A/N: Still not quite all the brothers' history. This is just what Itachi knows. Full story regarding the Uchiha will be revealed soon. Also? I suck so hard at naming chapters. -.-

And a shoutout to Thuggy Ninjette for guessing the true significance of Sasuke's name! Sugiyama is the name of Sasuke's Seiyu (sp) in the anime.

8. Backgrounds

Sasuke only looked down at the knife he'd placed on the table in response to Naruto's words. He kept looking at it.

He'd placed it in such a way that he would be able to retrieve it and hurl it in less time than it would take a person to blink. He'd been mindful, even while appearing to go along with Moegi's demands, that the whole encounter might end with the blade between her eyes. Judging by the weight of the knife (four, maybe five ounces), he would have had to use a pinch grip to throw it, instead of the hammer grip he was accustomed to using with his own heavier knife. Moegi had been about four meters from where he stood. At that distance, with that grip, the knife would have made one and a half revolutions before striking her. Child's play. He was experienced enough with blades to be able to hit what he aimed at with ten rotations.

Naruto finally took the hint and moved away. It hurt Sasuke to have the man think he wasn't trusted…but, well, Sasuke didn't trust Naruto with his secret. Itachi had drilled in him from the time he'd been born that disclosure meant death, simple as that. He would not go against years of keeping his secret to divulge it to someone he loved, no matter how much he loved them. He just couldn't do that. Itachi didn't understand, thought him weak and impressionable. He'd told his brother that he would never endanger them, and he meant it. Nothing came before his brother's life, no matter that Sasuke was disobeying him now. If Sasuke honestly thought that seeing Naruto would expose them, he would tell the man goodbye. He would. But he didn't believe that. So he wouldn't. He would hang on to Naruto for as long as he possibly could.

To that end…

He glanced around and found Naruto standing a few feet away from him, watching him. He couldn't divulge his past, but he had to say something. Naruto was right, this could get sticky. It was already sticky. He cleared his throat. "I-"

"You may use my name, Sasuke. When you said it earlier, I realized I'd never given you permission to, and that perhaps you'd been waiting for it. I saw the slight hesitation in you before you said it."

Sasuke dipped his head gratefully in silent thanks, but went on. "Naruto. I have things about me that I can't talk about with anyone. Period. If…if that's a problem…"

"It isn't."

Naruto's eyes were direct, but there was no frown. Sasuke took heart from this. "I know you trust Moegi, but if she's going to be checking up on me, I um… I need to make sure that what she's checking into won't give me away."

Naruto heard the question, the request for permission, loud and clear. "I'll only ask this once, then. Are you a criminal or missing-nin?"

Sasuke brushed aside his bangs deliberately so that Naruto could see his eyes and the truth behind his answer. "No. I'm not, and neither is my brother."

Which means the kid is in hiding, Naruto thought. Which also explains why he lives an isolated life. He acknowledged the eye contact, and stated his belief of Sasuke's truthfulness by giving a single nod. "Do what you have to do then."

Sasuke bowed shortly in thanks for the faith in him, but lost no time. "Where would Moegi make this check?"

"Most likely at ANBU headquarters."

"How far is that from this location? Precisely?" Sasuke spoke while picking his bag up and setting it in a chair. He unzipped it.

Naruto thought while watching Sasuke withdraw a laptop. "Between thirty and thirty-two miles."

Sasuke pressed his thumb to the screen. Thirty miles. He'd felt how fast Moegi was moving when she left the house. At that speed, she'd be at headquarters in about seven minutes. He judged that five of those minutes had gone by. Figure in the amount of time it would take her to sit herself at a terminal and access his information, and he might have six minutes. Sasuke's fingers flew over the keys.

