"Normal Speech"

-Thoughts-

"Demon Speech"

"Jutsu!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Itachi: Truth of Insanity

Chapter 1: The Uchiha Massacre and the Fox Boy

Itachi Uchiha, the pride of the Uchiha clan, the child prodigy. He had graduated the Academy at 7, mastered the Sharingan at 8, and became chuunin at 10. Now he was a squad captain of ANBU at 13, having recently also gained the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin to be allowed into the ranks of the organization, and his father still continued to push his career higher and higher. Add in the endless hoards of fan girls that constantly chased after him, and he's possibly the most famous Uchiha and shinobi in Konoha's history.

"AND I'M SICK AND FUCKING TIRED OF IT ALL!"

Itachi's training dummy burst into flames as he turned to another to let out his rage. His punches left dents in the wooden body and soon it shattered under his blows. He stepped back from the destroyed dummy and flicked his wrist, pulling on a string attached to his hand. Three dummies flew at him from a nearby tree, an exploding tag on their torsos. He unsheathed his ANBU regulation sword, and with his Sharingan flaring time seemed to slow down around him. When he deactivated the Sharingan, the dummies split into thousands of tiny pieces, his sword already back in its sheath, and the exploding tags only had slightly singed corners around the ruined seal in the center of the paper. Looking around his secret training area, taking note of the other various destroyed training equipment, Itachi let out a sigh and walked over to a nearby boulder to meditate. –Why do I never seem to relax? Ah yes, father and his constant babbling about being a 'true' genius of the Uchiha clan. 'A genius never relaxes, much less an Uchiha.' He always says. 'If you are an Uchiha then you must train and become the greatest Itachi!'-

Shaking his head to try and clear the words of his father out of his head, Itachi slowly calmed his breathing and began his meditation, only to be interrupted by an ANBU appearing beside him. He wore a bear mask, and judging by the small kanji hidden in the masks markings he was another captain much like Itachi. "Itachi-san, your presence is requested by the Hokage. Please do not keep him waiting." And with that the ANBU vanished again into the shadows. Itachi slowly stood up and gathered his equipment before donning his raven ANBU mask, the small kanji of his captain rank hidden under the black feathers around the left cheek of the mask, and headed toward the Hokage Tower.

XXXXX

Itachi appeared inside the waiting area of the Hokage Tower and knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. A muffled acknowledgement came from inside, and Itachi quickly slipped inside. Sarutobi, the Sandaime of Konoha, had his back to the door as he peered out the window and down on Konoha. Itachi bowed silently to the Hokage before he removed his mask and attached it to his belt. "You wished to see me Hokage-sama?" Sarutobi waved for him to take a seat, not bothering the turn away from window. Once Itachi had seated, the Hokage turned to him and smiled. "Good to see you Itachi-kun. Before we begin, let me congratulate you again on becoming a squad captain at your age. Very impressive if I may say so." Itachi flinched for a second, his earlier rage over the whole matter rising to the surface, but he quickly recovered and masked it, although his voice was slightly strained. "Thank you…Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi did notice the slight shift in emotions, but decided to leave it alone. "I have a mission for you Itachi-kun, an S-rank one. However you won't be leaving the village on this one."

Itachi raised an eyebrow in surprise. S-rank missions were very rare, especially during the peaceful times that had recently come over the world. They also were very dangerous, mainly leading to the death of those assigned to one in order to complete it. And to have it involve something inside the village… "Might I ask what this mission requires of me?"

"You shall see, but only after you answer a question of mine. Understand I wish you to answer this with the utmost truth." Itachi noted the serious undertone of the request, making him worry all the more about what his question would be. Sarutobi paused before asking it, taking out his pipe from inside his robes. After lighting it and taking a quick puff, he turned away from Itachi and looked over the village again.

"What do you think….of Naruto Uzumaki?"

Itachi froze at this, his mind flashing through all the long conversations his father and others of his clan held about the boy. No matter what it involved about the boy it always ended with wishes of killing him. No one liked the boy, often calling him 'demon' and 'monster'. Nobody in fact hated the boy more so than the Uchiha clan, which probably stemmed from the large amount of Uchiha's who had been slain in the attack. Not even the Hyuuga's, who had also been in the front lines in large numbers, had suffered as many casualties as the Uchiha. Itachi himself didn't care too much for the boy beyond being grateful to him for keeping the demon at bay all these years. He was sensible enough to see the difference between a young child and the towering fox demon. But his father would constantly remind him to kill the boy should he ever have a chance, saying that the village would praise him and call him a hero should he ever slay the 'demon'.

"What do I think Hokage-sama?" asked Itachi. The Hokage simply nodded, not turning from the window. "Well…my father says…"

"I am not asking your father about his opinion. I myself already know it." said Sarutobi, a hint of anger in his voice as he spoke. "I asked what you believe about the boy. Do not answer with what your clan believes, only answer with what you hold to be the truth."

Itachi hesitated, although he did not know why, before he answered. "I believe…that Naruto-kun is indeed a hero as the Fourth Hokage wished he would be. He has kept the Kyuubi at bay from breaking free all these years after all. I believe...that those who view him as a demon…are demons themselves if they have ever tried to harm the boy."

The Hokage turned from the window, and possibly the biggest smile was on his face. He sat down in his chair and removed his pipe from his mouth. "Then it appears I have chosen well then. Now let us continue. Your mission is to act as a bodyguard for Naruto. This mission will be ongoing until you wish to end it, or events prevent you from continuing. Do you accept?"

