Disclaimer: As you may have guessed, I don't own Naruto. If I did, and based it off this story...well, Naruto would be going in a completely different direction right now, heheh.

Glowing Embers in the Wind

Chapter One: Just One Boy

These last couple of weeks had been tough for Itachi. He was finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the pressure both his father and his peers were putting on him. He had just made Chunin the other day, and was already being summoned by the Hokage himself to speak to the teenage Uchiha. He suspected it was a mission of higher than usual rank, considering he did not recieve a scroll or any written memo. This was unusual, considering that most Chunin didn't recieve such missions.

The receptionist walked out from the Hokage's office, and spoke softly, "Itachi-san, the Hokage wishes to see you now."

Itachi nodded, and got up from his chair in the lobby. He knocked quietly, recieving a "Enter." from the old man in the room inside.

Itachi entered to find the Hokage sitting in his chair looking out the window. His hat was off, and he was smoking his pipe; Itachi immediately sensed the irregularity of things.

"You wished to see me, Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked quietly, facing the elderly man before him.

The man nodded, and looked to the teen. He put out his pipe, and set it on the desk before him. He sighed, and looked to the boy that he was about to fling so much more onto. He almost regretted what he was about to do, "Itachi...do you know of a boy named Naruto Uzumaki?"

Itachi thought for a moment, "I believe so...if memory serves correct, he is an orphan boy that has blond hair. He's currenlty enrolled at the Academy, if I'm correct."

Sarutobi nodded; the boy was well-informed as always, "That's correct. Tell me...do you know anything about his lifestyle at all?"

Itachi was again quiet, then spoke after a moment of thought, "I believe my brother says that no one else plays with him. Uzumaki is a very loud boy, and he seems to do poorly in his lessons...but I believe he has amazing strength and endurance from what I've heard."

"That's true too..." Sarutobi sighed, "Itachi...what I'm about to share with you is something that is not allowed to leave the confines of these walls...understood?"

Itachi nodded, seeing why he had a feeling that this was going to be a long evening...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Itachi was walking out of the Hokage Tower, a lot on his mind now. He had just found out one of the biggest secrets of Konohagakure and somehow he wasn't sure if he should be feeling sad or angered. Itachi wasn't known for wearing his emotions at his sleeve, or being one to express them openly for that matter. He had recently found living as an Uchiha to be a burden at times; the constant praising of his skills from his father, and the whispers of 'genius' being thrown around as he walked through the streets. He sighed, and looked at the paper he had recieved. Ichiraku Ramen...

"Hm, seems the boy has an interesting choice of tastes..." Itachi spoke quietly, and nodded as he continued down the road, and noticed the lanterns of the said ramen stand coming into sight. He barely noticed a pair of dangling feet connected to a little body sitting in a chair. The blonde hair seemed to give away the boy's location though.

Itachi walked in, and nodded politely to the owner. The man gave Itachi a nod, and eyed him warily as he noticed the man sat next to Naruto. Teuchi, while not a very strong man compared to the shinobi of Konoha, was somewhat protective of the blond boy, considering he knew what the young eight year old dealt with on an almost daily basis with the village.

Naruto Uzumaki was slurping his noodles up when he noticed a man with a black outfit on walk in. He wore a green vest, like most shinobi, but Naruto immediately noticed the symbol of the Uchiha on the shoulders of Itachi's shirt, and frowned "Am I in trouble?"

Itachi looked to the young blonde, and gave him an indifferent look, while in truth he was merely testing Naruto, "No. You are not, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the black haired boy speak his name, "You know my name?"

Itachi let a ghost of a smirk cross his face, "Yes, the Hokage told me about you."

Naruto's eyes immediately lit up, "I know Jii-san too! Man, he's so old! There's no way he can be that strong!"

Teuchih laughed while Itachi let out a stifled chuckle; the boy sure was quick to speaking his mind, "Yes, Hokage-sama is old. Believe it or not, though, Naruto-kun, he is quite strong. He is actually the strongest person in our entire village."

Naruto snorted, "Yeah, he says that all the time. Just wait, someday, I'm going to be Hokage! I'll be even better than any of the others before me!"

Itachi was surprised by this, "You wish to be Hokage someday?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, then everyone will have to respect me!"

Itachi gave a nod, knowing full well what the hidden meaning was behind those words, 'So he will be acknowledged...'