Naruto did not comment on the fact that Sasuke was able to access his Internet, which was provided by the military. He saw the logo for Konoha's Council appear on the screen, before the image flickered to two empty fields asking for a sign-in name and password. He walked up quietly behind Sasuke's chair and saw clearly the name Tsunade, before a series of asterisks appeared in the password field. The computer chimed softly, and a menu appeared on the screen. The background was of the stylized leaves of Konoha's currency, along with the faces of the Five Hokages. The menu was ranged horizontally across this background in rows: Ambassadors, ANBU, Council-

Sasuke skipped down to Konoha Population Registry, and clicked. Naruto knew there was a KPR site for civilians, the one Sasuke must have at first accessed when trying to locate him. This was not the civilian site, hence it would not have info suitable for civilians. Sasuke was accessing military records under the Hokage's name. Naruto assumed that Sasuke had a way to erase the login.

Information appeared on the screen, scrolling rapidly upward, too rapidly for Naruto to see more than small photos of Sasuke and his brother. He caught the name Itachi. After that, whatever Sasuke called onto the screen seemed to be a bunch of code; Naruto couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"How long are you expected to wait for word from her?" Sasuke asked suddenly, making Naruto jump slightly.

"I'd give it two hours."

Sasuke checked the time. Two hours would mean he left here an hour later than usual, which meant he'd be home around four-thirty. Itachi might or might not have something to say about that. No help for it.

He was present when the check on his background was conducted, and gently guided whomever it was that was doing the checking away from any searches that would result in exposure. The person wasn't very thorough…or, at least Sasuke wouldn't have given up after 15 minutes. As far as Moegi knew, Sugiyama Sasuke and his elder brother had lived in Tea Country with an elderly uncle until that man's demise. Then they'd moved to Konoha so that Itachi might find work. Itachi had been employed at the steel plant at the edge of the city for the past five years.

Sasuke waited on the site for the full two hours, but no further checks or searches were made after that initial one. He released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, shut down his laptop, and found Naruto sitting across from him. He'd been absently aware of the vegetables being cleared away while he'd been on the computer. Now, he just sat and waited for Naruto to question him.

Which didn't happen.

He wondered if Naruto was waiting for him to say something. If he was, Sasuke had no idea what it was he was supposed to say. Then Naruto spoke.

"No contact from her. Your visits here, if you continue them, will remain between the three of us."

Sasuke slowly nodded. Mindful of the time, he said, "I should go."

Naruto only watched him leave, without getting up or saying goodbye. He had a lot to think about.

So did Moegi. She'd been leaning over the back of the technician's chair as he conducted the search on Sasuke and his older brother. He was the most skilled at what he did, and knew the infrastructure of Konoha's online presence intimately.

"Nothing?" she'd asked when he said they were clean. "You're sure?"

"Positive. I was very thorough, and went as deeply as possible. Couple of nobodies."

Moegi straightened up and turned to pace. The technician swiveled in his chair to watch her, the large computer screen going dark behind him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just…" She stopped when she was directly in front of him, and gazed around at the other computer terminals. "Is it possible to get in and out of our system undetected?"

He adjusted his glasses in a manner that was reminiscent of his deceased older brother. "Theoretically, I suppose anything's possible, but it would require a level of skill that I can personally assure you does not exist in anyone today."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Skill like that is known in the geek circles. Circles, I might add, that occupy a very small niche. Who can do what is known by everyone in the circles, trust me. I knew of only one guy who could do what you're suggesting, and it was only a rumor at that."

"Who?" Moegi could almost here Itachi's name coming from his lips. She was tensed to hear it, sure she was right.

The technician waved a hand. "Some old fart from Kirigakure who wasn't even military. Had a penchant for young boys, and I mean prepubescent. Rumor goes that one of his dalliances went sour. He was found in his home ten years ago, dick cut off and shoved down his throat. Dead."

Not Itachi then. But then where did Sasuke learn what he knew? She couldn't report the breach without breaking her promise to Naruto. Glancing out the window, she realized that she should have been on her mission hours ago. She didn't have time to waste on this issue.

"Sooo…" the technician drawled nervously. "About payment for this little favor I did you."

Moegi was brought back to the present. She glared at him from behind her mask. "I said I'd go out with you, I won't go back on my word. One date."

