Rewritten: 08/04/2011
Thanks to all the patient reviewers.
StarsOfYaoi: maybe I have too many fics to write, but alas, at least I still update? Uh, don't kill me! Please read ahead and I hope you like the new chapter!
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Rating: M
Summary: (ItaNaru) During a fight, Kyuubi's chakra leaks out and causes a warp. Now, Naruto and Itachi are trapped into the past, and the only way to go back forwards is… to work together.
Warnings: yaoi, angst, dark themes. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows. Assumptions about the Uchiha clan will be present. Does not follow canon storyline.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
–Flashbacks, memories, dreams–
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
Endless Night
Chapter 03: Darkness
Jiraiya hadn't noticed it at first, because he was concentrated on more pressing matters (where to find the next onsen, for example, or actually getting Naruto away from Konoha before someone realised where they were headed), but after the first few days, it slowly became more apparent.
Every step that brought them further away from Konoha made Naruto more distant. Wary.
His smiles were tight, wavering, and he trained every day more, shutting himself away from the sennin, tiring his body so much he would fall asleep (unconscious) every evening.
Jiraiya didn't like that, but he didn't know what to do –he wasn't used to having teens around anymore– so he decided to leave him be, using that time to spy at any close onsen or gathering information.
The truth was, Naruto had never left Konoha for a long period of time ever before –his mission to Nami had lasted only a month, and that was supposed to be a simple escort duty. Yet this time Naruto was going to leave his village for three entire years, and despite it being his own decision, in the end, the more distance piled up between him and Konoha the more it hurt.
Naruto was a strong person, but in such a situation, all his secure bases were crumbling, and more than anything else he needed reassurance and comforting words that could quench his doubts, making the separation less painful; he needed someone to tell him that everything would be ok, that he would come back strong enough to get Sasuke back, but he wasn't one to ask these things, and Jiraiya hadn't thought about offering.
Iruka would have known what to say, but Iruka, just like everybody else, was still in the village, and Jiraiya, of course, wasn't the right person to consider for things like these; the two of them were too similar, both having been alone for too long, both unfamiliar with the meaning of family, both too prideful to admit they wanted each other's company.
Unfortunately, neither had any intention to start.
The few attempts at light conversation failed abysmally, rambling about anything and nothing before falling into an uneasy silence.
It didn't quite matter anymore after a while, and every day was a carbon copy of the previous, with Jiraiya leaving early, biting his lips in guilt but unable to go back, Naruto training and hurting all day so that when the older man came back, he wouldn't be awake.
Naruto was considering stopping his desperate attempts to get his sensei's attention, seeing as it wasn't going to work and maybe they were just unable to change.
It hurt and it made him angry.
They didn't know how to share their thoughts, and the fact that they couldn't understand made it even worse –they didn't want to try if that meant being rejected.
So day after day their journey took them further away from Konoha, and away from each other at the same time.
Until one day, a month and a half since their departure from the village, Jiraiya returned to the camp, thinking that maybe he could try talking with the teen, guilt and worry overwhelming his pride and insecurity–
Only to find the camp empty. Naruto wasn't there.
Suddenly, the empty void inside Jiraiya's chest ached in deep pain.
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
It took Naruto a while to wake up completely, drowsiness clinging to his eyes almost stubbornly, but he forced it away, sitting up on the futon.
The first think he noticed was the lack of the 'dark looming figure' in the corner. He was alone.
Itachi was nowhere in sight, and the teen almost sighed in relief; it was obviously morning, which meant he'd slept through the whole night, and was actually feeling quite refreshed.
The previous say had been vexing, and as he thought about it, his cheeks flushed in shame, remembering his tears and the way he had reacted to everything. What a sad imitation of a ninja he was…
Yes, the situation was quite abnormal, and it could be excusable to be shocked, but still a part of him felt ashamed anyway; Itachi had maintained a perfect control over his own emotions –or so it had looked like to Naruto– and had been poised and focused.
Still, Naruto had vowed to never become like Itachi, so maybe it was ok to let emotions rule him, at least in regards to that.
Shaking his head at where his thoughts were heading, Naruto curled on himself, biting his lip; he had acted like a n00b, almost alerting every shinobi in Konoha of his presence, most especially the Hokage –if that wasn't embarrassing, nothing was.
Strangely he felt eerie calm as he focused on his situation. His mind was lucid, focused and sharp, and he analyzed everything he knew as he looked around; he could faintly feel Itachi's chakra permeating the air of the room, but it had an 'old' feeling to it –it was probably a jutsu to protect the room– and it overlapped anything from outside, almost like a thick veil.
He had been better at controlling his chakra coils ever since meeting with an expert in Kaminari no Kuni, an old retired shinobi that had taught him a lot. Naruto wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he had applied himself and the results were more than acceptable.
The man, an ex–serviceman of the troops under direct control of the Raikage, had taken a liking on Naruto and his sunny attitude, accepting to help him out and snorting in disgust as Jiraiya shamelessly peeped at every open spring in the city.
So, he had taken Naruto under his wing.
He had taught Naruto how to search out for chakra barriers and seals of various types, how to scout for enemies and how to hide his own charka in case of danger, even though Naruto had found the last part difficult due to his lack of attention.
Unfortunately Hiroshige (the retired shinobi) only had a couple of weeks at his disposal to help Naruto, as after that Jiraiya had dragged the teen away to follow an interesting lead on Akatsuki –lead that had in the end amounted to nothing.
Still, he had learned quite a lot thanks to him. the man had been an excellent, patient teacher.
Carefully calling forth a light amount of chakra (a quantity so small that didn't brought forth any nausea), Naruto gently prodded around with it, testing where the boundaries of the jutsu were.
He found a slight resistance around the walls, and a stronger one on the window, and nodded to himself.
