Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A/N: A new story! Just kind of had the idea and I ran with it. Itachi is one of my favorite characters and this story just kind of stemmed from my wanting to make him a major part of the story. You should be able to guess what kind of role he will play in Naruto's life based on the title. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: Foolish Sentiments

Orders were orders. This much had always been clear to Uchiha Itachi. If it was for the benefit of Konoha, he would carry his orders out. And that was why he had accepted the order to massacre his clan; for the safety of Konoha, he would accept the burden of being labeled a traitor, a murderer, a psychopath.

But the day was still young, and Itachi would not carry his orders out until he could be covered by the darkness of night. It was when he worked best. So he had decided to spend the day simply walking around and admiring the village he had come to call home, knowing that tomorrow he would be hated by all but a select few of those who would live here. He wore his entire ANBU outfit, including his Weasel mask, in order to stave off possible conversation; most people simply did not talk to ANBU. As much as he loved this place, he knew he may never be able to come back. It was a sad and sobering thought, but it was the price he had to pay. He knew it was a heavy burden, and that he would receive no thanks for the part he was to play, but he was not bothered by that. He preferred to not be thanked for mass murder, even if it was necessary.

In his wandering, Itachi noticed that he had come across the Ninja Academy. Apparently the classes were out for recess, as most of the kids were out and about on the grounds, playing or relaxing with each other. He saw his little brother, Sasuke, busy throwing shuriken at the practice dummies. There was a fairly large group of girls watching him. Itachi could only sigh and hope that Sasuke would not become spoiled and let attention like that go to his head, especially since he was likely to receive much more of it once he was the last Uchiha left in Konoha.

Itachi's eyes then wandered to the lone swing set. In it sat a small blond boy with whisker marks that Itachi was rather familiar with: Uzumaki Naruto. Itachi had been in the ANBU for the past three years, and an assignment he had commonly received was to watch over Naruto from the shadows. Itachi knew that the reason the Hokage gave the assignment to him so often was because Itachi was one of very few people who viewed the boy with more than indifference or outright hatred. He was of course aware of the young boy's burden as a jinchūriki, but Itachi was more than smart enough to see the boy as just that: a boy. It sickened him to see the way Naruto was sometimes treated, but he had always admired his determination. But looking at him now Itachi could see none of it.

Naruto was staring at the ground, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were not vibrant in the way Itachi was used to seeing when Naruto was around others, but instead they were cold, and sad. Itachi knew that Naruto had dropped his emotional and psychological mask, not bothering to wear it when he thought no one was looking. He was saddened by the life Naruto was forced into, and wondered if the boy would be okay without Itachi around to protect him. He knew Kakashi also liked Naruto to an extent, but the man was usually either too lazy or too busy wallowing in his own sadness to look after him properly.

It hurt Itachi to see Naruto like this, but as far as he knew there was nothing he could do. He continued his trek around the village, enjoying as much of it as he could in the time he had remaining.

Hours later Itachi found himself ascending the Hokage Monument. He wanted to check-up on Naruto one last time, knowing that the boy often came to the Yondaime's head and looked over the village. When Itachi arrived he was not disappointed, as Naruto was calmly standing in his usual spot. Itachi silently leapt into a nearby tree and gazed out over the village like the boy before him.

It was like Itachi was seeing Konoha for the first time. He had never truly looked over the village from this high of a vantage point. The beauty was beyond comparison, and he could see why Naruto liked the spot so much. The sunset gave the village a warm orange glow, and Itachi lamented that it was probably both the first and the last time he would ever see something so beautiful.

Itachi was quickly brought out of his thoughts by a rather strong gust of wind. Knowing that it could send Naruto tumbling off of the cliff to his imminent death, Itachi jumped down to the ground and silently ran towards Naruto's position. As Itachi predicted, Naruto began wobbling where he stood, quickly losing balance and teetering over the edge. Seeing this, Itachi doubled his speed and caught Naruto's arm just before he fell. Pulling him back up to safety, Itachi sat him down on the ground a few meters from the edge.

