章 637: Akatsuki Makes Its First Move
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Shirotsume.
October 14, x788.
Once the door to Naruto's hotel room opened, the two men who were speaking to him walked through it. The first thing he noticed about the two were the high-collared black robes with embroidered red cloud patterns they both wore.
After that, Naruto noticed their faces. The first, a handsome, fair-skinned young man of about seventeen or eighteen years. He had jet black hair tied into a low ponytail with center-parted bangs that reached his chin and framed his face. Under his eyes, there were two, very well-defined, tear troughs. And his facial features looked remarkably familiar to someone Naruto knew.
Fortunately, it did not take Naruto long to put his finger on who this man was similar to, as the red irises with three black tomoe in each was a dead giveaway. This man was an Uchiha… Itachi Uchiha, the man who single-handedly destroyed the Uchiha Clan several years ago.
'That's Sasuke's brother, isn't it?' Naruto asked himself while tightening his fingers around the two kunai in his left hand.
["Aren't you glad that Alfonzo boy made you memorize all the S-Class entries in the Bingo Book, now?"] Kurama asked. ["Otherwise you probably wouldn't have recognized him."]
'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' Naruto replied while internally rolling his eyes. 'That's not important right now. Instead, we need to figure out what we're gonna do to get the Pervy Sage's attention.'
While speaking to Kurama in his mind, Naruto shifted his gaze to the other man who entered the room. The second man was older, appearing to be nearing thirty years old, was quite tall, almost as tall as Alfonzo, and had bluish-grey skin with a distinctively shark-like appearance. On top of that, his eyes were strange, consisting of black sclera and white irises. Also there were three sets of curved facial markings under each eye and sharp, triangular teeth in his mouth.
On top of his strange appearance, the taller of the two men also had a large sword wrapped in bandages strapped to his back. The sword was almost as long as the man was tall.
'And that fishy-looking guy is Kisame Hoshigaki.' Naruto muttered internally.
["And he's possibly even more dangerous than the Uchiha brat."] Kurama said, almost growling when he said the word, "Uchiha." ["That sword on his back is strange. It almost feels like its alive."]
'Yeah, I know.' Naruto replied. 'Big Bro Alfonzo told me about that. That sword, what was its name again? Whatever… It can suck up magic power. So, I can't fight him head on.'
The last thing Naruto noticed were the forehead protectors the two were wearing. The village symbols at their centers were scratched through, making it clear that both men were rogue shinobi.
Meanwhile, as Naruto assessed his situation and put names to the faces of the two who intruded into his room, Itachi and Kisame were also looking over him, as well.
"It looks like the brat isn't willing to come with us, after all." Kisame said while lazily scanning Naruto. "Oh, and look, he must have been a fan of the Yellow Flash. Just look at those kunai he's holding."
"Don't be careless, Kisame." Itachi said in an emotionless tone. "Carelessness leads to mistakes."
As Itachi said that, he pulled a kunai from his weapon holster and threw it into the floor near Naruto's feet.
"Hmm?" Kisame intoned while raising an eyebrow. "What was that for?"
Kisame was not the only one who was confused by Itachi's actions, as Naruto jumped after the kunai sank into the floor next to him.
'I didn't even see him take that kunai out.' Naruto thought to himself while cold sweat started dripping down his back.
"It seems we're not here alone." Itachi said as his eyes shifted to where his kunai stuck out from the floor. "I'm not surprised you didn't notice, though. That thread was so thin that if it wasn't made of magic power, I would have missed it, too."
Hearing that, Kisame finally put on a serious expression as he reached up and took hold of his sword's hilt. Naruto reacted to Itachi's words, as well. However, instead of becoming even more alert, he visibly relaxed.
'I don't' know why she's here, but Big Sis Lici is the only person I know who can control threads.' Naruto thought to himself.
["Don't drop your guard."] Kurama scolded. ["Until you know it's her for sure, you should think that it's another enemy."]
Kisame was thinking along the same lines as Naruto, though.
"Itachi, you said threads?" Kisame asked. "Does that mean the Magic Seamstress is here?"
"More than likely." Itachi replied. "However, I can't be sure. The wielder of those threads is too far away."
*Poof!*
As soon as Itachi finished speaking, he disappeared from where he stood in a puff of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, a chair was being held aloft by a bundle of threads that entered through the door behind the two rogue shinobi. At the same time, Itachi appeared in the corner of the room where a chair used to be.
A moment later, Kisame leapt into the air to avoid a leg that swept at his knees, pulling his sword off his back at the same time. However, as soon as his sword was drawn, he was slammed in the back by a hardened bundle of threads, sending him flying across the room.
"It really was you, Magic Seamstress." Itachi said.
Paying Itachi no mind, the interloper, Elicia, kicked off the floor and rushed in Naruto's direction, grabbing him as she ran towards the window behind him. However, before she could jump out the window with Naruto in tow, Itachi flashed in front of her with a pair of Kunai in his hands and his Sharingan watching her every move.