Itachi had surrounded the room with a layer of masked chakra that would allow anyone inside to use chakra without alerting the people outside; the jutsu was familiar to the teen, as Hiroshige had once explained it to him with examples dating to the Great War.
The jutsu was useful during long battles, because it could be used to hide camp infirmaries where Iryo–nin could heal injured ninja while preventing the enemy from sensing them.
Unfortunately it required a steady amount of charka to be applied and inserted every few hours, and it only worked on stable camps, so despite it being undetectable, it was still easily dispelled.
Satisfied with his prodding, Naruto turned his attention to his own body, glaring down at his stomach; first things first, he had to check it out by himself. Lifting up his shirt, he brushed his chakra–coated fingertips on the seal's outline, wincing as he expected some kind of pain.
He was pleasantly surprised when no twinges occurred, though he felt warmth spread from the spiral outwards; staring down at it, bending his neck into a weird angle, he noticed the skin around the seal was red and swollen; it looked like he had been scorched by the heat as a reaction from yesterday.
Despite that, he felt rather fine, and that made his worry lessen considerably.
With nothing better to do, Naruto yawned and curled inside the futon again, cocooning closer to the wall; without Itachi around, he had all the time to relax and come to terms with the whole situation.
Especially with what Itachi had stated the night before –his words hard hurt Naruto deeply.
They had hit him, especially since after three years spent with Jiraiya had steeled Naruto into trying to ignore everything but his training, doing everything he could for the sole purpose of bringing Sasuke back home.
Even becoming Hokage had taken a step back –it wasn't as important as forcing his friend to reconsider his actions… right?
Maybe this trip to the past would prove itself to be useful, after all; despite all the physical pain he had been subjected to thanks to the seal, and the pain Itachi had unknowingly forced on him, he did feel better now.
His chest ached in a different way, as if some sort of weight was gone from his heart.
Maybe he should have accepted the truth long before then…
Eyes fluttered open to lazily stare at the window, but in truth spaced and looking at something that wasn't there; the young Sasuke… he'd looked so small and yet determined and strong, and thinking about him brought forth a sense of desolation. Even then, thinking about Sandaime hurt even more, because at least in Naruto's present, Sasuke was still alive. Away from home, but alive.
The Hokage… he'd missed the old man a lot, and even now, curled in the futon, staring at nothing, Naruto longed to see him again. He'd barely paid attention to the man back then, not thinking that someone like him could die, but now… all the small details, all the small things, he could only think about them.
He wanted to sniff the disgusting smell of tobacco. He wanted to see him wrinkle his forehead and smile.
After all, in a way Sarutobi had been Naruto's grandparent through and through.
There was a flicker of light on the window, and it attracted Naruto's attention, making him focus on it; the window was almost completely shut close except for a small line of light, and anybody looking from outside would think the room was empty.
It was safe.
Having been pulled out of his musings made Naruto realise he had nothing to do. 'I wonder where Itachi is now…?'
How did the Uchiha plan to bring them to their right time again? Was it really Kyuubi's fault if they were somewhere in the past? If that was so, how had it happened?
What about his throwing up blood? That wasn't nice.
He wanted to stop worrying so much, but shit –he couldn't.
'Ero–sennin, I swear on my nindo… if this is really your fault, I will make sure you can reproduce no more next time I see you!' he vowed, finally leaving the futon to get closer to the window.
He staggered a bit, but his energy was replenished and he felt much better, and since he now knew that it would be better not to use any chakra for a while, he could be cautious and it would be fine.
Still, he needed to check.
Closing his eyes he stilled, drawing his conscious deep into himself until he could feel his chakra pooling under his skin, vibrating… and there it was –the same nauseating sensation exuding from it.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto refused to back down and nudged his chakra carefully; the feeling was that of something decaying, rotten, disgusting, and he didn't like it at all, keeping himself from touching it in fear of throwing up again.
The fact that he had to pay attention simply because he was alone angered him –he didn't like the feeling of needing someone to 'save him' like a damsel in distress.
Well, Itachi wasn't around to ask stuff about his situation, and he could only go this far with prodding and comparing his thoughts alone. It wasn't helpful. He needed to wait for the spooky Uchiha to come back.
With a brusque movement, Naruto pushed the window open a bit more, allowing more sun to pour inside. There was nothing outside to attract his attention –the small training ground little Sasuke had been in the previous day was empty, with only a few puppet-targets remaining, and the parts of the Uchiha compounds he could see from his position were just houses and rooftops that disappeared in the distance.
Really, it was big. The Uchiha had owned an entire part of Konoha, all for themselves, keeping separate from the rest of the village, and damn, not even the Hyuuga used up so much space. Did it mean the Uchiha had been really that much important?
And then why keep separate? Were they trying to be elitist?
With nothing interesting to look at, Naruto pouted and moved away from the window; Itachi wasn't there, he couldn't use his chakra, there was no one to spy… shit, he needed something to do! He was going to die of boredom!
Still, it wasn't like he would be able to leave the room anytime soon; he had collected enough embarrassment to last him a lifetime, attracting unwanted attention and messing up with people in the village.
He needed to talk with Itachi and then they'd decide, together, what to do.
Why wasn't there anything to do! The room was almost bare, empty of life –why did the stupid older Uchiha choose it? What made it different than any other? It was in the Uchiha district, so it belonged to the family.
Was the owner dead?
Stomping towards the desk, Naruto stared at the layers of thick dust on its surface and nodded, his suspicions confirmed. The room was probably abandoned, no one had entered it in months, probably.
He still had to wonder why.
Looking to the shelf near the desk, Naruto listed all the book titles, wrinkling his nose when he recognised many of them as books he'd used during his academy days, all of them covered with dust as well.
