fic: Caught up in the Stars [for Adaina] 2/5

[flypaw]

“Childbirth,” Sarutobi said softly. “The second jinchūriki to the Kyūbi was Uzumaki Kushina, wife to Namikaze Minato and mother to Uzumaki Naruto.”

Naruto nodded sharply, standing from his chair and moving away from the table. Sarutobi didn’t say anything in response, simply let Naruto deal with the news by himself, which he was grateful for.

It was mind blowing. Everyone loved the Yondaime for what he had sacrificed. Everyone thanked him for protecting the people of Konoha, even if the seal still remained over the village itself. Not a single bad word was spoken about the Yondaime and it was as if he was a god in a mortal body.

Yet he was Naruto’s father. He had brought Naruto into this world and held him in his arms, protected him in the moments before his death and risked the seals falling just so Naruto would be safe away from the Kyūbi and Akatsuki

And of the woman who had given her life to protect him while the Kyūbi pulled free of its seal? Kushina, Sarutobi had said, the woman who had given Naruto his clan name and the woman who meant so much, even though he’d never met her.

How could Sarutobi expect him to deal with this now? How could he deal with learning of his parents when they were dead and he could never meet them, never ask them the burning questions he had always held onto? How could he let go of the sliver of hope he had clung to that his parents had survived and had been looking for him since he was a baby and lost in the confusion?

“Are you okay?” Sarutobi asked and Naruto took a deep breath.

“I’m the son of the Yondaime Hokage,” he muttered, stomach settling and thoughts calming. “I can deal with it.”

He caught Sarutobi’s smile as he turned back and nodded. He wasn’t okay, not yet and he doubted he would be for a long while, but Naruto could deal with it. He knew who his parents were and he knew what they had been capable of. Naruto now had to live up to a woman who had fought down the Kyūbi in her life singlehandedly and a man who was Konoha’s famous Hokage. He had to prove to them that he could be better than them, that he finally had a cause to care about.

“I wanted to tell you the truth. You need to know why you’re so important to the clan and you need to take your rightful place.” Sarutobi sounded tired, though his shoulders had lifted. Had the burden of Naruto’s parents been so much strain? “You are of direct Senju blood and while I have allowed you freedom within the clan, it’s time that you became one of us fully.”

Naruto stiffened, disliking the sound of where this was headed. Even if Senju was now his family, he didn’t want to be chained to it like a disobedient dog. He would fight for it and protect it (now that he had a reason, to live up to his parents and their memory and all the things that they had loved), but he wouldn’t be trapped here.

“I want you to join a team, to train with them and go on missions with them.” Sarutobi’s voice was final and Naruto knew he had no choice in the matter. “I have selected a team, one who has recently had a member transfer to another group.”

Naruto shook his head, but Sarutobi’s eyes were cold and firm. He wasn’t dealing with the kindly, old man anymore, but a ruthless one who had become a kage and led people from village life to the forests.

“It is not a request Naruto,” he warned. “I’ve been lenient in letting you study under Jiraiya. Even Jiraiya was on a team and contributed to the village. Now it’s your turn to contribute towards your clan.”

Sarutobi stood, bones creaking. “War will be upon us. Rumour has it that Akatsuki have found the base for their weapon and if it is true, nothing will stop them from tearing our world down and ripping us apart. I hate to admit it, but you might be the only one able to stop them, but you need to learn to work as part of a team and for our clan.”

Naruto closed his eyes and half-turned away.

“Why me?” he asked, not liking the small, sad sigh Sarutobi gave.

“Because the base of their weapon is a person. Uchiha Sasuke was selected by the leader of the Akatsuki in hopes that he will be able to combine all nine chakras of the bijū to create the ultimate weapon.” Sarutobi looked so frail and so alone standing by the table and Naruto had to look away. “You are our only hope to stop them, but you cannot stand alone.”

Without excusing himself, Naruto left. Sarutobi didn’t call him back and Naruto assumed that he’d said everything he needed to.

So Itachi’s brother had been chosen. Naruto wondered if Itachi knew and he paused outside of his door, staring at the wood before shaking his head. Maybe Itachi would be proud of his brother, though Naruto suspected that he would try to do everything he could to stop Sasuke taking in the nine bijū. No one would be able to do such a thing, there was not a single person who would be able to contain so much chakra, so much loneliness and malice, and live to tell the tale.

Naruto lay on his bed, knees pulled up to his stomach as he rolled onto his side. After all he’d heard today, he wished Itachi was there. Itachi would be able to distract him, be able to help him sort through his mind and organise everything so that it didn’t fucking hurt so much. What was he supposed to do with so much information and so much expectation when before it had simply been empty space?

A tap on the window brought Naruto from his thoughts and he scrambled to open the window and let the little sparrow in. It shifted at once, elongating until it was a crow. As always when there was a message from Itachi, a scroll was tied to its leg and Naruto began untying it with shaking fingers.

A meeting in a few days. Naruto could do that, no matter what Sarutobi expected of him. He needed to prove that he could still be his own man and obey Sarutobi’s wishes. Yes he would join this team with the intention to lead the Senju against the Akatsuki (and Uchiha now it seemed), but he would also live his own life.

The crow transformed back into a sparrow with Naruto’s message attached to its leg. He smiled at the thought of meeting Itachi again and wondered if perhaps he did care more than he thought.

Naruto shook his head. He’d figure that out later. For now he had too much to process; the idea of his mother and his father, and the idea that he would become part of the Senju at last, stepping from his shadows and doing something for the clan. It was disconcerting and the only thing that stopped Naruto from falling asleep to get away from it all was the empty landscape and the voices, equally as demanding and painful to listen to.

