Chapter 21 : Low Profile...Yeh Right(3)

Moving forward, leaving a very nervous Hinata at the end of the ally as she kept looking around as if worried someone would see them, Sasuke stopped just a few feet away from Naruto, his faces just as blank as the blondes. He looked him up and down, sizing him up for a moment, before he spoke.

I understand now why it was so hard to fund you; I didn't even know you could read."

"Well, it's not like I had much chose in the matter back in the village, the civilians didn't like the idea of the 'Kyuubi-brat' being smart, in fact the one time a villager saw me reading when I was eight a he set the book on fire while it was still in my hands."

"...you need to stop this Naruto, just come back with us and everything will be like it used to be."

Turing so he was facing the Uchiha, Naruto let a small smirk cross his lips that would normally be seen on the dark haired boy in front of him, his hands in his pocked and his entire body langue say 'you can try, but I wouldn't if I was you'.

"Like it used to be? You mean back when I had to pretend to be an idiot so I wasn't attacked on the street by the same people I was trying to protect? Being treated like a slave by my so called friends? How about being ignored by everyone until they need something from me, only o ignore me again after I do it?"

They could both hear Hinata as she started to cry at his words from her position at the end of the ally. Frowning Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his collar and pushed him against the wall hard, pinning him in place, his sharingan active as he glared at the blonde.

"Is that really what you think of us? What about all the people that cared about you? What about Sakura, did you know that she cried for a week after we got her? What about that old man and his daughter that run Ichiraku? What about Tsunade, don't any of them matter!"

Glaring at the dark hair teen that had him pinned and, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, he didn't even realise that his right eye was flashing between red and blue.

"Back off Uchiha, or I'll make you."

After a minute had passed and Sasuke still hadn't let him go, He snapped. Bringing his hands up and resting them on the red eyed teen's chest, Naruto did something that left both Sasuke and Hinata speechless. With a burst of wind Sasuke was sent flying back and into the wall on the other side of the ally, hitting it with enough force to leave creaks where his back slammed into it.

Everything was quite for the next few minutes, the only sound coming from Naruto as he tried to calm his breathing. When he finally managed to get himself under control, Naruto straightened his shirt and without a word walked to the end of the ally where a still shocked Hinata was staring at him. Just before he felt the blonde ex-ninja stopped, looked over his shoulder with a dark look in his eyes.

"This is your second warning, leave me alone, I'm not going back and nothing you say will change my mind."

Without another word Naruto left them in the ally as he made his way back to his store.

XXX

After few minutes passed in which time Sasuke stood back up, using the wall a support until Hinata came to help him, the two teens slowly started to make their way back to their base. After a few minutes of walking Hinata, in a voice barely above a whisper, spoke.

"I told you we shouldn't had done that Sasuke-san, Kakashi-san told us not to make contact."

Sighing as he held one hand to his ribs as they throbbed in pain form when he was pushed into the brick wall, the young Uchiha let a small frown cross his lips.

"I needed to at least try Hinata and, even if there was only a small chance of him listening, I owed him that. At least we were able to gather a few more things for Shikamaru to add to his plans."

"Like what?"

Taking a moment to catch his breath, the strain his from his bruised spin and ribs forcing him to take quick short breaths, the dark haired teen explained.

"For starters we were able to confirm his location and that was the point of us following the Titans for the last few days. Second, I don't know if he realise it but when I pinned him against the wall his right eye kept flashing red, I think that means he was fighting for control with that Wrath personality Ino was telling us about, and it was tied directly with his emotions. And thirdly, he can apparently use wind jutsu without hand seals...and they really hurt."

XXX

The moment Raven reappeared in the tower she quickly moved to the common room and, paying no attention to the others who had apparently waited up for her, grabbed a piece of paper and drew the same symbol she had seen engraved on the metal attached to the cloth hung from Narutos door. The grey skinned teen ignore her friends as they asked her who how the date went and started to crowd around her, looking over her shoulder at the picture. When she was done Raven let out a sigh before turning to Robin, thrusting the drawing into his hands, a small frown on her face.

