Here's chapter five, guys. There are some spoilers from manga chapter 400 onwards, especially with regards to the Uchiha clan, though it shouldn't be much of an issue since the manga's now almost at 450.

Monster

His whole body seemed to be on fire. The muscles and tendons in his body ached so painfully they seemed to be alight; he reckoned his bones hurt too. His lungs wheezed excruciatingly, his throat agonizingly dry and parched, begging madly for some precious water to satisfy his thirst.

His breaths came out in ragged gasps that he was sure made him look like a fish out of water. His heart was pumping rapidly, fighting to keep him going.

He felt as though he were about to die.

He never knew a body could feel this tired, this drained of energy. He was sure the pulsating organ in his chest would give out anytime soon. He wondered whether he really would die this time; how far did the Kyuubi's powers of regeneration go?

He wasn't thinking about anything else other than the feeling of the grueling sun beating down on his back, the sweat gathered on his face, tricking down his brow, the weariness of his body.

How easy and tempting it was to run to the shade of trees, to flop down on the grass and to let his tired body take a rest, to close his eyes and drift off to sleep. Or to at least take a break.

Instead, he kept running. He couldn't stop, or his pursuers would catch up, and he would have lost this round.

He pushed himself beyond limits he never knew existed. Never in his life had he ever felt this tired, that his stamina that he had thought to be boundless could be strained.

The hell was unbearable, but he forced himself on through sheer force of will, ignoring the protests of his screaming muscles and overworked lungs.

An image of blood came to his mind. Lots of blood. His blood. The mocking grin of the faceless man with the katana, who had almost become his executioner. He gritted his teeth. No. Compared to that, this was nothing.

The far-off, but very much real goal he had to achieve hovered in his mind, a stark reminder why he couldn't stop.

He couldn't let them win. He couldn't stop now. He couldn't give up now. Not when he was so close.

He couldn't die now.

One foot in front of the other, he repeated in his head, urging himself on.

Five

Hollow

A piece of paper was thrust into his hands.

The Konoha Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, read the kanji at the top of the paper, the signature spiral symbol of the elite battalion imprinted on the top left-hand of the sheet of paper.

"An application to enlist in the ANBU?" He did not conceal his surprise.

"Yes, Itachi. I want you to join the ANBU," His father said simply.

"What about the Military Police?" He did not have to say anymore. His father knew exactly what he meant.

Why do you want me to join the ANBU instead of the Military Police- the standard for every Uchiha?

Not to mention that the ANBU was a unit that carried out the most dangerous of missions and were tasked with the most important of responsibilities concerning the security of the Hidden Leaf.

What did he want to tell his father- that he was only twelve years old, perhaps a little too young to join a squad made up of professional killers?

His father's eyes were guarded, and Itachi knew that the man was holding back something.

Uchiha Fugaku finally answered after a moment's silence, "The ANBU is an elite unit under the Hokage. I believe you are ready, and it will be good experience that you will bring to the Military Police, eventually."

"You will be trained by the very best of the Hidden Leaf," He pronounced carefully, but yet with much flourish, "you will accept your new duty, this new path that you are to walk without any objections."

He looked at the small figure of the young blond boy, the faintly troubled expression he wore, the look of petulance and coldness that mingled in his blue eyes. He could see it, the frustration and anger warring with the resignation inside him. Whether he should just let go, just accept his fate.

The same eyes so similar to those of another ninja, one of the greatest ninjas ever. That same ninja who was practically an unrivaled genius and prodigy, the genius seen in him comparable to the one the Sandaime had seen in Orochimaru of the Sannin.

Yes. He could see a potential that rivaled- or perhaps even exceeded the Yondaime Hokage in this young boy's eyes.

He would make an excellent asset, a perfect soldier.

"Accept this, for this is an act of generosity on our part," Koharu said stiffly, to his left, "For you would have been severely disciplined and stripped of your right to become a ninja for your actions on that night on the 24th of July. The death of a Konoha ninja- one from the Uchiha clan, no less- resulted directly from your actions."

For that moment, the blond's previously expressionless face shifted. He lifted his glacial eyes, the his lips twitching up into the barest ghost of a chilly smile.

He noticed how Koharu stiffened imperceptibly. She, like him, may have been a Village Elder and out of active duty for many years, but their ninja instincts had never lost their edge. He could see the faint unease in her posture, beneath the dignified and grave exterior. She did not like that expression of the Kyuubi boy.