He simply just couldn’t win.

.

It was five days since Itachi had last returned home and he took care when leaving the clan grounds, trying to avoid detection. Madara had scheduled an Akatsuki meeting for the morning and Itachi had decided to leave in the late hours of the night, under the cover of darkness. He’d get lectured for it at a later date, especially as he planned to spend two days with Naruto after the meeting, but Itachi found it hard to care. The clan cared little for him as a person and there was only so much of his father’s watchful eye Itachi could take without rebelling.

He paused when he was sure that no one had followed and summoned his Akatsuki clothing. The cloak was warming against the slight chill in the night air and the hat gave him an added sense of security in hiding his face. Genjutsu was all well and good, but if it was an Uchiha member who saw him then Itachi would have to be ruthless - something he preferred to save for actual enemies and not just annoyances.

The headquarters for the Akatsuki were situated in Ame and the country was feared because of them. They had turned Ame around from being a war-torn fraction to a powerhouse of a land, reputation backed by their ownership of the nine bijū. While Itachi hadn’t joined the organisation to be in control of such power, he had seen the power with his own eyes and had been amazed.

“Ever early, Itachi-san,” a voice said and Itachi half-turned to Kisame, not bothering with his response. Trust Kisame to be waiting for him, though Itachi didn’t fool himself into thinking it was for partnership. Kisame kept close to Itachi for the simple fact that Madara as so lenient when it came to Itachi.

“Sasuke is to join us later on,” Itachi said as they entered the building. “Security around the clan grounds would have been tighter if I had stayed.”

Kisame grunted. “Leader-sama really believes that he can do it then?” he asked and Itachi took his hat off, Sharingan activated already.

“He does, though I can’t say I agree with him.” At Kisame’s look, Itachi elaborated. “You’ll understand when he comes here; Sasuke has no real conception of the world outside of our clan.”

“Is Pein-sama coming to this meeting?” Kisame asked suddenly.

Pein - Nagato - only appeared when he deigned it necessary to. It was understandable; he was the one who Madara had left in charge of the Akatsuki to collect eight of the nine bijū. While Nagato didn’t like Madara (a fact Itachi had on authority from the man himself), he formed a working partnership because it benefitted benefited them both. In the end, they both wanted the same thing, even if using the Jūbi’s power meant different things in Madara and Nagato’s minds.

“I hear they’re bringing another fucking Uchiha here,” a loud voice said as Itachi rounded a corner and he grimaced as Deidara came into view. If there had been one person he’d wanted to avoid before the meeting, it was Deidara.

“Oi Itachi,” he snarled, leaving Sasori’s side to march over to Itachi. “Did you know the runt was coming here?”

Itachi didn’t bother to reply and Kisame pushed past, entering into the meeting room that they would be using for the meeting. Deidara didn’t move, even as Sasori left.

“Did you?” he demanded and Itachi rolled his eyes.

“I only found out a few days ago; not enough time to warn you.” Deidara’s hatred of the Uchiha clan (Itachi in particular) was infamous. Bringing Sasuke here and asking Deidara to be in the same room was like antagonising a bear by dangling your arm before it and then complaining when it attacked you.

“Remember that he’s strong,” Itachi reminded Deidara before he moved to the meeting room.

It was as if the meeting room was set in another world, though perhaps another dimension might be more accurate to say. The Gedō Mazō statue stood at one end of the massive room while the members were gathered at the other end, waiting for Madara to enter. The room was dark and unless you knew who was who, there was little hope at knowing any of the faces.

Still, Itachi couldn’t trust Madara to outright name him.

“Itachi,” a deep voice said and Itachi turned to Pein, surprised that he was down here so early. “Would you wait behind so I can speak to you?”

Itachi nodded. Though Nagato and Itachi had different ideals on how peace should be achieved, he was someone Itachi didn’t mind spending time with. He wasn’t fully insane like Madara and did have a degree of rationality in his thoughts.

It was because Itachi had never hidden his resentment for Madara that the entire organisation knew he would happily destroy Madara if he could. Pein used it to aid his own goals and Madara didn’t seem to care. The rest of the Akatsuki stayed out of it (with the exception of Deidara and Kisame) and simply let them get on with working together yet hating each other.

“Everyone’s here,” a voice said in amusement and they quietened, looking to the doorway as Madara stood there, exuding a triumphant air, pleased that his plans were finally nearing his goal. Itachi shifted until he was certain he couldn’t be seen and Kisame followed him, Deidara grunting and stationing himself before Itachi.

“Don’t think this is to help you,” he muttered as Madara entered the room. “Just that it’s more interesting this way.”

“As you all know, I’ve taken Uchiha Sasuke into my tutelage. He’s accepted training so that he can combine all nine chakras of the bijū and aid us in creating our ultimate weapon.” Madara stood before them and Itachi could sense the bloodlust in the air. It was surprising that everyone had managed to hold back with this amount of anticipation in the air.

“I wanted to introduce him to you so that you know the face of our saviour.” Madara looked to the door and Itachi glanced over to see Sasuke lingering in the doorway. “And here he is; the pride of the Uchiha clan.”

Sasuke didn’t look any different to how he usually did. For some reason, Itachi had had expected him to look different now he was under Madara’s wing, though how he had no idea.

Deidara broke his thoughts with a snort of laughter.

“Do you have something you want to say Deidara?” Madara asked, voice cold. If there was one person who would make Sasuke’s life a living hell, it would be Deidara.

“No, no,” Deidara said, shaking his head and smiling. Itachi hid a smirk of his own, sensing Madara’s annoyance. “Just that he looks so weak compared to his brother.”

