Been awhile, right? I promise things will take a juicy turn this chapter.

"What are you doing back here? Why…" Orochimaru's right hand subordinate seemed surprised to see me. I guess I should have known better. Kabuto always was trying to get rid of me. He probably knew more firsthand then Orochimaru the connection I had to Konoha and a certain someone in it, so he must have been praying I didn't come back. Thinking that would make Orochimaru favor him for a body. Like I cared.

"Aren't happy to see me?" He also probably wasn't use to the unwavering smirk on my face. Since the Valley of the End, I didn't smile. Period. This was much weirder.

Kabuto didn't answer my sarcasm, just turned his head to one side in disgust. "Weren't expecting you back so soon. Orochimaru's in his usual room." But then I wondered, wouldn't I be doing the world a favor if I got rid of Kabuto, too? None of the subordinates, unless they were younger than Kabuto with the exception of me, (rare but few,) liked him. They all hated him just as much as I did.

No. I'd save him until after I was through with Orochimaru, then I'd get to see the priceless facial reaction. Then again…it would be even more torturing to let him live with it. I was starting to like my own sick mind. At least - sick towards Kabuto and Orochimaru. It was only to people I really hated.

"I'll just wait for him." I shoved past Kabuto, and did what was almost considered thinking hard about how to navigate. Where was I? Didn't take long forget, what with how big the place was. Even a day away in Konoha could make me forget how to get back to my pathetic excuse for a room….With no damn door.

"We're switching bases tomorrow." Kabuto yelled after me, sounding confused and even a little surprised at my weird attitude. At least he didn't ask.

Oh, are we? I smirked and walked on. "I'll get ready for that." But really, no one would be going any such place tomorrow.

"Ahh -Oh -! Oh my god, what are you doing?" When I opened the door to someone so looming, I'd realized, oh yeah, no one was supposed to know you were here. I started to yell, then saw who it was. It wasn't anyone bad, but they still shouldn't have been at my door.

"I was going to just come in, but I figured you'd be pretty freaked as is. I was right." He shook his head and sighed, and I tried to suppress a growl. "Lady Tsunade told me where you were."

"Still call her 'lady'?" I turned around and walked back inside, and Jiriya followed me. I could only assume Itachi was completely gone. I wasn't too surprised he'd come looking for me - I hadn't seen him since he brought me back from training. He was always off gathering information on Akatsuki, and he didn't stay the village's lackey unless there was an emergency. Traveling was his thing. Besides that, he'd never resorted to even slight formalities when it came to that woman. Everyone else did, sure, but he was different.

"I heard you gave her quite a scare last night, err, this morning." He avoided my comment, but I wondered if that was why he was here. If he knew, no doubt Iruka had heard the reason for the lock down. The Kyubbi vessel was in a dangerous position involving S-ranked criminals who may be completely willing to take any life in their way. But not the one I'd met.

"Yeah. She was really scared." I wasn't prepared to tell anyone the truth about it, either, though I knew that's what he'd been hinting on.

"I don't see a good reason why the Akatsuki would just walk away from their prize when it was unprotected like that." Would saying anything be wise? He'd been studying the Akatsuki since he'd been gone, so he may have none more than I did about the encounter. If I told him a lie - or if he'd already caught me in one - then he could know about it's truth.

"Don't call me a prize, and more importantly, not an it." I grumbled, ending my walk at the bottom of the stair steps. I dropped to a seat at the bottom one, already feeling the confrontation coming on. What was I going to say? What would he say? "What's Akatsuki been doing?"

"Not planning that attack." He shook his head back and forth. "That's what's confusing me. There weren't plans for anything involving you until later on. You'd be amazed what kind of spies of theirs you'd catch at a hot springs or a bar, and what they were saying…" He rambled off.

"Wasn't really an attack." I said dryly. "Just one of them."

"Which One?" It was a very threatening demand, and he glared down at me, not taking "I don't know," for an answer. He must have seen it in my eyes that I did indeed know who it was.

I stood up and faced him down. "Not my secret to tell. You aren't getting it out of me, no matter what."

"You're making it obvious." Maybe I was.

"Shut-shut up."

Jiriya's hand came down, twisted the fabric of my collar, and he pulled me up to my feet, nearly but not all the way off of them. I just turned my head to retaliate. There was no way I was telling him what happened. Not about Itachi, not about the clan's truth, and most definitely not about Sasuke. "Tell me the whole story, or -"

"Or what?" I growled, turning to look at him. "Even if you did do something, I'd just lie."