Looking from the drawing to his grey skinned friend several times with raised eyebrow, not sure what she wanted him to do, the boy wonder was about to ask before she spoke.

"I want you to find out what you can about that mark, if it means something in particular, if it's linked to any organisation, anything you can find. Also see if you can find out what Jinchuriki means, I think it's Japanese so start there."

"Raven, what's going on?"

Moving to sit on the couch, the others following her, Raven rub her forehead as if to help ward of the headache that was frightening to burst inside her head.

"I think someone is frightening Naruto."

That was all it took for Robin to make his way over to his computer to start the search, though he made sure to stay within earshot so he could here the rest of what she had to say. He scanned the drawing into his computer and started a search, thousands of images flashing across the large screen as it searched for a match. While he did that Cyborg opened a small panel on his arm and started typing into the small computer that was hidden there, searching for the meaning of Jinchuriki.

"Everything was going great; we saw a movie then went to get tea and talk. We were heading to his store when he just froze, that's when I saw some kind of blue cloth hanging off the door handle with a metal plate stitched on to it and that symbol engraved on it. I think it was damaged; there was a deep scratch going through the symbol. Then he got angry and wouldn't tell me anything."

They all sheared looks with each other at the fact that Naruto had been angry; it was actually a little hard to picture. They had seen him annoyed a few times, but other then the time he first met Terra he was almost always clam and collected, not letting anything shake him. They had seen him brush off a gun to the head as nothing more then a annoyance, yet whatever this symbol meant had made him lose his cool.

As he watched the screen flicking through images, Robin frowned as something Raven said stuck in his mind. Turing away from the screen and to the grey skinned Titan, the boy wonder spoke.

"You said there was a scratch over the symbol?"

When she nodded his frown deepened.

"Back when I was in Gotham I used to have to deal with a lot of gangs and organisations, most of which had some kind of logo or symbol, like a calling card..."

Looking at his friend with a mixture of worry and confusion on his face as he stopped typing for a moment, Cyborg moved to stand next to the brightly dressed Titan.

"...Rob, where are you going with this?"

Letting out a sigh, Robin turned in his chair so he was facing everyone, including a very interested Raven.

"It's just this is a lot like the sort of threats that were given to a gang member that left, if it was just the symbol I wouldn't think anything of it, but the scratch makes me think it could be a death threat."

Everyone went quite at his words, no one knowing what to say until Raven stood from her seat and started to leave the room only to stop at the door and look at them over her shoulder.

"Naruto's not now, nor has he ever been a gang member, there's something we're missing...there has to be."

XXX

Breaking new

"We come to you live outside a small bookstore in Jump city that we have confirmed is run and owned by one Naruto Uzumaki, a young man that was seen on a date with none other them the Teen Titan Raven. Last night we were informed by a bystander who had seen the dark Titan walking into a movie with Mr Uzumaki. We are now outside his store waiting for it to open so we can interview him, stay tuned."

XXX

Sat on the couch in his underground home, Naruto couldn't help but let out another sigh as he watched the new, cigarette in hand as they showed pictures of his date with Raven. Apparently the spotty teen that had sold them their tickets at the movie had recognised Raven and alerted the media. They were showing pictures of them coming out of the movie, walking around the city and finally one of them sat in the tea shop talking.

"At least they didn't try to interview us while we were on the date."

That was probably the only good thing about this situation. Now he would have to deal with the reporters that had gathered outside his door. There went his morning tea out the window.

"You knew this was going to happen."

Letting out a deep breath, along with a cloud of smoke Naruto turned to look at Gaara stood behind him. His face was as expressionless as it always is, though he could have sworn he saw the corners of his lips curving up at the ends, making him let out a small growl in frustration before turning back to the TV.

"Doesn't make it any easier, how am I even going to open the shop without them charging in and shoving cameras in my face?"

Raising an eyebrow at his blonde friend, Gaara leaned over his shoulder and took his packet of cigarettes, taking one out and lighting it and after a few breaths turned back to Naruto.

"You're asking someone who, only a few years ago was a homicidal murderer, the only thing I can think of involves killing them all with my sand."

"...good point."

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