"Y'know, people used to ask me why I trusted Naruto with so much, so young. Some even told me I was cruel telling him about the fox inside of us from when he was old enough to understand. But they weren't in my position- and he was going to want to know why we were treated so differently. He wanted to know why Itachi and Sasuke didn't care about who we were. He wanted to know what the Uchiha clan was, and what our clan was. And I wasn't going to be the one to lie to him about our heritage, nor was I going to lie about the Uchiha's."

Naruto liked Sasuke. A lot. He was different, ya know? Sasuke would play ninja with him, like he'd seen all the other children do. And, he wouldn't call Naruto or Mitsuo mean names or hurt them! He didn't understand why the others did that… he'd never done anything bad to him, and he doubted Mitsuo did either. Mitsuo didn't do that kind of thing- he was a nice and kind big brother. He picked Naruto up when he fell, was always looking after him.

He protected Naruto from the villagers when they wanted to hurt him. Mitsuo was the best big brother, and Naruto wanted to be just like him when he grew up! A powerful ninja! He wanted everyone to appreciate Mitsuo for who he was, and he wanted to be treated like a normal kid. Sasuke understood what it was like to be watched. People watched him because of Itachi. He didn't like that very much.

Naruto didn't want that either- he just wanted to go out without having rocks thrown at him. It would be nice, ya know? But like he said, people just didn't seem to treat him and Mitsuo like actual people. And Mitsuo was a chūnin. That's like… a really powerful ninja. He wasn't asking to be treated like a God or anything… jut normal. Was he so wrong in asking that?

Naruto noticed a lot of things about Mitsuo that his older brother didn't seem to realise. He knew about the nightmares his Onīsan had. It woke him up a lot, and he could hear his brother's soft cries. Mitsuo had gotten quieter, but Naruto's hearing had gotten sharper. It was something that had never been talked about before. He seemed to think that Naruto was unaware of his inability to sleep.

That the shadows under his eyes weren't obvious, and the feat of appearing food- previously attributed to "magic" which Naruto was too old to believe now-was attributed to Mitsuo. He wanted to help his big brother because his big brother helped Naruto a lot and Naruto couldn't help him. So, he tried to be a good boy. He always did what Mitsuo asked of him, which wasn't much. And he never once complained, even when Mitsuo said no to ramen.

...

Okay, so maybe that was a lie. He didn't complain much when it came to ramen. It was ramen! The bestest food in the world! Even the one with the vegetables… blegh. His face screwed up thinking about it. Naruto was good at hiding things. He was small, and could get to places Mitsuo couldn't reach. Dog was good at finding those places. They talked there. Not much, because Dog was busy and had better things to do then talk to Naruto, but they talked. Dog helped Naruto with the apartment, and with his brother.

Mitsuo did a lot of things for Naruto, but Naruto couldn't do much for him. Dog helped him with that. Dog left scrolls that Naruto couldn't make sense of, despite practising his words: both reading and writing, but Mitsuo seemed to understand it. He'd always practised them the next day, getting them really quickly. They were so cool. Especially the big fire one- which was very hot, but very cool to look at.

The wall was pretty cool too, even if it scared Naruto a little because it looked ready to squish him. Naruto didn't want to be squished.

His brother seemed happier when he was around Itachi, which was good. Naruto had a Sasuke, and Sasuke made him happy. Sasuke didn't treat him any differently even if he was quiet, and his Okāsan was nice too. It made him think of his own Haha, and how he'd never met her, but it was okay, because he could deal with it. Mitsuo did after all, and he had to be Naruto's only family.

Mitsuo had an Itachi, which was more company then his brother had ever. So that was a good thing, ya know? Even when Mitsuo came home in more bruises than usual, he seemed to have fun, and he smiled a lot more. Naruto decided he liked his brother's smile, when it was wide and genuine, and not that small one he wore when Naruto was around. He could deal with his brother's sadness, but he didn't want Mitsuo to deal with it.

They sat, cross-legged, in Sasuke's room, which was simple in design, kinda like Naruto's. It had one bed, tucked away in the corner, and one bedside cabinet, made of fine wood. Sasuke's covers were just plain black, with no designs, and one smooth and continuous bit of fabric. The one in their apartment was pretty much a patchwork of old sheets that his brother had sewn together, seams neat and crossed.

The lights were bright, illuminating all corners of the room, whereas in his room, they could barely light up the centre. Sasuke nudged him, as Naruto looked at him inquisitively. Black eyes met his own, as he shifted his weight onto his hands, which were positioned behind him.

"Why is your brother so sad?"

Naruto watched Sasuke carefully, his face short and pinched. He didn't really have an answer to that. Maybe he misses Mom and Dad? I know he loved them a lot before they went away. I know I'm sad about that, and a lot of things, but it gets better- there are always better things to make the bad things go away.

We lost Mom and Dad but at least I'm not alone: we have Mikoto, Sasuke, Itachi. I have big brother Mitsuo. He looked at Sasuke with an air of confidence, eyes older than he felt. Then he acted.

"I think he misses Mom and Dad. He's lonely."