"Naruto-kun...would you like to go to the park for awhile?"

Naruto was wary all of the sudden. He remembered times before when he became friend with ninja only for them to beat him up. He didn't know if this guy was any better, "Um...Jii-san says I shouldn't talk to strangers..."

Itachi nodded; the boy was quick thinking when he needed to be, "That is indeed some wise advice to follow," Itachi looked at Naruto straight in the eyes, "Naruto-kun, my name is Itachi Uchiha."

Naruto stiffened a bit, "Y-you're an Uchiha...?" Itachi nodded, "Oh...because usually, when I get in trouble, one of the Military police or ANBU comes to bring me to the Old Man..."

Itachi frowned as he looked away from the blonde, "You're not in trouble, Naruto-kun. I just figured you'd want to go to the park and play outside. Don't you usually do that?"

Naruto frowned, "No. None of the kids' parents let me play with them...and sometimes the kids yell at me and throw things at me..."

Itachi decided on a better idea, "How about I show you some ninja techniques?" He had planned on this.

Naruto's head snapped up to attention immediately, "Really???"

Itachi nodded, "Nothing flashy, but they're important things that you could probably use. All good ninja know them, and you have to be more than just a good ninja to be Hokage."

Naruto grinned, and slurped up the last of his noodles with inhuman speed, "Yeah! I love learning cool moves and new jutsu!!"

Itachi got up from his seat, and Naruto did likewise. The blonde suddenly stopped, and quickly dug in his tattered pockets for some change, "Oh...um...Old Man...I don't have any more money..."

Teuchi was about to say it was okay, but the clatter of some coins got his attention. Itachi layed down enough for the meal and a decent tip, "I'll pay for that, Naruto."

Naruto gave Itachi a confused look, "Why are you paying for my meal?"

Itachi continued walking as the young boy ran to catch up to him, "That's what friends do, Naruto-kun." Naruto was practically beaming when he heard that.

Little did Itachi know, but he had just been put on a very small list of people that were important to the blonde boy...

...Naruto had made a friend.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto was home by himself later that night. He held up the kunai he had recieved from Itachi as a present and a means to 'protect himself from fools' as the Uchiha had worded it. Needless to say, Naruto treasured it very much. He put it under his mattress, just like Itachi told him, and then crawled into his bed as well. Naruto slept very well that night in his little apartment. He even stopped having the nightmares that continually assaulted his mind that night.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Itachi watched from across the street as Naruto fell asleep. As soon as he was sure that the boy was no longer awake, he leapt off to home. Within a minute or so, he was in front of the Uchiha compound, and nodded to the two guards present at the gate. It was probably close to nine o' clock from what he guessed, looking at the moon. He opened the sliding door of his house, and quickly took off his vest. He sat down on the bed, and let out an exhausted breath. Naruto was, surprisingly, quite a bundle of energy. He wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into by having this mission thrown at him by the Hokage. He couldn't refuse it, for the Sandaime had placed it under S-rank, which was a bit confusing at first. It wasn't until he remembered that usually Naruto was in constant danger while out in public.

For the lack of a better word, Itachi was assigned as Naruto's personal bodyguard during the later afternoon hours when Naruto was outside. The daytime shift was given to an ANBU under the Hokage's authority, but nightime proved to be busy for most of the elite ninja, so Itachi was given this job. He didn't know if he should be offended by this, or happy that it wasn't a suicide mission.

He thought back to the expression on Naruto's face when Itachi first took out his kunai. Naruto jumped back, fear evident in his eyes, and he curled into a ball, shaking. Itachi guessed that the civilians weren't the only ones who attacked him. He had calmed Naruto down and told him that the kunai was his to keep, and that he should use it to protect himself. Naruto smiled happily, and proclaimed that he wanted to call Itachi his older brother. Itachi said that would be fine, though he would rather be viewed as a friend than family. Naruto frowned a bit, but understood a bit, so he continued calling Itachi by just his name.

A light knocking at his door shook Itachi from his thoughts. He walked over to open his room door, and was greeted by the figure of his younger brother, "Hello, Sasuke. What are you doing still up?"

Sasuke gave him a weak smile, "I was just wondering where you were ealier today." Sasuke's smile faltered, "I tried asking Tou-san to train me again today..." his head drooped, and Itachi frowned a bit. One more thing that was bothering him lately; the lack of attention Fugaku had been giving the younger of the two lately.

