"Let me… just hold on a minute." Jiraiya rubbed his head, struggling to grasp what his charge was asking of him. "You want to move out… to live with another teenager… and it's not Gaara-kun or Kiba-kun?"
"It's not like you're around much these days," Naruto replied. He was unable to keep eye contact with his guardian, feeling the guilt of lying to him, something he had never really done to Jiraiya before. Despite the trouble he often caused, Naruto never lied about it and was always forthcoming even if it was illegal. "You have your book promotions and interviews on the mainland. He's responsible and has a private tutor, so I thought it'd just be easier to move in and study for my exams."
"What brought this on? I thought you weren't going to take exams?"
He had told Jiraiya that. All he could really do was tell him what he told the officer. "I got to thinking when I ran away, and I realized I wanted to do something with my life. It's not like it'll be easy for me to get into college at this rate."
Jiraiya couldn't conceal his frown. Jiraiya had always been very expressive and horrible at keeping his feelings hidden from Naruto. His lack of ability to hide anything always compelled Naruto to tell the truth back, just so they were always on the same playing field. This time was no different, and Naruto knew what he was going to say before he said it. "Still, you would be troubling another family. If you could, I'd rather you just stay here and commute to this person's house."
Naruto was not known for acting humble, so when he went into a deep bow, bent at the waist in a near perfect 90-degree angle, it took Jiraiya by surprise. "Jii-chan," he pleaded humbly. "I need to do this. I'll still visit and take care of the chores while you're away, but if I'm going to change, I need to do this."
Jiraiya sighed, looking down at his manuscript that was spread across the table in what appeared to be a random mess. Carefully, he began to organize the mess, putting the papers in proper stacks. "A man shouldn't be so quick to bow his head to others," Jiraiya finally replied. His voice held warmth and understanding, but also sadness. "If it means that much to you, then I can only assume that it's something you have to do as a man."
"Thank you." Being let go from Jiraiya's guardianship left a bittersweet taste in Naruto's mouth. He knew that officially, Jiraiya would continue being his guardian until he became a legal adult, but Jiraiya would no longer be heavily involved in his life. Naruto couldn't afford to let him.
"Who is this boy you're staying with? The Hyuuga family? The Nara family?"
It was odd how Jiraiya knew who had the highest test scores in his grade. Thinking on it, gossip traveled fast so perhaps it wasn't so unusual. "No. Uchiha, Sasuke. He's a transfer student."
"Uchiha?" Jiraiya's frowned increased, his brow furrowing along with it. "Isn't he that model who appeared on that camera commercial?"
Was he? Naruto really didn't watch much TV so he couldn't say for sure if it had been Uchiha or not. "He is a model, but I don't know about a commercial," he replied honestly.
Jiraiya stopped fiddling with his papers, pausing unnaturally and awkwardly. "Well…since it's going to be your last night here, why don't I treat you to dinner. You're still looking a bit pale."
Unable to turn down the offer, Naruto sat down at the kitchen table, Jiraiya had been working at, picking up a red pen in the process.
He turned kind eyes onto his guardian, unsure of when he'll be able to see him again. With a soft and gentle tone, he said, "whatever you want, Jii-chan."
The wig Itachi had used had exquisite craftsmanship, Orochimaru thought as he examined it in his hands. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought it was real. Though it did no justice to Itachi's complexion and facial structure, it was an interesting sight.
Itachi was what Orochimaru would call your stereotypical vampire. The type you'd think of when it came to modern day novels. He was powerful, beautiful, and held a charm that was hypnotic when he wanted it to be. But if you asked Orochimaru, besides the man's face, the real charm lied with his lethal nature. The true beauty of a vampire, no immortal, was the duality of its nature. It was dead. It was alive. It took life to sustain life.
It was that balance that drew Orochimaru to his research on immortals. Out of all the creatures he knew existed, it was immortals that stood out to him, that caught his eye and attention. It didn't matter what age, gender, or form beauty took, once he deemed something beautiful, he had the urge to dissect it, analyze it, and ultimately destroy it in his search to obtain it for himself.
"You really should tell me where you buy your costumes. They're made to perfection." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the wig aside watching it with a small sadistic grin when it landed on the raven, which cawed irately at him from its perch.
