The truth behind it all(Itachi x Naruto)18+

Chapter 12: Plans and secrets

Two hours after Kakashi had left him at the grove Naruto had the ´Kaze no Muchi` figured out and was able to create a perfect wind whip five times in a row.

The water jutsu was causing him a bit of problems as water wasn´t his natural element and therefore harder to learn… he wasn´t going to give up till he got it right though. He trained till his hands and arms were aching and till he figured out that he should probably try to practice water jutsu near or in a stream tomorrow.

Naruto let out a deep sigh as he realized how late it was… nearly nine o’clock… Iruka would surely kill him and Kakashi if he didn´t return home now…he could always train more after classes tomorrow… after he had been appointed to his team and new sensei.

“Naruto-kun?”

Naruto turned around only to see a familiar brown weasel look at him as the furry beast entered the grove.

“Tetsu-san… What are you doing here? Is Niisan close by?” the blonde asked with a growing smile as he approached the weasel. Thankfully both Bull and Pakkun were away; snooping around as they had picked up the scent of a cat or something.

Kakashi´s dogs were skilled nin-dogs and Naruto liked to have them around… but when they were out of Kakashi´s vision they were also dogs who loved to case and scare cats, squirrels and mice.

The blonde didn´t mind that they left him alone… he liked his solitude and was able to take care of himself even if someone were to attack him.

It wasn´t like the villagers tried to hurt him that much anymore… maybe because Naruto had started to fight back when some of the lawbreaking citizens attacked him outside of the village… where there were no witnesses.

“I´m afraid not. Itachi-sama had some urgent business with the Akatsuki… He sends me to congratulate you on passing the genin test, you did great.” The furry animal told him as it crawled up Naruto´s body to sit on the boys shoulder.

“Thank you Tetsu-san… so how long will you be able to stay with me?”

“Itachi-sama told me to stay and check out whom you´ll be paired up with tomorrow… So I guess I can stay awhile… just to see how you and your team work together.” Tetsu told him with a purr which earned him a soft pat on the head.

“Say do you want to see my new jutsu? Dad just showed it to me today?”

“Sure kid… I´d love too,” Tetsu licked the blonde´s whiskered cheek with a purr.

“… What was that for?” Naruto chuckled as the animal’s raw tongue tickled against his skin.

“Well Itachi told me to give you a kiss… but I don´t do kisses so a lick will have to do,” Tetsu told him with a grin.

“… Oh.” Naruto cupped the cheek that the weasel had just licked and smiled softly at the animal.

“You like Itachi-sama just as much as he likes you, don´t you kid?”

~ # ~

Mizuki had watches how Kakashi had left the blonde boy alone and how the dogs had left soon after; following the stray cat Mizuki had brought a long as a diversion.

He had studied and memorized the boy’s movements and weaknesses as the weasel had entered the grove and mentioned the name that was connected with the Uchiha massacre instantly.

´So the demon-boy knows the Uchiha traitor? And they even seem to be close friends… a demon and a traitor… how fitting. Maybe I can use that somehow. If I can get my hands on that boy… I could lure Itachi into a trap. I guess I have to call in a few favors… people who hates the little demon as much as I do.`

~ # ~

Naruto looked at the weasel who was resting on his shoulder. The question which Tetsu had asked him still roamed his thoughts as he approached his foster fathers´ house.

´I really like Itachi but do I like him the way that he wants me too? I am still very young… and there are four years between us. I will turn thirteen in a month and Itachi is already seventeen… I know that shinobi are different than civilians because of the constant presence of danger and because we have to grow up fast to be able to deal with violence, torture and death without freaking out… no one knows when they are going to lose their lives in battle… so when a shinobi is feeling like this… they usually… go with it… but do I feel what Itachi feels?` The blonde teen wondered.

“Ah there you are Naru-kun,” Iruka waved at his son who seemed lost in thoughts. “Where is ´Kashi?”

