Hey... Sorry it's been so long since I updated, but life's been kind of hectic... but hey, when life gets you down all we can do is find a way to get back up, right? Well, here is my way... a new chapter...

Chapter 7

Sasuke glared at Kakashi. Did the man honestly think Sasuke was that stupid!?

Apparently. The cup of sake in front of him proved that he did.

The man had been trying to weasel information out of him and Naruto for weeks, and Kakashi mysteriously invites him over for dinner and mysteriously ends up being completely awesome by letting him drink. Yeah. Right.

Sasuke definitely wasn't stupid, and he wasn't naïve either. He knew the potential effects of alcohol, having seen several members of his family get completely wasted before. He had seen his aunts and uncles start spilling their guts when they were drunk.

No thank you. He wasn't going to fall for it.

Kakashi frowned when Sasuke shook his head in response to the cup of sake he put in front of him. "None for you?"

"I'm too young." Sasuke replied dryly, giving his sensei the iciest glare he could muster.

"Well, I think it's okay for kids to drink while under the supervision of an adult. You see, if you are introduced to alcohol earlier rather than later, you wont feel the need to drink yourself half to death when you finally can drink. So don't worry about getting in trouble."

Sasuke still shook his head. "No thanks."

"Okay." Kakashi frowned. Damnit all! His carefully wrought out plans were falling apart. Okay. So maybe they weren't carefully thought out, but they were thought out to an extent! Now what the hell was he supposed to due? It wasn't like he could torture Sasuke for information.

Or could he?

NO! He shook his head at the thought. Sasuke was his student. He couldn't resort to drastic interrogation measures unless the village was in danger.

Hmmm… that was a thought. Could the information Sasuke and Naruto were hiding in any way harm the village? He'd have to actually think about that one. It would be really hard to justify the torture of two of his students to the Hokage.

Sasuke watched in silence as Kakashi had a very obvious mental debate with himself. He would have found it amusing, if he wasn't so damned annoyed. Oh well. He'd always known Kakashi was a bit whacked.

Iruka couldn't believe Naruto could eat so much and not be as big as a freakin house! Seriously! The kid had already put away six bowls of ramen and was halfway through his seventh! Oh well. He suspected that it wasn't Naruto's fault he had such a big appetite.

While Naruto was slurping away, he was telling Iruka all about his training and how boring his missions were- except for protecting the bridge-builder of course. Iruka listened intently. He was pretty bored, but he would never tell Naruto that. He cared about the kid too much.

Naruto had just started his eighth bowl when Sasuke came up to him.

"Hey dobe."

Naruto glared at him, though the effect was lost due to the noodle hanging out of his mouth.

"What the hell do you want teme!?!?!"

Iruka sighed at the name calling. Some things would never change.

"I have to tell you something." Sasuke nodded for Naruto to follow.

Naruto stared at him suspiciously for a minute. "I'll be right back, Iruka-sensei."

"Alright Naruto."

Naruto followed Sasuke out of Ichiraku's. "What the hell is so important?"

"Kakashi's getting desperate. Don't let him get you drunk."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Why the hell should I worry? I'm a twelve-year-old kid. Why the hell would he want me?"

Sasuke stared at him. "Not that, you idiot!!! He wants to get us drunk so we'll talk to him! He tried to get me drunk tonight."

"Oh!" Naruto's face lit up with the sudden understanding. "Are you sure he just didn't want a piece of your fine ass? Every girl in Konoha wants you, so why not a few guys too? I've had my suspicions about his sexuality since the day I met him."

"You're such a loser." Sasuke turned to walk away. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Whatever teme!"

Kakashi watched the exchange with interest. There. His theory was proved. They were purposely working together to hide their past. How sly. How diabolical. How ABSOLUTELY INFURIATING!!!!!!!!

Oh well. Kakashi wasn't a Jounin for nothing. He was their teacher for crying out loud! He could outsmart them!

He'd think of a way.

Hmmm… Maybe this Iruka would be the key. He seemed very close to Naruto. Maybe Kakashi could go interrogate him for information.

Yes. That was a good plan. He only had to get him alone.

