Itachi was pondering a particular interaction he had earlier in the day. Everyone had told him to stay away from the blonde that rampaged through the streets on a regular basis, either running from pranked nin or angry mobs. Everyone had told him that he was a demon, that he was trouble.

And indeed he was trouble. The words they had shared that morning had thrown the prodigy for a loop.

Itachi thought back to their first meeting. Little did he know it would not be their last.

Itachi was walking around in the public forest pathways quietly. The previous conversation with his father, who was pushing for him to be advanced another year was wearing him down. He would already be two years younger than his classmates this year. Sighing, itachi let out an uncharacteristic yell and punched a tree.

"That didn't sound very nice." came a voice from behind the uchiha. Jumping slightly, Itachi turned armed with a kuni. There was a blonde boy with whisker marks on his face sitting behind him.

"So, what seems to be the issue? You seem sad, and I hate sad people. They're never as much fun to be around." the boy laughed. Itachi was oddly reminded of the Buddha for some reason. Perhaps it was the blinding smile the boy had.

He motioned to the empty stop next to him and itachi sat down. "So, why are you sad?"

"My-." itachi started, before stopping. Was it safe to talk about inter family issues to a stranger. The blonde boy that everyone told him to stay away from cocked his head to the side, a patient smile on his face.

"You don't have to tell me." the blonde said, turning his face away from the young uchiha. "But I won't let you remain sad. I know a great place that we can go!" the blonde lights up, grabbing the Uchiha by the hand. Being so stunned at the sunny boy's exuberance, itachi let him drag himself away, out of the forest.

"What is your name?" the blonde asked as they exited the woods. "I'm Naruto, by the way."

Itachi nodded dumbly as he was dragged away.

"Itachi." the black haired boy responded.

Naruto nodded. "Nice name. It has a nice crisp sound to it, ya know? Itachi. Itachi." naruto said, rolling the word around in his mouth. "Itachi." naruto's accent shifted to a bad italian gangster accent before dissolving into giggles. The two boys found themselves in front of a tucked away hole in the wall shop labeled Muhamedanbed's Toy Shop, below it was a beautiful flatish line of squiggles that could be taken as a language, but Itachi did not know it if it was a language.

Naruto barged in with all the energy in the world. Such enthusiasm was a trait that Itachi was starting to associate with the boy.

"Muhamadabodadbu-san, you home?"

A gruff voice responded in a mocking rage. "I told you for the last time, Fish-cake, My name is Muhamedanbed! Mu-Ha-Med-An-Bed!" Came a thickly accented voice as a large man, burling with muscles walked from the back of the shop. Itachi took him in with his keen eyes. A strong, square jaw line with an equally angled beard and mustache, thin red eyes, and a darker shade of skin. All his hair was a steely white, and his button up shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing two matching tattoos on his arms. Both were oddly tribalistic, but not quite. One was dark themed, the other a brighter silvery white.

Naruto just gave a laugh. "Maa, maa, Muhamedabananado-san." naruto smiled. The man who named himself Muhamedanbed just sighed, pinching his strongly built nose. Itachi looked around the shop, noting that it was full of various metal and wood toys. A particular large theatrical puppet was hanging from the ceiling, and there was a rack of some oddly out of place weapons on the rack behind the desk.

"What am I going to do with you, Fish-cake?" The toysmith asked, shaking his head. Naruto just shrugged.

"Can me and my friend hang out in the back? He's sad and i don't want him to be sad anymore."

Muhamadanbed's eyebrow rose a bit, but he gave a kind smile and nodded. "Just don't touch anything important, ok?" the man called to the blonde as he dragged Itachi past him. They sat down at a small workbench, Naruto pulling out a worn deck of cards.

"So, why are you sad?" Naruto asked as he started shuffling.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, surprised at the direction his day had taken, and taken aback at Naruto's bluntness.

"Who said I'm sad?"

"I did."

Itachi and Naruto had a short staring competition of defiance, onyx eyes boring into blue ones. Sapphire-cerulean blue eyes gazing kindly into the soul of black ones.

Itachi relented at the end. "It's my family. I'm… rather gifted… and they want me to go through the Academy at a rapid rate." Itachi said. He hated bragging and preferred to be humble, but the truth was unfortunately plain. Itachi was rather gifted. Naruto nodded, thinking.

"And this is a bad thing?" Naruto asked

"YES!" Itachi said loudly, before recoiling back into his reserved shell. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell, but yes. It's… not something I want to do."

Naruto nodded again sagely, dealing out cards. "So stop then."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're gifted right? And that means you're smart, right?" Itachi nodded yes at the questions, still not sure where this was going for his six year old brain.

"And because you are smart, your family wants you to graduate rather early, right?"

Another nod.

"Then stop being so smart."

Itachi's eyes widened. He… he had not thought of that. Naruto took Itachi's silence as continued confusion.

"What i'm saying is that you should stop proving yourself to be better than your classmates this year. Don't be the last, but aim for the middle of the pack. Higher if acting is too hard for you, but don't blow everyone else away, 'ttebayo."

Itachi nodded. "That was… an oddly intelligent solution. Thank you, Naruto-san."

