Chapter 1 (Itachi's POV)

I had just heard the news of the Jinchuuriki's attempt to stop Sasuke from leaving Konoha. Sour bile tainted my mouth at the thought. Instead of Sasuke using his friends and village to gain enough power to be a protector, he let his hate consume him. Sasuke was consumed with jealousy, anger, and obsession, causing him to turn on the closest friend of his: Naruto. An unexpected development. The epitome of stubborn drive, the boy defied all odds and obstacles in his way not for revenge as one would expect, despite being betrayed by a village. No, instead the boy became strong for the sole purpose of protecting his friends and village. And what had the boy done? Taken on his friend to keep him from leaving, trying to show that people cared and would Sasuke be strong.

I smiled. The boy could be the hero that the Ninja World needed. Furthermore, a rumor had brought me to Konoha: the prankster of Konoha had attained a sharingan. If this was true, having Naruto tap into this potential could allow him to stop the Akatsuki and bring a new age to the Ninja World. An idealist at heart, but one with the charisma and motivation to bring these into fruition. And who better to train him, than I...a supposedly deceased shinobi who had tried to stop the genocide of his clan but ultimately was mortally wounded in the process.

Crickets chirped endlessly on this moonless night, a cool breeze blowing the occasional leaf onto the rooftops. Clouds covered the moon, leaving the illumination only to the streets' lanterns and the bright night stars. Flitting between the shadows, I reached the hospital, dodging patrols of leaf nin.

I spotted the only window with its shutters open on the top floor. A small piece of red paper stuck to the top corner, Kakashi's all clear signal. I drummed my fingers on the warm glass to signal my arrival. The window shot open and an arm tugged me in by the wrist.

"Good. you made it, Itachi."

I smiled at the former leader of Team Ro, noting that the events as of late seemed to have aged the silver-haired shinobi years. The creased brows and bags under his eyes showed an exhaustion and anxiety beyond measure. I gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder to comfort him.

Kakashi chuckled softly at the attempt, a bit of the pain disappearing from his face. "Listen, I need your help with Naruto. Now that he has it and the Nine-Tails...I don't think I'll be able to do him the justice he deserves."

I just nodded, wary in the case that someone was listening. I signed "Do you know how he got the eye?"

Kakashi sighed, signing "I have a crazy theory, but that's it."

"Continue," I urged, "You may be right and that could make all the difference in how he should be trained. Besides, the sooner Naruto masters the sharingan, the sooner he may be able to control the fox and be able to save his friend and village."

The silver ninja cracked his knuckles, hands shaking. "Sasuke may have given Naruto an eye, replacing it with that of Naruto."

I recoiled. Based on what I had seen, the boy didn't seem exactly one to part with power. "Are you blind? The same student who would betray his friends and village at the promise of power..." I countered. It hurt to admit it, but Sasuke had become obsessed with growing powerful and killing the Uchiha slayer.

Kakashi flinched, as if he had been kicked in the gut. The weight of failure and guilt seemed to crush him. "Look, you're not wrong. He is obsessed...but I tried to instill these ideas into your brother and he even looked up to and admired Naruto, who grew so powerful so fast...it's possible it was a parting gift or mark to a rival."

While that couldn't be discounted, it seemed unlikely. That would imply that Sasuke cared that much about the rivalry and viewed it as a source of strength. Yet, there was another possibility...

"Kakashi, while we can't discount your theory, it's possible that it's only-" A groan and yawn from the bed interrupted the conversation.

I leaped into the shadows and cast a quick genjutsu.

"Hmm...where am I?" a groggy voice croaked from the bandaged figure. "Kakashi, what are you doing here?!" the blonde shot up in surprise, wincing at the painful reaction.

The Jounin gave Naruto an eye smile as if nothing had happened. "Just checking up on my injured student is all. You're at the hospital right now and have been for a couple days." Kakashi's tone reverted to the somber one, "After the fight with Sasuke...we found you beat up with fist-sized hole in your shoulder. The only thing that kept you alive was the Nine-Tails."

"And Sasuke? Where is he?" Naruto replied interrupting Kakashi. Clearly the kid was more interested in his friend's well-being than his own.

A curious one, isn't he. Stupidly brash, but brave and caring nonetheless, completely unfazed by his injuries.

The silence said it all. "He got away and decided to leave, huh? Damn it, I could've stopped him, but I held back. If I didn't then maybe-" Naruto growled, clearly pissed at himself as he dug his nails deep enough into his palm to draw blood.

