Naruto 1. Chapter I: Meeting the Uchiha Leader

Naruto: The Sharingan Wielder

Naruto: The Sharingan Wielder

**Detailed summary**: _In the aftermath of the Kyubii attack, Naruto had no one to look after him except for the villagers shunning him and with Sasuke proving to be much stonger than him, The Hokage has now decided to put Naruto up for adoption with the Uchihas so that they can teach him how to use the Sharingan. Naruto then meets with Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, who has his father' eyes and plans to implant them inside Naruto's eyes with the Kyubii's help. Itachi and his father then trains Naruto for a couple of months on the sharingan tehcnique before his final year in the academy. But he does not know that Itachi is planning to kill his family before Naruto can obtain the power. And now I give you Naruto the Sharingan Wielder. _

_**Chapter 1: Meeting the Uchiha Leader**_

It was a quiet evening as Naruto was walking towards home from the orphange house to his home. He was not having a good day because Konoha had always been mistreating him because of the Kyubii inside of him. As he was walking, he thought to himself, "I hate you, yondaime! Why did you have to go and sacrifice your life for he sake of Konoha? I wish you wre still here, it is just lonely for me without you!' As he turned to the corner of the Inuzukas and the Hyuga residences, He sees his house and makes his way inside. As he settled himself down, he changed to his pajamas and then went upstairs to his room and took a book from his shelf, it was entitled, "Chakra Control made easy." As he reads it, he came across a section on using the sharingan, which is what the Uchiha clan had developed. Naruto wanted to know more about this technique because he wanted to have a shraingan eye just like Sasuke with the help of the Kyubii. The only person that would help him obtain the sharingan was Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Itachi.

As Naruto turned off the light and went to sleep, he suddenly hears a disturbing sound from outside. As he woke up, he sees civilians outside and flooding the streets with their weapons as if they were ready to kill someone. And to Naruto's surprise, the civilians are targeting him! But Naruto tried not to let himself be detected by the civilians because this would spell trouble for him. He closed the blinds and went back to sleep but not before he heard a loud boom sound from outside. As Naruto woke up, he could see the civilians aready attacking his house with rocks and burning papers. At that moment, naruto knew that his house was being set on fire, so he puts his clothes on and went out the back door to avoid getting caught. He then heads for the Hokage's tower, but as he ran, he spotted the civilians coming after him.

"There is the demon! Get him!" one of the civilians shouted.

"Make sure he doesn't make it out alive!" shouted another civilian.

As Naruto sees the civilians runing towards him, he soon realized that he was trapped and had no hope of surviving this onslaught. As he turned to the corner of the Konoha streets and headed for the Hokage's tower, he spots someone, with a sword on his back and a raven-haired kid with dark eyes. It was Uchiha Itachi, the older brother of Sasuke who possesses the sharingan and other techniques of the Uchiha clan. As he sees Naruto, he thought to himself, "Naruto, why am I not surprised to see you out here? Looks like I better get you out of the danger zone."

Naruto was immediately relieved to see Uchiha Itachi out at this time of the night, but he asked him, "Itachi, what are you doing out here? And why have you come to rescue me?"

"I couldn't let you die out here, because you are special to Konoha and I can't allow someone from our own village to be beaten to a pulp by these civilian thugs. I'm the only one that can protect you now from the villagers. Let me take you to the Hokage." said Itachi as he carried Naruto on his back. But as were walking, they spotted the civilians who surrounded them blocking their path of escape.

"Ah, so you are the leader of the Uchiha clan, aren't you? We are glad you have captured Naruto for us, and now we would give you a chance to finish that demon off yourself." replied the merchant.

"He's right, that kid is the demon and he could harm us all, if you would destroy him, we would all be thankful." replied another civilian.

But as Itachi looked at the kid in the eyes, he sees as nothing more than just an normal child with no family to look after him and being dumped at the orphanage. Itachi could also see that Naruto hasn't been taken in by anyone in or outside of Konoha because of the beast inside of him scaring the civilians. This had also attracted shinobis who also wanted to execute Naruto because of their hatred of the monster that attacked this village leaving it in shambles. Itachi wasn't so happy with what the monster did, but he didn't blame Naruto for it and he knows this because of the way he was mistreated and abused, he can't allow this child to suffer anymore.

"You people are really crazy if you think this child perpetrated such a heinous act on his own home. I don't see him posing any sort of threat to you and what makes you think you can execute him just because of the monster inside of him? This child has suffered enough already and I think its about time you people stop shunning him. I will not allow you to continue your campaign of harrassment on a innocent little youth." replied Itachi.

"You are willing to let that demon scum loose on the streets so that it can cause even more chaos? Are you feeling all right, Itachi? He must be killed to reduce the threat here in Konoha because we don't want anymore damages done here." replied a civilian.

" I'm fine, but what you guys planned to do to Naruto will not be tolerated. I will not allow the likes of you to lay a hand on this kid. Now step aside before I put all of you in a world of darkness for all eternity." replied Itachi with a tone of warning. As the civilians looked at him, they were in deep shock. They couldn't understand why a member of the Uchiha clan would take interest in a kid like Naruto but it was pointless for them to argue any further with him. As Itachi and Naruto left the mob of civilians, they went down the street towards the Hokage's tower for safety while the Anbu guards cleared the streets.

"Itachi nee-san, why do I get the feeling that I am always being rejected and hated by the people here in my own home? I just want this village to see me as a hero for once and not some monster trying to destroy this place." replied Naruto sadly.

"I feel your pain, Naruto-san, but you shouldn't have gotten in harm's way. You know that they already dislike you, but for them to go this far, I simly cannot forgive them if you were left for dead. And furthermore, you should have come to me for assistance." replied Itachi.

"Yeah, you are right, I can't stand those civilians either. The Hokage wanted to see me right?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, he is really getting worried about you, and even half the population of konoha including the clansmen are worried about you too. We cannot keep them waiting, let's go, Naruto." replied Itachi as he carries the boy on his arms and then together, they ran off towards the Hokage's office to avoid being caught by the villagers.

Meanwhile, back in the Hokage's office, the sandaime was busy with his paperwork when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" he ordered. The door opened and the two gatekeepers of Konoha, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane entered the office and says to him. "Hokage Sama! We're so sorry to have interrupted you, but Uzumaki Naruto was found at the hands of the villagers. They wre nearly ready to kill him until he was saved by Uchiha Itachi. They are on their way to see you now. However, Naruto is still in shock after he was traumatized byt the civilians."

"What did you say? Naruto was attacked by the villagers again!? Are you sure of that? Why does every bad thing have to happen to him?" asked the Hokage. He was really beginning to get upset over the villagers harrassing Naruto and moreover, he was really worried about his adoptive grandson's safety while he was in the village.

"Sarutobi-sama, as your advisors, we think that whatever is inside the boy is to be blamed for the attack on the village 12 years ago. Even after the Yondaime sealed it inside of him, it shouldn't have been a serious threat to Konoha. We know that he isn't a normal child, but the villagers still think that he is a weapon ready to cause mass destruction throughout the village. We suggest that he's be put under the protection of the Anbu guards until the situation can be resolved." replied Homura.

"He's right, Naruto needs to have supervision with him at all time when he's in the streets of Konoha so that he won't be ambushed by the villagers. We feel that he might be in more danger without anyone to look after him. If this continues, then the entire village will be in jeopardy as you know it." added Koharu.

The Hokage nodded his head, then paused for a moment and puffed on his pipe as he remembered the day that the Kyubii attacked the village and taking the lives of nearly every shinobi here. It was a nightmare that he simply cannot forget, but there was something else that pressed his concern over the safety of the blonde, if the Akatsuki was to obtain the kyubii, Naruto's life would seriously take its turn for the worst, but he can't afford to let that happen. "Naruto-san, what's happened to you, my boy? I don't like to complain, but why does trouble brew on you every time I see you out in the streets? I know you are trying to stay out of danger, but this is not really what I meant." he thought to himself. "Send them both in, and order up an emergency meeting for all the families of Konoha, and I will need to have a talk with Itachi about implanting a special power that will help Naruto to get stronger with the Kyubii inside." he ordered the chunins.

"Hai! Hokage-sama!" replied the chunins as they dashed out of the old man's office and waited outside of the Hokage's tower for Itachi and Naruto's arrival.

Meanwhile back in the streets of Konoha, Naruto was beginning to get tired after being on itachi's back for hours after their encounter with the civilians. So Itachi sets him down on the ground, grabbed his hand and they both walked towards the Hokage's office. But before they even got there, they turned to see more villagers coming after them with weapons. "Looks like we are not out of the woods yet, Itachi-nee san. Let's hurry." replied Naruto.

But Itachi didn't move as he turns to look at the villagers then at the blonde, "Go on ahead, Naruto-san, I'll catch up with you after I deal with these villagers here." he replied.

Naruto was shocked to hear that Itachi was staying behind, "Are you sure about this? I can't allow you to get in harm's way, Itachi-nee-san! You are the only person that can help me now, you can't let me go on my own like this!" he protested.

"Little boy, go on, I'll be fine, okay? You don't need to worry about me. I promise I will be okay. You need to go find some help, okay?" said Itachi. But no matter how hard Naruto tried to refuse to leave, he did so anyway so that he wouldn't be in harm's way. As he continued onwards, he could hear the sounds of the villagers gaining on him faster than a speeding bullet. He than climbed upon rooftops of several houses, heades toward the Ninja academy, and then made a quick right turn to the Hokage's office. Naruto was exhausted when he arrived there and sees the chunins. "I-Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san, sorry for the hold up, but the Hokage wanted to see me and Itachi right?"

"Naruto! Thank goodness you are here! Where is Itachi-san, is he still with you?" they asked him.

"He was held up by the villagers, but he told me he will catch up. Now, can you please take me to the Sandaime because you don't want to see me getting pummeled out here by the villagers." said Naruto. The chunins nodded their heads and led Naruto upstairs to the office. Once Naruto entered the room, he spots the Hokage at his desk and said, "Oji-san! Is there something that you needed to tell me about when you wanted me here?"

The old man looked up from his papers and sees Naruto in front of him. He wasn't surprised when the boy entered the office so soon, so he got up and picked the boy up while saying to him, "Naruto-kun, thank you for arriving on such short notice, I hope you didn't have too much problems getting here. Were you held up by the villagers again when Itachi sent you here?"

"Yes, I was nearly held hostage by them and they nearly tried to kill me, but thanks to some help from Itachi I was able to to make it here with no problems, but I need your help. You see, I can't keep getting harrassed by the villagers like this each time when I am out on the streets. I know you wanted to protect me and all, but I just don't have enough protection on my own. What am I going to do now?" asked Naruto sadly.

The old man paused for a moment and then went back to his desk while setting Naruto down on the table top. He then looked outside the window and sees the villagers's rants of "Kill the spawn!" also known as "Get rid of the Demon jailer." while breathing a sigh of disappointment at how ugly this will become if the villagers and civilians lay a hand on the container of the Kyubii and how it would cause serious problems for Konoha, not to mention releasing the monster free again. "Minato-san, ever since you sealed the Kyubii inside your son, we've tried our best to keep him safe here, but despite how much he was shunned, it would be hard for him to be considered a hero and this would cause the boy to wreak havoc all around the village. But don't worry, I've thought of a plan to make him stronger even with the Kyubii inside of him, just you wait." though the Hokage.

A few minutes later, Uchiha Itachi arrived in the office with cuts, scrapes and other injuries all over his body from the beatings he took and the weapons impaled onto him. He then spots the chunins who were guardingthe Hokage's office and said to them, "Sorry for arriving so late, I was.... I was outnumbered by the civilians after I sent Nauto-san here. I need to see him, please. And before I do, I need some water and the medical shinobi to heal my wounds." he said to them and collapses to the ground in pain. The chunins were shocked at what they saw and quickly lifted Itachi up and took him to the Hokage's office where they set him down on the couch and placed towels and blankets on him to dry off. Afterwards, he drank a glass of water to help calm him down. He then spots Naruto on the Hokage's desk and walked towards him and said, "Thank goodness you are here, Naruto-san, I was so worried about you, but now that you are here, you wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, Itachi-san, the reason why I called you here is because ever since the Kyubii was sealed inside of Naruto, he was still considered weak, but now I have come up with a plan to make him stronger even with the monster inside of him. And this is is where I need your help, and since the Uchiha clan possesses the Sharingan just like Kakashi, I was wondering if you could implant some of that power inside of Naruto so that he can possess the same type of power like Sasuke does. With the Kyubii's power combined, Naruto will become a completely different person, what do you think?" asked the Hokage.

"Me? Implanting the sharingan inside of Naruto? You are not serious about that, are you? That could be dangerous, and the sharingan is very important to our clan. If this gets into someone else's hands, it could pose a serious threat to our clan. Yes, I know what the deceased fourth Hokage did for Naruto, and I could care less about my clan seeing the boy as a monster and not accepting him as a hero, but teaching him the sharingan, and implanting it inside of the container of the Kyubii would jeopardize the village and I don't feel that the boy would be ready to have such an advanced technique, and I don't think my father Fugaku would be willing to take Naruto in as a student because when he first met the Yondaime after Naruto was born, he wanted the boy executed because of the Kyubii inside of him, I don't want to put the kid in anymore danger and with the sharingan inside of him, it could blind his eye for sure. Besides, I think Kakashi would be able to train him on how to use the sharingan." replied Itachi.

"Please, do it for Naruto, okay? I am only asking you this as a favor and Kakashi unfortunately, doesn't have time to take on new students and taming Naruto to use the sharingan would be near impossible. If I were in his shoes, he would probably say the same thing, so I leave him in your capable hands, Itachi-sama." said the Hokage with a serious look in his eyes. "Besides, I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't mind having Naruto as a part of his family for a change since he also possesses the same techinque as you do. I'm sure Fugaku would be more than happy to train him in how to use the sharingan."

"Itachi nee-san, is this true? You really are going to teach me how to use the sharingan?" asked Naruto.

Itachi looks at Naruto for a moment and then smiles at him while saying to him, "Yes, of course, but you better work hard, little man. I do not want to hear any complaints from you or else your training will be suspended and you will have to leave empty handed, is that clear?" Naruto then nods with the agreement set on him.

"Good, that's what I like to hear, Naruto. Now, you are coming home with me, we can't keep our father waiting." replied Itachi. He then carried Naruto on his back and then exited the Hokage's office while Naruto waved good-bye to his grandfather figure. On their way outside, they spotted Anbu guards outside trying to calm the villagers down before chaos spreads in the streets. They had no idea of what was going happen until the villagers spotted Itachi holding Naruto and started going after him, but they were blocked by the Anbu guards, preventing any harm to be laid on the child and the Uchiha clan leader. The guards escorted Naruto and Itachi away from the villagers and moved them to a safer distance as the most direct route to the Uchiha compound. Once they were safely escorted, the guards returned to duty and cleared the streets of the villagers before returning to their posts.

A few minutes later, Itachi and Naruto had arrived at the Uchiha compound. To his amazement, the compound was like a huge mansion with rooms all over the place and they were all adjacent to one another just like the Hyuga compound. The rooms were spacious and very beautiful indeed. As naruto walked into the compound entrance, Itachi directed him to the living room and said, "Well, Naruto here we are. Welcome to the Uchiha compound, where our home is your home. Wait right here while I find Fugaku tou-san." He then left the room. Naruto then sat down on the sofa and placed his bag containing his ninha supplies and other tools on the floor while waiting for Uncle Fugaku to show up. In the meantime, he took out a book that the Sandaime placed in his bag before he left the office, it was entitled "How to manage Chakra control," which explains more about elemental chakra and basic chakra for ninjutsu and genjutsu along with wind chakra. Naruto knows now that in order to build up chakra he must be one with nature and wind just like his father. He then took out one of his scrolls that contained instructions on how to perform genjutsu, but no sooner than he did that, Uchiha Fugaku entered the room and sees Naruto on the couch and said to Itachi, "So, this is the son of the Yondaime who is trying to become a sharingan user and obtain the title of Hokage right?"

"Yes, tou-san, that's the kid that I had saved from near death after his encounter with the villagers. I brought him here at the request of the Hokage for safety until further notice. If Naruto can possess the sharingan eye even with the kyubii inside of him, we might make him the strongest member of our clan." replied Itachi.

The father looked at Itachi for a moment with an icy glare in his eyes, "You are not serious, are you? You want me to turn this boy into a weapon of mass destruction? There is no way that I will make Naruto a sharingan user, it could violate the code of the Uchihas. Why have you brought him here?"

Itachi explained to his father that despite how much hate the villagers were giving Naruto, it was either that he learns to master the sharingan, or be executed for having the demon inside of him. He also told his father that Naruto needed someone to look after him while he was here in Konoha becuase the village needs a new hero to defend this place with honor and pride so that the villagers will respect him more. Furthermore, Itachi informed his father not to tell anyone of the fox hidden in Naruto or there will be dire consequences. Putting that aside, Fugaku walked over to the boy and said to him, "So, you are Uzumaki Naruto, I presume? Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the Uchiha clan. You may know me as Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head and the father of Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sure you know him, don't you?"

"Yes, of course, who wouldn't know Sasuke? He's the prodigy of the Uchihas right? He alwasy had high hopes of mastering the sharingan and other techinques. I wanted to be just like him, but I was always dead last of the class. Everyone wants me to succeed, including master Iruka, whom I consider as family. How do you know my father anyway?" asked Naruto.

"Your father, the Yondaime always had high hopes for you and wants to see you succeed with your life. Since you have a bloodline limit and you possess something that not even the entire village would know, you need to be implanted with another type of power besides using the kyubii. The sharingan is another powerful technique, though not as powerful as the mangekyo sharingan, but its the bloodline of the Uchiha clan and our lifeline. We wouldn't go anywhere without it. I brought you here so that you can actually be the next user of the sharingan with the help from your mystery power inside you." replied Fugaku.

"You're kidding me! so that would mean I am inheriting the uchiha's prized technique, the sharingan? But even though I am not an Uchiha, why did you choose me to inherit it?" asked Naruto.

"Well, let's just call it a favor from the Hokage himself. Okay, before we begin any mental training, we need to work on your physical strength. How good are you at genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu?" asked Itachi.

"To answer your question, nee-san. I am not so good with genjutsu. Though, I am only skilled in taijutsu and ninjutsu. I've heard of illusion techniques but never had found the time to perform any of them. But now that you mentioned the sharingan, it has many special abilities, right?" asked Naruto.

Itachi paused for a moment and then placed his hands on the blonde's shoulder and then said to him, "Yes, the sharingan has many special powers and abilities, just like the Byakugan, which is used by the Hyuga clan. The sharingan allows the user to understand the attack of his or her opponent almost before they know what attacks are being used. Also the sharingan is used to see the flow of chakra within another person, but to a lesser extent. Second, when this technique is first activated, there is a different number of a tomoe around the pupil of the eye. If its used extensively for a longer amount of time, then the sharingan evolves and a new tomoe is added. The maximum number of tomoes that a sharingan wielder can have is three, and once the user has all three tomoes, he would then be able to predict movement from any opponent even though he isn't at the same pace as the opponent is." replied Itachi.

"Yeah that's great and all, but what exactly is a tomoe? That is something that I have never heard of before." replied Naruto.

Fugaku seemed a little bit disappointed in Naruto for not knowing what tomoe is, but he didn't want to take it too personally. " You came all the way down here to learn the Sharingan and you don't know what a tomoe is? You won't be able to know how to wield such power that we do if you don't know the basics now, would you?"

Naruto then stood up and said to Fugaku, "Oh, come on! Fugaku tou-san! This is really my first time in learning something new and the tomoe thing is too new to me. So if you would explain to me what that is based on waht you told me about how it is applied in the sharingan, I can know it a little bit better. And besides, I don't kno everything about the sharingan yet. Lets do this step by step."

Fugaku sighed in disappointment but finally said, "You really are a funny one, aren't you? Okay, the tomoe is the swirl that represents commas or usual forms of magatama in the eyes. In this case the tomoe is developed in our eyes and when the sharingan is activated, the swirls in our eyes will begin forming. The maximum number of tomoes that we Uchiha clan members can have is three as I ahve said earlier. the only advanced sharingan technique that is available is the Mangekyo Sharingan, which will only be gained by the loss of someone close to you at your own hands." replied Fugaku.

"You mean, you have to kill someone to gain such an advanced tehcnique like that? Sacrificing another person's life to gain an attack? that's just scary.

"Yes, that kind of thing will happen. But don't worry, even if my life goes into the afterlife, a part of me will always be with you, just like the fourth, I promise you." said Fugaku while patting Naruto on the shoulder with his hands. "Now getting back to my point, you know that the Sharingan is capable of a hypnosis attack right? All of this is done through simple eye contact. Also when the sharingan is used in conjunction with other aspects of the sharingan, the user is able to perfectly mimic every single move the opponent makes before they have a chance to make theirs. Keep in mind that more advanced sharingan users can take the hypnosis ability up to a hire level to trick and trap opponents in an illusion and the potency of the sharingan's illusion is dependent on the user's knowledge and skill while implementing genjutsu. That's aboutall the information tehre is on teh basics of the sharingan, do you understand now what I have gone over with you, Naruto?" asked Fugaku.

Naruto looked at him for a moment and then breathed with a heavy sigh and said, "Yes, I understood every single word you said, but even if I do possess such a power unimaginable like that, it would only do more harm than good. I don't want to be evil and all, but are you sure this will be safe for me to use?" asked Naruto with a worried look.

"Naruto, since when does a power like the sharingan becomes dangerous? Me and Sasuke all know that the technique is safe to use, but be careful when using it, the technique can produce unknown side effects on your body, reduce your strength, and eating away your chakra. We don't want to see you losing your strength, would we? Your life will never be in any danger, understand?" replied Itachi while placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, but the blonde shrugged it off. He did, however, surmised the villagers for attacking him in the first place and demanded revenge thereafter. "Stupid villagers, I will get you for trying to harm an innocent child like me, and I swear to my father's grave, you will pay dearly." he thought to himself.

"Well, Naruto, I guess that's it for my lecture on how the sharingan works, I hope you learned something here today, Naruto-kun. Keep this lesson forever in your heart, my friend, and take it wherever you go, okay? Remember, strength is the key to success." replied Fugaku as he sees Naruto outside. Once the blonde says good-bye to the man and gone out of site, Itachi stood on the rooftop with his sharingan activated and thought evilly, "You don't know the danger you are in, foolish boy, I will make sure your teacher and mentor and my father, Fugaku, enjoys a slow and painful death along with the rest of the clan family members, then the sharingan will be transplanted into your eyes before his death, just wait, the worst is yet to come, Naruto. Even you don't stand a chance against me." He then vanished into a cloud of smoke without Naruto noticing that he is already in danger.

**Well, I guess that's it for Chapter 1 of this story, the title will still be the same, in the story I had created. Sasuke was unable to bear the pain he suffered when his parents died tragically, but in this story, its important that I am trying to bring the character back from the dead before the massacre occured. You will know in chapter 3 that after Naruto graduates from the academy, which I will be working on a little bit later, it will state in detail about Naruto finding out the torture of Fugaku and the death of the entire Uchiha clan at the hands of Itachi. Well there is more to come but int eh mean time hope you like this one. Please remember to rate and review. Thanks.**

**P.S. Ravenshantor has let me continue the work of her story, as I have permission from her to finish it.**

**Combatally12**


	2. Chapter II: Training Begins

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter 2: The Training begins

That evening, as Naruto was on his way home, he tried to think about what the leader of the Uchiha clan had told him.

Flashback

"_Naruto, your father always had high hopes for you and if he was here, he'd be as proud of you as I am. Now I know you have been hated a lot by the villagers, but you don't have to take this line down and you don't need to listen to their harassment anymore. They don't know anything about you, but that's going to take some time. However, you still possess something that the whole village will never know, and it's kept in secrecy. There will still be hatred affecting you, and with more hate, there is more pain. Since you have the same bloodline limit as your father, you need to be implanted with a new power, the sharingan. With the sharingan, you will be unstoppable." Replied Fugaku._

_Naruto looked at him for a moment and said, "Possessing the sharingan along with the power of the Kyubii would be dangerous don't you think? It could seriously conflict with my chakra network if I have two types of power at the same time. I'm not sure if I am able to control the sharingan but I'll give it my all." _

"_Good, now that's what I like to hear. You got guts; I'll say that for you, kid. You never back down from a challenge, do you?" asked Fugaku._

"_Nope, I am always looking for a new challenge and taking on missions that are above genin level. But yes, I am ready for almost anything that comes my way!" replied Naruto with a smile._

_Fugaku smiled at Naruto while ruffling his hair. "Naruto, you will become a fine shinobi and make this village proud, I just know it." He thought to himself. He then took Naruto into the living room and discussed with him about the basics of the sharingan and the chakra control involved. He also explained to him the special abilities that the sharingan has when a user activates it. He also mentioned to him about the advanced version of the sharingan and warned Naruto about the dangerous secrets behind it._

"_You mean the sharingan has a lot more than that? Wow! I never knew how powerful the technique really is! I really should learn to be careful before I start using the sharingan, and I don't want to cause any harm or pain to anyone with it. Fugaku-sama, are you sure that I am able to control something like this because this is actually the first time that I was granted a new power besides the one I have now. Besides, I am not sure if I am capable enough to use it." Said Naruto with a worried look._

_Fugaku looked at Naruto for a moment and paused to breathe a sigh of relief while putting his arm around the boy's shoulder. "Listen, Naruto. Not all techniques pose any type of threat in this village. Some techniques are harmless and do less damage, but others do more harm than good if it's being overused. And take my word for it, Naruto. As long as you conserve chakra usage of the sharingan, you will be fine, okay? I promise, nothing will happen to you. Now I know you are not really used to this kind of power but we'll help you the best we can to make you more comfortable in using it. And once you have mastered the basics, you should have no problems with the sharingan, all right?"_

_Naruto knows the man wanted what was best for him and smiled at him while breathing a sigh of relief. With his newfound power acquired from the uchiha clan, he was one step closer to surpassing Sasuke and proving he wasn't the dead last of his class._

End flashback

That evening as Naruto continued walking around the village for a while he thought to himself, "Maybe Fugaku-sama was right after all. As long as I have this kind of power, I will be fine." As Naruto continued walking, he spots Kakashi waving at him above the trees.

