Chapter 1: Turn of events

"Hey, have you heard?" the male Konoha citizen whispered.

"About Uchiha Itachi? Yes, and shocking isn't it?" his female companion replied. "It's all so suspicious, but since it came directly from Tsunade-sama, I've got nothing to say."

Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth and silently rammed his knuckles against the stone wall he was leaning upon. The couple walked past the small alley, oblivious that their conversation was overheard by the young ninja.

Three hours. Sasuke thought bitterly as he sat down and rested his head against the wall. A mere three hours since that announcement and word of it was already spreading like wildfire. He slowly exhaled. After all, it was Uchiha Itachi they were talking about, he choked back a sour laugh.

His nii-san.

Biting his lower lip in frustration, he tilted his head slightly upwards and let the streaming sunlight fall upon his smooth face.

Uchiha Itachi had returned to the Hidden Leaf.

Not dragged in chains as an S-rank prisoner, but welcomed home instead as a hero to Konoha.

Three hours ago

"Silence please, the whole lot of you!" Tsunade barked at the huge crowd gathered in the city square, waving her slender arms in impatience. She cast a sideways glance and spotted the Naruto trio amidst the crowd. 'Good, they're here.' she silently thought.

"This announcement would be a great shock to many of you gathered here," she began, "but I must ask that you keep calm and listen to the end." There was some shuffling amongst the crowd but the ninjas were otherwise silent.

"Uchiha Itachi will be returning to the Leaf village," she calmly announced.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, mortified. Tsunade shut her eyes in irritation. Naruto wasn't the only one making a ruckus. The chunnins and jounins gathered were equally noisy in demanding an explanation. Not for the first time, she sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Present

Sasuke painfully recalled Tsunade's speech. Details of Itachi's mission to kill the revolting Uchiha Clan, along with his success as a spy of the Akatsuki had been revealed. Itachi was cleared of all and any charges placed against him. No longer was he the infamous S-rank missing nin. He was now a free man. He was back.

For each truth Tsunade revealed, it felt like yet another dagger being thrust into his bleeding heart. Shock, anger, revelation, pain, denial... all engulfing his senses, burning his mind, strangling his soul. It was against everything that he had worked for, cried for, and lived for. It was shocking how words could break him. Tsunade's parting words etched painfully into his mind.

"As of now, Uchiha Itachi will be reinstated as ANBU Captain and will also be appointed as head captain of the ANBU reformation committee," Tsunade directed a thoughtful glance at Sasuke before continuing, "I will not tolerate any hostile or verbal confrontations against Itachi. Such will be dealt with as insubordination and a direct defiance to orders." The gleam in her eye warned that she was dead serious.

Itachi walked silently through the entrance of Konoha's underground prison. The guards stiffened at his presence but hastily bowed upon recognising the Uchiha. Itachi silently nodded in response and swept past without a second glance.

Given a choice, he knew that he would not be coming to such a place at all. But the guards had reported that the prisoner was practically yelling to see him. Tsunade was most infuriated by the man's resistance and lack of cooperation, therefore sending the Uchiha as a last resort, hoping that the prisoner would come to accept his predicament. Itachi was not thrilled at the task ahead, but orders were orders, and he would firmly see it through.

"Is he inside?" Itachi questioned flatly.

"Y-yes sir. He seems to have quietened down a little after we told him that you will be arriving," the guard quickly replied, unlocking the heavy metal door with swift hand signs.

Itachi silently stepped into the dark cell and surveyed his surroundings. The stone walls were old and forbidding, trapping the room with cold and musty air. A single bed was positioned at the far end of the cell, with a small table was set beside it. The cold moonlight that filtered through the barred window was the only source that illuminated the room.

Itachi's eyes finally rested on the large figure lying on the bed.

"Kisame," he calmly greeted.

ANBU Black Ops rules and restrictions

1. No deviation is allowed from missions without direct permission from the captain or higher ANBU officials.

2. Missions are to be completed without any leak of identity.

3. Insubordination, failure to execute given orders or defiance will be dealt with severely.

4. Reports are to be made directly to the Hokage and no other.

5. In the course of being captured, suicide should be carried out immediately.

6. The safety of oneself or teammates should not be put before the mission to prevent –

Naruto gritted his teeth and furiously crushed the piece of paper. What a whole lot of total garbage. It just mocked everything that Kakashi had taught them in the past. Teamwork was taught to be vital for the success of their missions, but here – they were expected to sacrifice their friends just for the mission. With a dry laugh, he reopened the paper and stared blankly at it. They were no more than pawns to be used and disposed.

"Sasuke's probably taking it much worse than me, eh?" he murmured sadly.

It all happened after the death of Jiraiya. With the death of the Sannin in the hands of Pain, Konoha's strength was considerably diminished. It was then when the Akatsuki launched a full-scale invasion of Konoha to capture Naruto, the nine-tails container. Unexpectedly, this was all foiled by the spy of Akatsuki, Sasuke's hated brother. Uchiha Itachi had leaked the Akatsuki's attack plans to Tsunade, and with the information, they had successfully turned the tide of the battle. Zetsu had been killed by Kakashi during the battle, while Kisame was drugged by Itachi before the battle, leading to his easy capture. With Hidan, Kazuku, Sasori and Deidora already dead – Pain, Konan and an unidentified masked man were all that was left of Akatsuki.

The death of Jiraiya along with the numerous ANBU members killed in action had left Konoha greatly weakened. As such, Tsunade had came to the conclusion that ANBU had to go through a reformation in order for them to regroup into a much greater strength to counter the Akatsuki. Peace would not come to the land the day that accursed organisation still existed. She knew it would be suicidal to slacken off after the last invasion, but was certain that they would not be invading again anytime soon.

Naruto, along with Sasuke and Sakura, had been chosen as trainee recruits for the reforming ANBU. Having heard of dark rumours of the ANBU, none of them were thrilled by the proposal but accepted it nonetheless. It was their duty as shinobi of Konoha. No longer were they the kids of Team 7.

From tomorrow, they were the ANBU.

Fate seemed to laugh mockingly at them yet again, as Naruto now stared at the ANBU register.

ANBU Rookie Squad 3

Uzukmaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke

Squad Captain: Uchiha Itachi

"Bastard," Kisame spat, glaring furiously at his former companion.

Itachi leaned back on the hard stone wall and stared back.

"Is that all?" Itachi replied softly, closing his eyes and ending his calm stare.

Kisame growled and narrowed his eyes at the indifferent man. "I want to hear it straight from your mouth. Is it true that you have betrayed us?" he hissed.

Itachi sighed inwardly. His ANBU garb was more than obvious. Kisame could really be foolish sometimes. Pushing himself from the wall, Itachi walked slowly towards the figure on the bed. Kisame struggled against the chains to sit up, with some success. Stopping a few paces before the bed, Itachi murmured, "I believe I once told you to beware of me as well, Kisame."

Kisame's laugh was humourless. "I guess I really was a fool to believe that you truly had no love for your younger brother."

A flicker of emotion crossed the Uchiha's eyes. "I would be more worried for myself if I were you," he stated flatly, walking towards the exit without a backward glance.

(end)

My first Naruto fanfic! Please tell me what you think of it as I'll like to keep everyone in character as far as possible. Thank you all for reading :D