A/N: For those who know my other fic, then be assured that I'm not giving up on 'These bloody eyes of mine'. This idea just hit me a few days ago and I just wrote it down and this is the end result.

Also, this is an AU, so when you see things out of place you know why. I don't want to hear people complaining about certain parts just because they didn't know that this was an Alternate Universe. I had a PM from such a person, and it ticked me off that he didn't understand what I was doing and kept clogging my mail with useless banter.

Being AU, there will be many changes from the original, and all will be explained as the story continues.

Though whether this story continues would be on how many good reviews I get.

Naruto x Fem. Kyuubi x OC x some other female(s) maybe?

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Chapter 1: Konoha, Here I Come

A tall figure donned in a black cloak with red clouds walked through a candle-lit, stone passage. His visage kept hidden by the shadows and only his cerulean eyes and blonde spiky hair was distinguishable, but despite that, the figure's age could be easily seen as young, in the late teen years to be more precise. The said teen's trek was silent, even as he was greeted by acquaintances and comrades in the hallways.

His journey stopped as he stood in front of an elaborate metal door, with a golden kanji for 'nine' in the center. Slowly tilting the knob, he entered and walked into the well lit chamber ahead.

The young man looked around the room, spotting eight people sitting around a large, round table with nine seats. The ninth one being meant for him.

"You're late." a large, blue skinned man said with amusement.

"I'm sorry, I overslept." the blonde turned his head to the side in slight embarrassment.

The room echoed with chuckles and sniggering, but it was silenced as an orange haired female figure raised her hand. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again...Naruto-kun."

"Hai." the fifteen year old blonde responded as he took his seat between a raven haired nin and another blonde.

"Now that we're all present, I welcome you all to the 23rd meeting of the Akatsuki Elite." the orange haired female spoke.

"So what have you summoned us here for shishou?" a venus-flytrap shinobi asked, which was accompanied by nods from his peers.

"I'd also like to know. The last meeting we had was two years ago when we caught the Sanbi." an auburn haired nin asked as well.

"This is a very important matter, Zetsu-kun, Sasori-kun." the woman said as she turned her gaze to the said shinobis. "As you know there are four bijuus we have not obtained, the Ichibi, Nibi, Gobi and the Kyuubi."

"Yes, but there hasn't been any recent sightings of any of them in the past year and a half. And we have lost traces of the Kyuubi fifteen years ago." the raven haired Akatsuki member spoke.

"You're correct Gin-kun..." the female leader responded."But the circumstances on the Kyuubi have changed."

"So...what's up with the Kyuubi, yeah?" a long haired blonde asked.

"We were wrong in our assumptions. The bijuu didn't disappear as we originally thought." The Akatsuki leader replied as she brushed a strand of hair aside. "It seems the Yondaime Hokage successfully sealed it as he intended."

"A Jinchuuriki I suppose?" a blue haired kunoichi in her early twenties asked.

"No."

"It couldn't be anything less than a human. Nothing else would work on a bijuu of such power, shishou." Zetsu said.

"No, not a human nor an object. I don't know the specific detail, but it wasn't sealed into anything for that matter, it's more like the Kyuubi has been reduced to a lesser form."

"Reduced?" the blue skinned Nin asked.

The orange haired leader pulled out a large photograph and placed it in the middle of the table. The eight Akatsuki members leaned in and saw an image of a beautiful woman with long, silky crimson hair with a matching pair of wine red eyes, dressed in a black and crimson shinobi attire that hugged her figure tightly.

"What you are looking at right now is…the Kyuubi no Kitsune." The female leader stated.

The room erupted in murmurs as seven of the nine gathered shinobis talked amongst themselves and glanced at the photograph. Naruto kept silent and studied the image of the woman, ignoring the banter of his peers. She was definitely beautiful, gorgeous to be truthful, with a nice curvy, voluptous figure and creamy skin accompanied by deep, crimson eyes that showed great wisdom and power.

It was hard to acknowldege that this woman was the Kyuubi, a being of immense power that could possibly destroy a hidden village in one night.

"How is this possible?" the blue skinned nin asked.

"That, Kisame-kun, is a mystery even to me. But my best guess is that this is the Yondaime's doing, he was the last to have contact with it." the leader said.

"If that is true, then the Hokage's skills are most impressive." Sasori stated. "To be able to seal a bijuu in a human form, I never thought it was possible."

"Neither have I." the blue haired female spoke.

"The shinobi world is full of surprises, Motoko-san, yeah. What do you think Naruto?" Deidara said as he turned his head to the other blonde.

The room became silent as the Elite waited for their youngest member, the cerulean eyed teen, for his input, but they didn't receive any. Curious, the eight shinobis shifted their gaze to the blonde and found him staring intently at the photo.