"This guy really is fast." Elicia muttered, though she did not stop moving forward. "Probably as fast as Jet, at the very least."
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to take him with you." Itachi continued. "If you leave him behind, I can promise we'll let you leave unharmed."
"Sorry, I can't do that." Elicia said with a grin. "Fonzie told me that he's gonna be a member of Fairy Tail in a few days. So, I'm only doing my job as his guild mate, you know?"
Hearing that, Itachi narrowed his eyes. The fact that Naruto would be joining Fairy Tail was not good news for his and Kisame's mission.
"Then, I guess that means you won't be leaving here alive." Kisame, who flickered behind Elicia in a burst of speed, said with his sword raised above his head.
*Crash!*
Unfortunately, because of the length of his sword, a hole was punched into the room's ceiling. Then, the ceiling was further destroyed when Kisame swung it down at Elicia's back.
*Poof!*
*Cling!*
However, just before the large greatsword could smash into her, Elicia was covered in a cloud of smoke. At the same time, the sound of something metallic being knocked to the floor could be heard.
"What! A [Substitution Jutsu]?" Kisame asked in a dumbfounded tone. "when did she become a shinobi?"
"That's not important right now." Itachi replied as he turned around to look out the window behind him. "Quickly, we have to follow her."
"Right." Kisame replied as he glanced at the three-pronged kunai lying on the hotel room's floor. Then, he quickly moved to follow Itachi, who had already jumped out of the window.
Meanwhile, Elicia, with Naruto slung over her left shoulder, was jumping across the rooftops of the town.
"Big Sis Lici, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked while watching Itachi and Kisame chase them from over Elica's shoulder.
"Oh, I was on my way back from a quest I just finished." Elicia replied. "I felt yours and Jiraiya's magic power signatures. So, I was going to come by in the morning to see if the two of you wanted to ride back to Magnolia with me. But then I felt those two outside of your room, and I figured you were in trouble."
"Yeah, I really was in trouble." Naruto replied. "There would have been nothing I could do to get away from them without the Pervy Sage."
"Yeah, those two are bad news." Elicia replied. "the one that looks like a shark has almost as much magic power as Gildarts."
*Ting!*
At that moment, Elicia flipped to the side to avoid a kunai. However, before she could touch the roof she was running on, she shot a few threads from her free hand to catch a second kunai, as well as a shuriken, that were aimed at her landing point.
"You can have these back." Elicia said as she spun her body in the air.
At the end of her spin, Elicia released the kunai and shuriken, sending them flying back at Itachi.
*Cling!* *Cling!*
However, Itachi deflected both projectiles with ease, using the kunai in his hands.
"[Water-Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu]." Kisame shouted after running through a series of hand signs.
A moment later, Elicia was forced to shoot out another handful of threads, wrapping them around a light post near the building she was running on top of, before reeling in her threads at high speed.
Meanwhile, Itachi, expecting Elicia's evasive maneuver, threw another kunai, intending to cut Elicia's threads. However, when Itachi's kunai came in contact with the threads, it bounced off harmlessly while spinning back towards his direction.
Though Itachi did not show it, he was surprised that his kunai was deflected, by thread of all things.
However, even though Itachi could see the magic power running through the threads, he had no way of knowing they were made from Elicia's Vibranium Threads. In fact, as these threads' origins were from a continent outside of Ishgar, and were almost exclusive to that continent, Itachi had no knowledge of such a thread.
By now, the people who were out enjoying Shirotsume Town's night life were alerted to something going on on the building's roof, as Kisame's [Water Shark bomb] had slammed into a nearby building, damaging it heavily and splashing large amounts of water all over the street.
Unfortunately, Elicia did not have the luxury to worry about the people.
["You know, if you just used my power, this wouldn't even be an issue."] Scylla said as Elicia anchored herself to the light pole.
'I know.' Elicia replied. 'But if I use your power to fight them in the city, the collateral damage would get even worse.'
["I can't argue with that."] Scylla replied. ["By the way, you kinda destroyed that hotel room."]
'That wasn't me!' Elicia shrieked internally. 'Fish Face was the one who destroyed the ceiling!'
["Yeah, but you're the one who cracked the wall when you sent Fish Face flying."] Scylla said in a tone filled with schadenfreude.
Elicia did not have any time to think about that, as Itachi flickered onto the light pole, standing perpendicularly just above her and Naruto.
"Big Sis, look out!" Naruto shouted.
"I know." Elicia replied as she used her threads to pull one of the needles on her wrist band into her free hand.
*Cling!*
In the next instant, Elicia used the needle to block the incoming kunai Itachi slashed at her. At the same time, she quickly wove her threads together to create a blindfold before using her magic to tie it around her head.
'I'm definitely not getting caught by [Tsukuyomi].' Elicia thought to herself as she forcefully stopped herself from making eye contact with Itachi. 'If I do, I'm done.'