"That was a close one, Naruto-kun." Itachi said. "You should be more careful."

"Sorry, Weasel, guess I should have paid more attention," Naruto said sheepishly.

"So what's on your mind? I know you like to come here when you want to think."

"... Why does everyone hate me?" Naruto asked, allowing his mask to slip off somewhat.

"Not everyone hates you, Naruto-kun. I don't, and I know that neither the Hokage nor those nice people at the ramen stand hate you."

"You know what I mean," Naruto replied, slightly angry. "And I know you know why."

"Forgive me, Naruto-kun, but it's not my place to tell you," Itachi said sadly. "Just know that not everyone hates you, and those that do are misguided."

"I hate them too, you know." Naruto said quietly. "No one ever looks at me as a person, only as a 'monster' or a 'demon.' I never did anything wrong, but it's just always been like that. I wanna prove them wrong, that I'm more than just these stupid names they call me, but I don't know how!"

"Forgive me, Na –"

"Can't you do something besides say that you're sorry!?"

Itachi could only silently stare at the boy before him, thinking over what he could say. Itachi had of course helped him many times before, mostly by doing things like he had done only a minute before or by saving him from the occasional drunk villager. But anyone could do those things. What was it that Naruto really needed? The answer came far too quickly. A family, Itachi thought. Something every child deserves but Naruto was constantly denied. And it's the one thing I can't give him.

But then the beginnings of a plan came together in Itachi's mind. A way he could give Naruto just that. It was crazy, and he was not sure if Naruto would like all of the results, but it was all he could do. Before he could enact it, he had to talk to the Hokage. However, getting permission was not the issue, he would do it regardless of what decision was made. Still, the Hokage should know.

"There is more I can do for you, Naruto-kun," Itachi said. "I will see you later tonight."

With that, Itachi left a highly confused and frustrated Naruto on the Hokage Monument.

"Perhaps what you say is for the best, Itachi," Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, said in response to Itachi's plan. "But my advisers would never allow such a thing. They would rather he be trained in the village at least, and with your plan that obviously won't be possible."

"They merely want him as a weapon," Itachi quietly seethed. "It's not the right thing for him. But I will tell you now that what is good for Naruto-kun will, in time, be good for Konoha as a whole. He will be a great shinobi one day, but for now it's best if he grows up away from the village. And besides, I did not come here seeking permission, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen sighed wearily, suddenly feeling his age. "Very well. I will not inform them until tomorrow, and by then they won't be able to do anything."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Itachi said as he bowed.

Men. Women. Children. It made no difference, all were felled quickly and silently. For every death he had a hand in, Itachi felt like a bit of himself died as well. This feeling was intensified by the fact that these were his own clansmen. But it was necessary. So he pressed on, and buried his guilt and remorse for later. At last there were only two left: his own parents.

Itachi slid open the door to the room that contained his parents. They sat there, as if they were waiting for him. They did not turn to look at their eldest son that would soon become their executioner.

"So, you joined the other side," Itachi's father, Fugaku, said.

Itachi was not sure what he should say, or even if he should say anything. Still, the words spilled forth from his mouth almost unconsciously.

"Mother... Father..."

"We know, Itachi," Itachi's mother, Mikoto, said.

"Promise us that you will take care of your brother," Fugaku continued.

Itachi could feel the tears building up in his eyes. He wanted to stop them but it was to no avail. Unbidden, they rolled down his cheeks. The tanto in his hand began to clatter quietly in response to his light trembling, as if every fiber of his being was telling him this was wrong. But he knew he had no other choice, and tightened his grip in an attempt to reinforce his resolve.

"I will," Itachi muttered.

"Do not hesitate," Fugaku's voice rang out, his resolve to die at his own son's hand evident. "Our pain will not last long, unlike what you will probably go through. We may think differently, and I had hoped things would not turn out like this, but we're still proud of you."