"Sweet. Will you be wearing the mask?"

She didn't bother to answer.

"Of course you will," he grinned. "That is so hot, by the way."

"Your brother wasn't a tenth as disturbed as you are," she bit out as she turned away.

"Udon was a bigger pervert than I am," he called after her. "He just died before you could find out."

She felt unsettled. Something wasn't right, something that was right in front of her face, but there was nothing she could do now. If she broke her word to Naruto, she could kiss her relationship with him goodbye. She would have to honor the promise. However, when she got back, she would have a talk with him.

And then there was the Hokage. She'd deliberately withheld from Naruto that he would be getting a visit from her. As Moegi sped off to meet with her assigned unit, she sincerely hoped that the Hokage discovered everything and dealt with it accordingly; Sasuke was a liar.

When Itachi got home, he knew immediately that Sasuke wasn't in the apartment. He hesitated with his toe against the door, key still in the lock, to see if he could hear him running up the stairs behind him. Nothing. He pulled the key, closed the door, and locked it.

He went directly to Sasuke's room.

A chance to search it again hadn't presented itself since his new shift had started. It curdled his stomach to do so now; he couldn't stand this mistrust between them. It hurt beyond words that Sasuke would do this to them, that Sasuke found anyone worth this estrangement between them, but the boy was headstrong. He was going to do what he was going to do, and continue to lie to Itachi's face in order to do it.

Because even though he hadn't asked Sasuke any questions, he had been asking them just the same.

He'd done some hacking of his own. He'd located the ANBU report of the disturbance at a convenience store downtown, the one Sasuke had been involved in. He'd noted the store address, and had gone there on his way home from work one day to question the clerk. Predictably, the clerk had never seen the blond man before that day, and consequently had no idea what his name was or where he lived.

Itachi hadn't stopped there. He'd coded in the GPS for Sasuke's phone into his own phone one night while the kid was sleeping. Periodically throughout the day he would check it, and the tiny blinking light would be steady on one particular set of coordinates. He had yet to check this location out; while home, Sasuke was also home, and he preferred to be where he could keep an eye on the boy.

Nothing. There was nothing to be found in Sasuke's room, not even the book. Doing another quick check, he found something interesting under the bed: a hollow sound. He shoved the bed completely aside and found that a bit of carpentry had been done, no doubt while he'd been at work. One of the planks in the floor had been altered so that now it could be lifted by way of a new brass hinge. There was no lock. Itachi opened it.

He'd expected to find something incriminating inside, not a can of shaving cream and some razors. Examining one of the razors, he saw a single coarse and curly black hair caught between the blades. He didn't have to be told where it came from. The knowledge that Sasuke shaved his sac tightened his jaw, though. Either the kid was having sex, or planned to have sex. He pulled his phone from his hip and flicked it open, checking Sasuke's location. The blinking light was making a beeline for the apartment.

-oOo-

The room was put back in order a good thirty minutes before Sasuke arrived, at twenty to five. Itachi was in the kitchen, fixing dinner. He felt Sasuke pause on his way to his room, felt the stare between his shoulder blades, and turned around to meet it. Maybe the kid would come clean.

"I love you, Itachi," Sasuke said roughly. It was almost a growl. "I love you more than anything. You need to trust that."

Okay. Not the confession he was looking for, but a statement nonetheless about the harmlessness of his actions. Which was itself an admission of the actions. He stared at Sasuke for some seconds, deciding what to say. "Your actions speak louder than words, Sasuke. Can you look me in the eye, right now, and tell me that you're not lying to me?"

Sasuke's entire face closed off in an expression of practiced evasion. Itachi shook his head, and turned back to the stove. He heard Sasuke's door slam a moment later. Then it locked loudly and defiantly.

Fucking bastard piece of shit, Itachi thought.

Naruto remained at his kitchen table until full dark fell. He continued to sit in the dark, his mind struggling to understand and interpret Sasuke more fully than he'd done so to date.

