Chapter 11 - Taking the Bait

“Welcome, Lord Kazekage!” Baki greeted Gaara, bowing as the stoic Kazekage strode by.
“Reports?” Gaara said, by way of response. He hadn’t stopped walking and didn’t return Baki’s bow. A common occurrence, apparently, because Baki kept speaking in a respectful tone.
“No breaches, no incidents. Everything has been clear. And-” Baki’s eyes fell on ‘Naruto’. “Lord Kazekage, a Leaf Villager walking freely? We have a pact with them, but I do not trust-”
Baki was cut off by Gaara putting up a hand. He looked over to ‘Naruto’ and nodded. “Show him, then go back. He needs to be know.”
Ekyt ended the disguise jutsu, just for a couple seconds. He gave Baki a curt nod without speaking, then immediately became ‘Naruto’ again.
“What’re you lookin’ at, old man? You gotta problem with me, dattebayo?!” ‘Naruto’ glared at Baki, then turned to Gaara and Kankuro.
“Gaara-kun, where’s my room?! I’m not sleeping on some damn futon! And come on already, where’s the ramen, ‘tabeyo!” ‘Naruto’ demanded.
Kankuro really had to try not to laugh. “I’ll take him, Gaara. If he doesn’t behave, ‘The Crow’ could use a workout.” He had asked to walk Naruto/Ekyt to his room for a reason.
“Hey Naruto, tell me about my sister. Is she…alright? Happy?” Kankuro asked as he led Ekyt/Naruto through a sandy corridor and up a staircase that showed Sunagakure in all it’s glory through the window.
“She likes the Leaf Village. She isn’t violent by nature, just naturally skilled, and the Leaf Village tries to breed that, so she fits in perfectly. As for your next question, I don’t know if she has a boyfriend or not. It’s not me, if she does. The only guy she’s had any feel for is Shikamaru. But, other than that, she’s a skilled jonin, and generally handles field missions, rather than teaching or in-village issues,” Ekyt/Naruto spoke thoughtfully.
“We’re not being bugged here, you can speak normally,” Kankuro told him. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?” Ekyt asked, still with Naruto’s voice. He had made the disguise jutsu and the voice jutsu intertwined to save chakra. If one lost it’s power, the other was worthless anyway.
“For kicking my @$$. It knocked sense into me. Made me treat people different, and train harder. I can’t believe I attacked my sister. When you defended her, with a broken leg, it kind of hit me that maybe I can rely on people more than puppets sometimes.”
Ekyt nodded. “I apologize for the severity of my attack. I just…saw my friends threatened, and snapped. Not to mention that I didn’t make chunin. Defeating Gaara would have been quite a feat. But if my rage served a purpose, I’m genuinely happy about that.”
Kankuro smirked and opened the door to a comfortable room. “This is yours. You’re a guest, anything you need, we’ll have someone tend to you. But you have to stay Naruto, unless the blinds and door are closed and secured. That’s really everything…except…thanks for being there for my sister. You were a friend when she needed it the most.” Kankuro finished his sentence, then closed the door.


(NOTE: THE NEXT PART OF MY FIC IS ANOTHER TURN FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPUUDEN STORY LINE, AND IT’S SIMILAR, FOR ENTERTAINMENT’S SAKE)

