What are you doing here, Itachi-san?" He asked. "Feeling nostalgic and wanting to visit your old stomping grounds?"

Itachi merely stared at him, slightly raising one eyebrow. "Considering I doubt any of you will be leaving alive, I shall inform you. We're here for the Yondaime's legacy," he said simply.

Kakashi's eyes widened at that, as did the other three. Quietly, Kakashi spoke to the others. "I hope you three are still in fighting shape. Kiseki, you'll help me take on Itachi. Asuma, Kurenai, got for Kisame," he ordered.

The trio nodded, each readying themselves as Kisame ran through handsigns. "Guess it's not much of an infiltration anymore!" He said gleefully. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)!"

Another water dragon rose from around his feet, rising up before shooting towards the four jounin, intending to blow them all away, only to suddenly be met by a second water dragon that smashed into it, causing both of them to disperse. Kakashi released his own handsign, looking at the two intruders, only for his eyes to widen as he saw Itachi's Sharingan had changed shape. Kiseki's own eyes widened, before she looked to Asuma and Kurenai. "You two close your eyes and don't look! No matter what!" She shouted, closing her own eyes.

The two jounin quickly reacted as well as Kakashi closed his normal eye, thinking his Sharingan would protect him from what was coming, as he saw Itachi's pinwheel shaped irises.

"Tsukuyomi," Itachi said quietly, as Kakashi suddenly found the world changing colors around him. The sky was blood red with the ground being black, before he was suddenly chained up to a cross. Hoping to escape, he tried to release a burst of chakra, yet nothing happened. Biting his lip to draw blood and cause pain to again snap himself out of the genjutsu, he found himself still trapped, as Itachi appeared before him.

Warning, scene of mental torture

"It is pointless. I control this world, Hatake-san. For the next seventy-two hours, you will experience pain," he said, before stepping back as the black waters below them seemed to ripple and figures slowly began to rise, taking shape. As they did, Kakashi's eyes widened in horror as the first one approached him, a man with gravity defying hair much like his own, his belly gutted open by a slash. Kakashi could only gape as his own father, Sakumo Hatake, held up a sword.

"You turned your back on me Kakashi. I killed myself because you believed me to be a traitor and a disgrace, like the village did!" The apparition shouted, shoving the blade into Kakashi's chest, causing him to scream in agony.

A young boy, not much older than his own students, approached. He had black hair and wore a black and orange track suit, with the right side of his face and body being smashed in, as if crushed by something. His left eye was a gaping void, the ocular organ missing. "I saved your life, Kakashi! I gave you my eye, and trusted you to protect Rin! I should have let you die!" Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's former teammate, shouted as he also shoved another sword into Kakashi, followed by his second teammate, a young girl with short brown hair, purple square marks on her face, and a gaping hole in her chest.

"You couldn't protect me! You failed me and Obito! You had to kill me to protect Konoha, always putting the village and yourself first!" Rin Nohara blamed him as well, driving a kunai into his back.

A tall woman with knee length red hair, dressed in a white top and green house dress that had a massive gaping hole through her chest, stabbed him with multiple bladed chains emerging from her back, as her hair seemed to wave like numerous tails before you. "We trusted you to help look out for our son! To do what was best for him!" Kushina Uzumaki shouted, her chains ripping through Kakashi's torso.

Kakashi could only cry out in agony, feeling the physical pain of being stabbed and gutted, as well as the mental torture from their words, words repeated over and over in his mind and soul. And yet the last one terrified him most of all. Even as he cried out in agony, his eyes were locked on the sight of his mentor, his teacher, his second father figure. Minato Namikaze, dressed in his Hokage regalia, but with a wound matching his wife Kushina's, stepped forward, his usually warm eyes empty and cold. "You are no student of mine, Kakashi. You betrayed everything I taught you, everything your teammates and I instilled in you. You are lower than trash," Minato stated, taking one of his tri-kunai and stabbing it into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi let out an agonizing scream as that blow hit like a thousand charging bulls. His whole body felt like it was on fire, blood dripping from his wounds that should have ended his life. Yet he did not feel the cold embrace of death, he did not see the world fading around him. All he felt was the physical and emotional agony that seemed to stretch on forever, as those closest to him continued to stab him, whispering, muttering, or shouting their claims of his betrayal to him.

