So, long time since an update, folks. I have nothing to say in my defence, except that I was away on vacation hunting Snazzleberries with a trans-sexual potato. And so, without further ado, you should read my chapter.

DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN BARUTO OR NLEACH. Wait, sorry. I DO NOT OWN NARUCHO OR BLEAT. God, excuse me. I DO NOT OWN-

The author was hit with excessive force on the head. He will not complete the disclaimer.

He looked straight into Urahara Kisuke's eyes.

Hatred rose in him like bile. He wanted to do something to him, he wanted to break that face, and cause it to scream in agony, in utter and absolute pain, because that was the only thing Urahara Kisuke's actions merited.

'Good evening, Espada. There has been an enemy attack. But first, let us brew some tea.'

-Aizen Sosuke

It was as if someone had turned the volume up a few notches.

Uchiha Sasuke could feel the distinct buzzing that welcomed Uzumaki Naruto's entrance. Black jeans, black undershirt, and a carelessly zipped up orange jacket that did less to hide his surprisingly well-developed torso, the blonde-haired boy had certainly caught the eye of just about every girl in class, if not the boys.

Some of the surprised pre-Genins had almost begun salivating at the sight of the blonde. Control yourselves, niggas…

He observed the surprise entrant. Uzumaki Naruto was turning away from him, looking at someone else, most probably. He could see the spiky-blonde hair extending now to the back of his neck, and the broad shoulders the neck was attached to. Sasuke decided to challenge the new kid, meeting Naruto's eyes when he turned back to face him.

The buzzing seemed to intensify. The new-extremely-good-looking boy was looking at the already-known-extremely-good-looking-boy. It was every fangirl's dream come true.

Sasuke, dropping Sakura's firm grip, walked forward, making sure his chest was as broad as it could possibly look. Smirking, he held out a hand, willing the blonde to shake it.

He saw Uzumaki Naruto's eyes follow his outstretched hand. A curious, almost indecisive uncertainty seemed to linger in the blonde-haired boy's eyes.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Uzumaki Naruto nodded. Without extending his hand in return, he spoke.

"Uhm…I'm really sorry…uh...but….are you gay? Nothing much really, but I'm pretty sure you were checking me out."

Sasuke could feel the color rise to his face. He spluttered.

It was as if someone had hit the mute button and swallowed the remote.

The odd giggle broke the almost crushing silence. Yamanaka Ino tried, albeit unsuccessfully to stifle her mirth. She could even see Sasuke reddening at the Uzumaki's words. It was, after all, not every day that you saw the dick humiliated, him being the class hero and all. Therefore, on the odd moment, Ino tried to relish it as much as possible.

"Hey!"

Several heads turned at Haruno Sakura's outburst.

"Sasuke isn't gay! He's going out with me!"

Ino saw Naruto turn, an amicable smile playing across his face, eyes positively twinkling.

"And you are?"

"I'm Sakura. But how dar-"

"Charming. I'll talk to you later then."

This time, Ino heard several others laugh too. Again, it wasn't every day you saw Haruno Sakura being brushed aside, her being the smartest girl in class and all, what with the teachers literally fawning over her.

Ino had to admit, though, Sakura was certainly smart, but of all things, she had a wide forehead. In Yamanaka Ino's opinion, people with wide foreheads didn't-

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt, as if someone had jammed the brakes and cut off the fuel supply. Why, you ask?

"Can I sit here?"

Sweet symphony seemed to play in the background, for Yamanaka Ino. She looked up in slow-motion. There he was, Uzumaki Naruto, asking her if he could sit next to her.

"Ermm…excuse me, but can I sit here?"

The piano solo kicked in, now. The world was a wonderful place to live in, after all. There he was, Uzumaki Naruto, asking her to excuse him, the picture of gentlemanly charm.

The symphony suddenly stopped, as if someone had played Lamb of God during the quieter sections. Wait, why was he asking her to excuse him?

"O-Oh. Of course y-you can!"

His face broke into a wide smile, and her stomach seemed to flutter.

(Experts agree that 'stomach fluttering' is a condition commonly found in acute cases of diarrhea. Romance novelists, on the other hand, think that it's a sign for the girl in question and the protagonist to get married and have eighteen kids.)