Whoever the person who had lived in there had been, he had obviously had a ninja career.
Reaching for the armoire, Naruto opened the doors wide and checked inside, not surprised to see only clothes neatly piled inside, looking old and dusty but still usable.
All of them were around Naruto's size, maybe a bit bigger, and they all came with the customary Uchiha fan somewhere on them. Only one didn't have it anywhere, and it puzzled Naruto a bit.
He'd thought no Uchiha would want to hide the fact that he was one –maybe it was special clothing for undercover missions?
He should have felt ashamed and guilty for looking around without care, but boredom was a powerful force, indeed. And he hadn't noticed anything particularly personal so far, so he didn't have to feel guilty.
Was this Itachi's old room?
But no, it couldn't be –Itachi was still what, twelve–ish? He still lived in the compound, but with his family, not by himself.
About Itachi's age, Naruto wasn't sure which point in time they had fallen into; Sasuke had looked around six, and the Uchiha massacre had happened… at least a year later, right?
He didn't really know –he sucked at remembering stuff like that, and besides, he hadn't paid much attention back then. Not even to something as big as the decimation of Konoha's village by the hands of a single ninja.
Besides, the Uchiha had only brought forth bad memories, and he only vaguely remembered meeting Sasuke somewhere, after their first year at the academy, and thinking that the other kid had his same eyes filled with pain and rejection.
And there he was, on speaking terms with the person who had caused so much grief to Sasuke, a person he was still friends with (even if Sasuke wanted to deny it).
In his opinion, Itachi had done nothing to him. the mission to get Kyuubi was just that, a mission. Not Itachi's personal goal. But that was a weird train of thoughts.
Naruto huffed and returned to the table, checking in detail what was on it; some bottles of ointment, some bandages, new but dusty, some ornaments, but nothing that attracted his attention, and nothing that looked even vaguely personal.
The owner of the room was the typical Uchiha, then –emotionally stunted.
The drawers on the desk spiked Naruto's hopes up and he tried to open the first, finding it locked much to his chagrin. Pouting, he tried the second and it opened. He whooped.
There was a face–down framed photo, some pens and a bunch of paper sheets, a rusty shuriken… and that was it.
Bummer.
But still, a photo –Naruto grinned, grabbing one corner and started turning it around–
"Naruto–kun".
Itachi's voice coming from behind him made him stiffen and jump in shock, spinning around and slamming the drawer shut with a look of clear shame painted on his face; the older man was standing there, staring at him expressionless, and Naruto felt his cheeks turn red in embarrassment.
He hadn't even heard the man come back…
"A–ah, Itachi!" he tried to calm his racing heart down, slightly panicked. "I… I was just–"
He didn't quite know why he was trying to justify himself, but that didn't make the situation any less awkward.
The Uchiha stared at him for a second more, then he offered him a can of emergency food; he wasn't interested in Naruto's petty argumentations as to why he was peeking around the room –he was used with his Akatsuki companion doing the same all the time… although this was quite different. The room was…
Forcing himself to calm down, Itachi dismissed the flash of annoyance growing inside him with a soft huff.
It didn't matter anymore –it really didn't. it would have been important before, and if he allowed himself to think more about it, it would probably still be important, but he didn't want it to be.
Naruto uttered a small 'thank you' before grabbing the can and popping it open; the emergency rations were tasteless and bland, but they contained enough to help his body survive without real food for a while… he wasn't going to complain.
Ignoring Naruto as he ate, Itachi could not help himself as he looked around, wondering if the younger teen had seen anything in the room that could reveal him who the owner had been.
The chances of that were minimal, of course –Naruto had probably never heard anything about this particular Uchiha. It was ok. Itachi was simply making things difficult for himself.
Naruto blinked and observed the older shinobi as he looked around, his shoulders tense, and his interest sparkled up; why was Itachi this uptight in regards to the room? Was it really something important?
Torn between curiosity and being guilt about his curiosity, Naruto decided it was better not to question the other about it. At least for the moment.
"You should not drop your things everywhere, Naruto–kun," all at once, the Uchiha turned around, shoving something towards the blond teen. "I did explain you how we cannot allow any attention to be drawn on us".
Naruto swallowed on a mouthful and stared at the hand, recognising with a startled gasp the kunai he had used to try and release the 'Genjutsu' just the day before, and that he'd ended up throwing away in a fit of anger.
Flushing crimson again, he grabbed the weapon and put it back into his pouch. Really, Itachi was being careful with all the small details, even going as far as to get his kunai back…
"How is the seal going?"
Surprised, Naruto finally took a good look at his companion, noticing how the man had definitely abandoned his cloak for more normal clothes, which probably allowed him to blend in better.
He'd even moved his slashed hitai–ate from his forehead to his neck, where the slash wasn't even noticeable anymore.
He looked terribly normal –like he'd look if he hadn't betrayed the village.
Itachi was holding a book in one hand, and for a moment Naruto had a disturbing mental image of Kakashi with his 'Icha Icha Violence', which made him snicker in amusement.
"It's… warm," he replied honestly. "I don't think I can use my chakra without a rebound, though. And… it feels weird."
He sighed, not wanting to explain any further; he didn't like the feeling he got with the chakra, but at the same time, he wondered if the older shinobi would consider him an idiot.
Rotten…
Eyeing the book with vague interest, Naruto was able to catch a glimpse of it and read the title when Itachi sat down at his side. It was about demons and the five ninja countries.
Where did Itachi get the book? He was sure that books on subjects like demons couldn't be from Konoha's library, especially since they were trying desperately to hide the fact that one resided in Naruto's own stomach.
Itachi shifted a bit, and Naruto fought the urge to back away.
