A/N-This is my first non-AU stories. So bare with me... Please let me know how I did. :-)
Also, this story will only briefly have Orochimaru in it. Anyway, i am trying to stay as close to the Manga/ Anime as possible, but i will sway away from it to fit my story. Such as Orochimaru never being in the Akatsuki...
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters :-(
The 13 year-old prodigy bowed at the feet of a white robe. He didn't dare look up into the disappointed face of the man he was pleading with. In the privacy of the Third Hokage's home, Itachi begged, "Lord Hokage, please do not let Danzo come in contact with my brother. I have left him alive to one day bring justice to me. I would rather be killed by him one day, so that he can redeem the Uchiha name." "Uchiha Itachi, you are now an S-Class criminal. However, I know that you have done this to protect the village you hold so dear." The Hokage put his hand on the young one's shoulder, "I will allow you to silently keep in contact to watch your brother's progress. You may report to me in five years." Itachi thanked him and made his way to the unknown.
Itachi was to live with eternal torment of the deed which was committed. The blood from the massacre was dry and crusted over on his ANBU clothes which were never to be worn again. Following the masked man who helped with the slaughter, he was now a new member to the Akatsuki. Itachi was inducted with an agreement with his superiors to not harm Konoha. He was now at the Akatsuki hideout, and the new cloak was to be worn with his new uniform from now on. Keeping a composed, disdainful look on his face, he was shown to his new room. As his new leader left him, Itachi made his way to the bathroom. He and his new partner would be in rooms next to each other, but have a shared bathroom. He locked both doors and turned on the water in the shower. He stood looking at the man in the mirror. Silently, tears fell down his face; he vowed it would be the last time. His mind flashed back to the night before. The slaughter of his entire clan, the crimson splatters, and the painful shrieks of the women and men forever staining his mind.
The tear that fell off his eye in front of his brother was not something he cared much about, Sasuke was too busy crying himself to see his older brother's rueful look as he left the village. Itachi's little brother would be the one to avenge the clan. His innocent little brother, was now tainted. "You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live… if you wish to kill me, then hate me, despise me… and by all means flee, cling to your wretched life". Itachi knew the years to come would not be easy for either of them.
Itachi now had five years to prove his allegiance to the Akatsuki to have freedom to communicate with Konoha without suspicion. His shower was prolonged, and hot, steam poured off his body as he shivered through his final cry. The clear water hit his head and flowed down his entire body, becoming scarlet as it trailed down the drain. He recomposed himself as he scrubbed the last of the blood off. After drying off, he dressed in his new mesh shirt with a V-neck t-shirt going over and matching blue pants. He then tied a blue sash around his waist tucking in the loose strapes. He then slid each of his arms into the black cloak with a red clouds decor.
Itachi sat on the large boat dock looking out onto the water. He heard light footsteps from behind, but did not turn to look. "I will be your partner from now on," the voice said. Itachi looked sternly out of the corner of his eye to see a tall, shark-like man. "I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, formally of the Kirigakure and one of the seven ninja swordsman..." there was a short silence. "And... you're Uchiha Itachi formally of Konohagakure. I have heard that you killed the rest of your clan." Again, Itachi said nothing, now staring back onto the ocean in which three shark-fins appeared nearby. "I understand you well, that's why i wanted you as my partner. The feeling of killing your comrades can't be put into words can it..." Kisame grinned, "Itachi". Itachi sat there for a five second interval, "you sure talk a lot... You think you know me, but what about yourself? You wandered through the mist to get here, but you're nothing more than a rogue ninja who can't even decide on his own destination." Silence fell, "Am I wrong?" Kisame lowered his wrapped sword onto Itachi's shoulder. "Let me tell you something: sharks lay eggs, but the eggs hatch within the mother before they are born. However, the number of eggs a shark lays are not the same as the number of babies she has... Why do you think that is?" Itachi didn't respond.
"They eat each other... As soon as the eggs hatch within the mother's womb, the babies begin to eat each other. They begin killing each other the moment they are born... everyone else is nothing but food. Starting today you and I are comrades in the Akatsuki, but watch out..." He paused again, "for me." Itachi activated his mangekyo sharingan still looking out on the waves, "I could say the same." Kisame chuckled, "Well, let's try and get along, and hope we're not each other's last opponent." Itachi pushed off his knee to stand, deactivating the sharingan, "Once you have killed your friends, you'll never have a good death. Be prepared." Kisame chuckled again, "then you and I... are both good-for-nothings." Calmly walking past his new comrade, "No... we are not fish, we are human. No matter what you've done, you never know what sort of person you are till the end..." Kisame looked at his new partner as he walked away; there was a respect now both receive.
