"You're WHAT?"

The shrill voice of a prepubescent teen could practically be heard by the entire village. The origin of the voice stood with a look that was a combination of shock, anger, and annoyance.

The direction of said look? Aimed right at his sensei.

"Mah, mah, Naruto," He kneeled in front of the boy, deciding to throw in his famous eye-smile for good measure while trying to explain himself. "Before you ask, it has nothing to do with favoritism. Sasuke just so happens to be facing the hardest genin in the tournament first. I'm doing it for his safety, because he could be killed, whereas the worst thing that could happen to you would be loosing the fight and your ego." He paused, making his expression serious. "Because Sasuke is the last of his clan, he's in the biggest danger to this Gaara character. This guy wants to kill, not fight. Sauske's fighting for his life, here, and I'll be damned to loose a teammate."

Naruto, being as stubborn as ever and refusing to see to his sensei's reason, barked a laugh and put his hands behind his head in frustration. "How am I going to train then, sensei? I'm fighting Neji! Neji! The freakin' Hyuuga prodigy! There's no way I'm going to loose to the likes of him!"

Kakashi stepped back, anticipating the blonde's outlandish reaction to his solution. "I've assigned Ebisu-sensei as your instructor for the month duration. He's one of the best jounin out there. He has to be to guard Konohamoru, after all."

"Eh?!" Naruto wailed, eyes bugged and arms flailing dramatically around him. "Ebisu? The one that watches Konohamaru? That guy hates me!" A growl escaped his throat. How could Kakashi do this to him? Behind his head, his hands gripped into tight fists.

"He doesn't hate you, Naruto-"

"Yeah, whatever! I'll train by myself!"

Before Kakashi could refute himself, his student stormed off with a plethora of curses escaping under his breath. Sighing, Kakashi did the only thing he could do: pull out his new copy of Icha Icha and walked to the nearest bar. He needed a drink.

"Man, what the heck am I gonna do?" Naruto mumbled absentmindedly. During his aimless walk, he found himself in the clan district, where the more predominant clans resided. To his left was the Hyuuga compound, to which he gave an angry spat and continued to walk, hands groping the depths of his orange jumpsuit's pockets. It wasn't that he hated the Hyuuga clan because of Neji, no, that just wasn't who he was. If he were to start hating an entire group just because of a single person, he would hate the entire village for the abuse he received earlier in his childhood. But because of his mood, the Hyuuga were the last people he wanted to see.

Continuing on his stroll, he breezed past the Akimichi clan, which, though small, seemed to be bright with life. Stopping at the entrance of the compound, Naruto peered in (nosey much?) and noticed his classmates Choji and Shikamaru walking toward him, Choji carrying the usual bag of chips while Shikamaru had his head raised and hands in his pockets, obviously admiring the clear blue sky hovering above.

"Hey, is that Naruto?" Choji asked between the munching of chips. Shikamaru, lazily snapping himself out of his daze, looked up at the blonde at the entrance of the compound.

"Yeah, it is. Troublesome blonde. I wonder what he's up to," He pondered aloud, not at all changing his hunchback posture that famously labelled him as the lazy Nara. When they got close enough, Shikamaru nodded toward the blond who, by the looks of things, appeared to be pretty bummed out. "Oi, Naruto."

Naruto saw them coming since he peeked in, and had already waved at the duo before they approached him. "Hey, guys!" he said, masking his depression momentarily with a goofy smile. "What are you guys up to?"

Choji swallowed the pile of chewed chips in his mouth before answering. "Out to eat," he answered with a cheek-to-cheek grin. "Asuma-sensei promised me BBQ for not forfeiting in the preliminaries. Team 10 is meeting there, but I don't think Ino or Asuma would mind if you tagged along if you're hungry. Right Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru shrugged with indifference. Truth be told, he didn't mind Naruto; there had been plenty of times where the two had bonded over watching clouds and pranking their teachers when they were at the academy. "Nah, no one would care. Ino might, but she's troublesome with or without you." He paused in thought before cracking the slightest of smirks. "It might even provide some entertainment for us. Ino could use some competition for being the most loud," he teased lightly.

