a/n: OMG She's back! Yes, I know it really has been forever. I'm sorry for the long looooong overdue update on anything. It's been a screwed up, crazy year and I haven't had a lick of inspiration in the longest. Surprisingly enough, I hopped on my account the other day just to re-save all of the stuff I still had in document manager. Then I planned to re-read and start working on finishing up Hiding Behind Masks and then working on Guess Who like I've been promising for the longest. Instead my muse kept screaming at me to look at Worlds Collide. So like a good little girl, I followed my muse. After reading the two chapters I had already posted way back when, the first thing I decided on was changing the name. I find Mark of the Fox much more appropriate, don't you think? Suddenly, I had an idea for chapter 3 and just ran with it. Finished writing it in two days! Better yet, before it was all over I ended up coming up with an idea of exactly where I want to head with the entire story. I hadn't had that when I originally started it. But now I pretty much have the entire thing mapped out in my head and in an email, just in case I lose my mind. So, this is the story you might be seeing me update for a while. We'll see how it goes.

All of my fans waiting for the other two stories to be updated, I apologize. Please be patient with me for a while longer. Hiding Behind Masks has been so hard to figure out what to do with...I think because it's the closest to canon of all the things I've written. And right now, I'm pretty close to hating what's been canon since the Pein arc. Thus my lack of inspiration. And I think right now that anything involving the characters being in a canon Naruto world is on my crap list for the moment. It won't be on that list forever, just for now until I get an idea. So that leaves me with my AU stories and nothing was coming to me for Guess Who (sorry cutsycat!).

So, I hope all of you will enjoy this latest installment. I apologize in advance for most likely causing you to have to go back and read the first two chapters all over again just to figure out what was going on. (Had to do that myself. XD) And please PLEASE let me know what you think. It's been so long, it's a wonder I still have any talent left in my fingers to write, LOL. Seriously though, I would love to know if this story is still making sense. It is a crime drama thriller after all. I definitely need the clues to make sense without too many plot holes. Hugs and kisses to all of you for still sticking with me. Enjoy the chapter! :)

Summary: A serial killer is making his name known throughout Konoha. Capt. Itachi Uchiha is heading the case. But as he gets more involved in the case – and more involved with the only coherent survivor – he finds out that it's much bigger and older than he ever thought. The facts lead back to his own past and threatens to destroy all that he holds dear.

Warnings: ItaNaru yaoi. Embrace it people! There will be violent situations mentioned in this story. Some of it may get a bit graphic.


MARK OF THE FOX

Chapter 3 - Namikaze


Speaking: "blah blah"

Thoughts: 'blah blah'

x x x

Soft music played, but it was a light accompaniment to the litany of voices. Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha had arranged a small dinner party for some of their closest friends to privately celebrate his best friend's Mayoral appointment. It was a surprise to the old friends when the votes were tallied and he came out on top in his first time running. Minato Namikaze did not exactly embody the typical politician. He was young, handsome man with a penchant for jokes and pranks, with a grin that could light up a room. He could sometimes be brash and impulsive when it came to his decisions...not normally something that a politican should possess. With the man's reputation for pranks, all of his friends almost pitied the political figures that would have to spend their time with the man.

And his wife was no better. She was blunt, had a temper to match her red-hair that was well known from one side of Konoha to the other. Hi no Kuni would be in for quite a ride with those two at the helm.

"Minato, you're just troublesome. I hope you plan to remember us little people while you're off playing mayor of Hi no Kuni."

Minato Namikaze grinned and waved his hand at Shikaku Nara. "Oh, I don't know...you just might have to make an appointment a year in advance just to say hello to me. I'll be too busy to spend time with such lowly people." Everyone laughed.

"Or you'll be so bored you'll beg us to come see you because you can't take all the political BS anymore." Inoichi Yamanaka added causing everyone to laugh even louder.

"As if he could actually make it without you all," Kushina remarked with a smile and a pat on her husband's leg. Minato wrapped an arm around her and pulled her on his lap. She giggled and gave him a light elbow in the ribs.

"Ouch woman!"

"Oh please! That didn't even hurt."

"Only my manly pride."

"Save that for the office. You have no manly pride here."

That only led to more laughter.