"I do Hokage-sama…but…my father might object…"

"Do not worry about it Itachi-kun. I know how your father is, and so that's why this mission had such a high rank, so as to allow it to be top secret. If anyone asks about this meeting…then simply say that I invited you here to congratulate you on your promotion, it wouldn't be that much a lie too after all." Itachi smiled and stood up to leave, bowing once before placing his mask back on and heading toward the door.

"One last thing Itachi-kun..." Itachi turned around, and his eyes widened slightly behind his mask when he saw the serious expression on the old mans face. The Sandaime Hokage was famous for his kind hearted and forgiving nature, so much so that it was rumored that he would even go as far as forgiving his former student Orochimaru for all the crimes he committed if he were to simply return to Konoha and repent for them. So seeing the normally kind Hokage with a gaze soaked in killer intent and all the power of his title behind it, it was truly a sight to fear and respect. "If you should ever encounter anyone harming Naruto…then you have my permission to capture them and send them to Ibiki to play with. And if any were to break a certain law, especially in Naruto's presence…."

Itachi knew the Hokage had no need to finish his statement, for it was obvious what he had left unsaid was. Bowing once more, Itachi left the office and vanished in a swirl of leaves once back inside the waiting room.

XXXXX

-So…how do I find the boy? - thought Itachi as he walked along the streets, avoiding the occasional fan girl mob from time to time. –From what I've heard of the boy he tends to avoid large groups of villagers. With the streets as full as they are today…- Holding back another sigh, Itachi jumped to the roofs and expanded his senses, hoping the boy's chakra could be detected. –Perhaps the boy's signature will be unique thanks to the Kyuubi's influence…Hm? - Instead of detecting the boy, he instead heard him shout from a nearby ramen shop as he passed by.

"Hey old man! Another miso ramen please!" yelled Naruto as he placed another empty bowl of ramen besides him. Next to that bowl teetered an impressive sized tower of empty ramen bowls, at least 7 in total, 8 though with the latest bowl.

"Hmm…it appears he has quite an appetite on him…" Itachi slowly moved to a rooftop right across from the shop and sat down, cloaking himself with a mild genjutsu that would hide his presence from others. Despite the large amounts of empty bowls already beside Naruto, he felt he would be there for a while as the blonde finished his meal.

XXXXX

Several weeks passed from that first night at the ramen shop. Itachi had continued his watching of Naruto, staying in the shadows and guarding him whenever a threat appeared. During the day Naruto would head over to the academy and train when lunch came around, or sometimes he would simply skip altogether to just pull a prank on the village or work overtime with his training. Whenever he did decide to go to the Academy, he didn't takes notes or read the textbooks, instead he would constantly goof off. Whether it was pulling a prank on his classmates and teacher with some of his fellow classmates, to eating food with the Akimichi in his class, or even sleeping with the Nara, he just never seemed to care about learning anything, even while he still shouted about becoming Hokage. Of course with all of this he spent most of the time after class with his teacher Iruka, dealing with some form of punishment or another. From there he would head straight to Ichiraku Ramen and of course eat his body weight, height, and who knows what else in ramen. It made Itachi sick a lot of the time at the speed Naruto would eat his ramen at. After paying with his allowance and waving goodbye to the owner and his daughter, Naruto would often wander the streets or other times he would head to the forest and train some more. But many times he would also be attacked by the villagers. Needless to say Itachi fulfilled his duty of being Naruto's bodyguard and dealt with them.

Now Itachi found himself in such a situation once again as he silently watched in the shadows. When the villagers normally attacked he would wait until Naruto had his eyes shut or when the villagers had left to deal with them and send them off to Ibiki. Some of the times he considered just killing some of them of, but he knew despite the permission of doing so the Hokage wouldn't take kindly to him killing off civilians. But this time would be different as he noticed a chuunin in the front of the group.

"Well what do you know? It looks like we've found ourselves a filthy little fox." Sneered the chuunin as he kicked Naruto in the ribs and sent the boy flying into a trashcan. Naruto like usual tried to curl into a ball, hoping the small defensive position would lessen the pain, but the others in the group reached out and grabbed his limbs, forcing him suffer the punches and blows straight on. "What's the matter you little monster? Are you scared? Well you should be!" Again the chuunin kicked Naruto, but this time the sounds of ribs breaking could be heard. Naruto screamed as the pain coursed all over his body. Itachi wanted to dive in and save the boy, but he also wanted to remain separate from Naruto's life and not let the boy see him. His pause would almost prove fatal as he almost missed the glint of a kunai. The chuunin had pulled one from the pouch around his leg and pointed it at Naruto's throat. "You know what? I think it's time we finally killed this brat. With this I'll even be praised by the village, called a hero even!" The villagers cheered the chuunin on as he slowly pulled the kunai back and raised it above his head, aiming for Naruto's heart.

Naruto whimpered as he saw his life flash through his mind. The kunai began to move, and in the next instant a loud thump could be heard as the chuunin's arm dropped to the ground and blood seeped out his mouth and chest, most likely the latter due to the blood soaked sword directly stabbed into his heart.