Naruto grinned cheekily at the invitation. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. Thanks."

The trio now made their way to meet the rest of team 10 in relative silence, which, as nice as it was to have peace and quiet, worried the two team members.

Naruto was, after all, never quiet.

"What is he doing here? And why are you all so late all the time? Sheesh, I swear-"

The four guys, at that point, simultaneously chose to ignore the woman and her lecturing. She continued to drone on, but the four – Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, and Asuma – decided to bring up the elephant in the room. "So, Naruto, why were you wondering the clan district? No offense, or anything," Shikamaru asked, leaning back in his chair. Truth was, he was wondering why since they saw him, but he knew better not to be so direct with his questions. He had enough social sense as when to be polite and when to be frank.

Naruto frowned. "Oh. I was just kind of… walking. Clearing the head, you know?" He offered a fake smile, one that even a lecturing Ino took notice of.

"Okay, Naruto-baka, spill. What makes the most unpredictable ninja 'clear his head'? You of all people should be ecstatic; you actually won your fight yesterday. Me and Choji were lucky to be cleared out of the hospital this morning. What gives?"

Naruto sighed in defeat. And here he was trying to forget the whole ordeal. "Well, since me and Sasuke are both still in the tournament, Kakashi-sensei decided to train the teme instead of me. He says it's because he's facing a tougher opponent but I don't buy that load of bull."

Ino immediately sighed dreamily. "Oh, Sasuke. He was so dreamy in the preliminaries. He's going to be even dreamier when he wins the entire exams~."

The rest of the table facepalmed themselves. Asuma, sitting to Naruto's immediate left, patted the boy on the back. "Don't take it personally, Naruto, it really is a valid reason. The Hokage himself requested to make sure nothing bad happened to Sasuke, so it makes sense. I'd offer to show you some things if Shikamaru here wasn't in the finals. I'm working him to the bone for this month," he added with a twinkle in his eye. Shikamaru slumped with an audible groan, which instigated a chorus of laughter at his expense. Naruto laughed with them, at first just to join in, but the artificial laughter turned into genuine giddy laughing. He never really hung out with any of the Konoha 12 like this.

Naruto liked it.

Their dinner was served after an appropriate amount of waiting in which they conversed and talked like friends and comrades, some subjects making the group of shinobi roar in laughter on more than one occasion. Naruto quite liked the BBQ he was eating; it was a very nice change of pace instead of the ramen he always eats. Shikamaru, having exceptional observational skills combined with outstanding logic to accompany it, pointed that face out to the blond. "Surprised you didn't ask for a side of ramen," he joked, making Naruto rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, well, it smelled pretty good…" he trailed off, not really wanting to explain to them that he wasn't used to eating expensive foods.

"Maybe that's why you're so short," Ino teased, sticking her tongue out at him. Beside her, Choji let out a bark of a laugh in between bites which resulted in Ino smacking the Akimichi in the back of the head. "Manners, Cho! Jeez."

Choji mumbled an apology and grinned broadly, causing the table to chuckle at his hungriness.

After dinner, the group all said their goodbyes and headed off in their respective directions. Naruto went back to his apartment in a much better mood than earlier in the evening. Even when he was talking about his situation to them, he felt at ease letting team 10 listen and judge his dilemma. Asuma continued to see his side of the story, saying that he was getting the short end of the stick, but he also told him to look at it from Sasuke and Kakashi's point of view. Naruto, being the stubborn blond he is, refused to at first, but in the end tried to be sympathetic and see their perspective, even if he didn't like it.

Which lead him back to square one: what should he do now?

He really didn't want Ebisu to train him. The man didn't respect him in the slightest, and he had no intention to train under someone who didn't believe in him or didn't respect him as an individual. Again, that was his stubborn pride taking over his judgement, but he refused to back down on this one. It went back everything that he stood for.