"You know Minato, you'll have to start acting more like a political figure now. You'll have to be more serious." Fugaku stated. He swirled his amber drink before he sipped.

"You mean like you Fugaku? As if!"

"Minato? Serious? I don't think he even knows how." Mikoto replied as she came in with a toddler attached to her hip. The youngster wiggled out of her arms and ran over to his father, who picked him up and placed him on his lap.

"Your boy's growing fast Fugaku. How old is he now?" Minato asked.

"Three. He'll be four soon."

"And maybe once you get settled in, you can finally work on giving Itachi a playmate." Mikoto replied to that. Kushina sent a wink and a smirk her way.

"I'll give Itachi a playmate, Mikoto, as soon as you and Fugaku give him a little brother or sister." Both women giggled while their respective husbands groaned at the plans being made for them.

Itachi rubbed his aching forehead. Releasing a sigh, he let his eyes close and let himself relax into the cushions of his couch. That was his only recollection of meeting the Namikazes. And now it surprised him somewhat that he hadn't recognized the faces in the victim's picture until now. How could he have forgotten two such vibrant shades of hair - one an uncharacteristic blond, the other a bright fiery red. Well...maybe he shouldn't expect so much out of his brain. He was only three at the time.

He only knew snippets of the mayor and his father's history. The two were best friends who grew up together. While his father had decided on the police academy, like his father before, Minato had decided on getting into business and politics. Still, the two remained friends, which led up to the congratulatory dinner party. That was the last time the best friendsgot to see each other, as far as he knew. The Namikazes moved away from Konoha and into the big city to the Hi no Kuni capital building, while his father slowly moved up the ladder of the police force until he became Chief. He could only assume that the two best friends still talked from time to time over the phone. He wouldn't know. Soon enough, Sasuke was born and all his attention became focused on being a suitable big brother.

He hadn't given the other family a second thought until he walked into the family room four years later and found his mother in tears and his father drinking hard liquor while watching television. That's when he'd gotten the news that the two of them had died. The official reports was that Minato Namikaze had been assassinated and that his wife, Kushina, had been caught in the crossfire.

Nothing else had ever been mentioned, and like most news topics in the world, eventually faded into history.

There was nothing said about a child that was practically the spitting image of the man.

How in the world did that get by everyone?

That was the question.


Sasuke stared at the pile of files in front of him. There were 13 folders piled high on his desk. With a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose. These files would take a week to get through. But he didn't have much choice if he wanted to understand what was going on.

He knocked on the door of his brother's office.

"Enter."

He walked in and closed the door behind him.

"What do you need Sasuke? I'm quite busy at the moment." Itachi only spoke to his brother informally at the office behind closed doors.

"It's about the fox case."

Itachi looked up from the unidentified papers and pinned his intense stare on his younger brother.

"I need the files. I can't help much if I don't have a clue about what's going on."

"Hn."

"Besides, sitting in a room for hours watching a guy in a coma is boring. I need something to pass the time. Maybe I'll even be able to find something you all missed."

"Doubtful. But, you are correct in that you do need to read up on this case. The files will be on your desk in an hour."

"Thanks."

He frowned at the stack. Well, he did ask for them. He grabbed the first three folders and placed them in his briefcase. It would be a good start.

"You off to the hospital?" Kakashi asked without looking at him. He was too busy reading more interesting material.

"I thought you weren't going to bring that trash here anymore."

His partner shrugged and sat on the edge of Sasuke's desk. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You better hope Itachi doesn't see it."

"He won't."

"Or maybe I should just give him a heads up on the way out. I would love to see if he would really carry out his threat to shred that crap."

"I'd hide it before he could get here. Besides, you wouldn't do that to little old me, would you?" The silver haired man batted his eyes at his younger partner. Sasuke cringed slightly.

"Please...don't do that again. That's just disturbing. And yes, I'm off to the hospital. Decided I could benefit from some reading material to pass the time. Better than the reading material you have."

"No where near as entertaining though."

"Whatever. Just make sure you show up on time for your babysitting shift."

"Yeah, yeah."


Shikamaru walked into the office and placed an almost full inch stack of paper on the captain's desk.

"I thought you would be at home taking advantage of the two days off you earned."

