Н‘¾Ð‘¯Ð‘¬Ð‘Μ Ð‘»Ð‘¯Ð‘¬ Н‘¾Ð‘°Ð‘Μ𝑫 Н‘©Ð‘³Ð‘¶Ð‘¾Ð‘º €¢Ð’Ƒ𝒙Н’Ƒ• This feeling

“Jiraiya!” Akashi yelled from atop Naruto, a look of fury on his face. “Where the hell were you?! I told you to take care of him! And what do you do?” He glanced at the woman on the man’s shoulder. “A woman blinks her pretty lashes at you and you run after her!” The older man winced at his words.

“Come on, don’t say that in front of all these people”. He brought the woman down and leaned her on a wall. He said Itachi hypnotized her with his eyes, using her to separate Naruto and him. Akashi stood up and pulled Naruto to his feet. “So you’re after Naruto, after all”. Akashi turned back around and glared at the two ninja.

“No wonder Kakashi knew, you were the source”. Itachi spoke up, tone flat, as if he had no actual interest in what he was doing. “It is an urgent order by our organization, Akatsuki, to take Naruto with us”. Akashi stepped in front of Naruto, shielding him from their view.

“Over my dead body”. Naruto tried to step out, but Akashi gripped his wrist and pushed him behind. “Stay where you are, please”. Naruto stopped his struggling at Akashi’s tone. His brother was always too protective over him, sometimes, it was too much. But… hearing the way he spoke now, he realized he was afraid. Afraid of losing him and being left alone.

Kisame snickered in front of them. “Oho? Well… both of you carry the Nine-Tails and we need only one, so either one is fine”. The frog in front of Akashi disappeared, leaving smoke in its place.

“I can’t hand Naruto over to you, or Akashi either”. Jiraiya spoke up, starting right at Itachi.

“We’ll see about that”. He bit back, not moving a muscle.

“Very well, I will get rid of you two here”. He was interrupted by Sasuke, who spoke up from behind Itachi.

“Don’t interfere”. He shakily stood up on his feet, body swinging from side to side. “The one who’s going to kill him… is me!” He growled out. Kisame and Itachi looked back at him.

“I have no interest in you right now”. Itachi simply said, making Sasuke’s anger evident. The said boy dashed at him with a loud ‘shut up!’, but was kicked away, his punch not even reaching Itachi. His body harshly hit the wall at the end of the hallway.

“Sasuke!” Naruto yelled from behind Akashi, struggling to get past, but the redhead wouldn’t budge. He also wanted to help Sasuke, but if he and Naruto just jumped in, they would be captured and there would be no way to assist Sasuke. “Move!” Akashi tightened his grip on Naruto’s wrist, making him wince at the pain.

“Stop it! We can’t just jump in!” He reasoned with Naruto, but he wasn’t even listening to him, he was looking at where Sasuke was.

“Naruto! I told you not to interfere!” When Sasuke shouted those words, only then did Naruto stop with his struggling. Sasuke slid up the wall, barely getting to his feet. “I’ve told you before… I’ve lived up until now… for this moment… For this day!” His tone got louder and louder until he shouted the last words out, Sharingan blaring at Itachi.

He ran forward, intent on landing a hit on his brother. Akashi glanced at Itachi when he saw him shift. Pushing Naruto back, Akashi dashed forward, no longer thinking about the consequences. He thought he had managed to surprise Kisame, but the man’s sword grazed his shoulder. Wincing, Akashi ignored the pain and slid next to him, jumping at the wall and pushing off.

He was hit towards Sasuke, before he could realize what happened. His body harshly collided with the younger Uchiha’s and they were both sent flying at the wall at the end of the hallway. “I’m not through yet…”. Sasuke whispered from next to him, his whole body shaking. “This is my battle…”. He added, voice barely audible.

“Very well”. Itachi agreed and Akashi placed an arm in front of Sasuke. There was no way that was going to happen, not on his watch. Sasuke raised his other hand and weakly pushed at his arm, but Akashi didn’t move it away. He was going to stop this from happening at all costs.