Sasuke nodded like it made all the sense in the world. No doubt he was thinking of his own parents. Though he and Mitsuo both took after their parents, they weren't allowed to take their Dad's name. Mitsuo had explained it to him once when he'd asked why they took their Mom's name, Uzumaki. A name didn't have that much power did it?

Dad had a lot of enemies Naru. People who wanted him hurt. And even though he died, people might want revenge. Plus, we hold the Kyūbi in us, and they want it. So, we can't let them know that the Fourth Hokage had surviving children.

We must remain anonymous, blind of our true birth.

What Naruto didn't get was that Mitsuo had been born before Naruto, so surely, they knew of his relation to their dad?

It was a secret kept in Konoha. Even if it got out, which it very well might have, Namikaze Mitsuo died in the Kyūbi's attack Naruto. He's no more, a relic of the past. He'd paused, before muttering something soft and quiet under his breath that Naruto had barely caught. That's more literal then it's supposed to be.

"That makes sense. I'd miss my family a lot too."

Naruto took a deep breath, placing his hand on his own knee and adjusting his position again, staring at Sasuke's eyes, trying to read what he was thinking as he tucked his hair out of his face. Naruto told Mitsuo lots of things, but Mitsuo had nobody to tell. Dog didn't talk, and Naruto didn't think Itachi would be able to really relate much. Mitsuo wouldn't want to tell him about their problems either.

"He's not had a birthday in a long time…"

He mentioned briefly, thinking about his own. Mitsuo always did his best so that it was really good, but Naruto struggled to plan things for Mitsuo. He never seemed bothered. Naruto knew when it was though… maybe Sasuke and Itachi would help him organise it? It was coming up soon, and that would make him happy, right?

"I think we can help you."

Sasuke agreed confidently, and Naruto smiled. This year was going to be a good year, and Mitsuo would be happy. And that meant the world to Naruto, because Mitsuo was the bestest big brother, and he deserved more then what the villagers did. They both did.

Mitsuo's POV

Naruto and Sasuke were conniving, Mitsuo knew that much. Naruto only wore that cheeky grin when he was up to something- the last time he'd worn that expression, a matter of weeks ago, the boy decided to throw his covers onto the ground and make a "tent." And wake Mitsuo up at three in the morning to join him, eating bread and jam.

He'd been grumpy that morning. So, Mitsuo was curious at what his small sibling was up to. Though Sasuke had a similar expression, it was more well-hidden, the Uchiha looking much older than five. He had a stoic attitude to him, and Mitsuo felt the oddest urge to refer to the kid as sir. Well, maybe not quite that, but Sasuke looked oddly mature, echoing the authority that Itachi held over the population of Konoha.

When it came to heading home, he had to pry Naruto away from Sasuke's room, sorely tempted to put the boy in a genjutsu so he'd just go home. Of course, he'd never do that, but he entertained himself with the thought anyway. And somehow, with Itachi away on business for a couple of hours, he'd been coerced into demonstrating some simple Jutsu for the boys. He took all the precautions- a fair distance away, nothing overly powerful.

He'd put up a barrier if there was one that he could do, but since that wasn't an option, he'd just overly spaced the distance out, sticking to low damage, not far travelling, Jutsu. Naruto was sitting next to Sasuke, one boy actively jumping about with excitement, and the other still and calm. No prizes for guessing who was who.

He'd gotten a little better with the Hiraishin as of late, able to move a short distance once or twice in quick succession. Nothing long distance and he could only move himself, but if something happened he'd be able to teleport in front of the boys and dispel the Jutsu.

"Is there anything you want to see in particular?"

His fingers itched, an irritating feeling. The sun was beating down mercilessly, unusually warm for Konoha. It was good for those who wanted to practise their endurance, and management of resources when it came to such extreme weather, but it was both a blessing and a curse. The blessing was that their clothes would dry quicker then they usually wood, hung outside on a rickety old bit of fishing wire that had been carefully attached from window-frame to window-frame.

That meant there was little danger of running out of clothes or anything like that. It wasn't an uncommon problem when you only had a couple of sets to your name. Another blessing was that there was much less need for blankets, and what little indoor heating they had. The summers were warm, but the winters were cold: there were no prizes to guess what was easier to deal with. There were plenty of curses to the warm weather, however.

The hotter it was, the more people were out: and the grumpier they were. Again, he wasn't about to explain why that was a bad thing. Food went off faster, irritating, but manageable. He could do less training because it was easier for him to become exhausted, and they tended to be cooped up inside more than usual because of the increased number of people about. Naruto looked at Sasuke as they conferred between the two of them, words hushed and quick, Sasuke already having some idea of subterfuge it seemed.

"The air sphere one?"

"Vacuum Sphere. Shinkūgyoku."

Sasuke corrected shortly, and Naruto nodded. I could have guessed it easily enough, considering there's a big lack of wind style jutsu available for me to learn. Well, not without me learning tessenjutsu, which I don't like. Too big and bulky for my tastes.

