The Blonde Uchiha

Chapter 1

The Death and Birth of Uchiha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"speaking"

'

thinking'

"Jutsu"

NarutoxSasukixMikoto

Age Alert!: Just to let everyone know where we stand, Sasuki and Naruto are age 7 (Normal age during time frame) and Mikoto is 27. Mikoto has been made younger for our purposes in this story.

Time Frame: The Uchiha Clan Massacre occurred when Sasuki is in the academy still, five years prior to Part 1 of the series.

Personality Warning: The thing I like about changing Sasuke's gender is that it makes it possible for him to become a very caring person, his girl version can either be seen as having the same personality or she can be sweet and caring like Mikoto. In this story, Sasuki will be nice to Naruto, even when they are around the other kids, she isn't afraid of her friendship with him.

I'm re-uploading this because I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. Don't expect anything from me yet, just think of this as publicity and a show of faith I'm alive. Also, I'm thinking of redoing some parts of Namikaze's Homecoming and re-uploading it too, if it seems like a good idea I'll do it.

I apologize for those readers who have already read and reviewed this chapter and I understand that you do not wish to repeat yourselves. For new readers though, I'd appreciate a short (or long) review of the chapter from your eyes and what you think might happen next. It actually helps me want to write and figure out the next chapter, believe it or not.

Also no flaming please, there is a line between critique and flame but I don't count disagreeing with the way I change Naruto and its plot a critique because every story changes something about Naruto, it makes it unique.

On with the show! Or rerun, whatever you want to call it.

000

Uchiha Compound,

Day of the Massacre

"SASUKI! It's time for school!" A mother called for her young daughter to come downstairs and go to school, the Ninja Academy of Konoha.

The woman's name was Mikoto Uchiha, and she was a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf. As her last name suggested, she was indeed a member of the elite clan of the Uchiha.

Made famous by the Sharingan eye that could manifest from the blood of the clan members, the Uchiha were a powerful addition to Konoha's populace. Lately though, Mikoto has noticed that the clan had been segregated and shut out of more and more dealings that had to do with the village, and it concerned her.

'Then there is Itachi, he has been acting so strangely. I hope Fugaku is wrong in his assumptions but there is no way to be sure..'

At that point, a small girl came running down the stairs with her school bag. Her long blue hair swayed behind her back with its long length. Her bangs went all the way down to her chin on either side of her cheeks and her onyx eyes were full of life and happiness.

Sasuki was still in a good mood over her father's actions recently. He had given her a test to see if she had matured enough to become a true Uchiha, and she had passed!

She had learned the Fireball technique in just one week, something her father had been genuinely impressed by. Her mother even told her that they always talk about how well she has been doing when they are alone, she was finally getting acknowledgment over Itachi!

"Hey mom! I'm going to school, I'll be home a little late since I plan on training after school!" Mikoto just smiled at her daughter, giving a lunch bag to Sasuki as she ran out the door, waving goodbye.

Mikoto lost her smile once her daughter was out of sight, a bad feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She eyed Itachi's room from the kitchen, a suspicious glare settled on her features and the fully matured, three-tomoed sharingan eyes manifested from her onyx orbs.

"Mother, is something wrong?" Mikoto's eyes widened and she canceled the Sharingan, turning to her side to face Itachi, her son.

He was looking at her with what appeared to be genuine confusion, and she felt a bit embarrassed over her emotions. Even if he was a suspicious and an introverted person, he was still her son, and she smiled at Itachi.

"No, nothing is wrong Itachi. I was just thinking about something a bit too much, that's all." Itachi kept his eyes on her for a second before shrugging and walking outside, heading towards the Uchiha training grounds.

"I'm going out to train, goodbye mother." Mikoto eyed him as he left, her feeling of anxiety more intense than ever now that he was in the room.

"Alright Itachi, don't overwork yourself." And with that, the door was shut and Mikoto heaved out a sigh, the day was weighing down on her nerves.

'Fugaku..hurry home.'

000

Konoha

Ninja Academy

Sasuki entered the Ninja academy, a big smile on her face today as she wore the Uchiha crest proudly on the back of her blue shirt. It was a simple blue shirt with the Uchiha high collar, but to her, it was a source of pride in her clan and her future as a ninja. Her pants were just white shorts, reaching down to her knees and of course her blue sandals. All the outfits she wore her mother had picked up for her.

'I'm going to make mother and father proud, I swear!'