Before he did so, though, he spent several thrilling moments welcoming this stimulating deviation from his staid routines. He hadn't had anything this chewy to ponder in donkey's years. This, coupled with the fact that talking to Sasuke had not, as he'd feared, altered anything between them, had a small smile tugging at his lips. He'd forgotten how taciturn the boy was when speaking. As he had on that first day he'd sat in Naruto's kitchen, Sasuke revealed only what he wanted to reveal, and getting anything else from him was like pulling eyeteeth.

Now then. Going back to that day, Naruto closed his eyes and relived his first encounter with Sasuke. The boy had come in, sat down, folded his arms. The conversation had ensued, then the food, then the reading. Similar such pursuits from then till now. Nothing stood out in Sasuke's actions that Naruto could consider a thread.

No actions then. Sasuke himself. How he moved told of training Naruto was now completely certain that Sasuke had received from somewhere. Only problem was that only graduates knew ninja arts. Period. If Sasuke had learned from somewhere, he had learned from a graduate. Ludicrous; graduates did not share their hard-earned, privileged knowledge of ninja arts.

To be selected for the Academy, one undertook an exam. Several exams, in fact. If an individual passed, they were boarded at the Academy, away from their family, for the duration of their training. This was a length of time determined by individual mastery of the arts. Some went for a year, some for several years. One had the option of leaving the Academy only if they'd graduated to Chuunin. After that, whether to stay on for advanced training of Jounin was determined by yet another exam. The point of all this was that entry to the Academy wasn't easy. Graduation was even more difficult. No one in their right mind would just give away what they'd shed blood and tears to learn to whatever fool asked. Besides which, all graduates undertook an oath to hold the secrets of ninja arts close. No ninja betrayed that oath, or they were no longer ninja. If Sasuke had learned, he had done so from a missing-nin, or some other such unsavory character.

Naruto turned his mind to Sasuke's clothes. Always long-sleeved tees and jeans. Boots, which probably hid blades or some other weapon. Frowning in the dark, Naruto tried to recall if he'd ever seen the kid in short sleeves. No. He hadn't. Always the long sleeves, long enough to cover his hands…

His hands. Ah, a thread at last. Naruto followed this thread, thinking more quickly.

Carefully, his head beginning to ache with the effort, Naruto tried to recall the way Sasuke touched things. Yes. Always with the sleeves, never directly, unless it was a kitchen utensil, which was always washed later, or the weeds and other plant life they came in contact with outside. He remembered the way Sasuke always washed his Barbican bottles before throwing them in the proper recycling container.

Definitely in hiding, Naruto thought. He summarized his findings.

Solitary lifestyle. False name (or Sasuke would not have needed to surveil Moegi's background check). Adept at ninja arts. Possibly in possession of a Doujutsu (he hadn't seen one, but then Sasuke hadn't been facing him. He'd trust Moegi's sight). Did not leave behind fingerprints. Most likely had chosen not to fight back in the store that time. Could only be on the mountain for a certain amount of time, which suggested that Sasuke had to check in somewhere, likely with his brother. Had lied to an ANBU agent's face.

For the time being, while Naruto looked at what his summary meant, he could not hear the ticking. It had stopped.

Sasuke was in danger.

This was the only reason to not only lie to an agent's face and avoid answering direct questions, but to also threaten the same agent's life. Naruto had not forgotten that. And if knowledge of Sasuke's identity, his true identity, was so dangerous that to learn of it would mean an agent's sudden death, that could only mean that whatever danger Sasuke was in was greater than the threat of ANBU coming after him. What could be worse than that?

There's plenty in the world that's worse than that.

Naruto realized that the fist he had resting on his mouth was especially tight. His nails were leaving punctures in his palm. He could smell his blood.

Sasuke didn't come out for dinner. Itachi didn't even consider trying to approach the jackass. He walked right past the closed door after he'd eaten, to his room, and face-planted onto his bed. He was asleep soon after this. As he did nightly, he dreamed.

