Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Planting a Seed of Doubt:
It was almost time for guards to switch out for the evening and Itachi knew that during this time, no one would guard Naruto. So, taking advantage of this opening, he snuck into the boys' residence. The child was startled by his appearance and a speck of fear showed in his blue eyes before disappearing once he realized who had entered his apartment. "You startled me, Weasel san," he said, running over to hug the young Anbu.
Itachi returned the hug, as he genuinely liked the young boy. The villagers were idiots if they believed the child was the nine-tails incarnated. "Ya, I'm sorry, Naruto Kun. I didn't mean to startle you. How are you?" he asked, noticing fresh bruises on the boy.
Naruto, noticing how Itachi was observing his newest injuries, looked away bashfully. He was subconscious about how he looked, a complex he developed because of his cruel treatment. "Um, alright I guess. What brings you here, Weasel san?" he asked.
The anbu pulled away from Naruto and put his hands together in a sealing gesture. Once the silencing seals were in place, he took off his mask. Naruto's eyes widened in stunned silence before nervousness took over them. "Calm down, Naruto kun," he said, putting his hand up. "I've come here tonight because I have something very important I need to tell you," he said.
Naruto, who was still nervous about Itachi revealing his face to him, looked only mildly curious. "Alright, Weasel san. Whatever it is, you can tell me," he said.
Itachi glanced over a moment before smiling a little. "You can relax Naruto, I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I'm here to help you. I lost my little brother last week, and ever since I've been feeling mighty guilty about some things," he said, watching the child's reaction.
Naruto felt immediate sympathy for his anbu guard. The teen had always been kind to him and made him sad that something so awful should befall him. "I'm sorry, Weasel san. However, I don't understand how this concerns me at all," he said.
Itachi rubbed the back of his head in false nervousness. "It's complicated Naruto kun, but let me just tell you that the village has been keeping secrets from you. Surely you must wonder why everyone practically shuns you," he said.
Naruto winced at the mention of his unfair treatment by the villagers. It was a subject that he always wondered about, but also often tried to ignore. Now here was Weasel san, telling him he knew the truth about why he was hated. A part of him wanted to know the answer, but another part did not. "I have wondered about that, Weasel san, but how do you know when even Old Man Third doesn't?" he asked.
Itachi blinked a moment in surprise before a mental lightbulb went off. So the old man had been outright telling the child he didn't have a clue why people treated him so poorly; and here this whole time he had thought the Hokage had simply been telling him he couldn't say. Well then, this made his job easier. "First off, stop calling me Weasel, it's Itachi, Naruto. Second, I'm sorry to tell you this, but the Hokage has been lying to you regarding not knowing why you're hated," he said.
Naruto frowned at hearing this. His grandfather figure had been lying to him? Surely not, but why would Itachi say that if it wasn't true? "What do you mean, Itachi san?" he asked.
Itachi sighed and looked sadly at the child. "Lord Third has known from the day you were born why you've been hated, Naruto kun. He even made a law forbidding anyone from telling you the truth," he said.
Naruto's eyebrows creased in thought, and he bit his bottom lip nervously. "But if it concerns me, why shouldn't I know?" he said.
Itachi nodded his head in agreement. "Exactly! Why shouldn't you know? Maybe he's afraid you'll turn on him, if you knew the truth?" he said.
Naruto's eyes darkened in thought, and he looked up at Itachi, his expression expectant. "So what is the truth, Itachi san? I want to know, now please!" he said. His feelings were hurt. The one person he'd trusted in the world had been lying to him this whole time. He also felt a tinge of anger at himself for believing that anyone would care for him, he should have known better.
Itachi's face again went to one of sympathy, and for a moment he felt a tinge of guilt for hurting the child, but then he remembered his brother and that feeling disappeared. "Okay, Naruto. I have to start at the beginning. You know what happened on your birthday, don't you?" he asked.
The boy nodded. Who didn't know? It was only one of the most single-handed disasters in the Elemental Nations. It was the night the Kyubi attacked Konoha. "Yes, the night of my birth was also the night the Kyubi was killed by Lord Fourth," he said, wondering what this had to do with him.
Itachi shook his head, and sorrow shone in his onyx eyes. "I'm sorry to tell you this Naruto kun, but that's only partially the truth. The reality is far more complicated than that. It is impossible to kill a tailed beast, it just isn't possible," he said, pausing for a moment to let the child process the information.
Naruto looked apprehensively at Itachi. "So if the Fourth couldn't kill it, then how did he defeat it?" he asked.
Itachi sighed. "The only way he could. He sealed it away inside a newborn baby. That baby being you," he said.
Thump! Naruto fell down, the shock of the truth hitting him like a gut punch. He looked fearfully up at Itachi. "So, I'm the Kyubi then?" he asked, his voice almost too low for Itachi to hear.
Itachi laughed. "Oh No! Absolutely not. You are simply the vessel holding the demon at bay," he said.
A look of confusion came over the boy's face. "But if I'm just the jail, then why does everyone hate me?" he asked.
