Hey guys!

I'm sorry for not updating Konoha's Alchemist yet, but since Chapter 9 ended up so bad, in my opinion, I'm trying to write Chapter 10 to be much better. It will take some time, but hey, quality over quantity.

In the meantime, I am starting a new story. I had this idea in my head for a while now and I even wrote down the main bits of it so I could write it later, but somehow I couldn't wait to write it. i hope you'll like this and I'll do my best to keep both stories up and running.

Enjoy!

Naruto was awoken again by a gentle nudge from the orphan matron. The sun attacked his eyes and he closed them less than a second later. Little six years old boy really hated to get up in the morning. He tried to turn around and go back to sleep, but the matron's giggling clearly prevented that.

"Wake up, Naruto-kun," she said softly. "You better get up quickly or you'll miss breakfast," she added and watched with a smile as young Naruto bolted out of bed. She could still remember the day he was brought in, surprisingly, by the Hokage himself, only a few short days before the Kyubi attacked. He was only in this world for a couple of hours, but already had no parents. His mother, whose name was Hitomi, died at childbirth. When Naruto was told of that, the first thing he did was blamed himself. It took some time to convince him that it wasn't his fault and that his mother wouldn't want him to blame himself. His father, though, was never found. When she asked the Hokage, he told her that the boy's mother was a civilian and the father was unknown. Had she looked closer, she would've seen the twinge of sadness in Hokage's eyes when he left Naruto at the orphanage.

Naruto, now six, was a happy child, as much as an orphan can be happy. He had several good friends and his calm, yet cheery attitude made him likeable among many. His hair was black and straight, with two bangs framing his face. He liked to keep it longer so he tied it in a ponytail. His eyes, on the other hand, were bright blue, not darker as someone would expect on a dark-haired child. The matron could already see that he would grow up to be a handsome man.

Naruto bolted out of the bathroom and ran out of his room, leaving a lost-in-thoughts matron behind. He rushed down the stairs toward the cafeteria and quickly got his meal. He ate slowly, with manners that were practically drilled into him from the day he could talk. He liked to sit alone while eating, dedicating himself to the meal, without any disturbances from the others. They knew about that fact and let him be.

He finished his meal and put the tray away, before going outside. It was his usual morning routine to go out for a walk after breakfast, to explore the village he lived in. He would pass by civilians without sparing them a second glance, but his gaze would linger on the many shinobi that would jump from roof to roof. His dream was to become a shinobi and he would be damned if someone or something tried to stop him.

The Ninja Academy accepted orphans easily. The orphanage would pay the entrance fee, which wasn't very large, and the young ninja in training would get monthly allowance to pay for his equipment. If they wanted, the orphans could even get their own apartments which, albeit small, were still perfectly comfortable for young children to live in. That was allowed in an effort to make orphans adjust to the life of an adult more easily.

It wasn't long before the next year of the academy would begin, only another week before he could file his request to join it. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of finally becoming a ninja some day. His musings were cut short however, when a sound of a muffled scream reached his ears. He froze for a moment, before he rushed to the source of the scream, located in a nearby park. What he saw there, shocked him.

A shinobi in his thirties, was holding an unconscious girl under his arm, while a young woman lay at his feet. Naruto didn't know if she was dead or not, but the increasing puddle of blood told him that if she wasn't, she would be dead soon. The man's mouth were turned in a sadistic grin, showing he was quite happy with the events that happened moments ago. He was wearing a standard jonin uniform with Konoha's forehead protector on his head. His face was plain, easily forgettable, had the grin disappeared. As he chuckled audibly, Naruto was shaken from his shocked state.

"Well that takes care of that," the man told to himself and prepared to leave.

"Stop!" Naruto's voice was heard across the park and the man turned around to face him. The man's shocked expression turned into a grin at the sight of a short boy. "Let her go!" Naruto shouted again.

"Or what?" the man asked. "What can a shrimp like you do to me?"