She scooted to the side of her bench, giving the boy room to flop down carelessly. As she stole a look at the blonde, Ino couldn't help blurting out, "You've changed…."

He turned, looking at her. She could see a few bangs running up till his eyebrows, and yet, it didn't give him a rough, shaggy look. Instead, it looked just right, as if those bangs shouldn't be anywhere but where they were.

"Well yeah, it's been three years after all…."

She nodded dazedly, partially hearing what he said. She could see the blonde hair around the sides of his neck, framing his face quite nicely, in fact. A small silver chain hung around his neck. She hastily rearranged her expression, lest she should seem weird, and answered, "Yeah…"

Turning around suddenly, Naruto seemed to looking around him. They were at the first bench on the far right. Pausing, Ino heard Naruto greet someone cheerily.

"Hey! Alright there, Hinata?"

Mutinous whispering seemed to break out in the class again. First, Uzumaki Naruto had chosen to sit next to Ino, second, he seemed to know Hyuuga Hinata, the shyest girl evar, on first-name basis.

The whispering came to an immediate standstill when Umino Iruka walked in with the air of cradling an atomic bomb.

The Genin tests!

Uchiha Itachi wore a genial, friendly expression as he walked back to the Uchiha compound. As he walked, various people stopped and greeted him with smiling faces. Nodding, and sometimes smiling back at people, it was clear that the brilliant young Uchiha was popular among just about everyone.

The morning was wearing thin, a bright sunny one, ideal for a perfect day off from the gloomy ANBU atmosphere. One of the youngest in his ANBU division, Uchiha Itachi was known for a fearfully trained sense of movement, direction, thinking and execution. On top of that, his Sharingan was said to be one of the most well-developed ones in the Uchiha clan. It was no secret that the Uchiha was a born genius, and a certain candidate for Hokage.

Dressed casually in black for a change from his ANBU outfit, his thin, wiry, yet powerful frame did not go unnoticed. He was no stranger to ogling, gaping, and jealous looks as he passed by. Hair tied back in a loose pony-tail; his slow measured walk gave Uchiha Itachi some much-needed time to think.

He'd just escorted Uzumaki Naruto to school, on generally no one's orders. It was, after all, the Jinchuuriki's first day at school, and even if the number of attacks on the boy had decreased, it was safe to not take any chances.

Uchiha Itachi smiled, as his thoughts went toward their relationship, him and the Uzumaki. It wasn't affection, not the brotherly type, certainly. At first, it was intrigue. There was no other word for it. For if there was one thing Uchiha Itachi prided himself on, it was emotional prowess.

Simply the art of masking one's emotions, even manipulating them to an extent, usually proved to be impossible for many people. And yet, for Itachi it was almost second nature. Of course, this proved to be a treasured skill indeed when he joined the ranks of the ANBU, a world set in such harsh contrast to the ones the pedestrians knew.

Step into the ANBU, and suddenly, it would be as if the ANBU itself took you in, embrace you with affection and sit you in its lap, proceeding with informing you of its darkest secrets. That was it, the ANBU. A world where lies were as common as a stone on the road, and secrets as abundant as the air you breathed. And, of course, it helped that violence was considered as essential as breathing.

Itachi knew well the heavy, twisted air of the ANBU of the Leaf. And sometimes, just sometimes, he would admit to himself that it was certainly interesting.

Ah, but back to Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Itachi was surprised to see that the very emotional strength he prided himself on was exhibited with such dexterity by a boy around half his age. He knew it, of course.

He was, after all, the Sharingan genius, though nothing on his friend, the even better-known Uchiha Shisui.

And they had talked, for quite a while. For a time, it was simply a stranger meeting a boy every day. Just passing by, he would talk the boy out of interest, aware, of course of the boy's status. And slowly, bit by bit, he, Itachi would start to look forward to the boy's meetings. It was just the snarky humor, sometimes, the startling disdain with which he would command his language that would intrigue him.

That disdain was, at first, humorous to hear from someone so young, but soon, without himself realizing it, Itachi felt himself acknowledge what the boy was talking about. The disdain made sense. The boy was, indeed a phenomenon, at least, Itachi felt, in terms of speech.

