Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shinobi Hunter ❯ Chapter 2

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

I actually UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a suprise. I've been working on all my chapters in increments. I'll probably have 3 for Have You Ever Seen The Rain? out in a month or two. And maybe 8 for Slasher, too. Please review!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto or any of its characters. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I gain no monetary profits through the writing of this fanfiction.


Itachi walked slowly towards the small village that was on the next hill, barely sighted over the treetops. Kisame walked quietly at his side with Zabuza beside him. Haku walked a few paces behind, holding a small brown winter hare that he had coaxed out of the bushes. If anything by the looks Zabuza was giving it, if he had still been completely of this material plane the innocent rabbit would have made a tasty dinner. But they were not, and so Haku’s Bunny-chan was allowed to recline in the boy’s arms and be stroked by a contemplative hand.

Itachi stepped up to the desk at the hotel and requested a room. His no nonsense tone was taken at face value by the receptionist, and he was immediately given the key to a nondescript room on the second floor. As he made his way up the creaky stairs, he felt Kisame come up behind him. Without a word, the Uchiha held up the key so that Kisame could take it. The big man walked past the shorter man and located their room. He fitted the key in the lock and held the door so that Itachi could enter, slamming the door behind them. As Itachi settled down onto one of the beds, Zabuza materialized by the window. He flung the latch and opened it so that Bunny-chan and Haku could climb through. The hare seemed oblivious to the look the dead man gave it after his protégé had placed the rabbit on the bed beside Itachi. Itachi merely looked at the blurry brown smudge sitting beside him and glanced at the blue smudge standing by the door. Sighing, he laid back on the bed and closed his eyes.
After a moment, he felt something soft and warm poking him in the hand. He raised it a little and the hare slid its head underneath. Amusedly, Itachi decided to humor the animal and began stroking its soft ears.
“Bunny-chan must really like you, Itachi-san. He doesn’t seem to like Zabuza-sama or Kisame-san very much, though.” Haku’s smile was light and oddly innocent. “He seems to think they wish to eat him.”
Itachi glanced over at Kisame. Even as bad as his eyesight was, he could distinctly make out the white of the shark-man’s razor sharp teeth glinting in a feral grin. Itachi’s lips twitched before quirking into a slight smile as he recounted the first time he had been met with that razor edged grin.

A thirteen year old Itachi followed Zetsu, a man who resembled some twisted experiment of mutated human and plant life, down the corridor. They were in the Akatsuki lair, a complex of caves that twisted deep into the side of a mountain. He had already met one of the other members. Sasori was a quiet person, something about his movements being smoothly calculated and just a hint of an almost mechanical quality to them. Now, he was going to be introduced to his partner.
The piebald creature stopped in front of one of several doors and turned to the eldest remaining Uchiha.
“This is your room. Your partner waits inside.” Zetsu’s black side husked. Then his white side finished the instruction. “He will inform you with the rest of the rules and give you your own set of clothes.”
Itachi nodded and opened the door. Without looking back, he closed the door behind himself and turned to face the only other person in the room.
A tall, blue-skinned man stalked up to him and towered over Itachi. He regarded his new teammate questioningly for a moment before his face split into dark grin.
“The Leader-sama tells me he is giving me a new partner, and he sends me a brat. A short brat at that. What’s your name kid? I was supposed to be getting an Uchiha, not some frickin’ pipsqueak.”
Itachi’ eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. The tall man in front of him only grinned wider. He knew this was supposed to be Hoshigaki Kisame, once one of the Seven Swords of the Mist. Silently, he took another step and Kisame’s grin faltered. Itachi’s hands were fisted in the top of the other’s Akatsuki cloak and Kisame’s lower half was dragging on the floor as Itachi held him up effortlessly.
“I am Uchiha Itachi. Do not underestimate me.”