Itachi's expression soured for a brief second before he smiled at his younger brother, "Don't worry...I'll try and have a talk to him about it."

Sasuke's frown became a smile again, "Y-you will?"

Itachi nodded, and then an idea struck, "Sasuke, do you know a Naruto Uzumaki by any chance?"

Sasuke seemed to think for a moment before he nodded, "Yeah, he's pretty loud, but I guess he's okay..."

Itachi put a hand on Sasuke's shoulders, "Well, I'm in charge of taking care of him during the afternoon by the orders of the Hokage. Would you want to possibly come with me tomorrow afternoon and spend some time with him?"

Sasuke thought about it for a second, and then nodded, "Yeah."

"Very well, then make sure to be at the front of our house by five o' clock in the afternoon, okay?"

"Okay...um...Nii-san?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Itachi turned to look at the eight year old boy, "Yes?"

"Um...does Naruto have any family?" Sasuke asked, looking away.

"No...Naruto lives by himself..." Itachi replied quietly.

"Why?" Sasuke asked again.

Itachi thought of the appropriate answer for a brief moment, then looked at Sasuke again, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why. He's misunderstood by many...but I still don't think that's a good excuse for him to be alone."

Sasuke nodded, and then said goodnight. Itachi headed over to his bed, and flopped down with a thud. He was not happy with the way things were going in his life right now...his father was getting on his case lately about joining ANBU, and ignoring Sasuke even more than he had been in the past. Itachi was thankful that at least their mother was still as caring as she always had been to her younger brother. He sensed that she actually favored Sasuke out of the two, but they may have been because he was still young, and that gave her an excuse to be all worrisome for him sometimes. Now this added fact that he knew more about Naruto Uzumaki's history had him realizing just how easy he and his brother had it.

Itachi eventually drifted off to a dreamless sleep, knowing that he would need to rest a lot if he planned on keeping an eye on both Naruto and Sasuke tomorrow.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

At recess the following day, Naruto was sitting at his usual swing by himself. He was used to it; none of the kids would want to play with him anyway. He reminded himself that Itachi would come and see him later on today though, so he felt a little better after thinking about that.

Naruto felt someone was looking at him, and he lifted his head to see a black haired boy around his age standing a few feet away from him, "Hi."

Naruto was confused; why was this boy talking to him?

"Um...hi..."

Sasuke looked away for a second, then smiled, "Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto nodded slowly, and Sasuke walked up to him and held out his hand. Naruto realized that Sasuke wanted him to shake it, so the blonde did just that.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I think you know my older brother, Itachi." Sasuke said as he pulled his hand back with an uneasy smile.

Naruto grinned upon hearing this, "Oh, so you're Itachi's younger brother! He told me he had a brother, but I didn't know it was you!"

Sasuke and Naruto spent their recess sitting under the tree talking about their experiences in the academy. Sasuke was suprised as Naruto told him about all the pranks he pulled on different people, and that he was able to sneak into the Hokage's office without being noticed by the ANBU.

"Wait, you can do that?" Sasuke went wide-eyed, "Don't you get in trouble when you do?"

Naruto laughed, "Ha, nah, Jii-san always says that I can come and see him when I feel like it, and most of the ANBU don't bother me when they find me there."

Soon Naruto and Sasuke were heading back inside, and found themselves sitting next to each other. Naruto wanted to keep talking to Sasuke, but he found that Sasuke actually listened to the lectures given by their teacher, so Naruto figured he should do so as well. When they did some classwork and Naruto didn't understand, Sasuke would try to explain it (after seeing that the teacher had completely ignored the blonde when he raised his hand).

Eventually it was going onto three o' clock, and class was done for the day. Naruto said he was going to go and get some ramen, and offered Sasuke to come along. Sasuke politely declined, saying that he had to be home or else his mother would get worried about him.

Naruto spent about an hour at the ramen stand, telling Teuchi about everything that he did today, and Teuchi couldn't help but smile when Naruto told him he made friends with Sasuke. Teuchi was about to serve Naruto his third bowl when a familiar figure in black with a green Chunin vest walked in, "Ah, Itachi-san, good to see you again."

Itachi nodded, and took a seat next to Naruto, "Hello, Naruto-kun."