Itachi’s smirk faded as a few other members of the Akatsuki shifted in amusement. They were clearly waiting to see who would break the news to Sasuke - that Itachi had beaten him and was part of the Akatsuki, not just an accessory - but it wasn’t Madara or Itachi who spoke.

“Itachi may be strong, but how do you know that I’m weaker than he is?” Sasuke’s voice had a hint of irritation and Itachi fought the urge to close his eyes. There was no way he was going to be able to leave the room without Sasuke knowing he was part of the Akatsuki.

“Because I planted a tiny bomb on you and you didn’t even notice,” Deidara said smugly, activating his jutsu. A tiny puff of smoke rose from Sasuke’s shoulder - no harm, but plenty of embarrassment for someone like Sasuke.

Besides Itachi, Kisame ducked his head.

“He’s certainly an interesting one,” he said, laughing slightly. “I understand what you meant now.”

In the grand scheme of things, falling prey to embarrassment was nothing. This was Sasuke, however, and he always took things far too personally.

“I’d beat you in a fight,” Sasuke said and Deidara laughed. Itachi could sense the reply when Madara stepped in, voice a slow drawl as if he was dealing with little children.

“Sasuke is here with me,” he announced. “As he is my personal guest, any attack on him will be seen as an attack against me.”

Deidara slumped back and Itachi remained stock still. Deidara would never be able to take on Madara, but he was the sort who would try anything. Thankfully Deidara calmed and shrugged his shoulders.

“No point getting worked up on a runt like that,” he said, muttering yet allowing his voice to carry. Sasuke stiffened, but Madara’s reprimand still hung in the air and he made no attempt to reply back to Deidara.

“All the members you see before you have been part of the Akatsuki for years. Pein and Konan,” Madara gestured to them lazily, “were part of the founding team and have since met our goals above expectation.”

“He does not need a history lesson,” Pein said suddenly, voice low and annoyed. “If you want to give the boy one then you can do it in your own training period, not on our time.”

“Well I’d be fucking pissed off too,” Hidan muttered to Kakuzu and a general consensus passed through the group. Even Itachi wasn’t fond of being called upon just for Sasuke and Madara’s sake. They weren’t livestock to be counted; all of them were capable of terrible things and were about to have the world at their feet.

“No,” Madara muttered, voice light. “I suppose not.”

Madara turned to Sasuke. “This is the Gedō Mazō statue. Inside of it, the nine bijū are sealed.”

He allowed Sasuke to look at it, to get close to it even, while the rest of the Akatsuki remained where they were standing.

“You have to bring me back to your clan one time and lure him out,” Deidara said, turning round with an angered scowl. “Compared to him, you’re fucking likeable.”

“You need to spend less time with Hidan,” Itachi replied, nodding at Hidan as he looked over at the mention of his name. When it was evident that bloodshed was not the topic at hand, Hidan dismissed them and turned back to chewing Kakuzu out over something.

“This will be the only time you’ll see the statue before the ceremony.” Madara’s voice was audible once more and the group turned to him lazily. Though he may be the leader, Madara’s grip over the group was going to break if he didn’t get a move on with what he wanted. The individual members weren’t known for their patience.

“The only time?” Sasuke parroted and Pein answered quickly, stepping beside Madara.

“You are not part of the Akatsuki and as such, you will not attend our meetings.” Pein’s voice was harsh, but his words so important. It was time for Sasuke to live in the real world, away from where he had everything thrown at his feet.

“I don’t care if you’re training to unlock the mangekyō or training to merge the nine chakras of the bijū; I didn’t pick you like the rest of the members and I will not have you in here until it’s time for you to merge the chakras.” Pein pulled back, moving over to the Gedō Mazō and nodding his head in Itachi’s direction.

“I’ll speak to you later,” Itachi said to Kisame, moving through the shadows of the room. He managed to stay hidden, largely in part due to Sasuke’s distraction. Madara was busy talking to him as the others filtered out quickly, returning to their normal line of duty.

“There is something I wanted you to check,” Pein said quietly, cutting himself short as Madara came near.

“If you have any questions, Pein,” Madara began, Sasuke in step behind. Pein turned lazily, irritated at the interruption but unable to do anything. “Now would be the time to raise them.”

Killer intent was unleashed briefly as a warning and Itachi sensed Madara smile behind his smirk.

“I only need one Sharingan user, not three,” Pein said icily and Itachi felt Sasuke start and look at him sharply. It was only Itachi’s superb control over his chakra that had hidden his presence from Sasuke until now (and a bit of luck of course) and it seemed that it was time for him to be revealed.

“Unlike you two, Itachi thinks about more than himself and recognises what he needs to do for us all.” Pein’s voice was tight and his agitation towards Madara clear. Itachi wondered if Nagato and Madara had fought, though he had no way of knowing.

“Itachi?” Sasuke whispered, Sharingan activated through the gloom to try and confirm what Pein had said. “Nii-san?”

Itachi said nothing, but nodded his head slightly, taking a small step forward. It was enough for Sasuke to see him and his eyes widened, Sharingan spinning in a mixture of surprise and anger.

“Why…?” Sasuke asked, looking so lost and confused that Itachi almost felt sorry for him. He’d been pulled into an adult world without fully understanding and now he’d discovered Itachi had made it here first. Sasuke had always been firm about their stance and his rivalry with Itachi was infamous. Would he be able to handle Itachi being in the Akatsuki?

“Itachi’s been with us for many years,” Madara interjected. “An invaluable member, even though he does have some interesting views.”