And suddenly, it stopped. His head dropped, panting heavily, his eyes unfocused. It took him a few moments to come to his sense, hoping, praying the torture was done. Yet as he was able to finally register what he was seeing, his eyes widened as he saw he was still in the Tsukuyomi, his body healed but still chained to the cross, as Itachi stood before him, surrounded by the wraiths of his fallen precious people. Itachi looked up at him, his Mangekyou Sharingan eyes empty and pitiless.

"Onlyseventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds to go," he said calmly, stepping back as the wraiths stepped forward again, to resume Kakashi's torture.

End Scene

In the real world, not even a second had passed before the trio of Konoha jounin, their eyes closed, heard Kakashi's agonized gasp and the sound of his hands and knees hitting the water. Itachi merely rose one eyebrow as he studied Kakashi's fallen form. "You are quite resilient, to still be conscious after that," he said.

Asuma gripped his weapons, worried about what he couldn't see. "Kiseki, what the hell is going on?!" He demanded.

Kiseki grimaced as she barely opened her eyes, keeping her gaze down and away from Itachi's gaze. "Tsukuyomi is a powerful genjutsu that only those who have evolved their Sharingan can utilize. And even then not all of them get it as a technique. Only someone with an equally powerful Sharingan has a hope of resisting being pulled into it. Itachi put me under it right before he left the village."

Itachi ignored Kiseki, instead focusing on Kakashi. "Our prey is not in the village," he said finally. "We need to end this quickly and leave before more shinobi arrive."

"Heh, allow me," Kisame said, moving forward and preparing to raise his weapon, only for a sudden green blur to appear, slamming into his chest. Gai, having planted a powerful kick into Kisame's chest, sent the massive blue missing nin skidding backwards while he back flipped off of Kisame, landing besides the other jounin and pulling Kakashi up. At the same time a dozen other shinobi appeared, half of them ANBU while the other half were Uchiha, their Sharingan's blazing.

"Worry not my friends, help has arrived!" Gai shouted, his grin evident to everyone but the three with their eyes shut or downcast. "You can open your eyes, but keep your gaze down. You can defeat the Sharingan simply by not looking your opponent in the face."

Itachi frowned as he saw the additional reinforcements, including the hate filled eyes of his ex-clansmen. "It would seem that we took too long," he said quietly. "Kisame-san, we are leaving."

Kisame grimaced as he slung his sword onto his back, rubbing his chest with his other hand. "Damnit, I didn't get to kill anything," he muttered.

"You will not leave here traitor!" One of the Uchiha shouted, as the six of them immediately prepared to unleash a number of fire jutsu at Itachi and Kisame, only for three clones of Itachi to appear, each one holding the same handsign. The water rose in a massive wall between the two rogue nins and the Konoha shinobi, threatening to collapse on them as they quickly darted back away from the water. It suddenly collapsed, leaving them alone with no sign of the two rogue nin.

"Search the area and lock the village down!" One of the ANBU shouted, as his comrades and the Uchiha shot off in various directions to search for their quarry. Gai meanwhile was frowning as he took in the now comatose state of Kakashi, who hung limply off his shoulder.

"We need to get you three to the hospital," he said. "My Eternal Rival is in desperate need of care, and I'm sure you three could use a check up as well."

Kurenai and Asuma nodded, while Kiseki stared off distractedly at where Itachi had stood. She seemed oblivious to them, until Kurenai gently shook her shoulder, causing her to start and look towards her.

"You need to get that looked at," the ruby eyed genjutsu mistress said, causing Kiseki to nod distractedly as she looked at her arm, before following the others to the hospital. Completely unaware of the shadow that watched from the trees, before turning and heading off in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

On the Road

Naruto just sighed as he looked at the back of Jiraiya, the old sannin currently moving along somewhat briskly ahead of him, now that he had recovered from the mad dash from Konoha. Now that he had regained his breath, the duo were moving out in earnest. "So who are we looking for again? You didn't really tell me much except we're looking for someone you know."

Jiraiya glanced back at him as he answered. "Tsunade Senju, the final member of the Sannin. She was my teammate along with Orochimaru. She's probably the best medical nin in the world and a pretty dangerous fighter in taijutsu. We're going to retrieve her to aid with the wounded from the invasion. And…well she is going to be the next Hokage as well," he said.

Naruto's eyes widened a bit. "Hokage-sama is retiring?" He asked in surprise. To him, the old man had always been Hokage, so the idea of a new one taking his place was a bit startling.