"I will do a check up on your seal, now," Itachi explained quietly, knowing he'd better have the teen cooperating with him. Naruto had some traits in common with Kisame, so he'd have to talk instead of just signalling things. "Define weird".
Naruto pouted.
"Ero–sennin was wondering whether it would be possible for Kyuubi's chakra to be accessible without having to ask the demon for help," he mumbled, licking his sticky fingers after he finished his ration. "Something went wrong. There was a chakra rebound and he decided not to mess with it anymore afterwards".
'He can interact with the demon –interesting,' Itachi thought, filing the fact for later. He'd never had the chance to study a Jinchuuriki before they died from the extraction, so that was a first. Was it just Naruto or did all vessels interact with their demons?
"… then what?"
"Then it started to feel weird," Naruto repeated. "Jiraiya's chakra was absorbed somehow, and Kyuubi was pissed…"
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Itachi sighed; Jiraiya was said to be one of the strongest shinobi in the world, taking upon the name Sannin because of that, and yet he still did such stupid things without researching first…
The man was easily stronger than Orochimaru (but there again, it wasn't such a hard thing to achieve) and yet he truly was a freak.
"–and now it feels like something's… going bad inside… as if there is something rotten in here," the blond teen placed one hand on his stomach, right above the seal. He could feel the heat through his shirt. "Not just Kyuubi's chakra though. Also mine".
Itachi's calculating eyes narrowed.
It seemed like the problem –sickness– was quickly spreading if Naruto had been able to feel something was wrong with his own chakra as well. unfortunately, Naruto's term was fitting in with the situation.
Rotten Chakra Syndrome.
It was quite rare, but Itachi had his suspicions confirmed, then –he'd once spent time at Konoha's hospital, checking diseases for studying purposes, and he could still remember it.
Making a mental list, Itachi checked to see if all the symptoms matched.
One of the principal causes for the RCS was usually a drawback from chakra–related operations, like reattaching limbs using chakra not compatible with that of the patient (similar to how non–matching blood types would react in a transplant), or messing up during the creation of a jutsu. It meant two or more different chakra flows clashed together into one body, causing harm to the person as the organism would end up trying to reject not just the added chakra, but also the owner's own.
The chakra would grow unstable rather quickly, and unless extracted from the body, it would burn down the patient's chakra coils, either killing him or, in the best case, render him useless as a ninja. At times, crippled for life.
As with blood, chakra could be of different types, at times not compatible with each other, and if two opposite kinds were to meet, they'd react aggressively –Iryo–nins were still trying to understand how that could work.
Strange as it was, as Itachi had been rather sure Jiraiya and Naruto shared the same type of chakra (wind), Naruto's body had reacted badly to the forced insertion of Jiraiya's chakra.
Most of the time, if the chakra inserted into a non–compatible person was aggressive, it didn't result in anything more than the person being weak and fatigued for a few days as the original chakra converted the incoming addition into the type of the user, and only big transfusion caused such a grave reaction.
This brought Kyuubi into play; the demon's chakra was obviously different, and that was probably what made Naruto unique in this case.
But Kyuubi or not, Naruto's situation was dangerous; the demon's chakra was fighting against Jiraiya and Naruto's, and if they couldn't find a cure for the infection, Naruto would die, or end up crippled and unable to perform as a ninja for the rest of his life.
Not that Itachi cared, but without working chakra patterns, the demon would either die or be freed, and a free Kyuubi would be a bitch to deal with.
The chakra disruption was spreading through Naruto's human coils, and thus the reason he was feeling so bad –it would only get worse with time, and it was a miracle that he was able to stand and walk around… any other person would have been almost comatose by now.
Naruto had quite the strength to keep up at least for a bit more, but his being Jinchuuriki probably had something to do with it, and would maybe make things different.
He needed the Kyuubi to return to their time so he was intentioned in keeping its bearer as healthy as possible.
"Lift your shirt," he told the teen.
Naruto nodded and exposed his belly and seal without a word; Itachi leaned closer to take a look, noticing how Naruto did not flinch nor shift away, and stared at the seal with interest.
He had never been close enough to see it in detail, especially since the last time the two of them had met, there had been a schedule to respect and Itachi had been stopped by the sennin. Now he had enough time to admire the work of art the seal was, and would do it gladly –it was their return ticket, after all.
Kyuubi's power had always fascinated him –Itachi had been considered an adult and thus had known about the sealing– and to think Akatsuki hadn't found a way to get its power without killing both the demon and the Jinchuuriki caused Itachi to frown.
It was a waste to watch the organization convert demons into pure energy, as each Bijuu had special unique powers, most of which unknown to humans, and the containers were the only beings in existence that could unlock those powers.
And they were sacrificed away.
Kyuubi, the strongest of all the Bijuu, had been sealed inside Naruto, who on his own was… an interesting person. Itachi had been barely seven when the Yondaime had sealed the demon inside his son, dying and forcing the retired Sarutobi to come back and resume his work, but he remembered it.
He had met Yondaime only twice before he had died, in company of his father. Bright blue eyes, a sunny attitude –Itachi remembered this of him. The opposite of Uchiha Fugaku, and yet the two had been good friends.
And Naruto was the splitting image of the deceased Fourth Hokage.
Yondaime had been a genius with sealing techniques, one of the few that had completely mastered the art of seals, and the one on Naruto's stomach was his last, but not his best one.
Yet, it was the only one he'd be remembered for.
Once, many years before, Itachi had been interested in sealing; unfortunately, he was a prodigy and his family had steered his attention to different branches –after all, the Uchiha didn't need a sealing master. They needed a killer.
Still, Itachi's brain never could forget the things he learned, and he still remembered enough of what he self–taught himself to see that the seal was untouched and pristine still.
The problem hadn't touched the seal per se, thus, without a doubt, Naruto really had the RCS.