"I believe that this has gone on long enough." said Itachi, his Sharingan spinning as he pulled out his sword and dealt with the others in the group. Blood filled the alley as Itachi moved, Naruto moving into a corner and covering himself with his arms to escape the screams as Itachi killed the rest of the villagers one by one. Minutes passed before the screams died down, and Itachi leaned against the alley walls to wipe the blood from his sword, picking the occasional chunks of guts off his armor and pants.

He heard a small whimper near him, and he approached the blonde, stretching out his hand. "Calm down Naruto, they're dead now. They won't be harming you ever again." Naruto slowly peeked over his shoulder at Itachi, slowly reaching out and taking hold of his hand. Itachi, smiling slightly under his mask, pulled Naruto up and onto his back before jumping to the roofs and heading toward the hospital, Naruto already unconscious with a small smile on his face.

XXXXX

A few days passed after the mysterious murder of several villagers and one chuunin, with no suspect still to be found. The Hokage of course knew of the incident, having received the report from Itachi after he had dropped Naruto off at the hospital to be healed. But due to the circumstances of who was involved, and why the incident had even occurred, Sarutobi kept this information to himself and kept the facade up of having no information concerning it.

Naruto had finally left the hospital and was outside his apartment, ready to sleep again despite the rest he had gotten at the hospital. Turning the key in the lock, he slowly opened the door and entered the empty and dark apartment. He closed the door and slipped his shoes off at the door before turning on the lights. With the room illuminated, Itachi could now be seen resting on the couch, his sword resting on the nearby table and his mask lying next to it. "Hello there Naruto-kun, I hope you don't mind me making myself at home."

Itachi couldn't help but smirk as Naruto fell backwards with a shocked expression on his face. "W…What are you doing in my home?" he said, glancing around in hopes that he could escape. "Now just calm down Naruto, I'm a friend." Itachi stood up from the couch and walked over to Naruto, crouching down to be eye level with the blonde. "Don't you remember? I'm the one who helped you a few days ago. The alley, remember?" To add to his statement, he tilted his head in the direction of his mask, which Naruto recognized once he looked at it.

Naruto turned back to Itachi, looking him over to a few times to see what he really looked like. Finally he nodded and said, "I remember you. Thank you again…but why did you kill them? Couldn't you have just…I don't know, beat them up a little?"

Itachi frowned slightly. "I could have, but they were about to kill you and as such I exacted the punishment for such a crime. Besides...It's my job to protect you."

Naruto stared at Itachi with a blank expression. "Huh?"

Itachi helped Naruto stand before walking to the table and sitting down. Naruto followed and also sat down, looking at the sword and mask from time to time. "I suppose a little explaining is in order. First off, my name is Itachi Uchiha, although I suspect you might already know me due to my fame." Itachi paused as he waited to see if Naruto did indeed know about him. He received a quick nod only seconds later. "You see Naruto...around 3 weeks ago I was called to the Hokage's office for a mission, and S-rank one at that. My job was to guard a certain citizen, you."

Naruto eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. "The old man hired a bodyguard, for me!? What for?"

"For the very thing I stepped in to stop in that alley Naruto. The Hokage knew of the attacks, but for a long time couldn't help you. The reason for this was because nearly every person he tried to find to guard you…well they hated you. Because of this for many years you have suffered, and for that I feel I must apologize."

Naruto shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "But…why?" Itachi blinked as he himself was confused by what Naruto meant exactly. Naruto, having seen this, continued his question. "I mean…why do they hate me? Why do I even need a bodyguard in the first place? Why…" Naruto clenched his fists in his lap and lowered his head, his eyes shadowed by his hair. "Why do they want to kill me? Why do they call me a monster and a demon all the time? I haven't done anything bad…have I?"

Itachi sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that Naruto…There's a law that forbids me. And please, don't ask why there is a law, for I cannot tell you why."

Naruto and Itachi didn't say anything after that, Itachi hoping that Naruto would be able to regain his composure. "Say Itachi-san…" Itachi glanced at the boy, surprised Naruto had already recovered so soon. "Do you think…do you think they will ever stop hating me?"

"Itachi-san?"

"…I don't know Naruto. Perhaps…Perhaps if you prove to them that you are more than what they believe of you, then they will stop seeing what they fear and begin to see what they should respect." Naruto didn't raise his head and continued looking at his hands in his lap, his eyes shining slightly as he thought about Itachi's words. The silence however was broken by a loud growling coming from Naruto's stomach. Naruto blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head, a large grin on his face. "Um…I guess I'm a little hungry…"

-Well at least that got rid of the bad mood. – Itachi thought. He smiled at the blonde before standing up and placing his sword on his back again, his mask hidden under his ANBU chest armor. "How would you like a little ramen Naruto?" Naruto's grin seemed to grow even more, and Itachi suddenly felt a sense of dread creep over his wallet.

XXXXX

Itachi and Naruto after that day slowly began to grow closer, spending time at the ramen shop and occasionally heading into the forest to train Naruto. Itachi knew of the growing rivalry between Naruto and his little brother Sasuke, and Itachi couldn't help but mess with his brother by helping his rival train. It was on such an occasion that we now find them, Itachi sitting against a tree as Naruto practiced his kunai throwing skills on a rather funny dummy made to look like Itachi. Naruto was slightly sweaty from the long training and the strain of the weights that Itachi had given him earlier, each weighing about 20 pounds on each limb, and after a few more throws he finally collapsed on the ground and tried to regain his breath. "Not bad Naruto, you've finally managed to hit the center of the target most of the time. Keep this up and you…" Itachi halted as he felt another chakra signal approach. In a few moments the owner appeared, revealing himself to be none other than Shisui Uchiha, Itachi's best friend. "Itachi, your father requests your presence at once. He says it's important."

