Itachi held Naruto close to him as he quickly ran from the village.  It became smaller and smaller as they hurriedly left.  Wincing, Naruto tried to hide the pain he felt every time Itachi moved.  However, the elder Uchiha still noticed the kit's pain and tried to slow down some, to ease the jumps a bit.
     "Did I do the right thing?" Naruto inquired almost to himself.
     Looking down at the blond, Itachi stated, "There is nothing else that you could have done, Naruto.  Do not dwell on it more than what you have to."
     "Itachi, I'm still confused about things.  Why am I weaker?" Naruto queried.
     The reven-haired elder frowned and said, "Naruto when Tsunade removed the Kyuubi from your body--he died."
     Naruto paled as the words sank into him.  Spinning, his mind sought out answers to questions.  Why did the Kyuubi have to die?  Why did the Kyuubi even sacrifice himself?  What was going to happen now?  Was Naruto never going to fully recover?  A sense of loneliness overwhelmed the teen; the demon had been the only thing that had known him for all of his life.  Even though Naruto hadn't known it at first, the Kyuubi had been a major part of his life.  Now it felt like there was something missing that Naruto would never have back.
     "Naruto-" Itachi called out gently, his eyes softening as the blond looked up at him with a devistated face.  Tsunade was right; Naruto wasn't told beforehand that the Kyuubi would die in the process.
     Naruto tried to smile.  "Itachi, where do demons go when they die?"
     Mentally wincing, Itachi said, "I don't know, kit.  I'm sure it's nice there anyway."  It was something that gave the blond a piece of mind, even though Itachi knew it wasn't true.  Demons generally go to Hell, which would mean the Kyuubi would be there as well.
     Still, this appeared to cheer up the young kitsune.  "Yeah.  I mean, he gave up his life for me -- us.  Why shouldn't he be in a better place?"
     Suddenly, Itachi sensed the two Akatsuki members that he didn't need to be on his tail at the moment.  There was no way he would be able to take two-on-one and live to tell about it.  Then again, there was no way for him to outrun them either.  Itachi's mind grabbed and snatched at little ideas of what to do here and there, but nothing came to mind that would definately work.
     Naruto had sensed them as well, for he said, "Itachi, what are we going to do?"
     "It's going to be alright, kit.  I won't let them get you."
     Widening, Naruto's eyes lit up as the kit realized something, "Why would they want me anymore?"
     "What do you mean?"
     Naruto grinned.  "Don't they just want me for the Kyuubi inside of me?  I don't have that demon anymore, so once we tell them that they'll want nothing to do with me.  Then we can leave."
     Thinking on it, Itachi realized that Naruto's thoughts made sense in the aspect that they went through.  Leader and Konan would be furious once they discovered that the Kyuubi had been destroyed, but then that would deem Naruto cleared to escape.
     There was only one thing that nagged Itachi, but he shoved it to the back of his mind and stopped.  Shifting his kit closer to him, Itachi waited patiently as Leader and Konan appeared before them.
     "Have you given up already Itachi?" Pein asked mockingly, his voice echoing off the trees around them.
     "More of a realization," Itachi answered, "Sense this boy's chakra and tell me what you can feel."
     The two frowned, but did just as Itachi said.  Eyes widening, they realized the thing that both Itachi and Naruto knew: the Kyuubi's chakra was gone.
     "Impossible." Konan hissed, "You've created a seal that has hidden the chakra, haven't you Itachi?"
     Smirking, Itachi answered, "I thought you would be better than to say that, Konan.  You know just as well as I that there is no trace of the Kyuubi's chakra in this child's veins."
     Naruto shuddered slightly as Pein's eyes pierced through him.  Sensing this, Itachi glared fully at his ex-leader.  His eyes warned of danger if he kept this up.  Pein was not phased by the cold look and, in fact, merely brushed it off as he went through the possibilities of what happened to the boy before him.
     "It was a separation jutsu -- it segregated Naruto from the Kyuubi." Itachi informed them, hoping that the two would believe him and leave soon.  It wasn't healthy for Naruto to suffer the outdoors just yet in his current state.
     Pein scowled, "A jutsu like that has never even been attempted before; the side effects were too unknown that no one would risk it.  You mean to tell me that this child not only went through an untested surgery, but survived it with very little damage done to his body?"     
     "One of the three legendary Sannins did the procedure: Tsunade.  Do you believe that she could not have done such a thing?" Itachi pressed.
