The Hidden Truths of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

Summary: Starting after the trip to the Land of the Waves, Sasuke has developed a sense of overprotectivness a shinobi feels towards their partner and Naruto has to deal with new surprises every day. The secret behind the Uchiha clan massacre is revealed and Orochimaru is scared of one man. ANBU and foxes flock towards Naruto as much as danger does. A whole new take on the life of Team 7 and co.

Shikamaru nearly sagged in relief when Uchitachi's voice and appearance seems to have stopped the fight in its roots. He had thought that the two would go at it right here, in Lee's hospital room, where they could not only hurt the unconscious blond but also who knows how many other patients, too. But, with his ever impeccable timing, Uchitachi had once again averted a tragedy.

'Wait a minute!' How had this not occurred to him before!? He looked at Uchitachi, studying the man who had appeared in the hospital room, standing in front of them with his arms at his sides, empty yet it felt like he was holding the sharpest blade. He had that sort of dangerous air around him as he stared at the redhead, who had flinched away from the black haired man. He was directly in front of Naruto, completely blocking the blond from Gaara's sight.

Uchitachi always appeared when Naruto, and occasionally Sasuke, was in trouble. He had first appeared when the blond and Sasuke had fallen off that cliff and were hanging on for their lives, literally, with Utsukushi standing over them. He had come in and killed the demon and then pulled up the two, saving their lives. The second time he had appeared was when Team 7 got back to the tower after the Second Stage was over. He was there until Sasuke's fight had ended but his raven remained. He guessed it probably had to do something with them being targeted. He had seen how that one dude had been leering at the both of them during the First Stage and Sasuke had been all weird when they saw them later in the Forest of Death while Naruto had been knocked out. Both had looked a lot worse for wear during the preliminaries and Sasuke had to losing while Naruto hadn't fought like he had all the other times Shikamaru had seen him in a battle or a brawl. Then both boys had disappeared for a week, Sasuke's whereabouts still a mystery and Naruto had ended up in the hospital just last night.

With them obviously having someone watching over them, their unusual performance during the preliminaries, the Sound guys' strange attack with the intent to kill Sasuke and Naruto's serious lack of energy the last time Shikamaru had seen him, the lazy genius could only deduct that Uchitachi had been assigned to guard the two boys from Team 7. That meant that someone was after them.

But was that someone from Sound or was it from Sand? The way Gaara was acting now, willing to kill them just because would suggest Sand, but Sound had attacked Sasuke first. There was a lot more going on here than Shikamaru knew about so he couldn't quite understand what was going on, but he had a great suspicion it had a lot to do with Naruto, whatever a biju and Jichuriki were and that Kurama Naruto was talking about. Shikamaru will have to read up on all of that if he wanted to understand what was going on.

Uchitachi stared at the redhead known as Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage's youngest son and the Ichibi's Jinchuuriki. The boy looked shocked, not understanding what was going on. It was to be expected, as he had heard that the boy could never sleep because the biju was constantly awake and trying to take over his hosts' bodies. Gaara had received the Ichibi even earlier on in his life than Naruto-sama, but Naruto-sama's seal was perfect and the Kyuubi's power could leave only if the boy drew upon it or if he got too emotional. The Kyuubi, however, couldn't take control like the Ichibi could. The seal holding in the fox was far stronger than the one holding the raccoon.

And that left Gaara unstable. Add to his lack of sleep the fact that his village must be treating him the same as Konoha's villagers treated Naruto his whole life, and you get one very damaged individual. The ANBU could clearly smell the metallic stench of blood in Gaara's sand. This guy killed for pleasure and nothing but anger and hatred could be found in his eyes unless you knew how to look. And for someone who had been assigned to guarding a Jinchuuriki for life, Uchiha Itachi didn't need to be a genius to recognize that loneliness in Gaara's eyes, burried so deep it was almost invisible.

"Who are you?" The Suna genin asked in a hiss, obviously frightened. This must the first time he could not hear his biju's voice in his head. That one presence that has been a constant his whole life was suppressed so he must feel rather exposed, especially since his sand was suddenly ineffective. He was for the first time helpless and he definitely didn't like the feeling. "What have you done?" He demanded, trying to catch sight of the ANBU's eyes but all he could see was those two seemingly black holes on the mask.