Naruto knew that he couldn't do anything. He was a child, only six years of his life have passed and the man across him was a jonin. The boy knew he was outmatched, but that didn't mean that he would just let the man go and kidnap the girl. With a newfound resolve, he glared at the man. "I will do anything I can to stop you!"

The man only grinned. Next thing Naruto saw was a fist of the man locked in his gut. He could feel the man's breath on his ear as he heard him chuckle. "You should've just walked away and you would still be alive. Now, though, I will have to kill you."

The man raised his fist and punched Naruto in the gut again, only this time sending him flying. Naruto cried out in pain when he hit the ground, making the man grin widely. The man then rushed again and for the first time in his life, Naruto felt fear.

It was an unknown emotion to him, as he was always safe in the orphanage. Nobody would hurt him there and, because of that he had nothing to be afraid of. He closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. Was this how he would die, without ever attaining his dream, like a dog on the street? No! He won't die today, he would live and fulfill his dreams. He opened his eyes that now held determination and looked straight at the man's eyes.

What the man saw, utterly shocked him.

Instead of bright blue eyes, that Naruto had moments ago, now he had eyes with red irises, a single black tomoe in each of them. The sight of a Sharingan stopped the man in his tracks, which was the biggest mistake he could make. A sword found its way through the man's heart, killing him on the spot. That scene would be forever imprinted into Naruto's brain from seeing it with the Sharingan.

Xxxx

Uchiha Itachi was on his regular patrol around the village. Dressed in his regular Anbu uniform with a white weasel mask on his face, he jumped from roof to roof, barely seen, even with a trained eye. He was a prodigy, a true genius that came from the Uchiha clan. He was only thirteen, but he was already a high-ranking Anbu captain and one of the strongest ninja in the village.

He was about to make a dash to the left, when he heard a shout coming from a nearby park. Normally, he would dismiss it as a sound of children having fun, but the urgency in the voice made him reconsider. He could spare a minute to check out the situation and to intervene if necessary. As the old saying goes 'Better safe than sorry', Itachi was really glad that he went to check.

He arrived just in time to see the man charge at the small black-haired boy. In a burst of speed, Itachi rushed at the man, hoping that he would be able to stop him. First signs of fear crept up to Itachi as he noticed that the man was a split-second faster and that without any interference, he wouldn't succeed. That was when the man stopped, his posture tensing, like he had seen something shocking. Itachi didn't ponder on what could make the man stop and simply used the time he acquired to plunge his sword deep in the man's chest. Relaxing slightly, Itachi peered over the man's shoulder at the boy and finally saw what shocked the man.

The boy in front of him had a Sharingan. A no-named orphan he would see at the streets had a pair of eyes only available to the members of his clan. If that wasn't shocking enough, the boy had those eyes at such tender age. Even Itachi, who was hailed as one of the youngest to activate his Sharingan, unlocked it at the age of nine. To see a six year old orphan with a Sharingan made even the stoic Itachi gape slightly in shock.

As Itachi slowly removed the blade from the man's chest, blood spurted from the wound onto Naruto. His newly acquired Sharingan tracing every drop of blood that flew through the air. It only took a few seconds for the man to slide of the blade and Itachi flicked the blood of, before sheathing it.

Naruto for his part was feeling hazy. His adrenaline disappeared and now he was just a six year old boy, with fractured ribs and splitting headache. His eyes rolled back and he fell on the ground, his face up. Itachi only stared at the boy with intrigue. There weren't many things that caught young Uchiha's attention, but the boy was one of them. He had to know who are the boy's parents and why he wasn't in his clan. That would come later though, as he had more important matters to attend. Creating two shadow clones, he sent them to pick up Naruto and the small girl, before they left for the hospital. The original then sealed the body of the attacker in a scroll, before gently picking up a heavily wounded woman and running to the hospital.

Xxxx

Namikaze Minato was asleep, which wouldn't be so weird if he wasn't in his office. The Yondaime Hokage stayed up all night, doing paperwork like there's no tomorrow. How he wanted to just burn all those papers and be done with it. Sarutobi said that there is a secret to paperwork, but he still couldn't find it. If only the old man told him before.