“Huh? Oh Hi tousan… Dad had an appointment with Sarutobi-sama… Don´t worry he left Bull and Pakkun with me.” the blonde explained.

“… And where are your dad’s flee bags? And whose is that furry animal on your shoulder?” Iruka asked as he unlocked the front door to their home. He had been on his way to check up on the boy as it was already past nine in the evening and he was worried… as always.

“Bull caught the scent of a cat… Pakkun followed him to make sure that he could find his way home.” Naruto told him. “This is Tetsu… he belongs to a friend of mine… is it alright if he stays a few days?”

“…” Iruka was happy to hear that his son had found a friend and though he wanted to ask Naruto who this friend was… something told him not to ask and that Naruto would tell him about it when the time was right.

“My friend is on an important mission and just wanted to make sure that I wasn´t lonely.” Naruto explained as he scratched the weasel behind the ear as Tetsu nuzzled his head against the blonde´s neck.

“Of course you can help your friend… I´m glad that you have found someone to spend some time with… so are you ready to meet your team tomorrow?”

“I´ll be fine as long as I´m not paired up with Sasuke-Teme,” the blonde chuckled as he followed Iruka inside.

~ # ~

Naruto was already in bed; sleeping peacefully with Tetsu snoring next to him on his pillow as Kakashi entered the house a few hours later. Iruka was sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Bull and Pakkun who had a guilty look on their faces.

“Hi Dolphin. Have my boys been up to no good again?” the copy-nin chuckled as he poured himself some coffee and sat down opposite his lover after kissing him on the cheek.

“They left Naruto alone in the forest to hunt down a stray cat. ´Kashi… Naruto was all alone and someone came by to see him.”

“What?! Is Naruto alright?” Kakashi asked with concern. ´Damn it, I should never have left him alone… damn dogs why do they always have to hunt every stray animal the get the scent of? `

“Naruto-kun is fine. He told me that a friend of his asked him to look after his pet while he had to go on an important mission or something like that… ´Kashi do you know this friend of Naruto´s?”

“… What kind of pet are we talking about?” Kakashi asked. He had already suspected what was going on and had asked the Hokage about it tonight…. He had refused to leave the Hokage´s office before the old man had told him the truth about what was going on.

Sarutobi had finally filled Kakashi in about Itachi´s secret mission to spy on the Akatsuki and to protect Naruto as Kakashi needed to know that Itachi wasn´t a treat to the blonde boy. At lot of things in the past suddenly made sense and as Kakashi used to work with Itachi in the ANBU he knew the Uchiha pretty well as well as his summon animals.

“A brown weasel with the name of Tetsu… He´s pretty well behaved in comparison to your mutts…So do you know who the weasel belongs too?” Iruka asked him with a somewhat amused smile. Iruka was still pissed that Kakashi´s dogs left Naruto alone… but it seemed that Naruto´s new friend was a good guy who cared about their little blonde.

“Yeah I know who Tetsu belongs too. He belongs to an old acquaintance of mine… a bit older than Naruto… strong, careful and smart… an ANBU… I can´t tell you his name ´Ruka… but I know that he will take good care of our little fox.” Kakashi told him. He couldn´t help but worry about the reason for Tetsu´s presence here. Was Itachi nearby or did he just want the weasel to keep an eye on the blonde because he cared? One thing he did know… he couldn´t let Iruka know that Itachi was Naruto´s protector… it would only make his dolphin worry and maybe even forbid their son to become a shinobi.

“I see. I´m glad that Naruto-kun has found a friend who cares about him.” The brunette said while smiling. “Oh how did your meeting with Sarutobi-sama go?”

“…Alright I guess… I am Naruto´s new sensei.”

“But… you´re his dad…”

“Yup… but the team Naruto is going to be a part of needs my unique ability. And won´t be prefer me teaching him instead of someone like Gai?”

~ # ~

Iruka woke Naruto at daybreak. The blonde let out a lazy yawn and scratched his belly as he went into the bathroom to take a shower.

