Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this…Or Maybe I would. Who knows?
AN: Well, some more revisions are here. Also, just as a fun fact, this chapter was the first one written after the manga revealed the details on the Uchiha Massacre, as well as the truth about Itachi's actions (At least, they were true as of this revision. Maybe there'll be another big reveal at some point).
"Hi! Whatcha doin'?" Sure, he'd intended to find Sasuke so he could try to make friends with him first, but then he saw Sakura and Ino at the playground and just couldn't help himself. After all, if he had everything planned out right, there was still a little time before Itachi would make his move. He needed to relax a little anyway.
The two girls shared a look, and Ino responded with a fair bit of hesitation. "Our parents say we're not supposed to play with you."
Oh yeah, that's definitely familiar. "Um…can I ask why?"
The girls shrugged. "Dad just said not to." Ino seemed to relax a little, turning to Sakura. "What about your mom, Sakura?"
The pink-haired girl just shook her head, not uttering a word.
Well, I guess she was pretty shy when she was little. "Well that ain't very fair…Can I hang around with you? I mean, you're just not supposed to play with me, right? So if I just kinda sit around it shouldn't be a big deal."
"Yeah," The blonde girl smiled at him. "I guess that's true. My name's Ino, and that's-" She pointed over at her companion.
"Sakura." I guess we hadn't really been formally introduced yet at this age. "Yeah, I've seen you two at the academy. I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Thanks for letting me stick around." Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head. "So what're you doin'?"
Ino held up a small arrangement of colorful flowers. "Showing Sakura how to make a wreath."
"What is it with girls and flowers?" Seriously, he got the whole thing with giving 'em flowers for gifts, but for the life of him, Naruto couldn't figure out what was so special about the things. Well…okay, so maybe they were kind of nice to look at. Especially the orange ones. Orange was just awesome. And in their spare time, sometimes Sakura had taken to telling him about all the antidotes and poisons and things that medics could do with them, so they could actually be useful…
Ino's face turned sour at the comment, and she settled on sending him a (far too cute to be taken seriously) glare. "What is it with boys and getting all dirty and gross?" While Ino chastised him, Sakura crossed her arms and matched Ino's expression towards the boy.
"It's…fun?"The girls let out a sigh, obviously sharing the same thought.
Boys were stupid, plain and simple.
So maybe he wasn't exactly a big fan of flowers or all this jewelry making stuff, but hey, why not? "So, uh…How do you put these things together?"
Ino gave him an odd glance. "We're not supposed to play with you, remember?"
Naruto was about to make an excuse, when Sakura spoke with a quiet voice. "It's more like teaching though, right? So we're not really playing."
Ino seemed to think it over, and Naruto grinned at Sakura. She always had been the smartest member of Team Seven, so it was natural that she'd find a loophole. Naruto would've just said to ignore it. Sasuke…he couldn't honestly picture Sasuke even considering the issue worth his time.
"Yeah," Ino smiled at him again. "That makes sense. Well, first you start b-"
"Sakura! Ino! What do you two think you're doing!" The three looked up to see a woman with pink hair glaring down at them. Or more accurately, glaring down at Naruto.
Definitely Sakura's mom. Maybe he should've waited for a better time.
"Mom, what's wro-"
"Don't 'what's wrong' me missy! You're father and I have already told you, we don't want you associating with him!" She turned towards the other girl, both of them looking away with a cringe at the woman's voice. "And you, Ino. What would your parents have to say?"
"But mommy, we were just-"
"I don't want to hear it!" The woman was almost shouting, and Naruto winced at the tone. It reminded him way too much of an angry Sakura. Something that rarely ended well for him. "You two are coming with me. Now!"
"But-"
"Right. Now."
Not wanting to anger the woman any further, Ino and Sakura took her outstretched hands, looking back at their new friend with apologetic glances. He simply grinned at them, and gave a small wave before walking off in the other direction, as if Mrs. Haruno had simply told them it was time to go and that they could come back the next day.