The explanation seemed to do nothing to cure Sasuke’s confusion, but he straightened up and took his eyes from Itachi’s. There would be many questions when Itachi returned (and more on where had Itachi gone after the Akatsuki meeting), but there was no need to concern himself about that just yet.

Madara left without another word and Sasuke followed, doting and puppy-like. He would never last long as a true member of the Akatsuki and Itachi wondered if there was something he could do to stop the clan babying Sasuke so much.

“The Gedō Mazō chakras are fluctuating,” Pein said and Itachi dismissed his thoughts. He was part of the Akatsuki and he had business to attend to.

“Fluctuating in what manner?” Itachi replied as they stopped before the face of the statue.

Pein set a hand on the statue. “It’s as if they’re reacting to something. As if they’re trying to do something, though it’s impossible for the bijū to break free.”

“The Rinnegan found nothing?” Itachi asked, though if Pein had come to him then it was highly unlikely Nagato had been able to uncover the reason behind the odd activity.

As predicted, Nagato shook his head.

“I wanted to see if the Sharingan could shed any light on the matter or if it was simply an effect of nine potent chakras being forced into such close proximity.” Pein’s mouth was set in a grim line.

“I’ll leave you alone,” he said and Itachi nodded thankfully. While he’d never told Nagato about his mangekyō, the Rinnegan was not an eye to underestimate and Itachi would bet that Nagato knew about his power. He’d never said anything or indicated that he would expose Itachi’s talent though, something for which Itachi was grateful for.

The room was eerily still when Pein left and Itachi wasted no time in scouring the statue with his eyes. His Sharingan could only pick up on the masses of chakra inside and while there was a disturbance present, it wasn’t discernible.

With no other option, Itachi activated his mangekyō. The Gedō Mazō hummed with life and Itachi took a sharp breath before he fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the force before him. These weren’t just chakra entities, but living bijū. They were still alive, trapped inside one statue and just waiting for the moment they could be free.

“Uchiha Itachi,” a deep voice said and Itachi looked into the central eye of the statue. The strain on his eyes was almost impossible to bear and he felt blood trickle down the side of his cheek.

“We have waited many years for this moment,” another voice said and Itachi shuddered at the immense pressure from the chakra leaking from the statue. Pein had been wrong; it hadn’t been fluctuations without a purpose or futile efforts to escape. The bijū knew exactly what they needed and Itachi was just a pawn in their hand.

“You have found the one we seek,” the first voice said and a flicker of red passed Itachi’s line of vision. “And they are the only one who can bring peace to this world.”

It should be impossible for the bijū to assume a true form inside of the Gedō Mazō, but Itachi recognised the Kyūbi no Yōko when he saw it. He remembered running from the fox as a child, Sasuke tightly held in his arms, but it struck him with a far greater fear now than then.

Back then he had been able to escape. Now, the nine bijū had chosen him for this task, chosen him to find whatever they were looking for - whatever he had found already.

“Why…” Itachi managed out, the strain of chakras too great for him to speak any more.

“We can see into your heart,” was the simple reply. “Even when you sealed the first of us, your intentions were for peace; the kind of peace that is not brought by bloodshed and terror.”

The Kyūbi looked at Itachi with its great, red eyes. Strangely, the fear began to fade and Itachi felt the pressure of chakra lessen until it was only the Kyūbi’s.

“Those intentions we knew would lead us to our salvation.” The Kyūbi was grinning, eyes wicked and mischievous. “Bring him to us,” he commanded and the chakra receded, leaving Itachi gasping.

This was something he needed to think about away from the Akatsuki. He couldn’t keep his guard up and dwell on what had just happened, but he likewise couldn’t just vanish.

“I found nothing,” Itachi said to Pein as he exited the room. “A disturbance in the chakra, but I cannot say more.”

Pein nodded, eyes meeting Itachi’s briefly.

“Madara is lingering,” Pein said suddenly. “Most likely trying to explain the merits of the mangekyō to Sasuke.” Pein’s look was sharp and Itachi felt a jolt of panic pass through him as he realised his mangekyō was still activated.

“The Kyūbi’s chakra does bring out the bloodline at its highest potential so I daresay he’ll try to experiment if Sasuke can contain the nine bijū.” Pein nodded to Itachi, still ambiguous if Madara was listening into their conversation, but explaining why Itachi’s mangekyō was still so open. It was a rookie mistake, but thankfully the consequences had been limited.

“I would like you to look again after the next meeting,” Pein said as they began to walk.

“It’s not something to dismiss,” Itachi agreed, pausing as they rounded the corner. Madara was there, Sasuke at his side and there were no shadows to duck away in this time.

“Heading home so soon?” Madara asked, though it was a subtle attack. He knew that Itachi never returned to the clan grounds as soon as a meeting had finished and he was placing a bridge between Sasuke and himself.

“I have a few personal matters to attend to,” Itachi commented. The Akatsuki was his turf, he’d been here for years and he wasn’t about to be shown up in front of Sasuke, even if it meant divulging a little more of what he’d tried to hide away.

“At least we know you won’t get a woman with child,” Madara said, turning his shoulder slightly towards Itachi. “Your pursuits lie elsewhere.”

Itachi raised an eyebrow. “I had no idea you were so interested in what I do away from the Akatsuki,” he said, not backing down from Madara. With Sasuke here, it had become a contest of Madara’s and, though it was childish, Itachi couldn’t afford to back down.

“Usually I wouldn’t be, but you’ve been awfully close to the Senju brat for a while now.” Itachi stiffened and narrowed his eyes, only just keeping the mangekyō back. The mangekyō could sense Madara’s in the hypersensitivity it felt from the Kyūbi’s chakra. Itachi had to remain in control even if Madara’s words had been a direct threat. Belatedly, he wondered how long Madara had known about Naruto.