He was going to meet his teammates today and he wasn´t to thrilled about that. A team meant teamwork… and most of the teens in his class didn´t seem to like him that much despite then be willing to work with him as a team.

He wasn´t looking forward to be teased or looked down upon because they bought his act as class clown… he hated it… hated it to hide his real self… even from those close to him like Iruka and Kakashi.

He finished his bath, got dressed and entered the kitchen were Iruka was waiting for him with breakfast as always.

Naruto loved this little morning ritual that he and Iruka had had ever since he had moved in here. No matter how busy the day or how bad their moods were… they always ate breakfast together.

He used to feel so alone before Iruka and Kakashi had adopted him… but that was all a thing of the past now… and all this had come to be because of Itachi´s kindness towards him… as well as Iruka and Kakashi´s of course.

“Morning Naru-kun did you and Tetsu-chan sleep well?” the teacher asked as he placed some eggs and sausages on the boy’s plate before handing him a glass of milk as well as a glass of orange juice.

“Yes thank you tou-san. Where is dad this morning?”

“Naruto…Sarutobi-sama has asked Kakashi to take on a genin team this year… He…” Iruka told the boy.

“He´s going to be my sensei isn´t he?” the blonde asked as he ate his breakfast.

“Yes how did you know?”

“Just a lucky guess,” Naruto said. He sipped at his OJ and offered Tetsu some of his food while Iruka poured himself some more coffee.

“Naruto… does it bother you that Kakashi is going to be your sensei?”

~ # ~

Itachi felt a cold shudder run down his spine as he and Kisame joined the other members of the Akatsuki to separate the bijuu from the female Jinchuuriki.

All of the current members were either assembled or present through astral projection at the hidden cave near the country of the Rain. Pain ordered Itachi to lay the female Jinchuuriki in the center of the cave while the pierced man summoned the ´King of Hell´ statue with help from the ten rings.

“I thought we had to be ten members to be able to extract the bijuu from the Jinchuuriki?” Itachi whispered to his partner as the gigantic statue rose from the ground.

“That is what I was told… but it seems that the most important thing to be present is the rings… and we are only short by Orochimaru.” The blue-skinned man whispered back as he showed Itachi his position on one of the statues fingertips.

“Are we ready to begin the extraction?” Pain growled. “The ceremony will take three days and three nights as we are shot one member.”

Everyone present nodded in response which made Pain form the seals for the ´Genryuukyuu Fuujin` and ordered the other members to copy them.

Itachi watched with a strange fascination as the female Jinchuuriki was surrounded and lifted of the ground by nine spectral dragons which reached into the woman’s mouth and eyes to draw out the demon from within her body.

She cried out in pain and Itachi instantly imagined Naruto in the woman’s stead and it made him sick to the bone. It was not that he gave a shit about the woman with the spirit of the weasel inside of her… he was used to killing people, no matter their gender or age… but to do something like this to gain power… this wasn´t right.

“Itachi?” Kisame whispered as he saw the frown on the younger man´s face.

“We´ll talk about it later… I need to see this in all it´s details and learn more about it.” The Uchiha whispered back as he activated the Sharingan to be able to investigate this sealing ceremony further.

He couldn´t risk to talk to openly about his disgust as he didn´t know a lot about Pain and the other Akatsuki members. He trusted no one except Kisame and that was how it was going to stay.

~ # ~

“Naruto… does it bother you that Kakashi is going to be your sensei?” Iruka asked his foster son.

“No why would it? Kakashi is strong and a talented shinobi. I know that he won´t give me special treatment because I live you him and you, like you never treated me differently in class. I won´t become a strong and independent shinobi if you mother me all the time. I have to stand on my own two feet and find my own nindo.” The blonde said with a grin as he thanked Iruka for breakfast and ran towards the door with Tetsu on his tail.

“See you at the academy sensei,” Naruto shouted as he ran down the street; towards the academy.

TBC