"It is a sign that perhaps he is not entirely sane." She later revealed her concern after the demon container had left.

"If I had not had the Nine-tails sealed in me...perhaps my life would not even have played out this way."

He detected the resignation in the boy's voice. Defeat had won out.

Now it was his turn to smile.

"Very well. Your training will begin in two days' time. You will now be briefed on further details of your enlistment into the Konoha ANBU."

He could see it in that steely blue gaze the boy possessed, the unrivaled power and strength that lay dormant within him, that held such great potential, were it to be tapped to its fullest. The crude roughness that could be polished and refined into something of unmatched quality. A brilliant diamond in the rough.

Koharu's concerns were insubstantial, trivial and silly. The boy was young, his mind could be easily molded into their liking. A mind that fumed and raged against the villagers of the Hidden Leaf could be turned inside out- transformed into one that embraced the patriotism to Konoha with a fanatical zealotry.

It did not matter if he was not sane- or normal in the conventional sense. The lesser the "normal" emotions, the lesser the troublesome emotional and sentimental ties that the Sandaime valued as being essential to a ninja- the old fool- he thought with some condescension. His nemesis' logic had gone that what made a ninja strong was their heart. A heart, and the emotional attachments to their loved ones.

It was when they had something to value, something to protect and fight for, that made them strong.

He scoffed. Emotional attachments only served to hamper progress. Emotional attachments were cumbersome objects that only tripped ninja up and made them soft.

The Sandaime ought to have known it best, after all; emotional attachments were the reason his student Orochimaru of the Sannin was still running around somewhere.

Remaining an ever-present threat to the Leaf all because his teacher could not bring himself to take down a traitor who was an old student.

Ninja were essentially the military power of a country. They were soldiers- that was the bottom line- no matter how some people tried to dress it up into something far more fantastical and grand.

To him, all the better if the boy wasn't exactly normal. The innate conscience and sense of right and wrong the boy seemed to lack were all bonuses. He would not feel undue hesitation to carry out his duties due to silly emotional encumbrances or a deluded sense of morality.

All the makings of a good soldier.

He could see the perfect weapon, the flawless killing machine the boy would become, the powerful trump card he would be for the Hidden Leaf.

Still, his lips pursed into a deep frown as he recalled the fact that the Sandaime and his two former teammates had been considerably more wary. Koharu and Homura might have been more supportive than the Sandaime, but all the same, they had derailed his plans to have sole supervision over the boy's training.

Nonetheless, he would see that the boy was polished into the sharpest weapon for the Leaf to wield.

His blue eyes were sharp, his expression one of intense concentration as he faced his enemy. He judged it worthy to quickly wipe off the sweat that was in danger of trickling into his eyes from his brow with a quick swipe of the back of his palm, not once taking his eyes off his masked opponent who stood across the room.

Seconds ticked by slowly, interminably. Naruto felt the impatience grow within him.

What the hell was she waiting for?

He repressed a sigh as it became immediately obvious that the female ninja was forcing him to make the next move; to take the offense rather than defense this time around.

He stared at the long, almost elegant blade of the katana the kunoichi held with skillful precision in her right hand, the sharp edge of the metal shining. Then back to his bare hands.

That was kind of unfair, really. Not that he had ever held any illusions that the people he was dealing with had ever cared about fairness in the first place. It was in fact, the reason he was in this mess to begin with, he reminded himself.

Being forced to face a more experienced ninja armed with a long, sharp katana, whilst he was weaponless. And there were no other objects in the room that could suffice as weapons. He couldn't break off a wooden beam without risking bringing the whole ceiling down on himself. A slightly less-sane and crazy part of him told him to go for it- the demon fox could probably heal him anyway.

He ignored it, as he assessed the situation.

So far, he was getting beaten rather badly, he thought looking at the cuts that marred his arms and face, and the blossoming bruise on his collar bone where that bitch had hit him. It had been intended for his throat, but he'd managed to move at the last moment.

So he resigned himself to doing what she obviously was waiting for him to do.

He ran at her, ducking under the anticipated swing of her blade, attempting to send a ridge-knife strike into her throat. She blocked him with one arm-guarded hand effortlessly. He hurriedly created some pathetic-looking bunshins, knowing full well their uselessness. She easily dispelled them into clouds of smoke, and he had to flip backwards to avoid the returning arc of her sword.