Oh. One more thing. He absolutely had to have a talk with Naruto. Where did the blonde get the idea that he was gay! And gay for Sasuke, none-the-less!! Seriously, Naruto's intuition was waaaay off. Kakashi knew a gay man when he saw one, and there was no way he was gay.

3 ½ Years Earlier

Itachi knew he was running very late, and he was pissed at himself for it. He was never late. Never. Out of all the missions he had ever been on, he had never missed a deadline.

But here he was, late to pick up his little brother on his birthday. Wasn't life ironic sometimes?

And he was really late. He couldn't believe he had let himself get so worked up over his stupid father.

He was at the Uchiha compound, but he stopped at the gate. He wasn't allowed inside, and he was sure that every single one of his family members knew that. It would only be trouble to go in.

He was surprised, however, that Sasuke wasn't waiting for him. He imagined that his little brother would be impatiently stomping his feet, throwing a tantrum that he would later deny, and giving him a dirty look that would make any Uchiha proud.

But he wasn't there. It was the second thing to add to the day's list of odd occurrences.

Itachi was late Sasuke wasn't there throwing a fit about it.

"Tachi!" Itachi turned to see Sasuke break away from their mother and come running up to him. "Why were you late!?"

Itachi held his mother's glare for a moment before looking down at the glare he knew he would see. "I'm sorry. I was held up. Happy Birthday." He handed Sasuke a little wrapped gift and noticed that his brother was holding the play shuriken Naruto had picked out for him.

"Guess what! Mom found me and Naruto in the park, and she wasn't mad!" Sasuke said, happily opening the present Sasuke had just given him. "Wow! It's a Hitai-ate! But…" His brow wrinkled in confusion. "It's not a leaf village one!"

"It's the Hitai-ate I brought home after my first successful A-rank mission. Since you're starting at the academy tomorrow, I thought it might bring you good luck."

"Wow!" Sasuke hugged him tightly. Itachi only half-heartedly returned the hug. He was busy studying his mothers face. She was still glaring, but there was a smugness about her.

"Listen, Sasuke, I have to go. I'll see you soon."

"Alright! Bye Aniki!"

Itachi gave his brother a small smile and was gone in a flash.

Naruto tried to run away again, but couldn't even take a step before a fist was slammed roughly into his stomach. He gasped in pain as the wind was knocked out of him. He doubled over, spitting blood out of his mouth. The same fist came crashing into his jaw, knocking him to the ground, and this time he spit out a tooth.

"I told you to stay the FUCK away from my son, you monster!!! He doesn't need to be weighed down by you his whole life!"

Naruto whimpered and tried to crawl away, but was kicked harshly in the ribs. His arms were kicked out from under him and a foot pressed into his back, pushing him heavily into the dirt.

He couldn't breath.

"Someone should have done this a long time ago!"

The foot pressed down harder, and Naruto struggled uselessly to get out from under it. His lungs were burning from lack of oxygen.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the pressure was gone. He rolled over onto his side, coughing and breathing in the much needed air.

Itachi stood in front of him, his back to him. He was facing his father, who looked even more livid than before.

"Get the fuck out of my way, Itachi!"

"Leave him alone!"

"He doesn't deserve to live!"

"He has more right than you!"

Fugaku didn't respond. He threw himself at Itachi, pulling a kunai out faster than Naruto could see. Itachi matched his movements, easily blocking the man's attack.

"Get out of my way, boy! Someone needs to put that thing out of its misery!"

"Maybe I need to put you out of his misery!"

"Is that a threat!?"

"No. It's a promise."

At that, Fugaku laughed. "You really think you could best me boy? You're nothing but a cheap imitation of my powers."

Itachi was seething. "I could kill you and the entire clan without a second thought."

Fugaku stopped laughing, and instead turned away. "You are no longer a part of my family. You stay away from Sasuke. If you want to hang around with this worthless piece of trash, go ahead, but you won't drag my son down with you." Then, he was gone.

Itachi stood there, glaring after the man he was ashamed to have as a father. He turned to look at Naruto, who hadn't moved from where he lay on the ground. Itachi kneeled down beside him and pulled him into a sitting position, inspecting him for serious injuries.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

Naruto nodded mutely and pushed himself to his feet, wincing.

"Itachi-sama?"

"Yes?"

"When you said you'd kill the whole clan, you didn't mean Sasuke, right?"