Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 7

Stray and Lonely?

The rain poured in pitter piper with its peaceful tune from high clouds of endlessness. One might be irked at this, since it meant temporary indoor restraint and having to wait for the gloomy weather to stop. But for Hinata, who liked the rain, see it as a blessing from above. In fact she loved it and would play under the drizzling rain as a child when the chance was given, of course when the eyes of the family weren't watching her like a hawk. A child born from high standing family like hers meant well behaved manners and the etiquette of a true young lady and… well dancing and jumping under the rain isn't exactly either of those.

Hinata sat on her heels, kneeling down with an umbrella in hand to keep herself dry from the lovely rain. The moon was in full bloom, apparently the luminous moon in the dark night was almost identical to her pale eyes else, and it was within an old tattered box that she was also shielding from the rain under her umbrella. The mumbling sound coming from it mixedwith the rain that was pummeling against the pavement, muting it to some extent but nonetheless she could hear in its close proximity.

Its dark brown eyes narrowed on its chubby head, obviously agitated from the intruder to its home that was much bigger than itself. It snarled in vibration but the tone of the bark like squeak made it cute even in its defensive stance. Hinata reach a hand trying to seem harmless and not to fright the little thing as it growled low in defiance. But it only made her smile to the cornered animal inside the saggy and dirty carton, its only shelter more or less its home.

The small animal reminded her of a certain person and she felt her chest clenched in pleasantry. The abrupt image of a dark figure with its eyes of apprehension suddenly came, much like of the small animal. So she made up her mind and again tried to coax the growling mammal.

"Do you want to come with me?" she whispered softly under the loud pitter piper of the rain

Another nightmare that left him restless since he woke up. Another meaningless dream he could not remember but was enough to burden his chest every waking moment without recollection.

Sasuke clenched the fabric of the couch as he lay there panting in cold sweat. Nightmares he could get used to and could ignore them mostly, but these few days it affected him close on edge and made his nerve pick up at times. Why. Why's this so? He questions.

Why now? He didn't know. The only time he woke up slightly stable was when the little Hyuuga would be around. He was so used to her presence recently and that reliance put his sanity in question.

She was mostly there to chase his demons away and momentarily made him forget the unpleasant flip in his chest.

Sasuke sat up and drop his head to his hands figuratively schooling himself. Days had gone and pass, wounds were healing nicely. Physically he was in an okay line but mentally he wasn't. He felt fucked up, when he's alone in the deafening silence. The dependency upon the girl was a huge impact, he now realized and again he swore but now loudly. "Weak" he muttered and not the physical weak as he recuperate. Relying on another wasn't his forte and never did he show weakness to another other than Itachi until now. He relied on her for healing, but it did and now he didn't know what to do about that bond because it might only do Hinata harm for such an attachment.

Surveying the small living room and finding himself completely alone, eyes desperately searched for something. What was he trying to find? Again he wasn't sure, but he was aware enough to know he wanted to feel a certain presence.

Pale lavender eyes a voice said from the back of his mind. He scowled. Sasuke internally curse himself from paranoia then released a low sarcastic laugh before grimacing from his thoughts.

Dare he say he is lonely?

When the hell did he start wanting someone's company? He didn't want to admit it but he liked her for being there for him, but not to the point he craves it. He may be thankful for her help and….her pity? No, he never seen pity from those pale orbs, as if she knew exactly that he hates it…. and every time she saw him in his vulnerable state the only thing he saw was compassion. It was a foreign emotion for someone to feel for him.

His time was almost up. He couldn't afford to stay longer. The longer the delay the more danger could become of his presence to her. Either way he was going to leave, sooner or later or either of the two. Sasuke could tell because she yearned for companionship even if she never said it herself. A bond he had temporarily filled in, but for a certain time only.

The stillness of the room was intruded by the soft plop of clad feet against the ground told him it was Hinata coming from behind the door. From outside of the window the rain had stopped already for some time now and he had not registered it until recently from too much thinking.

The door opened and a certain dark haired girl, who was slightly panting and unceremoniously announced her presence, same as usual and nothing too uncommon…well maybe except that she was carrying something or more exactly a living thing with dark ash fur cuddled in a ball.