Behind said mask, Itachi's eyes were the red of Sharingan but there were no tomoe. His eyes were different than they were usually when he activated his Kekkei Genkai. He had no pupils, that space was red. Yet there was a strange, almost shuriken like black design, only there were three points, going from the red circle towards the ridges of the iris. It was not the normal Sharingan but Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan. Magekyo Sharingan was the next level of the Sharingan an Uchiha can get only if they go through an extremely distressful situation that usually included the death of a very dear person. This level of the Sharingan opened up a whole new assortment of powers every Uchiha can use, but it also gave them special powers only they can do because every Mangekyo Sharingan was different. It also strengthened their visual prowess and strengthened the effects of their genjutsu.

And the greatest power that comes with possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan was the ability to control biju.

Itachi was possibly the only Uchiha of his generation that knew of this power. He was the only one who had lived long enough to learn of it. He had always been a curious child. He had wanted to learn as many jutsus as he could when he had just started at the Ninja Academy, but that was because he was curious. He hadn't meant to learn them all, but it would appear that he didn't need his Sharingan to learn a jutsu after seeing it just once. He had only wanted to see what there was in store for him but he learned too quickly for others to believe he was curious. Minato-sama had been one of the only ones to realize just how curious a child Itachi was. He had always given Itachi something new to learn, something special to find out, sending him on brief trips to search for things while he wrote it off as missions for others not to bother the Uchiha. One of those trips ended in him finding the Sword of Totsuka, actually, as well as a few other artifacts that had left Minato-sama stunned and extremely proud of his young friend.

And this curiosity of his was peeked when he had, years later, overheard some of the jonins saying that the Kyuubi's attack was the Uchiha's doing and their relief that most of them were dead. Itachi had been tempted to show them just how not dead he was right then and there, not at all liking how everyone was praising the Uchiha left and right while they were alive but then spitting on their graves while the dirt had not even settled yet. But he knew he couldn't act on that unless he wanted to endanger both his little brother and his charge.

Instead, he went back into the Uchiha Compound's main house and made three Shadow Clones and so the four Itachis searched through the entire house and when they didn't find there anything, Itachi made a few more and they searched the entire Compound until Itachi finally found it. A secret room that held a slab of rock that determined the Uchiha's fates and their true power, the true power behind the Sharingan only they had.

He later found journals of many other Uchiha, all well hidden in their houses, diaries of those who he had met and their ancestors before them. Many of them had gotten their Mangekyo Sharingan due to the wars they fought in. They spoke of many techniques, some he noticed immediately were unique to that one person, but they all mentioned one that they could not do. It made him search older and older records until he came upon the diary that belonged to one of Konoha's legendary founders, Uchiha Madara. He spent hours studying his journal until he was sure he knew Madara's life as well as Madara himself had known.

Itachi had found that technique the others were lacking and he decided to start his new self appointed mission of getting stronger and wiser so he could be a better protector to his two important persons by trying out the technique only Uchiha Madara and his younger brother Izuna had managed to perfect. Surprise, surprise, Itachi had found himself staring at the results after his third try in awe and so he had wasted no time to train this technique to perfection. The rest came to him by instinct but he needed to practice that special one for a few weeks. He was exhausted after that but he was thankful that no one had deemed that to be the perfect time to bug either Naruto or Sasuke. Really, if that wasn't luck, he didn't know what was.

Itachi had gotten his Mangekyo Sharingan when he was twelve still, when his best friend, Uchiha Shisui, had omitted suicide after Danzo managed to steal his right eye. Shisui, a few years older than Itachi himself, always treated Itachi like a little brother and looked out for the young genius. He was a great shinobi and he had been too young to die. Itachi had actually blamed himself for a while until he realized it was stupid. He didn't have the time to feel sorry for himself, especially since he had to warn Minato-sama of Danzo. Before his death, Shisui had taken out his second eye and gave it to Itachi in hopes that it would help him protect Konoha. He then jumped off of a cliff and drowned in the water below. In his anguish, Itachi's tears turned bloody and he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. He kept the newly awakened ability a secret and started plotting on how to take Danzo down.

It was a string of tragedies from there. The Clan mourned Shisui's death and tried to find out what happened to his eyes, but the scratches on his face from some vulture painted a clear story for the rest of the village. Shisui's secret stayed veiled like that but the Uchiha were suspicious. They had to let it go, since no one wanted to waste resources on 'such a clear case'. Minato-sama had tried to change it for Itachi's sake if no one else's, but Shisui's old father, already gripped by grief, didn't want his only son's body to but further mutilated so Fugaku - whose approval they must have as the head of the family - didn't agree for the medical research and they buried Shisui in the Uchiha burial grounds.