His eyes seemed to grow and understanding, boring into mine. He let go of my collar, and my barely suspended heels fell back to the hardwood floor. "Forget Akatsuki, then. Tell me the part about the Uchiha kid." Then I nearly choked and had to reach up for my throat.

"What part about Sasuke?" But my words were to shocked and horrified to sound convincing. Unfortunately, he'd caught me in my lie. But how could he possibly know a thing about that?

"Don't play dumb." He muttered. "Not only did Lady Tsunade have her slight suspicion, you could read it in your eyes like a book. This has something to do with him, this whole encounter." I just turned my head farther around, not having a clue how to answer. He could see it? Maybe that was the problem with our secrecy. "Now listen. I may not get a story out of you, but I've got my ideas. I'm going to assume that Itachi was here," I gulped, hearing the name. He was right, but I remained silent. "Which drew Sasuke like a magnet. Considering you haven't fallen to pieces yet, he's still alive and they're both gone."

"Something like that." I managed, half heartedly. Jiriya knew I wasn't going to talk. I could go safely not expecting anymore questions from him about that, I knew.

"Now, on to something more important." I looked back to him, clarifying again that it was over, and his eyes were much more intense. He meant business. "I've heard, at least by word of mouth, Akatsuki's dates and plans. They could just be ploys and could change by all means, but you hearing them nonetheless will be beneficial."

I had to do a double take. I'd been so concerned about the Uchiha brothers and Orochimaru's business for so long, I'd forgotten all about the Akatsuki's threat. I'd feared it sometimes, sure, but I hadn't taken it into consideration yet. In fact, freakishly early this morning, I was wondering dates myself. "Alright, shoot."

"They already have members assigned to the other existing Jinchuruki. If you didn't already know, there are nine of them. They're going for you last since each monster has to be extracted in ascending order, but that time is coming quickly. They've only got a few more, and the members on hold may come after you in the meantime. Now, being the meantime."

Now. Now? Did Itachi know that? With our sudden truce, it seemed like if he did know, he would have said something. Maybe I shouldn't have been expecting that much from an enemy by association, but he told me so many other things, that that should have been a priority. Maybe it was decided while Itachi was away. Jiriya did mention that the Akatsuki had no plans of sending one person alone out to me…Itachi acted that out on his own. "Now, right now? This second?"

"It could be within the next few days or few months. That, I'm not for sure on. But you aren't ready for them, even with all of your training from Kakashi and Captain Yamato…" I cut him off.

"You know about him, too?"

"I checked in with the world before I came to you. I also heard from Kakashi, who was very recently released from the infirmary, you have a replacement for the team." I glared daggers at him. Replacement was a forbidden word in my mental dictionary. Period. Despite his unknowing of the subject, I was in a small rage.

"He's not a replacement." I snarled, a little louder than I should have.

"Knew you'd say that." He smirked and shook his head, like he'd indeed heard the story already. "Back to the situation, you aren't ready. After the fill in, I heard that you've only been applying your shinobi knowledge and skill to one mission, back in Suna." He was half right, too.

I had to do another double take. What had I really been doing in terms of increasing power, with the exception of that mission? Nothing, it seemed like. There had been that one run in with Orochimaru, but I'd switched into Kyubbi mode and forgotten the entire experience, resulting in Orochimaru bring unharmed. In my two and a half year experience with Jiriya, I'd done more than advanced. I was at an entirely new level of power that I never would have been able to reach on my own. However, since learning it, I'd never been able to use it in action. Besides the point, compared to Sasuke's advancement, I would be like an insect against anyone in Akatsuki, if he could barely do anything to fight Itachi.

It was a sad thought, but too true. "So what are you planning?" I managed, after a long thought.

"You need to train more, but I've got to do some things." Jiriya didn't sound feisty or mordant like he usually did when he mentioned those, "Some things." Other things were usually the equivalent to spying on nude women, but just looking at him was enough to tell that was far from the case.

"How am I supposed to train well if you aren't around to help me get better?" I answered, hoping he'd catch the hint without having to ask, what are you going to do?

"Kakashi and Yamato will have to work you to death, overtime." He smirked and bobbed his head, then reached into one of his pockets. "Speaking of him, if you get the chance, give this to him. Don't be reading it." He passed me a brand new, paper-back orange novel with "R" labels all over it. The thought, and why would I want to read it? Passed through my brain.