The Uchiha lift a single eye brow, a gesture meaning that went from confusion to curiosity to questioning.

Hinata pulled off her coat with one hand and hung it over the hook on the wall just near the door. She then proceeded in removing her drench shoes with her foot before moving forward near Sasuke who still had the same facial calmness except the lifted eye brow as if waiting patiently for something.

"Sasuke,Sasuke look what I found" she excitedly close their distance and lifted the thing that she was carrying with its feet dangling in the air. The Uchiha didn't speak or move but raised the brow higher as a questioning shift. A small pout formed on Hinata's face from the little to no reaction from Sasuke and raised the small creature to Sasukes level.

"It's a puppy Sasuke…..What do you think?" the small puppy began to growl being under the Uchiha's piercing stare.

"I know what that is. The question is where did you get it" He observed the puppy from its ashen color fur to its huge dark brown eyes with its chubby small body and could be said that it was cute except from its growling defensively. He concluded it was quite aggressive to strangers.

Hinata lowered the squirming puppy to her stomach, feeling slightly embarrassed from the look that Sasuke was giving her. She really thought that the puppy was cute but now she felt foolish, acting childish for a simple thing. Was he irritated? She shifted to her feet while waiting for the Uchiha to speak.

"Let me guess, you picked it from your way home. An abandon puppy and you took pity on it and decided to bring it home….. Typical" He gave her a stern look before adding. "What is it with you and picking strays from random streets" Hinata cringe at his cold comment, but took note of its hidden meaning and remembered how she met Sasuke.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing, as if calling yourself a stray when I brought you home with me the first time we met, that's different. This puppy needs a home from the cold weather and a family to take care of it, so I took it to myself to adopt it" She looked to the side trying to find good words. "We can be its….er…f- family?" She pressed on but perhaps it sounded like a question. A pink hue creped her cheeks of how the idea incredulously came out. It really sounded odd even to her just imagining it. An independent high school student, a mysterious self-proclaimed bad person and an abandoned puppy, it made a very strange picture but fantasizing it as a family made her ecstatic. Though only temporary, a temporary family because she knew Sasuke would soon leave when the right time comes.

"If your meaning of family is like that, then we are a weird bunch of a so called family if you ask me" He scoffed at her in ridiculous thinking but felt something unease inside. Hinata giggled, having the Uchiha state something a bit humorous was very rare and refreshing for a change and cuddled the small puppy against her chest completely ignoring as it struggled.

"Oy, I don't mind you bringing whatever you pickup since this is your place but try to be cautious. It's the dead of the night and riskier even more than it already is and not a good habit to fill in your curiosity just because you hear and see something along the road. Other than pitying it that mutt is also quite aggressive for a pet, don't you think?" he emphasized in monotone and gestured to the small growl it releases every now and then. It surprised him that it hadn't bitten the girl yet from all the struggling and snarling it's doing against her hold.

Hinata tilted her head to the side "But another reason I took it with me is because the puppy reminds me of you" she innocently said before a momentary silence took place. That made Sasuke caught off guard and didn't know if to be angry or amused by her reasoning. A while ago she was opposing the resemblance being a pick up stray and to further things she was associating him with a small puppy. Oh hell, He was fucking Uchiha Sasuke and a fucking member of a powerful Mafia group. He had been compared and damned in many names from a demon and cursed in different names, but never compared to… a puppy… to Hell with that. He inwardly snorted and chose to give her a small glare.

"Are you mocking me?"

"What! No, that's not what I meant"

"Oh, if so pray tell what similarities do I have with that fur ball other than being picked up from the street like a stray in the same manner" Hinata furrowed her brows, not sure if he was still humoring her.