Practicing with shuriken in the backyard. His mother in the kitchen, making dinner. Humming. Watching him fondly through the kitchen window whenever she washed something at the sink. The smell of savory food drifting through the open window.

"Mom, watch!"

"I'm watching, sweetie!"

Hitting the target fifty feet away with perfect accuracy. Turning with a broad smile to receive his mother's praise. His mom wasn't watching. His dad had come home, was speaking urgently to his mother, gesturing to Itachi, and shoving her gently toward the door.

A question from his mom to his dad's stern face. "How much time do we have?"

A cryptic response. "I'm sure he knows of it now; he has spies everywhere. Quickly, get our son. I'll meet you in the passageways."

The passageways? Most houses of high-ranking officials had hidden passageways to facilitate an escape. Itachi had been shown these, but was not allowed to go near them. What could they need the passageways for?

Falling feathers.

He'd looked up, delighted, then felt himself falling as if in a dream, falling with the feathers, falling asleep.

His mom grabbing him roughly. The sleepy feeling vanishing suddenly, to be replaced with rank fear that he picked up from her. She said, "Eyes on, sweetheart."

He'd activated his Sharingan.

Running. Through the house. Horrible sounds from outside. Screams. Roars. The ground shaking. The passageway under the floor in his parents' bedroom. Down the dark ladder.

His father carrying him now, holding a flame balanced in his bare palm for light. Feet making no sound on the earthen floor. The ceiling of the passageway shuddering as something landed in the house above. Distant words, "Find them…"

A closer sound, as the passageway was discovered. Pursuit. His father handing him to his mother as they came into a widened place in the passageways. His mother's big tummy pressing against his own, and his little brother or sister kicking him in the gut.

"Hide, both of you," his Dad said. "I'll hold them off."

"Fugaku, no!" His mom was crying softly.

"Don't argue with me!"

-oOo-

Running, just him and his Mom now.

They'd come up elsewhere in the compound to a scene of blood and death. His clan, some asleep, some fighting, were being killed off by huge, strange creatures, snakes, explosions, puppets…in the midst of this madness, one man strode, a mask on his face. No matter where he and his mom tried to run, always more death. Everyone dying, and that masked man directing it all, doing a lot of the killing. Then the man saw his mom, saw him, and his mother turned and fled.

Scared, but hiding it. He was a big boy, going to be a ninja. His dad called him a prodigy. Scared, and Mom was no ninja. Not really. She had some skill, but she was just Mom. He was a big boy, and he would have to protect her.

No good. Whoever was chasing them, was boxing them in. Shepherding them back toward the house. His mom stood indecisively with death all around her, worry on her face, her cold hand clenched tightly around his, her other hand on her stomach.

Back the way they'd come. Through the passageway again, running, running, running. Sounds now, his Dad. Fighting.

His mom veered down a corner of the passageway that had a trapdoor in the ceiling. She pulled it open, and they came up in a closet of their house. She glanced behind her, before pulling open a second trapdoor in this closet, then knelt to him. "Chakra hidden?" she asked softly.

He nodded.

"Good boy. No matter what happens, you keep it hidden. Not a sound, love, no matter what. Eyes on at all times. When it's safe, we'll come for you. Until then, you stay here. Do not come out, not for any reason. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mom."

No time for more. A kiss from his mother's cold lips on his forehead, then he was shoved upward into a tiny crawl space, which in turn led to an even smaller space. He couldn't even fill his lungs with a decent breath, the space was so tiny. His trap door was shut, and he shut the second door to the tiny space behind himself. It had a simple wooden crossbar that he shoved home. He lay perfectly still.

He was in the ceiling over the living area and the dining room. Through tiny cracks in the wooden planks he could see below him.

His Dad was dead on the floor.

-oOo-

A scream. His mom was pulled into the room by her hair and thrown atop his dad. She covered her mouth at seeing her husband, tears spilling over her hands. A group of men stood around her. Itachi catalogued their faces, remembering.