He saw Itachi walking up to them, and when he was close enough, Akashi stood up. His attempts were futile, because as soon as he stood up, the back of his head hit the wall behind him. He felt something crack at the back of his skull. The world in front of him started spinning, the colors all blending together, making his head throb in pain.

His breath was knocked out of his lungs when Itachi’s knee met his stomach. Akashi dry-heaved, trying to breath in, but his lungs couldn’t intake air. A cough ripped out of his throat as he fell on his hands and knees, more following and soon after he was intensely coughing at the ground.

He glanced to the side and saw Itachi doing the exact same things to Sasuke. He was hitting him around like a rag-doll. Blood was sliding out from between Sasuke’s lips, staining his skin and slipping down his throat. Sasuke dropped down to the ground, lying flat against it. Akashi’s breathing accelerated and he could hear his heart in his ears.

Itachi bent down and grabbed Sasuke by the collar, raising him up and against the wall. “You are weak. Why are you weak?” He came closer and whispered next to Sasuke’s ear. “Because you lack… hatred”. He leaned back and when his eyes shifted to the Sharingan, Sasuke’s screaming began.

It was then that Akashi felt something inside him shift. It was the same feeling as when he somehow got out of the sand Gaara had wrapped him in. Something within him wanted to burst out.

He… let… it… out…

He felt the chains burst out of his body, ripping parts of his clothes apart. Itachi’s eyes widened at the sight and he lets go of Sasuke, making him fall onto the ground. The chains impaled the walls around Akashi’s body, destroying them in the process. One of them wrapped around Sasuke and brought him closer to Akashi.

Akashi clamped a hand over his lips as he started coughing again. Something wet splatted onto it and he brought it away from his face. Blood. His lungs hurt from breathing, and the blood wasn’t a good sign. Itachi had probably broken a rib, and he can only guess his lung had ended up punctured.

Hearing shuffling, he raised his head and looked in front of himself. Itachi had jumped away from him, a wary look twisting his features. Akashi grabbed Sasuke’s shoulder. “Hey…”. He shook him, but he gave no answer. The only indicator that he was alive was his chest going up and down. “Damn it…”. Akashi took a moment to look at the chains that appeared.

They were golden in color, and he could feel Chakra radiating off them. Was this what Sasuke was talking about? When he got out of the sand? He shifted his body, shakily standing up to his feet and the chains moved with him. He breathed in, and his head throbbed. A gasp escaped his lips and he grabbed the back of his head. He felt warm liquid. Great… he probably had a concussion.

He extended his other hand and grabbed one of the chains. It was freezing cold. He trailed his hand over it and towards where it was coming from. From his stomach. He touched his skin, but nothing seemed out of place, the chains weren’t hurting his body at all. He willed them to move, but nothing happened, they didn’t move an inch.

Itachi was still standing in front of him, and Akashi looked at him. The man’s Sharingan blared red as it looked at the chains. “Adamantine Sealing Chains”. The redhead heard him say. The man looked like he knew what they were. As Itachi took a step forward, one of the chains burst out of the wall and impaled the ground in front of him. He froze in his steps.

“Seems like you have them”. The Uchiha said and Akashi glared at him. The world was still spinning around him, and the pain inside his chest was getting worse and worse. Their ‘conversation’ was interrupted when Naruto came barreling towards them.

“Akashi! Sasuke!” He yelled and Akashi saw Kisame running after him. Before the two of them could get closer, the scenery around them changed. The walls didn’t look like walls anymore, but like someone’s insides. The walls were replaced by soft flesh which pulsated around them. Sasuke’s body was absorbed into the ground, away from further danger.

Akashi sighed out in relief when he realized this was Jiraiya’s doing. As his body relaxed, the chains slowly exited the walls and receded back into his body. Itachi cast him one last look, before he and Kisame started running away. Akashi dropped to his knees, a groan of pain leaving his lips. There was liquid in his mouth and he spat it at the ground. More blood. Great.

Naruto ran up to him and crouched in front of him. “Are you okay?” He worriedly asked and Akashi let out a chuckle, before another cough ripped out of his throat. How funny. There was blood on and around him, and Naruto was asking if he was okay.