Well…that didn't go as well as he'd hoped. Now, evening was starting to make its way in, which meant he had more important business to attend to…
His first, his only, order of business in the evenings was simple: Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke had never really gone into much detail on his past, and Naruto only managed to gather so much from those few others that had been willing to answer his questions. Itachi's madness had spiraled out of control and led to the destruction of his clan only after he'd supposedly murdered one of their cousins, Shusu…Shisun…something. One of the unfortunate drawbacks to being rivals was that they never really had those heart-to-heart conversations unless it was in the middle of beating the living stuffing out of one another, and even if they hadn't spent more time fighting than talking, neither of them was honestly all that comfortable with talking about the things they'd been through.
Still, he was pretty sure Sasuke had mentioned that it was around this time. Yeah, it was around this week. Or month. Or maybe it was this season. Damnit, he knew that it was this year, and he'd make sure it was stopped even if he had to patrol the entire village each and every day. With that mental declaration firmly established, Naruto settled himself and prepared to enter Sage Mode. He wasn't particularly familiar with Itachi's chakra, but the Uchiha all tended to feel pretty similar, so it was easiest to start sensing around areas that were more secluded. What else did he have to do with his time anyway? His ability to change things right now was limited by that whole "not a shinobi yet" thing, but there was still something he could do, and this was it.
"Lord Hokage?" The brown haired Chunin entered the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Ah, Iruka. You wished to speak with me about something?"
"It's about Naruto." The Hokage sighed, not completely sure he wanted to know what Iruka had to say about that particular issue. More often than not, it was because the boy was causing some kind of trouble. Still, he was definitely an entertaining distraction.
"What has he gotten into this time?"
"Well, it's not that he's really gotten into anything. He's actually been really well behaved the last several days." It wasn't coincidence that both of them were starting to wonder what the kid was planning. The young Uzumaki was never that well behaved.
"Hmm, I suppose it has been rather quiet around the village." Far too quiet to be considered a good sign. This kind of calm, silent peace could only mean that a storm was coming. What is that boy up to this time? Oh well. He would have time to ponder later. For now, he needed to tend to Iruka's concerns.
"Well, if he's not in trouble, what's the problem?"
"You check up on him pretty often, don't you Lord Hokage?" Iruka seemed a little worried, which wasn't all that uncommon when it came to his student, but this seemed like genuine concern rather than just frustration over the child's attitude or what prank he might be planning next.
"I watch after him quite often. It can be hard not to, sometimes, with all of the attention he brings to himself." They both knew that it was more about protecting him than about watching his antics. Even if he had pulled off some pretty good jokes once in a while.
"Have noticed anything…off, about him? Just in the last few days, I mean."
"Well, he has been acting a little more reserved than usual, but it's not the first time. I suppose you still remember the incident at the Uchiha Compound, correct?" Iruka nodded at that. It was hard to forget how angry Fugaku, head of the Uchiha Clan, had been at waking up to find every one of the clan's symbols orange and blue, including those on the Police Corps. Headquarters. What was Naruto's reaction?
Totally worth it.
"But you don't believe this is the case?" It was more of a statement than a question. The Hokage paused, thinking back over Naruto's recent activities. "He was spending a considerable amount of time near the Uchiha compound yesterday. I suppose he could be planning another prank on the clan…"
That he was spending time around the Uchiha Compound at all was worrying. Sarutobi believed the Uchiha, for the most part, were fine people. But Danzo would certainly be suspicious if the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki suddenly started spending time around the only group of people known to have a technique capable of controlling the Kyuubi itself, at least now that Mokuton was essentially extinct. He was already suspicious enough of the Uchiha as it was. Admittedly, while he couldn't agree with all of Danzo's beliefs, there was no denying that their talks with the leadership of the clan regarding possible reevaluations of their current living conditions were quickly spiraling towards what seemed to be an unpleasant conclusion.
"I don't think so, Lord Hokage. I mean, he doesn't usually pull pranks that big very often, and definitely not on the same people. Not this close together."
"Yes, it would be quite unusual of him." Sarutobi stood. "It's too late tonight, and I still have business to attend to. I'll speak with him tomorrow. I'm sure we can sort this out."