"Because they're ignorant and they need someone to blame for their suffering. Unfortunately, since you are a child, you are the safest scapegoat." The teen explained to the child.
A flicker of anger appeared in Naruto's eyes. "That's not fair! I didn't ask to be the Kyubi's jailer. No one even asked me!" he said, tears of frustration coming to his eyes.
Itachi nodded. "I know, Naruto kun. Sadly, that isn't the only lie the Third has told you," he said.
Naruto looked at Itachi stunned a moment before a look of rage came over his face. "Oh? What else has Lord Third been hiding from me?" he asked, his voice filled with anger and frustration.
Itachi sighed. "Your parents, he knows exactly who they are and yet he's lied right to your face about who they are," he said.
The boy's jaw dropped. He felt like he'd just been sucker punched for a second time that night. "My parents? He's been keeping who my parents are from me this whole time? Why, they are my family, not his!" he said.
Itachi waved his hand in the air. "Who knows why he lies? Perhaps it's the same reason he protects a child killer," he said.
Naruto looked confused by Itachi's words. "What do you mean by child killer?" he asked.
Itachi waved the boy's words away. "I'll explain later. Right now, though, we are discussing your parents. Wouldn't you like to know who they are?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be.
The child nodded. "Of course I do! Who are they?" he asked, his voice demanding. He deserved to know, they were his only family. The old man had no right to withhold that information from him.
Itachi nodded. "Don't be mad when I tell you who your father is, as he had no choice but to do what he did. As for your mother, her name was Uzumaki Kushina, and your father was the Fourth Hokage himself, Namikaze Minato," he said, watching Naruto's reaction.
Naruto couldn't believe it! He was the son of the villages hero? Wait, a minute! His own father had sealed the demon inside of him, cursing him to a life of pain. Did that mean his father hated him? He looked to Itachi for some clarification. "Do you know why he chose me? Did he hate me so much that he had to seal a demon inside of me?" he asked.
Itachi frowned. "No, I knew Lord Fourth and Lady Kushina when I was a child. I can tell you from what I remember, they loved you very much," he said.
Naruto cried. "Then why then? Why did they leave me alone?" he asked.
Itachi sighed. He hated he made the boy cry, but it was necessary. "I'm sorry, Naruto kun. I didn't mean to upset you, however, you needed to know the truth. As for why your father chose you, my best guess is that you were the only one he trusted to hold the fox at bay," he said.
Naruto sniffled. "You believe he trusted me? Well, that makes some sense, but what about my mother? What happened to her?" he asked.
Itachi shook his head in sorrow. "The Kyubi killed her, I'm afraid. That's all I know for sure," he said.
Naruto's smile was bittersweet as he looked at Itachi. "So they didn't willingly abandon me then?" he asked, his voice hopeful.
Itachi smiled. "No, I know if they had any other options, they would have surely done it," he said. The writer, however, isn't so sure of this. Minato surely had other sealing options besides the Reaper Death seal. I love you Minato, but really?!
Naruto smiled. "Well, that makes me feel a little better," he said. At least he knew now that his parents hadn't abandoned him like the villagers had said. Now he knew they loved him, and that truthfully was all he wanted, no needed to know. However, that didn't erase the fact that Lord Third had known and cruelly kept that information from him.
Itachi patted the boy's head. "I'm glad you feel better, however I'm curious. What would you like to do about the Third Hokage?" he asked. This was his chance to get the boy on his side, while he was still vulnerable.
Naruto gave the teen a look of confusion. "What do you mean Itachi san? He's the Hokage. We can't do anything to him," he said.
Itachi shook his finger at the child. "That's only partially true, Naruto Kun," he said, peaking the child's interest.
Naruto tilted his head. He was curious about what Itachi meant. "What do you mean Itachi kun? How can we get back at the Hokage without getting in trouble?" he asked.
A look of contemplation adorned Itachi's face as he readied himself to lie out his plan on Naruto. "It's very simple, really. It's true we can't do anything to him, while we're under his rule, but if we went to another village we could," he said.
Naruto's jaw dropped in complete shock. "We, we can do that? Itachi san I don't understand, I thought all the other villages hated us?" he asked.
Itachi shook his head. "Not all of them hate us. Suna and Kumo, for example, respect us," he said. That last one was a bit of a stretch, but Naruto didn't need to know that.
Naruto looked thoughtful. "And if we went to one of these villages, we could get back at Lord Third?" he asked.
Itachi nodded. "Yes," he said.
Naruto looked away from Itachi for a moment, his mind lost in thought. He was angry at Lord Third for lying to him, and he was angry at the village for treating him like dirt for something that wasn't his fault. But did that warrant him turning his back on the village his parents had died for? He wondered if they would have protected it if they knew how he was going to be treated. After a few minutes of silence, he looked back at Itachi. "Let's do it," he said.
Itachi smirked. The first step of his plan was complete.
Author's note: So here's chapter twelve of "A Brother's Fury," I hope you enjoy it, and as always thanks for reading. Nerdzone6.