“As you can see, I’m totally fine”. He raised his hand and wiped the blood from his lips. Naruto grimaced at his words and Akashi shook his head. “Don’t worry, I think they’re not life threatening”. Naruto sighed at his words, an expression filled with relief, before an alarmed one replaced it.

“Akashi?!” Naruto shook his shoulders when he noticed his brother’s eyes were closing. “Hey!” He lightly slapped his cheek, but it was no use.

Akashi’s eyes slipped shut.

Well… Akashi did say he thought the wounds were not life threatening.

_

He woke up in the hospital, and they told him he was unconscious for a couple of days. Kakashi visited him along with Sakura and he asked for Naruto and Sasuke. They told him a lot of things had happened while he was unconscious. Naruto went with Jiraiya on a search for Tsunade, the First Hokage’s granddaughter, so she can be the next Hokage.

She healed both Kakashi and Sasuke, but Sasuke was currently still resting in the hospital.

Sakura had brought him flowers along with a couple of fruits as a ‘get well’ present and he thanked her. After that, she left to see Sasuke, who was in the room across him. Kakashi was left alone with him.

“Sensei, it’s nice to see you’re fine and well, but…”. Akashi spoke up, looking out of the window, over the tall trees of Konoha. “I have a question”. He continued and turned to Kakashi, who was sitting on a chair near his bed. The said man looked at him.

“What is it?” He asked, worried at what he was going to ask him. When Akashi had a question… it was never a good one, so he was mildly surprised at what left the redhead’s mouth.

“What do you know about Adamantine Sealing Chains?” Kakashi’s eyes widen at his question. How did he know about that? He wondered. Did someone tell him about them? Or… “I somehow managed to summon them? I haven’t heard about them before”. Hurriedly standing up, Kakashi walked over to Akashi’s bed.

“You… you summoned them?” Baffled, Kakashi asked him, hands on his shoulders. Akashi was taken aback at his behavior. Was it that unusual to do that?

“Uh, yeah, Sasuke told me he saw them when I freed myself from Gaara’s sand, and the second time, I saw them for myself, when we encountered Itachi and Kisame”. The man carefully listened to his words, wondering how the chains even came to be.

There was silence between them. Kakashi was looking away from him now, confusion written all over his face. “Sensei? Are you okay?” Akashi asked, seeing that the man was being quiet… too quiet. Was there something wrong? Anxiousness started filling him up and he was worried about the answer.

Kakashi was snapped out of his thoughts at the boy’s question. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine… it’s just…”. He trailed off, thinking of how to form the next sentence. There’s no need for any information withholding, so he was going to be straight with him.

“Your mother had those chains, I think they’re an Uzumaki trait, but I’ve never heard of a male Uzumaki possessing them”. Akashi blinked, soaking in the information that was just given to him. His mother had them? Uzumaki trait? Why didn’t Naruto have them? Did he still have to awaken them?

“Oh… huh… I guess I’m just too similar to her, right?” He whispered, looking down at his hands which were gripping the hospital sheets. “It got me wondering… just what are these chains?” Kakashi thought long and hard about his question, before he arrived at the answer.

“Your mother used them for offense, defense and sealing, and I’ve never seen her in action, so I don’t know about how she used them”. That was a blatant lie and Kakashi knew it. He has seen her in action, but if he said anything about her detaining the Nine-Tails along with the Fourth Hokage, Akashi would have gotten suspicious.

“That seems useful”. Akashi deadpanned, before he turned back to the window. “Can I go and see Sasuke?” He asked his sensei. Kakashi hummed at his question. “He is open for visits, but are you sure you should go in your condition?” After all, the boy had a major concussion and a ruptured lung, his ribs had to be set back in place.

If Tsunade hadn’t come back, he would have been left with permanent consequences… or maybe he wouldn’t? He had inherited the healing abilities of the Uzumaki and he had the Nine-Tails, but Kakashi still wasn’t sure as to what make of all that. If the boy used the gifts he was born with, he would become something great one day.

But… as he remembered his words from a while ago, he wasn’t certain it would be a good kind of great.