He did not return empty-handed however, as he revealed with a smirk, holding the two kunai he'd snagged from the kunoichi's holster in the brief confusion he'd created with his otherwise useless bunshins.

The female ninja gave an audible snort at his accomplishment, which he was sure was coupled with a disdainful expression under her porcelain mask.

"That is hardly anything to celebrate about, you fool." Her voice was sharp and condescending.

She could not seem to resist squeezing in a taunt. "So far you have failed to even land one hit on me. All that has changed is that your speed is now slow, a marginal improvement from sluggish."

He looked at her skeptically.

"Is that right, kunoichi-san? If I were an enemy ninja, and my goal was simply to steal a scroll containing sensitive information- instead of your kunai- and that I managed to accomplish that would be enough for me to succeed in my mission," He returned smartly, flinging one of the knives at his opponent.

She did not even bother repelling it, she simply slightly inclined her head to the side, allowing the dagger to embed itself on the wall behind her.

"How wasteful, really, Uzumaki." She now stepped forward, "Such poor aim, you should be ashamed of yourself."

This time, she took the initiative, charging at him. He jumped over the swing of her sword this time, flipping backwards and aiming a roundhouse kick which she blocked. He did not pause, striking out with a fist towards her masked face.

She stopped the punch, single-handedly grabbing his arm and flipped him on his back onto the floor with a loud thud.

Only for him puff into a kunai. A replacement. It did not take her long to put things together, and she whirled around just in time to avoid a slash from his kunai, where he had appeared after switching himself with the kunai he had thrown into the wall earlier.

He did not pause, this time aiming a knife-strike at her unprotected throat with stunning speed. She wouldn't be able to block it at such close proximity, he'd calculated.

She must really have valued her pride, he figured, which must have explained why she lashed out recklessly with a vicious kunai stab into his chest in a bid to stop his advance, despite the tacit rules that she would not attempt any fatal or near-fatal moves- one had to take some pity on a seven-year-old boy, after all. His shirt ripped, exposing the bleeding wound.

The pain was excruciating- he was sure she had somehow ensured that the knife blade had strategically got between his ribs and had sliced into his lung, as he stumbled backwards, hacking up blood.

Just great. She didn't look like she was about to help him either.

Was this how he was going to die- or at least come close to dying again?

On the bright side, there wasn't as much blood as the time that asshole whom he had later stabbed in the throat had trussed him up that night.

The female ANBU watched with some sort of alarm and confusion as the demon vessel staggered, the blood seeping through his clothes rapidly, the dark crimson spot growing bigger and bigger rapidly.

He looked as though he might slump against the wall and lose consciousness any moment.

"You...damned bitch..." She heard him grind out through clenched teeth instead, as he slowly stood up shakily.

She was oblivious to his insults. Instead, her wide eyes behind her mask were fixed upon the exposed wound on his chest that appeared to be regenerating and sealing up before her very eyes.

He winced as he fought to catch his breath, as the kunoichi regained her composure.

He was sure she was smiling behind her mask in pure sadism.

"Again." She repositioned herself in a fighting stance.

By the the time he had finished his training for the day, he had been reduced to a gelatinous mass of aching muscles and chakra exhaustion.

The walk to the showers felt like a marathon, he felt as though the energy had been completely sapped from him, he was so tired, there didn't seem to be a single muscle and joint that didn't ache. Still, he forced his overworked leg tendons on.

He would not give them an opportunity to mock him by passing out in the hallway. Showing them any sign of weakness was just inconceivable.

He then limped to his designated room, unceremoniously throwing his tired form onto the bed. It was only ten o' clock, and he would normally be still awake. This time, oblivion came almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"Naruto..." The old man's face had been apologetic.

"What's happening?" He asked dully, "So I am the container of the Kyuubi no Yoko, huh?"

"Yes, Naruto. That is the truth. The Yondaime Hokage did it to save the village, and he had in fact wished that you would be seen as a hero for taking on such a heavy burden." He could see the anger and confusion warring in Naruto's eyes.

"You are merely its jailer. You are not the demon." Sarutobi was eager to stress that point.

Naruto laughed, a hollow one, "Seems like the villagers had trouble realizing that."

"And now...what is going to happen to me? It's because of that Uchiha's death, huh?"

"Forgive me, Naruto...The circumstances are such that we don't have much of a choice. If you have any problems, do not hesitate to approach me," He had to give credit that the old man actually looked sorry, "Naruto, I ask you, please try, try not to lose faith in others."

