Kisame grumbled to himself as they trudged through the forest in search of the Kyuubi Kitsune, hungry and annoyed. Itachi himself was displeased but for a different reason. He didn't want to hunt the kitsune. He and the beautiful kitsune had a past, and he doesn't want the child to die. Itachi stopped when he noticed Kisame stopped suddenly. "What's wrong?" He and Kisame were pretty good friends and they knew each other somewhat well enough to work together. Kisame blinked as if trying to make sure he wasn't seeing things and then pointed at whatever he was looking at. Itachi shifted to get a better view of what exactly the man was trying to point out. "Is that the kyuubi brat?"
Itachi blinked and they both moved silently to the child laying unresponsively on the ground, defenceless and badly wounded. The ground beneath the small bundle was soaked in crimson red liquid. "What should we do? He looks badly wounded."
"Bring him back to base and see what he has to say. Im sure leader-sama wouldn't mind." Itachi said as he gently picked Naruto up, careful not to jostle anything and Kisame noticed the caution. "You have a past with the kid." It wasn't a question but a statement, waiting to be confirmed by the dark haired missing nin. Itachi looked at Kisame and he looks genuinely curious, Itachi debated mentally. It wouldn't hurt to tell the shark man. "We are friends - best friends even, he was the only one that ignored the fact that I was an Uchiha and treated me like a normal human being despite not treated well himself. He would get so happy just to see me even if it was only for a few minutes. We looked out for each other and protected each other's back, comforted each other when needed."
"Are?"
"We kept in contact, he knows we're hunting the bijuus and he is trying to stall as long as possible to do something. He wouldn't tell me what it is but it seems like it can no longer be accomplished."
"You kept in contact?"
"Would you mind not repeating what I said all the time. Yes, we kept in contact but for the past 6 months we stopped contacting." Itachi said and then stayed silent after, not trusting himself to not accidentally slip-up on Naruto's actual gender. Kisame kept silent, knowing his friend wants silence to think and is refusing to talk any further. He would keep whatever Itachi said to him to himself as Itachi trusted him a lot.

"You what?" Pein asked in confusion when two of the members returned with a badly injured bijuu that the stoic one was cradling ever so gently and carefully. Konan watched the pale man cradle the broken boy, it almost seemed like it was hurting the man that the child in his arms was badly injured and seemingly on the brink of death. "We bought the nine tails back."
"No. After."
"Itachi wants to give the boy a chance to talk about why he was so badly injured."
"Why isn't the nine tails healing him?" Pein asked, as they all looked at the boy. Kisame shrugged, he doesn't know. "Thats why we're giving the boy a chance to speak." Konan snapped as she took Naruto from Itachi gently, looking at him with a silent promise that she wouldn't hurt the blond. Konan laid Naruto on the ground and shrugged off her cloak for him to use as a pillow. She applied whatever medical ninjutsu she knew to wake the boy. Konan pulled Itachi down to the ground beside her and made Itachi grasp Naruto's hand. "You know the child personally. I am sure the boy would like some reassurance when he wakes from his injured state." She said as she gestured for Nagato, Pein and Kisame to kneel down so they aren't towering over the boy.
Naruto woke up feeling pain everywhere. She knows the kyuubi is trying its best to save her but they have ran out of options. Naruto gasped and felt someone's grip tighten on her hand. Everyone watched as the blond woke up and Itachi's hand tightened around the child's hand. "... Itachi?" Naruto gasped weakly.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry." Naruto apologised, trying her best not to cough blood all over him. Itachi looked over to the other members and met with equally confused faces. "I tried, but i can't."
"What did you not achieve?" Pein asked and Naruto gasped again, not because of seeing the other akatsuki but because the move had jostled her wounds. She coughed lightly and blood dribbled out the corner of her lips. Konan flinched, she had locked eyes with the child and saw the suffering in them.
"I managed to free a few missing nins of their status by proving them not guilty of the crime as they had been wrongly accused... I.. Couldn't free Itachi."
"I don't need you to do that Naru. What happened? Why didn't you keep in contact? What happen to my brother?" The rest watched with mixed emotions, feeling sad for the kid but also confused by Itachi's concern behaviour. Naruto gave Itachi's hand a squeeze. "They banish me and stripped me of my ninja status... Your brother is freed of all... charges due to him being an... Uchiha." Itachi could see Naruto struggling even harder now.
"That doesn't explain why you're so badly injured."
"They hate me for injuring their Uchiha..." Naruto said weakly as Konan was already trying to use medical ninjutsu to keep her alive. "Ko-konan right?" The blue haired woman nodded, her gaze turning gentle as the child called out to her, her caring sister side coming out. "Do it quick."
"What?" Konan asked in confusion.
"The kyuubi, you have to be quick. It is merging with me and if it completes its merge, it would no longer be possible to remove pure kyuubi chakra." Itachi blinked, trying to hide his emotions.
"No. We are no longer hunting the bijuus, it was just a facade to keep up with the fact that we are missing nins. You are the last one left and since you are banished, no one will ever find out if we did or did not take away your bijuu." Pein said firmly.
"We will protect you."