Barriers and Bridges

by LutraShinobi

Disclaimer: To quote Thomas Jefferson, "He who knows best knows how little he knows." However, I do know one thing, and that is that I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1 - Changes of Heart

The crackling sound of wood being dropped onto flames disturbed the peace of the forest, followed by a thud as the wood-dropper seated himself by his newly-built fire. If anyone had happened to be watching this (which, coincidentally, someone was), they would have noted in particular the spiky blond hair and the vivid, youthful blue eyes of the man who had made the fire. Although, really, he could hardly be called a man; more of a boy, except that there was too much man for him to be called a simple boy.

The man/boy's name was Uzumaki Naruto, and he was restless and impatient. He was on his way back to his hometown of Konoha after having exerted himself on a one-man mission as one of Konoha's young ninja. By this time tomorrow, I'll be home, he though, elated at the prospect. I'll be able to eat ramen, and see Sasuke and Sakura-chan. He was referring to his two cherished comrades and close friends, the dark, cold Uchiha prodigy, and the affectionate, pink-haired kunoichi Haruno Sakura.

And I mustn't forget Kakashi-sensei, Naruto thought, a smile spreading across his whiskered face as his eccentric teacher came to mind. Hatake Kakashi was famous for using his Sharingan ability to copy more techniques than any other ninja, but (at least in Konoha) was equally renowned for his taste in explicit, "dirty" books.

Naruto's reminiscing was interrupted as he became aware of a foreign Chakra, very near to his location. It was a strong Chakra, but not the strongest he'd ever felt. However, it put him on his guard. He stood up, adopting a defensive stance, kunai at the ready. "Show yourself!" Naruto commanded.

"As you wish," a voice said, seemingly out of nowhere. It was a quiet, low voice, with very little colour in it, but nevertheless a voice to pay attention to. Naruto noticed a figure making its way towards him, weaving through the bush. He could discern that it was wearing black, but when he tried to see the face it always seemed to be obscured by a tree.

Suddenly, the figure was only a few feet away from him, and its identity hit Naruto full force. Although it wasn't physical, Naruto staggered backwards at the impact. This wasn't a face Naruto knew well, but it was strikingly similar to one that he did. The sleek black hair, although styled differently, was the same. The cold, calculating eyes were the same. The hard, emotionless expression was the same. What wasn't the same were the premature wrinkles on this countenance. Sasuke... this was the turn Naruto's thoughts immediately took. But that's not him... is it... no, it can't be...

Naruto remembered the first time he'd looked upon this face. It had stared impassively down at him from a hotel room doorway, and chills had gone down his back at the sight of it. Identical chills affected him now, and he suppressed a shiver.

"Uchiha...Uchiha...Itachi," he whispered. The name felt strange as it crossed his lips. Strange and sinister, just like the person it belonged to.

"Uzumaki Naruto-san," Uchiha Itachi, for it was indeed he, replied.

"Have you been following me?" Naruto demanded. He was nervous, but he was good at hiding and ignoring fear.

"Yes," Itachi answered, his voice cold and detached.

For how long? Naruto considered asking, then decided he didn't want to know. Having an S-Class criminal who had single-handedly ruined your best friend's life trail you through the forest was very creepy, to say the least.

Naruto raised his kunai a little higher, and Itachi immediately put up his hands in a clear gesture of peace. He closed his eyes as well. This would have seemed strange to someone who had never seen Itachi in action, but not to Naruto. Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan, an illusionary technique he put into effect by making eye contact with his victim, was his most dangerous weapon. "I have no harmful intentions," he said.

"Towards me, maybe," Naruto said, his lip curling upwards to reveal slightly larger than normal canines. Itachi knew what he was getting at, and responded, "Nor towards Sasuke. Or towards anyone else."

"It's so easy to lie, though," Naruto said, not relaxing his tense stance one bit. "Especially for someone like you." He spat the words out with as much venom as he could muster.

"Not entirely true," Itachi deadpanned. "I am a criminal, but a relatively honest one."

" 'Honest' and 'criminal' - two words you don't often hear together," Naruto snarled. How he hated this guy, who had so mechanically massacred Sasuke's family, massacring Sasuke's happiness with it.

"Not usually," Itachi agreed unsmilingly. "But I am not usual, either."

"Not usual," Naruto repeated the words mockingly. "That's one way of putting it."

Itachi's reply was not a question, but a statement. "You hate me."

"Yes." Naruto was blunt.

"You think me evil."

"Yes."

There was a long silence. Then Itachi asked, very politely, "May I sit by your fire?" Naruto stared at him. "No," he said deliberately. Itachi backed up a few paces. "Is this better?"

"I wish I could say no, but it's not my forest. Sit where you want, just don't try anything funny. If you do, I'll kick you back to the Stone Age," Naruto said aggressively. He and Itachi sat simultaneously, on opposite sides of the fire. The sparks flying up in front of Naruto's face, with the orange light of the flames washing over him, combined with his murderous expression to make him look quite frightening.

Naruto soon grew uncomfortable staring at Itachi, but he didn't want to look away - it was dangerous to take your eyes off the enemy. Finally he blurted, "What do you want?"

Itachi's empty eyes roved over his face before he said evenly, "I desire assistance."