So what should he do?

He had limited time to find new sensei.

Naruto yawned tiredly and walked to his bed, where he proceeded to flop down on the dirty mattress in a tired daze.

He'll figure it out tomorrow.

"'Cmon, man, lighten up. Pein didn't give us that bad of a mission this time, the jerk."

Kisame grinned a toothy grin at his partner, who, by the look of things, wasn't amused at the antics of the shark. The blue-skinned man twirled his sword – if you could even call it that – and sighed. "Man, you sure are in a shitty mood today." He paused, and considered his next words carefully. "Is it because your back near Konoha? I know it may seem nostalgic, especially since you killed off your entire family, and all."

Kisame's efforts at annoying Itachi were in vain, however, with Itachi being as stoic as ever. "I am not troubled in the slightest, Kisame. I'm just surprised Pein wants to pick the Kyuubi as its first target instead of working in consecutive order."

Kisame shrugged. "Taking care of the brat before he knows how to use the most dangerous bijuu in existence seems pretty logical to me."

This time it was Itachi's turn to shrug, albeit only slightly. "Let's just do reconnaissance. Observe only. We'll take turns in separate areas. I will take the perimeter of the village and you stalk the outskirts to record any passersby who come and go. Remain hidden and try not to fillet anyone yet. We have plenty of time to carry this out."

Kisame only arched an eyebrow. "Was that the fearful Itachi Uchiha trying to crack a joke? Because I'm liking the attempt." The shark-man was only greeted with silence in return, which made him grin even wider. "I'll be getting some emotion in you, yet."

Itachi sighed inwardly. 'It could be worse. I could have Hidan.'

"Maybe we could even watch the final exams if we're still around. If my memory serves correctly, there was information on a coup d'etat that should be happening, and our ex-slithery companion Orochimaru is going to participate. That should entertaining enough to grab some popcorn and watch the show, eh buddy?" He jabbed, elbowing his partner playfully in the side.

Itachi just continued to walk. 'Maybe not.'

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump-

"Arrgg, dammit!"

The knucklehead blond stood in a clearing outside Konoha overdramatically shaking his knuckles in blistering pain. Naruto had been performing basic kata's throughout the morning, from when the sun peaked over the Hokage Mountain to the present, a cascading ball of fire indicating the afternoon. Truth be told, he had no idea what he should be working on. Well, he did have an idea, but putting it into practice would be a whole other ballpark.

Taijutsu was his top priority. Because he was facing Neji, Naruto surmised that refining his hand-to-hand combat was the most important thing he could be doing right now, considering that Neji was a taijutsu prodigy because of his Gentle Fist style. Other than working on his taijutsu, Naruto was going to work on his endurance (thanks to the ever helpful Shadow Clone Jutsu) and perhaps search some different jutsu to help him from the Shinobi library.

Sighing, the blond decided to call it a day. After continuous strenuous training throughout the duration of the day with only food and water acting as a break, the blond was beyond exhausted. His fists, shins, and elbows were throbbing something fierce. 'Thank God for my healing abilities. Damn furball has it's uses, I guess,' he thought while laboring through the field to his apartment.

Because all the training grounds were already taken for other competitors to train, Naruto went outside the village walls to a clearing he found when he was younger. It was a quiet place about a twenty minute walk from the walls of Konoha, surrounded by a circle of trees and a trickling stream that provided a serene and calming aura that Naruto particularly enjoyed.

Because of this, Naruto didn't complain about the lack of training areas; he was perfectly content with the one he found years ago.

Naruto stood still suddenly, his hands folded behind his head as a sudden wind gently licked his sweaty and exposed skin. He closed his eyes. It felt nice, to say the least.

That was before he opened his eyes and saw emotionless, red eyes staring back at him.

And at that instant, everything became quiet, time seemed to slow.