"Hey there, Naruto. What are you doing out here this late at night?' asked Kakashi while placing his book back into his pouch.

"Oh, hi Kakashi-sensei! I was just out here taking a walk. Itachi took me to meet his father earlier and he taught me the basics of the sharingan or something, but I am not really supposed to tell anyone about the technique though. Anyway, what are you doing here?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi looked at Naruto for a moment and was surprised that he was able to learn such a technique from Sasuke at this early stage, especially the Uchiha prodigy that taught the boy the jutsu. "Itachi, just what have you gotten yourself into? You know Naruto isn't ready for that sort of dangerous weapon yet. If he goes around possesing that it could jeopardize the village." Thought Kakashi.

"Sensei? Is something wrong? What's on your mind?" asked Naruto with a worried look.

"Ah heh heh…. Nothin's wrong really, its just that, you just got yourself a lot powerful now with the sharingan, that's all!" said Kakashi with a nervous look on his face. "Damn I really spilled the beans on that one. I better tell the Hokage about this and then warn him about the danger naruto is in." he thought to himself.

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Okay… Kakashi, are you all right or something? Because I think this will be a really good time for you to get a hold of yourself or so."

"Sorry about that Naruto!, I have some errands to run, see you later!" said Kakashi as he ran off into the distance to the Hokage's office.

"What the hell was that all about? Weird." Thought naruto as he follows Kakashi to the Hokage's office. As he jumped on the window of the Hokage's office, he peered inside and sees his sensei already arriving in.

"Oh, Kakashi! What brings you here to my office?" asked the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama! Well, I wanted to ask you something: it's about Naruto's technique he learned from the uchiha clan." Replied kakashi

"What about it?" asked the Hokage while doing his paperwork on his desk as he ignored the masked jonin

"Well, based on Naruto's skills, using the most dangerous technique like the sharingan could pose a serious threat to him. I don't think that jutsu will be very helpful for Naruto and it could blind his eye sight without him noticing it. Should the technique go out of control, he could have difficulty controlling it." Replied Kakashi.

The Hokage looked up from his desk and breathed a sigh of relief while saying, "Kakashi, there is no need to worry about Naruto. I'm sure Fugaku will monitor his progress as his training goes on. I'm sure that technique taught to him won't be much of a threat to him especially for a child his age."

"Yes I know that, Hokage-sama. But what if Itachi turns against Naruto and kills the people that he loves? Will that mean more danger to him? What if Orochimaru or the Akatsuki tries to rob him of his powers? Would he be safe then?" protested Kakashi. "That's what I am worried about him. I know you are trying to do what's best for him but I can also protect him with my powers."

"I appreciate your full confidence and support Kakashi. But you must realize that Naruto is probably more than capable of handling this with little to less help, so in case he is in an emergency or unable to control his powers when fighting opponents that are not up to the challenge of a low level genin like him, then we can always send in backup for him. After all the clan heirs of Konoha are always there for him whenever he needs them." Replied the Hokage.

The masked Jonin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yeah, you're right, but still I will still give the full support to him and I might have him sign the dog summoning contract later on. He might also have to master elemental chakra later on with or without his powers."

The Hokage looked at him for a moment and smiled. He always knew a man like kakashi would pledge to protect the people he loves, even after he lost his mentor and his close teammates. This gave him the chance to show Naruto the ropes and help him make better choices for the future ahead of him. Kakashi was sort of a lazy jonin at first, but he cared a lot for his teammates and for Naruto, teaching him how to control his new power seemed to be difficult at first, especially with the kyubii sealed inside of him. But still, Kakashi still cares a lot about Naruto after his former sensei died. If there was anything that Naruto had difficulty with, he can always turn to his number one mentor for help. The Hokage knows Kakashi very well and how he obtained the sharingan. In fact, he feels that both Kakashi and Naruto share the same type of powers and they might face the Akatsuki later on. But he fears that the sharingan may not be enough though. "Kakashi, you obtained the sharingan when you were little. I understand that you were not used to such a power first, but how did you feel? You have every reason to be bitter, and you have every right to hate something you are not proud of, but you must fight it, and protect those you love, do you understand why I am telling you all this? I'm proud of who you are today, and as a special jonin instructor like you, take care of Naruto." Replied the Hokage.

Kakashi looked at the Hokage for a moment and smiled at him. It was his first time that he showed a fondness for the blonde when he got his powers from Itachi. However, he always has a caring side and can sometimes be carefree. But still, kakashi has his doubts about Itachi, and hopes for Naruto to succeed throughout the time he spends in Konoha. He then bids good bye to the old man as he leaves his office while finding out some information regarding itachi and his true motives.

That night, as Naruto continued his walk around the streets of Konoha, He started to think about what the Hokage had told Kakashi about his skills.

Flashback

"_Kakashi-sensei, As I have noticed, Naruto has gained the power of the sharingan but he seems to be having trouble getting used to the power of the technique. Even though he did learn all the basics of what the sharingan does and the special abilities it had, he needs special help." Replied the Hokage._

"_What sort of special help, Hokage-sama?" asked Kakashi not knowing what this was about. He was determined to know how Naruto had come to obtain such a power unimaginable like that._

"_Well, since the village hated Naruto so much because of the monster hidden inside of him, Itachi took him in and then his father became his teacher and went over the basics of the sharingan with him. Though he did fine for knowing what it does and all, he isn't really quite up to speed on using the technique because of his chakra limits and with that power it could cause disruption flow with his chakra network." Replied the Hokage._

"_I see, but even if it does disrupt his chakra flow network, I could have some sort of technique that can reverse that, even Jiraya can also reverse any side effects the sharingan might cause. With him under my tutelage, I can easily make him stronger even with the skill he currently has right now. I could teach him all about the basics of chakra control once he graduates from the academy." Said kakashi musingly._

_The Hokage took a seat at his desk while puffing through his pipe and finally said, "Very well, kakashi-sempai, it will be up to you to look after him and oversee his training, but not many students will be able to pass your exams though, that's the only fair warning that I will remind you of." He then resumed his paperwork with a smile on his face while kakashi watched with amusement and thought, "This should be interesting, with Naruto under my tutelage, I will be able to make him into a splendid ninja of Konoha."_

_End Flashback_

As Naruto puts Kakashi's words into his mind while walking around the streets, he suddenly sees someone waving at him. It was Sakura, who was trying to find him. Naruto walks over to her and greets her.

"Hey, Naruto! Where have you been all morning? I have been looking everywhere for you." Said Sakura as she walked towards him.

"Oh, Hi sakura! Sorry I didn't meet you earlier. I was trained at Sasuke's compound with a new power, it was Itachi that took me in to train me, but I am not so sure if I can trust that guy, he is good though but deep inside, he might have a dark secret that not everyone knows about." Replied Naruto.

\

"You were training with Itachi Uchiha? The big brother of the uchiha clan? Asked Sakura shockingly, not knowing what power Naruto would possess.

"Yes, but what are you scared about, Sakura? Fugaku-sama told me Itachi is harmless, so he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, not even his own family." Said naruto nervously.

"Oh, I see. But still, Naruto you really should be careful about who you hang out with, you don't know Itachi that well and you would easily end up in harm's way. I am worried for you, Naruto. Please be careful okay?" she said sadly while putting her hands on his shoulder.

"Thanks Sakura, I promise you, nothing bad will happen to me, okay? I can assure you I will be fine as long as I have someone to look after me. But since Fugaku-sama trained me and explained to me the basics of his techniques, he said that there may be some side effects that may cause blindness or poor vision. I haven't gotten used to the technique at first, but slowly, I had became adapted to it, that's why I intend to get stronger to surpass Sasuke." Replied naruto.

Sakura looked at naruto for a moment and smiled. It was the first time that she ever showed that smile to him. She never did show any emotions when she first met Naruto, but didn't want to show it. However, she was the first person to ever look up to him and might think of him as family and friend. When she heard about Sasuke's family training him, she was afraid of what the uchiha clan could do to naruto if he isn't protected. But still, Sakura thought that if anyone can protect Naruto, it has to be her.

"Naruto, whatever you are doing, please be careful. I know I've been a burden but please for my sake, I don't want you to get hurt out there." Replied Sakura as she hugged him tightly.

Naruto felt loved as he blushes at Sakura for the hug. He then went to Iruka's place for the night. As he arrived at Iruka's house, he knocked on the door, and the scarred chunin opened it. He was surprised to see Naruto at this time of the night.

"Oh hi, Naruto. What brings you here to my place?" asked Iruka.

"Hey Iruka tou-san. I just came by from Sasuke's compound and I was wondering if I can spend the night with you, I do not want to sleep alone because I feel that I might not be safe from Itachi." Replied Naruto.

Iruka looked at Naruto for a moment and was surprised. "Itachi Uchiha? You mean he was the one that graduated from the ninja academy at the age of 13 and passed the chunin exams? He also possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan as well?"

"Yes that's him. However in Itachi's case…." Began Naruto.

"In Itachi's case, the Uchiha clan was the most dangerous and the most powerful clan in Konoha, but they have been in conflict a lot and they were most hated by the elders of our village. Even the Hokage had warned me about Itachi and his family. Their tragic tale just scares me and I don't even want to go near them, but how did Itachi take you in, Naruto?" he asked him.

"Well, Iruka, since Fugaku wanted me to become one of them, he requested to his older son to bring me back to his compound to do some training and that I might be able to possess the Sharingan, but I told them I don't have that kind of power and it might be too risky to use. Any mistakes of this technique could cost lives. But Itachi said that even with the kyubii power inside of me, the Sharingan would suppress it somehow." Replied Naruto, not knowing all the full extent of his newly acquired power.

"Naruto, I fear for your safety, because you are my primary concern, and I am worried that you might get hurt or something when you are with Itachi. I don't want you to suffer the same fate just like what happened between you and the villagers. Now I know you are not able to take care of yourself just yet, but we will do whatever we can to support you, even the Hokage and the families of this village will do their best to help you. They advised that you stay here to be trained until you become a full fledged shinobi. Take my word for it, Naruto. You are special to us, so keep that in mind, okay?" replied Iruka with a smile as he gently pats the blonde's head.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei! I will be sure to let you know if there is any change in itachi's behavior. And I appreciate your support, but I am not sure about Itachi himself and for whatever reason he adopted me to be a part of his family, I am not sure if I can handle it. However, if in any case that I am in danger are you able to contact the Anbu since they deal with crimes that are committed in or outside of Konoha right?" asked Naruto.

"Well, yes, the Anbu will be of help, but they will only be contacted when there is a REAL emergency in the Konoha village. But I am sure they will gladly be of service to you, Naruto. However the Anbu can help you or turn against you but that depends on their skill and battle style. But like I said, caution is strongly advised, we villagers do not want to see you get hurt, okay?" replied Iruka.

Naruto felt a little better after seeking comfort from Iruka, his father figure, he then says good bye and then heads back to his apartment and hit the sack for the night. As he was prepping for bed, he could see something pelting at his window but it wasn't the villagers. It was Hinata Hyuga. As Naruto sees her outside, he quickly gets out of bed and goes outside to greet her.

"Hi Hinata, what brings you here to my apartment?" he asked.

Hinata looked at naruto for a moment and said shyly "Well… I…. I mean my brother; Neji wanted me to check on you and make sure you are not hurt or anything." She appears to have formed a close friendship with Naruto since childhood and the two have became close since then. Naruto then placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder and said to her, 'Hinata-chan, thanks for the words of comfort but you don't need to worry okay? I'll be fine, besides I will keep in touch with you and your fellow comrades if things get a little messy. Itachi won't hurt me I always see the guy as a brother you know? Sasuke and I have been close and we became childhood friends. But we are still rivals."

Hinata looked at him for a moment and smiled. She knew how much Sasuke had meant so much to him ever since his father, the former hokage of Konoha passed on leaving his son to take charge of his home. Despite pleas from the villagers trying to kill the innocent child, it was the Hokage's idea to arm him with a dangerous weapon that Naruto can use in his arsenal so that he can fight orochimaru later on. The thought of Sasuke inside naruto's mind made him even more angry, but deep down, Naruto has a heart and will never intend to harm his own childhood friend and brother because their bonds are strong.

"Hinata, even though Sasuke may be smarter than me, stronger than me, and have more talent than I do, it doesn't mean I am some dead last shinobi of Konoha, I have a pledge to protect friends and share that bond of friendship with other people without letting anyone severing it. I promised Sasuke that I will one day beat him and become the next successor of wielding the sharingan, even if it does cost me an eye or so, but I will surpass him, believe it!" replied Naruto with his serious look on his eyes.

"Uh…. O-Okay, Naruto, you…. You are sort of …. You know, scaring me with what you said, now… I…. I don't want to burden you, and we don't want to put too much pressure on you, but you don't want to get me caught in this power you mentioned." Replied Hinata with a look of despair in her eyes.

Naruto sweat-dropped and then turned to Hinata and said, "Sorry about that Hinata, you didn't really wanted to listen to all that gibberish, did you? I do apologize for that, and I understand how you feel at this point. But I really have to go now, its getting late. I will talk with you tomorrow Hinata. And also, tell your cousin Neji that I said hi, okay? Thanks." He then runs off into the distance to his home with Hinata waving good bye to him.

Meanwhile back at the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was still training in the back yard with his target practice of using kunai knives, when he heard his brother calling for him.

"Sasuke nee-san, I wanted to ask you, how strong do you think Naruto is getting? Because ever since we trained him, he seems to be improving each minute. You know, I think that he might surpass you one of these days." Replied Itachi.

"You think so, Itachi? Heh! I wouldn't be surprised if that loser brother of mine could pick fights in school, but still, he is dead last in the ninja academy and if you think he can surpass me, I would have the pleasure of beating him in real life combat." Replied Sasuke with a evil grin on his face.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you had the power to use the power of the sharingan against him, but Naruto is not to be underestimated, all right? But that kyubii inside of him seems to be strong and I want that power for myself! Naruto has the power to change the outlook on people's lives, why couldn't he do the same to you, Sasuke?" asked Itachi with a evil smile.

"Naruto? Change the lookout on my life? Yeah right! I don't think that dead last loser can change anyone's life. He doesn't know anything about me or my family. But I kind of do feel sorry for him that his father died in battle with the kyubii. However, he has to work hard if he wants to surpass me. He hasn't fully begun to develop his power of the sharingan yet, but I am sure he will be able to fully cope with it as time goes on." Replied Sasuke. "Anyway, tomorrow I got target practice, I better get some sleep, bro." And with that he left the training field of his compound, placed the ninja tools back in the bin, and went to his room.

Itachi, on the other hand seems to be scheming a plan to escape from the compound undetected as he goes to his room and turns on the computer in his room. He was then tuned to the Akatsuki hideout and said, "Good evening, fellow akatsuki members, this is Uchiha Itachi speaking, may I see if Kisame is available?"

Soon, the leader of the akatsuki arrived and said, "Just a moment, Uchiha Itachi. He will be here shortly." As Itachi waited, he decided to pull up naruto's battle profile and then studied up on his skills. While reading his profile he thought to himself, "So you are putting on a great talent for yourself and honing your skills eh? Well then, I will have some surprises for you that would be to die for. You just wait! Soon you will never see your beloved Fugaku or teyaki ever again once I wipe out what's left of this pathetic clan. Then with the akatsuki formation I will take away your kyubii powers away from you!" said Itachi evilly with his sharingan activated.

The next morning, as Naruto got up and getting ready for his second day of training, he could already see Sasuke in front of him outside of his roof top apartment. As naruto approached the window, he was surprised as to how the raven haired boy had emerged on his roof. "Ahh! Sasuke what are you doing on my roof? What's all this about?"

Sasuke looked at him for a moment with a sweat drop and a disappointed look on his face and said, "What are you, an idiot? I came here to train with you, you could at least try to act like you arre happy to see me."

Naruto scratched his head nervously for a moment and the said " Ah ahaha! My bad, I thought you came here to have a one-on-one battle with me and pound the living daylights out of me for invading your home. But I guess it was all Itachi's crappy idea anyway. Well, lets get this traning started, Sasuke." Replied Naruto as he arms himself with the weapons he prepped for this morning.

"Hmmph! Always a loudmouth and a knucklehead at times, and can be a troublemaker just like his old man." Thought Sasuke with a smile lingering on his face. He then pulled out his weapon and began their training for the morning. The two of them then heads over to the training field to do some target practice and then practiced their hands on combat. While they practiced, Naruto asked, "Hey Sasuke, what is up with your brother lately? I mean he doesn't seem to be himself."

Sasuke looked at him for a moment and said, "What do you mean Naruto? My brother is perfectly fine, there is nothing wrong with him. Why are you asking about my brother?"

"Well, to me, something fishy is going on with your brother and I have a suspicion that he might be up to something no good at home, or that he might endanger our entire family with his powers. We cannot allow this to happen, we must…" began naruto.

Suddenly, Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's shoulders and replied, "naruto, listen to me. There is nothing wrong with itachi and my family will be fine, you don't have to be afraid of anything. As long as I am here Itachi will never do anything to harm his own family okay? After all, you are my best friend and you have been like a brother to me ever since. Look at me, Naruto. Am I the kind of person that would allow my own clan to be killed? No! Of course not, so you have nothing to worry about. Now let's get back to training." He then ruffles the blonde's head as they resumed their training.

During their tranining session, Naruto begins by sending a barrage of shurikens straight at Sasuke, but he dodged them easily without problems. Next, naruto throws a wave of kunai knives straight at Sasuke while charging in for the attack by throwing a number of punches at Sasuke and some kicks. But Sasuke used a substitution technique and Naruto had hit a piece of wood, but he wasn't about to give up he continued attacking Sasuke but Sasuke continued using his defenses and soon it was his turn to use hand to hand combat against Naruto. During the fight, Sasuke called out to him "What's the matter Naruto? Is that all you got? Come at me with full force, brother!" They continued trading blows in the air.

"You want full force? You got it! I'll show you what I am really made of, Uchiha Sasuke!" Replied Naruto as he leaped into the air and activated his sharingan eye while performing the fireball technique that Fugaku taught him earlier. Soon the entire forest was filled with fire that came out of Naruto's mouth, but the raven-haired kid didn't seem to mind the attack that naruto had lain out. "Impressive, bro! I never knew you could pull off that attack that quickly, but you are no match for my skills. My attacks have a much wider range of fire power and it can incinerate an entire forest in a matter of minutes, including a dummy mannequin. How is that for a full force?" replied Sasuke as he smiled slyly.

Naruto was surprised that Sasuke had far more firepower in his attacks but still, it doesn't mean that Sasuke is better than him. However, Naruto still had a lot more to improve than just his combat skills. "That doesn't matter, Sasuke. No matter how far you spread your attacks, my shadow clones will always do the job to block them. Now let's see what else you have in that bag of tricks?" he asked.

Sasuke continued his fireball technique at naruto while the blonde continuously used his shadow clones to block Sasuke's attack. After wards, Sasuke's fireball technique had reached its limit and there was no point to continue. So, they decided to move on to the second stage of their training: Attacking in Mid-air, which is also known as air to air combat.

Naruto had never done any air to air combat before but this is the first time that he would be doing this kind of technique with Sasuke. It would take a while for him to master itbut this would give him a chance to show what he's really got and how it will help him fight other opponents using mid air combat.

"Okay, Naruto. Now that you have seen how the fireball technique is done, its time that we moved on to a much more difficult technique. This time, we are going to fight in mid-air using hand to hand combat. This will also include using kicking attacks to send opponents to the ground. Are you ready?" asked Sasuke

"Bring it on, Sasuke! I am ready for you this time!" Naruto said as he wiped his sweat away from his forehead and began his next stage of training: the mid air combat.

**And that would conclude chapter 2 of Naruto the Sharingan wielder. It took me weeks to get all the ideas together for this chapter, but it wasn't easy. I've been busy with school and other things and I didn't have time to update the next chapter but stay tuned the next one will keep you glued to your seat. I will have more ideas for you as the story goes. See you all next time**

**Combatally12**


	3. Chapter III: The Night Before

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter 3: The Night Before

After Naruto emerges from the Uchiha Compound, he wonders if Itachi is really the brother that people thought he would be. But for Sasuke, his brother was anything but a genius. As naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, he starts to think about what Itachi and his father had said to him and about the battle that he and Sasuke had fought. If he wants to wield the power of the Sharingan, he has to work hard and train hard to accomplish his goal.

"Itachi, what have you put me into? Why have you chosen me to wield the Sharingan? What are your true intentions?" Naruto thought as he continued onwards to home, but suddenly he can feel the rush of leaves blowing towards him. He wondered who could be out here at this time of the night. As he takes out his kunai, he charged towards his attacker and begins to strike him, but the attacker said "Wait! Stop! Naruto, don't attack me!" Naruto was shocked but relieved to see Itachi standing behind him. Once he puts his kunai away, he said to him, "Itachi-san, what are you doing here at this time of the night? I thought you were going do some training before going to bed."

"I was just checking up on you to see how you were doing. Anyway, did you really think I would come all the way out here to harm you? I would be captured by the Anbu guards anyway. Now what's on your mind naruto?" said Itachi.

Naruto looked at him for a moment and said, "Well, Itachi-san, Are you sure you have chosen the right person to wield the Sharingan? I mean I know it's a powerful technique, but I am not sure if I am the right person for the job. And since Sasuke has the same technique as you, what possible use could I have for it anyway?" Itachi was befuddled at what Naruto had asked him, but decided to answer him anyway.

"Naruto, you know that the Sharingan is the pride of the Uchiha clan right? No one else will know the secret of the technique except for me and my family. The reason why you were chosen was because…"

"Because you wanted me to use them for the purpose of killing people isn't it?" interrupted Naruto.

Itachi sweat-dropped at that remark from naruto. "That's not what I meant. Who said that you are going to use it for evil purposes? I merely said that the Sharingan will help you suppress the fox inside of you, that's why you were chosen to have this kind of power. The hokage knows about the power of the fox inside of you, so with the sharingan, it should be able to stop the powers of the kyubii flowing out of you. Do you understand now why I am telling you this?"

Naruto shook his head and thought that over, but still he didn't believe any of it. "I don't believe you Itachi, but I do understand why you are telling me all this. Still, will I get to keep the power of the Sharingan?

"Oh you will Naruto, but you must use it wisely, okay? The power of the Sharingan is not to be used for evil. You must learn to control its power as well. Anyway, I think it's time for you to get some sleep. You will need it for training in the morning. And I think I might have a special surprise for you if you can defeat Sasuke tomorrow in a match." Said Itachi.

"I'll look forward to it, besides the Sharingan is nothing. If Sasuke can master it, so can I. The technique is not such a big deal, Besides, I probably won't have much trouble using it anyway. See you around Itachi!" And he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Itachi sighed and said to himself, "That little brat has no idea just how strong my technique really is. I don't think he knows the danger that is in store for him. Once I take care of my family, I'll be sure to lure Sasuke into my trap and frame Naruto for it. Just you wait Naruto, the power of the Kyubii inside of you will be as good as mine!"

Once Naruto arrived home, he set his equipment and gear on the ground. He then slumped down on the couch and decided to read upon "Chakra Techniques made Easy" in order to find out how to improve his ninjutsu skills since that is the area he needs to most work on. However, he couldn't sleep this early so he decides to head out again to grab something to eat. As he heads towards the Barbeque shop, he could notice that some Anbu guards were following him, but he pretended not to see them as he walked into the restaurant. Once inside, he sits down at a table while reading his book. Soon, Naruto can hear the voice of someone saying, "Man, this is so troublesome, I can't believe I have to be forced to come to this barbeque joint."

"Oh Come now, Shikaku! You know as well as I do that my son Choji likes to come here and eat barbeque. He is a vegetarian, I am telling you. He wants to grow big and have strong bones." Said the second man.

"A vegetarian you say? Meat isn't the only thing that increases strong bones, gentlemen. And I don't know what you are so worked up about, Shikaku. I think my son's strength can kick your son's lazy ass. I think my clan's pups know that as well. And besides, our sons will get more stronger as they continue their training if they stop messing around."

Shikaku looked crestfallen as he shook his head. "Women are so troublesome these days with the beatings, the whippings, and the harshness of their voice. Why did I get dragged into this?" he thought to himself.

Naruto knows those familiar voices from anywhere so he decides not to interfere with their family business. But he wonders why they were here in the first place: was it to follow Naruto and keeping track of his movements or to ensure his safety from the Uchiha Clan? As naruto takes his leave, he starts to head home, but suddenly he can feel a stretch of shadow stopping his movement and the appearance of Inuzuka dogs around him.

"Going somewhere, naruto?" asked the scar-faced shinobi. Naruto turns to see the face of Shikaku nara with the jounin vest and pony-tailed hair right next to him.

"Well, I was about to head home, but I didn't know you were here, so I decided to stop here for a little dinner, but I decided to head home since there is nothing good here and…"

"Man, you are so troublesome, we wouldn't want you to go home on an empty stomach now, would we? Come with us then." Said Shikaku as he releases his shadow from Naruto.

Tsume couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Naruto's face as she and Choza escorted him inside the restaurant. Once inside, they sat themselves down at a table. "Now then, Naruto, what do you want to talk to us about? I hope you have nothing to hide from us." Asked Choza.

"Well, it's about Itachi. And frankly, I think he is hiding something from his brother and his family. I don't know what Itahci is up to, but I do know that it won't be good. Sometimes, I think Fugaku-sama has gone mad or something for putting up for adoption in his family. Will you help me find out from the Hokage exactly what itachi is planning?" asked Naruto.

"Honestly, to tell you the truth, I have no idea what Itachi is up to but I heard from the Hokage that you are planning to have the power of the sharingan, is that right? I always knew Fugaku-sama was a wretched fool for putting you in their family, what the hell was he thinking? You know, I strongly advise you to stay away from Itachi because if any harm comes to you, how would we explain this to the Hokage?" replied Tsume ruefully.

"Yeah, she's right. Itachi already has made this situation even more troublesome than what it is now. We have to ensure your safety so that you don't get hurt. Also, were you being followed by him? If so, then I am afraid you are in more danger than we first thought. God forbid, be careful Naruto, Itachi may have set a trap for you. Take my word for it, as long as you are here, you will be safe with us." Replied Shikaku as he placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto takes the advice to heart and thinks it over. "You know, I just wish that the Hokage would put me up for adoption with a better family so that I wouldn't be in any danger. But I will keep a close eye on him. If he tries anything funny or if he lays a hand on Sasuke I'll….." he began, but he was interrupted by Choza.