He was telling him to learn to trust.

Naruto didn't think he could.

And so it went on and on.

It had only been a week so far, but if felt like an eternity.

One day seemed practically indistinguishable from the next, the seven days blending together into some haze of pain, aching muscles and extreme exhaustion.

It had been another rough day for him. He'd had to fight the female ANBU captain armed with one of the standard-issue ANBU katana unarmed. Again. They seemed to particularly favor this activity for some reason. Officially, it was to improve his taijutsu.

Needless to say, he had gotten the crap kicked out of him. He did manage to give that woman a bruise to the stomach, at least- at the cost of getting a painful, diagonal slash to his right arm. It had healed within a minute, however. He smirked in perverse pleasure upon remembering that fact. It was a dent to her pride too, no doubt she would go down in infamy for allowing herself to be slugged in the stomach by a boy less than half her age.

Nevertheless, it had been unpleasant when his trainers had discovered his rapid healing rates, the extent of which he had done his best to hide. The ANBU kunoichi had not hesitated to report her astounding discovery about his sped-up healing and bodily regeneration during that particularly troublesome incident where she had wounded him with a kunai to the lung.

This had the effect of making them a lot more careless about restraining their true strength. After all, what did it matter, a slash here, a cut there? Or even a stab to the lung-heck, that one had even been tried and tested. The Kyuubi vessel would be good as new in a few minutes or an hour, depending on the severity of the injury.

Amazingly, apparently, the kunoichi had not even felt the presence of the Kyuubi's chakra when he had undergone his "shocking" regeneration. How this was supposed to be some sort a startling development had escaped him, though last he checked, the few ANBU medical ninja that were involved in his case were still debating what this meant.

He had a strong suspicion that some of them were keen on seeing what would happen if they managed to completely cut off a limb. Would he grow a new one- muscle, bone and all? Or would the wound simply just seal up, albeit at an extra-fast rate?

Fortunately, they never outright tried such a thing, although there were occasions where they came dangerously close.

They were too afraid of losing such a valuable weapon over such idiocy, or even risking crippling him for life to pull such a stunt. Well, he supposed there were plenty of them who didn't care, but only restrained themselves because they had to answer to their superiors, all of whom did care.

He also knew that some of them probably were harboring the same sort of sad, tired antagonism over the Kyuubi's attack on the village eight years ago, and relished getting to kick him around.

Legally, this time. What fun, he thought sarcastically.

In any case, the whole charade got rather unnerving after a while. The only two ANBU he was familiar with, that silver-haired, Dog-masked captain and his subordinate never made an appearance. His trainers always kept their masks on, and they rarely spoke, save for a few of the more conversational ones like that crazy katana-wielding bitch. Even then, they never talked about themselves. Thus, he had absolutely not one clue as to their identities.

It was akin to fighting ghosts.

"Well, friend, what do you think?"

The Sandaime smiled genially, though it did not reach his eyes. They were cold and impenetrable, like obsidian.

"You know very well what I think...Danzou."

The war hawk had to admire the Sandaime's flawless performance. There was no evidence in his tone about the unfriendliness that he knew the Hokage harbored against him.

The two of them had always been nemeses, and the recent events that had unfolded only stoked the underlying rivalry that still festered between the two of them. Danzou smiled. It had not all ended when the Sarutobi had gotten the position as the Sandaime Hokage over him.

Danzou continued, unperturbed, "That boy shows the same genius and potential that the Yondaime possessed. He has the potential to surpass Namikaze Minato."

He went on when the other man remained silent.

"I think the boy is very much like your beloved predecessor...no?"

Sarutobi took his time to answer. And when he did, his expression was grim.

"No...Naruto...the Naruto now is nothing like his father, Danzou. And that is what I do not like about this whole thing."

The former ANBU Commander's (1) single exposed eye narrowed.

"I wonder, why weren't you there when I, with your two ex-teammates went to brief the boy about his new status? Your presence could have helped make the boy feel more reassured, you know, instead of just speaking with him afterwards."

A flash of chilly anger in the normally calm man's expression.

"I had no intention of giving Naruto the impression that I, in any shape or form, endorsed this idea. You know the only reason I agreed."

The atmosphere in the room was now downright hostile. Danzou knew the Hokage was not a man who lost his temper easily. It was just an unmistakable signal to him.

Danzo smiled pitilessly, "The Uchiha are getting restless, eh?"

