Uchiha Avenger

Chapter 36

Ayame helped load up the next morning as she held her head, only looking up when Lady Chiyo leapt down from the building.

"Alright, we'll head out on our own then." Kakashi nodded, saying their farewells before running off. They traveled through the trees as Ayame held her head still, following the footsteps of Naruto.

She listened to the story of the tailed beast, clutching her chest gently as she felt a sharp pain stabbing and prodding her.

"All the way up to the ten-tailed l-" Ayame yelled, cutting Chiyo off as she leaned against the tree, clutching her chest. She grimaced and shut her eyes, breathing slowly.

"Are you alright?" Sakura placed her hand on Ayame's hand as she opened an eye.

"I'm okay." She pushed her away gently, looking up. "We don't have time to slow down."

"But if you're hurt-"

"We don't have time!" Ayame growled and leapt up, running forward.

"Everybody stop!" Kakashi threw his hands out after a moment of running and stood as her gaze met with a familiar one.

"Who's that?" Sakura whispered as Ayame gritted her teeth.

"Why are you here?!" She yelled, lurching forward.

"I didn't expect to be fighting you, Ayame." Itachi spoke dryly from the clearing . "Kakashi, Naruto. It's been a while."

"I wasn't enough for you, huh? You had to go after Gaara as well?" Naruto snapped.

Itachi blinked slowly, glancing away.

"I'll destroy every last one of you." Naruto huffed.

He lifted his hand and Ayame stepped forward.

"Don't look him in his eyes." She ordered, focusing on him as her sharingan intensified.

She couldn't focus on what they were saying as she held a strong gaze with Itachi. There was something her sharingan couldn't quite lock on; an emotion she couldn't figure out. She strained, Itachi meeting her with a cool gaze.

"I'll take this dumbass." Ayame lurched forward, Kakashi putting his arm out.

"Wait."

"If we attack without a plan, there's the chance he can capture Naruto and take him in. We need to plan our attacks."

She listened to his reasoning, gritting her teeth but never losing their gaze.

Kakashi's sharingan was revealed and Itachi flinched back in surprise, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I underestimated you back then, I admit it, but I am not the fool I used to be. Things aren't going to go the same way as back then." Kakashi smirked. "Ayame, Naruto, stay out of this."

"What?!" Naruto huffed. "This again? Where we sit back and do nothing?"

"No. This time you cover me. I will not make the same mistake again." Kakashi earned a smirk from Naruto.

He moved back, his gaze catching Itachi's. Naruto froze in place, Ayame realizing he had been caught in Itachi's genjutsu.

"Naruto-" Ayame choked, running forward to slam a hand on the back of his head. He flew forward, his face slamming into the ground.

"What happened to me?" He whispered as she stood, looking forward.

"You were caught in Itachi's genjutsu." She murmured.

They tensed as Kakashi stepped forward, building up his chakra.

He ran forward, Itachi dodging his lightning blade before leaping up. He looked up to see Naruto, slamming his rasengan into his chest.