"The seal seems fine," he stated. "Probably it was designed to repel any attempt at disrupting its primary function. With three chakra active on it, it rejected what he felt like a threat".
Naruto nodded.
Itachi stared at him in silence for a moment, then explained what he thought the problem was, and what was the cause of it. Meanwhile, he analysed Naruto's reactions carefully, keeping his health under control. The only person who could truly deal with the RCS properly was, at the present moment in the timeline, travelling somewhere far away from Konoha, drinking and gambling.
He was not a medic–nin, but he had to do his best to heal the teen without any help.
"Damn you, Ero–sennin," he heard the blond mutter as he applied a bit of his chakra on the seal, prodding at it carefully. "I will seriously castrate you–"
The seal flared into action all of sudden, shutting the Genin up and Itachi quickly retracted his hand, barely escaping a wave of heat that scorched the skin around the burning seal.
The raven haired man's eyes narrowed in concentration, and Naruto blinked, unsure of what he was seeing.
They were inches from each other, and it was the first time Naruto had been this close to Itachi without being scared shitless or running for his life while badmouthing him; he stared in almost fascination, automatically comparing the older brother with the younger one.
Itachi was… interesting. A strange person and Naruto couldn't understand him.
People like Konohamaru or Kiba were easy to read, and Naruto could understand them and interact without too many problems; others, like Neji or Gaara, were more difficult, but that only meant Naruto had to try harder. He had succeeded with them, after all.
In a way, both teens had been like him.
Others were completely unreadable in a different way, but Naruto blamed this on the fact that he didn't know much about them –Kakashi, for example, and Jiraiya… even though he could boast of knowing the older man a lot better now that he had travelled with him for three years…
Sasuke… Sasuke was a whole different category. They were rivals, they were maybe friends, or at least Naruto considered himself Sasuke's friend, at least… and he knew the pain the other teen had to go through. And yet, every time he offered his hand to the other, every time he thought he could reach out and finally form a strong bond with him… Sasuke pulled away.
Naruto could understand Sasuke, and at the same time, he couldn't… or else, Sasuke would still be in Konoha, not with Orochimaru, right?
And Itachi…? Itachi was a whole different league too.
Naruto had always considered him an enemy, but deep down, he grudgingly felt a small amount of envy for the other shinobi.
Coming down to it, Naruto respected strength. Not the kind of strength that one could acquire by external aid –he meant the strength that came from hard work, training or personal ability.
A Kekkai Genkai meant very little to him, as he saw it as a gift that most people overlooked –a real shinobi could be strong without having to use their family bloodlines all the time. Learn and grow without relying on them.
No bloodline was perfect, but having a strong one brought people to dismiss enemies, and caused them to start slouching off.
Naruto was proud because he had no bloodline of sorts, and still rival any family's special bloodline. There were clans that learned how to grow strong without having to rely on their Kekkai Genkai, others that relied on them but still could take enemies head on without using them –and others that counted too much on their bloodlines.
Still, Itachi was strong, both with his bloodline and without, and that was why Naruto envied him.
After all, the blond teen had a curious opinion on strength; to him, strength was strength, no matter whom it belonged to; people could respect or fear power, but it didn't change the power itself –just the thoughts of those involved with it.
What made the real difference was how one used their strength.
There was Orochimaru, who was strong but used his power to hurt –that meant Orochimaru was using his strength in the wrong way.
Anko (the crazy instructor at the Chuunin exams) had similar powers since she had been Orochimaru's student in the past –Jiraiya had revealed that to him– but Anko was still a Konoha citizen and despised Orochimaru.
That meant the same jutsu could be used in different ways.
He had met many strong shinobi in his life –Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade– and they based their strength on their own beliefs, following through them. They were strong and used their strength for that –for their dreams.
Itachi… Itachi was an enemy, a missing–nin… yet now they were working together, collaborating, living in the same room. It was almost unreal.
Where did Itachi's strength come from? What kind of belief was he following that had required him to turn his back to Konoha and commit a genocide?
What had Itachi sacrificed, what did he gain?
Naruto was quickly growing curious about that, especially since he had to bear being in his company.
Had someone told him that he'd have to share a room and speak with an Akatsuki member even a year before –let alone three– Naruto would have laughed in their faces. Loudly. And yet here he was, and the Akatsuki member was none other than Itachi. Sasuke's older brother, his obsession, his torturer.
With a soft sigh, Naruto closed his eyes. There was something else that was bothering him, but he couldn't put a finger on it. If enemies could switch sides or work together from one day to the next, wasn't it all due to their missions? They were simply doing their job as ninja; unless a shinobi were to start a personal grudge against another, one couldn't hate another ninja simply for the side they were on –every person had their personal beliefs and path to follow, right? No matter who they were.
Even if others couldn't understand, that didn't mean they were on the wrong side.
So… had Sasuke been caught in Naruto's place, would his hatred blind him enough that he'd still antagonize his brother in order to placate his thirst for revenge, or would he try working together with Itachi in order to go back to their time?
'I think he would have fought against his brother no matter what, that teme…' Naruto groaned. 'He would probably prefer being stuck in the past than work with Itachi…'
Or worse, Sasuke would try to change the past itself so his family would be spared.
Blinking, he listed all the people he knew, wondering if any of them would rush blindly against Itachi… and realised that none of them would. Naruto himself was one who could act first and think later, but even he could accept to work with the enemy if it was necessary.
There again, Sasuke had a very personal reason to hate his brother.
What about Naruto? He had nothing against Itachi, at least nothing really personal. Akatsuki wanted Kyuubi, and thus would kill Naruto, but not because they had a grudge against the Jinchuuriki… simply because to extract the demon, they would stop at nothing. Even if that meant killing someone else to accomplish their goal.