Naruto felt his world warp and twist around him. The environment around him swayed and condensed on itself in a trip-like state while changing the colors from the normal environment to a red hue that seemed demonic. Crows flew overhead, the flapping of feathered wings and their caw's indicating as such.

But Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of the pair directly in front of him.

For the first time in his short, pathetic life, Naruto was absolutely terrified.

"Hello, Naruto," finally came the voice, overshadowing the sounds of fluttering still coming from the crows above. In front of him stood Itachi, wearing a black cloak with red clouds adorning the bottom. It covered most of his face, and from what Naruto could tell he resembled a lot of his teammate, Sasuke. However, Naruto said nothing, fear paralyzing his entire core. His brain seemed to have shut off, and because of that his body felt numb, yet it was quivering. The figure in front of him finally moved, slowly stalking the boy in circles around him.

Like a predator stalking it's prey.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he said after a full circle around the boy. "You're in my Tsukoyomi right now. Reality isn't what you think it is." Itachi knelt down so he was face-to-face with the blond. His face was still emotionless, which scared Naruto even further. "This is my reality. You will endure what will seem like 72 hours of it, but is actually only a few moments in real time."

Naruto gulped audibly. His heart was fluttering in his chest, beating at a million beats per minute. "A-aren't you Sasuke's brother?" he gasped out, finally finding his voice.

Itachi blinked and merely nodded in response. "Yes. I am."

"Y-you massacred your entire family!" Naruto croaked, clenching his shirt to still his quivering hand. If he was going to be tortured, he was going to be tortured with his dignity in somewhat tact. "H-how could you do that to them? To Sasuke?"

Again, Itachi only blinked. Moments passed and not a word was spoken between the two of them, only the sounds of crows continuing to flutter overhead reached Naruto's ears. That, and the sound of his heart beating out of his chest. "You wish to know how I could do that, Naruto?"

Said blond only blinked, before letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He nodded wordlessly.

Itachi walked forward abruptly, grabbing the boy's chin with his black-fingernail-painted hand, holding his face so that his red, mesmerizing eyes were directly in front of the blond's own blue orbs. "Then I shall show you."

From within his current reality, the world began to swirl and distort once again. It made Naruto want to hurl. He closed his eyes tightly now, the effects of the Uchiha's genjutsu making the blond overly queasy. When he opened them, however, he was in a very familiar place.

The Hokage's office.

He was standing in front of the old man, looking down at his sitting form, pipe in hand and hat on lap. "Itachi," he said with authority, "Are you sure you wish to go through with this?"

Naruto felt his mouth moving without him controlling anything, and wanted to recoil from surprise when he heard not his voice, but Itachi's, responding to him. "Yes, sir. I believe there is no other option than what Lord Danzo suggested. I have tried to talk peace to my father but he and the other authority figures are not having any of it. I'm afraid their hatred and yearn for power are clouding their reasoning. Their coup will be happening tomorrow at dawn. I've tried everything." Naruto felt himself – no, Itachi – frown. He felt the sadness within his heart – Itachi's sadness – overwhelm him and almost felt a tear escape his pores. "I must kill them. My love for my village's safety is much more than my love for my clan's greed."

The Hokage frowned. He was obviously very conflicted with this decision. He never wanted to have it come to this; murdering an entire clan because they refused to listen to his reasoning of peace.

To be honest, Naruto couldn't even fathom making such a decision. Is this the type of responsibility leaders have to decide? Having to kill an entire clan because of their insubordination and recklessness that endangered the entire village, or allowing such a force to take control and make Konoha a dictatorship nobody wanted? He could tell the old man was really regretting his position in power right about now; having to make such a decision was taxing and he could tell the moral dilemma mulling around through his brain.

However, it was as Itachi stated; their love for their clan and power blinded them. They didn't care about the village, they only had power in their sights. Sarutobi looked up, his expression still saddened and torn at this crossroads, but also fierce and filled with resolve. He was the protector of this village. What needed to be done, will be done, regardless of the consequences. The Hokage will always and forever put the lives of the many first over the lives of the few.