Naruto gave a laugh, "No need to call me san, Itachi. Now, let's play cards! Muhamadanbed-san taught me this game, he calls it Vishmall fibi hala."

And here lay the crux of Itachi's dellemia. Naruto was right. Itachi hated having to go against his family, and worse hide his ability from his family.

But Itachi wanted to actually have the time with people and connect with them. He wanted something to feel this will of fire that his teachers constantly praised in class. This bond between fellow Konoha nin. It was not something he felt in his family home. It was too cold there.

Itachi nodded to himself. He had his plan, and he could only hope that his acting was up to par.

Naruto woke up the same way he did everyday for the last couple of months. In a sleeping bag in Muhamadanbed's living room. Seeing as the large Ishvalian had already gotten a start on the day, Naruto grabbed some cold toast and jam on his way out the second story floor window. Running in the direction, Naruto threw up a simple henge.

It let him avoid the hateful glares of the villages. There was once a time when Naruto would have yelled and laughed as he passed through the streets, but Muhamadanbed had given him some advice on what he thought a ninja was. Ninja were sneaky bastards who hid away from the world, often in plain sight

But that is besides the point. Naruto dropped his henge once he got into the academy, sprinting into class.

"Class, class, settle down." The teacher, Ao, said. "Today we have a new student joining our year. As many of you know, you are kept in the same class throughout your academic career. This changes for this year today. Please welcome to our class Itachi Uchiha!"

The small dark haired boy walked in, giving a small bow. "Hello, I am Itachi Uchiha. I look forward to working with you all."

Naruto gave a blindingly bright smile as he gave the Uchiha a wave. All the seats next to him were more or less empty, except for a particularly lazy boy. Must be a Nara.

"Why don't you go sit down, Itachi? There are no assigned seats, so you can be wherever."

Itachi nodded, glancing around the quieted classroom. An Inuzuka and her puppies sat, regarding him with an odd curiosity. An Aburame stoically looked down from their higher perch in the back of the classroom. The rest were a mixed bag, all things considered. The main split was with an envious contempt, uncaring indifference, or with a political eye. He was a Uchiha, after all.

And then there was that sunny blonde who sat in the middle of the class, all adjacent chairs empty. He just gave itachi a big bright smile. Itachi took his seat directly on Naruto's left. Naruto looked surprised for a moment, but shook it away.

"It's nice to see you again, Itachi." Naruto whispered to his seat neighbor. Itachi just nodded in agreement as the Ao started his lecture on chakra up. Itachi of course knew all of this information, having been taught by a clan. Naruto just looked lost. It probably did not help that the teacher ignored Naruto's raised hand

Itachi decided that it would not do at all to have his… acquaintance to fall behind.

It had been several months since Itachi had joined Naruto's class. He had taken Naruto's advice and had stagnated. While he was still the top of his class, he did not push himself enough to advance into the next year.

Naruto was another interesting development in Itachi's life. Quickly becoming Itachi's best friend and confidant, Naruto was an oddball. Bright, loud, and with more energy than a power plant, he seemed either oblivious to the hate he received, or simply opted to ignore it. He brought a light and warmth into Itachi's life that could only be described as this "will of fire."

Itachi had taken to tutoring his friend to the best of his abilities, despite his fathers initial rejection of the idea. His mother, Mikito, shut down that attitude real quick once she heard Naruto's name, for some reason. Itachi had also found that Naruto was very, very good at pranks and traps. And at running away, as he was the bane of the Uchiha police force it seemed. They always were rather grumbly when they were sent after the "Demon brat."

Itachi asked about that moniker before, but was met with a stone wall of dead ends. Itachi looked at his blonde friend, who was messing with Ao's desk drawer.

"Remind me what we're doing again?" Itachi asked his partner in crime at the moment, looking away from the door and hallway.

"WE are planting an ink packet that will burst when the drawer is opened. I am getting revenge on Ao sensei for being a pain in the butt." Naruto responded, taking a bent paper clip and a thin string together, attaching it to the inside of the drawer and the ceiling of the desk drawer. Closing the incredibly small gap that Naruto opened to place the trap. "Alright, done! Now, let's split before class starts." naruto said, popping the window open.

Itachi sighed, taking his normal seat. "Just be on time for class today. It's boring without you."

Naruto gave a fox-like smile, and giggling, jumped out the window and scaled the building. He would be an excellent infiltration specialist, if the whole school work thing doesn't work out. Itachi smirked at the thought. He thought back to the first time Naruto showed him his skill with the Henge.

"Yo, Itachi!" A fairly average looking boy said to the Uchiha. Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" The prodigy asked, confused and already planning out four different escape routes. 'I can hit him in the eyes and scale the wall, giving me enough time to get to the roof before he recovers. Or I can shatter his knee and run. Then there is the option of-' Itachi never got to finish this train of thought.

"What do you mean, it's me!" The boy said, thumping his chest. Then he realized something. "Oh, right. Henge." with a poof, the boy changed into the bright kill me orange wearing blond itachi knew very well.