Over the five years, Itachi had proven to be a vital asset to the Akatsuki. He had earned the trust of everyone in the Akatuski. Not that everyone liked him. He was hated by a few, including the one who truly led him to the organization. Only Itachi and Pein knew about the the masked man. Kisame and Itachi worked well with each other and argued the least. Itachi was now trusted to come and go as he pleased to an extent. Kisame went with him everywhere, Itachi had come to trust him, though. Today, Itachi would make his way back to Konoha to check in with the Hokage. The challenge was to have Kisame understand what Itachi was truly trying to accomplish.
The two had been traveling for a day now, yet Kisame wasn't sure of the destination. "Itachi, I trust you enough to know you wouldn't betray me, but you would have told me by now where we are going. So what makes this trip so different?" Itachi kept walking with a cold stare. "I'll tell you, but it is completely necessary you kept it between us. I wouldn't tell you if you and I didn't have to travel in pairs." "This is personal huh?" Kisame smirked. "Yes, is it understood this is to remain unspoken?" Kisame nodded. "My younger brother..." Itachi knew the questions that would fly with any other person, but Kisame was more tactful than the fellow members of the Akatsuki. "So you left one Uchiha alive. The fact that you are the only member of the Akatsuki who is from Konoha, and it is the only ninja village we are not to tamper with, and we are headed in that direction means... you are still loyal to your home village. But my question is, how is that possible?" A good deduction from Kisame pleased Itachi, "I made a secret pact with the Hokage the day I left the village. He gave me five years to return in secrecy. I will be checking on my brother from time to time." "You want to make sure he is living up to the Uchiha name without other Uchihas?" "Precisely." "Your secret is safe." "Hn." Kisame understood Itachi's sincere appreciation.
Night fell the next day, they arrived just outside of village boarder. "Kisame," Itachi voiced. "Hm" Kisame nodded in understanding his signal. Kisame walked away to wait for his partner to finish his errand. Itachi suppressed his chakra as he jumped over the wall into a forest and headed into the village. From behind a tree, he heard voices shouting, "Don't touch Iruka-sensei! I'll kill you!" Itachi peered about a quarter mile through the forest. He saw a blonde short kid wearing bright orange with a giant scroll standing in front of an injured man in a flack jacket. The kid was yelling at the another man in a flack jacket. "Shut-up! Punks like you, I can kill in one shot," the other man yelled back. "Try it trash! I'll return the pain 1000 times over!" "Then do it DEMON FOX." "KageBunshin-no-jutsu!" The kid was multiplied into a thousand. Itachi went on his way, he smirked, Uzumaki Naruto, your father and mother would be proud. He carefully made his way through the dark alleys to the Hokage's home. The window was opened and he leaped through and entered the closet of the bedroom to wait.
The Hokage came into his bedroom about a half hour later. The smirk he had left, "Itachi, come out of that closet, I've been expecting you anyway." This truly was the Third. Able to identify a person's chakra even after they'd suppressed it. Itachi stepped out of the closet. "Lord Hokage" Itachi bowed "You came at a good time. Today, you're brother has graduated the academy. His scores were the highest in his class, all except his ability to work with others. Tomorrow morning he will be assigned his new Jounin Sensei. It will be Hatake Kakashi." "And his teammates?" The Hokage smirked as he lifted his pipe to his mouth. "That took me a while. Uzumaki Naruto, because he had the worst scores, I figured it would have balanced out." "Hn, I don't see how that's possible when I just saw him create a thousand actual clones." The Hokage chuckled, "The last teammate was the hardest to place, it was a toss up between Hyuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura." "You must have chose the Hyuga." Itachi thought knowing the stoic personalities of the Hyuga clan, it would implant that into Sasuke. As well as determination Sasuke could have to become a better Kekkei Genkai user. "I know why you would think that, but the other is Haruno Sakura. She also has the highest scores in the class, but her ability to work with others is top. That is something we need for both Naruto and Sasuke. You see the two have become rivals."
"Hn," "I am sure you'll want to keep an eye on him yourself?" "You put Hatake Kakashi in charge of him. I would not be able to get as close as I'd like." "Yes, but Kakashi is also just as much about secrets as you are. I will inform him of your potential presence." Itachi nodded then began, "I have infiltrated an organization, Akatsuki will try to take the tailed beasts from each of the Jinchuriki hosts. I have done what I can to withhold any attacks on this village, but they will still try to take the Kyubi when at all possible. I will continue to report anything I can. But it will probably be best if I don't talk with you directly." "Yes, we'll figure that out when the time comes." "Thank you, Lord Hokage." Itachi bowed as he quickly slipped silently out the window and outside the village.