Even if some of them were innocent to begin with.

So with this dilemma rolling around his brain, he sighed, defeated, and nodded. "Do you wish to proceed with this mission, Itachi? You know the consequences of such actions. I can assign a different ANBU operative to go through with this if you cannot. I understand if it's difficulty and wouldn't be asking you this unless there was no other choice."

Naruto/Itachi nodded once. "I understand, and I will be the one to do it. I understand I will be declared a S-rank Nukenin. I will be known as the person who killed his entire family, and will be labeled as a traitor and a monster. But for the sake of peace, I will do this with a guilty-free conscience."

The Hokage nodded in return. "Very well, Itachi. You will be seen as a monster, but in reality, you are a savior of this village. There's no way I can repay you for what you're about to do."

Naruto/Itachi nodded once. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. It has been a pleasure. I will have the mission carried out tonight after curfew." He paused. "I promise to keep in touch. Konoha's safety… will always be my top priority." And with that, Naruto/Itachi flickered out of the office.

Once again, Naruto's reality distorted into a new scenario, where Itachi/Naruto was standing on top of a lightpole, branding a blood-covered sword and looking down at a young Uchiha who kneeled on the pavement outside their home, openly sobbing.

There were two things that caught Naruto off guard at this picture.

The first: realizing this was the moment that Sasuke realized that his whole clan was slaughtered, not by just anyone, but by his brother. He saw the young Sasuke's face distort pitifully as he sobbed and sobbed, staring up at him as he stood on the light pole looking down.

This was a personal moment Naruto didn't think he should be witnessing.

The second: feeling what Itachi was experiencing at this very moment. Inside, his heart was in turmoil. His mission was going successfully; he even managed to kill his parents without backing down, and he knew that was one of the parts he would have trouble doing. But, like everyone else he murdered this night, he looked them in the eyes before he ended their life.

But, now, facing his brother whom he loved more than anyone in the world, he couldn't dream of killing him. He couldn't bare slitting his throat and watching his younger brother die. What was worse, he knew he was going to let him live. And because of this, he knew he had traumatized his precious person to the state that wasn't healthy.

Naruto screamed in his head to stop, to end this. "I've seen enough!" He yelled, squeezing his obviously watery eyes shut with hopes to end this horrific nightmare.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the first red-hue'd reality with Itachi still holding his face. When the Uchiha let go, Naruto slumped forward and panted, letting his eyes drain like waterfalls as he processed what the Uchiha had just shown him.

"I-It was an order," Naruto finally hiccupped, his voice deeming it almost unbelievable. But there the proof was, in Itachi's eyes.

Itachi barely moved, only looking down at the junchuriki below him. He shut his eyes tight for a moment before opening them again. "Yes."

Naruto looked up at him with newfound respect in his eyes. "Sasuke… he has no idea… he's hell-bent on killing you," he stated unbelievably. "I-I'm sorry." He stood, now, after wiping the tears off on his sleeve. "But why did you bring me here?"

Itachi allowed a brief pause before replying, deciding it best to be frank with the boy. "I am here to capture you and your Kyuubi, Naruto." Naruto stared back up at him in a fearful shock, but Itachi continued before he could blurt out an exclamation. "I am in a S-rank group known as the Akatsuki. We are ordered to collect all jinchuuriki and take their bijuu for extraction of power." Itachi once again circled around the boy, who stood on unbalanced and shaky knees with eyes still wet, slowly and deliberately sizing the blond up and down. "But, like when I faced my brother that day, I cannot bring myself to do such a thing."

Naruto sighed in relief, letting out another breath that he didn't know he was holding. That was good, at least.