Naruto sprung up from his seat, "Itachi! Hey, hey, guess what happened today?! Come on, guess!"

Itachi smirked a little, "I have no clue, what happened today?"

Naruto beamed as he got the chance to tell his older friend about his newest friend he made, "I made friends with your brother today! Sasuke's real smart, and he helped me with my work in class today! I still don't think I know all of it, but..." Naruto looked around before whispering, "...he let me copy some of his answers..."

Itachi gave a rare shadow of a smile, "Well, I'm glad Sasuke and you are friends. That will help save introductions when I bring you to my house today."

Naruto's grin widened even further, "You're going to let me go over to your house?!"

"Yes, I wanted you to meet Sasuke, but it seems you already know him. So I thought you and him can go practice in our family's training ground, and maybe have dinner with us later tonight." the Uchiha spoke as he layed down some money for Naruto's food without the boy noticing.

"Really? You really want me to eat with your family? You're not playing a trick on me?" Naruto said, a little wary all of the sudden.

"No, I'm not playing a trick on you, Naruto-kun. Now come on, we're going to go to the park for awhile. I'm going to see how well you are at throwing shuriken today." Itachi said as he led the boy out of the stand. Teuchi watched the two leave, and a small smile crept on his face. His favorite customer had made another friend today, and it seemed that maybe he would find himself a place to belong afterall.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Five o' clock rolled around, and Sasuke waited at the gates of his clan's compound like his brother had asked. He noticed his brother and a familiar blonde walking towards the compound, and noticed that Naruto seemed to be jumping up and down as he saw Sasuke at the gates. He waved frantically at the younger Uchiha, and Sasuke waved back with only a little less enthusiasm than the boy around his age.

"Hey, Nii-san, Naruto." Sasuke said as he gave a polite bow to his guest.

"Why are you bowing?" Naruto asked, giving Sasuke a confused look.

"It's a polite thing to do when someone has a guest, Naruto-kun." Itachi said as they walked in. The guards gave Naruto a wary look, but one glance from Itachi kept them from saying anything.

Naruto and Sasuke soon found themselves in the forested backyard of the main household. Sasuke and Naruto had decided to play a game of hide and seek, and Sasuke was currently having the worst of luck trying to find his blonde haired companion. Itachi sat on a rock, giving the occasional glance towards a particular branch of a tree Sasuke was near. Naruto was definitely good at hiding...Itachi could probably guess why too.

"What's Sasuke doing, Itachi?" came a woman's voice.

"Hello, Kaa-san." Itachi replied, "Sasuke's trying to find his friend, Naruto."

Mikoto Uchiha was quiet for a moment, "Naruto?"

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki...the boy that I told you about. The one with a special condition..."

Mikoto nodded, fully understanding. She knew full well about the village's Jinchuuriki. She had no ill feelings toward him, and was actually quite glad to find that he was here. She had learned earlier today that Sasuke had made a friend, and she silently hoped that Fugaku wouldn't make a huge deal of this. She knew that Naruto was just an innocent eight-year old orphan, and for a moment she frowned, "How is Naruto?"

"He considers me and Sasuke to be his best friends. He seems quite happy from what I understand. Right now, he's hiding from Sasuke." Itachi gave a small nod towards a branch filled with leaves. Being a former Jounin of Konoha, Mikoto was able to sense others' chakra, and she had a fair amount of experience in battle. She was unable to ever obtain the Sharingan, but that didn't mean she wasn't respected.

"Well, dinner's ready. Why don't you call the boy's over here?" she asked, and Itachi nodded.

"Sasuke, Naruto, it's time to eat." Itachi called over, and within a minute Naruto was bounding down the tree. Sasuke was a bit surprised, but didn't say anything. He was just happy to have someone his age to spend time with.

Naruto followed behind Sasuke and noticed Mikoto. He stopped short, and looked down all of the sudden.

Mikoto gave the boy a sad look, and decided to start up a conversation, "Why don't you introduce your friend to me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke smiled, and told Naruto to walk up from behind Naruto, "Kaa-san, this is Naruto Uzumaki. He's in my class at the Academy."

Mikoto smiled at the boy as he chanced a look at her. Upon seeing her smile, he seemed to become less tense, "Hi." he said meekly.