Itachi’s lips tipped upwards into a true smile as he patted Bunny-chan on the head and picked the rabbit up in his arms.
“Don’t worry little Bunny-chan. Kisame is not going to eat you. Now is he?” Kisame was staring at Itachi as if the Uchiha really had lost all his marbles. Itachi did NOT talk to rabbits and protect them from sharp toothed predators that wished to eat them. He just didn’t. Kisame blinked at Itachi’s low, rolling chuckle.
“Do not worry Kisame. I am no less sane than I was a few minutes before.” If anything, Itachi’s smile was a tad wider. Itachi stood up and handed the rabbit to Haku before heading out the door and down the hall towards the bathing chambers.

Sasuke stared up at the roof of his apartment and tossed the small rubber ball in his hand at the door. It sprang forward and bounced off the door at head-height just like it had been doing for the past hour and a half. It landed smartly in his hand and he sent it flying right back towards the door. It missed its mark as the door suddenly opened, but the result was even more pleasing as the bouncy ball smacked into Naruto’s face and dropped to the floor only to bounce out of sight underneath the bed. Naruto glared at Sasuke and rubbed the red mark where the ball had hit him.
“You know, teme, that’s not very nice.” Naruto pointed at the dark haired boy reclining against the headboard. Huffing, Sasuke sat up and leaned over the side of the bed to fetch his bouncy ball. He fished around with his hand for a moment before scooting forward with a frown and peering under the edge of the bed.
“Sasuke-teme! Are you ignoring me?” Naruto fumed, waiting for Sasuke to pay him mind.
“No,” came the muffled reply from under the bed. Naruto walked around to where he could see, and saw only Sasuke’s feet sticking out from under the bed. Grinning, Naruto decided to try something. He sat on his haunches and reached a hand out and tickled the bottom of Sasuke’s bare foot. WHUMP!
“Ow! The fuck..! Naruto!!” Sasuke growled, grabbing his bouncy ball and flipping around in the small space under the bed. He came flying out and tackled Naruto, grabbing him by the front of the shirt and shaking him.
“That hurt, dobe!” The Uchiha growled. “If it wouldn’t get me kicked out of this village, I’d kill you for that!”
“Sorry! Sorry!” the blond begged and Sasuke dropped him.
“Just don’t make the same mistake again, dobe.” Sasuke moved to sit on the edge of the bed and flopped back against his pile of pillows. “So, why are you here , anyway, dobe?”
“Tsunade-baabaa wants you.”
Sasuke frowned. “And she sends you to come get me?” He shook his head as if faced with something hopeless. “Fine.” Sasuke stood and walked out the door, not even locking it. He had taken ten long paces before he stopped and turned to Naruto.
“Why are you following me?” he asked boredly.
“Tsunade-baabaa wants me to deliver some scrolls for her once I get back. So I might as well just follow you since we’re both going the same way.” Naruto shrugged, putting his hands up behind his head as they started walking again. “Anyways, you spend too much time by yourself. You need to get out more and quit being such a teme.” Sasuke’s eyebrow rose as Naruto began listing all his qualities that needed working on, mostly ‘being a teme’.
As they reached Tsunade’s office, Naruto opened the door and trotted over to a pile of scrolls sitting on the corner of her desk.
“Are these the scrolls you wanted me to deliver, Tsunade-baabaa?” Naruto asked, hopping from one foot to the other. In answer, the woman pushed all the scrolls at Naruto and he leaped to grab them before they hit the floor. After she had shooed the blond out, Tsunade turned to Sasuke and motioned him closer.
“Sasuke, there is the possibility that you will be sent out on a mission in the next few days. Your behavior has been good, and I do not think there will be any more…discrepancies…on your part. What do you think?” She asked, staring Sasuke in the eye.
“I would be willing, Tsunade-sama. I doubt you would send me out alone, though,” Sasuke nodded, and changed which foot he was resting his weight on. “With whom?”
“Naruto. Sai.” Tsunade leaned forward and placed her elbows, pushing her breasts against the edge of the table and making Sasuke grimace inside. “You three can get along, correct?”
Sasuke did not hesitate before nodding his assent. “Hai, Tsunade-sama. Have they been briefed?”
“Yes. Neither of them are fully happy about it, but you three are the best for getting this done.” the Godaime swiveled her chair over to grab a folder from her shelf. “Now listen. You will be going to Stone country. There, you and Sai will be acting as inconspicuous as possible whilst Naruto….”