"Stop it, Naruto. It is not your fault that Sasuke got away. If anything it proves that you are compassionate. Nothing you could've done would have stopped Sasuke from leaving. Even if you beat him, he would just leave again," Kakashi cut in understanding the importance of having Naruto in a stable attitude, lest the Kyuubi tries to resurface. "We will go find him, but first I would like to ask you a couple questions. Did you know you have a sharingan? And do you remember how you got it?" Kakashi asked urgently.

"Hmm? You mean the same eyes that you and Sasuke have? No...Hold on, I think I remember but it is kind of fuzzy. All I remember is looking up and seeing Sasuke put something into my eye. A sharp pain kept stabbing me while he was doing it until he placed the thing where my right eye was." Naruto thought for a quick moment before connecting the dots his face lighting up in surprise. "He removed his right eye and traded it with mine!"

I frowned. There was something off about that. Sasuke didn't know medical skills, so how could he reattach the eye? But supposing it was true, he decided to gift one of his eyes to a friend he had just defeated? And for what? Clearly I didn't know my brother too well, which honestly wasn't out of character considering my poor sibling-hood. I usually blew him off and didn't help him that much nor did I keep my promises either. If only I had been kind to him and not made him feel insecure and like a reject, as my father had.

"...Naruto, I have someone I would like you to meet. He can help you become much stronger and develop your sharingan," Kakashi said a little louder than before.

Taking the hint, I melted out of the shadows, eyes locked with Naruto's, noticing the sharingan was in its active state. Naruto looked at me in awe at first, seeing my two sharingan, clearly understanding that I was an Uchiha. After a moment, his eyebrows rose and his eyes had a look of recognition. Confusion and anger filled his eyes. "Itachi Uchiha," he mumbled defiant and his face plastered with more than a little anger. "How are you still alive? And why haven't you told Sasuke? He's been so cold trying to avenge you, the only bright part of his childhood before the massacre. Can you imagine that pain?"

"More than you think, Naruto," I replied, stung by his outburst. The kid had a way with words that wrenched your soul. "But I can't just magically appear to Sasuke's side since people were, and still are, hunting me. Not only that, but there are things that I did that night that can't be forgotten or taken back. Can you imagine seeing your brother struggle in pain but be unable to do as much as whisper a comforting word?" I asked calmly.

Naruto's pensive face and the conceding exhale of breath signified that it had the intended effect. "Well, that may be true...Sorry for lashing out at you." The apology was sincere, a slight look of understanding on his face. "Can you tell me how Sharingan work? I've seen them in action but don't really understand it."

"All in due time, first you need to rest up. Meet me on the hokage monument at 8.00 am sharp. And unlike Kakashi, I am always punctual," I instructed with a smile. Naruto smiled with an eager determination in his eyes, giving a knowing look at the embarrassed Kakashi.

"Alright! Itachi be ready because I am not going to hold back. I give you my word that I won't let you down," Naruto said a little too loudly, smiling and giving me a thumbs-up.

Okay, maybe he's a little too excited and cocky, but I'll give it a shot. If I heard right, Sasuke left a trail of blood and was dragging his right leg after the fight. I smiled a bit at the thought.

Almost immediately, Naruto collapsed back to sleep snoring. Clearly the boy needed to rest, but if he wanted to learn how to use the Sharingan quickly I couldn't wait any longer. Before leaving, though, I set Naruto's alarm clock so he'd only have three minutes to dress, prepare himself, and arrive to train. I smiled smugly, knowing that somehow Naruto would pull it off, one way or another.

"Thank you, Kakashi, for giving me this opportunity. I think it is exactly what I needed and how I plan to restore the Uchiha as well as forgive myself by training the last Uzumaki," I said with a smile.

The white haired ninja nodded and gave an eye-smile. He gave me a friendly hug. "Anything for a friend. Besides I owe you for teaching me the Mangekyō. And, Itachi, make sure to bring out Naruto's full potential without changing his personality too much; make Minato proud of his son." As he said this, I turned and leaped into the night.

Gazing at the stars from atop the Hokage monument, I prayed. "I promise I will, Kakashi. For you, the Fourth, and the rest of the world. I promise to give Naurto the strength he needs to bring the peace and understanding he wants in the world." Those words sealed my fate. Either I would succeed in bringing out the light that I saw in Naruto or I would die trying. The world depended on it.