"Shisui," Itachi regarded the older ANBU. Shisui soon found his way to the rooftop where Itachi stayed. "How do you suppose Sasuki, Naruto, the baby and I leave Konoha?"

When Shisui didn't answer, Itachi spoke again.

"We cannot just leave, you know that. They would just come after us and bring us back. Probably put us in prison for escaping without permission."

"I'm sorry Itachi," Shisui reprimanded himself for not having thought of that. But really, Itachi was the brighter one.

"I have brought the children to Hatake-san for the night," Itachi said, deep in thought. "Perhaps..."


Time Skip :3


"Nii-san," Sasuki started. They have been running from Konoha for three days now. But why run from their own village?

"We have just started running for the day, Sasuki," Itachi said sternly. This was never a good sign before, but for the past three days, it's been a usual occurence. "Do not tell me that you are exhausted."

"I'm not," Sasuki bit her lip. She was lying.

Yes, they had just started running for this day. But how many hours of sleep did they really get last night? What time did they last eat? She was sure they didn't eat breakfast.

"Ne, Itachi-nii," Naruto broke the silence that followed after neither Itachi nor Sasuki said anything. "I think... Where are we really going, dattebayo?"

"I have told you," Itachi looked back at Naruto. "We are getting as far away as possible from Konoha."

It usually was a bit hard explaining things to the blond kid. But this time was a lot more difficult.

Naruto just was so intent on believing that Konoha meant them no harm and that the village actually needed their protection. That they need their future Hokage.

Itachi thought that perhaps this situation had been hardest on Naruto. He had been so intent on protecting the village that his parents had entrusted to him. He has tried getting everyone to turn back and return to the village several times. But with Sasuki and the baby fully under Itachi's guide, Naruto knew it was useless. And he couldn't really go back on his own. If the others didn't come, what family could he return to in the village?

"But why?" Naruto asked the very question Itachi has hated for the past days.

In his arms, the redheaded baby starter to whimper. This baby was truly more vocal than Sasuki had been.

Itachi sighed.

They were a good way off the village. Good enough for a young teenager caring for a baby and two children.

Maybe they could stop for a while. Just long enough for Itachi to explain what has happened.

Itachi stopped running and motioned for the seven-year olds to do the same.

As soon as they were settled, Itachi began his story with a question.

"Naruto, have any of the villagers treated you any differently after the Kyuubi attack?"

"Uhmm... No," Naruto answered after much thought. He realized now just how lucky he was. He knew about what the other jinchuuriki experienced in other lands.

"Do you know why that is?" Itachi followed up with another question. He had retrieved a bottle from a scroll and had started feeding the now whining baby formula milk.

The bottle had an Uchiha clan symbol drawn with red and black marker. He remembered that time. Sasuki and Naruto decided that the clear bottles were too simple. Mikoto let them decorate it.

Mikoto. Itachi sighed, missing his mother. After running for three days and having no real rest in between because he was watching over the sleeping children, he didn't really have time to mourn.

He wondered if Sasuki did. He knew Sasuki still didn't believe it but what she was thinking, Itachi couldn't really imagine. Right now, she was slowly munching on a tomato. Something the little girl and their mother preferred as snack.

Itachi knew that tomatoes were believed to make the skin fairer. His mother told him that. He wondered if Sasuki knew it as well and if that was the reason she was eating it.

"No," Naruto answered after a while.

"You see, Sandaime Hokage, he never really told anybody who was sacrificed to be the new jinchuuriki," Itachi started. Naruto and Sasuki listened intently.

"But he did tell the clan leaders that it was sealed into one of the Yondaime's children. No one could really imagine you as the jinchuuriki, Naruto,"

"How could a blond kid who was always smiling, always making other people smile, hold a despicable monster?" With this, Naruto and Sasuki started to realize.

"No, it was not possible. Instead, they put the blame on the little one,"

"They hate Rin. They hate her without really understanding her situation," Itachi looked upon the now-sleeping redhead.

It was a pity. She was a pity. Rin. If Itachi believed in curses and such, he would think that the name itself was a pity.

Hatake Kakashi opened up to him about his lost teammate in a mission once. Her name was Rin. And here was the redhead that was named after her.

The older Rin, she was forcefully made into the Sanbi jinchuuriki and she chose her own death. It was a noble action and she was a hero. Still, only those closest to her didn't forget her. The Yondaime probably decided that she didn't deserve that and she should be remembered. Her name should be remembered.

Looking back now, its such a pity. It seemed that the name itself attracted negative events.

Itachi looked back up at the seven-year olds and saw how their eyes lost some of their lights. He didn't want to worsen the situation but if he would have to say this, it was better to say it now.