Mitsuo nodded, watching as Naruto tried but failed to imitate Sasuke's still behaviour. Sitting still just wasn't in his character, Naruto always had something to do, couldn't sit still. It was just the way he was, and there was no changing it.

"Give me a moment."

He ran over to the other side of the training grounds, calling his chakra forth in a smooth way. His hands snapped to the centre of his chest as he thought about the hand gestures, using it to focus his chakra into doing what he wanted to do. As he went to call the Jutsu out, about to start the long string of gestures, he saw a group of two, flanking Naruto and Sasuke, hitai-ates shining on their face.

The buckle reflecting the sun, their knuckles curled, looking like they were about to throw the first punch. Sasuke was standing up in front of Naruto, the boy doing an accurate representation of what he dubbed the 'I'm angry but I show it with a narrow expression' on his face, something Itachi wore a lot. Instead of dispelling his chakra, he instead shifted gears, or rather, jutsu.

Guess you guys are going to have to wait for a vacuum sphere Jutsu. He'd already started running back, at his quickest speed, going through the hand seals on autopilot. Clone Seal. Ram. Bird.

"Wind Style: Fūton Bunshin."

He called out quietly, his four clones flanking him, mimicking his run. Infusing his feet with chakra, he leapt, landing just in front of Sasuke, hands in front of his chest, pointed at the ceiling. The other clones mimicked him, landing by his side, mirrors of him in all but solidness. The Kyūbi curled and writhed in his chest, ever present, ever wanting out, but as usual, he kept it pushed down, chained within him.

He was angry though, anger like ice running through his veins, threatening to control him. He kept it hidden behind a barely normal smile, cold and hungry, his form rigid and almost aggressive, making a wall between the four year old Naruto and the five year old Sasuke, and the two eleven year old genin.

He wouldn't hurt them… much. Although he was chosen to be ANBU, he wasn't eager to hurt those who were supposed to be allies. It was tempting, sure, but he refused to stoop to their level.

"What kind of self-respecting genin are you that you're willing to threaten two under-fives?"

Sasuke was already five, not that they needed to know that. They looked between one another, all of a sudden less confident now that there was a chūnin in front of them. There had been a reason he and Itachi had been recommended for ANBU, and it wasn't because they sat on their asses the entire time. Killing intent spilled out beneath Mitsuo, angled directly towards the two genin, something he'd practised channelling for his own use when they wanted to be left alone.

Of course, it wasn't as concentrated as what he was doing now, but it still tended to make people avoid them, and less eager to attack them. He couldn't always protect Naruto, especially as he got more missions, but he could make them think twice.

"It was because of you two demons that I lost my grandfather!"

One of the two snarled, sounding like a mouse compared to the snarls he heard in his dreams. There was the briefest whimper from Naruto, and he reigned it in, not taking his eyes away from the two genin. He twirled the kunai in his hands, spinning it and flashing the point at them, showing how sharp it was compared to the likely blunt ones they had. The ones for training, not to kill. He had no intention of hurting them, but they didn't know that.

"Tell me. If a kunai killed your grandfather, would you blame the shinobi who wielded it or the kunai?"

"The shinobi who wielded it, obviously."

The way he spoke was as if he thought Mitsuo was slow in the head. They looked unsettled, but one seemed more overconfident then the other. With a cocky and faux way of thinking, as if he were the best shinobi that ever existed. Overconfidence led to mistakes, and those mistakes could lead to people dying.

"I'm glad it's such a simple answer for you. With the same line of thinking, the Kyūbi was the one who killed your grandfather. Not us: we're just the ones who keep it at bay."

Now, it only went to show that the Third's law had been ineffective, because following his ban, these genin shouldn't know of the Kyūbi- shouldn't know of Mitsuo and Naruto's status of Jinchūriki. But the Third couldn't control speech, couldn't control what the parents said to their children, and in the end, they had a list of enemies that ranged longer then Mitsuo could ever know.

The snarl that overcame the boy's face was quick and heated. He bared his teeth like an angry predator, showing his claws, lurching towards Mitsuo and his clones. He could see the movements like they were staggered, and the boy wasn't thinking. His form was sloppy, his hold on the blunted kunai weak. He'd been fine challenging two little kids, but a recommended ANBU?

Not so much. Normally, he would have slid to the side, but that would leave Naruto and Sasuke open for an attack. The boy didn't seem to care about his friend, and seemed to have some degree of self-preservation. Still, Mitsuo was on edge, so he stepped forward, allowing his clones to fold in behind him. Placing his kunai between both hands, he blocked the strike with ease, not tensing or even having to brace for the attack.

Sweeping his legs out from under him caused him to hit the ground roughly, his form uneven. Had he been in the correct stance with his weight balanced, he wouldn't have fallen when I did that. Stagger, maybe, but he wouldn't have fallen. Mitsuo adjusted his grip, before standing over the boy, his face slipping back into a calm mask, reigning in his killing intent with a practised poise.

"Shinobi who hurt those unable to defend themselves are nothing worse than scum. Maybe think about that the next time you bully kids just because of what they hold within them."

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It explains a little bit more of his back story- though admittedly not much, and we get some action.

Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for all the reviews!

~Cait