Neko-chan: All right, I know you people want me to hurry up and update my other stories, but here's the thing. I really do not enjoy the SasuNaru pairing anymore. Sasuke doesn't deserve Naruto, okay! He's a traitorus asshole and I hate his guts! So, here's a new story.
Sasuke: Hey, don't blame me, okay! Blame my creator!
Itachi: Move aside, little brother. Neko-chan has a new favorite pairing.
Sasuke: DAMN YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! I'LL KILL YOU, ARGH!!!!!!
NC: Take it outside, boys!
Naruto: -in the Corner of Gloom- Why is it that I'm the one always being molested by Uchihas?
NC: Poor, poor Naruto-kun. -hears a crash- DON'T YOU DARE BREAK MY STUFF!!!!
Naruto: Well, while she's going to kill them, I better say her stuff. -ahem- Neko-chan does not own any of us. The pairings are going to be -shudders- ItaNaru and one-sided SasuNaru, just so the teme stops abusing her. Also, there are warnings of slight OOCness and the rating may increase in the future. So...yeah.
"ITA-KUUUUNNN!!!!" Itachi flinched as a small figure pounced on him. Itachi looked down to see watery blue eyes and a trembling lip. Sunflower hair went in every direction as the twelve-year-old trembled.
"What is it?" The elder male asked with a slightly irritated tone.
"Zetsu's trying to eat me again!" He wailed, as tears spilled like waterfalls. Itachi sighed and glared at the shadow where he knew a certain cannibal lurked, waiting for his chance to pounce on the blond boy. Hardening his glare, Itachi scooped the child into his arms. In order not to fall, Naruto threw his arms around his neck, clinging onto him. Knowing that capture of the demon vessel would be futile with Itachi in close contact, Zetsu turned and left.
Naruto sighed happily that he wasn't going to be eaten and leaned onto the shoulder of his savior. Even after he sensed Zetsu had gone, Itachi still held onto the smaller male protectively. He honestly didn't understand how this protective nature started. All Itachi knew was that, when it started, it couldn't be stopped.
Five years earlier:
Itachi scowled as he sat outside of the Uchiha estate. It was broad daylight, but he was already thinking about the decision he made. He was going to act it out…tonight.
Some time earlier, he had killed his friend, his best friend, over the exact reason he was going to take care of the rest of his clan. Itachi knew about what the Uchihas were planning. He knew what they were going to do in order to be looked at more highly than the Hyuugas.
They were going to kill a seven-year-old child.
Now, Itachi knew about the Kyuubi. Before the third Hokage issued his law, his parents told him to stay away from Uzumaki Naruto, the newborn child who had the Kyuubi sealed within him. He, of course, found this ridiculous that they would fear a child, whether or not he had a demon within him. In fact, the way they treated him after the Third issued the law was even more ridiculous than fearing him. Did they really expect shunning him, insulting him, and abusing him would prevent the demon from coming out? And, if Naruto ever found out about the demon, would he really have a reason not to send it on a murderous rampage through the village? Really, people! Prodigy or not, a five-year-old figured this out! Why couldn't an entire village full of adults with developed brains figure it out?!
Itachi knew that this was only going to be the beginning. He knew that his father and the rest of the adults of the clan would become overwhelmed with the power they had, and he knew that they would abuse that power to no ends. They wouldn't stop with the respect of the villagers, they would go for full obedience. No one would object since they were such heroes to kill a seven-year-old (note the sarcasm in this sentence). That would lead to them expecting full control of the village, and they would most likely get it and dictate the village into flames.
So, he was going to do what he was raised to do. Solve his problems by eliminating them. He was going to make sure the Uchihas die out. Yet…he knew he couldn't kill his younger brother. So he was going to have to break him. Break him to the point where all he could think about was revenge. The Uchiha clan will end with Itachi and Sasuke.
Currently, his eyes were set upon a familiar blond child walking on the path. This was Uzumaki Naruto, the child that was going to die the next day. Itachi had not been present to hear the Uchiha's plan, but his interrogation of Shisui was enough to know when he had to prevent it. He had the whole thing planned out already. The current issue was to insure that this boy didn't have any contact with the Uchihas before then.
Of course, that problem was being solved by itself. The closer Naruto walked to the Uchiha estate, the harsher the glares and the hurtful whispering became. He had his usual grin on, but Itachi could easily see through the mask. In those blue eyes were unshed tears, pleading to be released. But the vessel was stubborn. He wouldn't allow the villagers to have the satisfaction of seeing him cry. Itachi felt himself admiring the boy for some reason. To be able to wear such a mask at his age was difficult. Even as a child himself, Itachi felt it hard to wear a mask of indifference. He was a child, children shouldn't be allowed to wear masks. But, he was also an Uchiha. That was the exception to the rule. The thirteen-year-old couldn't help but wonder how many more cruel people in this world were going to force children to wear masks.
