AN:

Serenity Maxwell: Right now Gaara is in the dark. I've got a couple things planed that kind of rib at poor Gaara, but he needs to lighten up a bit before his transformation to a rounded character completes. And yes, the 'I know' is he's going to have to tell his team soon.

starlightscribe: Yeah, I don't study well, I'd rather just live with what I know going in- though I do have a lot of last minute work to get done still…

DarkRavie: Thx as usual

End AN:

The last time Naruto had been on a boat they had been sneaking into Wave Country. Now they headed to one of the Islands of Hidden Mist in two boats- Gaara, and Sakura were on the second boat, something she said she had to talk to Gaara about... Matsuri had laid down to rest because the trip had been so long, so that left Itachi and Naruto in silence through the rest of the trip.

Naruto turned to Itachi and spoke in a lowered voice, "You know, I've never been to the Mist country, but I've always heard it's beautiful."

"It is in some places, but in others that battlefields have never been repaired…"

Naruto nodded. Both of them stared out at the water for a while-

"If you don't tell Sakura soon, I'll have to, she has to understand why you know."

"I know- I know," Naruto struggled to keep his voice down, "First though- I don't know if I want Matsuri to know yet- I'm going to tell Gaara eventually, and I'll leave it to his judgment then. But you're right, Sakura needs to know, but it's not so easy to bring into a discussion."

"It's not a topic you broach, it's just something you just tell."

"Yeah but-" Naruto started getting a little flustered, "But- but, the thing about Sakura is, well, I had this thing for her ever since I've known her."

Itachi gave a patronizing glare to Naruto, "And she's fighting the need to hate me in Sasuke's stead. Emotions are the bane of this situation. I understand your desire to retain your emotions on your path of the ninja, but you need to balance that with what you know you need to do."

"Alright, alright, you find some way to keep Matsuri distracted, and I'll tell Sakura and Gaara together…"

"Slow the boat down so we're right next to Gaara's, then we'll switch you over there, Matsuri will stay right here with me, won't you Matsuri."

She didn't mean too, but with the question aimed directly at her she tensed. Matsuri turned over and looked at Itachi- "I've heard your Sharingan can see just about anything, but-" Matsuri didn't bother to finish as she sighed and sat up.

After Itachi slowed the boat down a bit Gaara started to slow too, the two boats pulled close together, "I'm coming on board- you're not the only one who's got something important to say…"

Gaara took hold of the other boat, and Itachi did the reverse, with the two boats held together Naruto just stepped from one to the other. The two boats then drifted slightly apart as Itachi pushed off from Gaara. "We'll meet at the dock I described; I'll give you three a bit of a head start so you can talk."

Gaara started moving the boat with the oar again. It was at least two minutes before Sakura spoke- "Well?"

Naruto smirked nervously, "Well, there's kinda another part to me and Itachi's secret…"

"So long as your fox hasn't made you capable of being with Itachi's child, I think I've had my biggest surprise tonight."

"Matsuri wanted to tell you herself, but she was too nervous, and you wanted her to stay with Itachi and Naruto."

Naruto looked from Gaara to Sakura with more than a little bewilderment… "Hu?"

"You first, before you weasel out again," Sakura glared.

"Oh- ah… Well, it all goes back to the night the Kyuubi attacked…" Naruto went from there to tell them in only a little more detail than he had given Tsunade- since he'd had practice since then… Telling them about how the fox had actually killed Naruto's mother- he made sure to put it in the third person. How the fourth had only one jutsu he could use on the Kyuubi- the one to seal it- inside himself. But to keep the Chakara from overloading his body the Jutsu also had to turn him into an infant again- so he took his now dead son's name, both to preserve in memory the short life of his son- and as the beginning of a new plan to track down whoever released the Kyuubi. From then on there was a secret team of four, Iruka, Naruto, Anko, and Akira. Later they learned Akatsuki was after the tailed-beasts, when a member of Akatsuki infiltrated the leaf using a jutsu to animate the corpse of Shisui. Itachi recognized the unusual behavior in his best friend and took him out discreetly. Well from there all hell broke loose, because before Itachi killed Shisui, the Akatsuki member learned about Akira, thus the Uchiha massacre. Itachi found and narrowly beat the Akatuki member, but not before that agent killed Akira and the rest of the clan sans Itachi and Sasuke, then using that as our edge, Itachi took the blame, and used his new infamy to infiltrate Akatsuki.

(AN: yes, this was a recap, both for new readers who skipped the slightly longer version in chapter five, and as an attempt to clarify and refresh.)

Both Gaara and Sakura sat in silence. The boat floated aimlessly because Gaara forgot to keep rowing. After a while Naruto looked down, not sure he wanted to hear the eventual response.

"I was wrong," Gaara said at last… Finally finding his voice, and remembering to row again, the boat moved on.

"You're- Minato?"

