Summary: AU - Going against Itachi, the legendary Kyubi guardian takes human form as Uzumaki Naruto, in order to protect his former master's vengeful little brother... whether he likes it or not. (sasuke x naruto / sasunaru - and a little Kakashi x Iruka here and there.)
Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Naruto - if I did there would have been more 'accidental' kisses in the anime
Note: Random flash backs and present parts of the story are divided with the dashed line between them.
Chapter Two Dreams
For days on end, the Kyubi guardian would find himself sleeping in more than usual. The hours seemed to just fly by quickly this way and he had to lay back and accept it. No matter how much the inhabitants of the main house tried to interact with him by trying to keep him awake. The young looking fox just wondered if he was feeling his age.
Humans probably didn't believe a demon could grow old like them. It was true though, maybe not in appearance; but the nine tails could feel it. As centuries go by, a guardian's life span - which they had always believed to be never-ending - stretched out like a taunt rope ready to snap.
It frightened him sometimes. Death had been a possibility he had faced in countless battles throughout his long life. Sometimes he would find himself straining to stay awake out of fear he would not wake the following day. And so he struggled to stay alert, chastising himself for letting himself feel old and weak.
"Naruto..."
His ears perked up slightly as they recognized that voice. His voice. No matter how many times Itachi addressed him since the day he was able to speak, the tone always remained the same. It had odd at first to accept this stoic boy as his master. But over time he began to like the boy named Uchiha Itachi, who only continued to amaze him.
One sleepy blue eye to stare at the young Anbu leader who entered the room.
"Sleeping again?"
The question made the Kyubi feel guilty and decided to try and stay up a little while until Itachi also retired to bed. Stretching slightly for a moment, the nine tailed fox padded over to where his master was now sitting at an empty table. It had been late when Itachi had returned to the main house and ate dinner alone while the others slept.
He knew youth didn't mind this, and purposely at times came home late just so he could have time to himself. But there was one individual the raven haired boy wanted by his side. A ghost of a smile appeared on his pale face as he looked down at the creature that was trying to stifle a yawn.
"What do you dream of, Naruto?"
"Hmm?"
The fox looked at him oddly before shrugging.
"I don't dream of anything, Itachi-sama."
"Why is that?"
Normally the somber boy would have left it at that, but instead he reached out and began to stroke him behind the ears. He absently leaned into the touch, this time, Naruto was unsuccessful at holding back another yawn and a small sigh. Maybe he should request lady Uchiha to brew him coffee in the evening rather than just warm milk.
"I'm not human," the Nine-tailed fox reminded him, "I don't have dreams. Just goals"
"Such as?"
"Protecting my master."
The following day after the class had been split into teams, they were to return early in the morning and meet their Jounin instructor. Pacing back and forth in the nearly empty room, Naruto glared back at the clock for the umpteenth time. It was almost noon and there was no sign of their new sensei.
"He's late!" he exclaimed the obvious. Sakura and Sasuke, the other occupants of the empty classroom, remained quiet even though they silently agreed with the blonde. Internally, the pink haired girl's inner self was practically screeching. How much longer were they supposed to wait!
Sasuke was sitting up front in the same manner he normally did for class - had ignored the complaints coming from his teammate. The same went for the looks Sakura was giving him, believing he wouldn't notice. He did and paid no attention to her, but often his coal black eyes would shift to see Naruto moving about.
It was hard to ignore his so-called rival after the incident the previous day. Then again, it was almost impossible not to notice the loud trouble making boy. He practically went out of his way to get everyone's attention by causing trouble. Like he was doing now.
Lifting his head over his folded hands, the dark haired genin watched as his "rival" picked up a chair and carried it over to the half opened door. Naruto grinned mischievously and grabbed one of the chalkboard erasers before jumping onto a chair. Sasuke blinked, what was that dead last doing?
Sakura beat him to the question though, chiding at Naruto for being so immature. Sasuke just turned back to the front of the class. Though he couldn't help but be a little amused. Just a tiny bit.
"It's their own fault," he explained while dusting the chalk from his hands and onto the bright orange jumpsuit he always wear. "This will show whoever it is to be on time!"
Naruto glanced at his two team mates - silently daring them to stop him. Neither Sakura or Sasuke reached for the eraser. Instead, Sakura shook her head and began to chide at him. Saying that he would get them all into trouble and no instructor was dumb enough to walk into such an obvious trap. But deep down, Naruto knew the pink haired girl was a kindred spirit. She enjoyed these kinds of practical jokes just as much as he did.