"He wouldn't do that, Naruto. We could send the request to the Hokage to have the Anbu keep an eye on him if you want. And besides, Itachi may be a cunning bastard, but he is a well-respected shinobi here and he wouldn't harm anyone. I know this because sasuke always had a strong bond with Itachi, so try to relax, naruto. You will be fine with Itachi as long as he doesn't start something dangerous." He said.

Naruto thought that over for a bit before smiling, he knows that he has to be careful around people that he encounters because he might never know when danger lurks around. But he wasn't sure if he still has faith in Itachi due to the fact that he has some secrets being kept from people. However, Naruto feels that the more he distrusts Itachi, his life would be in danger. As he walks down the streets of Konoha after saying good bye to the clan heads, he decides to head home while avoiding any distraction that comes his way. He didn't notice that Itachi was still around town and hiding behind buildings. Once Naruto was out of sight, itachi thought to himself, "Foolish little Naruto, do you really think you will be protected that easily? I've already known what you said to the clan heads and not even they can protect you now! You are already falling deeper into my trap and now you will pay for it with your life. My bodyguards will personally see to it that you will never escape my grasp, just you wait!"

By the time Naruto reached to his house and settled in for the night, Itachi's bodyguards, who are well known in their clan tribe decides now that it's time for them to start the next phase of their plan by capturing Naruto and bringing him to Itachi. With all of the necessary equipment in their hands, they set off to find the Kyubii and hopefully put an end to his life, but they started to think if they harm him and kidnapping an innocent child like him would put their own lives in danger. So they decided to try another way to get naruto to Itachi by luring Sakura into this trap.

As Naruto was in bed, he starts to think about what he did during the training with Sasuke and about the basics of combat and defending himself. He plans to put all this to the test as he turns off the light. But no sooner than he did that, he heard a knocking at his door. Once he got up and opened it, he could see two shinobis with the leaf headbands and some combat equipment in their hands at his front step. He then approaches them and asked, "Is there something I can do for you gentlemen? It's getting really late and I do need a good night's rest." Said Naruto sleepily.

"Well, Sasuke's brother wishes to see you and he orders us to bring you to him, at the behest of Itachi himself. So be a good little boy and come with us." Said the guard.

Naruto wonders what Itachi wants with him this time. "Why does Itachi wants to see me? Can't this wait until morning? I really need to go to bed, and tell Itachi that I will meet with him tomorrow morning." He said as he closed the door behind the guards and went back to bed. But no sooner than he did that the guards opened the door again and dragged Naruto out of the bed and said, "If you won't cooperate, than we will make sure that you don't come back alive, also Sakura wants to see you as well." Afterwards, they took Naruto outside and over to Sakura's house. Once there, the guards decided to hide behind the trees and wait for Naruto to take the bait/ As Naruto knocks on the door, a girl with pink hair arrives and then opens it. "Oh, naruto-kun, what brings you here? It's getting late here and I need some beauty rest, now what can I help you with?"

"Well, I was trying to get some sleep but then two men from the Uchiha clan kidnapped me and then brought me to your area to warn you of the danger that both of us are in right now. I don't know why they would want me to come here, but I am here to let you know about the danger that I am in right now. But it would be great if you could go warn the hokage about this situation, sakura-chan." Said naruto.

Sakura looked at him for a moment and said, 'Naruto-kun , you picked a bad time of the night to come to me for help, you should go home and get some rest because I will also need a lot of sleep as well since we both need to rest and be at our very best for tomorrow. And I probably shouldn't bother with the Hokage since he is busy with things right now, and I don't know if I am able to help you or anything." Replied Sakura,

Naruto looked a little crestfallen after knowing that Sakura cannot help him, but he said, "Sakura you don't understand, these two men would kidnap me and would put me in all sorts of danger if I don't get to someplace safe. And those men are hiding behind those bushes ready to nab me, so please let me hide somewhere temporarily, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked at him for a moment and thinks this would be too risky of a move for her to make. She knows that Naruto cannot be left out alone this late at night. So she decides to escort him inside her house and hides him in the upstairs closet. Once Naruto was safely hidden, she then turns her attention to the guards outside. "If you are looking for the knucklehead, he isn't here. He might have gone out to train with Sasuke for a while. So try to find him elsewhere."

The uchiha bodyguards looked at Sakura for a while and found out that there was no point to continue searching for Naruto. So they disappeared in a puff of smoke and would have to endeavor looking for him elsewhere. Once the guards are out of sight, Sakura called out to naruto, "You can come out now, naruto-kun! The guards are gone now, so I think it's safe for you to go home now."

Relieved, naruto came out of the closet, took a deep breath for a moment and thanked Sakura for the protection. Once he emerged from her home, he heads back to his apartment to get a good night's sleep, hoping to avoid being captured again. He does not want himself to become a target of destruction. As Naruto dozed off to sleep, he was worried that those guards might try to strike again and tries to avoid thinking about it. The next morning, Naruto wakes up and gets dressed as usual while dashing towards the Hokage's office. As he knocks on the door of the office, he heard the word of "Come in" sounds from the room. As Naruto entered, he walked towards the hokage's deck and asked, "Ji-san, last night I was nearly kidnapped by two guards from the Uchiha compound and I do not have any idea why, do you know why they are coming after me? I mean, these people need to stop coming after me, I have no interest in them, okay?"

"I understand Naruto-san, but you must know, this village has its problems that even I cannot deal with myself, I've been getting headaches from these people as well, and I know what you are going through. Honestly, they need to chill out and relax, it's not like the world is coming to an end." Replied the Hokage.

"I know that ji-sama, but if I get anymore death threats from these people, I don't know what I can do now. I've already had a talk with a few of the clan heads, and now even Itachi-san is starting to turn against me as well. You know, like I told you before, I wish I was put with a different family, someone who understands me a lot better and all. Gosh, sometimes I feel like I've been followed and stalked by people everywhere I go." Said naruto.

"That's what people want you to think, Naruto-san! They just don't see the normal kid in you, I really do wish that you would have someone to guard you and protect you, but it seems that no one wants the offer. But you don't have to worry, naruto, I am sure you will be fine, but I don't know if I am able to help you with anything at this moment. I am pretty busy myself, so if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?" finished the Hokage.

"All right, then, Thanks ji-sama!" said Naruto as he walked out of the office, hoping he wouldn't have any problems. But as he walked down the street, Kakashi arrives and aksed the Hokage, "Will naruto be okay out there all by himself? I feel that he might not be fully protected out there, I think it's best if I keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't get captured, this village already has enough problems as it is, and besides I know Naruto as well as some of the people here. I could probably help him with his defense skills later on." Replied Kakashi.

'Are you sure about that, kakashi? Because I know that not a single one of the young shinobis have ever practiced defending themselves before, but if you want to help him, than I cannot simply refuse the offer, and I don't think naruto will refuse it either. I still doubt that Naruto can take care of himself in the end. It's just a shame that this whole village has to plague Naruto with all the pain and torture, and I think Iruka feels the same way when he was younger, but I think Naruto has support from the clan heads as well, including me. Hypothetically, if Naruto does get put up with a better family, they could probably rival against the Uchiha clan." Said the Hokage. Even kakashi agrees with the plan as well when he heads out to meet with naruto.

As naruto continues down the street while thinking about what the Hokage had said to him, he didn't notice that two guards were on the rooftops of a house in Konoha as he continues down on his merry way, but as he was about to arrive at his apartment, he spots the guards in front of him. Naruto now knows that these are the same people that tried to capture him last night. "Okay, what do you guys want with me this time? I told you: I am not going to Itachi's place, now I would ask you nicely to please step aside." Said naruto.

"Sorry kid, no can do, we are taking you to Itachi's place whether you like it or not, now are you going to come quietly or are we going to do this the hard way?" asked one of the guards.

Still, naruto did not give them an answer as he tries to walk towards his house, but before he could enter, one of the guards grabs him, while the other one ties a rope on his body and his hands before carrying him away towards the Uchiha compound. As Kakashi looked up from a tree, he starts to think that Itachi was definitely up to something wuth Naruto being kidnapped. "Naruto, don't worry I will get you out of this mess one way or another, but try to hang on for as long as you can, I will try to get reinforcements to eliminate the guards." Thought kakashi as he heads towards the Hokage's office.

"What do you creeps want with me anyway? Can you please untie me and let me go already!" protested Naruto as he tries to set himself free from the ropes entangled around him, but the guards looked at him for a second and said, "Sorry Naruto, but there is no way you can be set free this time. If you think we are going to let you escape, itachi will have our heads knee deep in crap. Soon, itachi will take you to his place where he will need to have a few words with you face to face, so enjoy your time at the Uchiha compound because you will never escape the danger that awaits you, hehehehehe!" said the guards as they tossed Naruto down on the wooden floor near the Uchiha Compound aand closed the door behind them.

Naruto was getting a little uncomfortable in where he was being tossed at because of the numbness that he is feeling throughout his entire body after being tied up and thrown into an unknown location. He then gets up and turns the light on and thought, "Where am I? What the hell is this place? He then notices a sign on the back of the door and sees it as "The Compoud of Death" At that moment, Naruto was shocked to see such a name written on the door like this, but he has to remain calm if he wants to get out of there alive.

Later that day, Itachi arrives and sees naruto inside the compound. Once he opens the door, he takes Naruto into his house and closes the door. Once inside, naruto asked Itachi, "What is the meaning of this, Itachi nee-san? Why have you captured me and brought me here? I demand an explaination!" protested naruto angrily.

Itachi looked at him for a moment and said, "Naruto, the reason why I wanted you here was to ask you why you were training with my brother? You know that he is forbidden to walk outside because he is not an outsider like you. What you have done is a violation of the Uchiha clan law, and that would brand you as a traitor to Konoha. I warned you to stay away from my brother, but you didn't listen to me!" Said itachi.

"Come on Itachi, what's wrong with training with Sasuke anyway, I mean I don't see him as a problem, and he didn't seem to mind me around him, he is my friend! I urge you not to get your brother involved, and for the love of god, please do not get me involved in your family business. If Sasuke knows what you are doing, he will never forgive you for this." Warned Naruto.

"Yeah, dream on, kyubii scum! You are already in danger and you are not going to escape from me this time. But this is okay, as long as you are here with me, I can have all the time in the world to make you suffer a horrible pain, your fate is now sealed, my friend. You are not to leave this compound until I finish off what my guards cannot do. Also when I captured you this time, it was Sasuke's idea. So if you want to blame someone, do it on him."

At that moment, Naruto looked up and said, "No way, Itachi-nee san! I will not sell out my own best friend and I will not implicate him in this stunt you are pulling. I order you to let me go... NOW!"

"Sorry, orders are orders, and I will not allow Sasuke to become involved in this conflict. Also he will not be helping you out this time and no one can save you. However before you see sasuke, I will let you see my own family. Let's go Naruto!' said Itachi as he picks up naruto from the floor and took him into the living room. Once there, he was shocked to see Fugaku and Teyaki Uchiha on the floor. The furniture was all moved out of the way so that Itachi could put an end to his family for good to ensure that Naruto has no protection from anyone in Konoha. Also itachi refuses to let anyone else in the village to help the bo because it was their idea of wanting him dead and Itachi was the perfect candidate for the job.

"Fugaku-tou san, Teyaki baa san? Why did it have to be you guys to get involved? Why? What did you do to deserve this?" protested Naruto. He then turned towards Itachi, who had an evil smile on his face and shouted, "Itachi-nee san, I demand that you release your own family right this instant! This is between you and me so leave them alone! Your parents did nothing wrong to deserve such harsh treatment, and I for one will not allow you to carry out this madness!"

"Why should I let my family go? How come its always you that gets all the attention around? If you think they are innocent, well, what about me? Do you not consider me important to you? Why didn't you consider me to be a family to you? You always think of Sasuke as your best friend and ally, but not everyone else. You are selfish and always think about yourself without thinking of people around you. You may think that you are not involved in this but you are too late to do anything about it. Now just keep yor mouth shut as you watch my beloved family's blood spill on your hands!" Said itachi as he raises his sword to take the killing blow, but Naruto jumps up and strikes a Kunai knife directly on Itachi's sword before it could strike. Itachi was amazed that he was able to release himself and make a quick attack, but even his own speed was no match for Itachi. "Nice try Naruto, but you are still not going to be able to stop me, now release your weapon from my sword or I will have to use force to put you down." Said Itachi with a warning tone.

"Try and make me, you traitor of Konoha!" shouted Naruto as he continues to deal blows to itachi's body while knocking the sword out of his hands. He then gives a quick punch to itachi's gut area and knocks him against the wall, but Itachi decides to fight back as his guards starts to beat up naruto while he takes care of his family before Sasuke's return. Once they took Naruto to the back room, they started beating him and kicking him around like a stray dog. Itachi then headed outside to start his attack on the family. He started attacking most of the Uchiha clan that were close to him, including the maid of the house and two of fugaku's next door neighbors, who were both husbands and wives. They were also once good friends of Fugaku and Teiyaki as well. As Itachi continued his killing rampage, the guards stopped beating on Naruto and went outside to check and make sure that Itachi finishes his mission by wiping out his mother and father. "I will do that, but I need to do something with Naruto first." Said itachi as he enters the house and into the back room where Naruto was. He then sets him down on the ground and starts to activate his technique. "Wait, itachi what the hell are you doing? Stop! No, stop! Get away from me right this instant! No!" but no matter how hard Naruto struggled to get away from Itachi, it was pointless for him to escape from the technique.

"Ninja art, Genjutsu: Tsukoyomi!" Rambled Itachi as the technique starts to affect Naruto's mind. Soon, the entire room is shrouded in darkness as Naruto wonders where the hell he is and where everyone went to. Then he sees Itachi right in front of him with his family facing him. Just as Itachi was about to kill them, Fugaku immediately dispelled the genjutsu forcing Itachi to drop the sword again. "Naruto-san, come here for a minute, I need to give you something before I go, I know you will miss me, but I have no other choice. And also, tell Sasuke that he has learned all he can from me. So now, Naruto you need to use this power only for good, and not evil, okay? Just think of me whenever you use this technique, it's the least I can do for you." Replied Fugaku as he placed a hand on Naruto's head and making hand signs. "Ninja art: Ninjutsu: Sharingan!" boasted Fugaku as the electromagnetic waves were sent into Naruto's brain, his eyes starts to turn red as the sharingan power is infused into his head as well. Once finished, Naruto's eyes started to turn back normal again. Itachi looked at them for a moment and was shocked as to what just happened, but nevertheless, he transforms the room into darkness as he releases his genjutsu once again.

This time, Naruto had no means of escape from the power of Tsukoyomi as he is tied down with a rope around his body. Itachi then grabs his head and inflicted more of the genjutsu power into him, and dealing a large amount of blows to him before he is finally left unable to move. Once Itachi was finished with Naruto, he started to pick up his sword and prepares to deal a death blow to them. This time, Naruto has no chance to save them now as he is left helpless to watch Fugaku and teiyaki die at the hands of itachi. He also knows that Itachi had been using him as a pawn in order to get to his brother Sasuke. Thinking carefully, he moves towards a table and then picks up the telephone. He started to call the Hokage's office and said, "ji-sama, I am in terrible danger, Itachi has kidnapped me and now he is prepared to murder his entire family at his own accord. He also used me as a pawn in order to trap me here to get to sasuke as well so that he can claim the power inside of my body. Please send anyone that is available to save me, also please warn sasuke that he is in danger as well. Thank you."

"Naruto! Is that you? What the hell is going on over there? And what is with all the screaming on the line? Wait a minute, are you telling me that you are trapped by Itachi Uchiha and now he is trying to kill his parents? I knew it! I had a feeling that Itachi was up to no good! All right, hang in there just a little bit longer, help is on the way okay?" said the Hokage on the phone.

Once Naruto thanked the old man and hangs up the phone, he starts to feel a lot of physical and mental pain as death slowly comes to him.

Just then kakashi arrives at the compound where the guards are outside. As they spotted him, they asked, "What are you doing here? Itachi has strict orders about not to let intruders through here. Now step aside or else!"

"Or else what, you low life scums? I demand to know where naruto is. If he is in there with Itachi, I promise you, death will become you!" warned Kakashi as he takes his fighting stance. As the guards moved in for the attack, Kakashi was too fast for them and with some quick movements and maneuvers, he subdued both of the guards and knocks them out cold. Afterwards, he enters the compound to find Naruto, but as he enters the compound, he also finds Fugaku and teykai tied down to the floor. He then leaves the compound for a bit and then decides to call for reinforcements to secure the compound and free naruto from Itachi. 'Hang in there, naruto, just hold of Itachi for a bit longer, I will be back for you soon!"

"Where are you going, kakashi-sensei? You cannot leave me here alone with the traitor of Konoha. Please save me!" shouted Naruto as he struggles to get free. But will kakashi be back in time to save naruto and stop Itachi or will it be too late to save him?

**And stop…. Well that ended a chapter worth reading. Well this is only the beginning of the massacre in the Uchiha compound and now Naruto is trapped and left with no other place to go. Will he be rescued in time? Can kakashi and the rest of the shinobi arrive in time to stop itachi from carrying out his plan? Tune in to the next chapter: "The massacre begins" That will do it for this chapter and I will see you all next time.**


	4. Chapter IV: The Massacre

Naruto the Sharingan wielder

Chapter IV: The Uchiha Clan Massacre

_Welcome back to another episode of naruto. Tonight, this episode will feature the murders of the entire Uchiha family and the disappearance of one of the most formidable opponents and a protégé of the Uchiha clan. Also we are going to find out if Sasuke is really being implicated in the murders or just another scapegoat in Konoha. Now on with the show_.

Naruto could take no more of the pain and suffering after being dragged into the Uchiha compound for unspecified reasons and being beaten into a bloody pulp. He was also being heavily affected by the Tsukoyomi, a devastating genjustu that can put its opponents into a deep coma and erasing their memories of their loved ones. As Itachi continued his bloody rampage, Naruto tries to get up, but he was in too much pain to move, especially when under the effect of a powerful genjutsu.

"Itachi-nee-san, what have you gotten yourself into? You cannot kill family that you love so much? What have they ever done to you to make you act like this? Seriously! All I wanted was just a family that would love me and support me no matter what happens, but what have you ever done for me? Nothing! All you think about is killing and sparing no one in your charge, how sad! I thought you were my loving brother, but I don't know who the monster in front of me really is, but you are not the Itachi I knew." Thought Naruto as he tries to move slowly around, but his chances of survival is looking slim. As his physical self starts to deteriorate, he could feel the world start to turn black around him as he lies down. He didn't notice the pool of blood around him belonging to Mr and Mrs Uchiha. Once Itachi finished the murders down on the streets of the Uchiha compound, he went back inside to finish off his parents before the Anbu comes.

Naruto decides to create a couple of clones to act as a distraction to protect Teiyaki and Fugaku and some more to find Sasuke and bring him back to his home. Once Itachi returned, he now has to deal with the clones of Naruto. As he starts dispelling a couple of his clones, more of them start to appear, but Itachi was already getting really tired of naruto's tricks. Thinking quickly he used his own clones and dispelled more of naruto's clones. Afterwards he proceeds to move in for the kill but the real Naruto steps up and tries to protect the people that he loves because he will not allow Fugaku and his wife to die in vain. Itachi quickly attacks Naruto causing him to be in more pain. He then plunges his sword right into naruto's abdomen, causing more blood to spill to the ground. "Itachi Uch-iha, you...damn….traitor! You will…. Not …get… away….with…..this!" He then sinks to the ground before Itachi pulls the blade out of his body. He then kicks Naruto hard in the stomach before swinging his sword again and…

'Thwack!... Slash!

More blood started splattering all over the house as Fugaku and his wife took the blow from itachi's sword and dies in an instant afterwards. Finally itachi turns his attention towards Naruto, but then his power starts to fade as he drops his sword. Realizing what he has done, Itachi remembered that Naruto was a kind-hearted person who would never hurt anyone in his life, but since he erased all those memories from the boy, he still wants Naruto to fight him. He then walks over to Naruto and said to him, "Foolish little step-brother, you don't have sufficient strength to stop me. If you want to surpass me, you will have to get yourself stronger. I see that the power inside of you is starting to grow weaker, but it will be as good as mine once I take it away from you. So until then, enjoy your slow and painful death because I will be back for you!" Once he finished his sentence, he disappeared in an instant before standing on top of a pole watching the night sky and waiting for his other brother to come home.

Meanwhile, in the streets of the compound, Sasuke arrives to find the entire place covered in blood. He knows that something was not right the moment he exited the academy. As he continues to follow the blood trail to his house, he heads inside his home and to the living room. Once he opened the door, he was shocked to find his mother dead and his father barely conscious. He then walked towards him and asked, "What the hell happened, who did this to you? Tell me!"

Fugaku looked at naruto for a moment, but he could barely stay awake, "It was…. It was Uchiha Itachi! He also badly injured Naruto as well; you should tend to him."

"No! you have to be kidding me! My brother promised that he would never harm you guys he would never….." began Sasuke, but tears already streamed down his eyes as he tries to wake his father, but to no avail. "Don't leave me tou-san!, I will never forget you, please you have to stay with me!"

"Sorry…. My son, but you must carry on in this world without me! Naruto is the only person that can take care of you now! Good bye, we will miss you, but try to think of us and all the training you have learned so far. And please do try to be careful, and take good care of Naruto…..!" With that, he closes his eyes and slowly dies with a smile on his face.

No matter how hard Sasuke cried, he must stay strong if he wants to fight itachi. Soon, his tears turned to anger. "Itachi-nee-san, you will never get away with this! You will be punished! I will never let you get away with what you did to my family because from now on, I will be the one to defeat you and I will restore my clan! And you will not get your hands on naruto either. Because as of now, Naruto has been like family to me, and I will not allow you to hurt him. This time, it is you who shall suffer death in my hands." Just wait itachi, I will surpass you one way or another. Also you will know the hard way of what it's like to lose a brother."

As Sasuke went over to the back room, he sees Naruto on the floor, unconscious. He could also see the blood spatter from his body dripping on the floor; it was most likely due to the stab wounds that he got from Itachi earlier. Sasuke picks Naruto up and held him with his arms while saying, "Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me? Please wake up! Everything will be okay, buddy! I am here now, just hang on, help is on the way!" He then went outside and sees konoha shinobi and the Anbu guards arriving on the scene.

Kakashi and his ninja hounds also arrived since they picked up the stench of blood and human flesh in and outside of the compound after the other shinobi and the anbu guards already arrived on the scene, but as he enters Sasuke's residence, he finds the bodies of Fugaku and Teyaki Uchiha dead. "Oh no, I hope I am not too late! Itachi has already soiled the Uchiha pride and punished his own clan. This will be a stain for Konoha and could jepardize our alliance with other villages." he thought to himself. Soon, the dogs sensed something in the next room, where they discover blood and footprints on the floor. As kakashi picked up the scene he discovers Naruto on the floor, unconscious and bleeding out. "No, Naruto! This is not possible, how could you go through something like this? You know you do not deserve this, but hang in there, buddy, I'll get you out of this mess one way or another, and I will not allow these tarnished memories to haunt you. Even though the Uchiha clan has been slaughtered, I can imagine that you are grieving right now, but mark my words, one day Itachi will pay for ruining your life. I should have known that deceptive bastard cannot be trusted from the first day I met him. Don't worry naruto, everything will be okay. Let's get your wounds cleaned up after I get you out of this place." Said kakashi as he picks up Naruto from the floor while cutting away at the ropes entangling his body. Once naruto was set free, kakashi then carried him out of the compound, with Sasuke following close behind. Once outside, kakashi could see the medical team assembled outside and he knew that they were sent by the Anbu guards. " What happened in there, Kakashi-san? We would have thought that the compund would be peaceful and quiet and now…." Began the medical team. "What is the status of naruto's condition?

"And now, the place has become a slaughterhouse and if you go in there, you would see decapitated bodies and human flesh all over the floor. I saw them with my own eyes, and I nearly puked with what happened with what happened. Teyaki and Fugaku Uchiha are already dead before I found naruto-kun. Also, outside of the compund you will find other dead bodies as well, and some of them may also be part of the Uchiha clan. As for Naruto's condition, its not looking too good, he has a lot of broken bones in his body and he has some stab wounds, including being psychologically tortured," Replied Kakashi sadly.

The medical team looked at each other for a moment and was reluctant about going inside, but they did so with the Anbu guards. Once the guards marked the place as a crime scene, the medical team examined the bodies and find that they were alive before they lost consciousness. Thinking quickly, they prepped black bags ready to take the bodies to the morgue. Soon, the photos of the crime scene are taken to ensure that the cuprit can be caught.. Once the bodies have been taken out of the compound, theAnbu immediately closed the place down for a full clean up before allowing Sasuke back home again.

Later, back in the Hokage's office, the old man was sitting at his desk waiting for news of his adoptive grandson, but so far, nothing was sent to him. "This is disappointing, what has happened to you, Naruto? I hope everything will be okay." He thought to himself. Just then, Iruka entered the Hokage's office and asked him, "Is naruto all right? I've been looking for him everywhere and I just cannot find him. Oh, I do hope something didn't happen to our beloved child!" The Hokage looked at him and could sense that Iruka was panicking, so he walked towards him and said, " I am sure Naruto will be fine, after all he still has the will and strength to fight. Don't worry about naruto too much, okay?" But the more iruka thinks about it, the more he feels unsure about naruto's condition. As the scarred Chunin walks out of the office, he heads outside and though to himself, "What if naruto really is in danger? I know he has the strength to fight, but with him gone for such a long time, I don't know if I am able to save him or not."

Moments later, Iruka could see Hatake Kakashi, the silver-haired jounin along with the medical staff rushing towards him. At that moment he knew that something was not right as they arrived. As kakashi continued towards the village, he sees a scarred chunin in front of him, "Iruka-sensei! Oh thank goodness I found you here, I've found Naruto at Sasuke's home,, but I have some terrible news to tell you. Meet me in the hospital as soon as you can!" he said as he rushed towards the hospital with the medical staff following them. As iruka followed them, he could notice that the medical ninjas are carrying black bags with them, but he does not know what is inside them. Once Kakashi and the medical personnel arrived at the hospital, he handed Naruto over to the the medical team where they wheeled him into the treatment room and started tending to his injuries.