Naruto looked up, then took a deep breath, "I was Minato. I've been Naruto for 17 years now, I don't plan on changing that any time soon, look Sakura, I- I'm not even sure what to say, I just want you to be okay with this- and with Itachi."

"Then shut up for a minute idiot," she said not really as harshly as she could have. She wasn't crying, but her body language suggested otherwise. "It's just- a lot to take in, to tell the truth I'm not fine right now, and things between us will never been the same. But that doesn't mean I might not eventually cope. I- I've already become accustomed to Itachi, and I don't hate him for what happened to Sasuke. But I don't like any of this, and I'll be glad when Akatsuki is gone, and Sasuke is back…"

"You should know, when I ran into Sasuke last, he said he'll kill me first. So after I bring him back, it may be a long time before he's stable again- if ever."

maMAmaMAma

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what they're talking about, are you," Matsuri asked when Itachi finally started moving the boat again.

"I trust you'll get the abridged version once Gaara's absorbed it all."

"Didn't think so," she said crossing her arms.

"Gaara's the father isn't he," Itachi said suddenly. Matsuri's eyes shot wide open-

"Is there ANYTHING your eyes don't show you?"

"A few things."

Matsuri frowned. Turning around she curled back up like she had been before so she could just wait until they got to Mist.

It was early evening when they reached the intended island. Itachi had arranged for a contact to house them so they could head out in the morning…

"So, you still have contacts without Akatsuki," Gaara inquired.

"I have plenty of personal contacts that will help me regardless of who I work with at the time," Itachi gave what Gaara was beginning to realize was his standard smirk, that seemed to creep Naruto out every time he did it. Although it didn't really affect him as such, Gaara could tell that it was incredibly creepy. Itachi walked up to a small wooden cabin. Before he even got to the door it opened and a young looking woman welcomed them in. "Klein will be in shortly. He let me know you were coming."

Gaara and Naruto both had an odd feeling from the woman, but followed her in. "Klein said his new student would have to meet us while he arranges for our meeting."

"Yeah, about that, you're having it," she smirked, "Klein-sensei has a warped sense of humor."

Itachi was actually caught off guard by that one, "Wait, the two tail is supposed to-" Itachi looked over at Naruto, then back at her. He shook his head and sighed, "Shirei."

"Naruto, Gaara, Itachi- I dunno you- or you," she pointed to each one as she said their name, ending with Matsuri.

"You look like Haku," Naruto said softly. Shirei raised an eyebrow.

"You've met him?"

"I was there- when he died."

Shirei seemed unphased aside from having stopped for a moment, "My sister's son."

Naruto and Sakura were both shocked by that, "Then- then," Naruto started, "why did he end up with Zabuza, you could have cared for him!?"

"Right- like you could have cared for the Uchiha brat after his clan's massacre," she scoffed.

"I-" Naruto didn't have a comeback.

"Besides, Zabuza was good to Haku, he raised him to be a strong shinobi. History will always be written by the victory, and because of that, Zabuza's better qualities will never be spoken of."

"Except by me- I only meant that it might have saved him the pain of only living," Naruto corrected with a saddened voice.

"His words, the pain of simply living."

"I took his dream from him by defeating him, then he sacrificed himself to save Zabuza from Kakashi."

"Yes, the copy-nin would be smart enough to beat Zabuza, wouldn't he," Shirei thought aloud. Shirei looked solemn for a moment. She then looked over to Itachi, "So, why did you want to meet me, since you're not part of Akatsuki anymore."

"Heh, Klein set this up, as a test for you, if I had still be part of Akatsuki it would be me and Kisame fighting you right now. Klein wanted to see your bloodlimit mixed with your demon."

Shirei smiled, "Yes, that was the plan, but obviously not yours; you have two Jinchuuriki with you, so obviously you're collecting them for a different purpose than Akatsuki."

"I came to convince you to join with us yes."

"Why?"

"To stop Akatsuki, if we have all the Jinchuuriki then we know exactly where they have to come to get them, one bait, one trap."

"So, why aren't you part of Akatsuki anymore, grow a conscience?"

"Was a spy, not anymore."

"And your clan?"

"Killed by a Seven Swordsmen member named Teshiro."

"Ah, thus your inevitable falling out with Kisame."

"And my possession of his sword."

"That too."

"When will Klein be back?"

"In the morning."

There was a short silence interrupted by Naruto's stomach rumbling. Sakura smacked him upside the head, "Can't you ever think of something beside your stomach!?"

"I suppose it is late enough for dinner."

"I could eat," Matsuri said with a shrug.

Gaara eyed her for a moment and Matsuri thought she might have said something wrong, until she noticed something she never expected from Gaara- he smiled. It wasn't very long, nor very pleasant, but from a man who has felt only pain most of his life, it was far more than Matsuri would have expected under the circumstances…