Way back when he arrived at the academy, Sakura - like everyone else had laughed at his pranks. Everyone in the class but Konoha's number one rookie. Sasuke was simply to mature for jokes. It didn't take long for her - and the other Sasuke-fan club members to figure that out. So they grew their hair out - based from some rumor Naruto heard long ago - and tried to act like their mother.
Naruto wasn't very fond of these changes among his peers, but could bear with it to humor himself at times. A couple months ago, he and Kiba had a good laugh as they planned to spread rumors of their own. Wondering if the whole female student body would shave their heads if rumor had it that Sasuke found the 'bald look' attractive. Sadly, no one bought it. Not only did they get detention from Iruka; but had to run for their lives from Sasuke-fan-girls armed with scissors.
Naruto shuddered at the unpleasant memory and his sensitive ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. Finally!
"Someone's coming..."
"Really Naruto," Sakura huffed, "It's not going to work. Only a total idiot would walk into an obvious trap..."
"Sorry I'm late."
The three genin turned their attention to the arrival of their Jounin instructor. Time had seemed to slow down as they watched Naruto's prank spring into action. A fingerless gloved hand had reached out and gently pushed the half open door wider. The trap had been sprung, and Their eyes saw the chalkboard eraser waver a little before it fell. Down it went and landed right on target with a cloud of chalk dust.
Naruto was the first to recover from the awkward silence that followed. "Bwahaha! Got you!" he burst out, waving a pointing finger towards the older ninja while Sakura spouted apologies. How much dust did that eraser pack? Naruto wondered as he continued to laugh while eyeing the man's spiky gray hair.
"So...you guys are on my team?" Hatake Kakashi simply stared at the chalkboard eraser that had assaulted him, before eyeing the three remaining students. "I hate you already."
Well that was a great way to start things off, the fox mused to himself after they followed the Jounin off to a balcony and sat down. Naruto was bored again, and glancing in Uchiha's direction, he could tell that he wasn't the only one. Even their new teacher seemed less enthusiastic - though he was probably still annoyed being the victim of a classroom prank.
That didn't bother Naruto so much as the man's mask did. Most of the high ranking ninja's face was covered by a black cloth that went under a black turtleneck. In addition to the cover-up was the Hitai-ate that seem to purposely hide the right eye.
Perhaps the man slept with one eye open? The Kyubi couldn't help but snort to himself. The only visible part of the Jounin's face was the bridge of his nose and the lazy half-lidded eye that looked ready to roll back just the way Shikamaru's eyes did when something was too troublesome.
"Let's see why don't you introduce yourselves."
"Introduce ourselves?" he heard Sakura ask, "What should we say?"
"What you like, hate, your dreams, and hobbies. Something like that."
Inwardly Naruto groaned. Just great. What exactly was he going to say? 'I like being able to run on all fours. I hate pretending to be something that I'm not. I don't have any dreams. Oh and as a hobby, I watch Uchiha Sasuke more than his fan girls...'
"Hey, hey," he finally spoke up and grinned at the man they were facing, "Why don't you introduce yourself first, Sensei?"
There. That would buy him enough time to think of something. Anything but the truth.
"Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes."
"Huh?" Both Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but wear identical confused expressions.
"As for my dream... I have a few hobbies."
Well that was certainly... not informative. The blonde exchanged confused glances with his pink haired teammate before eyeing their instructor quizzically. Were they supposed to take a man who only gave his name had seventy-five percent of his face covered seriously?
"Now it's your turn."
Apparently so.
Naruto wondered if the man was smirking under the mask when he fixated that single lazy stare at him.
"You first."
The whisker-faced boy looked thoughtful as he adjusted his forehead protector. Inwardly, he was nervous and patching up something together. It would have been easy to follow Kakashi's example, but it would have been more convenient to just throw everyone off entirely. So...
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he began with a large grin, "And I like eating cup ramen. But I like the ramen at Ichiraku, especially when Iruka-sensei treats. I hate the three minutes that I have to wait after putting the hot water in. My hobby is to eat and compare ramen..."
He paused for a moment and noticed his audience didn't look the least surprised over his infatuation with junk food. Though, Kakashi sweat dropped at the mention of their former teacher's name.
"And my dream," Naruto continued, "is to become greater than any of the Hokages!"
Sasuke, who had been staring off into space over his folded hands, actually rolled his eyes. He knew the blonde was arrogant, but it was almost laughable how the dead last class clown could reach Hokage when several talented geniuses could not. It was a fool's dream.
"Okay, next."
"I'm Haruno Sakura. I like... well, the person I like is..."