Itachi nodded and looked at Naruto. "Well Naruto-kun, it seems we're done for today. Go home and get yourself cleaned up. Just be sure to keep the weights on all the time so that you can get used to them." Naruto nodded and Itachi jumped into the trees to head to the Uchiha district.

Back at the clearing, Shisui looked over at Naruto and sneered before heading off to follow Itachi as well. Naruto just shrugged off the look and walked back to his apartment.

XXXXX

Itachi slowly walked into the clan head's office and bowed before sitting across from his father. Fugaku Uchiha sipped at his tea and allowed the silence to continue for a moment, before setting the cup down and looking across at his son. "Itachi, I have become tired of this sudden halt in missions. I don't know what the Hokage is doing all of a sudden, but I'm tired of him halting your career like this."

Itachi kept his face neutral but inside he was afraid of what he was sure was to follow. "As such I have taken the matter into my hands as the clans head and I will from now on be assigning you missions so that you will not become soft like the other fools in this village might."

"But father…it is the Hokage's duty to assign missions. You cannot simply…"

Itachi stopped as his father smashed the tea cup on the ground, a resounding crack echoing slightly as it shattered. "I can and I have! I have enacted an old law of the Uchiha, and as such I am now allowed to assign missions to all clan members, as long as they do not involve you leaving the village that is." His father had a smug look of victory on his face and Itachi struggled to keep his face neutral as he raged inside at his father's foolish acts to undermine the Hokage. Fugaku reached behind him and placed a scroll in front of Itachi before continuing. "Your mission is to help the investigation of a murder that took place a week ago. It is not often that you will find a chuunin murdered along with a group of villagers. Therefore I am sending you to resolve this matter. After all…" Fugaku smirked. "You are the best, I have seen to that."

Itachi took the scroll and bowed before standing and exiting the room. Fugaku picked up another cup from besides him, pouring tea into it. As he sipped at his new cup of tea, he motioned for Shisui to enter from a nearby secret passageway. Shisui bowed and sat in front of Fugaku.

"So what have you discovered Shisui?"

"It appears Itachi has been keeping company with the demon recently, though for how long I do not know." Fugaku growled and shattered the second cup in his anger. "That demon now attempts to manipulate my son? That is the final straw, I can no longer accept that brat living another day! Shisui!" Shisui tensed and paid close attention. "You are to kill the demon child by tonight, by any means necessary, understood?" Shisui bowed before vanishing. Fugaku smiled as he summoned a servant for another cup so that he could continue enjoying his tea again. –Perhaps if all goes well I can have Itachi take the credit of ridding the world of the monster. I'm sure Shisui will not mind. - Fugaku's laughter filled the room, scaring the servant slightly as she entered.

XXXXX

Itachi walked down the road toward Naruto's house. As he passed a small trash can, he glanced at the scroll in his hand, before throwing it away. –Father is such a fool, to think he believes I would go against the Hokage, especially now that Naruto is a precious person of mine. But I guess I am lucky though that he happened to give me that particular mission though. Now I can use that time to continue like usual and guard Naruto, and when a mission report is needed, I'll simply ask the Hokage for assistance in making a believable lie. –

Naruto's apartment came into view, and Itachi casually began walking up the long staircase to the top floor. However, about halfway up, he heard a loud thump from several floors up. Nervous as to what it could be, he rushed up the remaining stairs and stopped in front of Naruto's door. Placing one ear against the door, he pushed a small amount of chakra into it so that he could hear better inside of the apartment. Sounds of what seemed to be movement and scraping could be heard from inside, the occasional grunt heard from exertion. However, the voice was much too deep to be Naruto's.

His fears rising even more, Itachi quickly opened the door and slipped inside, using the shadows around the doorway to stay hidden. On the couch lay Naruto, his body tied up with rope. A tall figure, someone Itachi guessed to be a shinobi around his age, was standing in front of the couch, a sword in his hand as he slowly sharpened it.

–Shit! Someone it trying to assassinate Naruto! I'll have to be swift, or else my interference will place Naruto in even more danger. - Pulling out a kunai, Itachi slipped a simple cloaking genjutsu over himself so as to avoid any instant detection from the assassin. Unfortunately, Naruto had seen him seconds before slipping the genjutsu over himself, and the boy began to struggle to catch Itachi's attention. The assassin, having realized why the boy was suddenly struggling again, turned around and swiped vertically behind him. Itachi quickly blocked the wide strike with his kunai. He tackled the man and pointed it the kunai at the assassin's throat. However the identity of the man made him pause, stunned at the sight of his supposed best friend. "Shisui!? What are you doing?"

Shisui stared back at Itachi, his Sharingan activating and spinning. "Release me Itachi! Your father has ordered the death of the demon, and I will complete this mission. Or are you a traitor to your own clan?" Itachi froze as he heard those words, and in that moment of shock Shisui kicked Itachi off and rolled to the side, now standing before Naruto with his sword in the air.

"Wait Shisui!"

"Die demon!"