She entered Iruka-sensei's classroom just as he was beginning to teach, she gave a shy smile to him and walked to her desk, a few boys blushing a bit. Sasuki was a source of beauty and admiration for the girls and a beauty and crush to all the boys of her class, and they envied not only her beauty but smarts as well.

"Alright class, today, I am going to welcome a new student. He has been..transferred from a different class, his name is.." Iruka looked down at his clipboard. "Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sasuki was curious, she turned towards the door and saw a blonde boy enter with a bright smile, not nervous or shy at all. He had three whisker marks on either cheek and wore a simple black shirt with an orange spiral on it. His black shorts reached his knees and his scuffed black sandals had dirt all over them from running to get to the Academy.

"Hey everybody! The name's Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you!" Iruka pleasantly smiled and watched the other kids' reactions to his arrival.

Most did not seem too interested like Kiba Inuzuka or Shino Aburami. A few of the older kids were glaring at him, something that not even Iruka had expected. Two girls struck Iruka as being interested, even in the slightest by the blonde arrival.

Hinata Hyuuga blushed at his presence and bumped her two pointer fingers together nervously. Iruka smiled at how easy it was for children to have a crush; he looked at Naruto to see if he noticed. The boy apparently didn't notice at all as he just stood there at the door, smiling as big as he could.

The other girl Iruka had spied was none other than Sasuki Uchiha. Contrary to the other boys within her class, it appeared Naruto had something they didn't. Not to say she was blushing like the shy Hyuuga, but her eyes did not seem to want to leave him.

"Alright Naruto, let's find you a seat." Everyone began to scramble around, either trying to stop the Uzumaki from sitting by them or trying to make room.

Iruka just shook his head at their silly antics and waited for them to be done. Upon the end of the sudden 'musical chair' game, Iruka saw about what he had expected to see. The only seat available was right next to Sasuki, he chuckled a bit. The girl just glared at any boy who would try and sit with her and they didn't want to risk her wrath.

"Naruto, how about you sit next to Sasuki. I'm sure you both will get along just fine." Naruto turned to the teacher in surprise and then looked up at the girl he was supposed to sit by.

She was eying him curiously, as if he was the prey and she the predator. Naruto gulped, he had no experience talking with a girl so he wasn't feeling so confident. He walked up the steps, ignoring the glares he received from the boys of the class; they were nothing like the glares he received from the adults.

'They are only angry at me because I'm sitting next to a cute girl. The adults hate me, plain and simple.'

Sasuki watched as the new boy sat down and smiled at him, a gesture not lost on the blonde.

"Hello, my name is Sasuki Uchiha. I hope we get along just fine!" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before he too gained a smile.

"Yeah..I hope so too." Iruka waited for the boy to get settled in before he began to teach the class on a lesson on the past Hokage.

"Alright class, today we are going to learn a little history." A resounding sigh echoed around the room as Iruka said 'history', making him realize how much they found it boring. "Now now, history is important! Just think, if we didn't care about history, we wouldn't have any jutsu written down from the past, then where would the Leaf Village be?" The class quieted down after that, allowing Iruka to begin.

Sasuki, as a bright young student, took out a piece of paper and a pencil and began to write down the names of the Hokage as Iruka did on the board. She cleanly labeled each one and when they became Hokage through time periods and detailed their basic jutsu and specialties. Looking over to see what Naruto had written, she was surprised to find him with his head down and lightly snoring.

It was soon apparent to the girl that Naruto wasn't exactly a hard worker. She zoned back into Iruka teaching and looked back at her paper to check her writing so far.

The Four Hokage

Shodai:

Hashirama Senju

Reign: Foundation of Konoha to First Shinobi World War

Specialties: Mokuton, Tailed Beast Control, Charisma

After heavy negotiations between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama, he was able to create Konoha using his special abilities. It was the Shodai that installed the initial shinobi system and created the foundations that would later make up modern Konoha. It was also due to Hashirama that the tailed beasts were taken under control and peace was spread for a time due to his negotiations.

Nidaime:

Tobirama Senju

Reign: First Shinobi War

Specialties: Suiton, Kenjutsu, Edo Tensei, Jikukan jutsu

Facts: During his short reign, Tobirama Senju created and solidified many important institiutions within Konoha. Under his order the ANBU black ops were formed, the Academy was refined and rebuilt, the Chunin Exams were invented, and the Konoha Military Police Force was created as a sign of trust to Uchiha.