“I thought you would be one to approve such measures. It would simply do more to disgrace the clan’s name after all.” Itachi noted Sasuke’s confusion and knew that he would be in for a tough time once he returned to the clan grounds.

“If it had been anyone but Senju,” Madara said, shaking his head. “Though you certainly know how to pick them; he’s from the same ilk as Nagato.”

It was new to Itachi, but he couldn’t say whether Nagato new already or not. Pein was impassive, simply taking steps forward until he was past Madara and Sasuke.

“Your clan may worship you, but we care little for your words in the Akatsuki,” Pein said, voice low and dangerous. “I have little time for talk.”

Madara was silent, but Itachi could taste his mockery in the air. He hoped that Sasuke would be able to hold onto his questions until Itachi returned home. Madara would simply reveal whatever he wanted, uncaring if it was the truth or not.

“Excuse me,” Itachi said politely, following Pein. Madara caught his arm and he turned.

“Do not try to get in my way,” Madara said calmly. He let go of Itachi’s arm and turned away.

Did he know about the bijū and their message? Did he know about Itachi’s mangekyō? What did he intend to do with Naruto?

Itachi didn’t bother to reply, walking away and nodding to Pein as he passed him. There was nothing more to say and Nagato had his own things to deal with.

He’d arranged to meet Naruto at an onsen town in the centre of the Fire Country. It was non-descript, discreet and easy to flee. Itachi was early, but it would give him time to think about what had happened back by the Gedō Mazō statue.

Itachi entered the pre-booked room and sealed his Akatsuki cloak away. He also removed his clan clothing and changed into the onsen’s standard yukata, not wanting to be marked by anything anymore. He wanted to be neutral, just for once, and be able to show it openly. Naruto was the only one he’d be able to do as such with and he was grateful for the small allowances.

Itachi left the room briefly to ask for some tea to be brought up. A kindly woman delivered it politely, smiling as she set the tea set on the table before leaving. The tea was bitter and welcome and Itachi savoured it, mulling over the events of the morning.

As he’d expected, Sasuke would never be able to combine all nine chakras to form the Jūbi. It was startling that the fact had been confirmed by the bijū themselves, but strange things were commonplace when you were in the Akatsuki. The Sharingan had always been tied to the Kyūbi and, in hindsight, Itachi wasn’t overly surprised that it had reached out to him.

But even so, the bijū themselves had reached out to him. To him and were clear that they expected him to do something. Itachi had met the person he was looking for in his search, but the real question was how he had missed it. Itachi thought he had been meticulous in looking through possible candidates and he ran through them in his mind, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.

“Thank fuck you’re early,” a warm voice said and Itachi stirred from his thoughts, smiling as Naruto forwent usual propriety and kissed him, wincing at the bitter taste of tea.

“You could have warned me,” Naruto muttered, but he looked free of burden and more relaxed than he had a mere second ago.

It seemed Itachi wasn’t the only one who benefited from their meetings and he poured another cup of tea, despite Naruto’s protests that he hated green tea.

.

It was a few days before Naruto was supposed to be meeting with Itachi and he felt like a small child. Sarutobi’s office was empty aside from him and it was unnerving.

“Says he’ll be back in a few minutes and vanishes for ages,” Naruto moaned to himself. “Join a team, he says.” Naruto frowned and sighed.

It wasn’t that he was opposed to teamwork. He worked very well with Jiraiya (and Tsunade for that matter, though they had only needed to fight together once and hadn’t seen each other for a long while) and knew the principles of teamwork. All Sarutobi’s plan would do was cause a bit of a ruffle in the ranks, especially when they realised that Naruto’s carefully cultivated image of a basic, boring shinobi was completely wrong.

Rushing in, Sarutobi returned with an apologetic nod to Naruto. Behind him trailed a man Naruto recognised from the academy - Iruka-sensei - who was in turn followed by a woman Naruto placed as a former classmate, a dark-haired man around his age and none other than the infamous Hatake Kakashi.

“I had arranged for you to meet in the mission’s assignment office, but the information would be better to discuss here.” Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sarutobi’s words. If he dared to reveal personal information (not about his skills, because Naruto knew that his team had to have some basic idea of what he could do and it was easier for Sarutobi to tell them) then Naruto was ready to walk away and never return.

(Or rather, walk away and pretend he was never coming back, but returning after kidnapping Itachi for a month and completely sexed out.)

“Kakashi, Sakura, Sai,” Sarutobi said, nodding to each of them so Naruto knew who was who. It was obvious, but Sarutobi thought less of him and that was fine by Naruto. It was underestimating him that had led Naruto to lead the life he’d wanted until now.

“This is Uzumaki Naruto and he will be joining your team from today.” Short and sweet, nothing like the long introduction and recount of skills Naruto had been expecting.

Kakashi smiled in a good natured manner while Sakura waved. Sai was impassive, but Naruto had spent enough time around members of the Uchiha clan (well, a member) to know that impassive on the outside was hardly impassive on the inside.

“Iruka has a mission for you. Lower B rank, but it shouldn’t take too long.” Sarutobi nodded to Iruka, who passed the mission scrolls to Kakashi. They were skimmed and tucked away and Kakashi took over from the clan leader.

“You have ten minutes to prepare and meet me at the southern rendezvous point. Any later and you’re out of the mission.” Kakashi smiled and waved a hand, vanishing.