"Hokage-sama, Uchiha Itachi is here to see you," his secretary woke him up over the intercom.

Minato raised an eyebrow. Itachi rarely came into his office under his real name. Usually, he would just appear in the corner and walk out with his mask still on. Whatever this was, it was important. Schooling his features, he pressed the button. "Send him in."

Few seconds later, the door opened and Itachi entered, wearing a blue t-shirt with an Uchiha logo on the back and black pants. He bowed his head to the Hokage, who returned the gesture, and sat down in a chair in front of the desk.

"Hokage-sama, I have some things to tell you," Minato raised an eyebrow at that, but motioned him to continue. "While I was on my patrol today, I encountered a man attacking a child. I managed to kill the man and later I have realized that he tried to kidnap someone."

"Who?" Minato asked with worry in his voice.

"Your daughter," Minato's possible outburst was stopped by Itachi's risen palm. "Please calm down, Hokage-sama. Your daughter was only knocked out and she is currently resting at the hospital. There was a woman next to her, I presume it was her escort," Minato nodded. "She was heavily wounded, but she will survive."

Minato sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said, but Itachi shook his head.

"You must not thank me," Itachi began, confusing the Hokage. "The boy I saw is to be thanked. From what I have noticed, he arrived just in time and distracted the kidnapper long enough for me to jump in. If it wasn't for him, your daughter wouldn't be here today."

"Is he in the hospital as well?" Minato asked. At Itachi's nod, he began to stand. "I better go and visit them," he said before noticing that Itachi didn't stand up. "Do you need something else?"

Itachi nodded. "I have some… questions for you, Hokage-sama, which I would like to ask in private."

Minato shuddered at the cold voice he heard. He waved his hand, dismissing the hidden Anbu in the office, and activated the privacy seal, before sitting back on his chair. He sat up straight, not showing any weakness, and motioned Itachi to continue.

Itachi nodded. "The boy, who saved your daughter, had a Sharingan."

Minato gasped. 'Naruto!'

"I can see it in your eyes that you know who I am talking about," Itach stated calmly.

Minato sighed and nodded. "The boy's name is Naruto. His mother's name was Uchiha Hitomi, who died at child birth. After her death, I've brought the boy to the orphanage."

"But if his mother is an Uchiha, why isn't he in our clan?" Itachi asked, confused, before his eyes widened slightly. "Unless…"

"Yes, Naruto is my son," Minato said, which shocked Itachi. "I will not tell you how or why, but I will tell you that this is an S-ranked secret."

Itachi nodded grimly, knowing what that meant. If he ever uttered a single word of this conversation to anyone, he would be executed by Hokage's hand personally. Deciding to ponder about these events later, he addressed the Hokage. "I have a request, Hokage-sama."

Minat raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"I want to train the boy."

Minato's eyes widened slightly. "W-well, I could make you his sensei when he graduates," he said, not completely understanding Itachi's request.

Itachi shook his head lightly. "I want to train him from now on. He is an Uchiha and I feel that it is my duty to train him. In our clan, children start to train when they are young and having the Sharingan only eases the training. I also feel that I owe it to his mother who was my mother's sister, making him my cousin."

Minato could reason with that. If Naruto started to train under a skillful teacher, he would grow better. The academy did only basic stuff in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Most civilian children never finished the academy, since even that basic stuff was too hard to learn. They didn't have anyone outside the academy to help them and even inside, the teachers were busy and could only help so much. Minato didn't want his son to fail and having Itachi as his sensei would certainly help him immensely. He wasn't worried that Naruto was too young for training. Hell, he started to train when he was only slightly older than the boy and some even began to train sooner. The fact that Itachi and Naruto were cousins, didn't really surprise him and he felt that having some family around him, would be good for the boy. Sighing deeply, he nodded. "Very well, you may train him, but go easy on him."