Time slowed for Itachi as his Sharingan activated, watching in despair as Shisui slowly lowered his blade to Naruto's face. Naruto himself was wide eyed and crying silent tears, a desperate look in his eyes as he looked to Itachi for help. But Itachi was in the wrong position to save Naruto, and all he could do was stare at the two. –I…I can't let this happen! I have…to save him…Naruto… -

"NARUTO!"

XXXXX

The Sandaime relaxed in his chair as he looked over the village, a cup of tea resting on his desk behind him. The paperwork had been gruesome so far, but it all was worth it for these rare moments where he could relax and look over the village he loved. He reached behind him to grab his cup. But his hand stopped as an incredibly loud cracking sound came from behind him.

Swiveling his chair around, Sarutobi looked down at his cup, and noticed that a crack had appeared on the surface, large enough to let some of the tea spill out in the process. Sarutobi wasn't very superstitious like some shinobi were, but whenever an omen appeared he would always consider what it could mean. He recalled the various ones that had begun popping up around the village just before the Kyuubi had appeared at their doorstep. And even further back, he recalled seeing a rainbow around the sun, just days before the reports came in about Orochimaru's horrid experiments.

Sighing, Sarutobi wiped the tea off from his desk and stood up. He walked to the window and slowly opened it, letting the afternoon wind blow some of the loose papers on his desk. He calmly looked over the village again and pondered on the omen. "I'm getting too old for this…" he muttered.

XXXXX

Itachi was confused.

As the sword was only a few inches from Naruto, a burning sensation came to his eyes, and the sudden flare of his chakra made Shisui look directly at him. When their eyes locked, the world suddenly froze. The colors faded until everything was black with white outlines. Outside the window, the sky turned blood red and the clouds turned grey like storm clouds. The afternoon sun was a black speck giving off a creepy grey glow. Shisui himself was also frozen, his sword hovering in the air above where Naruto should have been. But Itachi noticed that the blonde had seemingly vanished, and not a trace of him could be found. Rising to his feet, Itachi walked over to Shisui, waving his hand in front of the other Uchiha's face. He was surprised to see Shisui's eyes following his hand, but nothing else moved.

"What the hell is this?" After making sure nothing would happen to make Shisui moved, Itachi walked to the bathroom and gazed into the mirror, the now mild pain in his eyes being the only thing he could go on at the moment. Although his image had faded to black with white outlines like the rest of this world, he could easily make out the white Sharingan inside his eyes. But what was really strange was that instead of the three tomoe of a mature Sharingan, in their place was a single tri-pointed pinwheel.

"What is this Sharingan? Is this…world…its power?" muttered Itachi.

Walking back into the other room, he saw that Shisui was sweating madly, but he still had not moved an inch. Not caring to waste any more time, Itachi unsheathed his sword and placed it along his no longer best friends neck, and sliced his head clean off. The black blood splattered across his face and the walls, but as Itachi blinked, everything seemed to reset, and Shisui once again was alive and whole. Itachi walked in front of Shisui and observed the mans face, finding that he was terrified beyond anything he had seen before.

Itachi looked down at his sword, expecting to see blood, but he was gripping only air as the sword was back in its sheath. He pulled out a kunai and stabbed Shisui in the eyes, making sure there were only two holes that cried bloody tears in memory of his eyes. He then pulled the kunai back out and stabbed Shisui in the heart, killing him for a second time. Itachi blinked again, and all was reset just like before. A huge, sadistic smirk almost split his face like one of Naruto's infamous grins. "…I see, so I control this world. All is controlled by me, and all can die and live by my command. How unfortunate for you…Shisui-teme."

The world shifted, and Shisui found himself tied to the wall of the apartment, his vest removed and his chest exposed. Itachi stood before him, his ANBU armor gone with only a white robe covering his body. The way it slowly blew in a non-existent wind, it actually gave the image of a Sharingan wielding Shinigami, which didn't help Shisui's bladder control.

"Let me see…for 72 hours you shall suffer. You will die, over and over again, and then maybe I will let you rest in peace." Itachi reached into his robe, and pulled out his sword. He stabbed Shisui right in the heart, before twisting the sword inside of him and drawing the symbol of the Uchiha clan on his chest with blood and guts. Shisui coughed up a little blood, but his voice was silent as he tried to scream in pain. Itachi made another sword appear and he cut Shisui's tongue off with it. As Shisui felt death's grip come over him, Itachi thrust the second sword right into his skull.

Itachi blinked, and all was reset, Shisui completely healed physically, although definitely not mentally. Again a sadistic smirk crossed Itachi's face. "71 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds remaining."

This time Shisui's scream did echo within the strange world…of Tsukuyomi.

XXXXX

Second later in the real world, Shisui's body crumpled to the floor and the sword harmlessly landed beside Naruto. Foam was coming from his mouth, and he twitched slightly from time to time. He suddenly tensed, clutching his chest in pain, and then collapsed completely, dead.

Itachi slumped to the floor as he regained his breath. "That genjutsu… is incredibly powerful, but still so tiring. I'm lucky I had still so much chakra, even after all that earlier training." He shook off the exhaustion and stood, walking over to the stunned Naruto and untying him. Naruto, as soon as he was free, latched onto Itachi and cried again, the tears soaking Itachi's shirt under his armor. Itachi wrapped one arm around the blonde and slowly tried to calm the boy, speaking soothing words into his ear.