"They have a long memory, Danzou. Their capacity for holding grudges has not diminished." The old Hokage's tone was one of foreboding.

"Now, let us not get sidetracked...so how has it gone?" Sarutobi continued, as he settled behind his desk.

"The Konoha ANBU has accepted Uchiha Itachi into its ranks. It should be noted that even though a few of our scouts were already interested in him, they had yet to approach him. He himself applied to join the ANBU. I personally find that very interesting."

" Surely his father would have rather him joined the Military Police, is that not right? Few Uchiha have joined the ANBU to begin with, and even those that did joined the Military Police first."

Danzou's smile was bereft of mirth, "It seems suspicious, does it not? Perhaps an act of teenage rebellion. However, it is unlikely Uchiha Fugaku, as we know him, would have allowed such a thing. Which is why I question your willingness to let him into the ANBU. Surely his talents cannot be questioned, but what about his intentions?"

"I am realistic, Danzou. I see no reason why we should bar the boy from entering because of a political rivalry as old as the village that the elders of his clan no doubt still possess. If...Itachi's intentions for entering the ANBU are less than benign, it would arouse suspicions in them as to whether we are on to any plans they might have. Conversely, if it turns out we are just being paranoid, it will not help if we give them the impression that we rejected him out of mistrust of the Uchiha clan."

"Still, it is tricky. He may get a heads up about the Kyuubi container being trained in the ANBU, even with all the extensive precautions that we have taken, instead of being supposedly stripped of his ninja rank for life, which is the farce we orchestrated in order to appease the grumbling Uchiha elders who feel the boy is responsible for Uchiha Shisui's death," Danzou's gaze traveled to the portrait of the four Hokages on the wall, to the face of the Shodai Hokage.

Senju Hashirama. The leader of the powerful Senju clan that had formed the union with the Uchiha clan that had brought into existence the Village of the Hidden Leaf.

The age-old rivalry that had been born between the two clans even before the birth of the Hidden Leaf. The rivalry that had always existed even under the supposed truce, the bloated egos of those Sharingan-wielders so easily bruised, he thought in disdain.

Sarutobi's eyes were sharp, "I have no doubt they suspect that we assassinated him. The meeting I had with Uchiha Fugaku was not pleasant. They demanded to see the body of the other intruder who had inflicted the injuries that Shisui had died from. We said that it was impossible, as you know. They then insisted that Naruto be punished for at least indirectly causing Shisui's death, though they made no secret of the fact that they personally suspected that Naruto was the one who killed him."

"Is it worth the risk that Uzumaki Naruto's cover gets blown, just to win back the trust- or at least quell the discontent of a few egocentric Uchiha?" Danzou asked, his tone critical.

"Perhaps I should also have second thoughts about the plan to train Naruto under the ANBU," Sarutobi returned easily.

Danzou bristled, hurrying to recover his composure.

"The boy needs to be able to learn to defend himself well. He faces dangers not just from some vengeful Uchiha; there are no doubt others who wish to harness the power of the Nine-tails demon fox to use as a weapon against us. And there were signs that the boy was going out of control- this is a perfect way to allow us to watch over him and instill in him discipline and patriotism for Konoha."

"No need to worry Danzou...as much as I am rather averse to this plan, I recognize we have few options. I will be watching closely, however, and I intend to receive regular reports from you and his trainers about his status. I trust that our ninja involved are well-trained enough to ensure the security of this...programme."

Danzou felt a slight flicker of irritation at the faint amusement he could see in the other man's eyes at his being able to unnerve him. He squashed it easily, no need to be petty.

"As to Uchiha Itachi, I think you know well, Danzou, that as ninja, sometimes we have to take calculated risks. It is a chance for us to have access to an Uchiha, instead of all of them being segregated from the rest of the village in the Uchiha Military Police. It will be good for Itachi. I intend to make sure that these strained ties do not get anymore frayed."

"Very well, Hokage-sama."

It was the first time throughout the entire conversation that he had referred to the man by his title. He had to recognize that Sarutobi deserved it, as much as he was loathe too. Still, he would watch out for when the man was too soft and made decisions that could harm the Hidden Leaf.

And he wouldn't hesitate to assert his influence then.

Itachi watched in undisguised amusement as Sasuke glared at him from his prone position on the ground, his attempt to master Itachi's technique of simultaneously hitting eight targets in a clearing with kunai having failed rather miserably.