The Uchiha matriarch kneeled down to the boy's level, "Hello, Naruto-kun. I'm Sauske and Itachi's mother, Mikoto." Naruto smiled a little, and became interested in his feet all of the sudden. Mikoto, who could sense his uneasiness, put a hand gently on his head, "Naruto-kun, would you like to eat with us?"

Naruto nodded with a small "Yeah."

Mikoto smiled, and with Itachi lead the two younger boys inside. She usually had left over food when she cooked anyways.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto felt nervous as he sat at the Uchiha's dining room table. To his left was Sasuke, and on the other side was Itachi. Across from the two boys was Mikoto, and on the side opposite of Itachi sat a man that Naruto had learned was Sasuke's father, Fugaku. The man had given Naruto a stern, yet non-threatening look, and Naruto felt very vulnerable as he ate. Luckily for him, Mikoto had striked up a conversation with the two Uchiha boys while Naruto quietly listened. He was afraid if he spoke he would get yelled at.

"Well, aside from the scuffle between those two merchants, did anything else happen on patrol today, Itachi?" Mikoto asked.

"No, unlike Naruto and Sasuke, my day wasn't that interesting at all." Itachi spoke as he looked to the two boys.

"You shouldn't be doing simple patrol, Itachi." spoke Fugaku, "You're a member of the Uchiha clan with great potential; I could only think that you'll be in ANBU sooner or later."

Mikoto sensed a sudden drop in the atmosphere by a few degrees, and felt the tension between the two men. Itachi had been having difficulties with Fugaku lately, and the pressure to already go into ANBU so early was quite aggravating. It wasn't impossible for the teen, just aggravating. He was tired of his father and his speeches of how being an Uchiha meant that you had an unwritten status as an elite.

"Perhaps, but that's not a concern of mine right now, Tou-san." Itachi replied, and for a brief second Mikoto heard a hint of anger in her otherwise calm son's voice.

"Not a concern right now?" Fugaku repeated, his tone a combination of surprise and some disbelief, "What do you mean by that, Itachi?"

Itachi looked to Naruto, "I have other obligations right now, like a certain person's safety."

Fugaku seemed to understand, "So an orphan boy's safety is more important than your clan's interests?"

"Fugaku!" Mikoto said, sending him a surprised look.

Itachi got up from the table, and narrowed his eyes at his father, "I wish to be excused."

Fugaku took the staring contest a step further and activated his Sharingan, "I wish to speak with you outside, Itachi."

Itachi nodded, "Very well." he became calm in his tone, "Kaa-san, thank you for dinner," he then turned to Naruto, "Naruto, I'm afraid I'm going to have to bring you home after we're done eating." With that, he walked outside to the courtyard, and Fugaku followed.

Naruto sunk into his chair, and didn't feel hungry anymore, "I'm sorry..."

Mikoto gasped lightly, "Oh no, Naruto-kun, that isn't your fault at all."

"Yes it is..." Naruto said as he felt tears prickling the corners of his eyes, "Whenever I make friends with kids, their parents always say that I can't play with them, and that I'm a monster."

Mikoto's expression went from distraught to saddened, "Naruto-kun, you are not a monster." Sasuke nodded too, even though he was unsure of what this conversation was about. He knew Naruto wasn't a bad person.

Naruto got up from his seat, "I'll go wait out in the front..." he rubbed his eyes a bit as he tried to hold back his tears, "Thanks for the meal, Mikoto-san...bye, Sasuke." he ran to the door, and tears trailed down his face as he did so.

Mikoto was about to go and try and help him, and Sasuke was already halfway to the door when a voice stopped them, "It's okay...I'll talk with him."

Itachi was walking back in already, trailed behind a very stressed Fugaku. Itachi gave Sasuke a pat on the head, and a nod to his mother, then went out to the entrance to catch up with Naruto.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto was sprinting through the Uchiha compound, sobbing quietly as he did so. He had tried not to cry, as people only laughed at him when he did, but he couldn't help it. He had made friends with Itachi and Sasuke, and thought Mikoto was a really nice lady. Sasuke's dad didn't like him though, so that meant he wouldn't be able to play with Sasuke anymore or spend time with Itachi.

He was about to turn a corner when he bumped into someone. Without even looking, he choked out a "Sorry."

"It's okay, Naruto..." Naruto looked up to see Itachi standing in front of him, look of indifference on his face. He bent down to Naruto's level, "One thing you must learn to do though is not let the words of others hurt you so much..."

