Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters…except for my own created OCs.
Tutor et Ultor
Formerly known as 'Shards of My Secret Unkempt'
Chapter 01 : Plans Set in Motion
"No!"
The utterance of the single word silenced the room. The shouting and the cheers vanished into tense air as the occupants turned to one another in confusion. The thick air felt haunting, whispering its mysterious melody that lulled the birds… the trees… even the wind to a deep echoing slumber. Wrapping its occupants with its cloak, the silence coiled until finally it shattered as a young woman voiced the question that troubled everyone's minds.
"Why? I mean, aren't you happy to receive the ANBU status? People will now respect you…"
At her words, the blond boy merely grinned, "Fear me, you mean…," he whispered, cutting her ranting short. "It will be kept a secret. After all, won't it be amusing to watch the defeat of those who underestimate me?"
"Maybe…" She replied with a frown. "But still… why?"
"My reasons are my own, Ayako-neesan." Naruto replied after a bout of silence.
"Anyone who believes that Itachi is extreme on secrets has obviously not met you." A young man with unruly golden-brown hair cajoled as he stepped inside the room. Another man wearing a dark cloak soon followed him.
"Back already?" Naruto addressed the newcomer before turning to his cloaked companion. "Is that you, Itachi?" He asked after 5 minutes of staring.
The cloaked man smirked before replying, "You haven't changed a bit, Naruto."
"As have you, Uchiha Itachi… still creepy as ever." He countered as he watched him discard the weighed down cloth on the ground beside him.
"Itachi-kun is NOT creepy!" Ayako suddenly screamed in Naruto's ear as the others sweat-dropped at the scene before them.
"Schoolgirl's crush…are't you too old for that, imouto?" Ran mused out loud as Ayako shook her fists in anger.
"How dare you!" was all the warning Ran received before Ayako, his younger sister, tackled him.
Uzumaki Kenji stifled a laugh as he watched Naruto the cousins interact… or rather, the cousins and Itachi. The young Uchiha was like family already. They had informally adopted him years ago when he'd been framed as the Uchiha clan's murderer. /He came…two years after Naruto found us…/He remembered getting angry at the Sandaime's decision to have Naruto adopted instead of being given to family… After all, the brat was his grandson, the son of his little Hikaru. He scowled, recalling the boy's pitiful state when they were reunited. /The boy was thin enough that I could trace his ribs… even though Ayako had most assuredly fed him buckets… I fear what he lookd before Ayako got to him. If the Sho couple wasn't dead yet, I'd have killed them myself…/ His angry thoughts were interrupted when Naruto posed a question at Itachi.
"Is he dead?"
"Who?" Itachi asked, although the gleam in his red sharingan eyes revealed he knew exactly who the blonde meant.
"The one who killed your clan, of course."
"Hn. How is Sasuke?"
"He's fine. Antisocial as hell but still has a horde of fangirls following him like bitches in heat… Why?"
"I know why they left him alone."
"Yeah, I figured that out too." Naruto replied as his mind went through the plan again.
"Nani!" Ayako asked, glaring at Naruto as she realized that he didn't hear her. Just as she was about to strangle the poor boy, he answered in a low voice.
"They struck just after Itachi had a fight with the clan's elders, forcing people to immediately suspect him. Coupled with the fact that the one who killed…"
"Kisame." Itachi interrupted
"What?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"His name is Kisame, the one responsible for their deaths." He elaborated to clear the mist of confusion in everyone's minds.
"Oh…. Coupled with the fact that Kisame used Henge no Jutsu to look like Itachi when Sasuke arrived in the crime scene and also used a strong genjutsu mixed with a mind-crippling ninjutsu to give the illusion of the Sharingan…"
"Can't you just get to the point?" Ran impatiently asked
"Gomen, Ran-niisan, the details are important…" Naruto said, all the while looking sheepish and apologetic.
"Okay then… continue."
"Thus Sasuke would hate his brother and will try to kill him. But since Itachi is more skilled, Sasuke will look for something to boost his strength and that is where Orochimaru will come into play. He will lure Sasuke with the promise of strength and in turn will not only gain a new and youthful body but also the powerful sharingan eyes as well." He concluded
"But why Sasuke? Why not Itachi?" Ayako asked, confused yet again.
"Sasuke's sharingan has more potential than mine. Also he's younger and much easier to manipulate and control." Itachi replied for Naruto as the Hokage stroked his beard in thought.