["Yeah, and then the continent will fall into chaos when Fonzie goes on his man-hunt for revenge."] Scylla added.
Shuddering internally, Elicia used her needle to deflect Itachi's kunai several more times. Then, a grin spread across her face as she sensed Kisame running up the light pole from below. However, that was not the reason for her grin, as she could sense the person she was waiting for had appeared stealthily at the bottom of the light pole, as well.
"Naruto, get us out of here.' Elicia said.
"Got it." Naruto replied.
In the next instant, Elicia and Naruto vanished from the light pole. At the same time, both Itachi and Kisame widened their eyes in shock.
"What was that?" Kisame asked as he had to forcefully stop the slash he had aimed at Elicia's back. "Where did they go."
"That was the [Flying Thunder God]." Itachi replied. "And they could have gone anywhere."
As he spoke, Itachi dashed forward, stepping past Kisame. He also ran through a series of hand signs.
"[Fire-Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu]." A voice called out from the bottom of the light pole.
"[Fire-Style: Great Fireball Jutsu]." Itachi called out before spewing a large ball of fire from his mouth.
A moment later, the [Great Fireball] collided with a stream of flames that resembled a dragon's breath, or a [Roar] spell from a Dragon Slayer.
"Itachi, what should we do?" Kisame asked while looking down at the one who just attacked them. "We were supposed to be done before Jiraiya got back."
"We'll have to abort this mission." Itachi replied after his Jutsu cancelled out Jiraiya's. "With the Magic Seamstress here, as well, we have little chance of completing our mission. Instead, we should report back and update the others about the situation."
"Understood.' Kisame replied.
"Do you think I'll just let you leave?" Jiraiya, standing at the bottom of the light pole and going through another series of hand signs, asked in a stern tone. "[Summoning Jutsu: Toad Mouth Bind]."
In the next instant, Itachi and Kisame found themselves trapped in a long, fleshy corridor. This corridor, the esophagus of a toad from Mount Myabōku, had just appeared around them out of nowhere.
"Where the hell are we?" Kisame asked while looking up and down the fleshy corridor.
"I'm not sure." Itachi replied. "But we need to get out of here."
"Sure thing." Kisame replied as he raised his sword and swung it down at the fleshy wall to his right.
However, instead of shredding the wall as he expected his sword, Samehada, one of the Village Hidden in the Mist's Seven Legendary Swords, to do, the fleshy wall was completely unharmed. On top of that, the place where Samehada struck began to wriggle, as if it were alive.
"What is this?" Kisame asked in a dumbfounded tone.
Before Itachi could offer an opinion on what he was seeing, both he and Kisame noticed that the corridor they were in began to contract. Neither of them had any doubt that if they did not manage to escape soon, they would be crushed to death when the corridor contracted to a certain point.
"I suppose I have no choice." Itachi said as he closed his eyes.
A moment later, Itachi opened only his right eye. However, when he did, the pattern of his Sharingan had changed. Instead of three black tomoe surrounding a black pupil, there was now a three sided pinwheel pattern in his eye.
"[Amaterasu]." Itachi said calmly while looking at a point on the fleshy wall.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was looking at the esophagus he summoned in the middle of Shirotsume Town.
"*Sigh* I'm glad that little girls showed up to help Naruto." Jiraiya muttered while wiping off a bead of cold sweat from his cheek. "To think one of the two women I managed to find would try to poison me to keep me from helping him. *Sigh* She was really pretty, too. And those bazongas. They were almost… No, I guess they weren't even close to Tsuna's. Still, they were really nice."
While controlling the toad esophagus to contract around the two rogue shinobi, Jiraiya could not help slipping into his memories of the women he almost got lucky with. However, he was shocked out of his recollections when the esophagus started to writhe as if the toad it was summoned from was in pain.
A moment later, Jiraiya saw two figures jump out of the side of the esophagus before running off towards the outskirts of the city. Clearly, they were trying to escape. And because Jiraiya was so certain that no one would be able to escape his [Toad Mouth Bind], he was too late to react to their escape.
On top of that, he could see there was a strange black flame burning around the hole Itachi and Kisame used to escape from his Jutsu.
"How did they get out using fire?" Jiraiya muttered as he approached the escape point from the outside. "This toad's throat is supposed to be fire resistant."
However, when Jiraiya got close to the flames, he felt something ominous. And although he was not sure from a single glance, those black flames would not be extinguished until whatever they were burning on was turned into ash. Still, Jiraiya was experienced enough to remove the flames before the toad's esophagus took too much damage, as he used the [Sealing Arts] to [Seal] them into a scroll for future study.
"Anyway, I guess I should go find Naruto.' Jiraiya said while unsummoning the toad's esophagus. "I need to thank that little girl, as well."
Saying that, Jiraiya disappeared in a cloud of smoke, heading back to the hotel room he booked with Naruto only a couple of hours ago.
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