Naruto did eventually quiet down, but as Itachi pulled the boy away he found that the reason had been that he had fallen asleep in Itachi's arms. With a sad smile Itachi carried the boy over to the bed and covered him up. "Rest Naruto, while I take care of a few things…" Naruto curled up under the covers, small smile on his face, and Itachi returned to Shisui's body. Placing it on his shoulder, he moved with all the skills of the ANBU captain he was and headed toward the nearby river.

XXXXX

A few weeks had passed since Shisui's assassination attempt on Naruto, and everything had somewhat returned to normal. Naruto was a little more tense whenever Itachi wasn't around, but luckily the Sandaime was able to come visit him at times. As for Shisui's body, Itachi had carefully placed it under the waters of the river, making it seem as if he had drowned. It had been found only a few days ago, and luckily the military police were only able to confirm it as a drowning, and nothing more.

Itachi was at the moment deep within the archives of the Uchiha clan, searching for any possible clues as to whatever the mysterious Sharingan he had developed was. It took several hours, going deep into the locked section that was hidden behind the rest of the archive, but he had found a scroll written by Uchiha Madara, the founder of the Uchiha clan. Inside of it, Madara described the Mangekyo and its abilities. From the Tsukuyomi, which Itachi recognized as being the powerful genjutsu he had tortured and killed Shisui with, to the Amaterasu, dark flames that burned for seven days and seven nights and were supposedly hotter than the flames of the sun. There were more jutsu, just as powerful or destructive as the first two, but what really surprised Itachi was the supposed way of obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan is only obtainable by the trauma of death and the severing of a powerful bond. I myself obtained this by killing my best friend, the Shodaime Hokage. However as I write this, my life slips away. Our battle was fierce, and while the Uchiha clan might consider me the victor for having walked out of the valley our battle created, my former best friend was the true victor for having denied me of the very thing I desired, power." muttered Itachi. He looked further into the scroll, hoping to learn of what Madara had meant by his final words, but the rest was only a series of notes on the possible additional powers beyond those already revealed that the Mangekyo might wield. –The death of your best friend…but Shisui died after I obtained these eyes. Then how did I obtain them? – Itachi carefully rolled up then ancient scroll and placed it back on its shelf. As he left the archives, he suddenly realized what had caused it.

-Madara said the Mangekyo was born of death and severed bond. But…it seems the possible death of someone dear to you can also push you to obtain the eyes as well. I suppose I should thank Naruto in a sense, despite the possible side-effect of becoming blind. But still…to think father would go that far and try to kill Naruto…I must do something…even if it means…-

Itachi had reached the outer gardens of his family's mansion by that time and he slowly walked to the nearby pond. He peered over the edge, staring into his reflection, switching his Sharingan on and changing it between the regular version and the Mangekyo. "Could I really do such a thing? They all despise Naruto, and they would even kill him because of such an unfound and foolish hatred. But still…they are my clan, my family…" Itachi picked up a rock resting on the edge of the pond and tossed in into the pond, the rock skipping a few times before settling on the bottom and making ripples flow across the top of the water. His reflection flickered, and in between the ripples he now saw Sasuke staring back at him, a small smile on his face. "Sasuke…he has yet to become corrupted by father and the clan's beliefs. If I do go through with it, he should be spared. He would probably hate me though, maybe even seek revenge, but…I could only hope he would not let his hatred cloud his mind…"

Over the following days, Itachi pondered on his plan, only pushing them away as he visited with Naruto. Naruto himself was already getting over the attempted murder and was once again the hyperactive child he was. But again something occurred that would interrupt their happiness. Fugaku, his father, and several other high ranking members of the Uchiha clan had begun to suspect foul play in Shisui's death. As being the last person to have officially seen him alive, suspicion was instantly placed on Itachi. Itachi, fearing that his secret friendship with Naruto would be revealed in the investigation, and that the wrong conclusions might be drawn up because of it, he decided to space himself from Naruto for a time. The Sandaime understood this, and luckily he was able to assign another ANBU to watch over Naruto while he couldn't.

Soon, as the investigation continued and more suspicion mounted on Itachi, the pride of the Uchiha clan was now slowly becoming the failure. He could hear whispers sometimes coming from his fellow clan members, calling him a 'murderer' or even 'demon sympathizer'. But he didn't truly care about that, as long as Naruto was safe from his clan's idiotic beliefs and hatred.

Sadly though, this too didn't last for long. A brief report from the ANBU guarding Naruto reported several Uchiha clan members cornering the boy, all of them chuunin and above shinobi. They had instantly brandished their weapons, and it was only thanks to the quick interference of the ANBU that saved Naruto that day. Itachi, enraged at his clan's actions for the last time, prepared to end it once and for all, no matter what.

After saying goodbye to Sasuke and dropping him off at the Academy, he slowly walked back to the Uchiha compound, and soon he found himself in front of his father and the clan council. He bowed, snarling slightly in disgust while nobody could notice it. "Father, council members, I have requested an audience with you today to discuss the dishonorable actions that this clan has been showing to one Naruto Uzumaki, the hero of Konoha." The room instantly filled with shouting and many curse words. One council member called for silence before standing, although his eyes held the same hatred in his eyes like the others. "I fail to see such actions like those you speak of Itachi. What proof do you have?"

