Naruto leaned back against the old tree he'd come across that morning while on a walk to get away from Jiraiya, about two miles from their current training site. As he peered at the stars through the thick foliage. He'd known he would return to the spot as soon as he'd seen it. It reminded him far too much of the tree he and Itachi had met for him to stay away, even though it made him more sad than anything else. He hadn't seen Itachi in over a year, and he missed him so much that he could feel the pain physically like a vice tightening around his heart. Even after Itachi had left the village, he'd snuck in whenever he could to see him. He had usually been able to make every few months, and this was the longest he'd ever gone without seeing him since the time they'd first met. Thinking of him only made it worse, and he closed his eyes against the pain, but trying not to think of Itachi made something ache deep in his soul. And he was beginning to understand why. He didn't feel nearly so strongly for any other person he was close to. He would feel gentle wistfulness when he thought of his friend that he hadn't seen in nearly as long, but it didn't compare to the painful heaviness in his chest that the thought of Itachi invoked in him.

The last time he and the Ero-Sennin had passed through a town, he'd seen a a couple having a picnic in a park they'd passed on their way out of town. The pair had had their blanket right up against a tree not dissimilar to the tree his own. They had been leaned against each other, hands entwined and speaking softly to each other. He'd been reminded so strongly of the time when both he and Itachi had been happy members of Konoha, meeting whenever time permitted at their tree. They'd never held hands, but the sentiment had been the same, at least for him. That had been the beginning of his realization. He'd wanted to see Itachi so badly in that moment.

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, wanting to stop thinking for just one moment. There was cool breeze chasing through his hair, and the nocturnal sounds of crickets and small creatures scurrying about filled the silence. When he opened his eyes, he looked to the moon, noting that is was almost full. When his eyes fell to his immediate surroundings once more, he was startled to see a small white flower extended to him by a pale hand, and his eyes followed the arm up to see Itachi's face. As was usual when Itachi visited him, he was not wearing his Akatsuki cloak. He wore a gray mesh shirt and black pants with several pocket.

"Itachi?" he whispered, as if afraid that he would break the illusion if he spoke too loudly. Itachi nodded in response, and Naruto's trembling hand rose to grab the delicate white flower from Itachi's grasp, allowing himself to trail his fingertips against Itachi's skin as he did so. This touch affirmed to him that Itachi was really there, standing in front of him. Without even knowing how he got there, he found himself standing with his arms clasped desperately around Itachi's waist and his face pressed firmly against his chest, the flower still clenched in his hand. Itachi's arms wrapped themselves tightly around him, and he buried his face in the shorter boy's golden hair. "Hello, Naruto," Itachi murmured into his hair.

Naruto tightened his arms briefly around Itachi's middle, wishing he never had to let go. But he dared not hope that Itachi nurtured the same feelings as he did, and it would seem odd if he acted clingy, so he forced himself to pull away. Looking up to Itachi's face, he soaked in the sight before speaking. "Not that I'm not happy, but what brings you here?" he asked. Itachi let a rare smile – which did not tend to be so rare in Naruto's presence – cross his face as he looked at Naruto.

"I missed you, so when an opportunity came up for me to take an extended leave of absence, I tracked you down. Jiraiya isn't a particularly subtle person." A beaming smile crossed Naruto's face as he nodded in agreement. "That's true," he agreed with a nod. Itachi grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit against the tree, and Naruto leaned comfortably against him, though a part of Naruto ached at the memory of the couple in the park. They spent hours talking about nothing of particular importance before falling silent, basking in each other's presence.

No matter how much the two of them wished it, however, the moment couldn't last. Itachi pulled away with an air of great reluctance and they both stood up, facing each other. For some time they stood there, taking in each others features and the changes in the time they had been apart. It was Naruto who had changed the most, being a growing teenager. He had gained a few inches since Itachi had last seen him, and his face had lost the roundness of childhood, becoming somewhat heart shaped. His blues eyes, Itachi noticed, had become older and less innocent as well. It made sense, Itachi thought, considering that since they'd last seen each other Naruto had lost both his best friend and his beloved Hokage-jiji, though it still made him sad. All in all, Naruto had become quite beautiful as he neared his fourteenth year of life. Itachi subtly flashed his sharingan to memorize Naruto's image once more, as was his custom upon seeing Naruto after a prolonged absence. The person in question just spent what little time they had left together trying to brand Itachi's image in his mind without the aid of the sharingan.

"How long do you think it will be before you can get away again?" Naruto questioned, reluctantly ending the silence. Itachi's lips quirked briefly at his friend.

"Most likely it will be sooner this time. I don't know precisely when," came Itachi's reply. Naruto nodded, standing on the tips of his toes to wrap his arms around Itachi's neck to hug him one last time.

"Goodbye," he whispered in Itachi's ear, before impulsively placing a soft kiss on his cheek. He caught one last glimpse of Itachi's burning dark eyes before he practically fled in the direction of his mentor, a soft blush suffusing his whiskered cheeks.

Itachi watched him leave, remaining rooted to the spot long after Naruto left his sight. One of his elegant, long-fingered hands touching the burning skin where Naruto had left his kiss.