It started as a mission. A simple mission to protect one child from harm; to use lethal force if necessary.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"I have a mission for you Uchiha-san," Sarutobi said, taking a puff of his pipe, "I wish for you to protect a certain child for me."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
The child: one Uzumaki Naruto.
The blonde child, the same age as my younger brother, was cheerful and always smiling. He could have warmed the coldest heart if given the chance. Even mine.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"Whose he, jiji?" Naruto asked, staring at the ANBU in front of him.
"This is Itachi," Sarutobi said, smiling, "He will be your protector."
"Hi, Tachi!" Naruto said, smiling.
"Hello, Naruto."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
The mission was very easy for several months, and I found myself caring for the blonde even more than my little brother, Sasuke. There were only a few villagers and two ninja that attempted to hurt the blonde, during those few months.
Then my father called that meeting. Every Uchiha that was a chunin or higher rank was to attend. My father demanded that they do the village a favor and finish what the Yondaime Hokage had started. The meeting went on and any protesters were kicked out if they opened their mouths, so I kept mine shut. But I couldn't allow them to harm the blonde. My mission, and my heart, would not allow it.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"We will finish the job that Yondaime-sama started," Fugaku said, "We must kill the demon child." There were several murmurs of agreement.
"You're all fools," one of Uchiha chunin said, "Do you not have faith in our Yondaime-sama's abilities to seal the demon away and keep it sealed? The child is no demon!"
"Leave," Fugaku said, "Your sort of opinion is not needed in this meeting. We will finish what Yondaime-sama started."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
It was after the meeting when Shisui, my best friend, came up to me. He too wanted to protect the blonde, knowing that the blonde and the fox were two different entities. We decided that the blonde's ultimate defender would be decided the next day, through a spar. The winner would kill the other to get the Mangekyo Sharingan and then kill off the Uchiha's that sought to cause the blonde harm.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"Itachi?" Shisui asked, after the meeting, "You wish to protect Naru-kun too, yes?"
"It is my mission to do so."
"Then we shall give him the ultimate defense; the Mangekyo Sharingan. You are my best friend, and I yours. To gain the Mangekyo…"
"…You must kill the one closest to your heart."
"We shall have a spar…and the winner will become Naru-kun's ultimate defender, yes?"
"Yes."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
Shisui knew he would lose. That's why he wrote the suicide note, though I didn't find out about it until later. After Shisui's death, the blonde became the one closest to my heart. I never told anyone; not even the Sandaime, what was to happen as I counted down the days.
Five days.
Then four days.
Then three.
But two days before I planned to kill those that would harm the blonde, I came home only to find that half the clan was already dead. They were butchered for not wanting to harm the blonde; for supporting him.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
I walked down the many streets of the Uchiha compound. Dead bodies were everywhere. Other Uchiha's spat upon the dead…their wives, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, cousins. I saw one of the dead, and recognized the first chunin that spoke up against harming Naruto. It was then that I realized why all these Uchiha were dead; they had given their support to Naruto, instead of their hate.
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
It was then I decided I wouldn't wait two more days. All that was left were the ones who wished to harm my blonde anyway. So I killed them.
All except my younger brother.
He held no hard feelings against my blonde, so I spared him. To protect him from the truth, I told him a lie about testing my limits. And then I left. I was tempted to take my blonde with me. I even asked him if he wanted to go with me.
When he found out that I wouldn't be coming back, he smiled, and said that he would miss me, but that he would stay. He was going to be the Hokage one day, after all. I gave him a small smile before leaving. The Uchiha Massacre would soon be found out, and I would be blamed for all the deaths that occurred.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"Would you like to come with me, Naruto?"
"Where ya going Tachi?"
"Away from here."
"When ya coming back?"
"I'm not." Naruto stopped, looked up at Itachi and smiled.
"I'll miss you. But I'm gonna stay here. I can't be Hokage if I don't live in Konoha!"
"Alright then…perhaps we will meet again sometime."
"I know we will Tachi," Naruto said, smiling, "I'll see you then!"
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
He didn't take it well. When he found out what happened, what everyone thought and said I did, my blonde had a mental breakdown. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't talk, and worst of all, he wouldn't smile. I knew what I had to do. I went back for a short time and I found him. He was scared of me at first, until I reassured him that I wouldn't harm him.
He ran to me, gave me a huge hug, and started begging me to stay. I felt my resolve start to break, and knew I had to do it now, so I activated my Mangekyo Sharingan. I made Naruto look at me, and I sealed away any memories he had of me; good or bad. I left through the shadows. I'm sure it came as quite a shock to the Sandaime, when Naruto returned to normal overnight.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"Tachi?"
"Naruto." I moved closer to the smaller blonde. He backed away.
"D-don't."
"You needn't worry Naruto," I said, "I will not harm you." A few moments later I had an armful with blonde hair.
"Tachi! Don't leave, please! Please, stay!"
"Naruto…"
"Please stay!"