“Naruto,” Sarutobi said as he turned to go. “Remember that this isn’t something that you can escape. Sakura and Sai will be depending on you from now on, as will Kakashi, to make this work.” Sarutobi looked grave as he spoke, but Naruto was tired of his attempt to be ominous.

After a reassurance to his new team that he would be at the meeting point shortly, Naruto made a quick detour to his house to collect the large scroll that would allow him to send kage bunshin to Myōbokuzan and then re-summon them. While he still needed Fukasaku and Shima’s help in getting the matter done quickly, the scrolls made everything a lot easier.

He thought of Sarutobi’s tightening grasp as he secured the scroll under his pack and did a quick inventory. He had everything he needed, but Sarutobi was panicking almost. It was as if he had suddenly realised that Naruto was the Yondaime’s son and had to do something about it rather than him knowing for sixteen years and sitting on it until Naruto became so powerful he was considered a threat.

It was madness, but Naruto couldn’t stand against the clan leader, even if he carried rightful blood in his veins. He didn’t want that power and was too happy in his current lifestyle, something that was going to piss Sarutobi off when he realised that Naruto had vanished in a few days’ time.

“We’re all here then,” Kakashi said as he arrived, a step behind Naruto. Sakura and Sai looked as if they had both come from Sarutobi’s office and Naruto wondered if Kakashi had been hiding somewhere, waiting for Naruto to arrive.

“You’re suspiciously early,” Sakura said with narrowed eyes.

“We have an interesting new member,” Kakashi replied neutrally, still smiling. “It would be poor performance to welcome him and be late when I set us a target of ten minutes.”

Naruto wondered how much of his skills Sarutobi had divulged to Kakashi. It was clear now that the old man had taken the time from the mission’s room to his office to talk to the team about Naruto, but he was unsure how much about him they actually knew.

“Before we get settled, I’d like for us to get to know each other,” Kakashi said and Naruto smiled politely, wanting to simply get on and get this over with. He had ramen waiting for him at home and had to decide whether he was going to kidnap Itachi and spend longer away from Senju. It all rested on how this mission went, actually.

“I’ll go first then, shall I?” Kakashi said brightly, but Naruto could sense something dangerous in his tone. Kakashi seemed relaxed at first, but he wasn’t renown across the land for nothing. Naruto knew very well about Kakashi, having discussed him with Itachi once.

“My name is Hatake Kakashi and I have been on a team with Sai and Sakura for a few years now. I trained under the Yondaime,” here a pointed look was shot at Naruto and he narrowed his eyes. It was clear Kakashi knew who his father was then. “And I’ve been both ANBU and jōnin when Konoha was unsealed.”

His introduction was simple and gave a rough idea of Kakashi’s skills without revealing much. He hadn’t touched upon his Sharingan and Naruto wouldn’t push to know. He hoped they would respect his attitude in turn.

“I’m Haruno Sakura,” Sakura said politely, smiling at Naruto. “We were in the same class at the Academy, though I’m not sure if you remember me.”

Naruto did remember her. She’d been a hard worker and he doubted she’d shaken that trait. While he’d gone on to train under Jiraiya (in secret) when he’d graduated, Sakura had trained under a jōnin and worked with a team, honing skills Naruto had never bothered with.

“I’m the medic of the team,” she said brightly. “I always wondered what happened to you, Naruto-kun, so I’m glad we have this opportunity to work together.”

Naruto nodded his head, wondering if she was simply being polite or if she really had been wondering where he’d gone. Though he hadn’t exactly vanished off of the planet, Naruto had never had any friends - didn’t want them, not much point when he cared little for such things - and never sought to catch up with anyone in his class whenever he was back on clan rounds.

“I’m Sai and I belonged to ROOT before Danzō died.” Naruto nodded, looking away at the mention of Danzō. He’d heard enough from Itachi to know that he wasn’t a nice person and that it was best left at that. “I’ve only been working with the team for around a year, but they are very welcoming.”

Sai smiled and Naruto resisted the urge to sigh. It was his turn then.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto,” he began. “I’ve never been on a proper team so Jii-jii assigned me to replace your old team member. Please bear with me as I get used to everything,” Naruto chuckled and brought his arm up to the back of his neck.

“I have no idea what level I’m at, but Jii-jii apparently has faith that I’ll do well with you. I’m looking forward to the experience,” Naruto said, lying through his teeth. He’d rather be at home eating ramen or fucking Itachi, but he couldn’t exactly say that. In fact, even going to an onsen with Jiraiya would be more fun than this, but he couldn’t outright defy Sarutobi and he owed it to his parents to at least try to get along with this team.

“Our mission is quite basic. The Uchiha clan has been noted to be sending out search parties recently. It’s nothing new, of course, but they’re increasing in size and ferocity so we’re to track any leads we can find to try and get an advantage over them.” Kakashi smiled again and Naruto looked away. “Who knows what they are searching for and we can’t afford to fall behind them.”

Well, it was slightly awkward now. Naruto knew exactly why Uchiha were sending out search parties and why they were getting bigger. Itachi had said his disappearances were being noted by the higher ups in the clan and that they had to be careful, but Naruto had never thought that Senju were keeping such tight tabs as well.

They set out, past the clan border patrol and into the large forest that had surrounded Konoha for years. Aside from the birds around them, it was quiet and calm. Naruto relaxed, falling into step comfortably, just as he had for many years when training with Jiraiya.

“Do you have a summoning contract?” Kakashi asked suddenly, eye looking pointedly to the large scroll Naruto carried. There was no beating about the bush with Kakashi, Naruto had to admit.