The lazy genius shrugged. "It's troublesome, but I couldn't stop once I started. Damn you and your case! Now I'm too interested in connecting the dots to bother leaving."

"Hn. So what is this?" Itachi gestured to the additional paperwork.

"Everything else I found on the Namikazes after you left. It's weird. There's no record of anything on this kid being a Namikaze besides the badly faded copy of the birth certificate I found yesterday. If I didn't know any better I'd swear that the certificate was forged."

"What about under Uzumaki?"

"Only his adoption papers and everything from that day forward. Nothing from before. It's almost like great pains were taken to make sure no one knew of his heritage. Or maybe his records were wiped. But who would even do something like that...and why? It seems to be more questions than answers with this kid."

"You know, that could be why this kid,whoever he is, was targeted."

"Hm?" Both males looked up at the new voice. Itachi's eyes narrowed at the blonde figure in the doorway.

"Ms. Yamanaka. I don't recall you knocking." Ino shrugged.

"The door was open and I couldn't help overhearing since I've been at the door for the last two minutes and you never noticed me even after I cleared my throat."

"You need something?"

"No...just thought I could help. I've been involved in trying to figure this guy out for way too long."

"It's possible, you know." Itachi glanced at Shikamaru who had propped his chin in his hand.

"What is?"

"That the fox may know the victim or at least know who he really is. Maybe he had a grudge or something."

Itachi sighed and sat back down while he gestured for the blonde criminologist to take a seat. "Wouldn't that be kind of random for our guy? There's never been any connection between him and his other victims. They've all been random from what we can tell."

"That's what we've always thought. It's not like we know much even with all the files we've collected over the last couple of years." Ino replied as she sat and crossed her legs. "Maybe we just need a fresh pair of eyes. We've been on this case so long, I think each new victim is starting to blur with the others."

"Hn." Itachi nodded in agreement. "Lt. Uchiha has the files right now. He asked for them this morning since he and Hatake are now involved in the case."

"Who knows...maybe he'll be just what we need."


The constant beep of the heart monitor sounded at regular intervals, but Sasuke hardly noticed anymore. He'd been there for so long, the annoying beep had eventually become background noise. With a deep sigh, he pulled the wire frames off his face to rub his eyes. He'd been reading for the last couple of hours and had gotten through two of the three files. His eyes needed a rest.

With a groan, he got up and stretched his long limbs until he heard a satisfying crack in his back. He turned and looked out the window. From the higher floor he could see the parking lot and the highway beyond, but nothing really interesting enough to hold his gaze for longer than a second. He turned and leaned against the wall. His dark gaze found itself back on the comatose blond. If he looked beyond the bruises, bandages and stitches, he'd deem the man somewhat handsome, in a rugged sort of way. Which was saying a lot considering Sasuke was nowhere near gay. But he could still appreciate good looking people, no matter the gender. He had a strong face. And yet, in sleep he looked like an innocent kid. He was almost sure that, when awake, the jawline would take on a much more determined look. The skin was still healthy and tan, despite the horrible ordeal, except for the bits of red and purple from the bruising.

He shook his head. They were the same age. Hell, they could've gone to the same school, if not for their difference in background. What could their serial killer have seen in such an innocent looking man?

Grabbing his notebook, he took a look at what he'd written about the other two victims in comparison with what he knew of his charge.

The first victim was a teenager named Fu. She was only seventeen when she was killed. Her background was sketchy because she was an orphan who grew up alone. Because of her volatile nature, she was shifted from foster home to foster home until she disappeared from her last home at the age of fifteen. From then on she lived on her own and scraped by with odd jobs. Somehow, through means unknown to them, she became a voice for the youth. It began as an underground movement that pulled in many of the teens who were in the same situation as herself. Slowly, her voice began to resonate beyond the so-called street brats to the rebellious teens and then to even the privileged youth who had access to money to keep the movement going. The girl hated the current system and had been trying to become the catalyst for changing things. The Japanese government tried to stifle the youth movement, but every move they made was countered by continued growth.

Unfortunately, it seems the government got their wish for her silence, but not the way they planned. The poor girl had been found in a warehouse near the wharf with various stab wounds and the fox mark on her right wrist.

It was the first time anyone had ever seen that mark, but it certainly wasn't the last.