A week later, Kuro Onyx was dying. Itachi was devastated. He and the crow had been together since he had been six, the loyal and smart bird never leaving his side. His Clan saw his suffering and one of his aunts thought him how to make a contract. He already had a pact with ravens so all he had to do was make a pact with Kuro Onyx specifically so it can become a kuchiyose. He wouldn't be a real kuchiyose, as he had never died, so he would only be slightly smarter than normal animals, a little faster and stronger and Kuro Onyx now had a strong connection to Itachi, due to the Uchiha implanting Shisui's left eye in the bird's left eye socket.

And then, just a few months later - despite the wonderful day when Sasuke was born that summer - Minato-sama and his wife died on October 10th, leaving Itachi to look after the new Kyuubi vessel. Then came the struggle with Keeping Naruto-sama out of the Council's and especially Danzo's hands and watching as the villagers shunned his little charge day by day, as he grew up.

Fugaku's father's grave was robbed a few years later. No one knows how but everyone knew it was foul play and the Uchiha became jumpy around everyone. The tension that followed them like a dark cloud could be felt by everyone. The Uchiha started investigating but it all ended two years later, when Itachi learned of a clone made from his DNA (and probably his grandfather's eyes) that had killed his entire clan except Sasuke and he had to 'leave' the village. Sasuke grew to hate him and became even more antisocial than before. Itachi couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I asked, who are you?!" Gaara's snapped question got the teamless ANBU captain back into the present, leaving his memories behind him in the past.

"I am called Uchitachi and that's all you need to know." The eldest in the room answered coolly, making Gaara growl like a caged beast.

"What have you done with the monster?"

Itachi looked down to the bewildered expression on his charge's face as the redhead questioned him. Naruto-sama seems to have kept a few secrets to himself involving his own biju. "I have repressed it. It is momentary and it will wear off in about an hour. I suggest you take a nap while you still have the chance."

"How did you do this?" The Kazekage's son demanded, gesturing to himself and the immobile sand on the ground. When Itachi said nothing, Gaara started forming hand sealy, his sand rising anew in a technique rather than on its own when the doors to the hospital room opened. They all turned around to look at the perplexed Gai, although his eyes narrowed when they landed on Gaara and standing so close to his pupil, too.

"Uchitachi-kun, what's going on here?" The green wearing man demanded and the ANBU answered without turning around.

"Gai-san, I suggest you stay out of this for now. This is between those who have seen what has almost happened in this room only. I do not need Sasuke-san stopping his own training for the likes of this guy." Gaara's eyes narrowed and he scowled at the man but Naruto beat them all to saying anything.

"Hey, don't be like that!" Shikamaru and Gaara stared at Naruto with something akin to amazement when the blond stepped in between the ANBU and the Sand genin. "He's just lost! He just needs to find his place, okay." He turned around to look Gaara in the eyes. "He and I are the same, so I know he's had it rough and he didn't have help dealing with it. There's only one teme, after all." A smile directed in his way had Gaara floored and moving a bit away from the other Jinchuuriki. "So he's a little rough around the edges, but that's fine! Give him another chance," he looked back at his fellow Leaf ninja, a serious look in his blue eyes. "Ne?"

"Oi, baka! He was making death threats just a minute ago!" Shikamaru yelled from behind Uchitachi but the raven haired man just continued looking at his charge. "He would have killed Lee if we hadn't have come."

"But we have and he didn't. No harm done. In fact," Naruto glanced behind his back before staring up at his always hidden protector. "Uchitachi-san should apologize. But maybe that'd be going too far, so I'm just asking you to let his biju go from whatever jutsu you're doing."

"Naruto, don't interfere." Gai growled as he made to go over to the redhead but Uchitachi stopped him by lifting his arm and blocking the way. "Oi, what's the big idea? He was trying to kill Lee!" A side glance when Uchitachi moved his head just a little allowed Gai to see now once again black eyes that seemed as coll as onyx stones and he felt a chill run down his spine. He's seen eyes like that before, he knows it. Yet he can't place it where he had seen them.

"Gai-san, I implore you to listen, just this once." Round eyes blinked as the hand was lowered. "As far as I have known Naruto-sama, his instincts have never been wrong. Have faith in him."

"That's easy for you ANBU bastadrs to say! You don't have your own students to look after! Each and every one of you is an adult-"

"Is it?"

Gai paused at the question before scowling. "Kakashi and Itachi don't count. They're geniuses."