And then, he'd introduced the boy to Shisui once, having brought Shisui along with him during one of strolls. And again, just like, him, Shisui warmed up inexplicably to the boy. Sometimes, on his off days, the three of them would spend hours talking about anything, Itachi would explain how the ranking system in Konoha worked, how the 'Kage would protect the village at all costs. And sometimes, it would turn educational, with Shisui explaining Nin, Gen, Do, Ken, Sen and any other jutsu available, only in theory of course.

And Itachi found the boy listening, with rapt attention, mouth hanging open and eyes wide, as Shisui would explain how Byakugan users would cleverly exploit Chakra points to weaken their opponents. It would always bring a smile to his face, and a certain strange, inexplicable feeling in the pit of his stomach, the same he felt when he'd seen Sasuke for the first time, to watch the young Uzumaki listen with a near-worshipping look on his face.

It wasn't just combat theory. Sometimes, Shisui would announce, it was also important to learn about history. Naruto would groan, of course, somehow convinced that history was a pile of old rubbish with old people doing old stuff. But barely a minute later, Shisui would have him hanging on to every word, telling him about Uchiha Madara's power-lust, his thirst for blood, and explaining that, though skilled beyond imagination, Madara had died a humiliating death at the hands of the Shodai.

Sometimes, he would even have Naruto rolling around in tears of mirth, when he'd told him about how the Nidaime, Tobirama Senju-sama had declared war on Iwagakure after receiving a letter about how they'd kidnapped his wife, and readying all the battlements, only to realize that the letter had been a prank, and he didn't have a wife.

And, Itachi had to admit, the boy showed a commendable thirst for knowledge. He knew it wasn't to be underestimated, that certain quality. For as long as someone was willing to learn, they would always improve. And, where there was a thirst to learn, there was a thirst to grow. As Naruto listened more and more to the theory, the more he'd persuade them to show him what he'd learnt.

But here, both Itachi and Shisui would draw a line. This boy, after all, was the Konoha Jinchuuriki. The village council, had, under strict orders, placed him under watch, and teaching the boy combat techniques without approval would certainly be frowned on, if not met with strict disciplinary action.

And then, something wonderful had happened. One of their clan elders had happened upon their little meeting. At first, he could see the trepidation in Shisui's eyes; their clan had received orders to not maintain contact with the Jinchuuriki. As part of their police force, they should only have watched him. And now, they were discovered.

It had been a strange meeting. The heavily-built Uchiha Kirin stared at the young boy, and Uzumaki Naruto stared back, never breaking eye contact, never faltering even for a second. After a few seconds had passed, Naruto had got up suddenly, sensing the fact that he was sitting down in front of a Clan Head.

"My apologies, Uchiha-dono. I hope you will forgive me for my disrespect. I am Uzumaki Naruto."

Itachi stared, face impassive, but anxious at heart at Uchiha Kirin. And, for the first time he had ever seen in his life, Uchiha Kirin's eyes broke their usual lifeless look, and his lips split into a small grin.

"Pleased to meet you, Uzumaki-san. I see you are well acquainted with Itachi and Shisui. You must come to our compound for lunch sometime."

Not even waiting to hear a reply, Uchiha Kirin had hobbled off, still smiling, leaving a bemused and flummoxed Shisui and Itachi. No more was spoken about the subject. Naruto never came to the proposed meal, but, as Itachi knew well, it was an extension of the hand of the Uchiha towards the lone Uzumaki. Itachi and Shisui themselves had talked about it, but there was no other explanation for it.

The Uchiha had just decided to befriend the Jinchuuriki, just because.

And suddenly, it was no more 'watching' the boy. It became 'escort'. Perfectly capable of investigation, the Uchiha elders had come to realize the treatment being meted out to the boy. And protecting him from further physical and mental harm suddenly became their top priority.

Now filled with confidence, Uzumaki Naruto had suddenly realized that, although what he was receiving wasn't love of any sort, but respect, acknowledgement, and most of all, importance.

The two of them, Shisui and Itachi had decided to teach the boy the basics of combat. As expected, he was clumsy, he was ignorant, and he was slow. But, what made it a pleasure to teach him was that he was willing to learn. He was willing to accept that he was clumsy and slow, and ready to change it.

