Old Friends

'That bastard! How dare he!' Itachi thought as he listened to his cousin's plans.
There was no way he would let Shisui touch Naruto. He and Shisui had always been
close; everyone considered them to be the best of friends. But Shisui wanted to
beat and rape his blond friend, the only person who saw the real Itachi. He
couldn't let that happen.

He didn't go to the meeting, but he heard about the clan's plans. They wanted to
remove the kyuubi from its current vessel and seal it into his otouto. That would
ensure that the Uchiha clan would be the strongest. Now these assholes were
accusing him of Shisui's murder without any proof. Were they trying to keep him
from saving Naruto? Or were they scared of how strong he had become and were trying
to just get rid of him? These thoughts and more spun through his mind as he left
the Uchiha district.

"Itachi-san, what's wrong? You are quieter than usual. You seem sad, too." Seven
year old Naruto climbed into the Uchiha's lap, gazing at him with concern. They
were sitting under a tree in the training grounds, having just finished a training
session.

Itachi glanced down at his young friend, then looked away. "It's nothing, Naru-kun.
I have to go on a mission. I might be gone awhile. Promise me you'll practice what
I've taught you. Don't let anyone bully you, either." The raven turned back to
stare intently into blue eyes. On a whim, he bent his head and lightly kissed the
smaller boy.

They both leaned back, stunned, staring at one another. "I-Itachi? Wh-what was
that for?" stammered Naruto.

Itachi thought of lying, then shrugged. "I like you, Naruto-kun. I'm going to miss
you while I'm away. I want to remember our last time together in a good way. Did I
make you uncomfortable?"

"NO! I mean, no." Naruto was blushing fiercely. "It just surprised me, is all. I
like you, too, and I'm going to miss you as well. Do you really have to go?"

Itachi nodded. "I'd take you with me, but you are not yet strong enough. You need
to stay here and become a good shinobi. Learn as much as you can. I'll come back
for you." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the blond's.

Said blond smiled, blushing slightly. He then pressed his lips against Itachi's and
held him close. If this was the last time they'd see each other for a while, he
wanted good memories of it, too. He gasped in surprise when he felt a warm tongue
lick his lips, then moaned softly as a tongue probed his mouth gently. 'What is he
doing?! It...feels nice,' Naruto thought, melting into the kiss. 'I like being
with Itachi like this.'

The raven ended the kiss with regret. The boy tasted good, like spicy ramen. He
couldn't let himself think too long on that, or he may do something to scare the
little blond. 'Puberty is a pain,' he thought. 'When he's older...' He stopped
himself from thinking about that. "Naru-chan, let's get some food and call it a
day." They stood and walked back to the center of the village.


~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke wasn't in school. He hadn't been for about a week. Naruto was worried about
Itachi and wanted to ask his brother if he had heard from him. He had been hearing
whispers the last couple of days about 'the Uchiha tragedy', and he wanted to be
sure his friend was all right. It would be a long time before he learned the truth.

Sasuke was back, but he no longer laughed and joked with his friends. He ignored
everybody and sat brooding all day. Naruto was nervous about asking after Itachi.
What if the younger Uchiha didn't want to talk to him? After all, they weren't
friends, and Sasuke was more likely to beat him up than answer. It was how all the
students treated him. The blond decided to just wait until Itachi returned.

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A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I apologize that this was so short.
Devious Lil Devil: Hope this answers your question.
DirewolfLilith: sry I made you sad.
berkie88: yes, Naruto was 4 at the beginning.