Itachi appeared to have his eyes closed as he leaned against the wall, but his eyes were slightly open, and he followed the blonde's moves. Despite himself, Itachi almost jumped in surprise when he saw one of the men of the village tackle the child into an alleyway. Some people were shocked, too, but then they disregarded it and continued on with their lives. When the painful cries of the seven-year-old could be heard, Itachi felt his fists clench and he growled.
Finally not being able to take it anymore, the Uchiha prodigy moved from his place and walked to the alley. He looked in, and snarled at the sight. Three large men, all civilians, were gathered around the blond boy. What disgusted him was that they were kicking at him, and laughing at the cries of pain.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Itachi snarled more venomously than he intended. They stopped and looked at him in surprise at the interruption.
"Ah, Itachi-san!" One said with a smile.
"Please, don't worry, we're just taking care of the village's monster problem." The second directed a glare at Naruto, who was curled up in a ball and whimpering. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He then walked into the alley, right past the three men, and stopped in front of Naruto.
"Oh, do you want the honor of finishing him off?" The last of the three asked. Itachi didn't answer. Instead, he bent down and scooped the child into his arms, lifting him off the dirty ground.
"W-what are you doing? Are you actually helping that monster?!"
"Leave…" Itachi said simply. The men, stupid as they are, didn't get the hint and stayed.
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I said. Go. Now." Itachi turned, and he didn't need the sharingan to pull off the death glare he gave those men. They all cried out in fear and ran off screaming. When they were gone, he looked down at the bloody bundle in his arms and sighed. He didn't need to attract attention before tonight, but maybe this will make it so that all the Uchihas that were of high status would be called to an emergency meeting concerning this. It would make it a lot easier to target them.
But, to the matter at hand now. Itachi saw that most of the major wounds were already healing up and he felt small leaks of demonic chakra. Most likely the Kyuubi trying to prevent its own death by preventing the death of its jailor. With a frown of exasperation, the young ANBU soldier jumped off to a more secluded place where he could help the child in peace.
It wasn't until a few hours before sundown did the blond boy wake up. He opened his blue eyes to find himself on a bed of grass right under a tree in the shade. He was wrapped in a thin blanket, and noticed that he was stripped to his underwear. While frantically looking for his clothes, Naruto finally noticed the 13-year-old Uchiha sitting by a makeshift clothesline that had his not-bloodstained clothing.
"Finally, you're awake." Itachi muttered, staring out into the calm river right by them. He had spoken without so much as moving his head, so Naruto was startled. After overcoming his surprise, he was suddenly filled with fear. Him, alone with a stranger, and Uchiha nonetheless, out of eyesight from the Hokage Tower. Those small factors spelled trouble in the blonde's head as he tried to inch away.
"If I was really determined to hurt you, do you think I would have waited for you to awaken? Baka…" Itachi muttered the last part under his breath, but Naruto heard it and his anger spiked before he calmed once more.
"Why am I here then? Did you help me?" He asked with a suspicious voice. It was evident in the tone that he found the thought of anyone helping him recover was a laughable concept. Now, helping him suffer, that wasn't so improbable.
"Well, if you're so determined to bleed to death, I can always take you back." Itachi replied, even though he wouldn't really take the blond back to a village full of ingrates. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how stupid the citizens of Konoha were. On more than one occasion did he hear someone mention 'that child should have never been born, he'll kill us all'. True, if Naruto wasn't born, he wouldn't kill them. Why would he need to, when the Yondaime can't find a newborn child with the umbilical cord freshly cut, thus not finding a way to seal the Kyuubi, and the demon would have just killed them all over a decade ago. Itachi once voiced that, and he was met with stupefied stares.
Idiots…
"No, no. I'm good." Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head nervously. Itachi just shrugged and continue to look at the river. There was movement behind him and Naruto walked up to him, the blanket wrapped around him as he decided to sit in a warmer area. After a moment of silence, the blond spoke up.
"Why did you save me?" He asked in a very quiet voice. Itachi had to strain himself to hear it, but he heard it, yet he didn't know the answer.
It may be because Itachi saw some of himself in the blond. A child, walking around with a mask. Expectations thrust upon him that he didn't want. Although, unlike the expectations of success pushed on Itachi, Naruto was expected to be a failure. He was expected to become a demon, although his becoming a demon would be entirely their fault. He was expected to harm the children he tried so hard to become friends with. He was expected to take their hatred, to take their disgust, to take their utter loathing without complaint. Why? Because those ingrates thought the seven-year-old, the child who wasn't even given a chance to see the world before those expectations were thrust upon him, deserved it. As much as he was ashamed of his family, Itachi was even more ashamed of the villagers he pledged to protect.