"This last fight drained him too much kid. You need to remember that he was Hokage for a lot of years before your old man took up the job, and then he took it up again after the Kyuubi attack. He needs someone fresh to take up the position, this time for good. And of all the candidates at the moment, Tsunade-chan is the best choice," Jiraiya explained to him.

Naruto nodded quietly at that. "Okay, so we're going to find her and bring her back. But…why wasn't she in the village already? Unless it's like a sannin thing, to leave the village and stuff?" He asked.

Jiraiya chuckled tiredly. "Not exactly kid, though that does seem to be the case, doesn't it? Orochimaru-teme betrayed the village because he felt he wasn't being given what he deserved, while I'm mostly out there maintaining my spy network and intercepting problems before they become threats to the village. Tsunade-chan…she left the village for personal reasons," he trailed off quietly.

Naruto frowned at that, wanting to know what those personal reasons were, but stopped as he reasoned that Jiraiya would have said what they were if he intended to tell Naruto. Shaking his head, the blonde fell into silence for a bit as he and Jiraiya continued down the road. After a few minutes however, the sannin perked back up. "So you finally managed to pull off a Rasengan, huh?" He asked with a grin.

Naruto nodded at that. "Yeah. I still don't have it down perfect yet, but I was able to pull it off using a clone to help shape it. I focus on providing the power and maintaining it, while the clone shapes the chakra into the swirling sphere. Once it's created I'm able to maintain it. As soon as my arm has healed up though, I'll work on being able to pull it off by myself."

Jiraiya just kept grinning. "Not a bad shortcut kid. The shadow clone could prove useful in battle, acting as a distraction while you deliver the jutsu. But it's good you're not planning to rely on the clone. It's better to master the jutsu entirely."

Naruto gave him a nod at that. "So what else were you planning on teaching me? I've already got summoning and the Rasengan down, for the most part."

"For now kid, we'll focus on fuinjutsu. That's something you can work on without stressing your arm," Jiraiya said, pulling out a book from one of his pockets and handing it to Naruto. "Here, I want you to start reading this when you get a chance. It'll prepare you for more intermediate sealing."

Naruto opened the book, briefly skimming it before nodding. "Thanks ero-sennin," he said, grinning as he saw Jiraiya falter and groan at the nickname. He slid it into one of his supply pouches, intending to look at it later when they took a break.

Jiraiya, quickly recovering, joined him. "I also got some wind jutsu for you to start practicing with as well. Not a whole lot, but I'm hoping maybe negotiations with Suna might get us a few more wind jutsu to pass on to you," he said, looking to Naruto. "It should help beef up your ninjutsu arsenal."

Naruto nodded, looking slightly reluctant. He still very much had the mindset of an Assassin, and preferred stealth and surprise, things most ninjutsu simply did not have. But he also knew that he needed to gain more offensive capabilities. His fight with Gaara had shown him that he needed to balance things out more. "Thanks, that'll definitely help," he said.

Jiraiya just grinned at him, before stepping out more boldly. "C'mon, the sooner we get to the nearest town, sooner we can start searching for Tsunade," he said with a jovial tone as Naruto rushed after him, doing his best to keep up with Jiraiya's longer step.

Konoha

Sasuke frowned worriedly as he rushed to the hospital, intent on finding Kiseki. He and his teammates had just finished up a mission to help clear out some debris from a collapsed building when he had heard a couple shinobi talking about how Kiseki, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai had been admitted to the hospital after a run in with some intruders. Worried that the woman who was like a big sister to him had been seriously injured, he wanted to ensure she was alright.

Entering the hospital he quickly went to the information desk to speak to the nurse on station there. "I'm looking for Kiseki Uchiha's room. Is she alright?" He asked.

The nurse blinked in surprise at his sudden appearance, before looking to her logbook. "…she was treated for minor injuries, and is most likely simply waiting to be released. You can go see her in Room 17, second floor," she informed him.

Sasuke gave a nod of thanks before heading off, relief in his heart. He had always liked Kiseki, as she often spent time with him when Itachi was busy, before his older brother had betrayed the clan. In a way, she had become like a sibling to him, and he didn't want to lose her. Quickly reaching the second floor, he started going down the hallway only to stop when he heard voices coming from a partially opened door.

"Itachi escaped," spoke a voice he recognized as Asuma Sarutobi, the sensei of Team Ten. "He and Kisame both managed to escape Konoha before any of the ANBU teams could catch up to them. Used a genjutsu on a gate guard apparently that allowed them to get both in and out of the village. The ANBU teams had to abandon the chase after about a kilometer away from the village, what with us needing all the manpower we can just to keep the village safe."