"Well what I mean is it was quite hostile to any humans who would come close to it. I even thought it was going to bit me when I tried to touch it the first time but…" she looked down at the puppy, still insisted on struggling against her arms and smiled at its persistent. "This little one is very strong and never did show any weaknesses even in its vulnerable state and from being abandon and alone in a dark lonely place. It never whined like a helpless pup to gain attention and pity from the passbyers" Hinata recalled days ago, the first time she notice the small dirty box with a few puppies inside, cutely whining for attention and hunger while the ashen colored one preferred to stay quiet and would growl at anyone who tried to pet it. Therefore day by day its siblings were taken one by one by different kind hearted strangers for a new home which left a single pup alone because he defied and bark at anyone who tried to lift it. And tonight on her way home she passed the corner and saw that only one was left under the cold rain while few people loitering around ignored it. She watched from a distance as it shook and shiver from the cold rain before she gained a new resolve and thus approach it. Hinata could see its defiance to obscure its fear and it almost bit her the first time she coaxed it but she saw something within its animalistic brown eyes which made her resolve solidify, it was….

"Lonely"

Hinata unconsciously stroke its fur as the growling minimized. A far away look was on her face as she looked up to the Uchiha as if the word was also directed to him.

The last word still echoing in silence of uncertainty and hinting with understanding, Sasuke's eyes widen for a moment, breaking his mask for a while. Her pale eyes glassed and moisture almost melancholy and thoughtful and for a second he asked himself if she was still describing the mutt or him or….. herself or maybe…..maybe the both of them.

Silence took over as their little talkwent downhill and depressing.

A small smile crossed Hinata's face but didn't reach its normal sentry. "Other than that it's also cute!" Her face lifted in delight quickly replacing her previous expression, wanting lighten the ruined mood. But her eyes never lied to him; she was painfully hopeless when it comes to completely masking her feelings but Sasuke liked it that way. An aspect of Hinata that he was grateful about and wished that it would never change. But more importantly he didn't like the sorrowful look on her gentle features.

The irking smile still etched on her face as Sasuke's hand slowly rose, moving to her face. His head bowed a little and eyes shadowed with black bangs making his face completely unreadable. Hinata blinked at the hand closing in.

"Ita..! "She felt a tap on the forehead from his two fingers as one of Hinata's hand automatically reached to rub the small stinging sensation and tried to glare up. "W-what was that for?"

"Silly girl, that's for making an annoying face, it doesn't suit you. And I hope your last statement of 'cute' isn't included on similarities. Now could you at least take a bath you smell just like a dog and take that mutt with you" He cringe his nose in disgust but a visible lift of the corner of his lips said otherwise.

"Okay" Hinata chirped out while giggling then took off to her room but not before noticing a full smirk from Sasuke.

Sasuke to the couch and was quiet as the sound of heartfelt laugh and small barking coming from the bathroom filled his acute hearing. The familiar calmness once again pooling inside him, the same sensation just by sensing the same presence that he unintentionally craved soothing the empty loneliness from awhile ago. He recalled the face she made. She maybe strong at times but the fact that she left home and lived on her own without support from anyone could never hide the deep down Hinata was actually lonely.

Loneliness was like a disease, that had no façade nor could you hide or block.

"Family eh.." he murmured beneath his breath as if wishing it to come true. The back of his hand covered his eyes and let himself to the sound of a giggling Hyuuga and a whining mutt. He wondered how long he could relish his time here, before returning back to the darkness and could never again feel the soothing calmness. "…stupid"

The air around the room was stuck in foreboding silence as if a single sound was bound to unleash the abomination. The tick tock of the old grandfather clock stood more prominent for the occupants to hear, with its hollow thud, each second thicken the air.

No one dared to speak for a while as the occupants inside the room held themselves in wariness for any apprehension that could possibly take place soon. Though he wished it wouldn't. Too much time and risk had been taken to establish everything up to this point and he would be damn if it even turned hellish. Nonetheless, he would make sure that everything turned out as he planned or at least enough time to unravel the circumstances.

Itachi's face was the usual blank rendering the background to know nothing of what goes though his mind.. They were given the room befit for honorable guests though he knew they were unwanted guest set to cause unsettlement. He closed his eyes and listen to the deafening silence until he pick the quiet breathing of his subordinates and like him, their faces were set in stone as if statues that were part of the lavishing room for people to gaze in wonder.

The chandelier lighting from the high ceiling in glamorous beauty emphasized the blood red curtains which covered the high windows from the outside. The white walls lavish with red and gold printed maze, in unison of royal design with everything to match the red carpet for the flooring. The furniture completed the whole thing. Book shelves at the one side of the wall, in the middle of the room were two long couch of velvet red and two single cushion chairs at the either opposite side and a fire place of Victorian style rest in corner for the last piece of the huge room.