"My partner, though, may not be so kind. Kisame Hoshigaki is his name. He is approximately twenty miles patrolling your village doing reconnaissance. He is a good friend, one that knows what you do now, but is loyal to this organization. Be wary of sharks." Naruto frowned at the cryptic warning, but nodded anyway. "There is one thing I'd like to talk to you about, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto blinked, waiting for Itachi to continue.

"How… is my brother?"

The blond sighed and put his arms behind his head, finally regaining his composure (at least some of it; his arms were still visibly shaking and his form was still tense as ever). "He's… broody. Mad. He wants revenge on you, Itachi, he wants to kill you. That's his one and only goal." Naruto closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry, man, this is so messed up…" he mumbled. "Everything we know about this massacre was a lie. Everything. You should be branded as a hero, not a villain."

Itachi merely shrugged. "I appreciate the sympathy, but I don't need it. I know what I did. I can live with the consequences and die satisfied, knowing I did my part."

Naruto opened his eyes, finally, his blue orbs now donning a steely resolve as he sought and stared into Itachi's. "I wish I had your courage. I once thought the Yondamie Hokage was my hero, no, everyone knows what he did. The true hero's are the ones that work underneath the spotlight, where they don't get the credit they deserve. The unsung hero. You're my new hero, Itachi. Believe it."

Itachi smiled slightly, the first sign Naruto noticed of emotion that the Uchiha showed. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I should be thanking you. Actually, since you're here…" Naruto showed his cheeky grin, allowing himself to become more comfortable with the man in front of him, something he didn't expect to happen so quickly. "Would you be able to give some tips? On getting better as a shinobi? I don't have a sensei for the finals of the exams, since my sensei is training your brother…"

An eyebrow quirked up in surprise from the older man. "You're asking me for help?"

A chuckle came from the blond, accompanied by his signature ear-to-ear grin. "You bet! You're an amazing shinobi, plus your experienced. And, since we have loads of time to spare in this genjustsu, time, thing-" he waved his hands in a dismissing manner. "Whatever this is. You can show me kata's, or anything really." With pleading eyes, Naruto looked up at the stoic man in anticipation. "Please?"

The Uchiha contemplated for a moment. This child was being targeted by his organization. With the ease he was trapped in his genjutsu, as well as his physical stature, described Naruto as an average level genin whom, in his honest opinion, was lucky enough to make it to the finals based on his skill set. With the inevitable invasion coming along – according to Kisame's sources – the boy would need to strengthen his skills to adapt and survive his troublesome ordeals.

After a few moments, Itachi shrugged. "What would you like to know?"

Naruto beamed up at the man quickly, grinning his signature fox-like grin before exclaiming his joy at the prospect of having the infamous Itachi Uchiha as his sensei. "Awesome! Uhm," he ran his hand through his golden locks while he thought momentarily, "I have no idea."

Itachi sighed, and nodded his head toward the blond. "Assume your stance, I'll gauge your strength through a small spar. Do you need a weapon to use? Because this is my reality, I can spawn whatever I please."

Naruto remained thoughtful for a moment. "I always thought the Swordsman of the Mist were really cool and strong, how they use their sword and techniques to battle in tandem together…" Naruto shook his head and smiled brightly. "I don't know how to use a sword, though, so no thanks. I'll just spar like I usually do."

Taking a mental note of the wantings of the blond, Itachi nodded and assumed a lax stance. "Alright, come at me with everything you have so I can accurately assess your skills."

"Alright! Let's go!"

Naruto gasped, his blue eyes darting around his darkened surroundings before he stumbled forward, allowing himself to catch his bareings. "J-jesus, it's like waking up from a nightmare," Naruto mumbled, realizing that Itachi was still standing in front of him. It looked like Itachi was true to his word; 72 hours in his genjutsu was equivalent to a few seconds in the real world. Everything was as he left it; it was darkening outside, and the breeze was continuing to caress his still sweaty skin.