"Kakashi-sensei, I got here as soon as I could and I heard what happened. He then sees an unconscious naruto on kakashi's back. "Oh... Naruto! What happened to him? Is he going to be okay? and what was inside those black bags?" asked Iruka.

"Well, moments ago, naruto here was kidnapped by Itachi and taken hostage at his compound after he set a trap for him at Sakura's house. Once itachi took naruto, he attacked him in the back room of his compound and beated him to a pulp. I fear that Naruto was almost losing consciousness when he tried to fight back and preventing Itachi from committing mass murder, but it was already too late. Itachi had killed his parents and wiped out the entire clan. Once I got there, Itachi was already gone and…." Began kakashi. But before he could say another word, he could see Iruka placing his hands on kakashi's shoulder

"You mean to tell me that Naruto got badly hurt by Itachi and was KIDNAPPED BY HIM! You cannot be serious, Itachi-san promised he would never hurt that kid. Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Kakashi-san? WHY!" The sound of his voice had changed to anger as he struggles to hold back his tears.

Kakashi looked at him for a moment and continued, "When I found Naruto on the floor, I tried to feel for a pulse, but soon I noticed that Itachi placed his hand on his forehead and used Tsukoyomi. This sort of technique causes mental problems for shinobi and will put them out of action for long periods of time. This technique will not be reversible. I knew something was definitely not right with itachi when he took Naruto under his wing. He wasn't really trying to teach Naruto anything, instead he showed him a vision of his friends being killed by other villagers and used him as bait to get to Sasuke. Naruto did the best he could to hold Itachi off, but he was knocked out cold before he could stop itachi. So in other words, itachi never treated him like a brother, but instead, he used him for his own selfish gains." Finished kakashi.

At that moment, iruka just sank to the ground in disbelief. He was devastated that Naruto had gone through this sort of fiasco without any backup. He than banged his fists on the wall, feeling sorry for himself that he could not save him and he knew that naruto would not make it. However kakashi lifts Iruka off from the floor and sat him down on the benches next to the treatment room and said, "Iruka, everything will be fine, but you must calm down. I am sure naruto-kun will pull through this, but give it time, okay? The medical shinobi are doing all they can to heal him of his injuies. I can tell that his wounds are vey serious, but it won't put his life in danger, so don't worry, naruto will pull through this and its our job to believe in him and we will do what we can to take the danger away from him." Iruka looked at kakashi with a smile on his face and was relieved, but they were still uncertain about Naruto's condition.

Three hours later, the medical staff walks out from the treatment room and sees kakashi and iruka outside. Iruka walks up to him and asked, "What is the status of Naruto's condition? Will he recover from his injuries?"

The medical ninja looked at the scarred chunin for a moment and said, "Well despite him suffering broken bones, broken ribs, stab wounds and other lacerations, he was lucky to have survived. But his head however, is a different story. The Tsukoyomi has completely caused mental trauma in naruto's head. In other words, naruto has been physically and psychologically tortured on the inside and outside. So we do not know when he would make a full recovery. However, I should thank you guys for bringing him here so soon, if we waited any longer, he might not have survived. Naruto is stable for now since we healed most of the lacerations on his body."

Iruka breathed a sigh of relief that naruto has survived this, but when he heard about what the Tsukoyomi had done to him, he felt a bit upset that Itachi would do something like this to him. But he was not about to let naruto suffer pain and torture as he enters the recovery room where Naruto has been sent. He then sat down next to him and decided to observe him for a while. "Naruto, please wake up soon. I know you can hear me, what did you do to deserve this? I never would have imagined that Itachi would be this brutal and hostile over you, but you have to know that we are all here to protect you and we won't let anything happen to you." He thought to himself. But naruto didn't notice that Iruka's tears were dropping onto his head as he slept. From that day, naruto's life would be changed forever.

Meanwhile, back in the Hokage's office, the Hokage looks out at the window and begins to ponder about Naruto's well-being. Just then, one of the guards arrives at his office and said, " Hokage-sama! Kakashi-san is here to to see you, he says its urgent!"

"I see, bring Kakashi in here immediately!" ordered the Hokage. The guard did as he was told and summoned the silver haired jounin into the office. As he arrived, the Hokage asked him, "Where is Itachi-san? I thought he was supposed to be training him about the use of the sharingan, and is naruto all right?"

"Well, not really. I am here to bring you the bad news. Itachi didn't really teach him about the use of the sharingan, and he was only using him to get the power that he desires. He traps Naruto at his own house after kidnapping him from his apartment. As soon as I heard that Naruto was kidnapped, I immediately went over to Sasuke's home and I found dead bodies lying everywhere, especially on the streets as well. Itachi had beaten Naruto to a bloody pulp and murdered his family with the use of his mangekyo Sharingan. He then escaped from Konoha after the massacre. Naruto is currenty in the hospital with serious injuries at the moment. The doctors are not sure when he would make a full recovery, but there is something else. Naruto has severe mental trauma due to the "Tsukoyomi" technique affecting him and this had rendered him unable to fight enemies for a while." Said kakashi while sending him the reports from the medical staff and the anbu guards regarding the murders and naruto's condition. As the Hokage looked at the reports, he stood up from his chair and sighed. He now knows the state that Naruto is in and said, "This is unbelievable! Itachi was one of our brightest shinobi in konoha and now he turns against us by murdering his own family right in front of our eyes! Thank you for the report Kakashi-san. I better begin the emergency meeting right away with the other clans of konoha. They need to know about everything that has happenened here." he said. But before the Hokage could start the meeting he could see that his answering machine has one new message. As he played the message, he could hear a distorted voice that says to him that someone was in danger. As he heard screams from the phone, he then listens carefully as the machine said, "I am in terrible danger, ji-sama. Itachi-san has kidnapped me and now he is trying to murder his own family at his own accord. Itachi wasn't really thinking of me as family, he was using me as a pawn to trap me here to get to Sasuke and pinning the murder on him. Not to mention, itachi is trying to claim the power inside of my body. Please send anyone that is available to save me, and please warn Sasuke that he is in danger as well. Thank you." Once the Hokage hits the stop button on his machine, anger and hatred came to his head as he throws the phone out the window. Once he went outside, he rubs his face gently to relieve the stress for a bit, and then heads back into his office and rings the bell. Soon, two special jounins arrived and said, "You called us, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, Genma-san, Aoba-san, I want you to summon up all the clan heads and I want them in my office immediately so they will know about Naruto's condition and Itachi's betrayal. We will need to discuss a plan on how to keep Naruto safe from further attacks and danger. Once this meeting concludes, we will figure out a way to bring Itachi back so that he can answer for his crimes so that we can prevent our village from going to war. Also, can you bring Uchiha Sasuke here as he needs to attend this meeting as well." Ordered the Hokage.

"Hai, Hokage-sama! We will send word to the clan heads and to Sasuke immediately! They will be here soon." Replied the guards as they disappeared from the office and out into the streets of Konoha.

Soon, news about the Uchiha Clan massacre had spread out among the Konoha village. The villagers were indeed stunned at what happened and they demanded to know what made a protégé of Konoha into a stone-cold killer. They never knew Naruto got involved in this mess when itachi took him in. Despite the monster inside of Naruto, they know that he is still a sweet child on the outside, but they still hate him for what happened years ago. Now, with the entire Uchiha clan murdered, they now turned their hate towards itachi.

"Why would Itachi want to harm his own family and disappear like that?" said one villager.

"I never knew that Itachi would go this low as to commit a heinous crime to put this village in jeopardy, but nonetheless, he has to be brought back, arrested, and sentenced for his crimes. We cannot allow a killer to escape justice!" said another villager. The entire village was stunned as to how someone could have attacked Konoha at this time of the night.

Meanwhile, at the Nara household, Shikaku was about to get some training done after his dinner when he heard a knock at the door. As he opens it, he could see two jounins outside. "Is there something I can help you with, gentlemen?" he asked.

"Hokage-sama has requested your immediate presense in his office regarding Itachi uchiha. This has been the darkest hour for all of konoha as Sasuke's brother has committed murder and has escaped. Also the Hokage wants to tell you about naruto's current condition since he got involved as well." Replied Genma.

"WHAT! You are kidding me right? Oh dear, what has Itachi gotten himself into this time? What about Naruto, is he going to be okay? This is so troublesome, but tell the old man I will be there in about 10 minutes." Replied Shikaku. The guards took note of that and heads off to alert other families. Once the guards are gone, Shikaku closes the door behind him and puts his clothes on before heading out.

"Hey dad, where are you going at this time of the night? What did those guards want?" asked Shikamaru.

"Hokage-sama needs me and the rest of the clan heads in his office, something terrible has happened to naruto and I cannot wait any longer. I'll be back soon!" he said as he dashes outside on to the streets of Konoha and heads towards the tower. He knows that Naruto had been taking his advice when he was warned about Itachi's true motives. But he never knew why Itachi took matters into his own hands or why he turned into a killer in his own village. But one thing is certain, he will not allow Itachi to target innocent civilians in konoha.

Next the guards went over to Kiba's house and told Tsume and Hana Inuzuka the exact same thing about Itachi's disappearance and Naruto's current condtion. This time, she was feeling concerned about what happened to the child and the danger he went through, but she was not going to forgive Itachi for what he did to Naruto and for murdering his own family. She immediately stepped out of her house and heads over to the Hokage's office. As the word gets out to the village of Konoha, everyone started to wonder how Itachi could have masterminded this whole massacre all by himself.

Meanwhile, in the underground hallways of the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was arming himself and doing some last minute training. As he came out he could see the two jonin outside. "You wanted to see me right? I assume this is about Naruto and my brother, the Konoha killer? Tell the hokage that I will be there in 5 minutes, and moreover, I want to know naruto's condtion as well. If Itachi is trying to pin this murder on me, I am afraid that its not going to work on me. Since he harmed my family and my closest friend, I will not tolerate this. I Sasuke Uchiha, will show my former brother that I am more superior than he is!" he boasted as he walks out of his underground training hall and headed over to the tower with the guards.

Back in the Hokage's office, tensions were mounting high as all the clan heads were getting ready for the emergency meeting about Itachi and the crimes he committed. Many of the council members could be seen shaking their heads in despair, including Hyuga Hiashi, the head of Hyuga clan. He was not surprised with what the protégé did to his own family. However, he was frustrated and upset that Itachi got naruto involved in this mess and furthermore he demanded to know how the Tsukoyomi can be this strong when its used against shinobis. Also extra precautions were taken as Neji and Hinata were being sent to the hospital to keep an eye on the child so that he won't get hurt.

Within moments after everyone gathered in the office, Sasuke arrived as well and took a seat next to one of the clan heads because he knows that the Hokage wanted him to speak out against his brother's criminal actions for what he did, but the thought of that just upsets him even more. So he decides to do it anyway because he wanted to tell how his brother turned from a most kind hearted person into a cold-blooded killer. This was not the Itachi Uchiha that Naruto or Sasuke had knew anymore, and not even the whole village will forgive Itachi for his actions he committed against Konoha. Everyone has been pressured by what has happened here and would do whatever they can to punish those responsible, but with naruto's life hanging in the balance, finding Itachi would prove impossible because his whereabouts are unknown now.

As the Hokage stood up from his chair, he said to everyone, "Now that everyone is here, we can get this meeting under way. As you may all know, Uchiha Itachi, the protégé of Konoha and once a brother to Sasuke, has disappeared after he took the lives of his entire family and shamed his own clan tonight. He also got Naruto involved in this mess after I sent him to be adopted by the man, but my guess is that he was only using Naruto to take the power inside his body: the Kyubii. However my most pressing concern is the Tsukoyomi, it was unleashed upon Naruto, causing him to have severe mental trauma, I am not sure if any of you have told him this, but I have come to a decision that Naruto will be put out of commission until we find another medical ninja to reverse the effects of that technique."

Everyone looked at the Hokage with shocked looks about what he said. "Are you serious about that hokage-sama? You sent the beloved son of the foruth Hokage to be adopted by a traitor of Konoha and now you are saying he is out of commission? This is an outrage! Naruto-san is our best shinobi in konoha, if he is out of commission, how will he save the village from the forces of evil? We cannot do a replacement ninja now!" shouted Inoichi. He feared the worst has happened to the most beloved child of the fourth Hokage who was nearly given a death sentence by one of their own.

"There is no need for panic, Inoichi-san, I am sure there is a perfectly logical explaination for all of this. After all I met up with him at a nearby restaurant not far from the streets of Konoha just a few days ago. He told me that if Itachi ever laid a hand on Sasuke he will stop him. But when I heard what happened, Itachi got to him first. I almost feared the worst could happen to him as well. But you are right, naruto is our best shot to save Konoha from danger. Without him, this willage will be nothing but tarnished memories of what it once was. I almost felt bad when the medical ninja told me the extent of Naruto's injuries. My own son, Choji would never forgive those who betray a friendship and killing those you love." Replied Choza as he stood up.

"You are not the only one that is disturbed by this unspeakable tragedy, my old friend. My own brother would hunt down those responsible if they came to our house and killed our dogs. Besides myself, I can't even do a reversal technique to undo the damage done on Naruto. But I never knew why itachi would suddenly get away with killing his entire family and leaving a child for dead. Honestly, my mom told me that she would tear the scoundrel to pieces if he comes back again to threaten the village." Replied Hana while clenching her fists as she sees her mother nodding her head about sending Itachi to his doom.

Finally Shikaku himself stood up and said, "This is so troublesome, even though my advice still stands, but I cannot allow our beloved child of the fourth hokage to die at the hands of a monster. What happened here today was a cowardly attack by an enemy within our village. There are some pretty violent people around here and… gosh I don't even know why I am saying this, but I really hope Naruto will recover from this tragedy soon. I cannot let this event haunt him for the rest of his life but I know he did what he could to escape death. When I saw those crime scene photos earlier, I didn't realize the danger that Naruto had to go through. It just saddens me greatly and I am at a loss for words right now. Apparently, Itachi was never a good brother to naruto and when the blonde told me that he wishes to be put up for adoption with a better family, he wasn't lying. I know this because I saw him earlier at that diner as well." He then pauses to regain his composure while wiping sweat from his eyebrows.

Finally, it was Tsume's turn. She was fully aware of what happened to naruto last night and the damages that Itachi had caused. When she was told about the injuries that Naruto had gotten, she couldn't even look at the sight of him. But what angers her most is Uchiha itachi himself because he was the one that set the whole death scene up and tried to frame his little brother Sasuke for it in order to cover his tracks. But the whole thing didn't work. However, she had picked up a note left behind by the criminal before he vanished. She then decides to read it to the rest of the villagers:

"To all villagers of Konoha: I have decided to leave this dump since I am no longer interested in helping Naruto to achieve his goal. I tried to frame Sasuke for the murder of my family, but that whole thing didn't work, so I had to finish them myself and used naruto as bait to get to my brother. I had to do this to protect Konoha from the real darkness that will plague this place. So don't try to come after me to get revenge, Sasuke. As for naruto, that Tsukoyomi technique was for betraying my trust and ignoring my warning. I am sorry that you won't be waking up anytime soon. Your fate has already been sealed and for what I have done, it will haunt you for the rest of your life. Good bye forever, I will be back to claim your power when the time is right."

P.S. You are all living in eternal darkness so I am through with Konoha. I am sorry for betraying this place but it happens everyday. You cannot trust anyone around here." – Itachi Uchiha.

At that moment, Tsume couldn't take it anymore as she tossed the note into the garbage can and vowed to get revenge on Itachi for what he did.

As everyone heard what the note had said, they immediately decided to devise a plan to bring Itachi back and have him answer for his crimes. But finding him would be most difficult since they have to search everywhere inside and outside of Konoha to track down the killer. They know that Naruto now has the power of the Sharingan in his eyes since he can use it in close combat, but with him bedridden at the moment, they need to find a medical ninja to reverse the Tsukoyomi before Naruto is back on his feet.

"All right everyone, thank you for your points. I understand that you are all upset right now and that Itachi has escaped from our grasp. However, there is one medical shinobi that I know will be able to save Naruto's life: Lady Tsunade. She is capable of revesing any technique that has affected a shinobi and with her medical skills, I am certain that she will bring Naruto back to good condition. In the meantime, you guys better head over to the hospital because Naruto needs your comfort right now. In the meantime, Sasuke, can you come up here please? I am sure you would like to add your input as to what your brother had done." Said the Hokage.

As Sasuke came up, he immediately took the stand at the podium and said, "Citizens of konoha, as I am sure you are all aware, my brother Itachi hasn't really been himself lately and I don't know why he went through all this trouble just for killing my family, but what he did here is an intolerable violation of Konoha and the Uchiha clan law. I do not tolerate a shinobi betraying his own family and his own home. But mark my words, I will restore my clan and when Itachi comes back, I will be ready to kill him and avenge my family! As long as I am still standing, I will have the privilege of being the judge and the executioner! I am only doing this to protect my closest friend and brother, Naruto uzumaki. I couldn't tell you how sorry I am that he had to go through this, but this should have been a personal matter between me and Itachi and I will not allow someone else to suffer for it." After he said those words, he left the podium and and took his position next to the Hokage.

"Thank you for your input, sasuke. I understand what you have said and we all know that this crime will not go unpunished. We will seek justice for your family and protect naruto at all costs. However, you must also protect Naruto as well since he needs a brother to look after him. You are the only person that fills the vacant spot now." Said the Hokage while placing his hand on the raven haired boy's shoulder.

"Of course, Hokage-sama! That little brat may be a dead last shinobi, but he does need protection. And of course, I will treat him as a brother. But I know this is not what I had in mind, but I will do it for Naruto. He's going to need all the help he can get." Replied Sasuke with a evil smile on his face.

The Hokage looked at Sasuke for a moment and smiled, he was relieved that Sasuke will take Itachi's position as a new brother for Naruto. In the meantime, he adjourned the meeting and sent the clan heads to the hospital to comfort Naruto for a while. One by one, everyone left the office and heads off towards the hospital, including Sasuke. But with Itachi still out there somewhere, the Hokage knows that he will be seeking the mysterious power inside Naruto, But the village will have to be prepped if he does return. And so, the hunt for Itachi officially begins.

**And Stop. I've came up with a lot of great ideas for this chapter and now with Itachi defecting from Konoha, Sasuke will be getting his chance to eliminate his former brother and restoring his clan, but in the meantime, naruto needs time to recover from his brutal assasult from Itachi. I will have more ideas for you in the next chapter. Until then. Enjoy reading this and I will see you next time.**


	5. Chapter V: Aftermath and Memories

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter V: The Aftermath and Memories

_Welcome back everyone. In the last chapter, we've seen how Itachi had slaughtered his entire family and leaving Naruto for dead with the most powerful technique, the Tsukoyomi. We also learned that he was being put out of commission until a medical shinobi returns to perform a reversal jutsu to undo the Tsukoyomi and rid Naruto of the mental trauma he is going through. Today, Naruto is recovering, but he is still physically and mentally scarred. He is also unconscious as of now ever since Itachi inflicted pain on him. Now on with the show._

After Sasuke had given his speech to the clan heads at the Hokage's office, everyone now knows that Itachi was the one that orchestrated this entire murder with some help from his subordinates, the guards that were at his compound last night. The village is in an uproar right now after what happened and the clan heads were deeply overwhelmed with the tragedy at hand. However, they realize that itachi had sent a message for Konoha warning them that he will be back to claim the power that is rightfully his, but the only things that will be Itachi's downfall are punishment and death if he returns to haunt the village again.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital's recovery's room, Naruto was still in bed, out cold due to the effects of Tsukoyomi in his mind. He couldn't remember much of what happened after Kakashi took him out of the Uchiha compound and in the hospital. The nurses and the doctors sometimes comes by to check on his health and his prognosis, but he hasn't said a word after the murders because he was still out of it. However, he could never forget the pain that Itachi had caused him after his adoption by the protégé, especially Sasuke. He also seems to be most affected by the tragedy as well. But despite what happened, Sasuke never let up hope that Itachi will be found and sentenced for his crimes he committed.

Just then, there were sounds of commotion coming down the hall of the hospital that was adjacent to the surgical ward and the treatment room. As Iruka got up to see what it was, he could see the clan heirs of konoha, including Sasuke coming towards Naruto's room. This could mean only one thing: the clan heirs knew about what happened to the blonde and why he had to go through such a dangerous obstacle. However, Iruka never knew that Itachi was the true perpetrator of committing mass murder in Konoha so he exited the room and headed down the hall to the waiting area. Once the clan heirs arrived at the recovery room, they went in search of naruto's room until they came across iruka in the hallway.

"What are you doing here, Iruka? I thought you would be at the academy by now teaching students?" asked Hana.

"Well, Kakashi told me to observe naruto for a little bit since he got here, but with the medical staff constantly coming in and out of his room, it's been really quiet here so far. So I guess you are here to see Naruto as well right?" replied Iruka nervously.

"Yeah, the request was from the Hokage himself so here we are. Anyway, has Naruto said a word after he was brought here? We were told by the Hokage that he would be out of commission for a while until they will find a medical shinobi to cure him of Tsukoyomi." Said Inoichi as he was about to enter the room.

"Naruto hasn't said a word since he was brought here. Even the doctors don't even know when he will wake up. I've been observing him since this morning and he hasn't spoken. I don't know if you guys will be able to wake him up or not." Replied iruka sadly.

"Eh…. We can try but it would prove to be much harder than we thought. Naruto has suffered a lot over the past few weeks after what happened between him and Itachi so let us observe him for a while, all right Iruka? We will take good care of him, don't worry." Replied hana as she steps into the room after patting iruka on the back.. After a while, Iruka smiled and knows that Naruto is in good hands now as he takes his leave from the hospital and heads back to the Hokage's office.

Once iruka left, the clan heirs could still see that naruto hasn't moved an inch. They wondered how he could have gotten involved in this mess after Itachi attacked him and why he waitied so long for someone else to come to his rescue. Meanwhile, Akimichi Choza takes a chair and sat down next to Naruto's bedside. "This is just horrible to have happened to naruto, he's just a little kid and not to mention sweet and innocent. But thankfully he will pull though. If he didn't, I would fear the worst is yet to come. What happened to you, Naruto-san? This isn't like you at all, but just hang in there okay; we are all here for you." He said as he held onto naruto's hand.

Hana also sat down on naruto's bed and said, "It seems that Naruto won't be able to fight for a few days since his ordeal with itachi. I am no doctor but I do know that we will get him though these troubling times, choza-sama. Looking at these wounds, I noticed that he still has some scars that are not completely healed. But I also noticed that his lacerations are deep too and it seems that some of his bandages need to be changed as well." Tsume also noticed the wounds and agreed as well. They both left the room to find some fresh new bandages while the others keep an eye on Naruto.

Shikaku, on the other hand was standing near the walls of Naruto's room and wasn't worried, but he has shown deep concern for naruto's safety and what he went through. These days, he has been hearing rumors that more danger could befall upon this village if Naruto was not up to battling. However, flashbacks shows that Naruto had made a promise to his family and friends that he would stop Itachi if he dared to lay a hand on him or Sasuke, but ever since the murders occurred, it seems hopeless for Naruto to fulfill his promise now because of what Itachi-sama had done. However, he knows that naruto will not give up hope that the perpetrator will be found and tried for his crimes. He then sat down next to naruto's bedside while placing his hand on the boy's face, hoping for a miracle. "Naruto-san, what troublesome things have you gotten yourself into? You said you wouldn't get involved in Itachi's family business, but…. well I can't allow you to take all the blame for what that protégé did. And I would do whatever it takes to take the pain and the hurt away from you. It won't be just me, but everyone here around me will help as well, all right? We will get you through this nightmare, buddy."

Despite what happened to naruto, the entire village of Konoha is hoping for a miracle that will bring hope and peace. But with both Itachi and the demon in their villages, the chances of having peace will be slim. With Naruto completely incapacitated and bedridden, the only other shinobi that can take Naruto's place for fighting is Uchiha Sasuke since he the strenghtn and the pride of the Uchiha clan. But one thing is certain, as the judge and executioner, Sasuke will punish any other enemy that dares to stand in his way of achieving his goal, but he isn't going to accomplish this mission on his own; he plans to enlist help from other villages to track down Itachi in order to expose his criminal behavior and his true colors. The thought this mission was going through Sasuke's head but he has to do it for the village, for Naruto, and for his family and friends. Everything is on the line for both Naruto and Sasuke since the Hokage cannot guarantee their safety here.

Meanwhile, back in the compound, Sasuke looks back at the picture of his beloved family on his wall and reminisces about all the good times he and his parents had before Itachi came to their life and what they did together as a family. Fugaku was a good father and a man that always thinks highly of his sons and he loved his wife a lot. He would never do anything that would jeopardize his family. As for Naruto, well, there were some tensions between them but he cared a lot for both Naruto and Sasuke's well-being and would protect them from any sorts of danger. As Sasuke rummaged through the photos of when his father taught Naruto the basics of the sharingan, he couldn't help but smile and thought to himself, "That dead last shinobi has learned a few tricks of the trade eh? Hmmph, I just love a guy that doesn't over think things but my father has taught him everything he knows. That kid sure is a persistent little fellow who always aims to please. I always thought Naruto wouldn't be accepted into our life, but now I was wrong. But now…. Seeing him going through something as horrible as this, I don't know what to say now." As he continued to look at the photos taken after the massacre, tears of helplessness came out of his eyes as he sees the damage that Itachi had done to his own home and the family he loved. Soon he tossed the photo album onto the ground and leaves the compound for the hospital, knowing that Naruto needs him for comfort. "I hope I am not too late. Hang in there, bro. I will be there as soon as I can, just hold on for a little bit longer!" he then dashed out of his house and rushed towards the hospital where Naruto was.

As Sasuke arrived moments after leaving his compound, he asked the nurse to direct him to where Naruto's room was. Once he got the directions, he heads down the hall towards the recovery wing of the hospital where the clan heirs are. "I see that he has some visitors already. This is a touching reunion. But I must see if naruto is okay." He thought to himself as he continued onwards towards naruto's room. He entered the door quietly and closed it behind him after walking inside. Once inside, he was greeted by the clan heirs. "You must be Sasuke Uchiha, the last member of the Uchiha clan to remain standing after your family was murdered. So I see you are here to check up on naruto-san right?" asked Hiashi.