"That's what annoys me about you freaking Uchihas," Naruto grumbled. "Instead of saying 'I want help' like a normal person, you have to take the long way around with 'I desire assistance'. You even have to talk more sophisticatedly than everyone else!"

It was a testament to how long Itachi had been blocking his emotions that he showed not a trace of expression at that, merely saying, "However you wish to say it, I mean it."

"Well, you can mean it all you want, but it's going to get you nowhere, since I do not desire to assist you," Naruto retorted snappishly, folding his arms over his chest.

Itachi said nothing, waiting patiently. He had marked Naruto down from the first as someone who couldn't leave anything alone, and he was to be proven right as the blond shinobi shifted and asked, curious in spite of himself, "What exactly do you want help for?"

"You are a friend of my brother's, are you not?" Itachi inquired. Unbidden, the image of a young Sasuke, eyes pleading, flashed through the mind of the rebel-nin.

"You've caused Sasuke enough suffering," Naruto said shortly.

"I know," Itachi said, his feelings as hidden as ever. "That's why I want to remedy that, as best I can."

"So, after killing your entire clan and ruining Sasuke's life, you're just going to waltz in as if nothing happened and say, 'Yo, little bro! Give me a hug!'??" Naruto said incredulously.

"My plan was to be slightly more subtle," Itachi said. He didn't even wince.

"And Akatsuki is okay with this?" Naruto said, still disbelieving. Akatsuki was the criminal organization of which Itachi was a member.

"I am no longer a member of Akatsuki," Itachi explained simply. "I, as you say, quit."

"And they let you." The incredulity hadn't left Naruto's voice, but now that he looked away from Itachi's face, he noticed that the black cloak Itachi wore no longer bore a red cloud pattern, a symbol of Akatsuki.

"As you know, my eyes are not what they used to be. Use of the Mangekyou Sharingan has taken an estimated 35 percent of my vision away. Even the normal Sharingan is damaging to my eyesight now. As a result, I am not the effective shinobi Akatsuki wants. Using this as my main argument, I was able to persuade them to release me from my service."

"That sounds likely," Naruto said, bitingly sarcastic.

Itachi didn't say that it had been a close shave. The Akatsuki Leader had been in favour of killing him rather than letting him go, but had eventually left it up to a vote by the other members. The only person who hadn't voted to release Itachi was Deidara, who was still sore from the time Itachi had used the Mangekyou on him upon joining the organization. But of course, there was no reason to elaborate on what he had already said.

"So... what prompted this random change of heart? Last time I heard, you were practically egging your brother on in his revenge," Naruto probed.

"When I lost my principal fighting ability, I realized what else I had lost," was Itachi's cryptic answer. Naruto was silent for a long time, thinking it over, and this time it was Itachi who broke the silence. "Will you aid me to... mend things with my sibling?"

"I don't know..." Naruto said slowly. He had no guarantee that Itachi was telling the truth, and was hesitant to get involved in anything that might bring danger or pain to Sasuke.

"I will give you an hour to think," Itachi said, rising. "Then I will return. I expect an answer." He turned and vanished. As Itachi's cloak whipped around him, Naruto thought he saw something fly out of it. He bit back a cry of "Wait, you dropped something!" He definitely wanted to see whatever it was.

Waiting a few moments to make sure Itachi was nowhere in the vicinity, Naruto walked over to the spot the other shinobi had recently vacated and picked up a white rectangle of thick paper off the ground. He turned it over carefully.

It was a photograph. It showed a much younger Itachi, face less lined, seated on the steps of what Naruto recognized as the Uchiha compound. But what made it special was that beside him sat Sasuke, probably only seven or eight, looking adoringly up at his older brother. Itachi had his arm around Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him close. And what was really amazing? They were both smiling, smiling as if the world were perfect. How quickly that illusion had been destroyed.

Naruto stared at the picture, very much affected by it. Had Itachi dropped it on purpose? But even if he had, it didn't change the fact that he'd carried it around for about ten years. But if having this meant so much to him, why did he throw it all away? Naruto didn't know the answer to that question, didn't know if he ever would. He didn't know if he was making the right decision either. But he had decided, and that was that.

"Itachi!" He hollered up into the trees. "I'm ready to answer!"

Itachi reappeared in front of him, calm and unruffled. If he was anxious or hopeful at all, it didn't show.

"I'll help you. We leave for Konoha tomorrow at dawn," Naruto said briskly.

Itachi digested this response for only a moment before asking, "What made up your mind?" Naruto raised one eyebrow; emotion was nearly impossible to recognize in someone like Itachi, but was that a tinge of curiosity he detected behind the cool, composed words?

Unhesitatingly, Naruto handed the photograph back to Itachi. "I believe in second chances."

Itachi stared at the picture, expression unfathomable. Then he looked up at Naruto.

"Arigatou."

There's the first chapter of my new story "Barriers and Bridges". Please note that there will be absolutely no yaoi in this fic - no SasuNaru, or ItaNaru, or ItaSasu, or anything of the kind. Friendship and brotherhood only! Well, hope you liked it. Chapter 2 will come... well... sometime. For this story, I really can't predict how long it will take me to find inspiration. At the moment, I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen next :P Thanks for taking the time to read, and now you've done that, please, please, with a cherry on top, REVIEW!