"If you came to waste my time, Orochimaru-san─" Itachi started but was interrupted with a wave of Orochimaru's hand.
"I would hardly travel all the way here just to bother you again. I did that yesterday."
Itachi's face did not seem to find amusement in Orochimaru's play, his gaze as piercing as before.
"Yesterday, I did not have the product since I arrived early. I came today because they have arrived." With a snap of his fingers, Kabuto came in carrying a metal briefcase. With the care of someone treating the briefcase as the most fragile piece of glass, Kabuto placed the briefcase down on the coffee table without a single sound.
"It is a prototype, but it is delivered as promised," Orochimaru said finally sitting down in an armchair across from Itachi.
Orochimaru watched with amusement as Itachi opened the case, inspecting the contents. As usual, whatever Itachi was thinking of was concealed behind his perfect mask. He liked to imagine though that there was greed in those eyes or excitement. The contents were one of a kind after all. Not that Orochimaru gave his client the most recent version of the product. That he saved for himself.
Itachi closed the case and handed it to the small child servant who always managed to morph out of Orochimaru's peripheral vision. Orochimaru may not have been an immortal, but he prided himself on his sensory abilities as well. That kid was one of three who always managed to sneak up on him. The second being Uchiha, Itachi.
"Have the contents analyzed," the immortal told his servant. The servant nodded, running off with the case immediately.
"Don't you trust me Uchiha-kun?" Orochimaru teased with a playful smile.
"No," he replied without hesitation, leaning forward to pick up his teacup. "I would not put it past you to contaminate the contents or give me a fake, and only a fool would blindly accept what he is given."
"Should I take it as an insult or a compliment that you would think I would try to outsmart you?" Orochimaru's playful gaze turned predatory. "Of course, I do expect my payment."
"Half of the sum is wired to the specified account. When the contents are confirmed, I will wire the other half in exactly 12 hours from now."
"Of course. Fair is only fair." He knew Itachi would be thorough in checking the product. It was the only reason he hadn't contaminated the contents as Itachi had speculated. It was a shame. He would have loved to have gotten one up on the immortal and turn him into his new test subject.
Pulling out his phone, he logged in to confirm the transfer was complete. As he waited for the information to pull up, he asked, "You were in Konoha weren't you? How were my old comrades?"
"Complacent," Itachi took a sip of tea. "Their security was easy to breach. Peace has weakened them."
"The same could be said about immortals," Orochimaru mused. "But I'm sure you'll fix that. Perhaps with another war?"
Orochimaru did not think he was too far off the mark with his guess, but Itachi didn't give any indication that he was even paying attention to Orochimaru as he continued to drink his tea. Itachi would neither confirm nor deny Orochimaru's hypothesis. While others would take his silence as confirmation, with Itachi it could very well be a red herring.
Itachi continued to ignore his presence, finishing his tea in silence as Orochimaru watched him with critical eyes. The immortal showed no signs of discomfort under the scrutiny, picking up an old-fashioned tobacco smoking pipe, hand carved with a beautiful lacquer finish. Orochimaru had to admit that he had never seen anyone use such an antique piece to smoke, and the curiosity about Itachi's true age tickled at the back of his mind.
"If your business is concluded Orochimaru-san, you are dismissed." The casual dismissal irked Orochimaru. While Itachi always spoke with a level of politeness, there was no mistaking the superiority he claimed over those around him. To Itachi, Orochimaru was nothing but a pawn or subordinate to use as he pleased.
"It's a shame that cute face doesn't have a more pleasant personality. Or any personality really." Standing, Orochimaru prepared to take his leave. "But remember this, Itachi-kun," the name came out as a purr. "I am going to be the hunter in this game. You will be mine one day."
Itachi didn't even bother to look at him, focusing on packing his pipe with tobacco and lighting it. "The hunter will always one day become the hunted, and when that day comes, I will be there to watch."
Orochimaru considered himself patient to a degree; however, Itachi had well exceeded his tolerance for the day. "Then farewell, Itachi-kun. Pleasure doing business with you." With anger rolling underneath the surface, his farewell felt less than sincere. He didn't wait for the immortal to give his own parting words, leaving with a mindful of ways to somehow get the arrogant Uchiha underneath his thumb.