“I can summon toads,” Naruto said, patting the scroll behind him. “Though this has nothing to do with summoning them. It’s for a technique,” he said vaguely, hoping that Kakashi would drop it.

“A technique?” he continued, like a dog with a bone and Naruto forced a smile.

“It helps me to maintain sennin form for longer,” he allowed. Sakura let out a small gasp and Sai turned to him sharply, signs that they had been following the conversation closely. Kakashi only nodded and Naruto wondered why he’d been so focused on getting Naruto to say it when he’d already known.

“When Sandaime-sama told me of your progress, I found it hard to believe.” Kakashi was honest, something Naruto appreciated. “Why would he have hidden you way for so long if you truly possess such power?”

Naruto raised an eyebrow, unsure if the question was rhetorical or not. After a lengthy pause, he decided to answer anyway.

“Jii-jii didn’t hide me anywhere,” he admitted, ducking under a low branch as he continued on. Sakura and Sai weren’t even bothering to try and look as though they weren’t listening, but Naruto didn’t particularly care. “I chose to stay away. I’d still be tucked away is I had my way, so please don’t be disillusioned into thinking that I’ve grown a conscience and suddenly love the clan.”

Naruto’s voice was hard, but he couldn’t hide the truth. He felt nothing for the clan and simply went along with orders. He was too powerful to hide now, that much Sarutobi had made clear. To keep his simple life, he had to bend for a few rules, but that shouldn’t stop him from explaining the truth to his team.

“I have no idea if Jii-jii’s been trying to put the blame on himself, but the reason I’ve been travelling with Ero-sennin and not with the clan is because I don’t particularly care for it. I’ve never been attached to anyone here,” Naruto said, ignoring Sakura’s horrified stare and the disturbed look in Sai’s eyes. “I wouldn’t be out here if I could avoid it, but my latest travels gained me a little more power and I’ve been forced to work in team.”

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t make me an enemy and I’ll work as a true team member would, but my views on the Senju clan aren’t likely to change.”

Kakashi was staring at him, eye harsh and judgemental. He looked as though he wanted to reprimand Naruto, but how could he when he was just a stranger?

“Jii-jii knows my views,” Naruto said. “And they’re unlikely to change. Jii-jii may think otherwise, but my parents have nothing to do with it either.” Kakashi started a little, as if he’d expected Naruto to change his mind upon knowing that the Yondaime was his father.

“Everyone cares more about getting back a place rather than what’s around them.” Naruto frowned. “I don’t see why I should subscribe to that philosophy as well.”

He stretched his arms out and sighed. “But we’re not here to discuss my views or to discuss the fact I’d prefer to be off indulging myself.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow and Sakura looked away. Naruto smiled wolfishly; when in doubt, turn to talking about sex, however vaguely. “We apparently have members of the Uchiha clan to track.”

Even with nin-dogs, they didn’t get very far. The Uchiha were skilled in hiding chakra and all other traces had faded by now. The sun had begun to set as they made their way back to the clan, Kakashi accepting defeat and the others conceding.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura said as they entered the clan grounds. “Are we still eating together? Perhaps Naruto-kun could join us?”

Kakashi cast a glance over at Naruto before nodding.

“Naruto-kun,” Sakura said softly as they made their way back to Sarutobi’s office to make their report. “Would you like to join us for dinner?”

Cup ramen or a hot meal paid for (hopefully) by Kakashi? Naruto knew which one was going to win.

“Sure,” he agreed, smiling honestly. “It would be a good time to get to know each other outside missions.”

Sarutobi was grave faced when they arrived and Naruto spent the encounter ignoring him. He didn’t want to stay behind and the simplest way was to pretend he didn’t hear anything Sarutobi said. Childish? Yes, but Naruto didn’t really care for labels.

When Kakashi finished the debriefing, Naruto nodded his head in parting and exited the room hastily, ignoring the reprimand from Sarutobi as he tried to call him back.

“Didn’t Sarutobi-sama want you to stay a little longer?” Sakura questioned as Naruto marched between her and Sai.

He shook his head. “If he wants me, he’ll have to work for it. I have time to reclaim after turning up early for a meeting before.”

Sakura said nothing, but she shook her head. A smile was still on her face though and Naruto couldn’t help but mirror it.

“You have balls,” Sai muttered and Naruto turned to him, eyes wide.

“Excuse me?” Naruto said, unsure he’d heard correctly. Sai had been mild-mannered and polite all day; surely he hadn’t said what Naruto thought he’d just said?

“Pretty big balls too. I’m not sure anyone else would have the courage - or stupidity - to walk out when Sarutobi-sama is calling them.” Sai smiled, challenging.

There really wasn’t an answer Naruto could give to that and he laughed, clutching his stomach. Perhaps teams weren’t so bad after all.

Over the next few days, Naruto grew closer to Sai and Sakura, genuinely enjoying their company and teamwork. Kakashi still kept him at a distance, but that was to be expected. He’d clearly expected Naruto to be faithful to Senju due to his connection to the Yondaime, but Naruto wasn’t one to care that he was a disappointment to him.

Sarutobi was another issue entirely. Naruto avoided him the best he could and refused to meet with him. He might go along with the man’s orders, but it didn’t mean he had to play nice with the man himself. If Sarutobi really wanted Naruto then he had to make a proper effort. Thankfully he hadn’t so far, but Naruto knew that he was constantly being watched. Was his power really so much of a threat?

There was no solace in sleep either. Naruto would be hounded by voices, their calls for him to take action growing louder with each passing night. Naruto almost wished he knew where Jiraiya was just so he could convince himself that he wasn’t going insane.

The day before Naruto was to meet with Itachi, Team Kakashi was sent on another mission to track down the Uchiha clan’s movements.