As Iruka left, the Third Hokage began to prepare for his later meeting with Danzo. He intended to get to the bottom of this rumored conspiracy that his old friend was so obsessed with, and hopefully he'd be able to reason with the paranoid (albeit with good reason) war hawk. Nearly an hour later, Danzo entered the room without warning, coming to stand in front of the Hokage.
"Lord Hokage." The old rivals exchanged polite nods. "This is in regards to the plans for the Uchiha, I presume?"
Danzo pulled a nearby chair in front of the Hokage's desk, and sat down to face his former friend.
"You assume correctly, Danzo. There is a problem, we both know that, but we must think about this rationally. We cannot act without considering the consequences first. If there is a conspiracy, the entire Uchiha clan cannot possibly be involved. If nothing else, I'm certain of the loyalties of at least a few of their people. We must weed out those behind the movement before making any decisions.
"And how, Lord Hokage, do you propose we do this? Itachi is the most effective spy we could hope to have placed within their inner circle. He is the son of the highest authority in their ranks, one of the most skilled shinobi in the village, and they believe that he is in fact acting as a spy on their behalf. If he has yet to uncover their secrets, then what more can we do?"
The Hokage held back a sigh, not wanting to show his frustration. This was getting nowhere. As Hokage, he didn't need Danzo's approval for anything. Still, their lives were too closely intertwined for him to simply ignore his advisement, no matter how they may have disagreed at times. In fact, it was one of the very reasons he sought the man's advice above all others. Koharu and Homura voiced their disagreement often, but neither was willing to truly fight him on such matters. While he was proud to have their trust and respect, their history pushed it well beyond the line of even his title. They were too close to him. Danzo, on the other hand…perhaps he hadn't abandoned their friendship, somewhere in the depths of his heart, but neither would he restrain himself or his beliefs for the Hokage's sake.
"I plan to speak with Captain Fugaku of these suspicions. Surely we can come to some sort of understanding?"
Danzo leaned back in his chair, intertwining his fingers, and looked down at his clasped hands before speaking.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen's eyes widened for a moment, only just a fraction, that anyone else might have missed. His expression rapidly settled into a dark grimace. Danzo knew that expression well. He wasn't dealing with the kindly old grandfather or the stern-yet-understanding mentor and comrade. This was the Hokage, pure and unhindered by emotion…this was the part of his old rival that he still respected. "Danzo, what have you done?"
"Only what needed to be done, Lord Hokage."
Before the elderly man could question him further, they both turned, facing towards the Nakano River. It was impossible for either to miss the large flare of all-too-familiar chakra, malicious and brutal, and there was only one person it from whom it could have originated.
Naruto!
The Jinchuuriki!
Naruto had been walking through the forested area near the Nakano River when he'd found who he was looking for. He couldn't do anything at the time seeing as he couldn't simply attack Itachi without reason, especially with someone else there to see it. So instead, he'd dropped to the ground and done something that had never really been his specialty. He waited.
Ugh. So boring. If it hadn't been so important, it wouldn't even be a question of whether or not he would stay. It would only be an issue of how long his incredibly limited patience would last.
It was already dark out, and Itachi had been talking to the other man–Shisui, that was his name–for several minutes when Naruto finally got the chance to act. Though admittedly, he hadn't honestly expected the chance to even arrive this week, much less this very day. He'd been staring into space, listening only half-heartedly, when he heard a sudden commotion from near the place they'd been standing. Leaping to his feet, he took a moment to appraise at the two. Apparently Itachi had caught the man by surprise, as he had a tight hold on him, and was forcing his head into the water nearby.
With the knowledge that he didn't have much time firmly in place, Naruto figured he'd best begin to put his plan into action. Focusing on the power buried inside of the seal, he began to summon the Kyuubi's chakra. He doubted he could take Itachi at his current state, even with the help of the fox's energy. Itachi was practically a legend for a reason, and even if his body wasn't simply too young and underdeveloped, he still hadn't actually been able to outwit or overpower the man when he'd been older and more able.
That didn't mean he was incapable of getting a good sucker punch in though.