A chuckle escaped him despite his best attempts to control himself.

"Stop laughing, Itachi-nii! I'll show you again!" Sasuke, his face in a pout and red with embarrassment, as he tried to get up, having landed badly. He let out a yelp as his left ankle buckled when he placed weight on it.

"Careful, Sasuke, it's most likely sprained," Itachi made his way over, "Don't overexert yourself. You have plenty of time. It took me a long while to master this technique myself."

Sasuke sulked, "Don't lie, brother. I know you're trying to make me feel better, but you probably learned it in a week, didn't you?"

The older Uchiha smiled, "I'm not lying. Some things may come to me easily, but I wouldn't get anywhere without putting in any effort." He ended his sentence with a finger flick to Sasuke's forehead, much to said boy's indignation.

"If you want, I can teach it to you some other time. Come on, we should head home. I'll carry you."

Sasuke blushed in embarrassment, torn between appearing weak- it was only a sprained ankle!- and accepting Itachi's offer. The muscle was beginning to throb rather unpleasantly, after all.

In the end, he climbed onto Itachi's back after two minutes of anguished indecision. He came to the conclusion that if he further injured his ankle, he might have to be absent from the Academy tomorrow, and would thus be left in further behind and not be able to catch up to Itachi.

Thus, the potential gain was worth the embarrassment of having to be carried by his brother, he justified.

Itachi smiled. It'd been a long time since he had felt so at ease, or even laughed. It was nice to spend time with his younger brother, to take a breather from everything else.

"That's the Konoha Military Police Headquarters," he pointed out to the passenger on his back, as they came to the large, imposing building that stood on the side of the busy street

Sasuke stared at the symbol of the shuriken that sported the distinctive red-and-white emblem of the Uchiha clan.

"This is where Father works, isn't it, Itachi-nii? Is that why it has our clan's symbol on it?"

"Well, Father is the head of the Konoha Police force. But this organization itself was founded by our ancestors, and many of our clan members continue to work there, which is why our family emblem is placed there," Itachi's gaze was pensive and thoughtful, "It's a symbol of honor, honoring how the Uchiha clan has protected and enforced the order in Konoha since a long time ago."

"The only ones who can enforce the laws on shinobi's crimes are superior shinobi," he continued, almost absently, getting lost in his thoughts.

"Wow! Father's really awesome, isn't he, Itachi-nii?" He could see the admiration and adoration in Sasuke's eyes.

He wondered why he felt a strange twinge of something at that.

No, Sasuke...Father, he... He stopped himself just as he was about to utter those forbidden words that so many things rested on. Words that would shatter the world Sasuke lived in.

"You're going to join it, aren't you? You should!" Sasuke asked excitedly, "I'm gonna join the Military Police when I grow up!"

Those words hit him with a jolt. You're going to join it, aren't you?

"Maybe," He left his answer as a non-committal one, "Let's hurry, we're late."

"You know, Itachi-nii, I'm really looking forward to going to the Academy tomorrow, they're going to start teaching us more fighting styles. I want to learn to be strong so I can protect what is important to me."

His brother's words echoed in his head as they walked down the street. The Hokage tower was just in sight, he could see the stylized leaf symbol that represented the Hidden Leaf. His eyes flicked back to the symbol of the Uchiha clan on the Military Police Building. And then to the boy he carried on his back.

-Your duty is to the Uchiha clan, first and foremost, Itachi...-

What is important to me?

That questioned lingered in his mind, unable to be banished to the recesses of his subconscious, as much as he tried.

He knew that it was only when he answered it that he would find his path.

His light thoughts darkened as he piggy-backed his brother home, the entrance of the Uchiha compound coming to sight.

I'm not going to join the Military Police, you know that?

There're so many things you don't know, Sasuke.

He was not able to conceal the overwhelming shock of the words he had just heard. He tried to convince himself he had misheard, that this was just a stupid dream, but his surroundings remained as pin-sharp and grounded in reality.

It did not matter that they had not decided on anything concrete yet. It was a madness itself that they were even considering doing this.

He wanted to shout, to fly into a rage, to knock over the low wooden table upon which their ostentatiously expensive teacups- made of the finest china-sat, to send them scattering to the floor, smashing to pieces, to do something reckless, to pick up the table and use it to beat some sense into their head.

To ask them if they had lost their minds. To inform them that this was madness.