"That's me all right. And I am the one that possesses the sharingan power. So I see you know about my parents' death. Yeah, my former brother, itachi killed my family and made naruto suffer for it. I think the reason he did that was to send a message to me that he will be back for Naruto's hidden power inside of him. As soon as I heard about Naruto's injuries, I had to come straight here. Now if you are thinking that I had something to do with my family's death, you are barking up the wrong tree. Now that I am here, what is the status of Naruto's condition?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, given the troublesome situation that Naruto is in right now, he still hasn't said a word since he was brought here and he still hasn't woken up yet. It's very strange but I think Naruto is being heavily consumed by the effects of your brother's technique. I honestly don't know if he will ever come out of this nightmare. I don't know what I am going to tell my son if he hears about this. And I am also hoping for a miracle soon since the Hokage told me that a healer will be returning to cure the blonde of his injuries." Replied Shikaku while looking over at Sasuke.

Sasuke then walked over to naruto's bedside and sat down on the chair while placing his hand on Naruto's head as he gently strokes it. He then held onto naruto's hand and said to him, "Naruto….. Uzumaki….. I know you can hear me, but from now on, I will be the one to look after you and take care of you like any other brother would do." The reason why I am doing this is to protect you from Itachi since he is after the power inside of you and I will not allow him to get his hands on you." His voice was starting to break up. "I… I also saw the photos at home and you didn't deserve this, bro, but I can't tell you how sorry I am to see you going through a personal matter that you didn't want to get involved in. Rest assured. We won't let you go through with this suffering. But I beg of you, please wake up and open your eyes or at least say something!" He then placed Naruto's hand on his head while hugging him gently. As the clan heirs watched, they could see that tears were rolling out of his eyes since this tragedy has affected him as well. They just didn't know what else they could do for the two best friends and brothers that had known each other for such a long time, but Sasuke struggled really hard with his revenge and hate and tries not to let it get to his head, but no matter how much pain he was in, he couldn't bear it any longer. Soon, the clan heirs decides to step out into the hallway to give Naruto and Sasuke some time to themselves because they never knew how much Sasuke cared for Naruto and the bonds they had together since childhood. Even though both boys had disagreed about things and got into fights, they still became best friends and grew to be as close as brothers.

Just then, kakashi stepped into the hospital hallway where he sees the clan heirs outside of Naruto's doorway and said, "Well, hello there folks. I see that you guys have decided to pay naruto a little visit. Isn't that nice of you folks, but well I am here to check on naruto's status and has he woken up yet?"

The clan heirs looked at each other and told him that nothing has changed since the blonde was brought in to the hospital after the murders in Sasuke's home. They also told him that Naruto won't be able to participate in combat until a healer from outside of Konoha returns to rid the boy of his mental stress and his injuries. Kakashi looked at them for a moment and then heads inside the room and sat down on Naruto's bedside. He felt so ashamed that he didn't come to the boy's rescue on time after Itachi kidnapped him and nearly took his life apart. But Kakashi now knows that Naruto needed a lot of protection this time around since more danger is bound to loom ahead. "Oh, naruto. I am so sorry that I didn't make it in time to save you from the compound but no matter what happens, I will also be here for you as well. I've already heard from the Hokage about what Sasuke had said and I really hope you will recover soon, don't worry. I promise you, all of us will get you through this okay?" he said to him while gently rubbing his face. He can already sense that the protégé will be back for him but the village will be ready to face him when the time comes.

As kakashi closed the door behind him, Shikaku approached him and asked, "I really hope naruto will ge through this because you are not the only person that is worried about his safety, we all are right now. Despite the troublesome situation, we cannot allow a traitor of konoha to get anywhere near him because we fear that he could be at risk of death, and that is something we shall not allow here. Do you think he will be fine with Sasuke around?"

Kakashi sighed and placed a hand on the lazy-ass jounin and said, "Don't worry, Shikaku-san, I am sure Sasuke will take great care of him, but it was actually my fault for not getting him out of itachi's place on time because I thought he would be able to get out of the danger zone on his own. I couldn't do anything to stop itachi from killing his family and I have to take full responsibility for what happened."

"kakashi, you don't have to blame yourself for what happened. Although I can say that Naruto will pull through this. But you must not give up hope on him. I do know what it feels like to lose a family that you love so much, but all this hatred from the villagers has to stop." said Choza

Later, at the Hokage's office, as the old man sat down to get some paper work finished, he didn't notice that a former student with long white hair and sandals was out in Konoha peeping again. So he sent any available shinobi to bring the guy back into the tower for an urgent message. As the former pupil arrived at the old man's office he said to him, "You got some nerve to interrupt me during my research here in Konoha and why have you brought me here in your office?"

The Hokage looked at him for a moment and said, "Ever since Sasuke's former brother and protégé murdered his family and defected from the village, Naruto-san has been in constant pain, especially the mental stress going on inside his head as well. I fear that if he doesn't get help soon, he might not get through this nightmare. So I need you to get into Tanzaku town and find a healer that specializes in curing naruto of his mental stress in order to get rid of the Tsukoyomi affecting him. If you can bring the healer back into Konoha, naruto may have a second chance at life." He said to him.

"If you are talking about the legendary healer Tsunade, she will be the perfect candidate to heal Naruto. But finding her will be difficult to do because no one had seen or heard from her for several years now. However, I can't say no to not finding her but I will do this for Naruto and for the village. But I do have a request though, sarutobi." Replied the former student.

"What is it, Jiraiya-sama? You are not thinking of taking naruto with you on the trip, are you?" said the Hokage ruefully.

Jiraiya looked at the Hokage with fear in his eyes and said, "No! I mean, of course not. Do you really think I would bring Naruto-kun in his current condition? And seriously, does itachi Uchiha really call himself a brother after what he did to the poor kid? When I find Itachi, I will personally hunt him down and kill him myself. Now I can understand that Sasuke will be looking after Naruto for a while, but I need to bring Sakura-chan along with me so that together we might be able to locate Tsunade and save Naruto's life. It will take a few days to find her but I think we can get this mission accomplished in time. And don't worry; I will make sure not to let Sakura get involved with the research that I am working on." He finally relieved himself of the fear inside of him because if anyone found out about his research, his entire work could be compromised. He then immediately dashed out of the Hokage's office and went to find Sakura before leaving for their trip to bring Tsunade back. The Hokage watched with interest and smiled, "That old coot sure has a lot of weird ways to treat women, and he will never change no matter what he does, but he never ceases to amaze me."

Elsewhere, Sakura seems to be getting worried about naruto when he didn't even show up at her apartment this morning. She started to wonder what happened to him as she prepares to head over to the hospital. But soon, she could see a tall white haired man with a usual looking symbol on his forehead at her doorstep. She then invited him in and asked him, "Who are you, sir? Do you know where naruto is right now? I am getting worried about him when he didn't come home last night because he usually stops by here each time to check on how I was doing and all." asked Sakura with a look of despair on her face. Jiraya looked at her for a moment and took her to the couch in the living room. As they sat down, he told her that Naruto was being sent to the hospital with serious injuries inflicted by Itachi after he murdered his own clan. As Sakura hears this, she was devastated to hear what happened to the kid and wanted to help him with the healing process. Furthermore, Sakura was told that Naruto will be out of action temporarily until a healer is found. At first, Sakura didn't know that the kid would be in this sort of danger, but now she fears that death could happen to Naruto if he isn't protected. However, Jiraya reassures that her that Naruto will pull through since he already has Sasuke and kakashi looking after him.

"Sakura-chan, how would you like me to take you to Tanzaku Town to find a person that specializes in healing? There is a woman that I've known for a while now since she is another one of the Hokage's students and a close personal friend of mine. I wanted you to meet her so that we can discuss the situation at hand once we get there. What do you say?" asked Jiraiya.

"If we can heal naruto of his injuries, then of course I would go with you. But I sure hope that Tsunade-sama knows about what Itachi had done to him and I really hope Sasuke can avenge his family soon." Replied Sakura. She tried to avoid the fear getting to hear head as she gathers up her equipment and leaves the house while closing the door behind her. Once outside, Jiraiya told Sakura to meet her at the gates of Konoha in about 30 minutes. He then takes his leave from the pink-haired kunoichi's house after his little talk with her. As she heads outside, she makes a quick trip to the hospital and asked where Naruto's room was, but before she could get there, she sees Kakashi and Sasuke calling for her to follow them down the hall towards Naruto's room. Once she arrived, she notices that Naruto was still unconscious from the beatings and that his injuries are not fully healed. She then looked at Kakashi and Sasuke and asked, "What kind of a sick monster would do this to a poor innocent child like Naruto? Just the thought of seeing him badly injured like this makes me sick to my stomach. I warned him that Itachi would be a threat, but I never expected him to go this far. Did Itachi put him in the middle of the family dispute?" she asked.

"Sakura-chan, Itachi was the one that took Naruto in to his life after he signed the adoption papers in the Hokage's office. I didn't know what my former brother was thinking after adopting him but I was certain that he was up to no good. At first I didn't think that Naruto would be that important to me, but seeing what he was going though, I couldn't understand why Itachi nee-san wanted to hurt him, it's just not right. After my family took naruto in, I was able to train him for a while to get him stronger so he can prefect his combat skills. Then I started to warm up to Naruto and we became the best of friends. Now, all those good memories are taken away from him. So I was now given a duty to look after naruto and avenge my family at the same time. You have no idea of what it feels like to lose a family that you love the most. Even though Naruto doesn't know much about me, I still think of him as a family and a loving brother, not that I blame him. But no matter how much I despise him, we care for each other a lot. And yes, Itachi did get him involved in the domestic disturbance." Replied Sasuke while sitting down on at naruto's bedside holding onto his hand.

Sakura was shocked to hear the truth about what happened between Sasuke and Naruto. She never realized the pain that both of them are going through. She was nearly ready to cry, but Kakashi immediately placed his hand on the girl's shoulder for comfort and told her that everything will be okay. He also reassured to her that a healer will come and bring naruto back to his old self again since he is a strong fighter. Just then, from the window Kakashi could see Jiraiya near the gates of konoha calling for Sakura to get ready for the mission that they are pursing. So Kakahsi gave her some Kleenex before she leaves with Jiraiya-sama while he and Sasuke look after naruto. But in Naruto's mind, he knows that a miracle will be ready for him soon and that he vows not to let the entire village down as he made a promise to Sasuke to help him defeat his former brother and show his true strength.

Once Sakura was outside, she heads towards the gates of Konoha and sees Master Jiraiya waiting for her. "So what took you so long to get here, did you get lost on the way?" he asked her.

Sakura looked him while drying the tears from her eyes, "No, I stopped by at the hospital to comfort Naruto for a bit, but I really hope he will make it through this. I don't want to see him suffering so much pain just like Sasuke. You have no idea what Naruto had gone through and…"

But Jiraiya immediately interrupted her and said, "Of course I know what Naruto had gone through, you think I don't know what Itachi is capable of next? He is a menace of Konoha and a danger to the civilians. The Hokage told me everything about Itachi and the threat he poses to his own home, but I will make damn good sure that Naruto gets the recovery he needs, Sakura. Don't worry about anything, I am sure that the girl we meet will make an excellent healer for Konoha and who knows maybe you could be a great medical shinobi one day! Hahahahah!"

Sakura sweat dropped at that remark, but she shrugged it off and leaves Konoha village for Tanzaku town with Jiraiya with the hope that Naruto can be cured. As she looks back at Konoha from behind her, she thought to herself, "naruto, just hang in there for a little while longer, we will be back to cure you of your nightmare soon. Until then, please have faith in us and we will be back soon." And with that she and Jiraya ventured off into the distance of Tanzaku town.

Elsewhere, deep in the forest, Itachi had already gone completely out of sighting range of Konoha. He then heads out of the forest and arrives at an undisclosed hideout not far from the Suna village. Once Itachi arrives inside the hideout, he is greeted by the other members of the akatsuki. "I presume that you are all gathered here for something important, am I right?" asked itachi.

"You are late on arrival and what took you so long to leave Konoha anyway, Hmm?" asked Deidara.

"Sorry, I was pinned down by that bratty knucklehead named Naruto. Even though I managed to dispose Sasuke of his family and leaving the blonde in an unconscious state, we should be able to retrieve the power inside of Naruto when the time is right," Replied Itachi while catching his breath.

"We won't JUST capture what is inside of the blonde; we will capture all the tailed beasts from all the hosts. Now, why didn't you finish naruto off anyway?" asked Sasori.

"When I saw the true form of the monster insdie of him, I quickly rushed out of Konoha while deactivating my sharingan technique. I couldn't finish him off because killing him now would jeopardize my mission, so I left him a message that I will be back to take what's inside of him. I couldn't care less about his family love crap but there won't be anyone to save him when I am through, believe me. Naruto won't escape this time." Finished Itachi while keeping his sharingan activated.

"All right, itachi, thank you for your input. We will deal with all the tailed beasts when the time is right." Said Zetsu. Soon, all the members of the akatsuki dispersed from the meeting area and returned to their posts. Soon Itachi disappeared with the other members and all of them have gone into hiding until their next appearance. Knowing everyone, the Akatsuki are now being considered a threat to all villages and they must be dealt with immediately.

Meanwhile back in the outskirts of Konoha, Sakura begins to ask, "Master Jiraiya, who is this healer that we are looking for and what is she like?"

Jiraiya looked at her and said, "Oh, she is about the same age as me, and she is a compulsive gambler. Sometimes she can be bossy and all, but she does have a soft side and I know that Naruto will be glad to see her soon enough, especially Sarutobi himself. However, I just wish she didn't break all of my bones in my body. I may be an old coot, but I am still in good health." Sakura just pretended that she didn't hear it from him as they continued their journey to Tanzaku town and the search for the miracle healer. But she always wanted to meet the mystery woman and her apprentice if Naruto was to have any chances of surviving.

"Sakura-chan, let me ask you, what's your relationship to Naruto anyway?" asked Jiraya-sama

"Well, to me, naruto is just my friend, it's not like that I have a love thing with him. Even though he may be bratty and a loud mouth, but still cares a lot for me and Sasuke. I almost felt kind of bad of what happened to him just a few days ago. But no matter what happens, I will always be there for him as a friend. I will not allow him to die at the hands of itachi-san!" As Jiraya heard those words, he smiled at her. No wonder she had developed a soft side for the poor kid after the loss of the family that he loved so much But in spite of what happened, Jiraya knows that he is not giving up hope. As they arrived at the outskirts of Tanzaku pass, they could see Tanzaku town right in front of them. "So this is the place where you mentioned about that mystery healer. Well let's hope that we find the person and convince her to heal our naruto. And I hope you can tell her about what Itachi had done." Replied Sakura.

Jiraiya then put his hands on the kunoichi's shoulder and said, "Not to worry, sakura-chan, I've got this all under control. Just follow me inside and we can get this all straightened out without blowing our cover. Rest assured, the report that I got here will no doubt give her proof about the perpetrator's criminal history and his behavior. So what do you say we go in and find out where she is?" finished Jiraya.

Sakura was reluctant at first, but finally followed Jiraiya into Tanzaku town to find the mystery healer and hopefully, to bring Naruto back to his normal self. But convincing her to come back to Konoha is not going to be easy since the women has a handful of secrets that she kept hidden after going into exile for such a long time. Who knows what that woman will tell to the people of Konoha? Only time will tell. As the sun begins to set, naruto's healing process is about to begin.

**And stop…. Well that was a long chapter. It took me a while to get all my ideas for this one but I think that with itachi still at large, the village has been thrown into disarry. And with naruto's life hanging in the balance, the so called "Miracle Healer" will soon be found and her secrets will be revealed soon. But what shocking truth will Sakura and Jiraya discover about this mystery healer? Tune in next time on Chapter 6: The search for a healer. Read and review. Bye for now everyone.**


	6. Chapter VI: The Search for a Healer

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter VI: The Search for A Healer

_Welcome back fans to another exciting chapter of naruto. In the previous one, a former student of the Third Hokage takes Sakura to Tanzaku Town to find a healer that can reverse Tsukoyomi and get it out of naruto. But the healer has more than just her medical skills at her disposal. She has superior fighting skills and a secret that no one knows. But can Jiraya and Sakura find out the truth about this healer and what excatly is she trying to hide? Stay tuned._

As Jiraiya and Sakura both entered Tanzaku town, they could see that the entire place was filled with casinos, food shops, and also restaurants as well. They know that the mystery healer is somewhere inside these buildings in the town. So, they decided to split up and started searching the town to find the women that they were looking for. But since the place was so big, it seems impossible to find her with all the people around. While Sakura was showing the picture of the women to the local population, they said they never saw the women enter their shops before or the restaurants. However they told Sakura to look around at casinos, or maybe hotels. Those are the last places that she could have gone to.

Elsewhere, Jiraiya was having the same difficulty locating the healer that he was looking for. He then tells the local population that he isn't just looking for the healer, he is also looking for her apprentice as well. But still, the townspeople did not see her anywhere. Jiraiya was about to give up when he sees Sakura coming towards him. "Well, did you have any luck finding our person of importance?"

"Sorry, Master Jiraiya. I've searched all the hotels and restaurants and they said they didn't see her hiding out in any of them. I've even checked the smaller casinos and the owner said he didn't see any healer in there." Replied Sakura. Jiraya placed a hand on his head and thought to himself, "This is going to be harder than I thought. That women has to be here somewhere and the coordinates say she is somewhere in a restaurant called Tanzaku Diner and Grill. It shouldn't be too far away." He then takes out his map and was shocked to see that they were at the west end of the town. They were supposed to turn east and then due north to find the women they are looking for. So they backtracked out of the eastern district and headed towards the diner.

Elsewhere, in a casino not far from the diner. A large pony tailed women with the kanji "legend" on her back decided to check out the casino machines and wanted to place a few bets to make herself rich. She hadn't had much luck in gambling since she always seem to lose money rather than making them. Even the women holding the small pig on her hand thought so too. "Tsunade-sama, you don't have to waste your money here oin the casino, you should save it for something else. I think its time we tend to other matters." Replied her apprentice while watching her playing the slot machines.

"Shizune, I already know that I am in debt, and I haven't been paying up as I should have, but not to worry I will pay them back somehow if I can win it all back. However, winnig it all back will prove to be a difficult task and I am certain that someone out there is looking for me and asking me to return to the village. But I don't know if I can actually show my face after so many years of exile. This place is nice, but I sure miss my old home a lot." Replied Tsunade.

Shizune couldn't imagine how lady Tsunade felt after what happened to her family, but she couldn't face the truth of telling anyone else about , she seems to be upset that everyone wants a piece of another person's flesh instead of putting their love and trust for them. Unfortunately, not even Tsunade can sit around and mope all day, but she has moved on with her life and had forgotten about the past. But she was still thinking about the painful memories of how her own life was screwed up by the forces of evil. The only reason she went into hiding was because she didn't want to endure the burden or the pain that she suffered all those years ago. Even Shizune knows the pain that Tsunade is going through and the passing of time does not take away the pain for her, but she has learned to deal with it. As the healer continued to gamble, she seems to be less interested in winning and focused more on healing the injured. Once the announcer called the winnings, Tsunade's luck seems to be back in her favor as she picked up her winnings and left the casino. They then headed towards a nearby bar next to their hotel for a drink to freshen their minds.

Elsewhere, Jiraiya and Sakura searched all over tanzaku town to find their person of importance but they had no luck. Just as they were about to give up, a nearby merchant walks up to them and asked, "Are you guys looking for Tsunade-sama and her assistant Shizune? If so she is probably at a nearby bar in the eastern part of Tanzaku town its right next to the inn. You might be able to catch up with her once you get inside, but becareful, I heard that Tsunade is one hell of a gambler since her luck seems to be returning to her."

Once Jiraiya and Sakura obtained the whereabouts of tsunade from the merchant, they head off to the eastern part of town and headed towards the bar next to the hotel as directed by the street merchant. Elsewhere at the undisclosed location, Itachi could see that Jiraya has enlisted help from someone to get Naruto back to his old self, but he plans to elimiante him before Naruto can be healed. Before he left he could see that another young kunoichi was with him during the search and he was shocked to find Sakura was also on this mission. "What is a girl like her doing with an old coot in tanzaku town? She cannot seriously be helping him to save Naruto, is she? I have got to stop them before its too late!" he thought to himself as he vanishes into a puff of smoke and begins his hunt. However, Jiraya and Sakura does not know that a mysterious protégé and former brother of Sasuke's was hot on their trail since they will be more vulnerable to enemies here, but they are well prepared in case someone shows up to attack them.

As Jiraiya and Sakura enter the bar, they seem to encounter a whole bunch of people around drinking and chatting with one another at tables. However the women that they are searching for must be somewhere inside. As they ventured further into the bar, they could hear two women talking about the good times they had together adjacent to the window seats. They knew who the voices belonged to as they rushed towards them and shouted, "Tsunade-sama! I've been looking for you all day. We were just about to leave this place because we get lost too easily around here." He said to her.

"Jiraiya? What on earth are you doing here and how did you find me all the way out here?" asked Tsunade with a shocked look on her face.

"Well, its about Naruto actually. The Hokage sent me here to bring you back to Konoha because of Itachi-san. I am afraid I've got some bad news for you." Said Jiraya.

"I see, so why does Sarutobi want me home so badly? Go on, Jiraiya, what happened?" she asked while giving him a chair. Once he sat down, he begins to tell her of the grevious news that has happened in konoha.

"Well, Itachi was once a former brother of Sasuke Uchiha, and the Hokage asked him to take Naruto in and have him become a part of their family, but things didn't go as planned. He wasn't the big brother figure that everyone thought he was. So he used naruto to get his family and then frame the murders on his other brother, Sasuke. In other words, he murdered his entire clan and left Naruto for dead. Also, he unleashed his Tsukoyomi upon the defenseless Naruto and in turn he now has severe mental stress and a nightmare that he will never come out of. He is still unconscious at the moment and if he doesn't get cured soon, he might not survive." Finished jiraya while giving her a file on Itachi and his criminal record.

As Tsunade looked at the mug shot of itachi Uchiha and the gruesome crime scene photos that were taken after the murders. Her anger was starting to intensify in her head as she banged her fists on the table causing a huge shockwave knocking down glass cups and silverware on the floor. "Oh boy, she looks pissed already when I showed her the photos. I've never seen her this upset before in my life since she nearly killed me with her attacks." Thought Jiraya as he followed her outside of the bar while Shizune followed them close behind.

"What happened to naruto, Master Jiraiya? Is he going to be all right?" she asked him.

"Well, he is still unconscious at the moment so the only way to get him to wake up is to get rid of that Tsukoyomi from his head so that he can be his normal self. Once that is ahs been taken care of, we can ask him about what Itachi did to him on the night his family was murdered." Replied Jiraya with a dismayed look on his face. At that moment, Shizune now knows the fat of the child and what he was going through, but she will try what she can to get him back to his normal self.

Soon Tsunade now decided that something must be done to stop itachi from harming the child and called, "Jiraya can you come here please? I need to talk to you right away." And he rushed over to Tsunade's side as they took a walk around the town.

"Yes, I am coming Tsunade-sama! Oh I forgot something. This here is Sakura, one of Nauto's best friend. She also saw how itachi had mistreated Naruto and so I decided to take her with me to find you so that you can cure him. If you haven't noticed, Sakura is one of Naruto's close childhood friends who care a lot about the child." Replied Jiraya as he placed Sakura in between him and Tsunade.

"Its very nice to meet you, Tsunade-sama, I am glad that we could run into each other at a place like this." Said Sakura as she shook the woman's hand while bowing to her. Tsuande on the other hand showed off her smile at her and shook her hand back and said, "Likewise, Sakura-chan. Don't worry I will do what I can to heal your friend from the mental torture that is affecting him. But let me go talk to Master Jiraya for a little bit while you talk with Shizune, okay? Rest assured, Naruto-kun will be good hands with us." Replied Tsunade as she placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder as she let out a smile for the first time. Sakura was relieved to have found the healer that can save Naruto's life and heads off to find Shizune.

"Jiraiya-sama, let me ask you, what was the Hokage thinking of putting naruto in such a dangerous situation like this? He knows tht Itachi would bea huge threat to everyone in Konoha, so why did Naruto get adopted by that protégé anyway?" she asked him.

"Well, The Hokage wanted him to obtain something called the Sharingan so that he can use it for close combat with real enemies. I think the only reason why he wanted Naruto adopted by the Uchiha clan was to have Itachi train him on how to master the chakra needed to use the sharingan. But as soon as I found out about what Itachi did to his family, I could have stopped him myself and stopped the training between them, but it was too late, I couldn't do anything to save him. To tell you the truth, Itachi wasn't the loving brother that everyone thought he'd be. I was actually surprised that he turned against his own village and murdered the ones he loved." replied Jiraya.

"The Sharingan? Why would Sarutobi put naruto up with a family that possesses this technique? Although I heard about Naruto's near demise, but from the crime scene photos you showed me, Itachi could have at least turned himself into the Anbu guards, but he has to kill his own family and leave his home? That's pretty stupid. I would imagine that Naruto is feeling a lot of pain and hurt right now. But Itachi should never have taken advantage of that kid. But Sasuke seems to have a hard time accepting the loss of his family right now. If we do find Itachi, I promise I will give him the pain like he's never felt before and I will show him the meaning of suffering." Replied tsunade while clenching her fists.

"I am with you, Tsunade-sama, we are not going to allow Naruto to endure all the pain and suffering. But you know, Itachi is nowhere to be seen after he killed his family. After his disappearance from konoha, it seems that he could be going into hiding for a while since he won't admit his guilt. But wherever he is, we will find him. And when we do, he will suffer the ultimate punishment." Said Jiraiya with a fired up look.

