Author's Note: I'm putting this story back in here again. Surprisingly, as I have no idea how it happened. Someone had deleted my stories and I have no effing clue who did it. I swear I am not going to open my account in a public café again, EVER!!! It's a good thing this story still existed in my account though, It gave me the chance of putting it back up. Unfortunately for my story "A Different Path" I haven't saved it anywhere at all! But I'm still planning on rewriting it.

AND I CAN'T BELIEVE ITACHI DIED AGES AGO! I AM STILL IN DENIAL! But my love for this pairing shall never fade away!!! *nods head fervently*

Summary: Blue eyes met blue. The other to protect his village, the other to protect his most precious person.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sadly.

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Chapter 1: Unexpected Meeting

Naruto grimaced in pain clutching his stomach. He tried standing up holding onto a tree for support when another wave of pain shot through him. "Ah dammit." the boy cursed, wincing. Still dazed he looked up, taking in the sight of his surroundings. It was still dark.

'Ne, Kyuu-chan! Do you have any idea where we are right now?' he mentally asked the demon fox inside him.

A moment of silence passed, the fox was somehow deep in thought. 'I...don't think I can answer that question Naruto. All I remember...' the demon paused. 'is that...we were able to save Itachi at the last minute when that jutsu was about to hit him, but ended up hitting us instead.'

Hearing the demon's reply, Naruto's eyes widened a little, ah yes, he remembered it now, the events earlier that day played in his mind. "Well, I'm still alive after receiving that stupid jutsu, that's a relief." Naruto grumbled. "Stupid, stupid snake bastards."

'Hey kid, feeling any better?' the demon asked in worry.

Naruto was frowning but then smiled upon hearing the fox's concerned voice, looking at his hands the young blonde teen's smile grew wider as the last traces of wounds vanished. 'Tehee you're such a worrywart Kyuu-chan, Arigatou!'

The furry thing snorted. 'I know you too much to not worry about your health brat.' Naruto pouted cutely, both demon and container chuckled.

The blond started, still weak but he felt better. After lifting himself off the ground, he carefully dusted the dirt off his cloak and raked his fingers through his long blond hair, combing them as he tied it up neatly letting it fall smoothly on his back. Slumping under a nearby tree Naruto waited...

and waited...

and waited...

and waited... until it hit him.

"It-chan, where are you?" he just realized his lover's chakra signature was not present at all. Naruto frowned, worry building up at the pit of stomach. "Itachi..." the darkness continued to stare back. "God Itachi where the hell are you?" he was really worried now. 'I hope he's okay! Dammit if that snake-bastard did anything to himmmm...I swear!' Naruto shook such unwanted thoughts out of his mind.

"Dammit Itachi where the hell are you?" he half shouted into the darkness, still receiving no reply the blue-eyed blond continued. "Bastard, I swear you're so going to hurt all over later if you don't come out now, ya hear me?!" he was in denial, Naruto didn't want to think he could possibly be... "Itachi I mean it, where are you?"

The blonde was about to shout more incoherent words through the darkness, when he felt his lover's sudden chakra signature. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, Naruto wiped the tears off the corner of his eyes that he didn't even realize having. For a minute there he thought he had really lost him. Naruto inwardly smiled, damn that Uchiha for making him worry so much. Wiping the last trace of tear, he turned around putting on his most intimidating look ever, well at least he knew Itachi would be. He mentally congratulated himself.

--

"So Itachi, when will we kidnap the fox demon brat?" Kisame asked his partner, cocking his head to the side giving him a sideway glance as they walked through the forest.

"Never." came the monosyllabic reply.

The shark-faced nin gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Look! I know you like the boy and crap but it's our mission to get him and hand him over to Leader-sama, you can't let your feelings..." Kisame had to do a double take on that, somehow Itachi Uchiha + Feelings of like? love? still sounded pretty alien to his ears. "...interfere with the mission, you of all people should be able to understand that. And don't forget we..."

"He's special." he cut him off.

Kisame rolled his eyes. "Of course he is special, he's the Kyuubi container."

The Uchiha gave him a long penetrating stare. "I won't kidnap him nor will I kill him, you know that."

The mist nin shrugged. "Fine! But think about it. It's not like he likes you back or something, he hates your very existence man." he pressed on trying to knock some sense into his partner's head. "Besides you said it yourself he doesn't remember you at all."

"Don't care."

"He means that much to you?"

"Yes."

"Bah, I'll never understand you."