"Whoa, you wrote another one, that fast?" I remembered handing Kakashi the last installment, at his return of two and a half years. If there was one inanimate object in this world Kakashi loved most, it was that book series. Even ninja as composed, wise, and powerful as Kakashi had little things that made them just like fanboys. Kind of like Sakura's fear of spiders. Even ninjas had strange little faults.

"It's considerably shorter than the others, but that's the only copy. Just for him. It's special, too, read the cover." Do I really WANT to read the cover? I sighed and did as instructed, searching for anything out of the norm. The picture caught me before the words, as it was not the classical male and female illustrated in primary colors. It was two men.

Oh god, please tell me he didn't…"You…you…YAOI EDITION?" It was all I could make come out of my mouth. There was absolutely no way. This was just something else henged to look like a male erotica novel. He was screwing with me. No, no, no, no, no, this is not possible.

"That's why I made sure to tell you not to be reading it before you pass it on!" He still had an amused, Sasuke-esque smirk on his face, arms crossed to go with it. My embarrassment was pleasing him. Must have expected this reaction.

"Jiriya, I'm nearly sixteen you know -" Then I slapped my hand over my mouth and blushed harder, his laughter increasing simultaneously. He'd got me! How could I even mention…there was no way I'd read the book, no matter what he told me! "Jiriya! You're nasty! Even for Kakashi, how could you possibly write something like this?!" I cried, appalled at the idea. Not only was Jiriya as straight as straight could be…

"Sure, it was hell of a degrading piece to write, but I figured I should make something special for my biggest fan, since - " That's where he stopped. He continued laughing, as if to cover it up, but then I remembered his strange behavior from earlier. Maybe the book was just a way to get my mind off of it.

"Since what?" I drawled.

"Since I might not write anymore, you know? I'm getting pretty old." Yeah. And your elderly age will also stop you from spying on young girls. Mm-hmm. Perfect sense. I decided to just demand the answer, bluntly. Something was certainly up.

"Where are you gonna be when I'm being trained?" His next response didn't match his face after I said the words. His eyes hardened and made him look too dutiful. Maybe a mixture of that, regret, and fearlessness. What could he possibly be thinking? Feeling? The emotions revealed didn't line up.

"You tell me your story about this morning, and I'll tell you my plans." Damn it. I couldn't tell him anything, so I'd have to keep making assumptions. A secret kept for a secret kept - fair as it was, it still pissed me off.

"No way."

"Then I guess I should go talk to Kakashi and Yamato about what I want done with you, hm?" He'd been standing the entire time, but now he turned his back to me and headed for the door. "I don't have any time to waste, so you coming?"

Was I coming? There was still that picture to deal with, and this book…and my thoughts and missing pieces of internal puzzles, as usual. There were still to many unknown things in my world. No, waiting it out and staying away from anyone - especially Kakashi and Ruru - for awhile was probably in my best interest. "No…they'll come get me if they need me. I've gotta get some more time to myself."

"Well, that's new. Since when do you like to be alone?"

"Since the person I want to be with isn't here, being alone is sometimes better."

"Huh." His response sounded surprised, but I hadn't even had to consider my previous statement, it just came out. My whole life I'd hated being alone - he knew that. But even more than just saying it, I knew sometimes being on your own and wishing for someone was better than being with others and wishing for someone. Maybe being alone - literally, not mentally, wasn't such a bad thing.

When he was gone, I'd made a mad dash back for the stairs, picture frame - and the stupid orange book - in hand. I wondered if Itachi had just left me completely, and seeing no sign of him upstairs, he must have. Probably getting back to Akatsuki, hoping his absence wouldn't be taken seriously. But what did I know about the way the Akatsuki was run?

There were still a lot of things I didn't understand, but thanks to Itachi, although he hadn't said them directly, I'd discovered some things on my own, one being why Itachi did things to piss Sasuke off. He did all those things - showed him the massacre, taunted him, pretended to be me, and so on…because the angrier Sasuke got, the sooner he would try to murder Itachi - what the man wanted.

What I wouldn't let happen.