Itachi began shaking more violently than before, his tears now streaming farther down his face. He silently wondered, if his parents turned around to look him in the face, would he be able to finish things? If they attacked them, would he be able to beat them in this state? … Would he even want to? But his parents were resolute in keeping their backs to their son, as if to alleviate some of the immense pressure Itachi was feeling.

"You really are such a gentle child," Fugaku's last words escaped from his mouth. Itachi grit his teeth in preparation of his next action.

Finally Itachi's blade was plunged into his father's chest, through his heart. His mother was quickly given the same quick death. The entire time he could not stop trembling, nor could he stop the flow of tears that now mingled with the blood on his hands and blade. The deed was now done, and there was no going back. Soon the world would know Itachi as a mass murderer, but the first to find out would be his little brother. Itachi could sense Sasuke running around the compound, and knew that this very room was his next destination. Itachi quickly steeled himself and removed all traces of tears. He once more felt shame in knowing that though today would easily be the worst day of both his and his little brother's lives, he was about to make it much worse. He had to make his own brother hate him, to want to be nothing like the heartless monster he would make himself out to be.

Naruto was sitting on a bench in the park, still thinking over the words the ANBU known as Weasel had told him. The ninja had told Naruto that there was something more he could do, but he left without any real specifics. All Naruto knew was that he was supposed to see him later tonight, but he was getting tired and wondered if he should just go home. He knew it was not a question of whether Weasel could find him or not, he had always found him easily enough in times past.

Naruto was roused from his thoughts when he saw a young man walking towards him in what was unmistakably ninja gear. The only other details he could make out of this person was the long black hair tied back in a pony tail, with bangs that framed the side of his face. As he got closer, Naruto noticed that he looked quite similar to one of the students Naruto had seen in his class at the academy, though the name escaped him. But Naruto was sure he did not know this person and quickly put himself on guard.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"Forgive me, Naruto-kun."

Those words matched with that voice and tone made this person's identity unmistakable, Naruto knew then that this was the person that hid behind the Weasel mask. But this development had Naruto asking himself questions in his head, none of which would be answered that night. Before Naruto could say anything, Itachi was instantly behind him and Naruto felt something hit him. His vision went dark, and he could feel himself entering the world of dreams.

When Naruto awoke he found himself in a relatively comfortable sleeping bag in a clearing surrounded by forest. He had little time to think before he heard a familiar voice.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun."

As he finally remembered his last minute of consciousness from the night before, Naruto was instantly on guard. He estimated that he had about a million different questions, and decided that he should voice them all immediately.

"Where are we!? Why did you bring me here!? Why did you attack me!? Why –"

Naruto instantly stopped speaking as the air itself began to feel oppressive. He was having trouble breathing and took large gulps of it. He could feel himself beginning to sweat. But then everything was as it was before, though he could hear some bustling around the foliage, signaling that the birds and animals in the area had fled in fear.

"Wh-what was t-that?" Naruto asked shakily.

"That was my killing intent," Itachi replied calmly. "I did that to get you to calm down. I will answer your questions, but ask them calmly, and one at a time. If you're to be a ninja someday, then you must eventually learn to contain yourself. I intend for you to learn this quickly."

Naruto had heard of killing intent before, but he had never expected it to feel that bad. Little did he know that Itachi's display was a rather small fraction of what he could produce.

"Okay, so where are we?"

"We are in a forest, very far from Konoha but still inside of Fire Country."

"Why did you bring me here? Did you kidnap me or something?"

"Yes, but this is for your benefit. Right now, I do not think you can live happily in Konoha because of the villagers. I know the location of your godfather, and I intend to have you meet him."

"I... I have a godfather? How come I've never met him? Why hasn't he been there for me?"

"He is a very important man and has duties to the village that constantly keep him out of it. You will not be able to see him very often still because of that but he will assist me in teaching you how to be a ninja."

"Can I... still go back to Konoha?"