Itachi nodded. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will talk to the boy out once he recovers," he said and at Minato's nod, left.

Minato closed his eyes in concentration, before nodding to himself. His decision was good and it would only help Naruto in the long run. Sighing, he stood up and left the office. It was time to visit his children in the hospital, even though only one of them knew that.

Xxxx

Naruto groggily opened his eyes to stare at the white ceiling. His first thought was that he was back at the orphanage and he tried to sit up, only to wince in pain. Then the memories from his last conscious moment flashed. The man, the woman, the girl and the sword. The sword that went straight through the man's heart. Somehow, he remembered that moment more than the others. He could clearly see everything, the angle of the stab, the drops of blood that spurted o him, the life leaving the man's eyes.

His eyes clenched shut and hugged himself in an effort to forget the memories, but it didn't work. No matter what, he could clearly see the same sword stabbing the same man, times and times again. Naruto felt like screaming, to try and scream the memories away, to make them stop. He reared his head back, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. When he turned around, he was looking straight at the Yondaime Hokage.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," Minato said softly. He saw how the boy was distressed only moments ago. It was his first contact with death and feeling distressed was normal. Only thing he or anyone could do was to provide support and hope for the best. "How are you feeling?"

"H-hokage-sama? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked perplexed.

Minato chuckled. "Well, you did save my daughter the other day, so I came to thank you."

"The other day?" Naruto asked, confused, before he realized. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a few days," Minato reassured him. "You still have time until academy begins."

Naruto nodded, before looking around. He spotted his clothes on the nearby chair and shot a pleading look to the Hokage. "Um, can I go?"

Minato grinned. "Get dressed and I'll take you to meet my family. My daughter has been talking about her savior for days."

Naruto nodded sheepishly, before putting on his clothes.

"Now hold my hand," Minato said and offered his hand. Naruto looked at it skeptically, before accepting it. Next thing he knew, he was sucked into something, before falling face first on the soft rug.

'Wait, hospitals don't have rugs,' Naruto thought as his cheek brushed against the rug. He looked up and his mouth hung open.

He was no longer in a hospital, but in an office of sorts. It wasn't anything fancy, an oak table in the middle, with a leather chair behind it. Couple of shelves with various scrolls and books and red rug on the floor. All these details soon were forgotten as Naruto remembered that he was in a hospital only a few seconds ago.

"H-how?" he asked.

Minato chuckled. "I used my signature technique which allows me to 'teleport' wherever I place a special seal."

Naruto stared in amazement, making Minato chuckle again.

"Now, come on. The lunch will be ready soon," Minato said and left the office, closely followed by Naruto.

They walked through the hallway, which was mostly plain, if it weren't for some pictures. Naruto didn't pay much attention to them as he and Minato slowly descended the stairs, before walking toward the kitchen. As soon as they entered, Naruto spotted a woman with long red hair, smiling kindly at him.

"You must be Naruto-kun, right?" she asked with a soft, motherly voice.

Naruto nodded. "Who are you?"

The woman giggled. "I am Kushina."

"Nice to meet you, Kushina-san," Naruto said with a grin.

"There is someone else who would like to meet you," Minato said and pushed Naruto gently.

Naruto took a step forward and came face to face with a small girl. She had red hair like her mother and her eyes were pretty violet color. Her face was a bit round which, combined with her flaming red hair, made her look like a tomato. She also had three whisker marks on each cheek. The girl blushed, which Naruto found cute, and tackled the black-haired boy in a hug. Naruto, surprised by the hug, stumbled backwards and fell on his back, pulling the girl with him. The girl slowly raised her head after the fall and blushed when she saw how close their faces were. She stumbled back up with her head down, her red hair covering her eyes. Minato and Kushina only chuckled.

Naruto stood up shakily, still slightly disoriented with the action. He looked at the girl in confusion and opened his mouth to speak, but the girl cut him off with a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for saving me, Naruto-kun," she said that so quietly that Naruto almost didn't hear it. Of course the kiss only increased his disorientation from before.