Not that Naruto agreed with this vision of things –killing someone simply for power… he thought it was wrong. There were surely better ways to become strong.
There again, Naruto had often said that in order to protect his precious people, he would even kill whoever threatened them… but that need had never arisen. He had never killed someone.
'Would I be able to kill if it meant saving the life of someone I care for?'
The thought made him uneasy, but he refused to back down. He wasn't a coward, and he wanted to be honest with himself. Better to strengthen his resolve now than during a battle…
To save Tsunade, Iruka–sensei, Kakashi–sensei, Jiraiya, Sakura… even Sasuke…
There again, Sasuke had been hurt by Itachi. Yes, it was in the past, but even when they had met at that hotel, while Jiraiya and Naruto had been searching for Tsunade, Itachi had hurt Sasuke right in front of the blond teen… shouldn't he hate Itachi, then?
Frowning, Naruto tried to probe his feelings regarding the older Uchiha. No, he didn't hate him. Was that because Itachi had nothing personal against Naruto? Wasn't hurting Sasuke something personal, then?
What kind of twisted reasoning was that?
And yet, somehow… it made sense in his head. If he tried to put that feeling into words, it only served to confuse him more, but… there was at least some difference between Itachi 'the person' and Itachi 'of the Akatsuki'. Besides, Sasuke had every right to pursue his own revenge by himself, and although Naruto could try to steer him to a better path –one that didn't involve going to an old, perverted paedophile– that didn't give him any right to stop him.
What if Itachi had been a shinobi belonging to another Hidden Village, then? Would that have changed things?
Maybe not, maybe yes… he wasn't really sure.
Was it just the fact that he belonged to the Uchiha clan?
Sasuke had wasted a good portion of his life trying to get strong enough to kill Itachi, even going as far as to attempt killing Naruto, the one he's grown to call his best friend; but with this path, Sasuke would never grow strong enough… not by asking for borrowed power. Not even to a Sannin.
Did that mean that Naruto himself, who was trying to grow strong simply to get Sasuke back, was wasting his life? Was it different if Naruto was doing it out of friendship and not out of revenge and hatred?
But… Itachi was strong. And honestly speaking, almost too strong. He was older, stronger, seemingly faultless; different experiences, different life –born in time of war, taught how to hide and control his emotions tightly.
Sasuke wasn't able to control his emotions, even if at first Naruto had thought that –just spending time with the Uchiha had allowed Naruto to learn how to read him rather well. He was open with his emotions, by all those small details that Naruto noticed.
In the end, Sasuke had allowed his emotions to cloud his better judgement and pushed him to the wrong path… right in the opened arms of Orochimaru.
Ewww, what a horrible mental image.
Sasuke was not, and could never be, Itachi.
Coddled by the village, fuelled by hatred, growing up like that… Sasuke was Sasuke, and yet he desperately tried to become his brother, even though he acted out of hatred… surrogate powers would never be enough. Never.
Besides, Naruto didn't hate Sasuke for trying to kill him –for getting so close to killing him. the same way he couldn't hate Itachi because his organization wanted to extract the demon from him, and thus kill him.
Of course that made more sense in his mind, but alas.
And… and there was something fishy about the Uchiha clan. Something that he couldn't understand nor explain –a flicker of his sixth sense, perhaps. He didn't know, but it made his skin prickle unpleasantly.
How could Naruto decide that Itachi's behaviour in general was wrong simply by hearing what others had to say about it? He had allowed others a chance, after all –Gaara had killed his uncle and so many others, and yet Naruto had offered him a hand and his friendship.
He still didn't condone the lives Gaara had taken, but he didn't condemn him either. They were friends.
Neji had thought he was an inferior being, but Naruto had beaten the truth into the Hyuuga, grabbing his twisted feelings and pulling them out of the older teen, and then he had offered him a hand.
Both Gaara and Neji had accepted.
Haku and Zabuza…
Hadn't Zabuza being known everywhere for being a demon? A ruthless killer? And yet, he had taken in Haku when no one else had, and Haku had loved Zabuza deeply for that. They had been his enemies, but Naruto had discovered then that the world was not black and white. It was so easy to forget it, but back then, he had grown to like and understand the two simply because they had opened up to him.
Naruto had offered his hand to both, but Haku had refused it and had died to protect Zabuza, and Zabuza had refused it and sacrificed his own life to join Haku in death.
Sasuke had rejected Naruto's offered friendship because he was still walking in the shadow of his older brother… but Sasuke was still alive. There was still hope, in the end, for him to accept.
Had Naruto been alone, without Iruka or Sandaime… he would have been like all of them. They had been forced down a path and then all of them –Haku, Zabuza, Neji, Gaara, even Tsunade– had then repented.
Maybe… maybe Itachi had a reason, too, that Naruto couldn't understand. And maybe he would never share it or agree with what the older man had done, but… but he didn't understand it, and he wanted to.
'Sasuke would kill me if he knew what I am thinking…' Naruto stifled a chuckle at that. He was really thinking about trying to understand the veiled mystery that was Uchiha Itachi?
But Sasuke was with Orochimaru, and Itachi was… closer. Right at Naruto's side, and until they returned to the right time, the two would have to coexist together.
Was that enough of a reason to try and understand the older Uchiha?
Sasuke would want to kill him for even trying, but there again, Naruto didn't want to be in the middle of a stupid family feud. Hadn't it been Naruto, Sasuke would have tried (and maybe succeeded, who knew?) to kill someone else. Naruto had been equally stubborn, simply because for him, an Uchiha was just like any other ninja.
He wondered if someone else would have given the same importance to Sasuke as he did.
Maybe, maybe not.