Sasuki had underlined the Police Force as it made her think of her father, the leader of the organization. It was a source of pride for young Uchiha to strive to become a member, but she had noticed that the adults did not have as much enthusiasm about it. It was strange, but there wasn't much for Sasuki to find that they could hate about the organization.

Sandaime:

Hiruzen Sarutobi; The Professor

Reign: First Shinobi World War to End of Third Shinobi World War; Took Hokage seat back upon the death of Yondaime directly after Kyuubi Attack.

Specialties: Knowledge of Jutsu, Summoning,Leadership abilities.

Facts: After being elected to Hokage by the Nidaime's last wish, Hiruzen took up the title and quickly quelled the First World War through negotiations. Maintaining what the previous kage had done to make Konoha great, Hiruzen made smaller, subtle changes to the organization of the military. After training the Three Legendary Sannin, Sarutobi led Konoha through the Second World War and brought peace at a strong price. His reign was marred by war even with his pacifistic nature and also it led to the betrayal of Orochimaru, his prizes student. Upon the end of the Third Shinobi War, Hiruzen gave his title up to Minato Namikaze as his age grew. After the latter's unexpected death, Hiruzen again took up the title of Hokage and still holds it.

Yondaime:

Minato Namikaze; Konoha's Yellow Flash

Reign: Third Shinobi World War Aftermath to Kyuubi's Attack on Konoha.

Specialties: Jikukan; Hiraishin, Natural Speed, Ninjutsu Creation, Summoning.

Facts: Upon the end of the Third Shinobi World War, due to his growing age and Minato's great show of strength and valor during the war, Hiruzen stepped down and gave him the title. Few changes were made during his short reign, however, peace was absolute. During Kyuubi's attack, he sacrificed himself to halt the beast and saved Konoha.

"Alright, did everyone get that down?" Iruka checked on the class to find most of them still writing; his eyes caught onto Sasuki to find that she was already done.

His eyes then moved to Naruto and he frowned to see him sleeping. Sasuki caught Iruka's eye movements and suddenly felt bad for Naruto, even if it was his fault. With a sharp kick to his leg, Naruto was awoken and just in time for Iruka to yell at him.

"Naruto! Since you already seem to know all of this information already because you don't need notes, please, tell the class about the seat of Hokage and what it means to the village." Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise and he looked around to see all the kids staring at him.

Grumbling something incoherent, Naruto stood up from his chair and began to speak loudly. The Uchiha girl was amazed he wasn't frightened at all by the teacher or the other students, he was fine. It was then Sasuki realized that what Naruto didn't have in smarts he had plenty in determination and confidence; it made her actually feel a little envious.

'What am I saying? My father respects only those with knowledge and power, I have to be like that if I want him to approve..but still. It is pretty cool that Naruto can do that so easily.'

"The Hokage, he's the strongest ninja in the whole village! Everybody looks at him and respects him, they know what he's done and who he is. He protects us all and show's Konoha's strength to all the other villages! That's why.." Naruto looked down at the floor a moment to steady himself, he tightened his fists up. "I WANT TO BE THE GREATEST HOKAGE!"

His outburst was met with silence for a few long moments, the class was surprised by his answer. Iruka at first hadn't really taken the boy seriously, but he was glad to see the kid had some dreams after all. The class began to laugh out loud, save for a few who either didn't care or looked at Naruto with pity that his dreams wouldn't come true. Sasuki didn't laugh, but she was too surprised by his response to say anything.

Naruto just sat back down and looked at his desk, ignoring the response he had expected from the others. Even if no one believed in him, he would find a way to become Hokage, he would make people see him and respect him. It made him sad to think that so many didn't care about his dream, but he knew that someday he would show them all who he really was and what he could do.

'I'll show them..I'll become the greatest Hokage.' Naruto thought as he waited for Iruka to calm the class and continue with the lesson.

"Quiet down!" Iruka waited for them to stop laughing before he turned to Naruto. "Thank you Naruto, your answer was right and your goal..is admirable. Just try to pay a little more attention next time to the lesson and I won't have to call on you, alright?" The blonde boy just nodded a little and Iruka sighed in acceptance.

"Alright, now let's continue with the lesson." Iruka began to speak again as he wrote words onto the board from the textbook and the children listened.

Sasuki still couldn't take her eyes off of Naruto, he fascinated her. He was different from the other boys and girls she had met, there was something about him that just..made her want to know him better. It radiated from him, from his bright smile and welcoming demeanor to just the way he spoke with confidence.