The next victim was Han, a middle aged man. After reading the man's file twice, Sasuke still couldn't figure out why he was chosen as a victim. Han, it seemed, hated everyone alive from the higher ups to the bums on the street. Eventually he became a modern day hermit. He was originally from Iwa, but because he lived within Konoha's borders, it was under their jurisdiction. And really, he lived as far as he could outside of Konoha proper without actually going across it's borders. The house he was found in was tiny - only a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a room that served as everything else. They found homemade explosives and ingredients for more strewn all over the house. Some seemed to be years old, but he'd never used them for some reason. He couldn't begin to understand how a recluse even made it on a serial killer's radar.

And from his notes there was absolutely NOTHING that tied the two victims together. Nor do they tie to the latest victim. The only similarity was that Fu and Naruto were both orphans but that pretty much got cancelled out by the recluse, who had grown up in a normal household.

No wonder everyone working on this case looked stressed.

He frustratedly raked a hand through his hair and reached for the third folder. Hopefully, he would have more success with the third victim.

x x x

Iruka walked through the hallways with two young men behind him. All three sets of eyes were red and puffy. The youngest was still sniffling as they drew closer to the ICU. The double doors opened right as they reached it. They stepped to the side as a patient on a bed was pushed through. The three males stepped through the door before it closed behind them.

"Hi. Can I help you?"

Iruka glanced at the nurse distractedly then glanced toward the curtain that he knew he would find his son behind. "Uh...we're here to see Naruto Uzumaki."

"Ah yes. He's in room 8. You do know only family can visit him here in the ICU."

"I know. These two are his brothers." He gestured at the young men who both fidgeted behind him.

"Right. Ok." The nurse looked skeptical. Neither boy looked like the comatose blond. But, it wasn't really her problem.

"How is he?"

The nurse's face turned sympathetic. "I'm sorry, but there hasn't been any change. But that's to be expected. Feel free to talk to him though. No one's ever proved it, but I tend to think it helps. Oh someone else is in there too. An officer."

Iruka nodded. "Thanks." He turned and put a hand on each young man's shoulder. "Are you two ready? Be prepared...he doesn't look so good."

Kiba took a deep breath and let it out. "Yeah, I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Konohamaru nodded in agreement and gave Iruka a sad sort of smile that never really reached his eyes.

Iruka gave them a smile and pulled on the sliding door.

x x x

Sasuke looked up as the door opened. He closed the file he was reading and stood up while assessing them at the same time. He wouldn't take any chances.

Iruka saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, hello. You must be the officer the nurse was telling me about."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. "Lt. Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka eyes showed a hint of surprise before he smiled.

"Ah. Related to Captain Uchiha? I met him last night."

"My brother. And you are?"

"Oh yes...sorry. I'm Iruka Umino. Naruto's father."

Sasuke raised a brow at that. He glanced at the blond then back to Iruka in just a second, but even that was enough for the father to see the meaning behind it. Iruka couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes, I know, we look nothing alike. I got the same look from your brother. I adopted him as a boy."

"Ah."

"And these are the closest people to family he has. Konohamaru and Kiba."

"Yo." Kiba gave a small wave. Konohamaru gave him a small smile. Sasuke could see both gestures were a bit forced. Neither had much to be cheerful about, after all.

"Well, I'm sure you all would like some privacy. So I'll just be going."

"No, we don't want to stop you from doing your job."

Sasuke just gestured toward his now empty seat. "Don't worry, I'm not going far. I've been here all morning and I could use a snack. Once I get that, I'll just be in the waiting room until you're ready to leave. Hopefully, my partner will be here by then to take over." He nodded to Iruka and slid the door shut behind him.

x x x

Konohamaru, in some ways, dreaded the officer leaving. He had been a distraction from the person he had yet to focus on since coming into the room. Now, though, he was forced to focus on his 'big brother' and just one glance at the tubes and bandages was enough to have him choked up all over again.

There were only two chairs. Iruka took one and grabbed onto Naruto's left hand like a lifeline. Kiba dragged the other chair closer and pushed the youngest into it. Konohamaru grabbed the right hand as a sob was wrenched from him.

"Naruto..."

Kiba gripped the edge of the bed with shaking hands while his eyes roamed over his best friend's body, cataloging injury after injury. It was easy to see that Naruto had been through hell. He could only hope his friend lived through it.