In the end, whatever conclusion the two brothers reached, Naruto would not allow himself to be part of it; if Sasuke came back home, Naruto would welcome him, but… could he even do anything more than that?
If he chased him around endlessly, following any trail possible… would that still make Sasuke come back, or would that only push him further away from Konoha, from him?
He couldn't chase Sasuke who was chasing Itachi. Who, almost comically, was chasing Naruto.
Almost amusing. Almost.
Besides, Itachi reminded him of…
"You're similar to him, in a way," Naruto murmured, unaware that he'd spoken aloud, attracting Itachi's attention.
The other shinobi had been prodding at his seal, lost in thought, but Naruto's words made him stop –who was Naruto referring to?
Well, probably Sasuke, who else.
He was deeply wrong, though… Sasuke was nothing like him.
"I am not my brother," he replied just as quietly, a flicker of annoyance in his black eyes.
Suddenly realising where he was again, and that Itachi was now staring right at him, Naruto blinked, then snickered, shaking his head in mirth, not bothered at all that he'd been speaking loudly instead of just thinking.
"Nah, you're right… Sasuke is nothing like you… you wouldn't have joined Orochimaru at all," he sighed, still smiling amusedly. "I am sure you're not into paedophiles… but that's not what I meant. You remind me of Zabuza, that's all".
Itachi was actually taken aback.
Zabuza of the Mist? The Demon Swordsman who had once been part of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shuu? The thought that someone like Naruto would compare him to that man was almost amusing, especially given the fame the man had in the shinobi world.
Itachi had never met him, but Kisame had, once, been part of the Shinobigatana group, and often spoke about the other swordsman with respect.
He knew Naruto's team had met with the man, bringing him to his downfall –news travelled quickly, after all– but he was still curious as to why the teen thought the two of them as similar.
Itachi pushed down his curiosity before it blossomed enough for him to ask. It wasn't something he really wanted to know.
Naruto smirked, aware that he had surprised Itachi and feeling righteously satisfied for that; the two of them really were similar somehow, in more than just their reputation as skilled killers.
In order to graduate, Zabuza had exterminated all of his classmates, a feat no one ever equalled, thus gaining the name of Demon. Maybe that was why Naruto was reminded of Zabuza when looking at Itachi?
No, that wasn't all. Something else. Something deeper.
Zabuza… he'd been forced to act like that, and then, when shunned afterwards, he had grown strong to protect himself from others, refusing to believe in someone ever again –until Haku had arrived. And even then, Haku had been the only one Zabuza had allowed through his walls until the day he died.
Itachi had created new beliefs for reasons unknown to Naruto, but things had changed since then.
Naruto had learned much more from his first C–turned–A mission than he'd ever had during his academy days, first and foremost… never judge someone by rumours, never judge someone without knowing their background first.
Haku had died to protect his most important person, even if that meant going against what others believed in; Zabuza had lived all his life only caring about his own person, because ultimately, the world had disappointed and betrayed him.
Naruto respected both their views, even if he didn't share them –he still had hope for the people who had turned their backs on him, and he didn't think that dying would solve anything… Zabuza had been so hurt by Haku's death that he had joined him soon afterwards.
Haku had a bloodline for whom people had tried to use him or kill him.
Zabuza was still considered a demon, his name still made people shiver in fear and hatred.
Naruto knew better because he had wanted to know them. He had been the first to confront them about it, and want to know why.
Neither was, or had ever been, a demon or a monster.
They had followed a path forced upon them, but they had made their own decisions in the end… and no one would ever know.
Maybe… maybe Itachi had his own reasons for acting the way he had. For the massacre, for turning his back to Konoha, for acting cold and uncaring. Maybe he just needed someone to understand him, too. Naruto wanted to.
Prejudices wouldn't cloud his vision simply because he only ever heard one side of the coin.
'I'm not excusing him for what he did, of course, but…' Naruto glanced up at Itachi again. 'But…'
"One day," he muttered, ignoring Itachi's questioning gaze. 'I want to know. Somehow. Maybe it's good we ended up trapped in the past… it made me think. It made me want to know'.
A wave of dizziness disrupted his thoughts and he swallowed, fighting down the nausea caused by Itachi's prodding. "Hey, stop!" he protested.
The older shinobi nodded, apparently satisfied.
"Do not use any chakra, if you don't want to start choking on your blood again… especially when I am not around".
Naruto rolled his eyes. He knew that already, he wouldn't try it. He wasn't a masochist.
Itachi pulled away and Naruto sighed, vaguely missing the close contact –he felt kind of cold despite the burning seal, and he had enjoyed the warmth coming from Itachi's body.
'Gah, I'm really sick if I enjoy being close to that guy,' he scolded himself.
"I need to leave now, do not move from this room until I am back… I will probably return in the evening, so until then, stay put," Itachi ordered, standing up and moving to the door.
"Hey! I'm so not going to stay here all day while you work your ass off outside and–"
The book Itachi had brought in before suddenly hit him square on the face, making him stop his rant with a squeak.
"Read this. It might hold some information on the Kyuubi that could be useful for our situation".
With that, Itachi left, locking the door behind his back.
"What the fuck!" anger boiled in Naruto's veins as he stood up, growling and throwing the book against the wall.
All his good intentions of staying put for a while vanished completely –he didn't like being told what to do, as if he was an infant who needed protection!
Itachi was treating him like a crippled baby. He couldn't stand it!
"I don't have to follow your orders, you damn Uchiha prick! You're not the boss of me!"
He wanted to leave and check out this time's village. and see Sandaime again –it was a one–life chance, he wouldn't just waste it because the Uchiha prick wanted him to stay home and be nice. He wasn't a dog!
He wanted to see how much Konoha had changed. He wanted to look through the Uchiha compound. He wanted to see everything and damn Itachi if he tried to stop him!