"I suppose you have a plan, Naruto?" Kenji voiced out as the Hokage raised his cup of tea to his lips.
"Subterfuge."
"Does this have anything to do with your insistence to be enrolled again in the Academy?"
"It's his final year, isn't it?" Naruto inquired as he looked at the third.
"Hai…" The Hokage replied
"I will be joining their class then. But Hokage-san, you must insist to the teacher in charge that I must be grouped with the Uchiha whatever the results of the genin exams may be."
"Very well."
Turning to his two cousins, Naruto whispered "Ayako-neesan, Ran-niisan, the two of you get reconnaissance and watch duty. We need to make sure that Konoha's allies are still loyal."
"Hai"
"Itachi… attack someone in the village." Paying no mind to his relatives' shocked faces, he continued, "I don't care about the damage as long as you leave whoever it is alive."
"Naruto!"
He shrugged before giving a reply. "It will give the Hokage a reason to tighten the security."
"He's right, Ayako." Kenji smiled imploringly at his granddaughter as she released her cousin's arm from her hold.
"But what if…?" She gasped as horrible thoughts filled her mind.
"Are you implying that Itachi is weak?" Ran asked, breaking his silence.
"NO!" She shouted horrified, afraid that Itachi would take offense at her thoughts.
Ran and Naruto shared a look and surrendered to the laughter erupting inside them. After a minute of waiting for them to calm down, Itachi posed his last question.
"But what if I meet Iruka?" At the question, Naruto looked positively gleeful.
"Why? Nervous?" He teased the older boy.
"No."
"I suggest you have fun then."
"Okay class, today's lesson is…" Iruka's speech was cut off by a knock on the door. He was greatly surprised when the Hokage along with a blonde-haired boy stepped inside the small but neat-looking classroom.
"Hokage-sama!" The scarred teacher squeaked in surprise.
The third waved away his surprise and almost immediately launched him in a conversation pertaining to the sun-kissed boy beside him while the said boy looked over the room. His lips curving to a frown as his eyes met white pupil-less eyes. He stared at the face of its owner as a nagging feeling of an old memory overcame him.
/Flashback
"Why are you crying, niisan?" A blonde boy of five years asked as he watched the person he addressed rub his eyes in an attempt to hide the tears.
"I'm not crying!" The boy whispered tersely as his milk-white eyes stared at the one who dared disturb him from his grieving. He was taken aback when his eyes met a sad blue.
"Then why are there tear tracks on your cheek, niisan?" The younger boy asked, confused.
The pupil-less boy sighed before replying. "None of your business."
However, instead of giving up, the whiskered boy took a deep breath before continuing his incessant prodding. "Saying your problems out loud would make you feel loads better…"
After this proclamation, both boys fell silent until… "My father died…" Neji began as his blonde companion glanced at him briefly before returning his silent vigil over the stars.
"Oh… My parent's are dead too… both real and adoptive ones…" The blond whispered, his smile turning sad.
"…" Neji was silent. Here he was bitter over losing his father and then comes this child who had it worse than him… having lost not only once but twice… "How can you keep smiling then?"
"Someone once told me that stars are souls in heaven looking down at their loved ones… watching them." At his words, Neji looked at him in confused awe. Naruto smiled at him before continuing. "Look there…" he said pointing towards two bright stars slightly apart from the others "Those are my parents…" he smiled again, this time sadly as he contemplated on what to say next to the grieving boy. "You should look at your brightest star, the one that's always there for you… that's your father watching over you…" as he said this, he turned to leave, stopping only when Neji shouted out a "Wait!"
"Hm." The fox-boy answered
"What's your name?"
"What's yours?"
"Neji. Hyuga Neji."
"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto"
"We'll meet again, Naruto."
"Hai, we will."
End Flashback/
As the memory faded, he vaguely realized that the Hokage and Iruka were staring at him in concern. "What!" he asked, annoyed as they continued to stare.
"Nothing… Did something interest you, Naruto?" The third inquired as he turned to look at what the young fox was looking at. His searching gaze met that of the Hyuuga's heiress, Hyuuga Hinata.
"It's been a long time since you were last here…"
Uchiha Itachi looked up slowly, turning away from the sleepy scenery of Konohagakure. He knew the voice even before seeing the face, remembered the memories that accompanied this knowledge. This was no ordinary shinobi as he hoped… it was…
"Copy-nin Hatake Kakashi…" he whispered
"Glad you still remember, Itachi."
"..."
"What's your game, Uchiha?"