"Naruto…" The elder said. Naruto was surprised that Itachi was actually giving an answer and nodded his head to show he was listening. "Do you have a reason to stay in this village?"
Once again surprised, Naruto stayed silent. Having not expected such a question, he didn't have a thoroughly thought out answer. It was about three minutes before he answered. "Well…I like the old man! He is always really nice to me, and helps me out a lot when the villagers won't let me buy food or get clothes. Iruka-sensei too! He is the only teacher that smiles at me, and he treats me to ramen all the time. I really don't like ramen, but it's cheap, so Iruka-sensei doesn't lose too much money because of me!" He said this with a smile before it turned into a sad frown.
"Of course, Iruka-sensei sometimes glares at me for a few minutes before smiling. It's like he's trying to look for something and is happy when he finds it. And I hear a lot of people saying bad things about the old man because he takes care of me. I like them both but…I'm just a burden to them. So, I don't have a reason to stay. Not a good one, anyways." He said. Itachi nodded, as if satisfied with the answer. The silence was uncomfortable, but the Uchiha broke it by standing up.
"I'll take you away." He said, causing the blond child to blink in surprise. "Tonight, I'm leaving this village. I'll take you with me. I'm going to a place that will accept you, and you won't be treated like trash any longer. Of course, you have to choose to follow me or not. If you wish to come, then wait here after you leave the academy. Don't bring anything with you, and don't tell anybody about this. Understand?"
Stupefied, Naruto nodded. When Itachi left after returning Naruto's cleaned clothes, he almost expected the blond not to go through with it. After all, a child would still feel loyal to the village they grew up in, even if the village treated said child like crap. But, he came. And he didn't even ask about the blood. In fact, Naruto never stopped following him, even after Itachi told him about the massacre.
It was difficult, of course, to convince the leaders of the Akatsuki not to rip the Kyuubi out of the blond. He managed to convince them by reasoning with them that even if they did take the Kyuubi out, the most powerful of the tailed demons would most likely overcome their attempts to control it. While in Naruto's body, it can be easily controlled. This, of course, led to Naruto actually finding out about the demon. Surprisingly, Naruto wasn't too upset. In fact, he was elated.
"All right! Now I can become stronger, and I'll be able to repay Itachi-san for saving me and taking me away from the village! You'll see. I'll be the strongest ever, and I'll be able to help you and not be a burden. I promise, Itachi-san!"
Present time:
"Ita-kun! Ita-kun, you're zoning out!" Naruto said waving his hand in front of red eyes. Itachi blinked, and turned to the blond, who had his head tilted in confusion. "You've been doing that a lot lately. Are you ill?"
"No, just things on my mind." Itachi replied. The blond seemed satisfied with that explanation and he nodded as he jumped off from his seat on the Uchiha's shoulder. As a comfortable silence settled between the pair, Kisame walked into the room.
"Hey there, Sushi!" Naruto said.
"Don't call me that, you little brat!" Kisame snarled bopping the boy on the top of his head. "Oh, Itachi. You're being summoned." He added as Naruto tried to run away from the chokehold he was being held in. Itachi made a sound of acknowledgement and left, knowing that Kisame wouldn't let Naruto be harmed, no matter how much the two get on each other's nerves.
As Itachi walked to the center of the caves, an icy feeling curled in his gut. The kind that tells a person that something was going to happen that they would not like one bit. Surprisingly, when he got that feeling, Naruto came into his mind. Would the leader tell him they were going to remove the Kyuubi anyways? No, the mysterious man knew and agreed completely that they couldn't trust their jutsu to control the strongest of the tailed demons. So… what?
"Itachi…" The man said in the shadows of the room the Uchiha entered. As usual, he didn't see the leader's face. No one ever has.
"Itachi, there's been an enlightenment concerning one of the tailed demons." The man started. "We have discovered that the one-tailed tanuki is sealed within a suna child known as Gaara. However, obtaining that demon will be more difficult than one would think. The tanuki is the weakest of the tailed demons, but his defenses are strong. Striking him directly will only mean death to those going after him. To avoid unnecessary casualties we need someone to get close to him somehow, and we will strike him when his guard is down."
"…You're sending Naruto." Itachi said as a statement of fact. He could see where this was going. He wanted someone to befriend this demon vessel, and who better than another demon vessel? This wouldn't be his first deceiving mission. Because he was a child, Naruto was perfect to lure unsuspecting targets into a sense of security. But none of them knew about his strengths, about his powers. Naruto was strong, not as strong as Itachi, of course, but getting there. The blond had been trained since he found out about the Kyuubi, and it was painfully obvious that the fox decided to take half of that training into its own paws.
"Yes. There's a genin team in your home village that was recommended for the chunin exams. However they ran into some…difficulties and lost one of their team members. The Kyuubi vessel will be sent there with a sob story and, if he can follow normal procedures, he will be admitted to their team." The leader said.