Sasuki wanted to get to know Naruto better, and she hoped she would get the chance to in the future.

000

Konohagakure

Hokage's Home

Meeting Room

"We can't do this, it isn't right!"

"We have run out of time and you know it Sarutobi. This must be done so that Konoha can avert civil war."

"Yes Hiruzen, have you already forgotten the Kyuubi Attack? Do you remember what it cost us? I would rather not experience it again."

"But he's just a boy, we can't place such a traumatizing burden on his shoulders. Give me more time to speak with Fugaku, we can't do this to him."

"It's alright Hokage-sama, I'll do it." Hiruzen snapped his head back towards the so far quiet Itachi Uchiha; the elders had been arguing with him about what to do with the Uchiha while the boy just watched.

"But Itachi..you can't really mean it!" Itachi looked at Hiruzen with his usual neutral view, but inside he could tell the boy was shaking at what the consequences were.

"No, I understand why this must be done. I've been feeding you information to keep the peace, but my father wishes to escalate things to open conflict. I don't want that to happen..so I will do what I must to save Konoha." Clapping was heard and all four occupants of the room looked to see Danzo enter the room with a smile on his face; Itachi instinctively cringed and Hiruzen frowned at the sight of his old comrade.

"What do you want Danzo? This is a private meeting between myself and Itachi, you shouldn't be here." The man took up a spot leaning on the wall nearby Itachi, just looking at the assembled group.

"I was here as one of Itachi's superior officers within ANBU, I wanted to speak with him on a similar subject to this. It seems as though the elders have already done it for me though, they share my views. The Uchiha cannot be trusted Sarutobi, you must realize that. Itachi is in a perfect position to do this mission, but he must not remain in Konoha afterward, he will have to leave." Itachi looked at the man and then back at Hiruzen.

"I already have a plan for when I have to leave, I will still protect Konoha even after my departure. I only have two requests to make and I also would like to ask that the elders leave for the second one, I wish only to speak with the Hokage of it." Hiruzen was intrigued by the offer while the other three frowned at the boy as he made such demands.

"As members of the Hokage's council, we will not sit out of such an impo-" Homura was stopped mid sentence by Hiruzen's raised hand and a silent glare sent towards him.

"You will respect this boy's wishes, he is doing your dirty work, the least you can do is allow his requests to be heard the way he wishes." Homura growled and sat back, impatiently gazing at Itachi for him to begin.

"Well child? Begin with your requests!" Koharu demanded, also tired of all the business surrounding the Uchiha.

"I wish for permission to allow my sister, Sasuki Uchiha to live. I also ask that I be allowed, in connection with allowing my sister to live, allowing my mother to live as well." Hiruzen's eyes widened and the councilors on either side of him gritted their teeth and glared at Itachi.

"No! Not a single one must be left if we wish to avoid war!"

"How can you say you are willing to destroy your entire family when you wish to spare those two!"

"Quiet!" Hiruzen demanded from the bickering elders, leading him to have a chance to speak with Itachi. "Go ahead Itachi, I want an explanation as to why you want those two to live." Silently Hiruzen was smirking in his mind, he was glad to hear Itachi was willing to spare those close to him.

"You see, I love my younger sister just as any brother would. She is too young to die now when she has so much potential..and" Itachi paused for a moment to steady himself, a previously unheard of emotion began to creep onto his neutral face. "her life means more to me than even this village. I don't care if she hates me for the rest of her life for what I'll do, but if she stays alive, it will be enough for me." Hiruzen was touched to hear how much the cold Uchiha really did care for his sister while on the other hand the councilors were angered that he really would allow her to live.

"And? Why should we allow your mother to live when she will just rise to matriarch status of the Uchiha?" Itachi glared at Danzo for his question as he said it with a foreshadowing tone.

"My mother doesn't have the influence nor the will to instigate a second rebellion, nor would she be able to if the other Uchiha are dead. My real reason of keeping her alive is my sister." The elder shinobi were surprised at this, did everything relate back to Sasuki? "If my sister idolizes my father and sees me as a rival, she truly loves my mother more than anything. If I was to take Mikoto away from her..she would be broken inside." Sarutobi concurred with this, the girl most likely felt more love and favor from her mother than Fugaku and it would make a larger impact if he were to kill Mikoto.

"I see..and seeing as how you didn't have to ask for permission to do this, you want something to go along with this?" Itachi nodded to Hiruzen's question, he had indeed brought it up at the meeting for a specific reason.