Naruto stood in front of the Uchiha Manor. Now that he could see it during the day, he wondered how he ever thought it was abandoned. It had a nice fresh coat of white paint, and the yard was obviously well cared for and maintained. He could even see a pair of cars peeking out from behind the corner of the house.
Shifting the bag he had on his back, he lifted his hand, hesitated for a couple of seconds, then knocked.
As he waited, doubts seeped into Naruto's thoughts about whether this was a good idea. The alarming rate at which he was being pulled along by Uchiha scared him, and the fact that Naruto was kind of letting him was even more cause for concern.
Naruto took an uncertain step back. Perhaps he should think about it more.
Just as he was about to retreat, the front doors opened. Tobi stood, dressed in a butler's uniform with a giant grin on his face. "Uzumaki-kun! I'm so happy you were able to come!"
"Yeah, I guess I did," Naruto returned the smile if just a tiny bit reserved.
Tobi, the cheerful man he was, urged him inside enthusiastically. "Come in. Come in. Allow me to show you around."
Naruto couldn't help but think that Tobi's timing had been unfortunate. A few seconds longer, Naruto would have been able to retreat, but the butler's enthusiasm was contagious and Naruto was genuinely smiling at Tobi and his hospitality. It was a nice change of pace for a stranger to treat him so kindly.
The foyer came into view when he walked in. The unlit candles were still in their spots, unneeded as the sunlight drifted into the room through the many windows. The suit of armor was still standing tall and proud, looking even more magnificent now that Naruto could see it. It was well polished, but signs of previous usage still lingered.
He was also able to see further into the house. It turned out the doors off to the right of the foyer led to a sitting room. Inside was an antique couch with a large red-brown stain, marring the patterned design of the cushion.
Tobi caught Naruto's stare, answering his unspoken question. "Trespassers. The young master had caught them vandalizing his property. It had been quite some time since he had last eaten, so he may have been a bit careless and left a mess in his wake. The struggle didn't help either."
Naruto's face turned a bit pale hearing that, remembering that Uchiha was likely the one who had murdered the previous trespassers who had dared to enter before him. That could have been him.
"Do not worry, Uzumaki-kun. You are safe here, anyone who has an invitation is; however, even the young master and I have to eat." Realization crossed Tobi's face, and without warning, he was bowing his head. "I am so sorry! Please forgive my rudeness for acting so familiar. I should be addressing you as Uzumaki-sama."
"Um…san is just fine," Naruto replied awkwardly. Seeing a grown man bow to him and address him so formally honestly made him uncomfortable. "Don't worry too much about it."
"I couldn't possibly, Uzumaki-sama. I must represent the Uchiha household properly." Tobi straightened his back with determination and conviction in his eyes. "Please allow me to show you to your room. Then I'll give you a tour of the mansion."
"Sounds good."
Before the last syllable had left Naruto's lips, Naruto felt a soft wind, and Tobi had disappeared, reappearing at the top of the stairs.
Still unused to this, Naruto took a moment to grasp the situation and run after his supposed guide, taking the steps two at a time. "Wait! Slow down!" By the time he had reached the landing, Tobi had already disappeared somewhere down the hallway.
Seeing light coming from one of the rooms toward the end, Naruto decided to check that one first. The door was ajar, so he pushed it the rest of the way open.
Tobi opened the curtains, letting sunlight flood into the room, illuminating its extravagant features. Naruto's room at home was small. It was large enough to fit his twin bed, desk, and a small bookshelf. It had been enough for him as it served its purpose of giving him a place to sleep.
This room was far beyond a simple room. The windows nearly covered the entire wall, also doubling as an entrance to the balcony that was connected that overlooked the courtyard below. A wooden desk, complete with a desktop computer, was placed in front of one of the windows in the corner. A four-poster bed, complete with red curtains that he could draw closed if he wanted, with the fluffiest pillows he had ever seen, was situated on raised flooring, drawing the eye as the main feature of the room. Lastly, a door was cracked open on the opposite end of the room, giving Naruto a small glimpse of the bathroom that promised just as much luxury and extravagance as the room it was connected to.
Speechless, Naruto could only stare in a daze, having a hard time believing a room this big could be only for him. He finally snapped out of it when his bag slipped off his shoulder.
"I apologize for its appearance. We don't normally have guests. We didn't have time to prepare and furnish one of the larger rooms." The butler's voice carried deep regret as if he had failed horribly in some way. "If you are upset with the current arrangements, I'll make sure to make it my top priority to correct it."
