To all of my followers: Please don't judge me, haha. I love you- I promise.

Disclaimer for the story: I most definitely do not own Naruto. If I did, the anime would not have all those darn fillers when they could've had the ending done already with two more episodes.


And he was suddenly there in their clutches. It was an unexpected capture that left everyone in vicinity in awe and bewilderment and oddly enough- wary. They had been looking for him for four years when he first defected, another three years of hunting, and the following trying to avoid the man whenever his ominous presence welcomed their eyes.

His figure and aura spoke intangible volumes whenever one happened to unluckily stumble across the shinobi. His features flawless, as to one would never have guessed he would be the face of murder and misery. The figure that then had stood a haughty six foot four caused his enemies to cower in fear and trepidation. Those glittering almond shaped eyes tended to gravitate wondering eyes of his opponents, much to his and their chagrin. His thin, pale lips or billowing locks seemed to always be the focus of those who dared to stand across from him.

He was an infamous and renowned ninja from the Village of the Leaf whom no one tried to fight for the place at the top that he seemed to almost waltz up to without as much as a whisper or bead of sweat. It was in his blood after all. He was an Uchiha.

That's why, as all fourteen Leaf shinobi gathered around the hollow figure, they looked up him with perplexity and hostility. There was no angelic, God-like solider in their eyes, no great threat upon further inspection, no breathtaking, knee shaking aura radiating off his crestfallen shadow, no Uchiha- not anymore.

All that laid was a broken shell of a man that no one seemed to know what to do with. If it weren't as serious as it seemed some might have called it awkward even.

The meeting between the two sides happened due to pure accidental rookie mistakes that would surely cause the current Hokage frown in disappointment and displeasure.

The team of special jonin were only supposed to circle the border base three times that night. Instead the whole team concluded it would be wise to circle back one more time.

During this time, a familiar team of four that oozed with nostalgia was beginning to cross back into home territory after a grueling, week long mission that they grudgingly decided to take up when they had felt spontaneous the week prior to. It turned out to be more of a hassle than they had planned on, which seemed to be a reoccurring trend for Konoha ninja.

As the boarder group trailed back, they left an opening for a well-known, blacklisted rogue to slip through unintentionally.

It wasn't his motive to be sneaky or sly about his arrival to the Land of Fire. He was on autopilot and this is where his feet had led him. With no questions asked or even a pause in his direction, he continued, his dulled sense not picking up the fully equip team coming northwest. They were bound to clash.

The man hadn't the faintest idea as to what was happening before he was surrounded by a mass of red and purple, a pale young boy, and an aging man of grey. He just stood, his arms and hand laying limp by his side, the wind lifting his soft locks gently as a result of the breeze. He only allowed the smallest of shivers.

The foursome were posing, a range of attack and defense positions ready in case their foe decided a sudden, rash movement. Though, he had yet to move.

It was in that moment that the rebellious patrolling group rounded into the clearing with shock registering on each and every one of their faces. The group's demeanor quickly changed to one of opposition and rage. As they hollered out to the passive man they sprung to attack, the other group clearly taken aback from their abrasive actions.

A hand from their captain was all it took to keep them from joining.

The older man was the first to notice. It was a one sided battle. His lone visible eye gave a sudden pang at the horrific scene and widened as quickly as he shouted for the others to halt their attacks. His panic increased as he realized they paid no mind to him and his words. He felt a mass of chakra signatures racing towards their direction with speed. He calculated they'd make it in less than a minute. He quickly needed to get things under control.

The almost, but not quite, middle aged man quickly flashed into thin air and stopped the incoming fist and kunai with his own hand and weapon. The shinobi's dog that were quickly summoned restrained the other two members of the squad, one of which was almost done completing his chain of hand signs. The rest of his pack were on alert for orders, surrounding the clearing.

The male and two females on the sideline froze at one of their former sensei's proactive protectiveness.

Two other teams of three swiftly landed on all sides of the fifteen meter radius, causing the dogs to tense up with caution.

One of the team leaders from the recently added groups decided to finally speak up in question.

"Hey! What's going…" His eyes rounded with shock and hint of fear laid hidden beneath his pools of blue. He tried not to stare for too long. His face hardened.
Kakashi brought down his hands, pocketing his kunai, and motioned for his canines to stand down for now.

He walked a bit in front of the man, who all but laid on the cold earth, blocking the other man's view of the rogue's battered figure.