"Yes, I want you to promise me you'll protect them. I know you elders, I know that you will try and manipulate my mother and sister into propagating the clan into loyal sharingan users." Koharu and Homura recoiled slightly as the boy hit the nail right on the head; Danzo made no obvious move to show surprise. "I can only trust you with this Hokage-sama, keep them safe from influence and let them live the life they choose. Otherwise..I will reveal what has happened to Konoha and the world, bringing all three of you to fraud."

Hiruzen made a puff of smoke on his pipe as he thought it over. Really there was no thinking involved, but to keep a strong facade to the elders, he had to seem as though he wasn't taking sides. In truth he was happy that Itachi had chosen to spare a few of his family, no matter what the reasons for doing so were. He understood Itachi just as Itachi understood him, both were pacifists at heart and wanted no bloodshed to come to them.

'In a way though this boy is stronger than I am, willing to soak his hands in blood to keep the peace. Even if he must take the blame alone..even I have not been able to do that.'

"I accept your terms, Mikoto and Sasuki will not be ordered into doing anything they don't wish to and will be under my protection. Now then..I think it is time you three leave us."

Koharu and Homura glared at the Hokage before getting up and shuffling away. Danzo cast a lingering gaze on the two before joining the elders in leaving. Itachi's enhanced hearing picked up Danzo's final words to him and he smirked to himself.

"Damn stubborn youth."

Hiruzen sighed as a weight fell of his shoulders and waited to hear Itachi's second request. Itachi had been thinking about this one since he had decided he would take on the responsibility of taking care of the clan. The only reason he had accepted it though was because Mikoto would survive, she would be a perfect choice.

"This isn't necessarily a request, Sarutobi. I wanted to alert you that I will be taking care of Naruto-kun's well being from the time this meeting is over to the time I depart from the village." Hiruzen didn't make to show surprise, Itachi had grown quite attached to the boy after watching him as a silent guardian in ANBU.

"I see..and just what do you plan on doing with Naruto during that time?" Itachi stood up from his seat and began to walk towards the door, sparing a single glance back at Hiruzen.

"You will come to find this decision was for everyone's best interest, Hokage. I am going to redeem my family..and give Naruto a place he can call home."

000

Konohagakure

Academy

Sunset

"Alright class, that's it for today! Tomorrow we'll begin with our basic kunai and shuriken lessons!" A resounding cheer revolved around the class as they finally got to use weapons; Naruto was smiling like an idiot and Sasuki was glad to know she had experience before any of the other kids.

As the kids began to file out, Sasuki watched as Naruto seemed to wait for her to get up before he did as well. The two began to walk out of school together and then finally Sasuki decided to break the silence.

"Why are you following me?" Naruto was walking alongside her with his hands behind his head and a small smile gracing his features; Sasuki had her hands in her pockets and was waiting for his answer.

"Well..you were nice to me today so I thought I'd walk you you home!" She was surprised by his simple reasoning and giggled a bit.

"Are you sure you want to hang around me? Not everyone exactly likes the Uchiha.." Sasuki noticed Naruto's face dip down for a second and saw him frowning.

"Yeah well..not very many people like me either.." She frowned at his response as she had honestly heard quite a lot about a troublesome blonde kid but until that day she hadn't met him before.

"Hey..you want to see something really cool? It has to do with kunai and target practice!" Naruto looked up at her smiling face and blushed a little bit; she was trying to be nice and change the subject.

'Wow..I don't think I've ever talked to someone for this long before. She's really..' Naruto couldn't think of a word to describe the blue haired girl except, pretty.

"Uh yeah, that sounds fun!" Naruto smiled, trying to take his mind off of what he was thinking.

Sasuki led him into some woods that were off the beaten trail within Konoha. He hadn't been around the neighborhood before so he could only guess they were close to Sasuki's home. He found a small stump or hill surrounded by wooden targets hanging on the nearby trees. The mound looked worn and dirty, indicating it had been used many times with the same action.

Curious, Naruto watched as Sasuki stood up on the mound and closed her eyes for a moment to find balance. Suddenly, she jumped up into the air and with speed that made Naruto think they appeared out of thin air, kunai were within her hands in a second and she began to twist in the air. Each throw or flick of the hand meant a target had been hit, and Naruto was mesmerized not only by the show of skill but by the girl doing it. Just as she prepared to launch the last one, she had run out of air time and missed it by a few inches, falling onto her back.