“He left again?!” Naruto shouted. Kakashi clamped a hand over his mouth. Naruto’s muffled voice lost any coherent sound.
“That’s right. And you need to keep a low profile for this plan to work. Otherwise you put Ekyt at risk, even more so than he is now. This is a major risk for him, and we can’t have him compromised by you being the hyperactive knucklehead you usually are.” Kakashi kept his hand over Naruto’s mouth.
“Kakashi-sensei…did he say anything before he left?” Sakura asked, a little downcast. Ekyt-kun…be careful. I’ve lost one friend, I don’t want to lose another…
Kakashi smiled at her reassuringly. “He said ‘thanks, all of you, and see you later.’ Now, we’re going to be getting a new member on our team for this mission.”
“Wait, we’re involved in this mission?” Naruto asked, surprised.
“Yes, knucklehead, why else would Ekyt be posing as you?” Kakashi told Naruto, ruffling his hair. “Anyway, the new guy is an ANBU agent, and he has some personality problems. I expect all of you to behave, and make him feel welcome. Alright?” Kakashi surveyed his team.
Neither Sakura nor Naruto looked pleased with the prospect. Naruto looked downright upset, and even voiced it with a few choice words. Sakura was a little harder to read, but she had her head bowed in thought and a grim expression on her face.
I expected as much…neither of them think anyone but Sasuke belongs…I’m not thrilled either, guys…but it’s necessary. Kakashi thought with a sigh.
At that moment, someone walked up to them, drawing away in a sketch book. Kakashi knew this was the new team member.
“Naruto, Sakura, this is Sai. Sai, the pink-haired kunoichi is Sakura, and the blonde knucklehead (“Hey!” Naruto protested) is Naruto.”
Sai smiled. It was unnerving. The smile seemed so…fake, and out of place. Sakura’s eye twitched while Naruto looked him up and down.
“He’s not so impressive!” Naruto declared, arms crossed on his chest, a stubborn look adorning his face..
“Yeah. Just like your dick,” Sai replied, still smiling, as though this was a perfectly okay statement to make.
“WHAT?! YOU BASTARD!” Naruto made a run at Sai. Sakura grabbed him, holding him back the best she could. The kid was bucking like a bronco!
“You can’t kill our new teammate, Naruto!” Sakura protested as she held him back. Not that she blamed him, she would have wanted to kill him if he insulted her like that.
“Hmm…I like to ***** girls like you,” Sai told Sakura, still smiling. Sakura let go of Naruto. Her eyes turned completely white, and her brows twitched dangerously. Sakura’s ‘Look of Death’.
“WHAT?! YOU PRICK!” she charged at Sai, her fist cocked back, ready to hit him full-blast. She and Naruto were both within inches of him when Kakashi grabbed them both, speaking calmly.
“It’s not nice to kill your team mates. Besides, I told you, he has a problem with personality. You see, he was part of ROOT, a section of ANBU that trains their agents to show no emotion from a very young age. Therefore, Sai isn’t sure how to interact with you. He was trying to break the ice. Give him time, okay?” Kakashi said kindly. This is not going to be a fun mission…



Ekyt closed and locked the door and windows, then shut the blinds. He ended his disguise jutsu, thankful. Chakra was getting low, there. I need a break from that. Dattebayo! … crap, now I’m THINKING like Naruto!
Ekyt leaned back against the bed, thinking. He thought about getting out his scrolls, but found he wasn’t in the mood tonight. Instead, he thought about strategy. He knew Itachi Uchiha’s style, but the rest of the Akatsuki was more or less a mystery to him. He needed more information. Information that, hopefully, Kankuro could provide. I’m going to need to fight these guys…I need any advantage I can take. They’re all S-ranked criminals, I know that. You don’t earn an S-rank, good or bad, unless you’re dangerous. Very dangerous. I wonder if I was S-ranked to Orochimaru’s group? (grins) Bet I am now. A more somber thought follow. What if I’m S-ranked to Konoha, as a criminal?
Against this grim thought, Ekyt got up and transformed into Naruto once more. He made sure to run, as opposed to walk, and even thought to knock over a plant on his way to find Kankuro. Upon spotting the puppet master, he shouted.
“Hey, Kankuro!”
Kankuro looked up. “What is it?”
“What do you know about these dicks? The Akatsuki or whatever. I’ll kicked their cloaked asses, dattebayo! But, I guess, Kakashi-sensei is always telling me I should know my enemy. So, what do we know about them?”
Kankuro started to talk, but Gaara strode over and interrupted them.
“Konoha’s team is in place. It’s time to begin the mission. Naruto, you’ll be standing by yourself. You need to hold out for at least a minute, while we all get in place. Maintain the disguise as long as possible. Once they realize you’re not Naruto, they’re going to aim to kill, not capture.”
Ekyt gulped inwardly, but felt the familiar rush of adrenaline. A welcome feeling. He was going to make a difference. Movement meant life, fighting meant life. Ekyt had felt as though he had been living a cursed existence. Now, in his sights, he saw a chance to rectify that. He smiled at the thought of meeting the famed Akatsuki. He hoped he would be alive afterward to tell the tale. And he REALLY hoped that this plan worked.