"No!" Naruto's frantic objection startled Tobi as much as Naruto himself. He really didn't think he could handle anything more than this. "I wouldn't want to trouble you. This room is just fine."
"Very well, Uzumaki-sama; however," Tobi's face turned to one of concern, "Is that all you brought with you?"
The small backpack that Naruto brought was only big enough to fit maybe three sets of clothes. Truthfully, what did one bring when moving in with a vampire? He had mulled it over all night. At first, he had packed nearly two suitcases worth, filling it with clothes, games, photos, a lot of unnecessities. He hadn't known what to expect. As morning drew closer, he realized that everything he packed would be useless. All he really needed was a few sets of clothes and basic toiletries. If he had forgotten something, he could just go home and pick it up. In the end, he decided to pack light with a single backpack.
"This should be enough. I'll just wash my clothes more often."
Tobi titled his head slightly in thought. "Even with one PE uniform and one winter uniform, will one set of clothing be enough? And what about your school books?"
Naruto blinked slowly then proceeded to facepalm and letting out one long curse. How could he have forgotten about school? Even in his original packing, he hadn't thought about school.
Rather than be annoyed or amused at Naruto's blatant unprepared packing, Tobi took Naruto's bag with his usually big smile. "Don't worry, Uzumaki-sama. The young master's uniforms should fit you with a few small alterations. And you can borrow the young master's schoolbooks. He rarely uses them."
"Right, he's probably been through school lots of time, right? I bet his grades are freaking perfect."
Amusement danced in Tobi's eyes at Naruto's words, though Naruto couldn't understand why. Who knew how many lives Uchiha had lived. It would only make sense that he'd have been through school multiple times too. "Shall we have that tour of the house now?"
"Uh, sure."
Tobi, as Naruto soon came to realize, really liked to talk. Every piece of furniture had a history, every person in a painting had a backstory, and Naruto, the unlucky person that he was, was the target for all the unwanted lessons, especially since most of the backstories involved a violent death in one way or another.
Naruto didn't want to be rude; he was a guest after all, but it was getting to be a bit much and the stories were making him uncomfortable. It was becoming enough of a pain that Naruto was on the brink of just telling Tobi to just shut his mouth and let him tour the house on his own. The only thing holding him back was the kindness that Tobi had shown him previously, yet Naruto was beginning to think maybe this was another form of punishment being inflicted on him by the butler.
Tobi's inanely slow-paced tour aside, the house was quite interesting. Besides Gaara's home at the embassy─ which Naruto was barely allowed to enter let alone tour─ Naruto had never entered any of the mansions on the island, especially old ones like this. It was enough to intrigue him and drown out Tobi's constant rambling.
"And here is the young master's study, connected to the family portrait room. In 1857, the owner─ oh! Young master! I wasn't aware that you were working in here. Forgive my interruption." Tobi of course bowed as a sign of his apology, while Naruto stood examining the room with a bored expression.
Naruto's eyes wandered until they finally landed on the occupant of the room. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You wear glasses?"
At first, Uchiha looked confused, raising an eyebrow at the statement before realization crossed his features. Closing his laptop while simultaneously taking off his thin, round-rimmed glasses, he said in a most off-handed way, "Old habit."
It piqued Naruto's interest. When Uchiha had removed the glasses, he realized there was no glass within the frame, and as it was placed on the desk, Naruto realized the age and wear on the item.
"I assume you were giving a tour then?"
"Yes, sir."
Rising from his desk, the movement drew the eye. Naruto had known this man only a few days, yet his not quite human movement still was the most unsettling thing about him. Not the strength or the conscious reminder that he killed people to eat. It was movement that could be predatory as well as bewitching.
"You are dismissed, Tobi. I will assume control from here on." It was another odd slip into an outdated speech pattern and reminded Naruto of the first night they had met. Now in the light, it changed Uchiha's appearance. The high school immaturity, from the way he spoke and carried himself, melted into a young aristocrat, full of confidence and authority.
"Yes sir. Then I will be taking my leave." Tobi left without another word.
Uchiha turned his attention to Naruto. "If I know Tobi, he took it upon himself to give you an extensive history of the mansion."