"May I inquire as to how you are so sure they will allow him to graduate for the sake of that particular team?" The reply was a low chuckle.
"Itachi, you and the Kyuubi vessel know perfectly just how fickle your darling home village is. They only see the skin and never look at the potential underneath. The vessel knows that more than anyone. Do you really think I would have allowed him to roam free had I not seen the strength that will become the pride of the Akatsuki?
"Naruto will be automatically accepted as a member of this team, because they want a certain child to become a chunin, to become their village pride. They have high expectations for this child. Because he is the last of a clan that a certain missing nin I know slaughtered." Itachi's eyes widened when he realized who he was talking about.
"Sasuke…"
"That's right. They, of course, will be unhappy to allow the vessel to become a ninja of their village, but their pride will tell them that, when your brother becomes a chunin, they can just get rid of the extra weight. Before they get the chance, we need the Shukaku, and then you can take your precious charge back before they do anything harmful to him. I would summon him myself, but I think he would enjoy it much more if you tell him about his first solo mission." The Uchiha nodded and turned, walking out of the room and back to where he left Naruto and Kisame.
He honestly wasn't sure how the blond would react to his first solo mission. Most of the missions carried out were with Itachi himself and Kisame. Even when he had to speak to the targets alone, Itachi was always right there in case something went wrong. He was on his own now. Itachi couldn't possibly get away with watching over him 24/7. It was just too risky and one small slip up could ruin everything. No…Naruto had to do this by himself. He should have faith in the blond, the boy was a master deceiver. Sometimes he would even convince Itachi himself that he wasn't up to no good when, in all honesty, he was. Of course, after a while, one gets used to it and knows the difference between the real Naruto and Acting Naruto.
"DAMN IT, YOU FUCKING BRAT!!! I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU!!!!"
"You can't do that if you can't catch me. Nayh, nyah!"
"GET OVER HERE!!!"
Itachi sighed and rubbed his head when he heard the daily arguments between his partner and his charge. As usual, Naruto must have pushed one button to many, causing the larger man to chase after him, prepared to dice the blond up, but not actually intending to do such a thing. Itachi walked in to see Naruto running on the walls while Kisame was attacking him with one of their regular katanas instead of his Samehada.
"Stop it." Said Itachi firmly. Naruto stopped in mid-run and clung onto the roof while Kisame put the sword away and glowered at the annoying child.
"That was quick, Ita-kun. What did he need?" The blond asked curiously. Itachi sat on one of the stone seats and motioned for Naruto to do the same. He told him about the mission he was expected to do, and a folder containing all the specific details that Naruto needed to remember. Kisame stayed during this talk, and watched as Naruto's face stayed blank. Even so, he could feel the emotions of pure shock radiating from the blond.
"Looks like you're finally getting your own mission, brat." Kisame commented, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Naruto nodded as he set the mission folder on fire. A sign that he's memorized everything.
"Ita-kun…are you coming with me?" The blond asked. Itachi shook his head 'no'.
"You're doing this alone. I will come for your report occasionally, but it's basically a solo mission." He said. Naruto nodded and looked down, anxious at the fact that he's not going to be with anyone this time. What if he messed up? What if he did something to endanger the organization, or worse? He knew about Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother. What if Sasuke knew that Naruto knew Itachi? A river of concerns raged in his mind.
WILL YOU SHUT UP?! the Kyuubi finally demanded, startling Naruto out of his fogged mind.
Itachi sighed, seeing that his predictions were true. Naruto was nervous, but he could sense a feeling of pride that he was finally able to go out on his own. After a moment, Kisame became fed up with the silence and smacked the child's back.
"Look, you're going to do just fine. It's going to be like every other mission, only you don't have to lead anyone to us. All you need to do is get that Gaara kid's guard down around you. Here's a plus side. If you play your cards right, you can earn the trust of that village, and once we got the Shukaku, you can get revenge on them simply by betraying them." The shark-man's comment seemed to ignite a sadistic gleam in the youngest male's eyes and he smirked before grinning cheerfully.
"I'll do it! So the guy's name is Gaara, right?" He asked enthusiastically.
"Yes…I also have one personal request." Itachi mentioned, remembering his younger brother.
"Okay! Anything for Ita-kun!" Naruto said with a smile, but stopped when he noticed the dead-serious look on his savior's face.
"My little brother. I want you to make sure he's still broken. I don't want him to revive the Uchiha Clan. If he isn't, break him." It was more of an order than a request, but Naruto still knew he was given the option to decline. Itachi wouldn't be happy about it, but he would understand. Of course, no matter what, Naruto couldn't bring himself to say 'no' to the man who saved his life.
So he smiled softly. "Of course, Ita-kun."Neko-chan: This is rushed, so I'm just going to say R&R PPLS!!!