"My plans have nothing to do with you… however, you are still unfortunate to have met me." he let out a laugh, cold… malicious… and haunting, causing a shiver of fear and excitement to lick at the jounin's bones.
Kakashi shifted subtly, keeping an eye on Itachi while slowly gathering his chakra.
"I don't know what your plans are but I'll make sure that none of them are put into action."
"..." /Too late./
Kakashi scoffed angrily, his visible eye narrowing into a hard stare as Itachi's eyes watched him almost lazily, though his thoughts were anything but that.
/Foolish Kakashi. The plan has long already started… and you can't stop it, nor would you want to… if only you knew…/
/Flashback
The minute he arrived at the Uchiha grounds, he knew there was something wrong. Immediately he ran inside and recoiled at the sight that greeted him. Blood painted the walls of the house and the dead bodies of his parents stared glumly at him from the floor. Fear gripped his heart as his eyes searched for his otouto.
"You're a little too late for the party, Uchiha." He heard a voice from behind. He identified it as the voice of the murderer and at once anger ran through his veins. He turned to him and was mildly surprised to see himself. His eyes narrowed at the thought that this imposter killed his family using his identity. That was the exact moment that he noticed someone behind the bastard. He rushed without delay to the huddled body of his brother and picked him up before turning to their enemy.
"Omae wo korosu." He growled before a swirl of leaves swept both of them away and all that was left was the slight whisper of charka that flitted away like the wind.
Itachi reappeared atop a tree beside the house of the Hokage. He skillfully avoided the guards posted by the rooftops and the windows. He sneaked inside the third's room while making sure that no one followed him or would be alerted with his presence and stopped when he came face to face with the elder.
"I'm leaving." Thus saying, he placed Sasuke in the arms of the third.
"Will I tell him?" The Hokage asked but his question was met with silence as Itachi had already left.
End Flashback/
When the memory cleared from his brain, he noticed Kakashi's position. /He's going to attack first… Very well…/ His hand made seals unnoticed as the cloak he wore hid them from view, just as Kakashi released his attack.
"Chidori!" Itachi smirked just as the attack was about to hit. This puzzled Kakashi and prompted him to ask. "What's with the face, Uchiha?"
"Probably because you hit an illusion…" A voice from behind informed him. He turned just as Itachi finished the last seal. "Katon: Housenka."
Kakashi barely dodged the assault of multiple fireballs sent to him and noticed Itachi again finishing another series of hand seals.
/When did Itachi get so fast/ Kakashi asked himself as he watched his former subordinate ready his attack.
"Naruto! How could you do such a thing!" A pair of chuunins shouted as they ran after the orange blur that was Naruto. "You'll pay for this today!"
"Shut up, idiots!" Naruto answered back, laughing as he ran from the two while carrying pails of orange paint. "None of you guys could do something this horrible…" A picture of the the Hokages' carved faces flash through the screen, defiled with painted colors of orange and yellow. "…but I can, I am incredible!" Naruto boasted as he dashed past the isolated alleys of Konoha.
Meanwhile at the Hokage Tower, another chuunin rushed to report to the resting Hokage the incident. "Terrible news, Sandaime…"
Looking up from his painting, the Hokage regarded the flustered youth, "What is it now? Is Naruto causing trouble again?"
In the far end of the village, near the place of Itachi and Kakashi's confrontation, Naruto was snickering mischievously as he hid from his irate sensei. Sensing Iruka-sensei's approach, he leapt away from his perch and ran towards the fighting duo.
To be continued…..
AN: Hope you like this…. If I get no reviews I'll be taking this off the site… :) Hope you review… Buh-bay!
Chibi P-chan: Please do review blinks extra large eyes and smiles...or else I will kill you!
..:INTRODUCTION of CHAPTER'S ORIGINAL CHARACTERS:..
Sho Couple : Naruto's adoptive parents
: Ryuu's parents
Takemi (father) deceased
Kyoko (mother) deceased
Sho Ryuu : Naruto's adoptive brother
: the son of Sho Takemi and Kyoko
Uzumaki Clan: a secretive clan that lives in the outskirts of Konoha's forests
Uzumaki Kenji : clan-head of the Uzumaki clan
: Naruto's grandfather
Uzumaki Hikaru: Naruto's mother deceased
: Kenji's only daughter
: Hitori's twin sister
Uzumaki Ran: Hitori's son
: Ayako's (older by seconds) twin brother
Uzumaki Ayako: Hitori's daughter
: Ran's younger twin