The Uchiha nodded toward the blond. "I ended the genjutsu immediately after our fight. I cannot help you with your mental state being weary and your physical state being equally as tired. Had we spent the whole time in my genjutsu, you would surely be in the hospital, and dead if it weren't for the Kyuubi." Naruto frowned, but nodded in understanding. A trip to the hospital would hinder his time to strengthen up.

"Your skills are adequate, at best. The shadow clone technique is an amazing training method, so we will utilize this to help your training. Your taijutsu is abysmal and lacking everything that makes taijutsu effective, but you make up for the lack of a form with your unpredictability. I will try and utilize that into an effective style that you can easily learn. Other than that, your justu repertoire is severely lacking. In fact, it's basically non-existent other than your shadow clones."

The whole time Itachi was talking, Naruto was fuming on the inside. He so wanted to burst out and say that he was wrong, but after the ass kicking he got inside of the man's genjustu, he had no proof to back up his defense. Instead, he allowed the Uchiha to continue.

"You mentioned your interest in learning the art of kenjutsu along side with ninjutsu, much like the Sevem Swordsman of the Mist?" Naruto nodded eagerly. The Seven Swordsman – the only one he know being Zabuza – was fierce and one hell of a shinobi. Plus, it was cool as hell. "I will try." Again, his promise was cryptic, but Naruto could live with that. He was having an amazing shinobi as his sensei, after all. "Come back here tomorrow, at dawn. I will help you further."

Before Naruto could thank the man, or even exclaim an affirm, Itachi spontaneously exploded in a flock of crows, leaving Naruto alone in the woods. "Fuck yeah!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, extremely happy with how everything was playing out. With an excited click of his heels, Naruto bound back to his apartment in an ecstatic rush.

Today had been interesting.

Tomorrow was going to be even weirder.

Naruto stood at the training spot he was at yesterday after his usual morning routine: shit, shower, shave (hey, he was practicing), and eat. He wasn't sure exactly what time he had to meet his newfound sensei, as the generic 'dawn' could mean at any time during the sunrise. Impatient as ever, Naruto paced in circles, awaiting the vigorous training he was expecting today.

"So you're the twerp Itachi was talking about, eh?" Naruto spun around at the foreign voice, only to tense and back away slowly at the sight in front of him.

Walking menacingly toward him, Naruto gulped at the appearance of the man. When Itachi said to be careful of sharks, he had seriously fucking meant it. Kisame – assuming this was the man Itachi was warning him about yesterday – was blue all over his body, with fish-like scales protruding out of his neck and shark-like teeth baring at him in a vicious looking grin. Behind his shoulder slung a giant sword – at least that's what Naruto assumed. It was wrapped up in cloth, but the aura coming from the weapon made the blond even more wary about it than the man. He wore the same cloak Itachi wore, declaring his allegiance to the faction they were both sharing: Akatsuki.

"Relax, squirt, I promised Itachi I wouldn't hurt you," he paused mid-step, grinning wider before adding, "much." Naruto gulped and watched him approach him. "So you're the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, huh? Not much of a threat, if you ask me. I've seen other jinchuuriki half your age already destroying villages and kicking ass and taking names, but not you." Kisame shrugged. "Whatever. No skin off my nose."

Naruto pointed his finger and growled. "What the hell are you doing here? Itachi said he'd help me train! And I'm supposed to be avoiding you!" There's really no running from him at this point; he was going down loud and proud, consequences be damned.

The shark-man laughed loudly. "He talked me into it. I hate the fucking Akatsuki, anyway," he spat at the ground. "Only reason why I'm blindly following orders is 'cause it gets me into crazy awesome fights that I wouldn't otherwise get in." He glared at the blond. "Only reason I'm helping Itachi out and not capturing you here and now is because I know his past and he knows mine; we were planning on doing some shit soon to get us away from this organization, but it's been hard since there's been newer members and more assignments." He paused, tapping the sword lightly on his own shoulder. "That, and training a squirt like you sounds like a blast. It's not every day a kid let's me torture him on his own free will."