Meanwhile, back at the undisclosed location, Itachi listened into the conversation between Jiraya and Tsunade and begins to wonder if he should admit his guilt. But he doesn't seem to care about the people he has hurt back in Konoha and there wasn't a sign of confession coming from him. If he does get caught, his whole plan will be ruined. So in order for Itachi to evade capture, he must first take care of Tsunade before she can reach Konoha. However, he will need some bits of assistance from one of the members of the Akatsuki to go with him to Tanzaku town and find the healer. So, Itachi emerges from his quarters and went to Kisame's room, "Kisame-dono, can you do me a favor? Please accompany me to tanzaku town because there is some urgent business that I need to do there. Once we take care of the situation, we can prepare our plans to capture the host inside of Naruto." He said to him.

Kisame looked at Itachi with an evil grin on his face and prepared his weapons before heading out to Tanzaku town. "All right then. But I hope you know what you are doing. But my guts tell me that you will not stand a chance against a sannin since they have more powerful techniques that can overpower your Mangekyo Sharingan. So I advise you to be careful." He said while prepping his weapon as they both head out to find Tsunade. But knowing the Akatuski, finding the sannin will prove to be difficult since they are far away from the hideout and undetectable. But with Itachi's sharingan and his sensing abilities, he mighjust be able to find them without difficutlies.

Later, back in the Tanzaku inn, Tsunade seems to be uncomfortable about what happened to naruto and she feels that even if he is healed, he might not be back to his old self and he could end up with the same injuries again at the hands of Itachi. But she had no other choice. With a price on naruto's head, he could be worth more dead than alive. But despite what happened, she has to make sure that Naruto is back in good condition so that he can fight again. "Hang in there Naruto, Baa-chan is on her way. Just hold on for a bit longer!" she thought to herself. She then called upon Shizune to accompany her back to Konoha since they know that the entire village is expecting her arrival. However, Tsunade and Jiraya does not know that they are being watched by two members of a mysterious organization that wants what is inside of Naruto. But they're well prepared to defend their home and the child from those scums and Itachi because the former brother has to anwser for his crimes.

As the gang leaves the inn, they stopped by at a nearby restaurant on the way back to Konoha for a little bit of lunch since they need to have enough strength to battle itachi. But with Naruto's life on the line, he doesn't have much time left. Itachi and Kisame are already on their way to Tanzaku town to find theor person of interest but with a lot of inhabitants roaming around, they have to remain in hiding.

At the restaurant, Tsunade and Jiraiya decided totalk about the happy times they had together when they were former pupils under Sarutobi-sama, but Tsunade seems to be thinking about the old man and his duties as Hokage. "Speaking of Sarutobi, how is he doing thus far? I haven't seen him for such a long time." She said.

"Oh, I am sure he is fine. But he is very busy taking care of the kids and assigning them missions based upon their ranks and abilities. I know, the village is everything to him and he cannot let the place go to waste. He also knows about the danger that Naruto had went through, but still as a grandfather, he knows how to keep him comfortable. He never ceases to amaze me but I must say, I am just proud of everything he does." Replied Jiraya while smiling.

"He's such a magnificent hokage, Tsunade-sama! I am just happy that you were such wonderful students to him and if he was here, he'd be as proud of you guys as I am now. But there is still the matter of Naruto's recovery process that we have to do though. I wonder what that kid did to deserve such pain?" said Shizune without hesitation.

"Naruto didn't deserve to suffer at the hands of a mass murderer, but I know that he is in good hands with Sasuke and the families of Konoha. Sometimes I do wonder if Mr. Shikaku would be able to assist me in medical healing when I return home. I know he specializes in all different kinds of healing abilities, but if he can help me with naruto's injuries, I am sure his son wouldn't mind." Said Tsunade.

"Are you sure about that, Tsunade-sama? I always thought being a medical shinobi like you but I've always been a burden to everyone. I don't know how I am able to help Naruto with his healing process, but as a close friend of his, I will take full responsibility for him just like Sasuke. However, with what Itachi did to him, I cannot forgive that guy for all the pain and hurt he gave to Naruto. But we need to take it all away from him." Said Sakura with a sad expression on her face. Knowing her, Tsunade feels that Sakura was fearing for Naruto's safety when she saw the damage done. But Tsunade reassures her that everything will be okay and that Naruto has gained the strength and courage from his friends. Even so, everyone in the village is praying for a miracle soon and will not give up on him.

After everyone had finished eating, they exited the restaurant and continued on their way to Konoha with things looking peaceful ahead of them. But little do they know that they are being followed by two mysterious figures, but they didn't take too much notice of it. As they continued down the road past the steep forest and into the Tanzaku town outskirts, they are now out of danger, but soon, more trouble starts to arise when two mysterious guys with red and black robes appears in front of them. However, Tsunade doesn't know what these people want from them but she soon realized something and their rings on their fingers and their plot. "I had a feeling these people would show up sooner or later and I know that one of you is responsible for naruto's near death. You can take off that hat now, Itachi Uchiha! said tsunade with evil glint look on her face.

"Well, I see that you remember my name, Tsuande-sama. How very perceptive of you! And here I thought that you were dead or something. So what makes you think that you can defeat me this time?" asked Itachi with a monotnous tone.

"You will be the one to suffer defeat when I take you down for what you did to Uzumaki naruto! I saw the torment you unleashed on him and I will not allow you to escape this time. I couldn't imagine how a young protégé like you could become the Konoha's most wanted criminal. But still you will pay dearly for what you did to Naruto and your brother Sasuke. You will have to answer your crimes sooner or later." Said Jiraya while preparing his battle stance. "This guy has mysterious powers beyond our understanding and I think its time we pinpoint their weakness before they expose it to us. We should be cautious as to what this guy can pull because if we make one wrong move, we are done for." He thought to himself.

"What happened to my family is of little importance and as for Naruto's injuries, I don't care about that either, While I am no longer a part of Konoha village anymore, I've already made a decision to join the Akatsuki. And before you ask, it was Sasuke that killed the family I loved, not me. Naruto had sent Sasuke to a death trap by tying him up and locking him in his room. He then took the sword and well… you know the rest. So if you want to blame someone, blame it on the street fox, okay? And I am not returning to konoha just to feel sorry for the brat. Now putting my family aside, lets get on with this fight." said Itachi as he activates his sharingan.

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you and I don't think naruto will believe in your lies when we interrogate him back in the village. You akatsuki scums are done. Lets settle this once and for all!" boomed Tsunade. She then turned to Shizune and said, "Please take Sakura-chan somewhere safe. If she is harmed, I don't want to be held responsible for what happens to her. Now go, get her to safety!"

"Yes, ma'am! At once." She said as she took sakura by the arm and escorted her to a nearby bush in the forest for safety while Jiraiya and Tsunade prepare to battle the akatuski in a two on one showdown to save Naruto's life. As Kisame watched, he seems amused that two of the legendary sannins can handle an akatsuki all on their own. But it seems pointless for Kisame to join in now since Itachi told him that he can handle this. As Itachi took his fighting stance, he activates his sharingan while the two sannins begin their attack on Itachi's body parts. Despite the shurikens being tossed, they seem to have less effect on the protégé. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!" called Jiraiya as a barrage of needles went flying towards Itachi and pinning him on the ground. However, the man couldn't help but chuckle as he said, 'Is that all you got, jiraya-sama? You know you are no match for an opponent like me!"

"You haven't seen the rest of what I can do yet. You are just starting to feel the burn going through your body so maybe this ought to fire you up. Ninja Art: Toad Flame Bombs!" Soon the entire area around Itachi was engulfed in flames as he starts to see his robe being caught by the fire. "You are going to pay for ruining my robe like that!" He then activates his next stage of his eye, called the Mangekyo Sharingan and sent it towards Tsunade. Jiraya knew what was coming next and warned her, "Close your eyes, Tsunade-sama! Don't open them, you don't want to get caught in the guy's illusion jutsu!" Tsunade immediately closed her eyes and thought to herself, "What is this guy? I've never seen such a technique like that but I bet he must have casted it on Naruto before he defected from Konoha. I better put a stop to his techniques before someone gets hurt." She then jumped back to prevent herself from falling victim to Itachi's attacks but suddenly, she finds herself face to face with Kisame and his Samaheda. "Oh no! Where did he come from? I bet that guy is Itachi's partner. Soon she could feel the sharks biting on her arm and her legs from Kisame's attack as blood started oozing from the wounds that she got. Kisame then kicked Tsunade sky high but she easily dodged his attack and begins to unleash her full fury on him as she punches him repeatedly without breaking a sweat. But just as Kisame was about to throw Tsunade to the ground, she grabbed the sword that was in his hand and took a swing at his arm causing a deep gash on one of them. Despite the pain, Kisame slowly started to give in.

"Its been a while since I've seen Tsunade-sama in action. But I don't know how much longer she can hold these akatsuki people off. But she just never gives up and she is showing a lot of courage out there and her fierce battling skills." Thought Shizune. But she was certain that the lady can easily knock the living daylights out of Kisame since he is almost out of chakra.

"You are a powerful medical shinobi, Tsunade-sama, and your battling skills really amuses me, but there is no way you can defeat a protégé like me. You will be dead before you could set foot in Konoha!" shouted itachi as he unleashed a barrage of punches at Tsunade but she dodged easily and blocked his punches. She then kicked itachi in the face and punched him in the gut. She then grabbed his hand and swung him around and around until she sent him crashing onto the ground, nearly breaking every single bone in his body. Even though they both suffered damage and injuries, she was strong enough to send them packing. "What's happened to me? Why do I have the feeling that I am getting stronger and stronger each time no matter what hits I take? What is this feeling inside of me and why am I fghting to save someone's life?" she thought to herself as she continued fighting the Akatsuki off.

With Itachi suffering the most amount of blows, he decides to take out his sword, which was the same one being used in the murders of his family and decides to finish off Tsunade once and for all. While Tsunade was busy trying to recover from her battle, Itachi sees an opening in her body and proceeds to attack. Nearby, Shizune shouted to her, "Tsunade, in front of you! Be careful of his blade it wil….." But before she could finish her sentence, Tsuande could feel the blade shoved right in front of her chest with blood gushing out, but remarkably, she was still able to hang on and breath normally. Itachi was surprised at how she had survived that attack with the blade inside of her body and could feel some sort of a technique coming from Tsunade's body as he pulled the blade out with blood oozing from it. This time Tsunade let out a hellish scream that can be heard all over the forest as she unleashed her final technqiue. Shizune watched as her face started changing colors with the use of her ultimate jutsu. "This is something that none of us has ever seen before, and when she is using this, it will drain up most of her chakra." As Kisame observed the battle, he feels that this women is something else all together.

"Itachi-dono, be careful, if you get hit by Tsuande-sama's jutsu you are done for. You don't have much chakra left and and if you continue fighting on, you might not survive for much longer." Called Kisame.

"Don't worry Kisame-san, I will be…fine. This is only just a little scratch, but I can still make a comeback here. I am not done yet! I still have a plan to finish her off." Replied an exhausted Itachi. Despite the severe damage that Tsunade unleashed on him, Itachi is still in this battle. He was not about to be defeated that easily, especially after what he did to his own family. But as Jiraya watched, he knows that Itachi has something else planned that could lead to Tsunade's demise. Thinking quickly, he made hand signs and called out, "Kochiyose no jutsu!" From the puff of smoke, a large, giant, red, gruff-looking toad appeared in front of him on the battlefield. As Kisame turned, he was shocked as everyone else was about the toad appearance.

"Well, Jiraiya-sama, what did you call me out here for? You interrupted my afternoon tea time with the elders at Myobakuzan Mountain and now you want me to fight these weak little akatsuki members that are in front of you? Boy, you got some nerve of not be able to handle these guys on your own, you pervert!" boomed the giant toad.

Jiraiya sweat-dropped at that remark from the red toad, "Gamabunta, you old fool, how many times must I tell you to stop calling me a pervert? I didn't summon you out here just to listen to your stupid jokes. Today I am putting Itachi-san out of our misery once and for all and he will answer for his crimes he commited in his own village. So are you ready, Gamabunta-sama? Lets get rid of these akatsuki scums once and for all!"

Gamabunta was reluctant at first about fighting but he couldn't say no since this is the first time that he ever appeared in the real world. "All right, Jiraya-sama, I will help you just this once to get rid of Itachi, but in return, you will get the honor of being tossed deep into the forest as punishment for your actions today. Now then, let me show you the true power of the Toads." He then turned his attention towards Itachi while calling to Jiraya, "Shall we show him the true meaning of being burned to oblivion?"

"You betcha, Gamabunta! Now get ready, Uchiha Itachi, because this next move will stun you big time! Ninja art: Toad flame bombs!" Soon a barrage of bombs were seen hurling towards the former protégé as he begins to feel the fire scorching on his body. "This is bad, if I don't defeat Jiraiya now, I may not be able to get what is inside of Naruto Uzumaki. And if Sasuke continues to protect him, our plans will be ruined as a result." Thought Itachi as he tosses a few explosive tags on nearby tress as a diversion, but Jiraiya sees through Itachi's tricks as he steps down from the giant toad while he gives him room to unleash the Toad Blade Cut on itachi uchiha. Once lord Gamabunta Oyabin pulled out his sword, he makes a quick jump while giving Itachi a big slash across his abdomen. At that moment, itachi could feel blod coming out of his body after that sword slashed through his body like a knife through butter. As itachi tries to catch his breath, he knows that he doesn't have a chance against the legendary sannin now.

Once Tsunade got back up on her feet, she uses her healing ability to clean the wounds that she got from itachi earlier. Once her wounds are gone, she then reverts back to her old state since she doesn't seem to have any more chakra left in her body. "Well, I guess they cannot continue the battle either. I think its time we head back to the village and bring Naruto Uzumaki back in good condition." She said to them. Once everyone regrouped together, they continued down the path towards Konoha village, but before they left, they could see that Itachi and Kisame calling out to them, "This isn't over, Tsunade and Jiraiya, you may have defeated us for now, but rest assured, even if you do nurse Naruto back to health, we will be back to take what is rightfully ours. You haven't seen the last of the Akatsuki, but we will be back, and when we do, you will pay dearly for what you did to us!"

"Oh we will be back for you sooner than you think and you won't be able to get what is inside of Naruto because he will be fully protected by the entire village. And As long as your brother Sasuke is there, he will be ready to kill you. We will give Sarutobi the full report and once he gets it, he will know exactly how to deal with traitors like you, Itachi Uchiha!" called Jiraya.

"Hold on right there, as I was telling you Jiraiya, you still have to receive that punishment for interrupting my tea time with the toad elders!" called Gamabunta.

Jiraiya looked at the toad with fear in his eyes and said, "Now... Now don't do this to me! I didn't mean to interrupt you sir, I only called you out here to protect Lady Tsunade, that's all! I will be sure to keep in touch with you if I need help, heheheheheh!" Gamabunta could see that Jiraiya was getting nervous and shouted, "Too late for that! You are already in serious trouble, DON'T make it worse!"

"Can't we just talk about this?" protested Jiraiya.

"I am done talking with you!" said Gamabunta as he grabbed Jiraiya by the waist with his tongue and tossed him deep into the forest causing most of the leaves to fall off from the branches. He then crashed to the ground while moaning in pain. "Man I've never felt so happy tossing someone far into the forest. Despite the trouble you caused, I will let you off with a slap on the wrist this time. See you later you old coot!" And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke while Shizune and Sakura laughed at what just happened. Tsunade on the other hand thought to herself, "I knew that something like this was bound to happen to the old fool sooner or later. Nice landing, Jiraiya!"

"Yeah VERY FUNNY! come over here and help me up!" shouted Jiraiya angrily.

Athe Akatsuki disappeared into a puff of smoke, Sakura knows that they will be back. She wondered how this battle would affect naruto's well-being since he cannot be protected for very long.

With the disappearance of the Akatsuki, Jiraiya and Tsunade now knows that they pose a serious threat to all the villages since they are after all the tailed beasts and would not stop until every last one of them is captured. But nonetheless, Naruto will be out of danger soon and soon, he will be told the exact truth of Itachi Uchiha's true intentions since he has showed his true colors. On the way back, Tsunade took one last look at the report and knows what she has to do to keep the Akatsuki away from Naruto Uzumaki.

"Master Jiraiya, I was wondering, if this kid has the Uchiha clan bloodline, why did Itachi adopt him anyway?" asked Shizune.

"Well, to be honest, Sarutobi-sama requested to have the Uchiha Clan make Naruto a valuable asset to them so that he can fight off against the Akatsuki sine they all possess the Sharingan. Since Itachi has the advanced version of the Sharingan, he wanted the world to know him and to let them feel the pain and suffering. I don't know how he got Naruto involved in this whole family affair, but the only reason for him to adopt Naruto was to get his family out of the picture in order for him to make his escape." Jiraiya replied with a look of despair in his eyes.

"I think that the only reason Itachi adopted the kid was to show him the actual use of the Sharingan, he didn't teach him any tricks behind it after the murders took place. If this the web that he is weaving right now, what else is he capable of doing? As far as you all know, someone else could fall victim to Itachi's Tsukoyomi and that would make him even more dangerous. I don't think Sarutobi should take the blame because he knows Naruto didn't want to be a part of Itachi's dirty little scheme." Sighed Tsunade.

"So you are saying that Itachi Uchiha had this whole thing planned all along? Dammit! Also,we do need to interrogate Sasuke and find out what his brother was up to the night his parents were killed. If Naruto wakes up from this nightmare we can ask him who really planned to slaughter the Uchiha Clan." Continued Jiraiya.

"Exactly, we need to piece it all together so that we can expose Itachi for the traitor he really is." Finished Tsunade.

The gang was more than halfway into Konoha after that little fiasco with Itachi and Kisame. But as Tsunade looked up in the clouds, she starts to think about everything that has happened so far despite the injuries she suffered. But she was still willing to defend everything that is precious to her. But things are starting to look brighter for her now since the healing process will begin shortly. The Hokage was expecting her arrival to Konoha in order to restore peace among the village and put a stop to the Akatsuki's plans one and for all.

**And Stop…. Well as you may see, we now have the Akatsuki organization being introduced in this chapter and we know the extent of their plans. Since they are great threat to all villages we will know more about them later on. Right now the next chapter will be called, "Healing and Recovery" and we shall see if Naruto Uzumaki can make it through. Later everyone. Be sure to Read and Review, Bye!**


	7. Chapter VII: The Healing Process

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter VII: Naruto's Healing Process

_With Lady Tsunade retrieved from Tanzaku Town, it's now time for the healing process to begin. After the battle that Tsunade fought against Kisame and Itachi, it was time for her to start a new life in Konoha and to protect those that truly needs it. Everyone knows that their home needs a medical ninja to heal the mortally wounded so that all shinobi can continue their battle against enemies that threaten their village. Soon, naruto will be able to tell everyone about Itachi Uchiha's plans. On with the show_

Back in the village of Konoha, things are starting to get back to normal after the Uchiha clan massacre and although everyone has been affected by the tragedy, Sasuke was still trying to cope with the loss of his parents after his brother went on a killing spree but he vows to restore his clan one way or another. In the underground facility, Sasuke placed the memorial statues of his father and mother on the shrine and said, "Mother, father, if you can hear me, despite what my brother had done here, it seemed like he hated this whole village from the beginning and he feels that we did something to provoke him. I am already working on taking good care of Naruto Uzumaki, but forgive me if I try to go against your wishes. I am going to enlist some help from someone that can defeat my brother once and for all. May you guys rest in peace, I will always think of you forever." He then leaves the underground facility and heads over to the training field to do some hand to hand combat skills. But as he began, he feels that someone was watching him from the treetops and said, "You must be one of Gai Sensei's students, Rock Lee, right? I presume that you are here to train with me in order to get yourself stronger?"

"So I see that you recognize me. And yes, I am here to train just like you. I've heard about what happened to Naruto just a few weeks ago. I don't want to get involved in your family business but I will do what I can to keep the kid safe. My teammates are already working on getting themselves stronger. Neji Hyuga already knows about the extent of Naruto's wounds, but he wants to send you this message telling you that your former brother will get the ultimate punishment for what he did to your family." Replied Lee.

"Thank you Lee. I will be sure to deliver the message to the third Hokage as soon as possible. But you know what I want? I want my former brother to be executed for murder because I want to see him suffer the same fate. Once he is out of the way, I can avenge my family." Said Sasuke hopefully. He then turned his attention towards Lee and begins battling him one-on-one for practice.

Elsewhere, as Kiba was walking his dog, Akamaru, at the Konoha Forest. He starts to worry about naruto's well-being, including his safety. "Gosh, Akamaru. A lot of things have happened around here after the chaotic events at Sasuke's house. Do you think that naruto will be okay?"

"Arf, Arf" Barked akamaru. Translation ("Yes, he will be fine!") Kiba then smiled at his dog for showing his concern, however he was thinking about how to help Naruto with the healing process. "If Naruto is out of action, I won't be able to do any training with him. What's happened to you bro? How did you end up in this kind of situation? I know you are in a lot of pain right now, but with a family member slaughtering his loved ones, that's just not right. But mark my words, I won't let anything happen to you, dude." He then resumed his training in the forest while Hinata and Shino watched.

"Hinata, are you thinking about Naruto right now?" asked Shino.

"Well…. Yes. Actually I was hoping that there will be a miracle soon for Naruto. You see, Shino-kun, I also care about the boy's safety, but with the damage that's been done here, there is nothing that can be done to undo it." Said Hinata sadly.

"I can understand how you feel right now, but I feel that it is necessary to give Naruto some time off from combat since he hasn't regained full strength yet. Although my father knows nothing about what happened to Sasuke's family, he requires that Naruto to be in good shape if he is to be interrogated." Replied Shino.

Hinata thought it over for a while, but she was still hoping that Naruto can survive long enough to keep him alive.

Meanwhile, back at the gates of Konoha, the guards were talking amongst themselves when they see someone arriving inside the village. "Who is that girl? I've never seen her before." Said Izumo.

"That woman next to her must be the healer. She seems to the one that the Third Hokage wanted Jiraiya to find." Said Koketsu.

As Tsunade walked into Konoha, she sees that everything was still the same and nothing has changed much. "So this is Konoha huh? It still looks the same when I left the place. I just hope that everyone around here will be happy to see me home again. Shizune, take me to see the Hokage, we need to deliver our report to him on what we have learned about Itachi Uchiha."

"Yes ma'am, right away." Said Shizune as she escorted him to the Hokage tower with the two guards following her, including Jiraiya.

Back in the office, Sarutobi was busy with some paperwork when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

The guard entered the door and said, "Lord Hokage! Jiraiya has brought Tsunade back from tanzaku town, and she wants to see you immediately since she found something new about Itachi and his disappearance."

"Okay, send her in, thank you for the update. You can go back to your post now." Said the Hokage to the guard. As Tsunade walked in, she seems happy to see the old man again. "It's been a while, Master Sarutobi. How have you been?" she asked him.

"Ah, I've been good, but still I am thinking about retiring as Hokage and letting you take that position. Now that you have returned, Tsunade-Sama, what did you find out about Itachi?" he asked.

'Well, to start off with. We met with Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki in the outskirts of Tanzaku Town. It appears that they are now part of a mysterious criminal organization known as the Akatsuki. They plan to capture all the tailed beasts in order to plan something big for all the villages. Also I think naruto is being targeted by Itachi because of what he has in his body. They plan to steal it from him, and this could spell trouble for the village of Konoha." Said Tsunade.

"Ah, I see, so you met up with the s-class criminal already. Yes I know all about what is inside of Naruto, the whole village has been shunning him because of the demon inside of him. However, when I put him up for adoption with the Uchiha clan, Itachi slowly started to see him as a part of his family, but things started to deteriorate from there. I never knew that Itachi would turn from a loving brother into a mass murderer. However we do need to interrogate Sasuke since he knows about his former brother's criminal activities. Also when Naruto gets up from his unconscious state, we can ask him who really murdered the Uchiha family." Said Sarutobi.

"Just as I thought, the village hates naruto because of the monster inside of him. I never knew that he'd be mistreated like this. First Sasuke's family was murdered, and now this. I always thought Naruto should have been seen as a hero or something, but now I don't even know what to say to all the citizens of this village now. Speaking of our little hero is he in the hospital still?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah, he is still there. The medical staff will show you where his room is and will tell you of the injuries he sustained from Itachi Uchiha. He hasn't woken up since your arrival. I think you should get over there and help him out." Continued the Hokage.

"Right, that poor thing must have been waiting for me forever for my return. Let's go, Shizune, time to pay Naruto Uzumaki a little visit. Oh and Sarutobi-sensei. Can you please check to see if Shikaku is already at the hospital?"

"Well, okay, but I think Shikaku should be somewhere on the ranch near his home right now. My guess he is still asleep at the moment." Replied the Hokage.

"All right, but it's actually important that I see him because there is something I need to discuss with him." Replied Tsunade as she walked out of the office with Shizune following close behind her. She then gave the Hokage a warm smile and a thumbs up for taking such good care of Naruto while she was away. The Hokage smiled back knowing that the boy is in good hands now.

Back at the Nara residence, Shikamaru Nara was busy feeding the deers while his father was doing his usual training. It seems boring for them to do this day and night but they had to do it. "Sometimes I wonder if we would ever get a break from duty. And with everything that has happened around here, it's been troublesome for all of us." Said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, son. Naruto suffered the harsh treatment that this village has given him. I don't know if everyone will ever show him the respect he deserves. I can't believe he has to go through such a troubling situation like this. When I saw him at a nearby restaurant a few weeks ago, he vowed to make sure that Itachi wouldn't harm the people that he loves, but now…." Before he could finish his sentence he notices a tall blonde woman along with her assistant arriving.

"But now, I need your help to help with naruto's healing process, Shikaku." Said the women while approaching the ranch.

"Hey dad, do you know that girl over there?" asked Shikamaru.

"Of course I know her, she is one of the legendary sannin and a medical Shinobi called Tsunade. She has come to lend a helping hand for Naruto." Replied Shikaku as he approached Tsunade to greet her. "It's been a while, Tsunade-sama. I see you are still as sharp-looking as ever."

"Yeah, well that's one of the perks of being a medical ninja. I see that the deers are looking healthy as ever, you raised them really well, I must say." Said Tsunade with a nervous smile.

"Oh yes, the deer are fine. Now what can I help you with, Tsunade-sama?" asked Shikaku.

"We should head over to the hospital and try to cure Naruto of his injuries. He still has the Tsukoyomi affecting him." Replied Tsunade.