"Heh heh, I know you got a thing for older women gaki, but I think this one's out of your league." Kisame chuckled as the whisker marked nin slightly blushed.

"Shut up sushi." the spiky blonde snapped.

"What's that blondie?"

"You heard me fish-bait."

"You're really asking for it."

"Shut your mouth, it reeks of tuna."

"You're pushing it!"

"Do something productive instead of shouting…like reproducing with a whale."

"Now you've gone too far!!"

"Silence!"

A large burst of chakra made itself present, catching the eight shinobis off guard and silencing both Kisame and Naruto. Seeing as it had the desired affect, the female Akatsuki leader let her chakra dissipate and return to normal.

"Now that I have your attention..." casting a look to the two, previously bickering nins, before continuing. "The next mission, as you now know, is to retrieve the Kyuubi from Konoha. This needs to be taken with the utmost caution, the Kyuubi is the most cunning and smartest of the nine bijuus. To know that a being of this power is put on a leash by the Hokage unsettles me."

"Well, Sasori-danna and I can't do it, we still have to go for the Ichibi." Deidara said, accompanied with a nod from Sasori.

"Tobi is a good boy, but me and Zetsu-senpai have our hands full with the finding the Gobi." the last, and probably the oddest, member of Akatsuki said with a raised fist to the sky and a pose, all the while ignoring Zetsu's twitching eyebrow at the display.

"Kisame and I are currently busy with matters pertaining to Kiri." Gin said as he unconsciously touched the hilt of his sword.

"Stop." the female leader said with authority, effectively silencing the room. Sensing as all eyes were on her she spoke again. "Forgive me for being lax, but I forgot to mention that this is a solo mission."

"A solo mission?! But that's suicide!" Tobi exclaimed, voicing the thoughts of his comrades.

"At the moment we're currently focusing most of our manpower at keeping Kumo and Iwa out of our borders, as such we can only afford to send one on this mission. We cannot spare any others, that is why I have called the Elite to this meeting." she said as she rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate the building stress of the current situation. "It's a difficult task, even for us, but it is the best way to approach the situation."

The room fell silent as the gathered shinobis were lost in their thoughts; many of them bore grim faces as they weighted the cons.

"If one of us chooses, then what will our partner do?" Gin asked, breaking the silence.

"The other will continue on with their original task alone, or be put in charge of the Northeast base where Kumo-nins have been occasionally spotted." The orange haired kunoichi replied.

"I'll do it." Naruto said, earning him the attention of the others.

"But Naruto-!" Motoko began but was cut off.

"Are you certain of your decision Naruto-kun?" the leader said as she locked eyes with his.

"Hai."

"You know that you risk facing the Sannins and even worse, the Yondaime Hokage, by taking this task. Are you truly up to it?"

"I am, Haruka-sama." he replied, eyes filled with unwavering determination.

The orange haired female hid a small smile as she spoke again. The teen's mind was made up, and she knew that it would take more than severe intimidation and threats to change it. "That settles it then, the mission scroll will be sent to your lodgings. The scrolls will contain the details and essential information on your new task. The time you are allowed for this is a year at maximum, understand?"

"Hai, Haruka-sama."

"Then this meeting is over." with that said, all of the gathered shinobis rose from their respective seats and quietly left the room. Once in the candle-lit hallways, the nine Akatsuki elite went their separate ways.

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"So, is there any other reason why you took that mission, eh gaki?" Kisame said as he nudged the blonde's ribs.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then you're wrong." the teen responded.

"Well you seem pretty set on taking it when you saw that woman." Motoko said, emphasizing on her final words.

"Are you jealous Motoko-chan?" Naruto teased, earning a blush from his partner.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Naruto, I'm just worried for your well being." she replied as her blushed slowly died down.

"Or do you mean you're worried for his virginity?" Gin chuckled, followed by his blue skinned partner as the two other nins became slightly flustered.

As the four nins reached an intersection they parted ways, with Gin heading for his quarters and Kisame making a beeline for the cafeteria, leaving Motoko and Naruto alone as they went the opposite direction.

"Naruto?" Motoko spoke, breaking the comfortable silence as they walked through the halls of the Akatsuki base.

"Hm?"

"Why did you take it?" the blue haired kunoichi asked as she looked at the blonde, or what she can see of him in the candle-lit halls, awaiting his answer.

"I have my reasons." was the short response.

Motoko fell silent for a moment. "It's Konoha...isn't it?"

Naruto suddenly halted, causing his partner to do the same. There was a minute of silence as Motoko looked at the blonde in slight worry, and inwardly cursing herself for her earlier remark. "I didn't mean to-"

The blonde turned around and eyed the blue haired kunoichi, his cerulean orbs staring into her emerald green.

"Do you remember the day Akatsuki found me? The day...you found me?" he said in a low voice as so only she can hear.

