After much yelling, screaming, refusals and finally a fist to the face, the trio sat inside the Hokage's office silently. Alone. The trip itself had been hard. The villagers had not reacted kindly to seeing the two deadly missing-nin with their Hokage weapons still present. It was hard enough for Tsunade to convince the ANBU to stop trying to kill the pair, let alone protect them.

And here they were, sitting in the very office where everything had started. It was a rare moment for Tsunade, she didn't know how to start. Didn't know what to say. Finally, breaking the silence she said the only thing she could think of, "Report."

To the woman's surprise it was Itachi that answered, "Akatsuki has two demons left to collect. By now it should be down to just the Kyuubi. Kisame was supposed to collect the other last week." The Uchiha spoke quietly and to the point, but Tsunade's eyes were locked onto the huddled blonde man. "With only Naruto left, we took off claiming to be going on our well earned vacation, thanks to Naruto-kun."

The Hokage nodded, her eyes still locked on the blonde. "Naruto? Could I speak to Itachi alone for a moment?" she asked gently. Mute the man stood and left the room with only a small pause at Itachi's side for reassurance. Sharp blue eyes glared at Itachi after the door closed quietly, "What the hell happened to him?"

Unconsciously Itachi activated his Sharingan, as he strove to fight off the conflicting emotions. Eyes still flickering between red and brown he answered slowly, "What did you think would happen? He left a village that hated him when his friends were telling him they hated him and joined a group that at least pretended to care." The red became more prominent as he continued, "He may have come home alive, but he is not unscathed." He paused before adding, "Neither of us are."

Tsunade let her head sink into her hands. She had wronged the blonde brat and there wasn't anything she could do to fix it. He had been harmed emotionally because of her own stupidity. He wouldn't forgive her and she wouldn't forgive herself.

Outside Naruto leaned against the wall, four pairs of eyes locked on him. Four hands were clenched around various weapons ready to attack the moment he moved. Forcing a small grin onto his face he explained, "Baa-chan wanted to speak to Itachi-kun alone."

"Kun?" one of the ANBU asked outraged, "That murdering bastard?"

Blue eyes narrowed but other than a slight tensing of his muscles, Naruto remained the same. "That's right, isn't it?" he questioned slowly, "The murderous Uchiha and the demon boy Uzumaki." Voice dripping wih sarcasm Naruto continued, "Do forgive us for living, we won't do it again. Now if you'll forgive me, I have a demon to tell to shut up." Blue eyes slid shut and the blonde muttered to himself audible for all, "Kami, I hate it when he tries to make me kill people. You would think he'd realize that I don't listen." With those final words, the blue-eyed man's breathing evened out and he fell into a guarded meditation.

The guards watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to say or do. Some felt anger at the blonde, some felt regret at their actions toward him, and some remained indifferent. It was the Hokage's shouting that brought the five ninja's out of their own minds, "Panther, go retrieve Sasuke! And Naruto get your ass back in here!"

Blue eyes opened slowly and as if he hadn't been disturbed, the blonde strode back into the office as the ANBU Panther disappeared in a puff of smoke. Standing behind Itachi and refusing to sit, the blonde stared the woman down.

Tsunade was the first to give in as she spoke, "We'll need the two of you to stick around to help advise and plan as we work on the situation. We need you, somewhat out of the public's eye, however."

As normal, the knock on the door was perfectly timed with her announcement. "Come in." When the ANBU Crow opened the door and stepped in he froze. He couldn't decide if he should attack his brother or grab Naruto and tie him up so he couldn't escape. "Sasuke," Tsunade interrupted his thoughts, "Naruto and Itachi will be staying with you at the Uchiha compound. I trust they will explain everything to you. And please don't kill either of them." Three sets of eyes blinked at her in stunned silence. Shaking her head, Tsunade pointed to the door, a direct order to get out.

With three puffs of smoke the men disappeared. Sasuke opened his front door to find the missing-nin standing uncomfortably waiting for him. Glaring at the floor, he slipped his mask off and glanced around the room. Without a word he moved through the living room to the back and made his way up the stairs, the uncomfortable pair following him silently. Stopping in front of a door, Sasuke motioned, "Naruto, you can have the room next to mine. Itachi, you're room is still free."

The silent Naruto moved closer to his partner's side and spoke up quietly, "I'll stay with Itachi." The other man nodded, almost unnoticeably moving closer to Naruto in an attempt to protect him.

The younger Uchiha's eyes narrowed as he growled, "What did you do to my friend?"

With a glare, Naruto moved in front of Itachi before he could answer, "You're friend? Last I heard you hated me! I was the damn demon boy to you. So leave Itachi-kun alone!" Blue eyes closed for a moment as the man turned and moved down the hall, using his sense of smell to find Itachi's room. The door closed behind the upset ninja, as Itachi stared at his stunned brother.

"Watch yourself around, Naruto," Itachi warned as turned to follow his partner.

Sasuke stopped his brother quickly, "What is going on?"

Turning slowly, Itachi faced his brother. "We were placed on S-class missions," he answered quietly, "due to certain circumstances." Brown eyes met his brother's evenly, "They chose not to correct everyone who thought I murdered the family and sent me to spy on Akatsuki. Naruto fled his friends and a hateful village to join Akatsuki. We were the perfect spies."

The man turned and followed his partner to his room. Stopping at the door, he glanced back at his frozen brother, "It was more trying than you could believe. And last we heard, you hated both of us. Forgive us if we cling to those we believe safe."

A/N: Weeeeeee! Chapter four is done! Hope you all enjoy! I just got the base down for this lovely story. Let me know what you think and I'll work on getting this posted. :P Slightly short, but I think we'll all live. Now I'm off to play with people… possibly…