"All right then Tsunade, I want to see just how much your medical skills have improved since your return to Konoha village." Finished Shikaku as he followed her to the hospital with Shizune close behind. As the gang arrives at the hospital, the medical staff was relieved to see Tsunade approaching them. "It's been a while, Tsunade-sama. We've been waiting for your arrival." Said the medical team.

"Likewise, gentlemen. Now that I am here, what is the status of Naruto's condition?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, so far. Naruto's tests are fine, he's responded well to medication, but he still hasn't woken up yet. That technique that Itachi left behind…." Began the medical staff.

"Yes, I already saw the report at the Hokage's office about Itachi's Tsukoyomi effect. Can you bring me into see Naruto?" she asked them.

"Of course, right this way ma'am." They said as they lead him right into the recovering wing and into the first room on the left. Once she entered the room along with Shizune and Shikaku, she could also see Sasuke next to naruto's bedside. "So, Sasuke, this is the naruto Uzumaki that everyone was talking about right?"

"Yep, that's right. You must be Tsunade, the legendary medical ninja and sannin. It's nice to finally meet you at last." Replied Sasuke as he shook her hand. Tsunade then walked over to naruto's bedside and asked, "Can I take a look at him?"

"Of course, Tsunade-sama. However, I don't know if he will ever wake up from the effect of Tsukoyomi." Said Sasuke.

"Don't worry, Sasuke, I think I have a way of reversing the effects of this technique that you speak of. These lacerations on his body, they were from itachi right?" continued Tsunade.

"Yeah, all these wounds inflicted on him were from my former brother Itachi Uchiha. Please I beg of you! Do what you can to save Naruto, I don't want him to suffer any more pain." Said Sasuke nervously.

"Relax, Sasuke. Naruto will be just fine as long as I am here." Finished Tsunade as she placed her hand on Naruto's head. Soon a small green glow appeared on her hand as the healing process began. Sasuke immediately held onto Naruto's hand while Tsunade continues the healing. As Shikaku watched, he seems amazed at Tsunade's medical skills after her arrival. Just then Sakura Haruno arrived and sees Tsunade working on healing Naruto. "I got here just in time, Sasuke. She then closed the door slowly behind her and took a seat next to her best friend. A few minutes later, the glow disappeared as the medical shinobi finished with removing Tsukoyomi from Naruto's head. She then turned towards Shikaku and asked, "How long has this technique been affecting him?"

"Well given the condition he is in, the technique has been affecting him for almost a couple of days now. He also has some broken bones when he was brought in here. But, the medical staff told me that his head was suffering the most amount of pain, Tsunade-sama." Replied Shikaku.

"Wow, I see. But to tell you the truth, I've never seen this kid sustaining so much damage to his own body. What the hell did Itachi do to him? Although I was able to stop the Tsukoyomi from doing further damage to naruto's brain cells, he should be able to wake up from this soon enough. However, my diagnosis of Naruto will have some heartbreaking consequences since most of his bones in his body are broken, I cannot heal them unless I perform surgery on him. His chances of survival are only fifty percent at best. This will take a long time, I am sorry everyone. I've did the best I could." Replied Tsunade.

Everyone in the room was devastated to hear the heartbreaking news about Naruto's survival rate being less than one hundred percent, especially Sasuke and Sakura. "Are you serious Tsunade-sama? Please tell me you are joking! If Naruto goes through this operation, he might not have the strength to fight!" protested Sasuke.

"I am really not joking, and yes this is true. If the operation isn't successful, his chances of recovery will be looking very slim." Finished Tsunade. But before she could leave the room, Naruto opens his eyes slowly and waved, "Wait… a ….. minute, grandma Tsunade! Don't…. leave… just… yet! I… I need to talk to you!" He slowly tries to get up from bed, but the injuries are preventing him from doing so.

"Naruto! Oh thank god you are awake! Are you all right?" asked Sakura.

"I… I think so. But where am I What's happened to me and why am I wrapped up in bandages?" he was a bit confused about how he ended up in the hospital. Soon, Shikaku sat down on naruto's bedside and said to him, "Naruto-san, thank goodness that you are awake, you had us all worried, buddy! You are currently in the hospital. Kakashi-sensei brought you in here after you were knocked unconscious by that lunatic Itachi Uchiha. Your wounds are not fully healed yet but Tsunade here has some grave news to tell you."

Tsunade then took a seat on a chair next to naruto's bed and said, "I am glad that you are awake, sweetie. But I am afraid that your injuries are becoming worse, not better. You still have several broken bones in your body that are not fully healed yet. I hate to bring you bad news but in order for your body to completely healed, you need to have an operation. If this surgery is not successful, you will only have a fifty percent chance of survival at best. You shouldn't try to get out of bed yet because you need to let your injuries heal for a while and I am afraid that you won't be able to participate in any ninja training for a while. But I must admit, you are lucky to be alive! I am actually surprised that you survived the brutal attack from that Itachi guy."

Naruto looked at her with a smile on his face but was unable to cope with the fact that he needed surgery. He knew that the thought of having this critical operation would end his ninja career for good, but he wasn't about to give up on that. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a nearby chair and slowly got out of bed. "I need some time to think about this, Tsunade baa-chan. I understand what you are saying, but you must know, I won't give up my career of becoming Hokage and if this is the path I must take, then so be it." He then walked out of the room and dashed outside towards the streets. With tears in his eyes, he now knows that his life could be in serious jeopardy if he is not completely healed. "What has happened to me? Why am I always being a victim of brutality? Why does everyone want to inflict so much pain on me? Is this what my whole life has been like? It's just not fair! I should have stopped Itachi sooner and saved Sasuke's parents from being killed, but I couldn't do anything!"

As Shikaku looked out the window, he could see naruto running away from the hospital and onto the streets of Konoha. He knows that Naruto isn't taking this news so well after Tsunade's arrival. However, naruto needs some support and cheering up from his friends and the people that cares about him. As he walked out of the hospital, he turned to Tsunade and said, " I really wish that there was some other way we could comfort him, but now he's having a really hard time accepting it."

"I know that, Shikaku. But you must understand, he hasn't been himself lately after the incident at Sasuke's home. I can understand what that boy has gone through, but he needs some time to cope with the losses. He's been through a lot lately and I just can't see the thought of letting him suffer a world of hurt. However, he has a long recovery ahead of him and it could impact his career as a shinobi of Konoha village." Finished Tsunade.

The man looked at her with a smile as he heads outside to find Naruto with hopes of making him feel better. The surgery will help heal the damage done inside of his body and the recovery process but he also has to go through months of physical therapy immediately after the operation. Meanwhile, at the nearby gazebo, Naruto sat down on the bench and thought about all the good times that he had with itachi's family and the time he spent with them, "So this my feeling of what it's like to have a family to love you?" He also starts thinking about the times he spends with the clan heads, "Is this what it feels like to have people to always be there for you?"

The thought of Itachi Uchiha defecting from Konoha village leaves Naruto stunned and with unanswered questions. However, he knows that the former brother he once knew will be back to finish him off and take the monster out of him in order to save Konoha, a home that he once loved and cherished. But Naruto still has other things on his mind, especially about starting up in the academy and wanting to find out the truth about why Itachi committed this act of terror in his own home. Despite Naruto being all alone without a family to look after him, he was still having a hard time coping with it. But with his two best friends Sasuke and Sakura, including the Hokage and Iruka, he didn't feel alone. As naruto reflects back on what happened that night in the compound, he starts to think about what Itachi said to him

Flashback

"_No Itachi-san, don't do it! Spare your family and let them go, don't harm them!" shouted Naruto._

_But Itachi didn't hear him as he picked up his sword and took a mighty swing before slashing his father to death. "NOOOOOO! Fugaku-tou-san! Not you! You didn't derserve to die, but I will avenge you one way or another!" shouted Naruto._

"_What are you going to do, Naruto? That old fool is already dead, and if you don't keep quiet, you will be my next victim! Hehehehehe! Now I suggest that you keep quiet if you want your life spared." Replied Itachi with an evil glint on his face._

"_You….. You monster! You good for nothing bastard, you are no brother of mine! I won't let you get away with this!" wailed Naruto with tears in his eyes as the guards continued beating him down. But Itachi wasn't feeling threatened by the boy's pathetic insults as he picked up his sword again._

"_Throw all the threats you want at me, you little insect. It's not going to change anything! Your new family has been getting in my way and there is no way you can save them now! Just relax and I will be over to finish you off soon." Said itachi as he took a few slashes on his mother and butchered her up. With a shocked look, Naruto could see blood spatter everywhere and body parts lying on the floor. "Teyaki baa san! NO! Why did you have to fall victim to Itachi? Why?" he wailed as Itachi noticed the pounding from his fists on the floor as more tears came out of his eyes. As he tried to get up, he could see Itachi Uchiha moving towards him. As the man picked up the child, he holds him against the wall and said, "Foolish little step-brother, I've already taken out the people that you love and you don't have sufficient strength to stop me. If you want to kill me, you have to get yourself stronger. And I sense that the monster inside of you is growing weak, but I will be back to claim it for myself! Also before I take my leave, here is my parting gift for you!" He then activated his sharingan as he unleashed a powerful technique on the child's head, causing him to be knocked out cold. He then tossed the boy on the ground and left in a puff of smoke._

_End Flashback_

Naruto tried to avoid thinking about that dangerous Tsukoyomi technique with the potential fear that his brother Sasuke might become Itachi's next victim. He knows that the anbu guards will be interrogating his brother about where he was on the night his parents were murdered and who carried out the killings. But despite his strength being less than a hundred percent, he still needed time for recovery. As he sat down on the bench, he looks up at the night sky as the images of Fugaku and Teyaki suddenly appeared in front of him. He then showed his smile towards them but as he did that, more tears came out of his eyes as the family he once knew were taken away in an instant. But no matter how upset he was, he must stay strong in order to pull himself through this nightmare.

Soon, a human figure appeared out of the darkness and asked, "What are you doing out here all by yourself, Naruto-san? And why the long face? Are you okay?"

Naruto then turned his face towards the human in the shadow and asked, "Who's there? Come on out and show yourself." He said.

As the figure approached towards the kid, he then sat down next to him and said, "It's only me, the leader of the Nara clan. I need to talk to you immediately. Now I know this might be troublesome news for you, but you need to go through his operation if you want to have a chance at a speedy recovery. I can understand that you are upset about everything that has happened, but you have to take things slow and steady okay? Tsunade-sama already knows about Itachi's defection from Konoha, including the Hokage himself. We are all doing everything we can to see that this criminal be brought to justice. Sasuke already told you that he will kill Itachi to avenge his family so you don't have to be burdened by this and you are not responsible for what happened to your brother's parents."

"I know that, Mr. Shikaku, but all this pain that I've endured for the past few weeks makes my whole body unwell. You know, sometimes I do wish this didn't happen to me. But then, you already know how painful this is for me, right? I just miss all the good times I've had with Sasuke's parents during the time I spent with them. Also, are you sure that this surgery will help me at all? I don't know if I can go through with this since I've never actually had an operation done on me before." Replied Naruto with a nervous look on his face.

Shikaku looked at him for a moment and sighed, "Listen, naruto, I know how hard this must be for you, but you can do this, I swear to it! We are all doing our best to help you get through this pain and suffering. Take my word for it; if your surgery is successful, you will be able regain your strength back with no problems. Not to mention, your career as a shinobi will not go to waste. I can promise you that right now. No matter what happens to you, I can guarantee that you will make it through with no problems."

"Yeah, Shikaku is right, naruto. You should definitely go through with this surgery. When Tsunade told me about your chances of survival looking this slim, I didn't know what to say, but everyone in the village is stunned by this heartbreaking news, including your friends. Now I know you've been through a lot, but this surgery is your last hope to save your life if you want your body back to normal." Said Tsume as she sat down next to Naruto.

Naruto looked at her and said, "Are you sure of that? If I don't make it through this, what's going to happen to me?"

"Do you really think we would be playing a joke on you? You were found unconscious in Sasuke's home and the medical staff almost pronounced you dead. We thought you wouldn't make it out of there alive. But you were lucky to have survived that vicious attack. I am so sorry that you had to go through something like this. Itachi is a monster for all we know. He couldn't care about his family's well being so he decides to take his anger out on his own home and…" began Tsume.

"….And he would kill anyone that stands in his way. I get it, okay? I just wish Itachi would see things in a different light you know? I can't believe he would just ruin me and my family's life. Fugaku and Teyaki Uchiha were everything to Sasuke and to me. They were very nice people who lived a normal life in Konoha. I just miss them so much and I know Sasuke will think about them a lot too." Replied Naruto. "He always talked about how he wanted to become the number one shinobi to surpass Itachi, including being successful at performing powerful techniques to take his former brother down, and I don't blame him. But I must admit, I do feel kind of sorry for that guy who's been a loner like me."

Tsume and Shikaku watched as Naruto grabbed onto one of the tower columns while he looked at the night sky. "Why did it have to be your family to suffer a horrible death, Sasuke? They never did anything wrong and they always looked up to you and cared about you a lot." Soon, his voice was starting to break up as he punched the tower column, "Damn you Itachi! It's just not fair, why did you kill the ones that you loved the most, huh? Do you really think killing innocent people will make you stronger?" At that moment, the nara and Inuzuka clan heirs understood about why he was so upset and decided to comfort him for a while. Naruto then turned and asked them "Ms. Tsume, Mr. Shikaku, why do I keep losing people that are important to me? Do you have any idea what that feels like? Why do families have to sacrifice their own lives to save their children? Please tell me the truth because this nightmare is going to haunt me for the rest of my life!" wailed Naruto.

Soon, the child could feel that he was being embraced by Tsume because she was able to understand how Naruto felt after his loss while Shikaku handed him a Kleenex. "I know how you feel Naruto, but it's all right. None of this is your fault, but you must know that sometimes people have to sacrifice themselves because it's their duty to pass on their will of fire to their sons and daughters because it is their time to inherit it now. Those who have their goals and dreams, but everyone has something important as those, including mothers and fathers, siblings, and friends that are important to you. Also the bonds between the people are also important to you ever since birth. When people like Sasuke's parents are gone, their past, current lifestyle, and their future disappear along with them. This goes beyond reason because it's important; now do you understand why I am telling you this?"

Naruto wiped away his tears and sniffled, "Yeah…. I do understand. But it's been too painful for me to see Sasuke's beloved parents die so soon, especially when I was given the news about having surgery done. Now when I complained that I wouldn't be able to make it through this, you've taught me the importance of believing in myself. But no matter how hard this operation is or even if you do have faith in me that I will pull through, it doesn't look like it's going to help me that much. Please tell me, why am I the only one that's turned out like this?"

Shikaku looked at him for a moment and said, "Naruto… for a child like you that puts in so much effort and strength, the operation will definitely succeed for sure. I've told you that success will open. But if anything troublesome happens, we will be right there to fix it. When Tsume and I met you for the first time, our purpose here was to make sure you become a great ninja of Konoha village, and that's a promise, my boy." He then placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder as a sign of comfort and smiled at him.

"Are… are you certain that my operation will be successful enough to increase my chances of survival?" asked Naruto as he was nearing tears again.

"Naruto, there is no doubt in my mind that this surgery will be a success! And if there is even the slightest 1 out of 100th, no, 10 out of 1000th chance that something goes wrong, we will be right there with you to offer our support. And I promise, we are with you all the way no matter what happens to you, buddy boy." Finished Shikaku.

At that moment, Naruto couldn't bear to hold his tears any longer as he buried his face right onto Tsume and cried. "Tsu-Tsume baa san, Mr Shikaku! Thank you…. Both… So much for believing in me! I am just in too much pain right now, I couldn't take it anymore! I do…. Appreciate you both for being there for me!" He could then feel Shikaku's hand on his head while Kiba's mother continued hugging him. "Thank you for being such great families!" finished Naruto. But even so, his final narration was this:

"Now that I know what the meaning of life was, I now hope that this operation will be a success for me, but I am just glad to have people care about me the most. Please forgive me for all the trouble that I caused you, Sasuke Uchiha! And now, I am finally going to be saved from all this pain and suffering that I endured. I want to thank sasuke's parents for being there for me when I need it the most."

Even though the memories of Fugaku and Teyaki Uchiha may have faded for now, Naruto will never forget their kindness that they've given to him during the time he spent together with them. As he cherishes the memories of his former parents within his heart, he starts preparing for this surgery that could change his life…forever. Elsewhere, the Hokage looks in his crystal ball and smiled, "Hmm! It's so nice to see that Naruto will pull through this difficult obstacle. That poor thing, he always gets hungry for a miracle now. But I am glad that he now has people to look after him. What do you think, Tsunade-sama?"

"Yeah, I agree, but Naruto has a long road to recovery ahead of him. I will do what I can to increase the surgery's success rate. But who knows? Maybe that kid will be respected by his own people in Konoha." Replied Tsunade.

And so, Naruto now prepares for the most crucial operation that could change his life and his way of becoming Hokage. As the sun starts to fade, he was carried back to the hospital with the help of Tsume Inuzuka while thinking about his recovery process. But one thing is for certain, Itachi Uchiha is still a wanted criminal and if he is found, he will be executed for murder. As the village reels from what happened here, security has been tightened so that no intruders can come in here. But soon everything will change….forever!

**Stop….. that will do it for this chapter. Now we know that Naruto will be undergoing a serious operation to help fix the broken bones and his wounds. His recovery process is on the line. After he heard everything from the clan heirs, I am certain that his pain and suffering will end. This was an emotional chapter that I had written and you will know why when you read and review. Enjoy it and I will see you all next time. Later!**


	8. Chapter VIII: The Funeral

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter VIII: The Funeral

_With Naruto being prepped for surgery, a memorial service will be held here in Konoha to honor Sasuke's family that died during the massacre which happened a few weeks ago. Although Sasuke was attending Naruto was also scheduled to meet him there before his scheduled operation at the hospital. This time, both brothers will tell us everything about their family and what they did to make this place special. This will be a short chapter though but anyway, enjoy_

Naruto did take it easy for a few days before his scheduled surgery at the hospital. So, by the next morning, he decided to take a walk in the streets, hoping to regain his strength and trying to ease up on pain. Although he wasn't fully recovered yet, he was still able to move around the village without hurting himself. After his conversation with Tsume and Shikaku last night, the child was able to finally understand the meaning of life and death and gradually, he began to accept the fate that dealt a cruel hand within his own village. But the thought of "Get over it!" would not help with the healing process, the boy knows that Itachi should apologize for hurting his own family, and then he can forgive him. But despite Itachi defecting from his home and not admitting guilt, he wouldn't even dream of giving that lunatic another chance.

As Naruto walked down on the streets, he could notice the villagers eyeing him and they wondered how he had gotten those injuries, but in his mind, they still hate him for having that monster inside of him so he paid no attention to them. But the fact is with him still in bad shape, he wasn't worried at all. However he had a lot of scars after that brutal assault by Itachi, but that doesn't matter to him now since they are taking a while to heal. But he also knows that Sasuke is expecting him to be at his family's funeral because Sasuke will need to give a speech about his parents' lifestyle and what they did for the Village. This is an emotional time for the entire village of Konoha right now since the Uchiha clan massacre, especially for our two brothers that were heavily affected by this tragedy.

Elsewhere, The Hokage was scratching his head after the tragedy that had befallen here not too long ago. As he turned to outside his office, he knows that today was the funeral of Fugaku and Teyaki Uchiha and many other members of the Uchiha clan that died in the massarcre. As the villagers arrived at the site, many of them are paying tribute to those who died, including Naruto and Sasuke. Also present was Shikaku Nara, Tsume Inuzuka, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka, among other people who were paying their respects for a family that dedicated their lives here in Konoha.

"Your parents were very good people and they took really good care of you, Sasuke." Said Naruto while trying to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Yeah, they certainly did, my brother. This is a very difficult time for all of us after what happened here. My family meant everything to me and they did a lot of special things with me that my former brother couldn't have time to do. Sure, I may not have been the brightest son in this village, but my parents couldn't be more proud of me than they were of you. We both worked hard enough to please them, but still, it's going to be harder for both of us to get through this, but no matter what happens, we will take it one step at a time, all right?" said Sasuke while hugging his brother Naruto.

Naruto couldn't give an answer but he nodded his head as they both stepped forward towards the podium in front of them that overlooks the gravestones of those that died. Just then, the Hokage arrives at the funeral site and sees Homura and Koharu there already, "So, it's time to start the ceremony now. I think it's time that I delivered a few words for everyone here." As he arrived at the podium, he then placed the microphone towards his mouth and said, "Thank you for coming to this funeral everyone, we are gathered here today to remember our friends and family that perished in this tragic event. As we do, let's not forget how these people had touched our lives and the difference they made for this village. While we are mourning the loss of Sasuke's parents, Fugaku and teyaki Uchiha, we shall pray to never forget them, but they were true friends and will be known as true shinobis of Konoha. Let's all take a moment of silence and pray that they will be in good spirits. May they rest in peace. Thank you." The Hokage then stepped down from the podium and ordered the guards to bring out the caskets containing the bodies of Fugaku and teyaki Uchiha

Once the bodies arrived, Sasuke and Naruto rushed towards them with flowers in their hands as they prepared to say their final good-byes to their beloved parents that they've known for such a long time. With tears in their eyes, both brothers hugged each other while holding onto the casket and wailed, "Why did you guys have to perish so soon? You were everything to us, we would not be here without you around, but we will miss you guys very much! We both love you a lot, so don't worry, Fugaku-tousan and Teyaki-baa-san, your spirits will always be with us forever! We brothers will never forget you and what you did for this village!" Once they finished, they placed flowers on the parents' caskets and bid them a final farewell before their bodies are cremated and buried in the Cemetery here in the village. As Sasuke and Naruto stepped back, they allowed their close friends to lay flowers on the bodies and wished them a safe journey to heaven where they could rest in peace.

But as Naruto looked back in the caskets and the bodies, he reminisces about the time he and Fugaku were enjoying time to themselves like visiting friends, playing games together, going out to eat, and star gazing together. But naruto will never forget the training that he did with Fugaku Uchiha in order to obtain the Sharingan because if he wants to surpass Itachi he has to get himself stronger and learn chakra control and other basic movements. But no matter what happens to him, Naruto must obtain true power in order to make himself stronger than Itachi Uchiha.

Elsewhere, as Tsunade looked out the window she could see rain drops on the ground outside. "Shizune, what is going on out there?" she asked her assistant.

"It seems to me that a funeral is going on outside at the moment right now, Tsunade-sama. Everyone is paying tribute to Fugaku and Teyaki Uchiha, Sasuke's parents that died here not too long ago at the hands of Itachi Uchiha. Also, naruto is also there at the funeral as well since he wanted to say his final good bye to a family that he never had in his life. I think Naruto's feeling down about what Sasuke has been going through ever since his former brother left this village so he wants to do what he can to support him during this difficult time." Replied Shizune. Even Ton-Ton seems to agree with her.

Tsunade looked at her with a sad expression on her face and said, "I see, so it seems that everyone here is hell bent on wanting this criminal captured and executed. But their so called criminal organization, the Akatsuki, is still a mystery to us. Have you been able to find any new information about them?" she asked.

"No, nothing so far on the Akatsuki, but their plan remains a mystery. However, we know that Itachi has a connection with their organization since he seems to know the members so well. However, their true goal is to capture all the tailed beasts from their hosts. And I have a suspicious feeling that naruto does possess one of the tailed beasts since he could be a target for the Akatsuki. Anyway, aside from that, how is Naruto's surgery success rate going?" asked Shizune.

"Well, from these medical reports that I got from the staff at the hospital, it seems that his wounds were pretty much from moderate to severe on the outside. But looking at these broken bones in his body, I can say that his success rate is now up to 70 percent. He seems to be taking it easy for a few days and using antibiotics to help heal the scars on his body, I'm actually quite impressed that he could survive something like this. Not many people have that sort of ability to go through a terrible tragedy in this place." Said Tsunade.

"Well, Naruto was just lucky to be alive, if he wasn't, than we would have declared a state of emergency here in Konoha. But Naruto is really hoping for a miracle right now instead of tragedy and despair. If he waits any longer, he won't be able to have that miracle that he was hoping for." Finished Shizune.

That's true, Shizune. But now I think my neck is getting stiff. If you will excuse me, I need to go get something from the Hokage's former office library so that Naruto can be cured of the pain." And she left the office right away while Shizune keeps an eye on things before the Hokage returns.

Back at the funeral, Naruto and Sasuke looks up at the clouds and thinks back on Fugaku and teyaki Uchiha while wiping the tears from their eyes. As they closed their eyes, they begin to pray for good things to happen to their parents and wishing them a safe journey to heaven while keeping their memories of Fugaku and Teyaki alive in their hearts. Although Sasuke has been planning this for a long time, he's always wanted to give his former brother a taste of his own medicine and show him the true meaning of "Sharingan power" when he returns home.

Once the caskets were taken away, Sasuke and Naruto are now being called upon by the Hokage to carry the portraits of Fugaku and his wife. Once they arrived, the anbu guards handed them the portraits while the townspeople took care of the caskets. As they arrived at the cremation site, both Naruto and sasuke helped the townspeople move the caskets inside and were told to step back in order to allow the cremation ceremony to begin. As Tsume and Shikaku watched while embracing Naruto, which in turn, was hugging Sasuke and drying the tears from his eyes. Meanwhile, many friends of the Uchiha clan joined in as they watched the caskets being moved into the fire pits to allow the bodies to be completely burned out and their remains to be processed and laid to rest in the cemetery. Everyone was rambling words all at the same time while saying their final good-byes to the family that made a difference in people's lives and helped to reshape the whole village. As Sasuke and Naruto wept, they will know that no matter how painful it is to lose a family they love, they will remain strong as ever.