"Damn! I almost had it!" Naruto looked to see her on the ground, beating her fist into the dirt and crying tears of sadness.

'Why is she crying? What is so bad about missing one target?'

"Hey Sasuki..what's wrong?" She looked up at him and glared, finding him to be more of a buffoon then she originally thought.

"Don't you get it? I'm an Uchiha, the village elite! If I can't even get something simple like that right..then my father.." She broke into more tears and Naruto felt himself begin to move against his will to her side.

Placing a hand on her cheek, he brushed away the dirt and grime mixed with tears from her pristine face. Sasuki was frozen, no one had ever touched her so gently, other than her mother. His smile meant that she couldn't bring herself to bat his hand away, instead she leaned into it for comfort.

"Everybody makes mistakes, even an Uchiha. The most important part is that you are practicing, its better than doing nothing at all..and besides.." Sasuki could tell her face was reddening as he continued to speak comforting words, even if he himself didn't notice. "I thought that you looked really cool! I could never do any of that stuff!"

"Naruto..." Sasuki couldn't say anything else, nothing came to mind except two words.

'Thank you.'

With speed that once again surprised Naruto, the red girl suddenly got up and sped off for what he figured was the direction of her home. Naruto frowned and scratched the back of his head, wondering if he did something wrong. With a final shrug, he decided he would find out tomorrow at school and began to make his way to his own apartment.

000

Konohagakure

Uchiha Compound

Sasuki soon reached the gates of her home, the Uchiha compound. Taking a few steadying breathes at the gate, she thought over why she ran away so suddenly. Whether it was her stubborn pride or the feeling of awkwardness between the boy and her, she couldn't stay there any longer. The thought of facing him at school was dreadful but at the same time the feeling of wanting to learn more about him still existed within her.

'I'll worry about it later, right now I just want to get home.'

Opening the gate, she was surprised to find the streets were barren. Not a single person was out, a strange phenomenon considering what time of day it was. Not even any of the children were in the streets, their laughter was always welcoming when Sasuki would come home. Considering the circumstances and how drastic they changed, the quiet frightened Sasuki.

Closing the gate behind her, she began to run towards her own home. Maybe a meeting was being held? Or maybe there was still some event keeping the adults in Konoha and the children were at home. As Sasuki made to turn on a new street that would lead her home, she made another, more revealing discovery.

Broken doors, shattered glass, and red blood stained the ground of this new street. No bodies were revealed, but Sasuki knew that something was horribly wrong. With a sense of urgency in her heart, she sped down the street to her home, hoping that nothing had happened to her mother and father.

'No..this can't be happening..this isn't happening..'

000

Konohagakure

Uchiha Compound

Fugaku's Residence

Fugaku and Mikoto were sitting in the family room, quietly enjoying some tea. He had come home early from work at the Police Station as he had planned to have another family meeting about what to do with Konoha. Mikoto hid her disapproving frown from him by sipping on tea, it wasn't her place to tell him no to an idea, especially not one he took so seriously.

"Mikoto.." Hearing her name, she looked into her husband's eyes to see an inquisitive gaze land on her. "Are you ready to follow the clan in our rebellion? You have often been quiet at the clan meetings and sometimes I wonder if you disagree with the idea of taking back what should be ours."

"I..see what must be done. You won't have a problem with me Fugaku." The man looked at her for a moment longer before turning his attention back to his tea; he missed her frown after saying those words though.

Suddenly, urgent knocking ran through the household as Fugaku opened his eyes in surprise and set his tea down. It was coming from the front door and it sounded like trouble. He stood up and saw Mikoto getting ready to follow, he held a hand up for her to wait while he checked it out. Running through the house and to the door, he saw a shadow through it and the person was pounding on the thin wooden opening.

"FUGAKU-SAMA, OPEN THE DOOR!" Sensing the urgency, Fugaku opened the door to find Tekka Uchiha profusely bleeding from a cut across his chest.

"What the hell's going on!" The man looked up at Fugaku, blood began to pour from his mouth and the patriarch then noticed a blade protruding from Tekka's stomach.

"I'm sorry..Fugaku-sama." The man fell to his knees and hit the ground hard, revealing the assassin behind him.

"I..tachi?" Fugaku was taken by surprise to see his son standing there with bloodied armor and the blade stained with Uchiha blood; instead of remaining shocked, his blood began to boil as he realized too late that his son really was the traitor!

"You bastard Itachi! You've betrayed the clan for the Senju's worthless ideals!" Activating his sharingan, Fugaku flung himself at Itachi and grappled his son's sword wrist.