For a while no exchange of words came so the two continued to walk in silence.

"Dammit Itachi where are you?"

Both ninja's spun around, Itachi's face remained blank while Kisame frowned in question. 'Now that's interesting, I could've sworn I heard that voice before.'

"Bastard, I swear you're so going to hurt all over later, if you don't come out now, ya hear me?! It-chan I mean it, where are you?!" Upon hearing such words it didn't took long before the shark-faced nin's face threatened to burst with laughter. 'Hahaha! Oh my God oh my God, Whoever said those words is in deep shit right now.'

Itachi's expression turned from blank and uncaring to a ready-to-chop heads-off one, in an instant the two stood behind the owner of the said voice, Itachi was about to put an end to the stranger's insolence when something familiar caught his senses, he abruptly stopped. 'That scent...'

Naruto turned. Blue eyes met red.

Itachi blinked, taking in the form in front of him.

Blonde long hair, bright blue eyes, whisker marks on both cheeks, Akatsuki cloak... hold on? Akatsuki cloak? Itachi slowly straightened himself up, his eyes never leaving the blond, so as Kisame with his eyes practically popping out of their sockets. The brunette continued to examine the boy with his mangekyou in use.

'Definitely not a henge.' he thought. 'But he...looks just like...' Itachi shaked his thoughts off, he placed his blank mask on. "Name yourself!"

The blond was tapping his foot on the ground in annoyance. "Tch, baka It-chan. What? Did you forgot me or something?" both nins looked at him in dead silence. "Hey...we've been together for like 10 years and you stare at me like a fish out of the tank?" he gazed at the shark-like nin. "Err no offense Kisa-niichan." he chuckled.

Itachi and Kisame continued to look at him, studying him from head to toe, they were both thinking of the same thing. This boy doesn't just look like Naruto, he sounded like him too.

"Argghhh..." Naruto groaned. "What's up with you people?"

'Something's different.'

'Ei? You saying something Kyuu-chan?'

'Ugh nothing....' the fox quickly replied, masking this sudden feeling he was having. There was definitely something, a scent in the air that he couldn't quite point out, but somehow felt ridiculously familiar.

Naruto pouted, but then as mischievous as he was his face suddenly broke into a grin. "Alright then, I'll just MAKE you remember."

In a split motion Itachi found himself sprawled onto the ground with the blond seated firmly on top of him. The brunette looked up at the blond, he was about to protest when his mouth suddenly became occupied. Naruto's mouth came crushing down onto his own, giving him a long searing kiss. Itachi opened his mouth intending to tell the boy to stop but he was only greeted by the moist tongue that was practically pushing it's way down his throat, a soft moan involuntarily escaped him.

After a moment, Naruto's mouth stopped its assault as he stared at Itachi's features, his loose bangs making beautiful shadows on his face. "Jerk! Stop making me worry like that, why didn't you answer immediately when I called out for you? Tch. I hate it when you do these sort of things." The blonde stated wincing a little while massaging his rib. "Did you took care of the bastard already?" Naruto looked up noticing the shark-like nin was with Itachi. And what's Kisa-niichan doing here? I thought he was suppose to be with Deidara on a mission?"

Naruto looked back down at Itachi a slight blush on his face realizing the position both of them were in. "Ack! Gomen gomen gomen!" he hurriedly stood up grimacing a bit in the process, he offered a hand to the brunette, which Itachi took without question his face still remaining blank.

Watching from a corner Kisame suddenly burst out. "What the hell! How in the world did you get this cloak? And...and how did you know Deidara? What did you just do to my partner?"

Naruto blinked, his eyes darting into Kisame's direction. "Ei? Nani? You're acting weird Kisa-niichan 'course I know Deidara since he's an Akatsuki member. Baka." The blonde shifted his gaze back to Itachi. "And I kissed It-chan. We do it all the time." Naruto rubbed his head. "And it's not the first time you saw us doing that geezz...don't act like you're a virgin or something. Heh."

"Oi brat. I think you're mistaking us for somebody else. And stop calling me that." Kisame glared at the blond.

Naruto glared back at the mist-nin with one of his own. "Do you think I'd mistake other people of my own family? If this is one of your jokes Kisa-niichan it's not funny." he looked back at Itachi crossing his arms against his chest. "It-chan what's going on?" No reply came.

Kisame massaged his head he felt a headache coming. The blue man shrugged.

"Okay okay! Hold on. So...you're telling us that you're Uzumaki Naruto?"