But he did not. Instead, he remained where he was seated, his expression returning back to its controlled facade, listening politely to the words his father and the other clan elders had to say.

Like a good, obedient boy. He hated himself for that.

"...and so, that is your true duty, Itachi. To the Uchiha clan first and foremost."

He felt sickened, the sense of achievement at his successful acceptance into the ANBU was now replaced by the uncomfortable realization that he had been manipulated all along.

They knew. They knew it all this while.

"That is why you had me join the ANBU?" He controlled his voice carefully.

Uchiha Yashiro frowned nonetheless, "Do not tell me you are having second thoughts, Itachi?"

"This is for the good of the Uchiha clan, Itachi. Do it for the clan."

The clan, the clan, the clan.

He was beginning to tire of hearing it as of late.

"Do it for him, do it for Shisui," His father continued, "His death was a senseless one, and yet the Village Council and the Hokage refuse to dignify us by even appropriately punishing the perpetrator."

"Uzumaki Naruto was expelled from the Academy and stripped of his ninja rank, no?" He asked, his voice hollow.

Uchiha Inabi laughed spitefully, "Is that even a punishment? That brat was last in class, he probably enjoys the fact he has more time to run around without any responsibilities."

"If that was really Uzumaki Naruto. If Uzumaki Naruto was not really trained as an assassin under the ANBU, and sent to assassinate Shisui."

If only you knew the things that Father and the clan are doing...

The words he wanted to say so badly to his brother, the words that wouldn't come out. The truth. Instead, all he uttered were bare-faced lies. Lies to cover up an ugly truth.

No, Sasuke, Father isn't who he appears to you, do you know that?

I wish you wouldn't spend so much effort trying to impress Father, Sasuke. I wish you would see that.

I wish I could tell you.

If only you knew.

"You're late, Itachi, what were you doing?." His father was already waiting.

"F-father!" Sasuke was startled.

"Sasuke, go to Mother and get some ice for your leg, alright?" He deposited the boy on the ground.

Sasuke's gaze lingered on his father, then shifting back to his brother. Almost reluctantly, he turned to leave, carefully placing his weight on his uninjured leg.

He was now alone with his father.

"We have to hurry back." Uchiha Fugaku's dark eyes betrayed the impatience and slight disapproval in them.

Absently, Itachi rubbed his right bicep. It was there that the symbol of the Konoha ANBU would be tattooed onto his arm, by this time tomorrow, he realized.

He knew that the notion of gaining some freedom from the stifled trappings of the clan had played a role in his agreeing to fill out his application form and sit through the various interviews, background checks and practical tests.

There had been a reason why he had agreed so readily. Why he had been careless, and ended up allowing himself to be used.

The reason he had swallowed Fugaku's lies so easily. The reason he had not listened to the faint suspicion that he had held about his father's intentions. To the part within him that told him to consider things carefully and not to agree so readily.

Because deep down, he had wanted to go some place where he wouldn't be perpetually under the command or influence of the Uchiha clan. He had wanted to just serve the Leaf, instead of having to do everything also in tandem with the self-interest of the Uchiha clan.

They'd taken advantage of the knowledge that he strove, to a certain extent, for independence. He knew that that to a certain degree, he had wanted to join the ANBU despite some misgivings. Joining the ANBU meant he would be under the direct command of the Hokage, and not his father or any other member of the Uchiha clan.

To think that he thought he would gain some sort of independence if he joined the ANBU...instead, this way, he became their tool more than ever.

"Yes, I am aware of that, Father." He closed his eyes, as he followed the older man.

What is important to me...?

(1) Kind of a spoiler from manga chapter 446. It strongly hints that Danzou was in a position of authority within the Konoha ANBU, not just over Ne (Root).

In the conversation between Danzou and Sarutobi, the feeling I get is that the two do have some sort of rivalry, but being part of the village leadership, they nevertheless have to work together. Danzou disagrees with the Sandaime's ideology, but he can't deny that the man does know what he's doing. I don't think Danzou would ever outright make a play for power or try to oppose the Sandaime at every turn. I think he knows he has to pick his battles carefully.

Itachi's coming into prominence now, and he is going to play a pretty important role in the story.

And yes, by now there are some questions popping up, right? Well, you'll find out more in future chapters :D

Well, that's chapter five for you guys (: As you can see, I'm progressively increasing the length of my chapters- this one is over 7,000 words, instead of the usual 4-5000.

Please read and review!