“I’m fine, I think everything’s already healed up quite nicely”. Without another word, he slipped the sheet off himself and stepped onto the tiles. He looked to the side and noticed that his clothes were laid on the dresser next to the bed. “How convenient”. Grabbing it all, he pointedly looked at Kakashi, who sighed in reply.

The man turned around and waited for him to get dressed. He turned just in time to see Akashi hastily tying the protector around his neck. Before he got dressed, the boy had a bandage wrapped around his neck, Kakashi didn’t know what for, but now, he got a glimpse of what was underneath.

A thick white scar.

Dread filled him from the inside. Akashi had never suffered an injury while on missions, he never got an injury like that after he got sorted in teams. Which only left one answer.

He got it while he was a civilian. And Kakashi could guess how.

Noticing the man was looking at his neck, Akashi swiftly grabbed his weapons pouch and walked past him, out of the door. Not surprisingly, a hand clamped over his shoulder. “Akashi, that sc-!” His question was interrupted when the redhead slapped his hand away.

“Don’t ask questions when you’re not prepared for the answer”. With that, Akashi left the room and went towards Sasuke’s room. Kakashi was left standing in the doorway, wondering who the hell had the guts to do that to a little boy.

_

Akashi knocked and after he heard a suspiciously quiet ‘come in’, he slid the door open. He immediately noticed the window was open, because the curtains were harshly being blown away. Clicking his tongue, without even looking at Sasuke, Akashi stalked towards the window and closed it shut.

“You know, you can get sick like that”. He turned around and frowned at the Uchiha, who in turn, was blankly staring at him. “Are you okay?” The last he remembered of Sasuke was when he was screaming in terror, and looking at him now, so calm, seemed wrong. Sasuke remained silent, staring straight at him.

Akashi grabbed a small chair and brought it over to the bed. He sat down and leaned forward, looking at Sasuke. “Hey, Sasu-“. The said boy interrupted him, before he could ask him what was wrong.

“Why do you care?” That question came as a shock to the young Uzumaki. What was wrong with him? He thought they got over that! Is he back inside his shell? Because of Itachi? Just what did he show him in the Illusion Technique he used on him?

“Huh? What kind of question is that? Why wouldn’t I care?” Silence was his answer. Akashi figured Sasuke was in a fragile state right now, after all, he suffered from a traumatizing technique that even knocked Kakashi unconscious. “Is there something bothering you?” His answer was Sasuke looking away. Bingo, something was bothering him.

“You can tell me about it, if you want, I’m not going to force you to do something you’re not comfortable with”. The Uchiha looked back at him, black eyes filled with… nothing. As Sasuke looked at him now, he wondered. Why is it so easy to talk to him like this? It’s almost like he’s draining negative energy out of others.

He decided to speak after a moment. “Itachi… I couldn’t do anything against him”. Akashi was taken aback at his unusual vulnerability. “I didn’t stand a chance… and I thought I could kill him”. A sarcastic chuckle left his lips as he shook his head. “I’m weak”. He was momentarily surprised when the redhead in front of him got closer to him.

His hands ended on on Sasuke’s shoulders. “What are you talking about? You’re strong, so, so strong. You risked your life for my brother, don’t you remember? That requires strength”. Akashi shifted his hands so his hands were on Sasuke’s neck. He pulled him forward and rested their foreheads together. “Don’t underestimate yourself, you hear me?” He lectured him.

Sasuke felt his heart almost burst out of his chest. This feeling… who would have thought. The boy in front of him closed his eyes, and in that moment, Sasuke’s worries were nonexistent, the only thing on his mind was this moment between them. Akashi relaxed his grip and pulled away from the other boy, his own heart hammering in his chest.

What was he even doing? Is this allowed for him? To feel like this?

The boy before his eyes was stronger than he knew, and Akashi was saddened that he didn’t notice it. He sat back down on his chair, a breath of relief escaping him. “I was worried we were gonna take a step back again”. He admitted, a grin on his face.

As he looked at the boy in front of him, Akashi wanted nothing else than to move forward with him.

AN: If you have any questions about the story, feel free to message me.