'I'll be at a disadvantage as long as he has a weapon.' Itachi said nothing as he squinted his eyes and grunted in exertion trying to hold his father's attack back.

Headbutting his son away, Fugaku prepared himself for a fight. Itachi knew he had little time until his sister arrived and decided to make use of his newest abilities. With a speed Fugaku never knew Itachi had, a genjutsu was placed on the older man as Itachi ran forward. Dispelling it, Fugaku couldn't react in time to stop the blade from piercing his chest, allowing him to watch his blood stain the walls and Itachi's sword.

"Damn..you.." Itachi pulled the sword out and it allowed Fugaku to hobble back into the house.

He headed straight to the family room to find Mikoto fretting over the noises at the door. After seeing her husband bleeding from the chest, her eyes widened in horror and she rushed to help him. A hand came to her face and the slap echoed around the room, it was Fugaku's final warning.

"What..are you..doing! Get..out of here.." His voice faded into a whisper until he collapsed from blood loss, leaving Mikoto without anyone to tell her what was going on.

"FUGAKU!" She got on her knees and tried to help him, anything to help him, but she knew no medical jutsu and there was little else she could do except clean the gaping wound.

"Mother." The one word that turned Mikoto's spine into ice and made her hair curl was said from behind her, the voice of Itachi.

Turning around, she found her son, just as she had expected, covered in blood of his family. Knowing what was about to happen, Mikoto got up and prepared her own sharingan, ready to fight if she had to.

"Itachi..how could you? How could you do this?" Itachi said nothing to his mother at first, slowly sheathing his sword and causing the woman to lower her guard a bit.

That was just the fraction of a second Itachi needed as he rushed forward and punched her gut, enough to make her double over. As the lights within her mind dimmed, she could only ask herself why she was being spared a conscious death. Itachi then began to speak, and she finally realized why.

"There is still much for you and Sasuki to do mother, so I won't kill you. Keep her safe, and be sure to welcome the new arrival."

She didn't know what he meant by that, but there was little time to contemplate. Unconsciousness reached her quickly and Itachi allowed her to lay down near Fugaku. Right on time, he heard a door swing open to find Sasuki, breathing heavily and choking on tears, staring at the bodies of her parents with Itachi standing over them.

"Itachi..why? What's going on Itachi, what have you done!"

"You'll have to grow stronger Sasuki if you want to kill me. Let your hate take over..let it consume you..only then will you ever be able to kill me." Without further warning, Sasuki was put to sleep with Itachi's sharingan.

Walking over to her, he picked her up and took her to her room. With it being the last time he would see his sister for so long, he wiped away her tears and brushed her hair a bit. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead and covered her up with her blanket, careful to watch for bloodstains he might leave.

"Goodbye Sasuki."

Within a moment he was gone, out through her open window leaving a broken Uchiha compound and two heartbroken girls behind.

As soon as Itachi left, he was assailed by a man with a swirl mask. Itachi glared at the sight of having to see Madara again. To keep the peace, he allowed Madara to help him finish off the clan, but it appeared as though the man had decided to stick around a little longer.

"Why did you even bother Itachi?" He asked from the wall where he stood looking down at Itachi who was on the barren, empty street.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked and Madara just chuckled and pointed in the direction of his old home.

"Why did you spare them? They are just weaklings that should have been killed off like the rest of the clan." Itachi glared at him and disappeared, reappearing to stand next to Madara but facing in the opposite direction.

"Because love..surpasses any form of hate. With love..anyone can be redeemed." Madara watched as Itachi left and he thought over what the boy said.

'So that's your plan, eh Itachi? You did seem like a bright one when I first met you but..now I see you are just a fool.'

It wasn't long before he left as well, leaving Konoha for what would be a long time. He had to worry about his new organization rather than some petty form of revenge; it was all for his ambitions.

000

Konohagakure

Naruto's Apartment

"Ah today was pretty cool! I got to meet a cute girl, a new class, and the teacher doesn't hate me yet!" Naruto was sitting on his bed, staring at his ceiling as he thought out loud the progress of his day.

He had gotten back a few hours ago and had already eaten his dinner, some instant ramen with a glass of milk. With little else to do, he had sat on his bed for the rest of the evening, looking out his window and at the stars. Maybe there was a chance he would find a friend after all, he had to have friends if he wanted to be strong.