Iruka swallowed and squeezed the hand in his lightly. "Naruto...son...I don't know what happened, but you should know the police are doing all they can to find who did this to you. They even gave you a guard. He looks like he's your age. Maybe when you wake up you can be friends. You always did seem to have a knack for making friends in strange places. This wouldn't be any exception. I brought Konohamaru and Kiba with me. I'll let them say hi in a minute. And your friend Gaara is on his way from Suna right now. Yes, can you believe I actually called him? You always joke with me and call me a coward because I try to stay out of his way. I still don't understand your friendship, but anyone willing to immediately leave just to drive a couple of hundred miles just to see you in the hospital is alright with me."

He sighed, reached up his free hand and ran his hand through the blond spikes.

"I miss your voice already. It's too quiet in the house without you. So you've got to hurry and wake up." Iruka glanced up at Kiba and stood up, offering him the seat. Kiba took a deep breath and sat down and took the limp hand in his.

"Hey man! It's your best friend in the whole wide world. Hana and mom said to give you their love and all that crap. Akamaru wanted to come too. He wasn't too happy I had to leave him at home. I tried explaining about hospital policy and all that stuff. I don't think he took it too well. Ugh! I'm rambling. Don't stay asleep too long man, you're missing everything! I met this hot girl the other day. I could totally tell she was into me. You'd probably tell me I was delusional, but seriously man...and she loved the dog and I got her number and stuff." He grinned for a moment, but slowly turned into a frown. "Aw man..." Kiba ran a hand through his hair and gripped it hard enough to hurt slightly before releasing the strands. "Dammit Naruto! This is so fucked up. I shoulda been there. We would've totally kicked ass together, you know? Whoever this shit is couldn't have taken both of us down." He ruffled the blond hair like he normally would. Normally Naruto would've glared at him and swatted the hand away. "Anyways, wake up soon buddy."

Then it was silent.

Kiba looked up at Konohamaru, who had yet to speak.

"Say something Kono."

Konohamaru still didn't look up. He bit his lip nervously. "What should I say?"

Iruka smiled from behind Kiba. "Whatever you want."

It took another minute for the university freshman to finally start speaking. "H-Hey big bro."

He glanced up at Iruka almost as if to affirm it was ok. The teacher gave him an encouraging smile.

"I... You know, it's so like you to oversleep like this. Idiot! I know it's just an excuse to get out of hanging out with me this weekend. You knew I was coming home so we could have our video game marathon with Moegi and Udon. You just wanted to get out of it didn't you, you lazy bum!" He took a shaky breath and let it out. "That's alright though. I'll get you back. I'll make up the best prank ever and use it on you. It'll be better than anything you've ever come up with. Then I'll take over as King of Pranks!"

His free hand yanked on his green scarf nervously. One of the few things he'd kept from his childhood days.

"Uh...I haven't told them about you yet. So you'll probably have more company soon when they find out. I doubt I'll be able to keep them away. Anyway...I guess I should tell you all the stuff that's been going on since last time I was here..."

Iruka smiled softly. He figured the boys would be ok without him for a while. He placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder and gestured toward the door. Kiba raised a brow, then nodded and gave him a thumbs up. He'd hang out with the brat for a while.

x x x

Iruka found Lt. Uchiha sitting in the ICU waiting room with an open bag of trail mix and a cup of coffee, still reading the files. With a sigh, he sat down in one of the padded chairs across from him. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples with his index fingers.

Sasuke looked up and watched the man for a moment. With a soft sigh he rubbed his fingers over his tired eyes. He stood and poured a cup of coffee from the complimentary coffee pot and held it out to the distressed father. Iruka looked up wearily and gave the lieutenant a half smile as he took the proffered cup.

"Thanks."

"Hn."

Iruka took a sip and placed the cup on the short table next to him. Sasuke hardly knew he was still there, for he had immediately gone back to working on finishing his reading.

"Uh... Is that Naruto's folder?"

Sasuke frowned and glanced up for only a moment before looking back at the page. "No." It was the simplest and only answer he could give. He really shouldn't be spilling details about the case anyway.