"For starters, the way you treat the child and your beliefs on him. He is not a demon as you so claim to be, he is a hero! He has kept the Kyuubi sealed within him for all these years, protecting Konoha and the world from the beast's wrath. And yet you treat him like scum?! Is this truly how our supposedly honorable clan honors the final wish of the Yondaime Hokage? Are we so arrogant as to think we are above other human beings?" Itachi's face was no longer neutral as he began to yell at the council and his father, his Sharingan spinning in his rage and his face turning red. "Constantly I see our clan attack and harm Naruto, and constantly I have put up with the mutterings of our clan as they call him a demon and trash under their breath! And recently…I discovered Uchiha Shisui attempted to murder the boy, by order of you father!"

Silence filled the chamber as the council members cold expressionless faces stared down at Itachi from their seats. Fugaku however was enraged. "So you were the one to stop my plans of killing the boy Itachi? How dare you go against my will! I will no longer accept such actions! I had hoped to save you from that demon, but I see it is too late." Fugaku pulled a kunai from between the sleeves on his robe. "Die!" Fugaku charged his son, who although shocked at his fathers actions still activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and turned his gaze on all present. –If this is what father has decided, then there is no turning back, for any of them… -

The room turned black and white, and from a small nearby window the sun outside could be seen turning into a black sphere of ghostly light. The council members and Fugaku found themselves tied to crosses, all in a circle and facing the center. Itachi stood in the center, his head lowered as the bangs of hair shrouded his face.

"The leader of this clan, my own father, has now decided your fates. And so I shall now carry out the punishment. It is a pity really, I had hoped my fellow Uchiha's would not be this foolish. But I see it was only a dream." Itachi raised his head, the Mangekyo spinning in his eyes. Raising one finger to the sky, a huge flock of ravens descended from the sky. They swarmed around Itachi before he himself vanished and the ravens dived at the men on the crosses. The ravens pecked and pulled, ripping and clawing the men. They ate the skin, chewed on the eyes, and cleaned their beaks with the men's hair before drenching their beaks in blood once again. The council and Fugaku screamed, the ravens avoiding their tongues so that they may scream until the last moment. Finally those too were ripped from their mouths, before suddenly they regained all that had been eaten and clawed, only to see the ravens descend on them from the sky again. Itachi's voice echoed across the world from every direction.

"6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds remaining…"

XXXXX

All throughout the Uchiha compound this torture and killing was repeated, the groups ranging from a family to an entire street. All of them were tortured by ravens or burned alive, but all shared death as they fell to the ground. Night had fallen and Itachi now rested atop a pole, his Sharingan still active but the Mangekyo off. He popped another soldier pill into his mouth, the third so far since he'd begun. "….That's everyone. It was taxing, but I suppose my mass genjutsu plan worked in conserving my chakra reserves so as to keep myself from overdosing on pills. But…now what do I do…hmm?"

A scream echoed in the bloody streets of the now former Uchiha district. It was Sasuke's voice, easily recognizable to Itachi. He quickly leaped down from his spot and rushed to the entrance of the district, and indeed that's where he found him. Sasuke lay crouched on the ground, crying and screaming as he looked at the bodies of his fellow Uchiha's. He had blood on his hands, probably from trying to awaken some of them as if they were merely sleeping. Itachi landed behind him and placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke slowly raised his head and looked at Itachi. "What…What's going on? Why is everyone dead Itachi!?"

"I-Itachi?"

"I…killed them all…" Sasuke instantly pulled himself free of Itachi and fell back on the ground a few feet away. His eyes were full of fear, sorrow, and pain, so much pain. Itachi mentally flinched at the way Sasuke's eyes looked at him. "WHY?! Why would you do such a thing brother? Why…even mother and father too…"The last part was a whisper, but Itachi still could hear it.

Itachi sighed, wishing he didn't have to say what he was about to. "Because Sasuke…they deserved it." Itachi wanted to continue, to explain himself somehow, but he new inside that at the moment, there was no way he could. "Sasuke…" Sasuke had covered his face and was crying into his chest, but at his name he slowly raised his head and looked at his brother. "…I can never ask you to forgive me. But still I wish to ask you to do one thing for me." Sasuke simply stared at Itachi and spoke not a word. Itachi continued on nevertheless. "Do not live for revenge. Do not let your life be consumed by it, instead live like a true Uchiha should and protect this village. Become a strong shinobi and defend you home, the home of our former clan. In time, revive the clan, and teach your children to protect this village as well." Itachi paused to let his words sink in. Sasuke still looked at Itachi, but now the fear was gone and surprisingly curiosity could be seen in his eyes.

Itachi again resumed. "If we should ever meet again after this night, then if you wish you may challenge me. I will even allow you to kill me should that be your desire. But as I have said, please do not let revenge fill your heart…" Itachi vanished and reappeared behind Sasuke. He crouched to whisper in the startled child's ears. "…Goodbye Sasuke, I'm sorry." With a quick chop to the neck, Sasuke collapsed and Itachi picked him up. Letting his Sharingan vanish he headed off to the Hokage Tower, Sasuke resting in his arms.

XXXXX

"Dark times are in the future…" muttered Sarutobi. He de-activated his crystal balls jutsu and carefully placed it back inside its drawer, just as Itachi appeared in a cloud of smoke inside the office, Sasuke still asleep in his arms.

"So Itachi, what brings the murderer of his entire clan, save his little brother, to my office?" asked Sarutobi, turning stare out at the moon.