"I will let you return anytime you wish, but if you do then I will not go back with you, and you will likely never see me again."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Not only would he not be held against his will, he had the opportunity to have people personally train him instead of having to sit through lame academy lessons. For now, he would stay, though he was sure he could learn everything he needed to know in order to be an amazing ninja in just a few months, so being out of the village for that time should be no problem for him. But this brought him back to why this person, whose real name was still unknown, would be willing to go so far for him.

"Why do you want to help me? You know what everyone else thinks of me..."

Itachi thought carefully on how he should answer this question and just how much he should reveal to this child at this time.

"It's because of what those people say and do that I want to help you. Naruto-kun, you deserve to be treated the same as anyone else, but the village denied you that. I did not like the way you've been forced to grow up, and this was the only thing I could think of to help you."

"So what's with all the secrets then? You didn't have to kidnap me. And earlier you said if I left then I'd never see you again, why wouldn't I? Are you saying you're never going back to Konoha?"

"Forgive me Naruto-kun, but there are some circumstances I cannot tell you, including the things you just asked, as well as the reason behind the way you've been treated within Konoha. All I can say is that in time, I will tell you these things when I think you're ready to hear them."

Naruto was not satisfied with that answer, but he understood well enough that shinobi had some secrets they had to keep. At least he knew he would find out someday, hopefully soon. But there was one more thing he wanted to know.

"What's your name?"

At this Itachi smiled, though it was hard to tell through his stoic demeanor.

"Itachi. Uchiha Itachi."

"What do you mean Itachi took the Kyūbi jinchūriki out of the village!?"

Danzō was livid. So far, all had gone according to plan. Thanks to Tobi and Itachi, he now had plenty of Sharingan at his disposal. Eventually he would have the power of Senju Hashirama as well, and then he would have control of the Kyūbi. But with the boy now gone, there was no telling when he would be able to accomplish that plan. He could only hope that Itachi did not remove Naruto from the village solely to keep Danzō away from him, it would be bad if anyone knew of these plans.

"I mean exactly what I said," Hiruzen said. "Itachi took Naruto out of the village." Hiruzen's emphasis on Naruto's name had a clear meaning: Naruto was a person, not a weapon, something he knew that Danzō heavily disagreed with.

"For what purpose?" Danzō retorted. "The boy is nothing but a weapon to be used in defense of our village, and now Konoha is without its jinchūriki!"

"Itachi did this to give Naruto another chance at a normal childhood. It may be late in coming but this is what the Yondaime wanted for him."

"Such sentiments are utterly foolish, and would see this village turn to dust. The boy should have been given to me from the start."

"Watch your tongue, Danzō," Hiruzen said as his eyes narrowed. "Your warmongering ways would bring naught but chaos and destruction to not only Konoha, but the elemental nations at large. Speaking of which, I do not appreciate you going behind my back and having Itachi slaughter all the rest of his clan, save for Sasuke."

"There was no other way," Danzō said. Though also done out of his own greed, he knew the problem would have been dealt with in this way eventually. "Either they would have to die, or they along with many others would die as well. You know as well as I that those discussions were going nowhere. Better we catch them off guard than they us."

Hiruzen shook his head exasperatedly. Homura and Koharu, who had nothing to say so far, continued to listen in. While they currently sided with Danzō and would rather their jinchūriki remained in the village, they knew there was nothing they could do about it now.

"What's done is done," Hiruzen said. "Itachi is gone and he brought Naruto with him. He agreed to become a part of Jiraiya's spy network in order to continue aiding the village. He will also be training Naruto as a ninja, and Jiraiya will help them with that when he can. With those two training him, Naruto will surely be a force to be reckoned with, in time. In the end, this will benefit Konoha immensely."

"So you say," Danzō said bitterly. "We can only hope."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I had fun writing it. And I hope no one is upset about me writing out the massacre scene with Itachi/Sasuke's parents with almost no changes, but I felt like delving more into what Itachi was feeling that night and what sort of things might have been going through his head at the time.

Review please!