"I-I'm sorry. Didn't mean to pry. I'm sure it's probably confidential right?" Iruka rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "I...I just figured I'd give the boys some time with him." He paused for moment to look at the young lieutenant. "Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but you look kind of young to be doing this job."

Iruka was graced with a raised brow which caused him to look away sheepishly.

"Sorry..."

"Not that it's really any of your business, but your son and I are the same age. I graduated from the police academy and joined the force last year." In the back of his mind, Sasuke wondered why he was telling practically a stranger of his background. But he didn't dwell on it very long. The man wasn't dangerous. "My father was the police chief. My grandfather was an officer as well. I guess my brother and I just sort of followed in their footsteps."

"I guess you always wanted to be a police officer then? Heh, it's funny, poor Naruto still hasn't figured out what he wants to do with his life. After he graduated he decided to try going to a local university. But it's hard for him...he's never been the best student. Not because he isn't smart mind you. It's just he's not very good at book learning. He's more of a visual learner. You can show him something once and he'll pick it up immediately. That's just the way he's always been. I was his teacher when he was a child and I was one of the few that understood that and tried to teach him in a way that would help him be successful. Most of the other teachers just thought he was being a troublemaker, so they decided not to give a damn. And that label kind of followed him through the rest of his school years. It probably didn't help that he and Kiba liked to pull pranks all the time either...that just added to his reputation. Well, now that I think about it, being friends with someone as scary as Gaara probably didn't help either. Oh, that reminds me. You'll probably meet him tomorrow. Gaara, is his other best friend. He's on his way in from Suna."

Sasuke didn't say a word, but acknowledged the statement with a nod. His pen was busy flying across the page with information he was jotting onto his notepad. Iruka seemed to like to talk and Sasuke was all for listening. At least he could jot down everything he said in case it was useful to the case.

"Uh...and...please don't arrest him."

Sasuke looked up at that. "Hm?"

"Well...I mean...You see, Gaara...well, you'll understand when you meet him. He's just...strange. It's hard to explain really and his history isn't really my business to tell. He's just very quiet, very goth, and very much an insomniac. It makes for a moody guy with a volatile temper. Just wanted to warn you. That's all."

"Thank you for the heads up, I guess."

There was silence for a few minutes while Iruka gathered his thoughts and Sasuke continued to study.

"Why him." The soft question broke the silent bubble.

Sasuke gripped the pencil just a bit tighter.

"I mean...Naruto, sure he's a goofball sometimes. He's got a mischievous streak, loves pranks...but he wouldn't hurt a fly."

Sasuke wasn't sure how to answer the man. Instead he took a sip of his coffee and grimaced slightly at the cold temperature. Finally, he forced himself to look into the tortured eyes.

"I...I don't know." He pointed to the stack on the table. "These are victims one through three. I started reading through them hoping to find some kind of link between them." With a frustrated growl, he pulled off his glasses and tossed them on the table. "But there's nothing...absolutely nothing I can see that ties the three together. And nothing that ties your son to any of them. It's like their nothing but random victims. But that can't be right. Serial killers don't do random. There's always a reason...even if it's not usually a sane reason." His fingers twitched with an urge that he normally wouldn't respond to. But he put his discomfort aside and placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder for just a heartbeat before letting it slide back to his side. "But that doesn't mean we won't keep trying. We won't stop until we find out who this fox is and bring him to justice."

"Yo! Am I interrupting?"

Both looked over to see a silver haired officer leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Che...it's about time you got here. You're only..." Sasuke looked down at his watch, "an hour late? What the hell were you doing?" Kakashi smirked at his partner.

"Nothing much. Just waiting for some info from your brother."

"Fine. Whatever. I'm going." Sasuke grabbed everything and crammed them into his briefcase. "Oh, Iruka, Sgt. Kakashi Hatake...Kakashi, Iruka Umino, Naruto Uzumaki's father."

Iruka stood up and held out a hand. Kakashi took it while also looking the man up and down with his one good eye. Then he smirked. "A pleasure to meet you."

"You too Sgt. Hatake."

"Maa, maa...I hate formalities. Just call me Kakashi."

"But it wouldn't be proper."

"Never really cared about proper."

Iruka chuckled. "You sound like my son."

They were interrupted by a loud clearing of throat.

"I'm leaving now. I'll be back for the morning shift." Sasuke stated.