The youth known as "Konoha's #1 Rookie" mentally cringed as Sakura began to stutter, starting off her introduction with the person that she liked. He could feel the pink haired girl's stare on him as she went on and thankfully didn't finish the last sentence before moving on. Sasuke would rather have listened to Naruto prattle about the different flavors of ramen he liked.
"And my hobby is... well, my dream is to..."
'Isn't she done yet?' Sasuke wondered irritably. He risked a sideways glance and saw her blushing furiously while looking down at her hands. Quickly looking he way, Sasuke decided he really didn't want to know the rest. Again, he would rather listen to the dead last prattle on about his unhealthy love affair involving his favorite food.
"And?" Kakashi prompted to speed this all along, "What do you hate?"
"Naruto."
Watching the blonde visibly deflate before his eye, Kakashi decided to move on to the next student: The brooding Uchiha prodigy.
"Last guy."
Finally sitting back up, Naruto eyed the other boy warily through narrowed eyes when their Jounin teacher wasn't looking. This should prove to be interesting. To his far right, Sasuke raised his chin a little to speak above his hands.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and there aren't a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to... kill a certain man."
Only stunned silence followed the last part of Uchiha's statement. While he outwardly feigned nervousness, Naruto was really having mixed feelings about all of this. It seems yet another Uchiha massacre was well on it's way, and what could he do to stop it?
The Kyubi couldn't believe his eyes when he saw them, their life's blood pooled over the wooden flood boards beneath his masters. Upon closer inspection he could tell the slashes had been made with a katana. Quick and painless. But whoever the murderer was, they would not share the same death, Naruto swear to himself.
He quickly sniffed around and caught the scent of both the Uchiha brothers, Sasuke and Itachi. Odd... why couldn't find the unfamiliar scent of the assesses? The question eluded him for a moment as his ears picked up the hysterical sobbing of a child.
'Sasuke!'
Racing around the back, the small fox bounded over the fence and further down around the corner. Just in time to see the youngest Uchiha fall forward on the ground. The assassin was in sight and Naruto bared his fangs and claws and rushed over to fallen boy's side. He quickly made sure the youth was still alive before he leaned into a crouch, ready to claw out the assassin's deep red eyes.
Red eyes...? Indeed, they were blood red eyes with three dots spinning slowly around black pupils. The fox dropped his snarl for a look of utter shock and confusion.
'The Sharingan?'
His heart seemed to be pounding faster now, as his blazing crimson gaze met those hauntingly familiar eyes. Only one family in all of Fire Country had the mirror wheel blood limit. Looking over at Sasuke's glassy eyes, he knew of only one person in this era, that he knew of, that had achieved this kind of level.
"It-Itachi-sama!"
After their sensei's departing - not to mention disturbing - last instructions: "Don't eat breakfast tomorrow, you'll through up if you do", the genin team went their separate ways. Kakashi didn't bother to explain what their final exam would cover; but he did give him a small wink when the other two weren't looking. Naruto chose to ignore it for the moment and decided to concentrate on not screwing up and being sent back to the Academy like many of the peers would. Perhaps he'd ask Iruka-sensei about it another time.
Normally, the blonde boy would find himself prowling the streets of Konoha if he didn't feel like training. Walking around, socializing with a couple people until it was time for dinner at Ichiraku's. This time, however, he decided to go find some place quiet where he could be alone with his thoughts.
Habit caused him to take a secluded path to a quiet and uninhabited section of the village and one of his favorite spots. He laid down on his back, clasping his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky. Instead of watching television or little kids practicing ninjitsu, he would find himself cloud gazing.
Watching the clouds was an excellent waste of time and of course required no effort. Well, there was the challenge of not dozing off. It was all Shikamaru's fault really.
Letting out a rather loud yawn, the young ninja continued to watch the clouds slowly pass him by as the sky changed from the brilliant blue of mid afternoon to a the scarlet hue of the evening. Night would be coming soon, and with it the next morning when they were to have their last exam.
'I should go home...' Naruto thought to himself as he yawned again. His body, unfortunately, didn't want to move from it's comfortable position. Another yawn, and his eyes were having difficulty staying open. Finally, Naruto decided one little nap couldn't hurt...
... Unless of course, he fell off the roof.
"Excuse me," Iruka said politely while poking his head into the small ramen shop, "Has Naruto been by recently?"
The Chuunin instructor sighed to himself when the old man had answered that the boy hadn't been around since morning. He had been late for their meal get together due to putting together new lesson plans for one of his younger classes. Naruto knew this wasn't unusual and would normally wait by the shop for him to come.