     Pein scoffed slightly before motioning Konan to flank him.  "Even if the boy doesn't have the Kyuubi inside of him anymore, it doesn't change the fact that you betrayed Akatsuki.  We cannot just let you walk away by doing such a thing.  What would the other members think of us?"
     Naruto snapped, "You let Orochimaru walk away."
     "That is a different case." Pein retorted promptly, "And Itachi has a lot more to lose by dying... isn't that right?"
     Not letting the blond down, Itachi snarled, "Try me you two, you'll understand why the Uchiha clan is so feared."
     Konan and Pein smiled cruelly, both looking straight into Itachi's eyes.

     What a mistake that was.

     In seconds, Itachi had whipped out his Tsukiyomi and used it, locking them both into a warped time where he could control everything that happened.  Konan and Pein looked unphased at first, even though all they could see was black and red.  A glowing red moon hung in the sky behind them and Itachi immediately pinned them to a table.  Still, the two didn't appear at all scared.  In fact, they looked as if they couldn't care less.
     "We've undergone treatments like this before, Itachi." Konan jeered, "We won't break under you."
     With a low growl, Itachi pulled out a knife and slowly slid it down Konan's arm.  She didn't even react as the blade dug deeper and the blood began to rise.  Still, Itachi knew she could feel the pain and it would only take time, which he had plenty of.  A clone of Itachi appeared before Pein and he mimicked the same thing.  What felt like days passed in Itachi's Tsukiyomi as all he did was carve Konan and Pein.  Finally, just when he was about to give up, Konan suddenly broke.  She just began to scream, unable to hide her pain any longer.  Pein, however, remained firm under Itachi, still not showing much pain save a wince here and there.
     "How long do we have to endure this Itachi?" Konan screamed, writhing in pain.  She could no longer find a comfortable place to rest for her body's many cuts were sore.
     "Time passed:" Itachi stated dramatically, "one second."
     With that in mind, Konan and Pein's eyes widened as they came to acknowledge how strong Itachi was.  With that second gone, Itachi released the jutsu and let the two before him fall to their knees.
     Naruto stared in awe and wonder, for they had just been fine a second ago and now they were down, panting and gasping for breath.  Their bodies shook with the remembrance of what they felt in Itachi's mind, and they knew that their energy had somehow been sapped from them.
     Taking this moment, Itachi quickly jumped forward and cut Konan's throat.  With no time to respond, she fell to the ground and bled out.  In about twenty seconds she was dead.  However, at seeing his partner die, Pein wasn't about to go without a fight.  Rising to his feet, the Akatsuki leader snarled at Itachi.
     "What's so great about that boy anyway?  You had a fair life with Akatsuki; we gave you an endless supply of people to kill, a place for you to rule in the future.  Why give that all up?"
     "It's not what I was looking for in life." Itachi answered curtly before dashing forward.
     Pein jumped off to the side and snapped forward while throwing some kunai and shuriken at Itachi.  The elder Uchiha dodged, landing perfectly before once again heading straight at Pein.  Creating handsigns, the Akatsuki leader went to create a shadow clone only to have him cut off by one of Itachi's clones.  The clone threw a punch forward only for Pein to grab it and then nail the clone in the gut.  Appearing behind his opponent, Itachi held a kunai to his throat before slicing it neatly.  However, the body changed to a tree branch and Itachi mentally cursed before looking around again.
     "I thought this would be a harder battle against you Itachi.  You disappoint me." Pein mocked, "I believe it's that boy's fault.  Has he not been letting you practice as much recently?  It shows, Itachi... you're lacking in skill now."
     "Don't blame Naruto for anything," Itachi hissed angrily.
     Pein turned to the blond, "You know Itachi use to be the most ruthless of us all?  He'd kill a baby and not think twice about it.  You should ahve seen him in the highlights of his life.  THat man wen tthrough entire villages and slaughtered them."
     Biting his bottom lip, Naruto tried to block out the images of Itachi killing everyone in a town.  How much heartache, terror, trauma everyone must have felt.  Tears sprang to the blond's eyes as he thought about it.  How many people would not live out their lives.
     "Kit, don't listen to him... it's a little bit of his stragety."
     Pein went on, "You know, it's a part of his fault why you don't have a family Naruto.  Did you know that?  Itachi was the one that, all those years ago, accidentally set the Kyuubi on the village.  He was trying to show his family his strength and look what he did: destroyed your life.  Because of him, you've never known what a family is, what it's like.  You've always been shunned from your village... because of him."