"Naruto look at me…(the blonde looked up)…Mangekyo Sharingan."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
It was a few weeks later when I came across an organization called Akatsuki. They were planning to collect all the Jinchuuriki, and remove the demons from their containers. I would not allow them to harm my blonde, so I joined them to learn of their weaknesses.
It was surprisingly easy to collect information about the members, even though we did not meet that often. It was even easier to pass the information down Jiraiya's spy network.
It would be several years before I saw my blonde again. It was in Nami, his first mission outside of Konoha. He was teamed up with my brother. Zabuza Momochi nearly harmed him. I would allow no one to harm my blonde…no one.
Without Zabuza or his fake hunter knowing, I slipped a poison of my own creation into the swordsman. It would activate near a specific chakra source. Kakashi's chakra. And it worked spectacularly. Every time Kakashi used any form of chakra, Zabuza grew weaker.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
The hunter had already left, to go deal with the fat man who hired them no doubt. The Demon of the Mist was fast asleep. Then again, he couldn't have moved to be able to dispel the sleeping genjutsu anyway; he was still paralyzed. I took out a small vial with a needle connected to it, and emptied the contents of the vial into the sleeping nin.
1234567890
Different Flashback
1234567890
I watched the fight from a distance. It was easy to take the henge form of one of the workers that had been knocked into the water. After that all I had to do was lay face down on the bridge and play dead, keeping my eyes open just enough that I could see the fight.
I smiled slightly as Zabuza continued to get weaker and weaker while fighting Kakashi. Not enough to actually notice it at the time, but weak enough for Kakashi to win. I felt kind of sorry for the hunter, who sacrificed his life needlessly for a man who would die soon anyway.
Zabuza took on the fat man and his thugs on his own. As he died he spoke to both Kakashi and Naruto. Kakashi went to the hunter, and carried the body back to Zabuza. Naruto on the other had, looked as if he was arguing with Zabuza. The two finally came to an agreement before Zabuza passed away.
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
Neither Zabuza or his hunter survived the fight, something that my blonde was sad over. It hurt me to know that I played some part in making him sad, but my blonde was safe, and that was all that mattered to me.
The next time I saw him, was after the chunin exams and Oto/Suna invasion of Konoha. My blonde had no memories of me and regarded me with hostilities. This…bothered me. Before anyone could react and stop me, I used my Mangekyo Sharingan and made it so that the memories would come out little by little.
After that, I didn't see my blonde again, until my little brother tried to kill him at Valley of the End. I had already killed the rest of Akatsuki…none of them would ever get the chance to harm my blonde. My blonde was knocked unconscious…I could not allow my brother to kill him. I called out to my younger brother.
And I told him his mistake. Had he just left my blonde alone, I would have let him live. Since he had tried to kill my blonde, I would kill him. And I did, painfully. Kakashi came upon us as my younger brother took his last breath and I through him to the side.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
"Brother."
"Itachi!"
"You should have left him alone. You should have never harmed him." Sasuke looked at me like I was crazy. Both of us glanced at Naruto.
"Him…it was always for him, wasn't it?"
"Yes…and now that you have harmed him…you shall die, as the rest of the Uchiha's my mission entailed me to kill."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
I left, telling Kakashi to protect my blonde, or that there would be consequences. I looked back once, and saw my blonde stir and look in my direction, in confusion. Not all of the memories had returned…yet.
After taking my wounded blonde, and the body of my brother back to Konoha, Kakashi attempted to tell the council of what happened. But they wouldn't hear of it. They refused to believe that I had been the one to harm my brother, to kill him. They believed it was my blonde, but without sufficient proof, they were unable to execute him. Which was good for them, because if they were a threat to my blonde, I would kill them.
They did, however, strip him of ninja rank and ban him from Konoha. My blonde was sad about this too. But he accepted it. He journeyed back to Nami and took the sword of Zabuza. He started to train with it, staying at his previous client's house. Then, after regaining all his memories, he started to seek me out.
His greeting was much the same as it was years ago. He ran to me, gave me a huge hug, and started begging me not to leave him. I told him I never would, and that I would protect him forever.
1234567890
Flashback
1234567890
Naruto and I stared at each other for only a moment, before he ran into my arms, giving me a hug.
"Please, don't leave me again! Please, don't, Tachi!"
"I won't," I told him, hugging him back, "I'll protect you forever. I'll even stop time itself if I have to."
1234567890
End Flashback
1234567890
Now, two years later, I sit on the grass, watching him just enjoying himself on the hot summer day. He turns to me, and smiles, and I can't help but to smile back at my blue-eyed blonde.
1234567890
This actually started out as something totally different, but I like it better this way. I will probably be doing an expansion of this, so if you liked this keep on the look out for a story called "My Sharingan-Eyed Uchiha". That will be the actual chaptered version of this and not from anyone's POV in particular. I love how Itachi refers to Naruto as "the blonde" or "my blonde"; it just seems like something he would do, ne? Read and Review! Smiles!
Rune