He couldn't help but feel worried. He didn't see Naruto as the Kyubi anymore. Just an ordinary boy - okay, ordinary was far from describing loudmouth ninja - who was probably lonely without a family waiting for him. Just like he had been when his parents had died in battle. Iruka absently scratched the bridge of his nose as he turned to walk towards the woods. Most likely the young ninja was training right now and lost track of time. That's right, their final was the following morning with...
He stopped almost dead in his tracks as wisps of smoke brushed against his forest green vest and felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. A blush stained his cheeks as he was pulled back against a broad chest. Spiky gray hair came into his line of vision when he glanced sideways to the head leaning down rest on his shoulder.
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled a little to indicate he was smiling.
"Yo!"
Iruka found himself relaxing back against the embrace and returned the smile even though the blush remained. Atleast Kakashi agreed not to do this in public, or at least not in front of their students. The Jounin just continued to smile, his hands begin to wander a little under the vest.
"Looking for Naruto?"
"Y-Yeah..."
The Chuunin felt his entire face began to heat up as those wandering hands found what they were looking for.
"Ka.. Kakashi!"
"Mmmm?"
"Stop that! We're outside!"
"So we are."
"S-S-S-O somebody could be watching!"
Kakashi lazily glanced around the empty street.
"No one's out here."
"B-B-But...!"
Much as he wanted to keep going, Kakashi relented and pulled his hands away. "Naruto is resting up for the exam tomorrow," he informed his lover, "So... want to come by?"
"C-C-Come by?"
Even with the loss of those talented hands, Iruka couldn't stop himself from stuttering. He hated how the older ninja could reduce him to such a state. Especially the blushing part. His face must have been bright a beacon.
"I knew you would agree with me."
"Hey! I didn't say anything... I..."
The hands begin to roam once more until the other finally surrendered. Kakashi's smile widened in triumph. Leaning close, he nibbled on the Chuunin's ear despite the mask barrier.
"O-okay... I... b-but doesn't the exam start before dawn?"
He pulled back a little and began to lead Iruka back to his apartment.
"I'm sure they won't mind if I'm a little late"
It was the smell of food that brought him back into the waking world, and Naruto yawned loudly and began to stretch. He opened his eyes and blearily looked up at the ceiling above his head. Wait a second... didn't he fall asleep outside? Yes, if he remembered correctly he was laying on the roof of the main house... of the Uchiha district.
Sitting up from the futon he was laying out, his blue eyes quickly took in his surroundings. At first glance he knew this wasn't his apartment. His bedroom was what Iruka-sensei had called "a disaster area". The floor was littered with clothes, toys, ninja gear, and empty cups of instant ramen. The room he was in now, was rather bare, save for the bedding he was lying on and a desk with a lamp in the corner.
Slowly he stood up, adjusted his forehead protector and quietly opened the door. The delicious aroma was stronger now and Naruto had to control himself from drooling. It's been years since he had anything home cooked that wasn't of course ramen.
The animal inside him bounded forward - down the hallway and the stairs of the house and finally towards the source of food. Naruto peeked his head into the kitchen and looked around. There was mistaking this place now. He actually expected to see a woman with long dark hair standing by the stove, to turn around and smile at him.
'Naruto-sama... dinner is almost ready.'
Then of course reality struck him a like a lightning bolt when the person by the stove turned to look at him coldly.
"Well," Sasuke began, "It's about time you woke up... dobe."
End Chapter Two
Author's Note:
Gah! Late, short, and has un-edited! I'm really sorry! Been busy at both school and work, that the only free time I get to write is the hours before I pass out/go to bed.
Feedback Responses (FFnet and Adultfan) - Kind of makes you wonder why Itachi's parents would name him "weasel".
tyranimo - Again, good questions but story spoiler alarms are going off. Sorry!
:) - You have some really great questions, but sadly I can't answer them without spoiling the story.
Jenniyah - Hope this chapter answered your questions. Don't worry, more half-flashbacks soon to come.
demonesse - Naruto is definitely not a pet - though he may act like one the way he gets pampered.
Stormraven - Save the eye-gouging for this chapter. I really didn't have the time to edit it.
Yuen-chan - Naruto considers himself as the "Kyubi" but he's also "Naruto" ... I know that doesn't help at all. - Nope, the Kyubi is still a demon who is sworn to guard the Uchiha clan. Didn't really doing a good job of it though. Also I thought, Naruto getting praise would be a nice change. He certainly wouldn't guard people who were mean to him... well not Kyubi-Naruto anyway.
Ezj - Chibi-Kyubi is the cutest demon ever!
To all my other readers/reviewers - I apologize if I didn't get to you. Thank you so much for the feedback.