What of three years ago, when he came for me? Somehow, with his devotion and love towards Konoha, I didn't think helping the Akatsuki destroy it with the power of my monster was high on his list of priorities. Maybe he was just playacting that with his partner, at the time, so as not to cause suspicion. So why had he been there, really? It was right after the Hokage died…

You have my word. I remembered the Third's words to him before he left the village. He had worried that now since he was out of the way, Danzou would kill Sasuke anyway. Maybe he came back so Danzou and the other elders would remember his threat. Not only that, he'd timed it perfectly in the act with his partner. What better time to come after the fox than when Konoha was falling to pieces without a Hokage, and right after Orochimaru's attack? Itachi - only by those examples - was probably the most intelligent and strategically cunning man I'd ever known or would come to know.

Next was the picture. At first I thought it was just blank, but he had said, "you can move the paper and look later," before Jiriya came to interrupt. Being as careful as possible, I popped the glass out from the front and removed the black sheet of paper. Three or four small pictures, that he must have just been storing in there, fell to Sasuke's bed - my current sitting spot - face down. Hoping to be surprised, I picked them up one at a time.

The first was a picture of a baby. I realized shortly after looking who it was, so Itachi must have just been giving it to me to keep safe, someone he could trust considering the picture. Or maybe as some kind of present, but I would go with safe keeping. Since the itsy, tiny, pale skinned, dark-eyed baby was undoubtedly, my Sasuke.

I'd never really taken a liking to children before, but this was much different. Maybe Itachi had been reading my mind - It was hard to imagine Sasuke was ever a baby, but here he was. A cute, pretty, (degrading for the bastard,) baby. I decided it was worth keeping, and I could see why Itachi had it with him. Though, maybe it was in the house all along. Maybe I could freak Sasuke out with it someday, taunt him about having his baby pictures.

I got the second picture, and wondered if what Itachi really was giving me were just presents. It was more baby pictures - Itachi, based on numbers I knew previously, was nearly seven and holding his newborn little brother. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at Itachi's not-so-serious face. He looked a little frightened and worried about Sasuke, maybe since he'd never seen a baby before. The third was just another, Sasuke a little older, pulling on Itachi's hair, the elder not going anywhere. I couldn't believe the pictures…it made me wish even more that things would have stayed that way between them.

I didn't realize it then, but I missed the fourth picture. I must have thought there were only three, so I moved on.

To the stupid, stupid orange book. Or so I liked to keep reassuring myself. Really, truthfully, I wanted to…look at it. Skim. Read a chunk out of the middle. Scan for anything interesting. I'd never had an interest in the books before, probably since I was under the impression they were for perverted old men like Kakashi and Jiriya, wanting to read about women in intimate relationships. Now, I suppose, it was a little different considering the topic.

With only a few exceptions, like Sai's insult on our first mission, I'd never really thought about, more like worried about - the fact Sasuke and I were both male since my fear of actually telling him. It just seemed irrelevant. Sasuke was Sasuke, I was me, and that was all there was to it. I hadn't thought at all about that oddity. So I opened the book to a random spot and began reading the page, not worrying about the plot or character development.

I read for awhile, turning pages. Nothing was mature, not yet. But something seemed oddly familiar about the sequence of events, and the events in themselves, with the exception of a few more adult-ish things - nothing too bad yet. That in itself, and a certain quote on a page, made me comprehend.

Well master pervert or no, I've never had a relationship in the course of love with anyone. I'm on the outside looking in, and things like that don't bother me. I don't see why other people make such a big deal about it.

I screamed.

The characters represented us! They had different names and were a lot older, but there was no doubt in my mind. I flipped through at lightning speed and scanned short paragraphs. People, places, and things he'd heard me say all lined up. Even Sasuke and my - I shuttered - personalities lined up! He was rewriting our story! What if this went into mass production like the others? I would kill him!

I flipped a little further, and the story abruptly changed direction, breaking away into something "R" rated. I read for about two pages before I slammed it shut, flustered and unable to lower myself by reading it. "No more of that!" I managed, shaking my head.

Was that why he was giving it to Kakashi, and ordered me not to look at it? Maybe not because of maturity, just keeping the secret of the plot. Something Kakashi would want? I shook my head harder and got up, thinking it was time to find him, or Jiriya again, or Iruka, or Sai, and plan the future, just something to get my brain away from the book or give it to Kakashi. On my way out, I stepped on a piece of paper.

It wasn't paper - it was a picture I'd missed. I picked it up and turned it over, expecting another Uchiha baby picture.