Finally getting his bearings, he fought his blush back and addressed the girl. "I-it's nothing really, um?"

The girl blushed again and shyly offered her name. "N-Namikaze Tsubaki."

Naruto grinned. "Nice to meet you, Tsubaki-chan, I am Naruto!" the girl blushed again, which confused Naruto. "Hey, your face is kind of red. Are you okay?" he asked and placed his hand on her forehead, something he saw matrons at the orphanage do when they think someone was sick.

The girl got wide-eyed when his hand touched her forehead and she blushed so hard that Naruto thought she would explode. Before he voiced his concerns though, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Minato began to laugh as he saw the small boy panic around his daughter, while Kushina started to giggle.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, she will be fine in a minute," Kushina said and Naruto visibly relaxed.

"Come on," Minato said and led the boy to the table. "Let's eat!"

The lunch went by in a cheery atmosphere. When Tsubaki woke up, she was embarrassed by her fainting and refused to look at Naruto anymore. Minato would tell stories from his younger days, crack a joke here and there and, before they knew it, the sun was starting to set.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Naruto said to the two adults with a bow.

Minato waved him off. "It was nothing. You did save our daughter."

Naruto blushed at the praise. "Anyway, I better get going. See ya at the academy, Tsubaki-chan!"

The girl blushed and waved shyly. Naruto grinned one last time before he ran off to the orphanage.

Xxxx

Rest of the week passed quickly and Naruto was on his way to the Ninja Academy. The smile on his face never left him as he walked toward the place where he will begin to fulfill his dream. He swore to himself that he would become the strongest ninja ever so that he would be able to protect anyone who was precious to him. He would never be so weak and helpless, like he was when Tsubaki was almost kidnapped.

Arriving at the academy, he noticed that he only had few more minutes before the class started. Walking through the corridors, he searched his classroom. The slip of paper he received the day before said that his sensei was someone named Umino Iruka. He only hoped that Tsubaki would be in the same class as him.

Arriving at the classroom, he could hear the chatter of the students inside. Hoping that he wasn't late, he knocked at the door before opening them. The students quieted instantly and all eyes fell on him.

"Hello, may I help you?" a man with a pineapple pony-tail and a scar across his nose asked him. Behind him another man with long grey hair and bandana-style forehead protector stood.

Naruto nodded. "My name is Naruto and I should be in this class."

The man with the scar checked his notepad before nodding. "That's correct. Well, I am Umino Iruka and behind me is Mizuki," the man with the bandana waved. "If you could sit down so we can begin."

Naruto nodded and looked around for an empty seat. His eyes fell on a familiar head of red hair and a smile appeared on his face when she waved him over. He walked toward her and sat down on the empty seat beside her and smiled at her, to which she blushed. "Hey, Tsubaki-chan, how are you?"

"I'm okay, Naruto-kun," she shyly answered.

Any conversation that could've arisen was interrupted when Iruka spoke up. "First of, welcome to the Ninja academy. For the next seven years, Mizuki-sensei and myself will do our best to help you toward your path as a shinobi of Konoha. If you have any questions at any time, feel free to ask and we will try our best to answer them. Now let's begin with the name call."

One by one, the students would rose from their seats and state their names. There were thirty people in the class, and it was a common knowledge that more than half would probably fail in the end or would leave the academy at some point. Though saddening, it wasn't weird. Not everyone was fit to be a ninja.

When the name call ended, Iruka smiled at his students. "Let's begin."

Xxxx

The first day at the academy was… boring. Listening about the history of Elemental Nations was not something Naruto expected in the Ninja Academy. He expected Taijutsu practices, kunai and shuriken usage, learning new Ninjutsu, certainly not history. Sighing, he exited the academy and began his trek toward the orphanage. Before he could though, an Anbu member appeared in front of him and Naruto tensed. He knew about Anbu, everyone did. A special force of Konoha-nin that worked in complete secrets. The matrons in the orphanage would tell them that if they didn't behave, Anbu would come and snatch them in their sleep. Naruto didn't know what he did to get snatched, but before he could do anything, the Anbu reassured him.