"Hatake-san," He addressed again,"what's the situation?" The man asked with sudden hardness in his voice that almost made a silver eyebrow stand up.

"Nothing I can't handle here."

"You're attacking your own comrades and not Uchiha Itachi? Seems to me as if this situation isn't handled at all." He narrowed his eyes, his fingers flexing out of reflex.

The retired Anbu made a displeased face behind his mask of nonchalance.

"These comrades of ours were engaged in a one sided fight against an unarmed man, and I decided it was enough. I'd say I handled it." A cold sharpness in his voice caused shivers to run down the spines of those who heard him.

The captain scoffed, seemingly finding the man's statement ridiculous.

"Unarmed? He's an Uchiha. There's no such thing as a defenseless Uchiha, especially an Uchiha Itachi." By this time, the shorter man had his arms crossed across his chest with a sardonic twisted frown making its way onto his scarred face.

There was long pause then Kakashi simply brushed off the ignorant man's words as if they weren't important themselves and turned a head looking in the direction of his team.

"We'll be escorting the Uchiha to Konohagakure-"

"I don't think so." A pale grey, border lining brown hue turned slowly to meet a defiant and dull blue that lacked the luster he normally saw when he looked into a much brighter and less cocky pair of cerulean blue. "My team and I will be handling him over to the hunter nin that pass through here at six every evening."

"I think it's best to get a move on so everyone can do their jobs." His eye crinkled falsely. "Besides, I'm sure Hokage-sama would be fairly displeased if he were to hear about an upstanding officer, such as yourself, engaging in such crude and indecent actions, hm?" His smile was now on the borderline of 'I'm at my breaking point leave me alone' and 'you don't want to know what I can do to you if you don't let me get what I want' look that Sai has only seen mixed together in the strangest of circumstances- this now one of them. He tilted his head in fascination.

A fine line, and tightening of the other man's jaw was the only response they got in return before he motioned for the two teams he brought to leave.

The other four who remained on guard in front of the S-class nin looked about ready to sneak off alongside the two squads. Kakashi clicked his tongue.

"Not so fast you guys." His body turned a full three-sixty, taking in the appearance of everyone, flawlessly pinpointing the supposed leader.

"You," he addressed causing said male to stiffen in response, "what's your name and district?"

With a scowl and boiling stare, he reluctantly gave up the information and motioned for his team to retreat back to base. In the blink of an eye they were all gone except for the captain. He left his parting words.

"You defend and have pity for a beast who didn't even blink in the face of innocents. I'm revolted to even represent the same name as you."

The four of them stood in silence until Hatake made a clearing of his throat and pivoted on a foot to inspect the pitiful Uchiha. He wasn't moving.

He squinted his eyes. With long strides he was bent down and by the man's side in no time.

"Ino." he called. The blond jolted her head upon being requested for. With one look she knew what he wanted her to do.

Minutes later Itachi's wounds were clotted, cleaned, and covered, the dressings requiring the senior of the group's expertise, for the genius was slack and not functioning properly in her arms. She placed trained fingers above the pulse racing under his neck.

"His heartbeat is a bit erratic. It'd be best to make it to Konoha as fast as possible."

The Copycat gave a firm nod of his head and turned to look the other two in the eye as Ino did some final treatments.

"I will go ahead. In my absence." He gave a look to Sai. "Sai."

"Got it." The pale man gave a curt nod.

Bending down to the Uchiha's side and placed a gentle hand on the man's chest.

He looked down at his face- smooth and tanned from years outdoors and on the run. He looked his age, and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder what was going on with the twenty eight year old.

Ino finally stood and stepped back.

By the time Tenten had closed her eyes to blink and then had opened them, the two men were gone. A swirl of dead leaves stood in their disappearance. A gust of wind caused them to float and dance in the air, her eyes couldn't help but follow one in particular as it swayed in melody with the others.


Hi, guys. Thanks for reading this. I've always wanted to get back into the Naru-verse for a while but could never string enough ideas together. I was inspired by a certain writer (not gonna name any names here) after reading her story I was getting really agitated because she undermined the entirety of the Uchiha massacre and Itachi's sacrifice. Her writing was good- the only reason why I remotely found myself still reading it while breathing heavily and fuming.
Now I have this. Recovery is a lot more simple and 'what you see is what you get' kind of story- which is a nice change from what I normally write.

Reviews and thoughts appreciated! :)

Until next time

~WAC