The blue-eyed-blond rolled his eyes. "Of course I am."

"From what village?"

"Honestly Kisa-niichan why are you asking such things?"

Kisame was being retarded. A sudden thought passed over the young blonde's mind, but then dismissed the idea immediately since if that was true, he would definitely be able to tell, plus the mangekyou sharingan was a bloodline limit, he didn't think anybody would be able to copy them and try to trick him now can they? But Kisame was still being retarded. Must have been something that happened from his previous mission.

"Just answer it."

"Fine. I came from the demented village of Konoha, happy now?"

"And you're an Akatsuki member?"

Naruto tugged at his own cloak. "Are you blind?"

"And we've known each other...when? How?"

Naruto snorted. Yup, he can definitely play along with Kisame's antics for now. "Seven years old, I went with It-chan when he left Konoha. Then the two of us met, I guess I was 10 back then." He ran his fingers through his slightly disheveled hair. "Seriously Kisa-niichan, I wonder what happened with you and Deida-niichan's mission, you're acting definitely strange. A jutsu mucked you up or something?"

"What was the last thing you remembered?" Itachi finally asked.

"Aww don't tell me you're with Kisa-niichan in this too?" Naruto pouted but then his face broke into a smirk. "Well if you really want to hear it then." snickering, Naruto continued. "I saved your sorry ass from that jutsu Orochi-bastard sent your direction tehee!" he scrunched up his face in thought. "Oh oh, which just got me thinking...he mentioned that it was a new jutsu he was working on...and stuff. But that's odd since I don't feel any different or weird. Well, besides Kisa-niichan there, but that's totally unrelated." he blinked at them both.

'Interesting.' the Uchiha thought. He was still a bit confused with the current situation, but aside that he was somewhat happy. Fine, that was an understatement. Despite the slight change in appearance there was no doubt that this boy was Uzumaki Naruto, the loud-mouthed, cheerful smiling kid he had cared for in the past and still cared for now. The cloak disturbed him a little though. 'Was there a possibility he was he able to break...'

But even if what he was thinking was possible, that still didn't gave out much on why the blonde teen was wearing those clothes.

Itachi still had his eyes on Naruto's when the boy's face saddened, walking closer to the older Uchiha he circled his arms around his neck as he rested his head on his chest inhaling the scent that was only Itachi.

Quite unsure of his actions, he rested his hands on the boy's back drawing him a bit closer. 'It has been so long since....'

"It-chan please tell Kisa-niichan to stop with the jokes already. It's not funny at all."

Itachi's eyes darted to the corner, towards Kisame's direction and gave him a glare. Kisame dropped his head in defeat. Itachi closed his eyes heaving out a sigh, if this was a dream he didn't want it to end. "He's coming with us Kisame."

"Bah, have it your way! I'm sure Leader-sama's going to flip that we've got the Kyuubi boy now anyway."

Naruto turned his head to the side, a look of pure displeasure marring his features. "Hey, I thought the extraction wouldn't be done anymore." The blue-eyed blond continued. "Leader-sama promised me himself." Kisame's jaw dropped, Naruto snorted. "Gah whatever Kisa-niichan we should do something about you once we get back to the hide-out, you're totally not yourself." he paused. "And besides, me and Kyuu-chan fully merged now so it's highly impossible to separate us." he slightly frowned. "Don't tell me you also forgot that?" Yup, Kisame definitely needs some medical help soon. The guy's suffering from some head damage, Naruto had concluded.

'Kyuu...Kyuu-chan? Since when did this brat and the bijuu get friendly with each other?' Kisame's mouth remained loose.

"Let's go." Itachi stated wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's frame, a small smile on his lips, as they disappeared into the night.

--

In Konoha later that day...

"Gahhh! Why is the old hag leaking us with Class D missions again?" Naruto continued to whine and complain.

Sakura laughed a bit. "We'll have to put up with it for now Naruto." her expression saddened. "After...the last mission we had...of finding Sasuke-kun...." she sighed. "Tsunade-sama just doesn't want us to be put in danger again."

Naruto cocked his head back, looking at the sky. "Next time, we'll save him Sakura-chan." he cheekily grinned. "We're gonna drag his sorry ass back to the village, you can bet on that." the pink-haired girl sweetly smiled. "Arigatou Naruto."

TBC

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Like it? Hate it? Please lemme know!

Healthy criticisms are always welcome. Destructive criticisms are from immature people who has no place in my world.