"That is a great henge, Naruto. I couldn't even tell it was you." Itachi smiled. Naruto nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, i'm pretty great, aren't I?" Naruto said before smiling. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out some today?"

Itachi shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that I can't. I promised Sasuke and Mother that I would watch him today."

Naruto nodded understandingly, but was a little bummed that he couldn't hang out with his friend. He never liked being in the uchiha compound. He said there were too many eyes there, much like the Hyuuga compound.

Itachi couldn't help but agree.

SNapping back to reality with the door opening. It was two of his classmates, Basamari Nara, a take no attitude girl from the Nara clan, and Ami Akimichi, her plump friend.

"Ah, Itachi-kun. You're here!" Basamari said with a smile, sitting down next to the Uchiha Heir. this was another, and Itachi saw it as a rather unfortunate, no matter what Naruto said, development. He had become the apple of seemingly every females' eye. The only exceptions that he knew of was the fourth ranked student and top Konichi, Hana Inuzuka and Sabi Hashima Noru, who Itachi was pretty sure was a lesbian. After that, the students filtered in one by one, or in groups of friends. Of course, every seat adjacent to itachi was taken except for the one where he left his bag in, directly to his right. This was also an end seat. It was a common thing at this point that Itachi would save a seat for the dead last of the class, his chronologically late friend, Naruto Uzumaki.

Said late friend came into class nearly ten minutes later, scampering to his seat. "Tachi, thanks for holding my spot." Naruto said with a grin. Hana, one of the few people that seemed to tolerate the orange menace at least, knew that grin.

"Oh god, Naruto, what did you do now?" The Inuzuka asked, her three pups around her. One pooled at her feet, one in her hoodie pocket, and one on her head.

Naruto shrugged, but his grin only widened. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Hana-chan." Naruto smiled teasingly, a playful and knowing tone dancing in his voice. Hana rolled her eyes, but prepped for something to happen regardless. "I bet he pulled one on Chimi." She whispered to the pup on her head. The pup returned with a shnarph like sound.

"Really? Nah, I don't think so. Tsuna hasn't done anything to him yet."

Ao entered the room, and the class quieted down some. "Alright class, settle down. Today we're going to learn about the third Shinobi war, and after that Taijutsu and weapons practice." Naruto lights up at the subject of their lecture. The third Shinobi war, and more importantly, the Yondiamine, the Yellow Flash, was always a point of interest for the blonde.

Ao goes to open his desk drawer. The popping mechanism triggered, pushing the bent wire into the ink filled balloon. It popped with a surprising amount of pressure, sending a majority of the black liquid into the air. Directly into Ao's face and wall behind him. His face twisted in rage. "Naruto Uzumaki!" he yelled above the laughter of his class. "W-what? I didn't do anything!" Naruto said between breaths.

"You Lying brat! There is no way you didn't do this!" Ao yelled, gripping his fists.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "There are two reasons why you are wrong, Ao-sensei. Firstly, you can't prove that I did it, because I didn't." naruto counted off. Ao just growled.

"And the second?"

"I would have used Orange paint, not ink." Naruto responded simply. Ao fumed, but took a breath. Naruto was right. If he had to stain something, he often used orange paint. It was his signature, that kill me orange color. This was clearly someone else who took a page from Naruto's playbook. Ao eyed the blonde suspiciously, but naruto knew he got away with it. "If anyone, and I mean anyone has proof of who did this, please come forward. I am going to go clean up. I expect you to read chapters 11 and 12 in your books."

Everyone pulled out their history books and cracked them open. There were some psychological benefits to being Itachi's friend, and one of them was that Naruto was a lot quieter in class. This, of course, ended as soon as the boy was out of the village, but he kept to reasonable levels for Itachi's sake.

It unfortunately did not mean that Naruto was a better student. Perhaps he was a worse student than he would have been, had he been born into a kinder generation. But alas, he had no interest in School work. It seemed only Muhamadanbed had the power to get the spaztic blonde to listen for any extended period of time.

Naruto opted to start a doodle for his next project instead. Itachi raised an eyebrow, turning to him.

"What are you drawing?" The Uchiha asked. The fanclub swooned, and Naruto and Hana rolled their eyes.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess it's kind of a spiral with bits? You know my tattoo?"

"Yes." Itachi said. He knew a seal when he saw one, and told Naruto that it was such. Naruto just shrugged. "Yeah, but I've always called it a tattoo." was his response.

"I'm drawing that, but different."

Itachi gave a thinking squint, but nodded slowly all the same.

"Right."

The teacher came back 20 minutes later, with an entire new shirt. His vest was scrubbed, but still evidently stained.

"Alright guys, I'm back. Naruto! For the last time, Stop doodling!"

Naruto had decidedly liked Ao Sensei. He was a lot nicer than the previous teachers he had had. While he never seemed to answer him when his hand was raised or tell him why he was wrong, Ao never kicked him out of the class or hit him like some of the others.

Naruto really wanted to go home and eat ramen. Which by the time class was dismissed, was exactly what he did.

Again, please vote on what you think Naruto's power set/ skill set should be. so far we have

Adamantine Sealing chains/ Chakra Chains. 1

...

yeh, much less enthusasm than I was hoping for