"Hold on a second." Kakashi rummaged in his coat pocket and pulled out two sheets of paper. "Itachi showed me this at the station. You need to see it."

Sasuke took the sheets and started speed reading. His eyes widened slightly and he sat down and started reading it again, this time slower. Five minutes later he looked up at his standing partner. "He's sure about this?"

"Yes. That picture is the exact same one that was found in his wallet."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Iruka asked.

The partners stared at each other for a moment, communicating without words. Sasuke gave Kakashi a nod and then took the one sheet of paper, a news clipping, and passed it to Iruka. The teacher read for a moment before gasping and looking up wide eyed. "The former mayor, Minato Namikaze was Naruto's father?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you never knew." Kakashi remarked.

"I was only 14 when he was assassinated. Politics wasn't even on my radar. I mean, I remember it happening. I remember my parents and all the other adults watching it on the news and talking about it for days. But that's all. I was too busy going out with my friends to care. I'd never even seen Naruto's picture of them until just a couple of years ago. He told me he had it at the orphanage and held onto it even though he didn't really know them. He just knew it was the only connection to the parents he, in his mind, never knew. He only remembered that the person who gave it to him told him to never ever show it to anyone. That it was important it stayed a secret. He only explained when I happened to be doing the laundry and found it in his wallet in his pocket. Even still, I never thought about who they might be. I only knew they weren't there for Naruto."

"And Naruto doesn't remember anything? Nothing at all?"

"He doesn't remember anything about his life before the orphanage. It's like there's a brick wall. He said he used to try to remember, but there's nothing there."

"This puts a new spin on things actually. How old would Naruto have been then?"

"Three." Sasuke ran a hand over his face. "He would've been three years old." The Uchiha shook his head. No wonder the blond didn't remember anything. If anyone could understand what trauma could do to a person, it was him. Even now, he still had semi-frequent nightmares of his parent's death. And he was seven when it happened. What would it have been like for three year old. "If he was there..."

Kakashi's eye focused intently on his younger partner. He knew Sasuke would understand more than most.

"...if he saw what happened..."

Kakashi sighed and took over where Sasuke left off. "It's easy to see why the poor kid would have blocked it all out. It makes me wonder though...how is he still alive? How did he get away? No three year old is smart enough to get away on his own."

"Obviously someone must have gotten him out. Maybe an aide or something. I wonder if we can investigate that angle somehow."

"What if the person who assassinated Namikaze is the same one after Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"I doubt it. Neither Namikaze had the mark of the fox on them." Kakashi sighed. "More answers bring up more questions. Gotta love this job."

"And yet, you stay in it." Sasuke replied with a smirk. "Anyway, I'm gone. I'll see what else I can find out from Itachi back at headquarters."

"I guess I better get going as well. I need to get Kiba and Konohamaru back home." Iruka announced. He walked back to Naruto's room, with Kakashi on his heels.

He stopped when he reached the room and couldn't help but smile at the scene. Kiba and Konohamaru were joking and laughing like normal and it seemed they were including Naruto in it, even though he wasn't awake for it. Iruka almost hated to interrupt now that they seemed so comfortable.

"Hey..." Iruka almost jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. Kakashi squeezed his shoulder and gave him a smile. "I don't know about you, but I could use something to eat. I skipped lunch. Why don't we head to the cafeteria."

"But-"

"They'll be fine for a while longer. Besides, it can only help if what they say about talking to people in comas is true." Kakashi shrugged and carefully tugged the unsure father away from the door. "Who knows what the familiarity will do."

"I-I guess you're right."


It was almost 9:00 pm when Itachi walked into the ICU. The two females sitting at the nurse's station practically drooled at the new arrival. Itachi, though, didn't spare either of them a glance and walked straight to the room of Naruto Uzumaki. He walked in to find his sergeant with his chair balanced on two legs and a little orange book in hand. Itachi smirked.

"You know, I've got half a mind to kick the chair." It would be fun to see the man fall backwards and end up sprawled on the floor. But he wouldn't do something like that on duty.

"You wouldn't do something so mean to me would you?" Kakashi gave him his most innocent look.

"Hmm...and what did I say about those little orange books of yours?" Itachi retorted with a raised brow.