"Naruto-san, Hokage-sama requested your presence," the Anbu said in a calm tone. "I assure you that you won't be hurt in any way."

Naruto visibly relaxed at that and nodded. Seeing the nod, the Anbu turned and began to walk toward the Hokage Tower. Naruto, on the other hand, was kind of excited. An opportunity to visit the Hokage in his office was a dream of every wannabe ninja. He just hoped that the visit would be friendly.

Soon enough, the two arrived at the red building the Hokage's office was. Passing through the door, they climbed the stairs and soon found themselves in front of the office. The Anbu member knocked and motioned Naruto to enter, before he disappeared. Naruto was confused at first, but relented and entered. Inside, he saw the Hokage sitting behind his desk with a smile on his face and a person in a dark-blue t-shirt, with some weird fan symbol on the back, like the boy from his class. When he looked closer, he could tell that they were related. He blushed embarrassingly when he noticed that they had the same hairstyle.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," Minato greeted warmly. "How was your first day at the academy?"

"Boring," Naruto replied, making Minato chuckle. "I was expecting some real ninja training, not some useless history."

"Then I have good news for you," at Naruto's confused expression, he continued. "This man here would like to train you."

Naruto looked at Itachi with a questioning glance. "Why would you want to train me? I'm just another orphan, there is nothing special about me."

"You are my cousin," Itachi stated and Naruto's mouth opened in shock. "Your mother was an Uchiha civilian and also, my aunt."

"W-wait, I'm an Uchiha?" Itachi nodded and Naruto grimaced slightly. "Do I have to be Uchiha Naruto now?"

"You wouldn't want that, Naruto-kun?" Minato asked, honestly surprised. He didn't really want for his son to become an Uchiha, but if he wanted, he would allow it.

Naruto shook his head. "There is an Uchiha in my class and he is really arrogant, always saying that he is the best just because of his name. His father is the same, looking at others like they are trash and unworthy to be in his presence. Also, I've seen people bowing to them like they are some kind of royalty. I don't want to be praised just because of my name."

After hearing this, Itachi smiled, something that slightly shocked the Hokage. "I presume you are talking about Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, you know him?"

"He is my brother," Itachi said and Naruto's eyes widened. The boy began to stutter nonsense, but Itachi waved him off. "I agree with your statement. Sasuke-kun inherited our father's arrogance and I won't deny that my father thinks very highly of himself. I will also support your decision of not taking the Uchiha name."

Naruto nodded, before realizing something. "But, why are you telling me all this now, why not before?"

"Naruto-kun, did you notice anything when you were being attacked by that man the other day?" Itachi asked.

Naruto shuddered slightly. The scene of the man getting stabbed coming back full force. Feeling the hand on his shoulder, he calmed down. "I remember that I could see more clearly and I could somehow see every move the man did."

Itachi nodded. "You have unlocked the Sharingan, the eye of our clan. If you accept my offer to train you, I will teach you how to use it efficiently."

Naruto thought for a moment before nodding. "I accept."

Itachi smiled again. "I will tell you though, that I will expect full cooperation from you. Also, you will have to hide the fact that you have the Sharingan at least until you become a ninja. If someone from my clan found out now, the consequences could be dire. After you become a ninja, the clan cannot directly interfere with the shinobi under the authority of the Hokage unless you are the already in the clan," Naruto nodded. "Very well, wait for me tomorrow after academy and I will take you to the training grounds," Itachi said and disappeared in smoke, much to the amazement of the boy.

"Wow," Naruto muttered, before realizing that the Hokage was still here. "Um, can I go now?"

Minato smiled. "Yes, you can."

Naruto bowed and left, happy that he would finally start his real ninja training.

And that's it for Chapter 1. I hope you like it and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Review and tell me what you think!