The fourth picture, appropriate for the sequence in which I picked them up, was a picture of the fourth Hokage, and I was completely dumbfounded by the change of theme. Not only was it the fourth, shoulders up, but there was also a gorgeous woman beside him, with dark red hair that went down past the picture boundary, and big, bright blue eyes. Even in history lessons, I'd never heard about the fourth having a wife, or anything like that. Written in black ink and fancy Uchiha handwriting, was the phrase, "Look in a mirror."

I was stopped in my tracks completely, and I focused on nothing but that picture. Why would Itachi have left me this? There were pictures of the fourth in books all over, anyway. Besides that, why should I look in a mirror? I hadn't looked in a mirror since before Sasuke left, and that was for experimental purposes. Although, there must have been a reason. My mirror was in my old house, but Sasuke had a wall mirror in his bathroom, so I high-tailed it there.

The bathroom was just as nice as the rest of the house, although the shower was a pain in the ass to turn on. I stared in the mirror and focused on myself first. Blonde hair, blue eyes, toasty skin. Big deal. I looked down at the picture, but nothing clicked. Maybe this was obvious. Maybe Itachi was trying to drop a hint, telling me I should get a woman or something.

I turned the picture over, looking for another clue, and I found one. "Smile."

So I grinned, cracking my eyes open just slightly to see myself in the mirror, and I looked like a moron, corresponding to Sasuke's nickname for me. I stared back down a the picture, and realized both of them were grinning, too. Was Itachi making fun of me? Trying to tell me to be happier? Confusing. No doubt there was something he wanted me to figure out, though, and I was determined.

I studied the picture some more. The woman was short compared to the fourth, considerably below average and shorter than Sasuke's mother, based on the memory I'd seen. She was curvy and busty, though, and strikingly beautiful. Probably even prettier than the Uchiha mother, although not as refined. She look feistier and tomboyish. Her hair was red and her eyes were blue, just like the Fourth's. Which moved me on to him.

He was taller, though not towering, he looked about average. They were smaller than usual, together. His hair was spiky and blonde, and his eyes were the same sparkly blue. They were both grinning in the image, just like Itachi had instructed. They were both paler than I was, and they almost looked a little like brother and sister, but nowhere in history was it written that he had relatives.

Then my head lined the pieces up faster than I could clarify that the idea was sane.

"You bear such a striking resemblance to the fourth it's hilarious." Isn't that what Jiriya had said about me? I never really did question how he knew so many things about me, or why he showed such an interest in training me. He said he'd trained the fourth, and…

I thought heredity for a moment. Blonde, although usually recessive, was dominant over red. I had blonde hair. They both had blue eyes. I had blue eyes. They both had paler skin, but the two genes put together may have created a slightly more dominant medium skin. More importantly…

The fourth's smile, with his eyes shut and his mouth open in a teeth-displaying grin, was almost the same as mine, though I'd had to look again in the mirror. Not only that, they were both fairly short, and I was the shortest male my age with the exception of Gaara.

Besides looks, I thought history. The story said that the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, lost his life in sealing the nine-tailed fox into a newborn baby. That was nearly sixteen years ago, though I'd know that I was that baby. I'd been told before that my parents died right after I was born during the nine tailed fox attack, but I'd never been told how they died, or who they were. Not to mention, according to history, Minato was never married, so if that woman in the picture really was my mother…

The picture fell to the floor at the thought, mother.

My hands shook and clenched while my brain processed the information, comprehending and tying. It all worked together, and something - somewhere in some deep, dark hole in my mind - told me I'd thought this or known this before. The Hokage was my father… and that woman my mother…

Itachi - indirectly - had given me another secret. The secret behind my dead parents.

But what about her? The Hokage had died, but this woman…was she still alive?

I suddenly had many more things on my plate to deal with.

Juicyish, right?

EdspikeSeshygirl- I'm SO sorry I haven't upated "AYN?". I know it was supposed to be a present for you, but I've been having simillar problems with my muse. It won't behave and I'm drawing a blank. Maye you could PM me and assist? ^^

I thought I'd throw it out there -If anyone still reading this story ever has a juicy, decent, non-cliche idea or twist they'd like me to incorporate, I'd be happy to try, and I love to give my (few) readers what they want. You'd be credited, of course, and would be showered with love from me! Sometimes I'm desperate for ideas, so please contirbute if you've got 'em!