"With the Yondaime's orders that the Uchiha take in his children, everything got worse. The other clans had started to trust us over the years but not one of them could really erase the doubt that the Uchiha were the ones who were behind the Kyuubi attack,"

"Rumors started to spread that it was all planned out until the order that we take you in. It was thought that we planned on using Rin to wreak havoc on Konoha in the future,"

"I was hated even more. I was called the genius and it was used against me. They accused me of helping in the supposed murder of the Yondaime and his wife,"

"They even went as far as to saying I was the one who had summoned and had been controlling the Kyuubi."

Naruto and Sasuki looked like they couldn't take in any more news. Itachi saw this but he couldn't really do anything as he was only halfway through the story.

"The other clans had started to treat our clan differently, Sasuki. That's what sparked the coup d'état," Itachi continued.

"Both of you were left out of it as well as all the other innocent children. But everybody else knew. It was supposed to happen three days ago,"

"Shisui, he acted as a double agent. He was the same as you and I, Naruto. He valued the village more than the clan. He knew that the coup would have started the fourth ninja war,"

"He was in the ANBU feigning loyalty to our clan but he was actually reporting to the Sandaime. He was ordered to extinguish all of us."

"But the Hokage wouldn't order that, dattebayo!" Naruto interupted. He was now standing, his hands closed into fists.

"It was not him, Naruto," Itachi answered him. "It was Danzo."

Both the seven-year olds didn't know him except for the few times his name was mentioned in the school. They knew he was in charge of the ROOT, a rather secretive subsection of ANBU.

"So Kaa-san... Tou-san... They really are... Gone?" Sasuki's eyes fell as realization finally hit her completely.

"I apologize, Sasuki," Itachi said quietly.

"How long have you known?" she suddenly flared out. Her breathe was getting ragged.

"I tried to prevent everything from happening, Sasuki," Itachi's eyes fell. He knew it was a mistake to keep it from them as well.

Thinking about it now, she might have changed his father's mind. Knowing that their father loved her very much, more than he loved Itachi. Itachi was more of someone to pass the position of clan heir to than his son, even Itachi knew that.

Sasuki breathed deeply as she processed everything.

"I know," she finally said. Her eyes were calmer now. But if anyone knew her, they could tell that she was planning something.

It only happened at times but she did dislike being defeated by Naruto at spars. She would get this look in her eyes right after the competition and the next spar, she would set more trap and give extra effort to win, even go as far to nearly killing the boy.

And the worse thing was, when she put her mind into it, there was nothing to keep her from doing what she willed.

Itachi hoped it was nothing she could do in the near future and that his and Naruto's way of thinking could grow into her and keep her from doing it. Especially if she planned something bad for the village, as knowing her, she valued the clan over Konoha.


It took another seven days for the group to leave the Fire Country. Between having to rest and eat and Naruto wanting to go back and Sasuki saying she needed to pee as an excuse to mourn, it was a considerable feat to Itachi for them to get away from the village in that time.

"Where do we go now?" Sasuki asked, her voice void of the usual eagerness it contained.

"We will meet with my friend," Itachi answered as he produced a crow from the black cloak he opted to wear when they defected from the village. Rin saw the black bird and tried to reach for it before it flew away.

"How'd ya do that?" Naruto, also mezmerized by the bird, exclaimed, forgetting their tragic situation for the moment.

"It's merely a summoning technique, Naruto," Itachi let a small smile grace his stoic face. It was good to see that Naruto still held his sunny personality even at this time. "I believe your father has left you something not unlike it in your scroll."

"Really?" Naruto's eyes widened. "I can't wait. I have to learn it! Then, we'll come back home and protect our village! I'll be Hokage, dattebayo!"

"You have to give up on that dream, Naruto," Sasuki sullenly said.

"Why?" Naruto asked rather angrily.

"If they even know we're alive, we are going to be considered missing-nin. They would probably put us in jail." Sasuki answered. Suddenly, she turned to Itachi. "Do they know we're still alive, Nii-san?"

Leave it to Sasuki to figure everything out.

"No," Itachi answered her hesitantly, knowing it would most likely change something in the optimistic mind of the blond boy. "They do not."

'Or so I hope,' he added in his thoughts. 'No. Only Tsunade-hime would be able to tell that those are not our bodies.'

"Itachi," a voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Shisui," Itachi regarded him. It has only been at most an hour since he sent his crow. It was astounding that someone could shunshin that fast but he knew that the Yondaime would have made it here even faster.

"Who is he?" Naruto tugged on the Itachi's clothes.

"He was the one who saved us from the cruel judgement of our own people," Itachi spoke with a sullen tone.

"What is he doing here?" Sasuki asked as she eyed the older man with suspicion.

"I have the leads on Jiraiya," Shisui disregarded the seven-year olds. "And he's currently near Suna. It does not look like he's going to leave for a while. I suggest we leave now."


And so the adventure begins :(((( Please forgive me for the short chapter. Been going through things. And writer's block too. Thanks for reading and please review. And suggest what you might want to happen next because I have no idea on what to do before the next time skip... :(((