They found that they couldn’t track down the Uchiha clan - not that they had really been expecting to. From watching a group of Uchiha clansmen, though, they did find out that Uchiha Sasuke was training under Madara and Kakashi seemed troubled by how erratic the clan’s movements were, ordering them to pull back after a few hours of watching.

Sarutobi looked troubled when Kakashi reported in and didn’t bother even trying to call Naruto back. It unsettled Naruto so much that he skipped dinner with the team and returned home, packing his bags slowly and mulling over what could be happening within the Uchiha clan.

Sleep was oddly peaceful that night. While Naruto was taken to the other world, the voices he could hear were muted and the sky clouded. It was as if something was coming, but Naruto couldn’t panic. In fact, he was calm, more relaxed than he’d ever been, and the night passed quietly.

With Sarutobi watching him more carefully than ever before, Naruto knew leaving the clan grounds would be more difficult than usual, and then escaping his pursuers would be even trickier. He was able to leave Senju as normal, though he paused for a moment to collect some sennin chakra, using it to sense those tracking him.

He wasn’t surprised that one of his followers was Kakashi. He rolled his eyes at the lack of originality and created a handful of kage bunshin. It would be difficult to shake off the three high-level nin following him, but his spars with Itachi weren’t only to champion sex. They had taught Naruto a lot, almost as much as Jiraiya had.

It took three hours and waves of kage bunshin before Naruto was able to send the tracking team off in the direction of Suna, convinced the clone was the real one. He’d have the clone lead them to Suna, still creating other clones and trying to throw them from the trail, before he revealed they’d been duped. That should give him enough time.

The onsen town was relaxed when Naruto entered. A few people littered the street, but it was calm and Naruto was glad he and Itachi had come here. De-stressing with Itachi was always a good idea, but it was even better when they were in a nice place like this.

An old woman smiled at Naruto as he entered and directed him to the room. Naruto recognised the slightly glazed-eye look of a Sharingan-implanted command, something Itachi always took care of when they visited a public location. It wouldn’t do for word to reveal that Uchiha Itachi was staying somewhere with Naruto and they had to be so careful to cover their tracks.

It was good to see Itachi. Though he wouldn’t dream of admitting it, Naruto cared more for Itachi than anyone else. He wouldn’t dare label it anything else, could hardly admit that it was care for that matter, but it was how Naruto felt all the same. He kissed him quickly, smothering down feelings he shouldn’t have, wincing at the bitter taste of green tea.

“You could have warned me,” he muttered, pulling back and not complaining when Itachi poured him a cup. In truth, he liked green tea for it reminded him of Itachi and their time together. He knew Itachi knew it too, though he tried not to think too hard about how they affected each other.

He sat at the table, throwing his bags into the room. Itachi looked tired, but Naruto knew better than to push him when he was thinking.

“I’ve been forced to join a team,” Naruto began and Itachi looked at him with interest, taking a sip of tea. “Jii-jii’s admitted that I’m too powerful and it was either join a team or face the consequences.” He grimaced and Itachi smiled softly.

“It can’t be that bad,” Itachi said and Naruto shook his head.

“Sakura-chan and Sai are nice. It’s just Kakashi who doesn’t trust me and he’s made that pretty clear.” Naruto cupped his tea, warming his hands a little.

“They assigned you to Kakashi’s team?” Itachi asked, voice a little sharper than Naruto would have liked.

“Yes?” he said, wanting to know why it mattered to Itachi so much.

“Madara knows I’m seeing you,” Itachi said and Naruto felt the floor fall from under him. Someone knew?

“How…?” he began, unable to finish.

“We had an Akatsuki meeting today,” Itachi said. Naruto was aware of his membership and unique stance in the organisation and simply nodded. “Madara hopes to use my brother to combine the powers of the nine bijū and it became somewhat of a pissing contest in front of Sasuke.”

Naruto snorted, sipping his tea.

“He knows of our relationship, so to speak.” Itachi was quick to add the last part, but Naruto was surprised that he didn’t mind the use of ‘relationship’.

“We are in a relationship,” he replied simply, meeting Itachi’s surprised look. “We might not admit it, but the fact is we’ve been together for years now and I honestly can’t see myself leaving you.” He looked away, afraid for once of what he’d see in Itachi’s eyes.

“It’s not the best time to talk about it,” Itachi began, “but I’d have to agree.” He smiled and reached for Naruto’s hand, threading their fingers.

“Do you think Senju knows too?” Naruto asked, understanding why Itachi had spoken of Madara knowing. “Kakashi’s the only one who could really take on a member of your clan and I don’t know why else they’d have him following me.”

Itachi said nothing and Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

“Who cares,” he said. “Let them find out about us if they want. I’m sick of going against Senju and Uchiha.”

Perhaps Naruto cared more than he had realised before. He hated sneaking around with Itachi and hated how they had to hide and run at a moment’s notice. Why couldn’t he just be with Itachi for a while without interruption and have a normal relationship?

“Naruto,” Itachi said softly, conveying everything he wanted to say in the one word. Itachi had felt more for Naruto for a long while, Naruto had known that. He’d pretended it was a game of sex and only sex, but somewhere along their years together, feelings had been thrown in there and they had become a forbidden love, not just a naughty, secret tumble.

“What do we do Itachi?” Naruto said, moving and discarding his tea so he could sit beside Itachi and rest his head on his shoulder. “Why do they have to hate each other so much?”

Itachi said nothing. There was no answer to why Uchiha and Senju hated each other, but Naruto and Itachi were living proof that they could exist together.

Part Three