"Right." The book disappeared and the chair quickly was back to resting on four legs. "So, you're taking over boss?

"Hn."

"All nighter?"

"Genma's coming around midnight supposedly."

"Or whenever he wakes up from shagging his latest?"

"Probably."

"Well, guess I'll see you tomorrow."

And Itachi was left alone. He took the seat Kakashi vacated and pulled out his notebook. He, Shikamaru, and Ino spent the entire afternoon going over the many pages that had been compiled about the blond. Then Sasuke showed up and invited himself into the information search. Sasuke's information had been invaluable...his conversations with the victim's father had proved to be the catalyst for an even wider search. As Shikamaru went back to what he did best, the rest of them went over the information the lazy researcher kept finding. What started as a hunt for info on the victim became a need to find out what they could on the Namikazes as well.

What they knew so far? Naruto was the son of the assassinated mayor and his wife Kushina. Uzumaki had been her maiden name and for reasons unknown - though he speculated it was for security - their son had been given her name instead of the much more well known Namikaze. Minato was assassinated three years later and Kushina was killed along with him. It is assumed Naruto saw the events unfold, however, because of the trauma, the toddler had blocked out the memories of not just the tragedy itself, but everything from his birth on until he was in the orphanage. Somehow, the youngster was saved from death. (And that was one of the biggest questions plaguing Itachi's mind.)

The traumatized boy spent a year at the orphanage before a foster family took him in at the age of five. He spent a year there before his penchant for being in the middle of trouble caused the family to send him back to the orphanage. Soon enough he was in his second foster home. However, once they found out they would be having a child of their own, they sent him back. He moved from foster home to foster home over the next five years. Some decent, some not so much. One of the worst was a year before he came to Konoha. He ended up in Shukuba Town. Being a policeman, he knew it was one of the worst towns in Hi no Kuni. It was practically one big brothel. He didn't even want to imagine what a 12 year old Naruto had to deal with there. Some things stayed constant no matter where he ended up - skirmishes with neighborhood boys, his name on the truancy list, and his grades always toward the bottom.

But that changed in junior high when he was moved to a foster home on the west side of Konoha. He was enrolled at Konoha West Academy. His teacher was a man by the name of Iruka Umino. Somehow, the first year teacher was able to connect with the troubled blond in a way that none of the experienced teachers over the years had. Soon afterward, Naruto hardly ever missed class and his grades slowly began to improve. He started to make friends, though the constant fighting continued. The latest foster parents were fed up with the boy's fighting even though he had started to do better in the other aspects of his life. He was on the verge of being sent back to the orphanage when papers were filed for legal adoption. Personally, he would love to figure out exactly how Umino had pulled it off. He was surprised the Department of Family Services even allowed someone that young to adopt a teenager.

The boy graduated from Secondary school in the middle of his class. He spent a year at West Konoha University before dropping out. Up to this point he was working part time at a music store and waiting tables part time at a local restaurant. It seems the young man had lots of friends, but didn't have a love life. The fighting seemed to stop after secondary school ended.

He was just a normal young man. No real enemies, no ties to gangs or drugs, no girlfriend or boyfriend. Nothing at all that would send out vibes to a serial killer.

Itachi huffed and tapped his pencil rhythmically against the table. Despite the information they had, they had nothing. And it was frustrating him to no end. He hated mysteries and this guy was just one big mystery. And he was starting to get the feeling that the answers were somewhere in Naruto's head, locked away in a part of himself he didn't even know about, just waiting to be found. If not for the one piece of evidence - the birth certificate...the only thing that could be found in Naruto's public records - they would've never known the blond's true heritage.

He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment. There was a part of him that balked against it, but he couldn't deny that the whole thing screamed of his father's involvement somehow. There weren't many people who had the ability to wipe a person off the map so completely. With his position, Fugaku Uchiha was one of them. Unfortunately, the former chief of police wasn't exactly around to ask. But he had never said a word about the Namikaze's having a child. At eight, he was a very observant child and would have remembered hearing it had has father said anything.

He looked up and stared intently at the blond. Naruto Uzumaki was just another victim. Victim number 14 to be precise. And yet, this one person bothered him more than the first 13 victims. And he wasn't sure why.

'What mysteries are you hiding in that head of yours?'