Yawning, Naruto realized that it was late and he should probably get to bed. He got up and turned off the fan light and quickly hopped back into bed. Just as he was getting settled, a familiar knocking rang at his window and he looked excitedly to see Itachi waving at him with a smile.

"Hey Naruto-kun, mind letting me in?" Naruto threw the bed covers off and quickly let the young Uchiha in, allowing the now cleaned up Itachi to step into his room.

"I see you're getting ready for bed, but I have a surprise that just can't wait." Naruto got out of bed and went over to Itachi where he was kneeling down to be at Naruto's level.

"What is it Itachi-nii? You didn't go and get me more ramen did you?" Itachi chuckled and shook his head, rubbing Naruto's hair playfully; it was much better than ramen.

"No..I was able to find you a family." Naruto's smile immediately dropped and was replaced with a gaping maw of surprise, a family?

"What..did you say?" He asked, not quite believing what Itachi said; the older boy decided to play around with Naruto and repeated it.

"I found you a family that was more than willing to take you in, all you have to do is give them this note when you meet them." Itachi handed Naruto a small note and saw him about to unfold it, he lightly slapped the blonde's hands.

"No, only they can read it." Naruto looked at Itachi and nodded, still in shock to do anything else.

"But..why?" Naruto asked the Uchiha, only to receive a knowing smile.

"Come on Naruto, have you already forgotten? You always used to tell me how the only thing you wanted was a family. You said it would make you feel better and make you stronger, did you think I wouldn't help you?" Naruto's eyes began to tear up as he realized that Itachi had meant what he said, that he really did help him.

"Itachi.." Itachi grunted in surprise when the small boy slammed into him and began to cry happy tears, forcing the older to boy to smile again and hug him back.

"There there Naruto, you'll be fine. You'll be living with my mother and sister, I'm sure they'll be happy." Naruto was taken by surprise to find out that he would be living with other Uchiha and looked at Itachi worriedly.

"But..what if they don't like me?" It was then that Itachi was reminded just how much the Uchiha clan had avoided Naruto, and he was sure the boy was scared his mother would be like the other adults.

"Don't worry about it, my mother is a very nice woman. My sister is your age too, you must have met her somewhere. Sasuki?" Naruto immediately recognized the name and began to smile, he would get to live with Sasuki!

"Yeah I know Sasuki! I just got moved to her class today! We got along really well!" Itachi was glad to see Naruto's happiness and turned around, indicating the boy should hop onto his back.

Naruto quickly obliged and Itachi leaped out the window towards the Uchiha compound. As soon as Naruto couldn't see his face, Itachi frowned and began to think on why he was taking Naruto to his compound. Yes, the boy had asked for a home and a family and Itachi was glad to grant it but..it seemed as though another reason had come to mind.

'My family can never forgive me for what I've done..but maybe by giving Mikoto a real son and Sasuki a real brother..maybe I can give them something they never had to begin with.'

It wasn't long before they arrived at the now quiet compound, the only sound was the occasional cricket chirp. Slowing his movements down to a brisk jog, Itachi soon arrived at the building and, avoiding the front entrance, took Naruto to his room through a window. Naruto was amazed at how nice the traditional home looked and found it to be quite a change from his apartment. It was much more spacious and refined, and Naruto had to say he preferred it.

"Alright Naruto, now when you wake up, I want you to give that note to Mikoto, my mother. That should work everything out, and then you can be part of the family." Naruto looked at Itachi confusedly as the man stood up as if he was preparing to leave.

"What do you mean sleep? I'm too excited to sleep! And where are you going Itachi-nii? Isn't this your room." Itachi turned around and looked into Naruto's eyes with his sharingan; the blue eyed boy's eyes dilated as they watched the spinning tomoes entrance him into a sleepy illusion.

"I have to go Naruto..just remember to give that note to my mother when you wake up. Good luck!"

Naruto hit the bed where he had been standing on and Itachi decided to leave him sleep. With little else to do, the Uchiha left the house in search of Madara. To protect his family and Konoha, he would have to make the ultimate betrayal.

Hopefully, Naruto could be the Uchiha prodigy that everyone wished had existed; a perfect cross between Senju and Uchiha..an Uchiha..who could love.

000

Like I said, this is a re-upload of when I originally put it up. For all those who are repeat readers, I understand that you wouldn't want to write again especially since its not like I'm on a steady schedule of updating. If anything just enjoy this one chapter and hope there come more to follow.

Review, Alert, Favorite!

Peace Out!