Lonesome, Naruto sat on the swing slowly swinging back and forth. Why? Naruto thought. Why do they hate me? What have I done to them? A sad expression lay on the boy’s face. He had no one, and no one cared for him.

Watching from a distance, Itachi frowned. How could the villagers be so cruel? He was just a mere child. Itachi knew about the Kyūbi but it hadn’t been sealed within Naruto until after the attack. Itachi sighed, suddenly appearing in front of the boy.

“Hey, kid.” The raven kneeled before Naruto so as to meet eye to eye. Naruto looked up shocked. “I wanna see a smile on that face of yours, okay?” Itachi asked softly, wiping away the whiskered faced boy’s tears. “And if I don’t see a smile on that face I’ll be back.” Was that a threat or what? Itachi chuckled. The boy had spoken aloud. “Before I’m your enemy, I’m your friend, okay Naruto-kun?”

Naruto smiled at the Uchiha before him, he was one of the first people not to call him a ‘that’ or a ‘thing’ and by his actual name. But he was confused. Why was Itachi soon to become an enemy? Not realizing, he’d spoken aloud once again, not with his voice, but with his ever changing expression.

Itachi sighed, “Naruto, I can be your friend but it has to be kept a secret, okay? And as for becoming an enemy, well you’ll find out in due time, as well as the reason I’ll be after you.” Their friendship was to be kept a secret? Like anyone would listen to Naruto anyway.

“Okay,” Naruto smiled, receiving a smile from Itachi in return.

A Uchiha smiling?

How rare.

“See you, Naruto-kun.”



Kisame came back after wondering about, watching his partner watch the orange speck in fascination. Had Itachi not recognized him standing there? “What are you looking at, Itachi?”

Itachi turned to face Kisame, “Nothing.” The smile dropped from his face.

“Anyway, let’s go after the kyūbi’s jinchūriki.” The shark faced man smiled. Itachi didn’t want to, but he was part of Akatsuki and he had to remain loyal to them.

-

“Traitor,” Naruto hissed, crossing his arms over his chest. How could Itachi do this? There wasn’t a smile on Naruto’s face right now, which saddened the elder Uchiha. But why would he smile when there was nothing to even smile about?

“Naruto-kun,” Itachi sighed opening his arms. The blonde ran into them, and the two embraced each other. Shocked looks came from Sakura, Kakashi as well as Kisame. “Remember what I said back then, okay?”

“Okay,” Naruto smiled widely, letting go of Itachi, letting the others wonder. “So this is what you meant by being after me, because I’m the kyūbi’s jinchūriki?”

“Exactly,” Itachi ruffled the blonde’s hair, a small smile gracing his lips. “I’m proud of you.” Naruto’s eyes met Itachi’s onyx ones, their gazes locked on each other. Everyone around them was frowning in confusion. What the hell was going on between those two?

That night, Itachi and Kisame decided to stay at Naruto’s small apartment. Even though it was dangerous, he trusted them enough not to do anything, well at least not the raven. As he said, he was his friend before he was the enemy.

The two Akatsuki members had been given a sheet and a pillow and set up their makeshift beds near Naruto’s. Kisame had fallen asleep, whilst Naruto stared at the ceiling lost in thought and the Uchiha watched the blonde in fascination. There was just something about him that caught the Uchiha’s attention.

“What?” Naruto turned his head, looking at Itachi in the darkness.

“It’s nothing, Naruto-kun. Can’t you sleep?” The younger of the two shook his head. He was too paranoid that Kisame would try to take him. Itachi stood and walked over to Naruto’s bed, sitting cross legged with his back against the headboard. Naruto crawled into his lap, his head resting against the Uchiha’s shoulder as he mindlessly played with Itachi’s now loose strands of hair. “I’ll protect you,” Naruto heard him whisper, a smile coming across the blonde’s whiskered face.

That morning, Kisame looked at the two on the bed, their limbs entwined and smiles on their faces. They could almost be mistaken for lovers.

Kisame looked around for a piece of paper and a pen. When he found them, he wrote the two a note: You two spend some time together, I’ll be back later.-Kisame.


With that, the shark faced man snuck out the window leaving the two sleeping in each other’s arms.

Naruto’s eyes fluttered open, immediately noticing whose arms he’d slept in. Butterflies set in the blonde’s stomach and his heart fluttered. What is this feeling? It’s so strange. Naruto frowned when he came to realization, this is the same thing I felt when I had liked Sakura.

“Itachi,” Naruto slipped out of the raven’s arms. The latter woke up, his eyes landing on the beauty before him. “Can I ask you something?” Itachi nodded. “Is this normal?” Naruto asked, followed by silence, “to have feelings towards someone of the same gender?”

“Who is it?” The Uchiha raised a brow.

Naruto’s cheeks flushed pink.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Oh.”

“But I can show you. Close your eyes.” Itachi obliged. Naruto took a breath then leaned in, pressing his lips to Itachi’s. The latter opened his eyes in shock. It wasn’t like he hadn’t wanted this. He had, and so badly too, but Naruto had been talking about him, of all people? Closing his eyes again, the Uchiha happily kissed back, long awaited bliss greeting both himself and Naruto.