Naruto blinked twice. "I'm not letting you torture me, you damn shark!"

"You're letting me help you." He shrugged. "It's basically the same thing." A grin appeared on his features once more. "Just remember, I'm not training you for free. You owe us – me and stoic-man, anyway."

The blond paled at the declaration. What did he mean that he owed them? The thought was severely frightening. However, he watched as Kisame pulled something from his pocket and threw it at the blond. "Take it, brat."

Mumbling under his breath, Naruto caught the item. It was a scroll. Unraveling it, Naruto pulsed some chakra in it to reveal the item inside.

He gasped audibly.

Inside was a giant cleaver, easily the dwarfing the size of the genin. It resembled that of the sword Zabuza used…

Wait. Hole near the tip, a head-space curve near the base…

This was the same sword!

"How the hell do you have Zabuza's sword?!" Naruto yelled, enraged.

Kisame shrugged. "Found it at his gravesite. Didn't even know the fucker was dead. Was a pity, too, he was gonna help the rebellion out. Mist has gone to shit recently, don'tcha know?"

Naruto growled angrily. "Yeah, he died protecting us back in Wave Country, fighting some quadrillionaire named Gato. We left it there on purpose."

Kisame laughed audibly. "You don't do that to a swordsman's sword, idiot. These things are meant to be passed down. What's the point of having the seven swordsman if there are only six swords to use?"

Naruto only frowned but said nothing. Who was he to argue their customs? He was getting a sword out of the deal. "Oi, wait a minute, how the hell am I supposed to wield this thing? It's bigger than I am!" He gestured to the hunk of metal laying on the scroll in front of him.

Kisame sighed, smacking his face angrily. "Pick it up first, dumbass. This sword is sentient; it has special properties that makes it a legendary sword. They're legendary for a reason, idiot. If it's meant for you, it'll be light. If not, it'll be heavy. It was heavy for Zabuza, but he can lift a fucking horse without breaking a sweat, so he used it anyway. Pick the damn thing up already."

Naruto scowled, obviously annoyed at the way the swordsman was treating him, but it could be worse, he surmised. Grabbing the handle of the sword, he pulled with all of his strength…

…and fell backward on his ass with the amount of momentum in his lift. In his hand was the sword, no heavier than a regular katana, if that. It was odd, though; he felt his chakra being absorbed – no, absorbed was the wrong word for it. It was more like being fused into the sword, an extension of his body being fed chakra that he had (and because of the large chakra capacity within him, it was a fucking lot). The sword glowed a light blue on the edges, but keeping the black and steel look in the middle. It was an odd sight; on the outside, it looked as though a foreign pattern of chakra was randomly weaving down the edges of the steeled blade while keeping away from the middle, giving the outer edge of the sword a Aztecian sort of look. Naruto looked up warily, hearing an impressed whistle coming from the shark man.

'Shit, Itachi was right about this, the kid has massive potential. He may prove to be useful yet,' he grinned. "Damn kid, this thing was practically made for you and your chakra. Now I get to put you through hell, and believe me, if you aren't ready to use this by the end of the month, I'm not letting you keep it, even if the sword chose you."

The blond grinned sheepishly at the praise, or what he thought was praise. "Uh, Sharkman, what am I supposed to say when people notice me using a legendary sword?" He emphasized his question by swinging the thing horizontally in front of him, something he found to be easier than he thought.

A tic formed on Kisame's forehead at the brat's nickname for him. "I have a name, shithead. And hell if I know, figure it out yourself. I'm just teaching you how to use it."

Shrugging, Naruto nodded. He'd figure it out when the time comes.

Kisame grinned, taking out his own sword and brandishing It in front of him. "Alright, brat, time to get serious."

Everything will be explained next chapter, regarding Kisame's and Itachi's plans for Naruto and why they chose to train him they way they are.

Let me know what needs to be worked on, and if this interests anyone. Please please please please, review. It lets me know that people like this idea, if anyone does.