Ekyt/Naruto stood in the clearing, just outside Sunagakure. The sand crunched under his tabi boots, and it was damned uncomfortable outside. Hot, muggy. Konoha, and even Otogakure had been temperate, maintaining a perpetual spring. This was the armpit of summer year round.
Thank God this is a temporary assignment! Of course, that begs the question- where do I go after this? I don’t have a home to speak of. Brood later, you retard! (he scolded himself) You’re on a mission. Now, if Gaara is right, I should be getting jumped soon. All of the Akatsuki tend to talk first, and in this case, they want me alive. I should give the impression I’ve dropped my guard, give them an opening. That would be the ‘Naruto’ thing to do.
“This sucks, dattebayo! Where are these freaks, anyway? Bad enough I’m stuck here, but waiting like this! Gah!” Naruto/Ekyt made a face of frustration, them aimlessly kicked at a Yucca plant, one of the few that grew plants in Sunagakure’s extreme conditions. Ekyt wanted to remove ‘Naruto’s’ outer jacket and fight in the black t-shirt under it, but that might expose the fact that Ekyt didn’t have a seal on his stomach. And that would blow the plan, but good.


Whoosh. Foomp. Foomp. Fooomp. Fooomp.

Ekyt/Naruto looked around, seeing four cloak-wearing individuals, with straw hats pulled down over their faces. One, however, stood out. Red eyes, tomoe of Sharingan…
“Itachi…Uchiha…you’re Sasuke’s brother!” Ekyt/Naruto declared. Duh, captain obvious! Ekyt thought. But it sounded Naruto-ish.
Itachi and the others revealed themselves one by one. Ekyt checked them off mentally.
Deidara…Sasori…Kisame…and Itachi…that leaves a few unnacounted for. Looks like they bought in to our trap, if only four came.
“You freaks want my fox? Well, come and get him! I’m gonna make you pay for what you did to Gaara! Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Naruto/Ekyt shouted. He sent the four he could create after Sasori, Kisama, and Deidara. He didn’t bother with Itachi, he knew that Itachi could see through the clones. And Naruto would go after the strongest himself.


