Chapter 51 : Hope(4)

He was almost insulted when he felt the fear and panic of Tsunami.

Apparently Gato wanted hostages, and nothing screamed hostage like a helpless woman or a child. It disgusted Naruto that someone would take advantage of the innocent like this. This was why he loved taking the life of scum; they tainted the world, and needed to be cleansed.

He was insulted because all the cowardly man sent was two very weak thugs, something a genin could handle easily. The fool still underestimated Konoha. That alone was enough for the Bringer of Hope to want his head.

For a civilian woman however, they were probably intimidating and scary. Tsunami couldn't fight back for fear of her son getting involved. That woman was something else, really. She thought of her son first, before all else, even in the face of imminent death. She was a good person, and a great mother.

For a fraction of a second, Naruto was jealous of Inari.

Then, after he remembered who his mother was and what she had done for him, he decided that he was perfectly fine with his own mother, even if she was dead. Uzumaki Kushina was the greatest mother a boy could have. She was beautiful, smart, talented, and willing to die for her family. Naruto wouldn't trade her for the world.

Just now exiting the house, Gato's men were dragging a crying Tsunami off. The reason he wasn't down there this moment was simple, he wanted to see if her son would do anything. He was radiating bravery and courage the likes of which only someone who was willing to die could. At that moment, the ignorant child became a man, a warrior in the eyes of the Kamikage. Tsunami, Tazuna, all of Wave had just earned his respect; they had just earned their freedom, and all because of the courage of one boy.

As he suspected, Inari ran out of the house, his hands balled into fists, a scared but brave expression etched into his face. He was going to save his mother or die trying, and that's all Naruto needed to see. He had no doubt that the boy would surely die, but it was the fact that he would do just that for the safety of his loved ones.

Inari was – now – the kind of person the blond respected above all others. He was someone who would stand against impossible odds for the sake of others. Someone who wasn't arrogant enough to think they could win, but brave enough not to care about things like surviving. Someone who would dance with death and smile, knowing that all that could be done, was.

Someone like him.

As Inari reached the two thugs, who had taken their weapons out to cut down the child, the men fell, their lifeless corpses now adorning two very shinobi-like kunai that weren't there a second ago. Inari was shocked all but two seconds before the same smile he had the other night crept back onto his face.

He didn't do or say anything for a few moments, but after he took in a deep breath, he shouted to the heavens. "Thank you, Naruto-nii!" After Tsunami recovered from the shock of a failed abduction attempt, she couldn't help but cry again. This time, however, it was not tears of fear, or sorrow, these were tears of joy. Her baby, her beloved son hadn't smiled like that since Kaiza was murdered.

She smiled sadly and whispered. "Thank you, Naruto-san." Her smile became a bright one. "I'm not afraid anymore…" She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can… thank you. Thank you so very, very much."

The Uzumaki could hear her. He could feel her. He was accepted, and he once again felt invincible.

It was time to have some fun now.

On the way to the bridge, Naruto felt him. He hadn't felt him in years, but he could never forget that chakra signature.

"Itachi…" he whispered under his breath. What was he doing here? And who was he traveling with? His companion's chakra felt… fishy, for lack of a better term. And it was large, larger than the reserves of most Kage. Whoever he was, this man was dangerous, and he was traveling with Itachi, another extremely dangerous shinobi.

That meant he was a member of the organization Itachi joined that Jiraiya was telling him about, the one he wasn't allowed to confront yet for some reason. Itachi may still be a loyal Konoha-nin and like a brother to Naruto, but he needed to keep his cover. He wouldn't like it, but right now, Itachi was the enemy, along with his companion. And they were headed towards Kakashi-senpai and Sasuke. There was no doubt in his mind that Itachi would kill Kakashi if it was necessary to keep his cover intact.

First friend or not, Kakashi would not be taken from him too, he wouldn't allow it. He needed to have a chat with, what was it… the Akatsuki? Yeah, it was time to send the Akatsuki a message.

It took him a few minutes to cut the two ninja off, and Naruto now knew who the fishy – literally – man was.

"So," the Uzumaki's voice called out to the two black-cloaked men, "Gato hired two S-rank missing-nin to, what… kill me?" He asked in an amused voice. "Tsk, tsk." He shook his pointer finger along with his head. "The two of you are way out of your league here." The aforementioned missing-nin turned to the blond. "Now, I'm kind of busy, so if you apologize for wasting my time, I'll let you live. For now." He crossed his arms to wait for their response.

"Kisame," Itachi started with his calm and collected façade, "your 'contact' wanted us to confront Konoha's Kamikage?" The shark-faced man turned to his partner.

"He never gave me a name. All he said was that he needed our organization to eliminate someone for him. He promised a hefty price as well."

Itachi's eyes never left Naruto's. He had his Sharingan active, like usual, and was ready to activate the Mangekyo if needed. They weren't enemies, not really, but Naruto would not let them pass without something close to an all-out war between them. The blond was never one to just let possible threats walk by, and Itachi was sure that Naruto knew of his cover, so he wouldn't want that blown either. Itachi deduced all of this in a second, just by looking into his friends eyes.

"Nonetheless," the Uchiha began, "we can no longer help your contact for more than one reason." When Kisame frowned and turned his gaze to the blond, Itachi went through ANBU code faster than most could see.

What of Sasuke? And I need Kisame alive, or our leader might retaliate.

Naruto read it loud and clear.

"And what are those reasons, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked. The one thing he liked about being teamed with the Uchiha was that he was quiet, polite, and skilled, more so than himself. He was the perfect partner, so he showed the youngest member of their team the respect he deserved.

"Leader-sama has stated that the Jinchuuriki are off limits. Have you already forgotten?" He pointed at Naruto. "And more importantly, a fight with this guy would result in our deaths. We are not ready to fight an opponent of his caliber yet." Naruto chuckled. He wasn't bullshitting either, Itachi was telling the god's honest truth.

"He doesn't look like much to me." Kisame said with a smirk. "And Samehada is begging to feast on his chakra."

"Ah, yes." Naruto suddenly shouted, his right hand meeting his left palm. "Hoshigaki Kisame, former member of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure." He chuckled darkly. "You're called the Tailless Tailed Beast. Such an absurd title, don't you think?" The Kiri missing-nin's annoyed mind made Naruto want to chuckle again.

"No, I don't think it's absurd." He grabbed the hilt of the Shark Skin. "So, boy, would you like to see why I was given that title?" Kisame asked cockily. "Unless you're scared, I mean, there are two of us and you're… well, you're all alone."

'Here we go…' Itachi thought. He knew that was not something that should have been said.

Before Naruto could speak, Kisame flared his chakra, the enormity of it being felt by everything nearby. It was huge, and very powerful, there was no doubt about it.

It was a presence worth noting. The pressure of his chakra was a visible thing, pushing down on the environment in a display of power that would surely be terrifying.

For a mortal.

"I'm never alone." Naruto whispered. With his Sharingan, Itachi was able to catch a pair of eyes morph from blue to gold, and circular pupils became slitted ones. He was able to catch something he hadn't seen in five years.

Naruto's monstrous smirk… his senpai was awake…

God help them all.

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