     Naruto stared at Itachi with wide eyes, "This isn't true, Itachi... right?  It's just more of his strategy?"
     "Tell him the truth, Itachi." Pein ordered slightly.
     Sorrow filled Itachi's eyes as he looked at his kit.  Two choices ran through his head, both with a rather bleak outcome.  Still, this young man had accepted him as a murder, a thief, a cruel person; if they were truly to be together, then Naruto would have to accept the truth.
     "Naruto, it's not like it's sounds." Itachi began, only to be cut off.
     Pein was victorious, "You see, child?  Itachi destroyed your chance of a good future."
     Trembling, Naruto looked at the ground.  His eyes stung with tears, something he had become too familiar of.  Itachi had indirectly killed his parents and sent him into exile for his entire life.  Also, he had indirectly made Naruto cling to Sasuke, the only person that would show him in certain ways that he wasn't always dead last.  His heart tore in two with the knowledge that Itachi had not only destroyed his life, but mended it at the same time.
     "You're wrong." he snarled suddenly, "If anything, Itachi is the only reason I'm here today.  Sure, he made a mistake; everyone does at least once in their life.  But the only reason that I am alive right now, speaking to you, is because Itachi saved my life.  He gave me a reason to live."
     Pein laughed coldly, "A reason to live?  He took away everything for you, Naruto.  He tooka way your family, potential friends, village acception... Sasuke."  Pein's words ripped through Naruto's souls as he got to see just how much Itachi had effected him over the years without the blond realizing it.
     "Kit..." Itachi stated softly, "Kit, please-"
     Naruto shook his head, "Don't talk to me!  Why didn't you tell me?  I should have known about this before this point in time.  You killed everything for me, destroyed it before I even had a chance to really take it."
     Heart shredding as he heard these words, Itachi began to shake in anger and fear.  His kit wasn't ready to hear this, that's why he hadn't told him.  Now it appears as if it would have been better in the longrun.
     "That's right, Naruto." Pein pressed, a smirk forming on his face.
      Standing up shakily, Naruto stumbled over to Pein, "Itachi lied whenever he said I no long had the Kyuubi.  I still do, so go remove it and kill me; I can't stand to live any longer."
     With this statement, Itachi became confused.  Naruto knew taht the Kyuubi was gone,s o why was he sayign that he wasn't?  His eyes widened with realization and, the moment that Pein let his guard down, Naruto pulled out a kunai and lodged it within the now ex-Akatsuki leader's throat.  Blood sprayed out onto Naruto, who shook slightly with the effort to stand.
     "Kit..," Itachi called out slightly before running over and catching the blond as he fell.
     Naruto smiled awkwardly, "I'm not mad, you know?  I mean, you're the only reason I have to be here... you're the reason that I am this happy at this moment.  It'll take me a while to let go of the fact you killed my parents, but always know that I love you Itachi."
     Itachi's heart felt as if though a boulder had been taken off it and he allowed a smile to stretch all across his face, "I can be patient, Naruto.  Take your time and as long as you can still tell me those words without any doubt, I can wait until the end of time for you to come to terms as to what I have done."
     Nodding slightly, Naruto looked down at the body of the leader.  "What will we do now?"
     "Don't worry about that, Naruto.  The Uchihas use to own a small summer home out in the woods, hidden away.  We'll live there, where no one can find and ridicule us."
     Eyes drooping, Naruto smiled his cheesy grin and said, "That sounds nice..."  Without hearing anything else, he fell deep asleep in Itachi's arms.


     Naruto smiled as he recalled everything that had happened over his lifetime.  His still bright blue eyes were roaming the area, enjoying the sights that Itachi had brought him to all those years ago.  Staring down at the grave before him, he said, "It's been a long time since you last held me, Itachi.  It won't be long before I join you though, wherever that may be.  We can be together again then, and never have to part like we did."  Turning slightly, Naruto looked back at the grave marker before returning back to the house that sat only a few feet away.
     The winter air blew as the first snow began to fall.  The first snow always reminded Naruto of Itachi, especially when they first met.  Blue eyes stared out the window of the large, empty house as he watched bits and pieces of white fall to the ground.
     Slowly it began to cover up the stone with the words:

          Itachi Uchiha:
      Existed for 55 years,
        Lived for 30 years,
      Loved until the end
             by his Kit.