Itachi narrowed his eyes. “That isn’t Naruto,” he said quietly. Ekyt didn’t look him in the eyes. He simply ended the disguise jutsu.
“That’s right. I’m not.”
Deidara sat down on a rock. “So we get to tangle with some boring kid, un?”
Itachi shook his head. “No…I fought him before…he was almost a threat then…his second chakra would be valuable. He’s not a Jinchuuriki…but we’d still have use for his chakra.”
Ekyt looked around at his attackers.
“It’s been a long time, Itachi. Nearly four years. It seems you and I are similar, in a way…release!” Ekyt barked the last word out harshly, for he felt Itachi’s genjutsu creeping up on him. He avoided Itachi’s eyes, although he had heard horror stories of Itachi using genjutsu in other ways. Still, they were all dwarfed compared to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
“Please, introduce me to your associates,” Ekyt requested kindly. “We’ll be fighting soon enough, why not tell me who you are?”
Deidara grinned. “Spunky kid. Deidara, un. I’m an artist. My art-is a bang!”
“Sasori. Puppet master.”
“Kisame, wielder of the”
Ekyt cut him off. “Very nice sword. As a…Samurai, I can admire your taste in blades. Samehada…Sharkskin, meant for tearing, rather than cutting, as a traditional blade would, correct?”
Kisame grinned, his shark-like teeth a disturbing site. “Correct. I see no sword on you…a swordless Samurai?”
Ekyt smiled cheerfully. “I’m fighting as a Shinobi today. Besides, I reserve my blade for those as honorable as me.”
The verbal barb provoked Kisame into attacking. His sword was in a dangerous position, Ekyt noted. He was aiming for a chest-height cut. Ekyt either had to duck it, leap it, or go backwards. The side movement he had planned wouldn’t work here. He considered trying to get the sword away from Kisame, but then Kakashi’s words about not touching the sword came back to him. Time for a quick counter-attack.
“Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!” Ekyt called. The other Akatsuki members hadn’t moved. They’re gauging my skill…so they DO want me alive…or they think me a threat…hurry up, you guys! Where the hell were the others?
Kisame was forced to stop his cut to use the ‘Release’ hand sign. During that time, Ekyt had thrown a series of senbon. Kisame blocked them, but not Ekyt’s chakra-laced kick to the chest. Kisame sailed backward, but righted himself. He shouldered his blade and laughed.
“Not bad for a kid. Itachi, you weren’t kidding. What’s your village, hotshot?”
Ekyt tightened his jaw. “I don’t have one. I guess you would classify me as a missing-nin from Konohagakure. Although I’m working for the highest bidder now…”
This news surprised Itachi. When I fought him last, he was dedicated to the Leaf Village. Now- he belongs to no one? Perhaps now is the time to offer him a spot with the Akatsuki. I know what he desires…And the Akatsuki can give it to him. At least, part of it. This battle will be a good opportunity to gauge his skill.
“You are protecting the Jinchuuriki, Naruto. Perhaps we can make a deal…” Itachi seemed to be speaking for the group. None of them looked as though attacking was on their minds; they were content to listen. At Ekyt’s nod, Itachi continued.
“The Akatsuki have use for you. You’re S-ranked, a missing-nin criminal from the Sound Village. We know you severed ties with Konoha…and we know that you have powers that even you aren’t aware of. The Akatsuki can give you what you want.”
Ekyt looked vaguely amused. “And, what exactly is it I want?”
Itachi looked Ekyt in the eyes. There was no Sharingan active now, showing that he meant no harm.
“You want to belong.”
Ekyt looked surprised, and with good reason- he was. The Sharingan can sense- no…It’s my eyes. They’ve given everything away…my emotions. WHY?! WHY DO THEY EXIST?! Ekyt regained his composure.
“I’m a criminal for doing what most consider good, hardly the Akatsuki type of criminal. How do I know you won’t try to suck the chakra out of my body? I know what would happen if you DID…but still, you could try.”
Itachi still hadn’t moved. It was unnerving. How could someone stay so still?
Ekyt looked up at the sky. Just like everything else, it was out of reach.
“So, you mentioned a deal. What kind of deal are we talking about?” Ekyt said finally. He had hoped Itachi would speak first, but quickly realized that he wouldn’t win the waiting game.
“If you agree to join us, we will stop pursuing the Kyuubi sealed inside your friend.”
Ekyt didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“You’re lying. It only takes common sense to know what the Akatsuki are doing. I will protect Naruto. If you weren’t after him…I’d join. I DO want to belong. But there are too many people I care about, people I couldn’t abandon. Konoha might have rejected me, but I will always be there to defend it or it’s people.”
Itachi looked impassive. “Your loyalty is misplaced.”
“My loyalty exists, Itachi. Yours does not. You are hardly the person to lecture me on loyalty,” Ekyt retorted, looking Itachi in the eyes. No Sharingan…That meant that Itachi’s chakra was low, or he was baiting Ekyt into attacking. Either way, Ekyt wasn’t buying it.
The blonde-haired one, Deidara, spoke up.
“You’ve got to admire his guts, un. No brains, but guts. I hope he gets a bang out of my art!”
Ekyt braced himself for a fight. Four on one…not good odds. For anyone.

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