More importantly, using the beast's chakra would attract some attention. Specifically, it would attract the attention of the Hokage and ANBU, who would be the deciding factor. After all, they would be coming fully equipped to deal with the Kyuubi, broken free of its seal, so they would certainly be equipped to deal with Itachi. And for all of his natural talent, this Itachi was also younger and less experienced, and missing the most powerful jutsu that his counterpart from the previous life had possessed.
When he saw Itachi's head tilt his direction, his grasp on the other man loosening in surprise, Naruto charged. He must have looked the part of the demon that so many villagers insisted he was, with the orange-red chakra swirling around him like an inferno. He didn't want to pull too much, so a tailed transformation was out of the question, but he could at least add a little flare to the show. As he reached Itachi, he shot out his arm, hoping that between the surprise and his Kyuubi-enhanced strength, he could manage to stun the older boy.
He was not disappointed. To Naruto's surprise, the punch connected with Itachi's jaw at full force, knocking him backwards into the river without so much as a hint of resistance. The older Uchiha pulled himself out of the water, and rolled on his back as he gasped for breath. Naruto was glad that he'd been able to stop the initial attack, but as Itachi stood, he couldn't fight the surge of anxiety that shot through his mind. This 'Shisui' character was still out of it, at least for a little bit, and the element of surprise wasn't going to work to his advantage now that Itachi's focus had shifted to him.
C'mon people, what the hell? He was pouring out the fox's chakra like a freaking waterfall. Where were the reinforcements? Having a few ANBU nearby, or hell, even a few random gate guards, would be nice about now. Seeing Itachi suddenly disappear, Naruto ducked in anticipation of the coming attack, but stayed near the coughing man's body. If Itachi was trying to kill him, it had to be his best friend. Killing your best friend was how Sasuke'd said that you achieved the Mangekyo Sharingan, after all.
Itachi appeared behind him, a windmill shuriken raised above his head, and brought the weapon down. Naruto raised his arm and closed his eyes, anticipating the blow, only to open them in surprise moments later when it didn't come. The Uchiha was staring, edge of the weapon resting mere centimeters from his target, but didn't make any further aggressive movements. Naruto didn't drop his defensive posture either, but even knowing what could happen, he couldn't resist the urge to look into the older shinobi's eyes. They'd only met a couple of times in his life, and one thing that Sasuke's elder brother had never been was expressive.
Yet now he showed a clear expression of consideration, Sharingan focused right back on the red beastlike eyes. Both could feel the strange connection, a sort of interest, or perhaps something entirely different that Naruto probably couldn't even begin figure out. It didn't last for more than an instant, however, as Itachi's attention shifted to something in the distance. The Uchiha flipped backwards, just barely dodging a swarm of kunai, and surveyed the area for a moment. Naruto turned towards the source of the attack and felt his chest constrict.
Kakashi-sensei…
Itachi realized who it was as well, and knew it was time to leave. Kakashi of the Sharingan had arrived, Shisui of the Body Flicker was finally recovering and sending a heated expression towards his fellow Uchiha, while the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki stood protectively in front of the man, red chakra still swirling around his small form. Furthermore, it was obvious that there were going to be more shinobi arriving soon as well.
"Shisui. It seems we'll have to continue this another day. And as for you, Jinchuuriki…" Both of the older men stilled at this, apparently having failed to realize that Naruto was actually aware and in control of himself. Itachi closed his eyes, cocking his head to the side in an amused manner. "No. I suppose it doesn't mean anything now."
As he disappeared again, his body flicker more than fast enough to escape any pursuing shinobi that may have come to investigate, and Kakashi turned back towards Naruto and Shisui.
"Anyone care to explain just what the hell is going on here?" He was strangely calm for a man who'd been involved in the battle with the Kyuubi, and who'd lost a close friend and mentor of his own to the beast that was currently trapped in the boy in front of him. As Shisui stood, preparing to explain, Naruto felt his consciousness slipping away, and dropped to the ground moments later. After moving to check on the boy, and finding that he was simply asleep, Shisui turned to the older shinobi.
"Itachi attacked me. The kid…he saved my life."
AN: Well, this one went through a fair few revisions. I'm still not completely pleased with the Itachi scene, but I like it more than the earlier version.