Naruto nodded, "Does your dad hate me?"

Itachi shrugged, "I will not lie to you; I am not sure. He seemed upset when he saw you at our house, but he didn't kick you out. I wouldn't have allowed that, but he didn't do it anyway. I cannot say if he hates you or not..." Naruto's face drooped a bit, "...don't let that bother you though. Sasuke thinks of you as a friend, my mother cares for you, and I believe that you are a good kid as well."

Itachi helped Naruto get home, and waited until he saw that Naruto was in his bed and asleep through the same vantage point he watched Naruto from last night. He gave a sigh, and jumped off towards home.

Itachi arrived home, and found a few men to be waiting at the front door of his house, talking to his father, "Are you certain of this; he can't be found anywhere?" Fugaku asked, the three men.

The three Konoha Military Police officers all nodded and gave an affirmative, and Itachi decided to make his presence known, "What seems to be the problem?"

The three men all nodded, and one of them spoke, "It seems that Shisui Uchiha has gone missing recently...there aren't any signs though as to where he may be." The officer gave Itachi a questioning look, "You were good friends with him, weren't you?"

Itachi shrugged, "I suppose, though he seemed to be distant as of late. I haven't spoken to him in a few weeks, so I don't know where he could be."

The three men nodded, "Very well. We're going to let the ANBU know of this, they can do searches outside of the village, and it will help us expand our own efforts as well."

"That's fine, in the mean time I'll inform the Hokage of this." Fugaku replied, and he quickly turned to Itachi, "Itachi, if you see anything suspicious that may lead to clues of Shisui's whereabouts, let us know."

Itachi gave a curt bow, and the four men dissapeared in a whisp of smoke. Itachi headed inside, and was greeted by Mikoto, "Is Naruto allright?"

"He'll be fine. I walked him home, and told him that he was still welcome here anytime. I was thinking of maybe stopping by when the Academy lets out to bring him and Sasuke home. I'm sure he would like that." Itachi replied quietly.

Mikoto seemed a bit relieved as she heard this, "Good. Sasuke was upset by what happened, and I don't think he took it that well. I simply told him Naruto's had a difficult time making friends. Hopefully Sasuke will continue to talk to him when they're at school..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Later that evening Itachi was in his room reading over a scroll when he heard a few sounds from outside his door. He listened intently, and found them to be the sounds of his father talking to someone. He leaned an ear against his door, and closed his eyes to focus, "...scrolls look like they've been read over recently. I'm not sure who could have gotten in here so easily and not been noticed..."

"Well, we've found no traces of a possible theft, but to say that someone outside of the Uchiha clan was able to look over those clan scrolls is practically impossible." spoke another man, most likely a Military Police officer

"I know...that could only mean that either someone is a great seal master, or one of the Uchiha in our clan is doing acts behind our back..." spoke Fugaku.

"There's also been no signs of Shisui anywhere...this is becoming unsettling, Fugaku. We may have to consider him a missing-nin. He wasn't scheduled for any missions, so there should be no reason why he's not within Konoha." replied the officer.

Itachi sat back, and thought over what he just heard. Was his father talking about the forbidden scrolls of the clan? Even he wasn't allowed to view them...which was a bit suspicious in itself. He thought it over, and arrived to a conclusion after some thought. He may have been off, but it was somewhat plausible: Shisui had entered the main house of the clan and looked over the scrolls before going missing.

Itachi looked out his window, and noticed the moon was brighter than most nights. He cracked his neck before slumping down into his bed. He was once again drifting to sleep with thoughts of what other reasons he didn't fully understand his clan sometimes.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Eight Months Later...

Sasuke was walking home after another night of practicing his ninjutsu out by the dock. He had come along way since he managed to perform the Goukakyuu no Jutsu in front of his father, and recieved some praise from him. While it did make him happy, the fact that he was still concerned about Itachi made him upset. He showed Naruto it one day, and Naruto said openly "That's freakin' awesome! Teach me!"

Sasuke, however, said that it wasn't possible right now, having remembered Itachi telling them both that Naruto still had poor control of his chakra. Sasuke had promised Naruto that one day, when he was ready for the technique, that he would try and show him. Naruto made sure to hold Sasuke to it.