"Extensive would be putting it lightly. Does he always talk that much?"
"Unfortunately. I would have fired him if I didn't need him."
It was only a little, but aggravation tainted his words, hitting a sore spot in Naruto. "That's going a bit far don't you think? You're not a joy to be around either."
Naruto braced for a retort, but none came. There was a brief sense of fury coming off the vampire that was contained quickly behind a calm mask. "The only truly interesting room in this house is the portrait room," Uchiha said, voice carefully level. "As it is connected to my office, it will be off-limits after today."
He walked around the desk to a concealed door blended into the wall. With a soft press, the door swung open, revealing another room. The room was large and circular. Two stories high, the room was filled with nothing but portraits.
Uchiha stepped in first, followed by Naruto.
Unlike Tobi's tour, Uchiha remained silent. He would walk up to one picture, stare at it for a short while, then move on to the next one.
All the portraits were hand-painted, some were in better shape than others, some ancient, some more modern. There was only one portrait that was a photograph, black and white. It consisted of 4 people: a young woman, a young man, and two boys, who took after their father with dark hair and eyes and could pass for younger versions of the head of the family.
The father sat in the center of the photo with his legs crossed and hands folded nicely in his lap. His stern expression was enough to tell anyone that he found nothing funny or amusing around him.
His wife on the other hand, who stood to the right of him, had her hand place lovingly on his shoulder. She had a gentle face, one that looked like smiling was all she ever capable of, her eyes glancing down at the smallest of the two boys.
The youngest son was tugging on his mother's sleeve, standing extremely close with his face slightly turned towards her. You could tell he was slightly unhappy as any 4 or 5-year-old would be at being forced to stand still for so long.
The second son was 6 or 7 years older. He stood to the left of his father. Like his mother, he had a softness to him that made him seem approachable. He had his own subtle smile. His smile was more business-like, but it gave the impression that it was to hide a more shy and reserved personality underneath. Besides the father, they looked to be a happy family.
The youngest son drew Naruto's eye. There couldn't be a mistake on who it was. Clumsily, he tried to sneak a peek at Uchiha to compare the two.
Uchiha greeted his eyes, walking up beside him before looking at the photograph as well. "That picture was taken in 1873. Quite some time has passed, but it feels as if it was only months ago."
"Did they become like you?" Naruto asked.
A grim expression ghosted over Uchiha's face. Uchiha never looked away from the photo, his gaze lingering on the photo as someone would an accident. Something tragic and hideous, but unable to look away because a part of the mind just could not comprehend what it was seeing.
"'Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; no more'…" Uchiha spoke with a soft, murmur, eyes glazed over with heavy thoughts, unseeing to the world around him. The English was spoken perfectly with a British accent as he quoted the line Naruto could not understand.
Naruto could not bring himself to ask for the meaning. The air around Uchiha had become suffocating at the simple question he had asked. Loss was something Naruto could relate to, but he could not extend his hand to comfort him when Naruto had yet to deal with his own.
Uchiha snapped himself out of his trance, looking away from the photo. "To answer your question," he said, his voice back to being indifferent and lacking the vulnerability that had interwoven into his speech from his quote. "They were murdered."
"I believe that concludes the tour," Uchiha's posture was stiff; otherwise, he acted perfectly fine, pretending he had not just had a moment of weakness. "I have work to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave. You may stay, but do not take an obscene amount of time."
Uchiha's old speech grew more pronounced, ill-suited for the face it was coming from. The distance that had closed between them on the roof the day before had disappeared, making Naruto feel that he was back at square one. He knew nothing about the vampire he had decided to live with.
Observing the picture again, the events that had just occurred replayed in his head.
He was younger than Naruto had suspected. Comparatively, he was still several times his age, but that photograph was proof that Uchiha had once been a child just as Naruto had been. A child that clung to his mother and had an innocent face. He had been human once upon a time.
Everyone had a past they rather not recall. Uchiha really wasn't any different. Naruto had sensed a loneliness in him that matched his own.
Was Uchiha a human with monster-like abilities or a monster wearing human skin? Uchiha was indifferent about death, but he needed death to survive. Would Naruto become like that too one day?
Breathing out forcefully, the conclusion eluded him. Only time would be able to tell him. For now, he was going to get some sleep and think of a way to get out of his payment deal with Uchiha.