Sasuke stiffened as he heard his brother's name, before Kiseki spoke. "I'm not really surprised. Itachi was one of the best ANBU before he left. He's only gotten better since then," she said quietly. "The real problem is why he was here in the first place. You heard why he and Kisame were here. They're after the Yondaime's Legacy."

"So you really believe they're after Naruto?" Kurenai asked, making Sasuke's eyes widen at that.

"I'm betting they want what's inside of him. Anko told me that Jiraiya-sama mentioned a group was hunting down people like Naruto and Yugito, and I'm guessing Itachi is part of that group. The worst part is with Naruto outside of the village, he's that much easier to nab. I'm betting Itachi managed to pry that out of Kakashi's head," Kiseki said, before Sasuke heard movement from inside the room. "Someone needs to go to Jiraiya-sama and Naruto, to warn them."

"Hokage-sama will need to authorize such an action first," Sasuke heard Gai say. "We don't have the manpower to send anyone just running off after them. Still, they do need to be warned. Jiraiya-sama would most likely be able to deal with both of those miscreants."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he heard all this, before making a snap decision. He quickly turned and rushed off, just as the door started to open. "Then we better go do that now, before we lose too much time," Asuma said, exiting the room only to see a flash of black disappearing around the corner of the stairway. He frowned, staring in that direction, only to be surprised as an ANBU appeared in front of him in a shunshin.

"I'm looking for Kiseki Uchiha," the ANBU, wearing a tiger mask, said quietly. Kiseki stepped out into the hallway, looking confused, as the ANBU looked to her. "Hokage-sama wishes to speak to you immediately. Please come with me."

Kiseki just frowned slightly but nodded, following the ANBU away as the others looked on curiously.

It didn't take Kiseki and the ANBU long to reach the Hokage's Tower, where Sarutobi sat quietly, going over all the paperwork associated with rebuilding the village. However, the instant that Kiseki arrived he shifted it all aside. "Thank you Tora. That will be all," he said.

The ANBU quickly disappeared as Sarutobi activated the privacy seals in the office, before pulling out a small scroll and setting it on the desk. "I called you here because outside of me and my advisors, as well as Raphael-san, you are the only one who knows the truth about Itachi-san," he said simply. "Shortly after he left Konoha, he infiltrated a group of dangerous rogue shinobi to begin feeding us information on their plans and intentions. Your battle with him allowed him the time necessary to create a shadow clone and send it to me with his latest report. The shadow clone also gave me this scroll…addressed to you."

Kiseki flinched at that, her eyes instantly moving to the scroll. Fear and joy both warred in her heart as she looked at it, unsure if she wanted to take it and read it. She closed her eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath before slowly picking up it up. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said quietly.

Sarutobi looked at her with sad eyes, understanding the hesitation and guessing at the emotional turmoil she most likely was feeling. "I am sorry for what you have to suffer. I truly wish I could have prevented the events that necessitated you and Itachi-san being separated."

Kiseki just nodded quietly, not really focusing on him as she looked down at the scroll. She was silent for several moments, before stowing the scroll into a pouch, speaking up. "Itachi mentioned the Yondaime's Legacy, when we confronted him. I believe that he and Kisame were sent here after Naruto. We need to send someone to warn them that Itachi and Kisame will be pursuing them," she said, her voice tight as she did her best to control her emotions.

"I will handle that, though I'm sure Itachi will find some way to signal Jiraiya beforehand. Thank you," Sarutobi said, dismissing her.

Kiseki nodded and turned to leave, when there was rapid knocking on the door. Sarutobi lifted the privacy seals, a frown returning to his face. "Come in," he ordered.

The door immediately opened as a shinobi quickly entered. "Hokage-sama, a civilian saw Genin Sasuke Uchiha leaving the village at high speed! He was heading off to the northwest!"

Sarutobi's frowned deepened. "That is the same direction Itachi and Kisame left, as did Naruto and Jiraiya. He must be going after Itachi," he concluded, before looking up to Kiseki. "Go after Sasuke and try to intercept him before he gets too far. I'll see about sending Gai after you as quickly as I can. Go!"

Kiseki nodded as she disappeared in a shunshin, leaving Sarutobi to curse this new turn of events.

Some Hours Later