A luxury room indeed which indicated wealth and power, it reminded him of the Uchiha Mansion.

Itachi occupied one of the cushion chairs. On his left side Jugo sat against the couchhis arms crossed with close eyes as if meditating in peace and beside him was a red haired subordinate who was known to be impatient when it comes to waiting, but not tonight. To his right was the other couch inhabitants a man who was built like Jugo only with tint blue skin as he drape himself in a bored pause and a black haired man with a high collar which covered half his face. On the left side of the wall opposite of where the door leaned was a man with silver slick hair with his hand in the pocket. All were dressed in dark suits that stood to complement the room.

They wear unreadable expression but each one was deep in thought but alert at the same time as they wait in contort. Minutes that could very well pass as hours, but still they do not move in radical.

Itachi's eyes land to the single empty chair opposite to his in the other side of the room burning holes in it with his onyx blank orbs, unblinking as if facing an invisible opponent.

"Fuck, how long are they going to keep us waiting, this is shit"

"Hidan, if you're not going to say anything useful then just shut your mouth" a guff voice said, detained annoyance at the edge

"I didn't ask for your opinion Kakuzu, I was stating the fact that we have to wait like idiots, lowering our selves to their presence. Quite pathetic don't you think? "

"Pathetic? I doubt that, but it wouldn't lead us anywhere to bicker nonsense as you do, waiting is our next step, so I suggest keeping your reasoning to yourself and not to act like temperamental barbarian would be greatly appreciated" the red head called out, his eyes were close tolerating his subordinates strife. It was a good thing his partner was not here to mix with their argument.

Hidan glared at Sasori but ceased his banter.

"Waiting eh, and here I thought you never had the patience for it, not even in your vocabulary" Kisame, the Uchiha's partner muttered with a grin, showing his abnormally sharp teeth with feral amusement.

"I don't but this isn't the time to act unreasonable if ever, this is something that could possibly aim for better opportunity. Either way I wish for this to end smoothly without too much trouble" he replied, opening his eyes to glance at the silent Uchiha.

"I couldn't agree more" Itachi's monotone voice clear to hear and with those last words drifting within the room, indicating the conversation was over to give way to silence.

The stillness was broken by a set of footsteps outside the door. As the sound got nearer their faces took hold of serious coldness and alert muscles. Their eyes sharpened in vigilant; burning the door in anticipation even Juugo who remain silent and unmoving all the time moved his sight to the door.

The door finally opened without any sound besides the fine footsteps that padded against the carpet. All eyes followed the new occupants of the room as six men take their places aligned near the sides of the chair, while the one heading the group took his place at the red velvet chair facing the Uchiha.

Itachi vaguely recognized most of them as he swiveled his languid gaze from each person.

Hatake Kakashi, a familiar face. A veteran in there line of stature. Most of the new generation trained under him after he retired as a hitman years ago. The gray almost white hair was an infamous indication of the white fang of Konoha, known for his success rate for assassination from his line of generation, a dangerous opponent.

Other than Hatake, the rest were unfamiliar much younger youth, though their physical characteristic were enough to assess what clan they came from. The markings and physic appearance and posture said it all. The red marks and slit eyes of the Inuzuka clan, the colossal built and swirl markings of the Akamichi, The sunglasses and hunch stoic bearing of the enigmatic Aburame and last standing was at the right side of the seated blond, which means the right hand of the boss. A Nara, his features took most of his father as what Itachi remembers, from the hair style to the sluggish posture.

Most of the top clans representative were present.

Itachi lastly observed the blond young man, who sat in a nonchalant way almost with a bored expression as if this meeting was a waste of time. The blond plopped his right elbow to the arm chair and leaned his cheek to his knuckle, while his left hand lay to the other arm chair. His pose gave picture of total casual and detach surface.

He must be the same age as Sasuke, Itachi concluded.

The blond was clearly the Konoha Mafia boss and it amazed Itachi how young he was, but the Uchiha could see the wise dim in his eyes for high understanding in sovereignty. Appearance could be deceiving but this person behind such elusive organization of supreme chain of command could have been a cover up.