That man with the mask came in the room slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. Stood over his mother. Pushed his mask up. At this angle, he was just able to see the man's eyes. Sharingan…a strange Sharingan.

"Wife of Fugaku," the man said in a deep voice. "Uchiha Madara. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He bowed to his mother. When he straightened, he said, "Where is your son?"

"Please," his mom begged. "Please…"

Madara backhanded her, and Itachi flinched.

"Where is he?"

His mother looked up from where she sat, and tried again. "I'm due to deliver in three w-"

Another blow, this time harder. His mother was steadied by a blond man. He held her hair in his fist, craning her head backward so that Madara could look down into her face.

"The boy, you stupid cunt. I can make this quick and painless if you give me the boy. Otherwise, you will suffer," Madara said evenly.

"My baby," his mother mumbled through swollen lips. "Please." She was close to passing out.

Madara closed in.

Itachi, eyes on, chakra hidden, still as a mouse, watched for the next nine hours.

-oOo-

They were gone. They'd been gone for more than an hour. He did not sense anyone alive in the immediate vicinity, so he crawled out of the tiny space he'd occupied. It was all right; he could tell that no one was coming for him.

Getting out of the passageways was difficult. He got lost in them a few times, and then when he came up in his parent's bedroom, he skidded in a pool of blood. He picked himself up, and walked through his destroyed home until he reached the living room.

His dad still dead. His mom…

"Son," she whispered.

He ran to her. Fell down beside her. Her life force was so weak that even sitting next to her, he couldn't sense it. He suspected that she was actively suppressing it, which his mom confirmed with her next words.

"Had to…hang on for…the baby. They're gone, sweetie. You did…" blood spilled from her mouth, and she coughed delicately. Winced. "You did so well, Itachi."

Her stomach heaved, shifted. Blood flowed from so many places on her. "Mom…"

"Sit here. With me."

"Mom." He didn't cry. Was too scared to cry.

She didn't make any more sounds, only lifted her gentle hand to brush his hair, or else pat his knee once or twice. After some time she spread her legs a bit, and he heard a wet gushing sound come from her. Smelled a sudden wealth of fresh blood. Saw that her stomach was…diminished. She gestured weakly to her legs.

He'd moved to her waist and lifted her blood-soaked housedress in embarrassment. There, between her thighs, lay a baby boy amid a membranous something, and some kind of red fleshy thing. The baby's belly button ended in some kind of rope attached to the red thing.

His mother's hand beckoned with dwindling strength. Itachi reached for the baby tentatively, dropped him, tried again, and almost had the slippery baby dropped once more. He carried him awkwardly by one arm and leg, and lay him at his mother's side.

His mom looked down at the baby. "A miracle. He's unharmed, but for this scratch on his back. A miracle."

Itachi remembered seeing Madara stab his mother's stomach repeatedly.

His mother directed him. He cut a piece of her dress, tied the belly button rope, cut it off his new brother. Held the boy upside down and smacked him sharply on his butt. His brother cried weakly. His mom smiled.

"Sasuke," she said.

Itachi nodded. Held the baby, while his mother faded before his eyes. "He'll…come after you, Itachi. Protect your brother. Protect…yourself. Do whatever… whatever you have to do, but you keep him safe."

"Mom?"

She didn't answer him. He stood there holding his brother, watching her chest rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall. Sasuke mewled once, gnawing on his bloody fist. At last, his mother's chest rose and fell…and did not rise again. His eyes flew to hers.

"Run," she whispered.

She was gone.

He tucked Sasuke under one arm and ran.

Itachi jerked awake. Looked at the clock. One in the morning. He gazed at the ceiling, one hand behind his head, the other resting on his chest. His heart calmed slowly from the dream. He always woke up after being told to run, and consequently his heart would be caught in that same grip of terror that had held him when he was six.

Protect your brother.

He sighed. "I'm trying, Mom." The sound of his voice was lonely in the dark.

After a minute, Itachi got up. He dressed, took his phone, and left the apartment quietly. Time to find out what was at those coordinates.