"I have merely come here to drop Sasuke off, and hopefully explain my actions this night…if that is even possible." Sarutobi waved the explanation off and turned to look at Itachi, a solemn expression on his face. "I have been watching your actions for a few days Itachi, ever since you reported killing Shisui to only a moment ago. I know why you did what you did, and…despite killing your clan I must say…that it was sadly needed. Many knew of the Uchiha's hatred for Naruto. They will become cautious in their actions to Naruto, no doubt fearing that you might kill them as well." Sarutobi sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Although the exact opposite might happen too, and Naruto might be in more danger then he ever had in his entire life."

Itachi nodded and placed Sasuke on the couch. "I know that my actions will have me marked as a traitor to the village, maybe even an S-rank criminal too due to the sheer number involved in my crime, but I must ask that you please grant me a few favors before I leave, if you would be so kind as to grant them Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime sat in his chair and lit his pipe, blowing a little smoke through his nose. "If they do not lesson you actions, then I believe so."

"My first request is that you do not let the ANBU pursue me immediately. If anything, let me at least have the night to make my escape before you let them loose. If you need an excuse then simply say that I am too powerful to risk sending ANBU after me without proper planning." Sarutobi thought over the request for a moment before nodding. "Very well Itachi-san, you shall have your head start. But do not expect to never be pursued. At minimum your face shall be in every bingo book from here to Iwa by weeks end. What is the rest of your requests?"

"There is only two more Hokage-sama. I request……that you allow me to take Naruto Uzumaki along with me as I leave."

Sarutobi was surprised. "And why would I allow such an action?"

"To begin with it would not lessen my crime, in fact it would increase it if anything. Many would not care that Naruto should disappear, but those who fear him would also fear him falling into the wrong hands, which I assure you would not happen so long as I'm around. And also…Would he be any better if he continued growing up inside of Konoha? You have already noted that his life may be in even more danger now that my crime had been committed. With me he would have a guardian, and an excellent sensei. I am sure with my teachings he would become an outstanding shinobi, even though he would no longer be tied to Konoha." explained Itachi.

"Before I give you my answer to this request, I wish to know what the final request is."

"It in fact ties together with the second request. If, no when, Sasuke asks about me and my reasons, please tell him everything, including Naruto." Itachi raised his hand before the Sandaime could say anything. "Please, I understand the law, but I want my brother to understand everything I have done, without any doubts haunting him. It may very well be what guides him in his life from now on, a path of glory, or a path of revenge and hatred."

Sarutobi puffed away with his pipe as he considered the two requests. Subconsciously, he also rubbed the bridge of his nose, a headache already forming due to all that was happening. "…As to the second of your requests Itachi, I shall allow you to take Naruto along with you in your travels. I hope that with this he lives a better life and becomes a strong shinobi like you believe he would. And as to the third and final request…"

"…I shall…allow that as well…Though I believe he is still too young to understand everything." Sarutobi smiled and Itachi bowed before leaving. As he slipped on the strongest genjutsu he knew to hide himself, he moved quickly over the rooftops toward his final destination before leaving Konoha.

XXXXX

The following morning the entire Uchiha Massacre was the word on everyone's lips. Sasuke, who was named 'The Last Uchiha', was praised for having survived such a brutal event, although Sasuke merely stayed silent through it all, his thoughts still on what his brother said before knocking him out. Like Sarutobi had said, a new issue of the bingo books had been published, with Itachi right on the first page of the S-class missing-nin.

In addition, soon after people began to notice a certain blonde was missing. For many they simply didn't care, others soon celebrated as the days passed and he continued to not appear. But also like Itachi suspected, others began to fear the possibilities that perhaps Naruto had left to plan revenge, or worse. Sarutobi however kept order and simply left Naruto marked as being missing, perhaps even dead. He felt it would be unwise to reveal the truth of Naruto's status to all but Sasuke and Kakashi Hatake, the ANBU who had guarded Naruto during Itachi's absence.

All of this however was far behind Itachi and Naruto, as they cold now be seen relaxing in a clearing several miles from Konoha, near the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. Itachi watched the fish he had just caught slowly cook. Naruto simply played with a kunai, throwing it at the ground and making it stick before pulling it out and repeating it again. When Itachi had grabbed Naruto and left, Naruto at first was confused. But as they left Konoha farther and farther behind them, Itachi began to explain what he had done and why. Now for several days, Naruto had been unnaturally quiet, and while this troubled Itachi he kept quiet himself, letting Naruto think things through so that he could ask Itachi questions.

"Itachi-san…"

Itachi looked up from the fish and stared at Naruto. "What is it Naruto-kun?"

"…Why?"

"Why did they hate me? Why did they try to kill me? Why, why, why, why!?" Naruto screamed, tears forming along the edges of his eyes. Itachi looked at Naruto and was grateful the high collar of his travel cloak hid the frown he wore.

"…I suppose you do deserve to know. And now that I am no longer a Konoha shinobi, it will not matter if I tell you or not…" Moving a little to one side of the log he sat on, Itachi motioned for Naruto to come sit beside him. Naruto stood up and moved to sit beside Itachi, before looking up at him again. Itachi stared back at Naruto for a few minutes, letting the crackling of the fire be the only noise in the campground. Finally with a sigh, he looked over to the fire and began his explanation.

"Tell me Naruto…do you know…of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: This is a revised edition of Chapter 1. I hope you enjoyed it! (Any previous Author Notes I might have made in these revised chapters no longer exist)