He so would not stay home and let moss grow on him like a Buddha statue!
Standing up, Naruto straightened and stretched his back and stomped to the armoire, opening it and taking out some of the clothes he'd seen there before. He knew better than go out with his current attire (even though it was different from his old one, it was still too bright), and the only blonds in Konoha were the Yamanaka and himself.
Picking a brownish shirt up he eyed it carefully, noticing with satisfaction that the Uchiha fan sewn on its back was small and it would be easily covered with a bandana. Pulling on the shirt and a pair of brow pants equally covered in dust (he shook them to get it off first, of course) he nodded, tying his pouch around his waist and hiding it underneath the shirt.
He would be better off by faking to be a villager instead of a ninja, so he untied his hitai–ate and left it on the desk, then wrapped a green bandana around his hair.
He had no chakra to spare for a henge, besides any ninja would notice chakra coating his head if they were to patrol while he passed by… too dangerous.
It didn't look bad, he mulled while watching his reflection in the mirror on the inside of the armoire; he looked normal, and his worn clothes would keep attention away from him.
"Well, what a surprise –I don't even look like myself anymore… maybe I should have tried dressing up long ago," he laughed at himself, moving back to the desk.
He'd seen various concoctions there before, and one of them was a camouflage cream. Carefully he applied some on his cheeks, effectively hiding his too–recognizable whisker marks, and nodded.
Perfect. He just had to keep his eyes low –blue wasn't uncommon, opposite to the far too rare blond hair colour, but his particular shade was a bit too bright anyway.
This was… a nice change, for once. Why had he never tried non–orange colours before?
'Ok, I'll just have a quick walk around, no need to be picky,' he assured himself, knowing he still had to be wary of this Konoha. 'It's better I keep away from Sasuke or the people I know from my time, at least for now. I'll just have a walk around…'
He sneaked out of the window, leaving it barely open as he would need a way back into the room without having to go through the entire compound –besides, Itachi had locked the door.
Checking everywhere to see if someone was around, he finally let himself slide down to the ground.
As he looked at his surroundings, he felt a strong sense of excitement wash through him. he was going to scout around and nobody was going to stop him!
"Here I come, Konoha of the past!" he stated, grinning and pumping his fist in the air.
…–…–…–…
"Sasuke–kun, please stop running around!"
Itachi was sitting on a tall tree, hiding within the highest branches, so still he could have easily passed for a statue, back firmly pressed against the trunk, and his eyes were fixed on the window in front of him –or to be more exact, on the people inside the room.
He was tense, terribly so, knuckles white in his lap, the muscles around his eyes tight as he fought against activating his Doujutsu, yet on the outside he looked completely relaxed. He knew he should not be there, but he could not move –could not look away.
"I said stop! Be a good boy, Sasuke!" a tall woman with silky black hair was moving around in the room, chasing a small boy who was giggling happily at her.
Itachi's eyes were focused solely on the woman, unwavering, carefully burning into memory her expressions as she stumbled, following her son; the warm, indulgent smiles that made her look half her age, the small wrinkle at the side of her mouth as she grinned, the way her eyes sparkled with love and affection…
Under Itachi's eyes, Mikoto finally caught Sasuke, holding him close to her chest and showering him with small kisses, smiling when he giggled, fidgeted and pouted at the onslaught.
Itachi wasn't even sparing a glance at the small Sasuke. He was watching his mother instead, unable to look away even as his chest ached at the sight.
"Sasuke–kun, stop playing around now, ok? Your brother will be home soon, so be a good boy!"
"Yes, mother! He promised he would train with me today!" Sasuke wriggled out of his mother's arms and tugged at her hand, smiling happily all the while, eyes shining brightly.
The kind woman smiled back at him, clearly satisfied to see her younger son's eyes fill with such love for his older sibling.
Mikoto's words shook Itachi out of his trance and he flinched minutely, finally snapping out of his staring. Blinking twice, he stood straighter, and with a fluid motion he stepped out from the branch he was on.
He hadn't realised how much time he had wasted (spent) watching that woman.
Without further ado, he slid backwards, hiding away in the leaves and teleporting away from the Uchiha Main House's garden.
Seconds later a young figure, another Itachi but younger in appearance (with eyes still older than his age), appeared in front of the house and slid open the door, silently stepping inside and offering his mother a small nod, muttering a quiet "Tadaima".
…–…–…–…–…–…–…
StarsOfYaoi: well, I guess I don't need to ask you to review :) if you feel up to, please do and tell me if you liked!
Glossary: (to those that are not familiar with Japanese)
Kaminari no Kuni – Land of Thunder.
Iryo–nin – medic–nin.
Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shuu– Seven Swordsmen of Mist. Kisame and Zabuza were part of that group.
Raikage – Kumogakure's Kage.
Kumogakure – Hidden in the Clouds.
Jinchuuriki – Human sacrifice.
Bijuu – Tailed Demon. In the Japanese mythology there are nine demons each one with a special power and a certain number of tails. Ichibi no Shukaku is the first and in Naruto manga it's Gaara's demon –a Tanuki. Then there is Nibi no Nekomata, the second one (in form of a cat), and then up to Kyuubi no Kitsune, the nine-tailed fox.
Kekkai Genkai – bloodline. Strictly speaking, a bloodline implies a special ability that is passed through a family. Usually a family with a bloodline creates jutsu that can only be used with said bloodline, like Itachi's Tsukiyomi. The Akimichi do not have a bloodline, but their main technique, Baika no Jutsu, is used mainly by them because they created it and own it. Sharingan and Byakugan are bloodlines, and so is Haku's control over icy mirrors.
Tadaima – it can be translated with 'I am back'. As a reply you usually say okaerinasai or just okaeri, meaning 'welcome back'.