Itachi had gone on to become an ANBU only four months after he became a Chunin, and was now even busier than before. Itachi still would visit Naruto once a week when possible, yet his new job prevented that. Naruto, however, did see the older Uchiha every now and then in the Hokage Tower when he wasn't on active duty.

As for the two boys, they had improved a lot in the Academy. Naruto, while still not the greatest student, had managed to bring himself up in the class. He even managed to make a few friends with Chouji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shikamaru Nara. He also found himself interested in a certain pink haired girl, named Sakura Haruno, who he had later told Mikoto was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Mikoto smiled, only imagining how much of a heartbreaker the boy would be when he got older.

Sasuke came back from his thoughts as he turned the corner towards his house. He stopped almost immediately as he felt a sudden ominous feeling in his stomach; the kind that a ninja in training seemed to inherit once they began to understand shinobi skills better. Killer intent was what it was always identified as...but this feeling...it felt worse. Sasuke started sprinting to his house, fearing what he woudl find there. As he rounded another corner, he nearly fell over is shock.

All over the street lay bodies of Uchiha clan members. Sasuke was stone-still as he scanned the area. What happened?! He forced himself to move, and he let out a panicked breath as he looked over the faces of familiar relatives. Who could have done this?

He went up to the door of his house, and felt a surge in killer intent from the other side of the door. He shook a bit, but forced himself to grip the doors, and open them, hoping that maybe this was all a Genjutsu being used to test him.

Sasuke opened the door, and saw something that made his stomach flip, tighten, and cause hims to fall on his knees...

There on the floor lay the body of Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head of the Uchiha, one of the Military Police officers of Konoha...

...Sasuke's father...

"Tou-san!" Sasuke cried as he ran over to the body, but stopped as he heard a sound from up stairs. He listened, and heard voices. He couldn't distinguish them, but it sounded like fighting. Fighting!

He ran up the steps as quickly and quietly as he could. He reached the top of the stairs, and saw a single light on in a room. He slowly approched it, kunai in hand, and listened intently to the voices inside.

"Why did you do this, Shisui?" came a low voice, and Sasuke immediately recognized it as Itachi's. He forced himself not to run and help his brother, and instead listened.

A sound of someone laughing was made, "Come now, Itachi, surely you understand what I mean. I had to test my capabilities...to get one step closer to achieving a greater weapon."

A growl was heard; Itachi was mad. He never growled unless he was really mad, "The Mangekyou Sharingan has not been achieved by clan members for years for a reason, Shisui. I can't believe you would go this far. You were one of the greatest shinobi of our clan, how could you betray us?"

"Look who's talking, Mr. Tired-of-my-clan's-ideals. You know, Itachi, I expected you of all people to understand my reasoning. I am looking at a bigger picture here; not just Konoha. Until you understand that, there's no reason to bother explaining this to you."

It was silent for a few seconds, and Sasuke had enough. He burst through the door, kunai in hand. He immediately felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and cried out.

"Sasuke!" came a woman's voice. Mikoto was alive, and standing behind Itachi, a kunai in her hand as well, being a former shinobi, she knew how to wield a weapon.

"Well, I was wondering where the little runt was." Shisui spoke, a deadly edge in his tone, "Hn, to think that you actually were able to learn the Goukakyuu no Jutsu...just goes to show that our clan had low standards for our members." Shisui held a sword in his hands, aiming to decapitate the boy, "Tch, well, at least you won't bother wasting space anymore. Good riddance."

Sasuke was frozen in fear, and watched as the blade came swinging down. He closed his eyes as he heard his mother cry out, but he never felt a thing. He opened his eyes as the sound of metal hitting metal was heard.

"Sasuke...get Kaa-san out of here now, and get the ANBU here immediately..." Itachi said as he struggled against the older man; the man that he had until recently saw as his best friend.

Sasuke wasted no time, and with his mother, they ran down the steps, and hurried out to the path in front of their house. They heard a crash of breaking glass, and saw the two Uchiha begin fighting each other on the streets, swords dancing in the moonlight. They had to hurry!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He forgot to give Sasuke's shuriken set back to him, and he really didn't want to wait any longer for them to be returned. He knew it was late, but he also knew that someone would be awake at the compound to give it back. He was however surprised when he saw no one at the gates to stop him. He continued onward, hoping maybe Sasuke's mother or Itachi was awake.