Itachi's eyes narrowed in such observation for a good evaluation and land for a final statement, and smashing any doubt of unthinkable.

No, this person was pronounced as the Kyuubi no Yoko. Gained his title from his great leadership in maintaining its faction above and esteemed. With his methods of decisiveness, like the demon fox in myths, one could not comprehend that such young man was capable in the field of divide and concur. Similar to a seasoned man in there kind of work.

Yes, it suits him very well and the marks across his cheeks were like of a trickster fox. Now he knew why many compare him to a demon fox when there are many demon myths so to match the category.

But what made Itachi more amazed was to see the remnants of the late fourth boss, on the man in front of him, a splitting image of Namikaze Minato in the eyes of his young self years ago, a vision from the past which flashed in a second like a double ganger of illusion.

Itachi fought a smirk, who would have thought that the hyperactive kid he remembered would carry the legacy of his father. Namikaze Naruto, the mysterious top boss behind Konoha Mafia that many grew wary of.

"Uchiha Itachi" the blond finally uttered

"Namikaze Naruto or should I call you the Kyuubi no Yoko" Itachi greeted back in the same uncaring tone. Amusing as the situation came to a certain revelation as it is, still did not lessen the apprehension inside the room, no, it only made things more interesting and devious.

Naruto grinned at the reply with eyes creeping in mischief predatory. "So, you finally realized. Not many knew of my identity other than my title but considering your history in Konoha and as the Uchiha genius it would not take you long to figure out once we met".

"Yes, but I'm not here for petty history left behind in the past" Itachi had no interest to dig a past that he no longer needed.

There was again, silence in the room but with an edge which screams that the next words would be of pure significance and straight to business.

"Well then" any tone in Naruto's voice was slate blank as a steel blade cutting the silence. "What possibly could the Ame Mafia want, as to the point of sending Uchiha Itachi and other members of its Akatsuki right here in Konoha, if I may require?"

It was a polite enough question if any person would hear, but Itachi knew the hidden meaning it held and the others knew it too. All of his subordinates gave an unyielding look at the blond's inquiry for such boldness, such a young man to question the deadly group of Akatsuki and Itachi was aware of any wrong statement of doubt will lead to hostility.

This was the phase that he has been waiting for; all that he planned will take place at this point and knew that he would have to choose his words wisely.

Looking at the Blond who tilted his chin upward daring him to talk back, as Naruto looked at him under his nose like a king would to a commoner but the Uchiha kept a blank face ignoring the insult of the small gesture.

Itachi gripped the arm chair as he heard Kisame release a growl and a sneer from Hidan while the others maintain their passive interior. To seek an audience from another faction like Konoha was foolish and suicidal if they were from a middling faction, but no, they're the Akatsuki of Ame.

The presence of more than two Akatsuki was not something to be ignored and it was very rare to find them in one place. They are an elite group of killers and superior minds known for their successive prowess.

But Itachi knew it wasn't the time to enhance their elite standing. They were here for one task, to get to their goal, but to achieve this they would have to lay low in return as a stepping stone. Like a humble lamb. They were in another's territory and wise enough to hold their tongue and thoughts in place if needed.

For now

Sasuke, you better be alive

"We are here to offer our alliance to Konoha in light that both sides will achieve its own advantages in so many ways…"

A/N: First of all I apologize for not updating for a long time. I was very busy at school and the oh' so many projects and reports to be passed on time.

Second, while doing this chapter along the way I had to compete in occupying the laptop and desktop at home. You have no idea how much I fought and begged just so I could type this little by little with such limited alternate time because of my Mom facebook *cough addict* doing chats up to sunrise and siblings gaming *cough addict*, I think they were playing Pokémon RPG.

But aside from that, the Sasuke and Hinata interaction here is quite short but you can see how comfortable they are to each other now without the usual uneasiness. In this chapter is the first interaction between Itachi and Naruto, I think that answered the question of what is the connection of Naruto to the development of the story, well just wait and see. The last scene is more of debut to the other characters, oh how I love the Akatsuki!

Thank you for reading!