What made teaching the Uzumaki difficult was that they couldn't be seen doing it. Naturally, lessons proceeded at snail-pace. But then, the two of them had decided that training the body was enough. Naruto himself would learn if he possessed the thirst, about chakra manipulation, Ninjutsu and the likes.

And so, bit by noticeable bit, Uzumaki Naruto improved. It was impossible not to, under their tutelage. Shisui proved to be an excellent 'slave-driver', in the words of the Uzumaki, and Itachi had earned the title of 'Captain Killjoy', by showing the difference between his and Naruto's physical abilities every now and then.

But Itachi could see it, for after three years of being with the Uzumaki, that he was happy. And, in some strange way, he'd been happy too. It was like a breath of fresh air, being cooped up in ANBU, doing missions that required extraordinary skill, lying, stealing, and manipulating…and after that, simply talking to Naruto.

And now, his protégé was about to take the Genin tests. Much as he and Shisui would've liked to see him at it, it was prohibited. He was also interested to see how Sasuke fared. It wasn't neglect, he would tell himself, what he was doing to Sasuke. He had, after all, taught him the very nuances of Dojutsu usage, and Sasuke was, after all, an Uchiha.

Combat and the thirst to improve came like breathing to them. In fact, what he was most interested to see, was how Naruto would fare against Sasuke later on. After all, Sasuke was taught combat itself, while Naruto had concentrated on his physicality.

"Hey."

He looked up with a start. He'd been so engrossed in his thoughts that he'd never noticed Shisui had sneaked up behind him. Very remiss, of course, of Uchiha Itachi.

He looked up at Uchiha Shisui. If Itachi had been considered as a child prodigy, Shisui was probably a child legend or something. There was nothing to say about Uchiha Shisui's combat, mostly because only a few people had seen him in action. A monstrosity is what he is, Itachi would say, after seeing him execute his move. For it was as if Uchiha Shisui was born for the very act of engaging in combat.

And then, of course, Shisui would laugh, sober up, and say, 'Don't be stupid, Itachi, you know combat's my weak area…Now, Genjutsu, that's my forte.'

And this would be the point where you would sit down, take a few deep breaths and try to fathom the certain Uchiha skills.

'Lies and secrets, lies and secrets…the world is far darker than you think, Shisui-san. Do you know, Shisui-san…? Do you…want…to know, Shisui-san? I can show you. I have no intention of deceiving anyone'.

His hair shook slightly with the wind, and his lean, lithe body was propped precariously against the bark of a tree. He'd asked Itachi to follow him, telling him not to talk in between. When they'd reached the preferred destination, he'd walked across to rest against the bark, and looked straight at Itachi.

"We need to talk. We need to talk…about Uzumaki-san."

"…Why?"

"There's something wrong. Something, just the minutest of pieces is missing, Itachi. Do you think you're seeing the full picture?"

'Do you think you're seeing the full picture?'

He observed Uchiha Shisui carefully. Lying down next to Shisui on the soft grass, his elegant fingers caressed a mop of brown hair. One small bang seemed to object to the general slicked-back hairstyle, lolling out in front aimlessly, subject to the notions of the wind. A flawless hand blocked the sun from Aizen Sosuke's face as he observed his fingernails.

A slow smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

'Impressive.'

End.

Reviews:

lilidreamer89 : Thank you for the support! Hope you continue reading. And as for your question...err...wat? ('Will there be a flashback for marital with a in?')

Akuma no Sage : Thank you! Keep reading and reviewing, yeah?

the white bear : Oh, me too mate, me too.

RikudoNaruto1 : Whoa there, man! Okay then! Just a small note, interchanging 'brainwash' and 'fuck', did you know your sentence becomes 'I hope Naruto fucks the brainwash out of her' ..? Interesting, isn't it? You're giving me them plot bunnies.

SPark681 : Thank man! Keep reading!

Uchiha Senju Naruto : Thank you! Hopefully I'll keep you interested till the very end.

LeroyallenXNaruto : Glad you loved it :D

erching : You've got me curious too, about your name, that is. It sounds like a coin in the slot machine. Okay, okay, kidding. Hopefully you'll excuse my immature moments and read on.

Regin : Thank you!

VoidEnter : Thank you! That was what I was aiming for.

Breathless Voice : No. Sasuke should end up with Granny Chiyo. Or Gamabunta.