That's when he heard it. The sound of steel hitting steel. He slowly turned down a corner, and gasped as he saw bodies littering the road to Sasuke's house. He immediatley panicked, but suddenly noticed Sasuke and his Mother heading towards him, well, at least heading in his general direction. Looking further down the road, he saw Itachi fighting a man with an Uchiha clan shirt and vest. He never saw the man before, so he wasn't sure who it was. However...he knew something bad was happening.

Naruto reached into a pocket, and pulled out a small, silver whistle. This whistle wasn't ordinary though. Itachi had given it to him for one purpose, and one purpose only; to call any ANBU within earshot to his location. He took in a deep breath, and blew into the whistle for all he was worth.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A sharp, shrilling note was heard throughout a good portion of the village that was within a good fifteen minutes of the Uchiha compound. If one looked closely, they could see about twelve black blurs running towards the sound suddenly. The ANBU were summoned.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Itachi and Shisui stood apart for a brief moment, and Itachi suddenly heard the sound of the ANBU emergency whistle call. He immediately knew who it was, 'Naruto...' Itachi braced himself as he blocked another from Shisui, and suddenly he lost track of him.

"What?" Itachi spoke, his Sharingan trying to scan for his foe, but not finding anything.

"Nii-san, behind you!" Sasuke cried, and Itachi jumped back just in time to avoid a spray of shuriken. Shisui growled in frustration. It didn't help that his attack was now public knowledge to the ANBU of Konoha, and that he probably would have to retreat within less than a minute. He hated the fact that despite the Sharingan's ability to predict the opponent's moves, it couldn't help you keep up with their speed. Itachi was fast. Not a good thing.

Shisui frowned, "That demon-brat saved your family's life, Itachi...but don't think this is over. We will meet again..." With a single hand seal, he dissapeared. Itachi scanned around, and when he felt the presence of about a dozen ANBU, he collapsed, exhaustion taking it's toll on him. He was good...but Shisui was also considered the best Uchiha in the clan for a reason.

One of the ANBU walked up to Mikoto, Sasuke, and the new-comer Naruto, "Are you allright?" he asked. Mikoto nodded quickly, trying not to breakdown in front of her son and his best friend, "Itachi's been wounded in several places, but it looks like he was able to avoid any lethal wounds. He'll need to be brought to the hospital immediately. In the meantime, we ask that you and these two boys come with us to the Hokage's office."

Mikoto nodded again, not trusting her voice. Naruto looked up to her face, and noticed tears in her eyes, "Mikoto-san...is Itachi going to be okay?"

Mikoto looked to the boy that had probably just saved both her sons' lives as well as her own. She kneeled down to him, and wrapped him in a hug, "Yes, Naruto-kun, thanks to you, Itachi's going to be okay." she sobbed a bit, and rubbed his head a bit, "Thank you for saving my sons, Naruto..."

Naruto nodded, somewhat confused. He had recieved a hug from her before, but the feeling was still foreign to him. However, from the small nod he recieved from Sasuke, he knew that he did something right.

...and thus begins our story of how one chance meeting of Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki changed the course of history for Konohagakure, and the surrounding ninja world.

end of Chapter One - Gah! Well, I think that this counts as the longest introductory chapter to any of my stories...ever...anyway, this idea would not leave me alone. Why? I'm not quite sure. Blame it on imagination; yeah, curse you imagination for giving me creative ideas to alter the Narutoverse completely, lol. Well, let me know what you think. I'm not sure when I'll update next; like most of my stories, I do this as I go along. I have an idea of what I'm going to do, but it may be slow-going for awhile. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hoped you enjoyed it! Until we meet again, happy reading!

Justu notes:

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu -- Fire Release: Fireball Technique (origingal)- A fire jutsu used by many of the clan members of the Uchiha clan, as well as quite a few shinobi of Konoha. The user does the necessary hand seals, draws the necessary chakra from their mouth to their chest, and exhales it in a steady stream of flames, creating a fireball. On a sidenote, the Uchiha clan considere being able to master this technique as a rite of passage into adulthood, and being recognized as a true member of the clan, and no longer as a child.

A/N- On a sidenote, Naruto will become the main focus soon enough, and I do have a pairing in mind, those of you who know me well enough can probably already guess...and I kind of hinted at it in this fic. As you can see, things have already done a one-eighty as far as the Naruto storyline goes. Imagine more twists while somethings to remain the same. Well, later!