"Then do Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke, also geniuses, count? Or even Shikamaru-san here with us? Are they not children, also?" Shikamaru stiffened when he was brought up while Gai flinched and deflated with a slightly guilty and defeated look on his face. "That's what I thought." Itachi then turned to look at Naruto. "I will overlook it this once. But you and I will be talking later, Naruto-sama."

'Aw, shit.' Naruto thought with an inward groan. 'At this rate, all of Konoha will know about you before Sasuke finds out.'

You've started this, Naruto. You should have more control over your mouth. Kurama said lazily as he carefully observed Uchitachi. Something about the way he had stopped Shukaku bothered him and he knew that his gut feeling was never wrong. It'll get you in trouble one day.

'Like, by the end of the month?' The blond sent with a pout. A mental image of a pout, to be exact. He didn't want others to think him crazy or anything. And as far as they knew, he was only aware of being a host to the Kyuubi, not being the fox's best friend. 'That's when I'll definitely see him.'

You could always ask Uchitachi to tell you where Sasuke's training. The kitsune pointed out, now inspecting his nails. He obviously knows where, if his comment from earlier was any hint.

'I'll do that later, after you tell me about the biju inside Gaara,' Naruto sent with crossed arms, looking at Uchitachi when he finally answered in the real world. "Yeah, sure, dattebayo."

Uchitachi nodded and looked back at Gaara. A few seconds later, Gaara's Sand Armor wrapped around the Sune shinobi and Gaara suddenly seemed to relax as Shukaku no doubt started shouting who knows what profanities in his head about Uchitachi. Naruto sympathized with the wince he saw the other give a few times.

And then suddenly, teal eyes met sapphire before they were wrapped up in a dome of sand, protecting them from sight and hearing of the ninja outside the dome. Not a moment later, they could see the walls of sand steering where no doubt Gai was kicking it in an attempt to free Naruto. But the blond wasn't threatened and although Kurama was growling, the giant fox rained peaceful in his cage.

Gaara studied the boy up and down, trying to see any indication that Naruto held the great power that had stirred up Shukaku enough to snap Gaara's control like that. "A monster, huh? I guess we are the same, then."

Naruto nodded, marveling at the dome all the while. "Yeah. How did you become a Jinchuuriki?"

"As your friend said earlier, I did indeed not grow up in a nice environment." Gaara said, crossing his arms. "I took the life of the woman who was called my mother when I was born. To become the ultimate ninja, my father used a jutsu to bind to me an incarnate of sand, Shukaku. I was a monster at birth." He said with cold eyes and voice but Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess, the villagers hated you, right?" He put up a hand before Gaara could open his mouth to speak. "Tell me, did you kill any of them?"

"... not in the beginning. A few that were bothering me died over the years." Naruto mentally cheered at the slight hesitation. Good, there was hope yet.

"Were you born with horns and a tail or fangs and claws?"

"What sort of stupid qu-"

"Right! You weren't! You were not born a monster." Naruto said with an overly bright grin, making the redhead uneasy. "However, you got sick of it, right? The way they were treating you? The hateful looks and the cold sneers or the occasional glimpse of fear. So you thought, if they want a monster, I'll give them a monster.'' The smile slipped right off of his face and he said in a dead serious tone.''If you succumbed to that, then the moment you did is when you became a monster."

Gaara fell speechless at this speech and Kurama whistled in appreciation. Good going, kit.l! We'll make a Hokage out of you yet. Naruto wanted to blush at the praise but figured he could deal with that later. Right now, he needed to help this guy who was in the same situation as him.

"And that's not hate what's you're feeling; not really. You're just lone-"

"Don't say it." Gaara finally snapped. "Don't you dare say it! How would you even know how I feel!? You don't know me!"

"No, but I'd like to." That ensured Gaara's safety for Naruto's final words of this conversation. "I know because I feel the same. I know because I'm like Sasuke and like you." The answer tilted Gaara's until then (un)stable world and he felt a strange sensation in his stomach that he didn't like and it wasn't even unpleasant. He dropped the dome before the blond could say anything else and, clutching his head and ignoring everyone else, Gaara left the hospital room in an eery silence.

The silence stretched on awekwardly for a few more minutes before Uchitachi startled everyone by walking towards the door. "Come, Naruto-sama. We have a lot of talking to do."

'Aw, damn it.' Naruto thought even as he followed after the older male. This was turning out to be one shitty day, and it was still only morning. Naruto really felt like crying in that moment.