"How can I forget?" the kunoichi said as a small smile crept to her lips, with old memories resurfacing. "It was fifteen years ago, I was seven back then, going on a routine scouting mission with Haruka-sama. We found you in a bundle on the trunk of a tree, covered in blood, and crying in the middle of a clearing at the south part of-."

"Hi no Kuni." (The Land of Fire) the blonde finished. "I was in the middle of nowhere, at the southern part of Hi no Kuni. Two days after the Kyuubi attacked Konoha and disappeared."

Motoko narrowed her eyes. "Are you thinking about that again?"

"This is my chance, Motoko-chan." A small smile crept on the cerulean eyed teen. "With this mission, I can at least find a lead on who I really am."

"You're Uzumaki Naruto of the Akatsuki Elite. Isn't that enough for you?" the kunoichi said as she took a step nearer to the blonde.

"You don't understand-"

"Understand what?! That you would happily throw your life away on something so trivial? On something that may not even exist?! Then yes, I don't understand!" she yelled in frustration, though fortunately there were no other people in the hallways to hear the outburst.

"It's not trivial!" Naruto growled in defense.

He turned away from her and began to walk to his quarters, leaving his female partner behind.

"It's not trivial...not to me." his words echoed throughout the passages as his figure disappeared from Motoko's vision.

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Two hours later

Naruto sat on his bed in his living quarters donned in a white shirt and loose pants, reading the contents of the mission scroll that lay in his hands.

His living quarters, or 'house' as the blonde liked to call it, emanated a fresh lemon scent, he noted, meaning that the maids were early in their weekly cleaning.

A grin crossed his lips as he remembered the first time he was introduced to his new living place. He was, in lack for a better word, shocked. With two bathrooms, three bedrooms accompanied by a bar/kitchen and a living room, the Akatsuki elite lived a lavish lifestyle.

Of course, excluding the daily risk of getting killed.

How Akatsuki can afford all of this, he didn't know. But as long as the place gets clean by the maids, and the ramen reserves are high, he didn't need to.

A knock on the door caught his attention. Setting the scroll aside, he left his bedroom and headed for the door, all the while passing the kitchen and living room.

He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of a disheveled Motoko looking at him with teary red eyes.

"May I come in?" she asked in a soft voice.

Naruto shrugged. "You live here too anyway."

The kunoichi entered and took off her Akatsuki cloak, revealing a blue long sleeve shirt that hugged her curvy figure and her tight fitting, black shinobi pants. Her long hair was now visible as it fell down loosely to her waist, enhancing her already apparent beauty that shone despite her disheveled state.

Hearing the door close behind her, she turned around and looked at her blonde partner.

Naruto caught her gaze but shifted away from it.

"I'm sorry...about earlier." she said sincerely.

The blonde grunted in response and headed for his room in hopes to finish reading the scroll. But before he could take his fifth step he was stopped as he felt a pair of arms encircle his chest.

"Please listen to me..." she said in a raspy voice as she was holding in tears. He slightly shivered as her breath blew across his neck. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you...It's just that some things you do are so..."

"Stupid? Yeah, I know." Naruto said as he put a comforting hand on the kunoichi's arms that held him close. "But I'd rather be stupid than to continue living on not knowing who I really am."

"I know...and I'm sorry..." she said, this time letting a few tears fall.

"Stop repeating yourself." he sighed as the back of his shirt was soaking up her tears.

"Do you forgive me?"

Naruto kissed her slender forearm that he held onto. "I do."

"I'm sorry."

"I said stop."

Motoko giggled as she tightened her hold and closed her eyes, a smile crossed her lips as his silky, blonde hair rubbed gently against her cheek.

The two stood there for a moment, enjoying the other's company and touch. The blonde closed his eyes as he welcomed the warmth and smell of lavender from his partner, feeling his frustration leaving his body. He relished their intimate moments together, for they were few and only lasted for so long because of their lives as Akatsuki.

"Don't die." Motoko whispered, her warm breath blowing in his ear causing him to shiver.

Naruto turned his head to her. "I won't, and that's a promise. I never go back on my word, that is my..."

"...nindo." the blue haired kunoichi finished.

The blonde smiled and turned around, his face only inches from hers. A devilish glint came to his eyes that went unnoticed by his female companion. With surprising speed, even for Akatsuki, Naruto hoisted Motoko in a bridal fashion and made his way for her bedroom.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked.

Naruto chuckled as he entered her room and threw her on top of her bed. Her waist long hair draped everywhere, covering a good portion of the bed.

"Just because I forgave you doesn't mean I'm not going to punish you!" he said as he pounced on her.

The living quarters were filled with laughter and shrieks from Motoko's bedroom, all the while a half-read mission scroll lay open on Naruto's bed.

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Tell me what you think of it.