Once the cremation process was finished, the remains of Fugaku and Teyaki are now being buried at the Konoha Memorial Cemetery to honor them and the good they've done for this place. As the two brothers returned to the funeral site, Sasuke decides to speak out about his family life. It was not about how his family died, it was about how they lived that made this village so special to them. Naruto was feeling heartbroken after what happened but he didn't let it get to him. As he wiped away the tears from his eyes, Iruka decides to comfort him for a while as he took him back to the audience area. However, no one noticed that his eyes started to have three mysterious tomoes embedded in them. Soon everyone took their seats as Sasuke took his position at the podium at the funeral with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Fellow citizens of Konoha, we are gathered here today to honor the loss of my family and my entire clan. They were everything to this village, not just me or Naruto. However, my parents were not meant to be used as a tool for death or darkness, they were the people that had earned the respect of everyone here. My father may have been tough on me at times, but it showed me that he cares a lot about me and that he loved me and he pushed me to be the very best shinobi in Konoha. He also told me that even if I don't pass an exam, there will always be another chance for me to work even harder and surpass my brother Itachi. My parents always had high hopes for me and my brother Naruto. My father was a good man, and he would never harm anyone, and he never has set out to kill anyone that he never met before. And he always did his best to look after me and Naruto. My mother on the other hand was too kind-hearted and a sweet person that I loved so much. She always kept us in line and we did what we were told by her. My mother was also everything to me; just like my father and we always would do something fun together as a family. We lead a perfectly normal life together as a family until Itachi Uchiha took it all away from us! How am I supposed to move on with my life without my mother and father? Everyone knows that a mother and father will always be there for you no matter what happens. And I will never forget them, never! Rest in Peace, Fugaku and Teiyaki Uchiha, you will both be never forgotten!" Once Sasuke finished the speech, everyone proceeded to lay flowers upon the gravestones of Sasuke's parents and paid their respects to them. As a distraught Naruto walked up to the gravestones, he laid down the flowers while Iruka helped to wipe his tears away. He then thinks about everything that he did with Sasuke's family and he vowed to keep their memories alive inside of his heart forever. "Sasuke has given a heartwarming speech on his parents, but I am certain that they didn't die for nothing, right Iruka-sensei?" he asked.

"That's what I was thinking too, they didn't die in vain, but they did leave something priceless behind: the Village of Konoha. Their spirits will always be with us forever and they will never be forgotten as long as all of us are here, Naruto. As I said before, when people die, everything that they had is gone, but it will never be forgotten. No matter how much pain you will feel, a hug will always make you feel better. You need time to grieve since Itachi left the village. Also, I know how hard this must be for you and Sasuke, but I can assure you, we will not give up if a family member has lost someone close to them. However as their spirits remain in heaven, you will know that they will still love you and will be proud of you and Sasuke no matter what happens. If losing a parent is not something you can face alone, you have to take it one step at a time, okay? But first you need to get your body back to normal, that is the number one priority here." said Iruka as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder while hugging each other.

As the rain continued falling in Konoha, everyone in the village knows that the heavens weep for those that died here. But Naruto and Sasuke can't keep crying about it since they know that tears won't help them, but they also know that no matter how painful the situation looked, it made them realize that their combined strength will only make them stronger. However, Naruto and Sasuke will have to work hard in order to protect their loved ones here, but it won't be an easy task since they will have to conquer a lot of obstacles and meet dangerous opponents along the way. Also naruto and Sasuke are both going to have to take a lot of tests and battle in order to meet their ultimate goal to becoming the number one shinobi in all of Konoha.

Once the rain cleared, everyone said their final goodbyes as things finally returned to normal after the deadly massacre. But the memory of it stayed. The compound where the murders occurred was almost completely damaged, but everything outside was still intact. Despite the losses, Sasuke and Naruto are planning to rebuild their lives after what happened here since they both know that Itachi will be coming back to finish what he started. However, the boys will be planning something big for Itachi to give him a warm welcome upon his arrival. But Sasuke has vowed to restore his clan and kill the so called "Former brother" so that he can avenge his parents and become itachi's new successor. Although Naruto had already gotten the mysterious power that everyone talked about he then thinks to himself, "Fugaku Uchiha told me to use this power to protect those that I love, not to kill people, but the only thing I did was cause pain and suffering to everyone else around me. How am I going to face sasuke after this? First I have to go through this surgery, and then a new mysterious power has been planted inside of me, and now Itachi…. God, why does every bad thing have to happen to me!"

Once the funeral was over, Naruto and the others returned to their normal lives as everyone else returned to their duties in Konoha. Although Naruto hasn't seen the last of Itachi Uchiha, he know that this isn't over and as long as he is under the protection of Sasuke and the entire village, Itachi wouldn't be able to stand a chance now. But the thought of seeing the return of that monster only infuriates the entire village, but even so, Konoha needs to tighten security long enough in order to keep the place danger-free and minimize casualties. But with the Akatsuki threat at an all time high, the village doesn't seem to be out of the danger zone yet and Naruto hasn't fuller covered from his wounds yet. Furthermore, everyone in the village seems are on high alert now. As the sun came up, Naruto and Sasuk looked at the buildings around them and said, "It sure is peaceful here after the nightmare that occurred here not too long ago, right Sasuke?" he asked

"Yeah, it does get peaceful around here now, but don't get too comfortable, little bro. There are many more dangerous opponents out there that are still waiting for us, so we both have to do our best if we want to succeed and fulfill our goal to take down that madman that joined the akatsuki. However, before you are able to fight again, you still need to get your operation taken care of. But don't worry, we will guarantee that you will pull through this." Said sasuke as he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Sasuke-nee-san! I really appreciate it! I am glad that you could help me go through this very difficult time that we both are having together." Replied Naruto.

"Anytime, Naruto! That's what brothers are supposed to do. They are supposed to look out for one another and support them if needed. I am just glad to have met you. You are my best friend and nothing will take that away from us, especially not some maniacal killer who is not of this village. However, you cannot blame yourself for what happened to my family and you are not responsible for their deaths. Now, I know how upset you are right now but you need to take it easy. This surgery is very important to you and if you don't go through it, your chances of survival will be very limited. As your big brother, its time you take the first step towards recovery, now go to it, buddy!" replied sasuke as he took Naruto back to the hospital while jumping from building to building in konoha as the sun begins to set.

Meanwhile, back in the Hokage's office, The Hokage was busy working on plans to figure out how to bring Itachi back in here to answer for his crimes when he heard a knock at the door, "Come in!" called the Hokage.

As the door opened, one of the Anbu guards entered the room and asked, "Sir, request permission for us to interrogate the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan since he seems to have witnessed everything that has happened so far in konoha. He was the only person present during the murders so I think he might know what Itachi had been doing on the night of the murder. If we can get a statement from Sasuke, we might be able to nail down the culprit and whoever else was involved in the murders."

" Are you sure? I don't want Naruto to get involved in this mess, but go right ahead with the interrogation of Sasuke. He seems to be very close to Naruto than he is to Sasuke. But somehow. I don't think they even supported the protégé because he has become a bigger threat than before. I feel that this could complicate things even further if naruto becomes a target of your investigation. Even now, everyone is worried about Uzumaki naruto after the recent events here, but tread lightly, okay? I don't want to jeopardize the lives of two young ninja that are in desperate need of help. However, Sasuke should be at the hospital about now since I saw him carry Naruto there. "Finished the Hokage.

"Right away sir. But we really hope naruto will pull through this fiasco. After all, he is just like you. And besides, Sasuke always seems to be able to fill the empty void inside someone that is close to him." Replied the Anbu as he disappears from the office in an instant. As the Hokage leaned back on his chair, he decided to contact the council members and tell them to bring the clan heads in here immediately so that Sasuke can tell them exactly what happened that night in order to find out who exactly perpetrated this heinous act and why. He was also suspicious of those two bodyguards that worked for Itachi on the night of the murder so they needed to be questioned as well.

Moments later, Tsunade arrived at the Hokage's office and asked, "Are you sure that you want to interrogate Sasuke? If he is actually behind the murders of his family, then we are looking at him as an accomplice. We cannot allow him to be framed for murder! I hope your decision wasn't too hasty, Sarutobi-sama because I don't want you to jump the gun here." She said with a worried look on her face.

The Hokage looked at her for a moment and said, "I can understand what you are saying, okay? Stop beating around the bush. Do you really think that Sasuke would be capable of killing his own family? His former brother demonized him and did the killings to make it look like a suicide. But somehow, Itachi managed to cover his tracks when he left the village so I am hoping that Sasuke is not a killer. We are only doing this to clear his name and prevent him from being incarcerated at the correctional facility. We do not wish to allow Sasuke to endure any more pain and the same shall apply to Naruto as well. You realize that with two brothers' lives on the line, we cannot guarantee their safety? This entire village is in an uproar right now and we are all upset and angered over Itachi's killing spree but that doesn't help change anything for us now. And you know how Sasuke and Naruto both feel about this because they just want this whole nightmare to be over and I…" He then paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead and then rubbed his head to avoid a splitting headache.

Tsunade looked at her former teacher and said, "Sarutobi-sensei, are you all right? You seem to be very worried about Naruto the most, right? But let me tell you something, I despise Itachi more than what this whole village has to offer. Believe me; I am already in a state of shock. However, as you said, we can only hope for a miracle in Konoha right now. I am also worried about the two boys because all their life, they've been thinking about having a family to look after them, but it never did happen for them, did it? I know what they are going through right now because when Naruto was little, he was always looked down by people and mistreated because of that mysterious monster inside of him. Now we got Sasuke without a family either. Now, this is not what the village had in store for the boys, but those two deserve justice and closure too, Sarutobi-sensei. I do have a feeling that if we want to see justice done, Sasuke should be the one to do it since he knows that this is personal." She replied.

"Thank you for your input, Tsunade. You know, one of these days when I step down as Hokage, you will have to take over the position for me because this office won't be vacant for very long. And yes, I do agree that what happened with Sasuke's family was a personal affair and that Itachi should not have gotten naruto involved. They do deserve justice and closure after this, but right now, naruto needs you to take care of him since his surgery is crucial if he wants to have a speedy recovery. However, I feel that Itachi's assault on him has left scars that may never heal, but after the events here, it could impact their future as ninjas here in Konoha. Also, if you could please bring Sasuke in here because it's important that we talk to him in order to figure out who actually did the killings and who his accomplices were? I am sure Sasuke will be more than obliged to help with the investigation." Ordered the Hokage.

"Hai!, Sarutobi-sensei!" called Tsunade as she leaves the office right away to fetch Sasuke. As she did that, she heads over to the hospital to prepare Naruto for surgery that only he can pull through. So once she locates Sasuke at the underground training hall near his home, he immediately heads over to the Hokage's office and hopefully put this whole thing to bed at all costs without thinking about it. Back in the hospital, naruto was still waiting in his hospital room hoping to get this surgery out of his mind, but he was still a bit upset after everything that has happened so far. However, Naruto knows that crying won't help solve any of his problems, but he decided to come to terms of accepting the loss of a family and move on. But even so, he would have a hard time of coping with this loss since he was mentally and physically scarred, especially Sasuke because he was just like Naruto: unable to cope with the loss of the family he loved for such a long time and getting over it. But nonetheless, no matter how much anger and pain that these two friends had endured, they would not rest until the killer is brought to justice.

Elsewhere, Kakashi was looking at the grave stone of his best friend Obito and wonders if he had been haunted by the memories of all the people that he had lost and why he couldn't save him from his demise. The thought of Obito's death was just too much for him to handle alone. "Obito, the only reason why I dropped by for a visit was for you to please tell me why it is just us losing people that we love so much? What exactly did we do to deserve this? I was a fool to have abandoned you back when we were younger and if you had just about a few more seconds, you wouldn't have met your demise. And I know that Sasuke will always have a part of you in his heart, I just know it. I hope you can understand that he also had lost a family that he loved so much, but the thought of losing a family just spurs painful memories for me. But I have already accepted the death of people and moved on with my life. I know it's hard for me to get over it, but I am trying. Forgive me Obito." He thought to himself as he removed his head covering and moved the headband up to his forehead to do some praying while paying his respects to his deceased friend. "Naruto, no matter how much pain you are in, we are going to get you through this, you hear me?' he thought to himself.

Back in the hospital, the medical team was already assembled to get Naruto's surgery done, however Tsunade and Shizune were out at a nearby restaurant checking out the databook on the shinobi's combat statuses. She noticed that a lot of them seem to be still low level genin and some might still need room for improvement. But as she took at Naruto and Sasuke's statuses she was amazed at how his combat skills have improved since his training started. But due to Itachi Uchiha's interference, Sasuke's training is being postponed until he is assigned to a squad, especially for Naruto. His fate is now in the hands of the doctors now after the brutal attack left him with broken bones, cuts and other severe injuries that left him almost paralyzed. But he was still as strong as ever and he will fight to survive anything. But there is nothing more painful than what these two friends have suffered in their childhood lives.

"Naruto Uzumaki, if you can hear me, please forgive me for trying to experiment on you, but I promise that a miracle will come your way but I know that you will pull through this. You just need to have more faith in yourself. We all believe in you and our hearts will always be with you bothers forever. Don't give up hope okay? You are one tough guy and I will get you both through this," thought Tsunade as she looked at the sky and the face of the blonde inside her head. She then packed up her things and headed towards the hospital where the medical staff greeted her and said, "Naruto Uzumaki is ready for you, Tsunade-Sama. I hope you are prepared for the challenge of a lifetime?" said the medical ninja.

"Yup, I am ready for this challenge, my friends. If Naruto wants a miracle, I will be the first to give it to him. Although I cannot guarantee that the recovery process will take less than a week for him, Naruto will have to go through months of therapy and possibly weeks of rest at home before he can be back to a hundred percent fighting form. We all know he will be in a lot of pain after this is over." Replied Tsunade as she and the team gathered their equipments to begin the operation which could change Naruto's life forever. As naruto looked at her and the other people around him, he slowly said to her, "Grandma….. Tsunade! I just hope that I don't develop complications during this delicate operation, but do what you can to make me better…. Okay?"

As the others looked at naruto for a moment, Tsunade turned to him and said, "Well, we will do what we can to make you better okay? Now, the medical staff will give you some medicine to keep you relaxed and sedated okay? Don't worry, naruto, everything will be fine and we will all get you through this, do you hear me?" Naruto then nodded his head as the medicine went into the Intravenous tube and he started counting backwards from 10 before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

"All right, looks like we are ready to begin, Tsunade-sama. Said the medical staff.

"Okay, let's make this operation as painless as possible for Naruto, okay? I don't to put him at risk of death, I mean it." Ordered Tsunade. The others agreed with her as Operation: Life saver begins.

Meanwhile, as Sasuke was walking around the streets of Konoha, he could notice the Anbu guards surrounding him and said, "I presume the Hokage sent you here to take me in for questioning right?"

"You are very observant, Sasuke Uchiha! Since you are the lone survivor of the massacre, it is important that you cooperate with us since we need for you to tell us exactly what happened in the night of your parents' murder. Please come with us." Said the guards while escorting Sasuke to the Hokage's office. He was reluctant at first, but then he agreed to go with them on the condition that Naruto would be guaranteed protection from Itachi. "It's really not up to us to decide on the fate of Naruto, you will have to talk to Hokage-sama about that." Continued the guards.

"All right then, but I hope that we will agree to each other's promises okay? We don't want naruto to become a sacrificial lamb for the Akatsuki scums." replied Sasuke. And with that, the fate of Sasuke's former brother now commences in order to see justice done here in Konoha.

**And Stop that will do it for this chapter. Mainly the funeral part was a bit longer than I thought when I did this chapter but still, it was well-worth writing it. Also Naruto is already in surgery and the fate of Sasuke's former brother Itachi will be decided since the lone survivor will be sending a message to all of Konoha and the other villages about Itachi's traitorous acts he committed against humanity. Will he be able to expose Itachi's full reason for the murders and exact vengeance upon his family? Will Naruto's safety be guaranteed? Find out in the next chapter: "Investigation and Interrogation" Be sure to R &R and I will see you all next time.**

**NarutoandBleach**


	9. Chapter IX: The Interrogation

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter IX: Investigation and Interrogation

_After the funeral was over, the Anbu guards decided to interview Sasuke Uchiha since he was the last person that knows about what Itachi had been up to after the murders at his own home. As an investigation into the murders begins, Sasuke decides to tell the guards about the secrets that Itachi has been hiding and why he never revealed it to the village. This could have a huge impact on Konoha and naruto's future since Itachi got him involved as well. So today, this chapter will go in depth about Itachi's dark past. Enjoy it._

"So, it appears that you guys are taking me to see the Hokage about my brother's actions against my family right?" said Sasuke as he looked at the guards in front of him.

"You're very observant, Sasuke. Now, we all know that you are the lone survivor of your clan, but Hokage-sama requests that you comply with us if you want to see your former brother be brought to justice for the crimes he committed." Said the guards as they escorted Sasuke to the tower. The raven-haired shinobi was reluctant about being interrogated at first, but he agrees to do so in order to make sure that Naruto does not get involved in this mess.

"All right, but only if you promise that you don't get Naruto involved in the interrogation." Warned Sasuke.

"Like we said, it's not up to us to decide Naruto's fate, the Hokage will decide what's best for him now. You don't need to worry about him since he is in good hands with the medical staff. I know you are doing what you can to help him, but we are certain that he will make it through this. Let's go, Sasuke, we don't want to keep the Hokage waiting." Finished the guards as they took Sasuke by his arm as the headed off towards the tower.

Back in the hospital, Sakura and Kakashi waited outside of the operating room wanting to know how Naruto was doing since the operation began. But since Naruto was still in the operating room, they are still working on his injuries to make sure he does not open them up during the recovery process. Although the operation took at least 4 to 6 hours to complete, Naruto would be looking at a long recovery after this and months of therapy to follow. This would mean that he would not be allowed to participate in ninja battles after a surgery unless directed by an instructor or the Hokage. But the blonde was not worried about that since his operation came to be a success, but there was nothing normal about the pain that he suffered from Itachi. Although he tried to avoid thinking about the damage done to his body, he decided that it was time for him to move on and live a normal life. "Ever since Itachi turned my life into a living nightmare, I can't forgive him for what he had done to me and the family that me and Sasuke had loved. I don't know if I am able to let it go, but Itachi has to be stopped before he strikes again. Although I am told not to be in combat for a while, I think I will spend some time around town for a bit in order to speed up the recovery process so tht I will be able to regain my strength back. Right now though, I need to find Sasuke to make sure he is okay." He thought to himseff as he continued walking down the street without looking at the villagers. Although he knows that pain has been a part of his life, he didn't want to go through it a second time because that would only cause him more emotional pain.

As Naruto continued down the streets, he could notice the villagers standing outside of the Hokage's office shouting crazy things such as "Kill the traitor naruto!, Down with Itachi!" while throwing rocks and other items at the windows and the walls of the office. This causes the Hokage to duck for cover before he could get hit. "Ugh! What have I gotten myself into? First Naruto was nearing death and now this? If there was a way that I could quell the rioting outside, than I can easily interrogate Sasuke in peace without all this commotion." He thought with a disgusted look on his face. Soon he heard a knock at the door and said, "Come in!" As the door opened, the silver haired jounin arrived with the report from the Medical Examiner's office and showed it to the Hokage. The photos revealed that Naruto's scars were indeed from Itachi, including the swelling and the bruises which have embedded onto his body. "Hokage-sama, from the photos, I can tell that these wounds are fresh and some are just a few days old, but with beatings like this, Naruto was beaten to a pulp and knocked unconscious before the murders occurred. The fractures on his arm and legs indicates that the guards snapped him like a piece of wood while Itachi inflicted the other blows. I couldn't find anything that is not broken, but needless to say, Naruto's body was shattered."

The Hokage looked at him for a moment and said, "Yeah, but the bottom line is, Naruto may have survived his injuries, but still, a long road to recovery is better than nothing, right?"

"That may be, but still Itachi will pay for what he did to his own people here in Konoha." Finished Kakashi as he heard footsteps coming from the hall. It must be Sasuke Uchiha cominng for the interrogation. As kakashi opened the door, he could notice the ambu guards following close behind Sasuke, as they entered the office.

"Hokage-sama, We've brought Uchiha Sasuke here for the interrogation with the council members and the clan heads. We do believe that he is the only suspect and the lone survivor of the massacre. Unfortunately, Naruto is also on his way and he fears that if Sasuke is being framed for his parents murder, it would put further complications in this village." Said the Anub guard.

"I understand your concern, Anbu-sama, but I don't want people being mendacious, okay? Due to the fact that all of the five great villages are burgeoned rapidly, we need to question what advantages we can use in order to better protect ourselves from getting hurt. Take naruto's situation for example, the more we exacerbate it, it will make the situation even worse. So we got to be careful, okay? Not everyone can be trusted around here." Said the Hokage while taking charge of Sasuke.

"We understand Hokage-Sama, but there is a possibility that Naruto's aberrant behavior might have been the cause of this tragedy and it could affect the kids in his age group. We need to ensure that he is not a threat to other people. We feel that with him separated from Sasuke, we might be able to figure out the truth of who was really responsible for this heinous crime." Continued the guards.

Kakashi then looked at the guards and interjected, "That won't be necessary. Besides, since the majority of the clan heads don't know him that well, they classified him as a taciturn individual, but sure he may be a loner like Sasuke is, just give him a chance and then Konoha will finally accpet him for who he is. Now, if its not too much trouble lets get the council members and the clan heads into the meeting room so that we can get this interogation under way." He then stepped out of the office and headed over to the meeting hall with Sasuke and the guards following close behind.

At the meeting room, everyone was still scratching their heads about why someone like Sasuke should be interrogated since he was not the mastermind behind this crime, but the council members still wanted to get the truth out of Sasuke in order to put the real culprit behind bars. Even Shikaku Nara was worried that if the wrong individual was accused, It would seriously jeopardize the alliance with other villages. But the Aburame clan head didn't seem to mind as long as someone comes forward and confess, everything will be fine. Soon, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mikotado arrived and said, "We now call the interrogation of Uchiha Sasuke to come to order. Bring the defendant in here immediately!" Soon the anbu guards arrived with Sasuke as he settled down in the interrogation chair with them standing right next to the hokage and the civilians.

Soon, one of the special jonin instructors arrived at the interrogation room, including Ibiki Morino, the exam proctor and the commander of the Anbu Torture and Interrogation force. Although not everyone fears Ibiki, some of his colleagues might think otherwise before crossing paths with the commander of the ANBU guards. However, many have deep respect for him since he has a soft but strict side and would go after anyone who dares messes with him. "All right, now that I've got your undivided attention, we all know that uchiha itachi has now been officially declared as a traitor of Konoha and has been branded as an S-Class criminal and is still at large. Since he was responsible for the murders of his entire family, he now plans to frame Sasuke uchiha of committing the murders. So, as we interrogate the sole survivor of the massacre, we need to make sure his best friend naruto didn't nepotize anyone else. Otherwise, this interrogation could end up in jeopardy." He said with a evil glint on his face.

One of the villagers that works at a local grocery store spoke up, "Naruto has been the bane of our lives and now you are actually going to let him walk away with murder? That's not right! we all know that he was at the Uchiha Compound on the night of the murder, that demon bastard deserves to be executed!"

Suddenly, the villager could feel a hand with sharp nails grabbing him by the neck, "Try saying that again, and you will become Kuromaru's next meal. Naruto-san has been through enough already and now you want to abuse him some more? Sometimes even I wonder if you people have any feelings for the kid, but with that aside, what proof do you have that Naruto committed the murders? Tell me or else I will sink my claws into your throat!" warned Tsume as she continued to tighten her grip on the civilian. As the others watched with amusement, they can see that her pretentious manner actually saved Naruto from a near death experience. As Ibiki watched, he couldn't help but laugh and thought to himself, "Damn, Tsume seems to be twice as dangerous as Anko, but she never ceases to amaze me, but back to the interrogation at hand." He then turned his attention towards the raven-haired boy and asked, "Where were you on the night that your parents were murdered?"

Sasuke looked up at him and said, " I was out at the training field working on some of my techniques with Naruto. Although I did look down at him as being a dead last shinobi but still he was everything to me and will always be a part of my life. While I was training, I realized that something was not right and that's when I realized my own parents were stuck with a psycho killer."

"I see, so ever since you adopted Naruto, you felt that iwas necessary to check upon your parents, but before the muderes started, you rmom and dad were fine and itachi didn't wanted to harm them right?" continued Ibiki

"Yeah, you may think that my brother is nice and all that but you saw what that cold-blooded monster did to them! He took my family away from me and Naruto and tore our lives apart! I wasn't going to forgive him after what he did. If he was here, I would have killed that bastard with my own hands. But I fear that my own strength will not defeat him since he is more of a jonin-level shinobi and his strength is something that we can never comprehend. As far as I know, my former brother, poisoned with revenge, has demonized Naruto in order to cover it all up." Finished Sasuke.

Everyone in the room looked at Sasuke with a look of shock and suspense as they heard Sasuke telling the court about how naruto was "demonized" by a famed protégé but one of the villagers stood up and shouted, "Stop!, Sasuke, how could you say that about Itachi, I thought you were the one to protect him and now you are just going to turn against him? Have you no shame? Can't you not accept the fact that your hatred towards him is only causing you more misery?" But before he could get up to remove Sasuke from the chair, he could feel the approach of a shadow hand grabbing him by his mouth. "Sit down and keep quiet! You already know by now that Itachi is more of a threat to this village than anything else in this world! Sasuke is telling the truth for once about his former brother and here you have the audacity to misjudge him? Why I might have you removed out of the room in the next 15 seconds if you don't keep your trap shut!" warned Shikaku as he tightened his grip on the villager before releasing him back on his chair.

As ibiki witnessed to what happened in the room, he just breathed a sigh of relief knowing that these disruptions won't delay the interrogation, however, the villagers be sent out of the room if there are any futher disruptions. "All right, Sasuke, I think I understand where you are going with this, but despite the damages that Itachi did, you could have at least tackled him or gave him a few punches to knock him out cold, but unfortunately, Itachi refuses to stop his relentless assault on the family that you loved and eventually killed them, isn' that right?" he continued.

Sasuke looked at him while trying to wipe the tears from his eyes with his hands, but soon, one of the jonin guards handed the raven-haired boy a kleenex. After Sasuke regained his composure, he said, " Yes, I could have stopped Itachi from his relentless attacks, but his powerful Mangekyo Sharingan and the Tsukoyomi prevented me from making any sort of attacks on him. And with naruto held as a hostage by that monster, I couldn't do anything! I would have contacted the Anbu, or maybe you, or any of the villagers around that were available to stop Itachi, but since he got away, it was too late to stop him, and I couldn't save my family." He then paused to take a piece of snack from his pouch and eats it to take a break before the interrogation continues.

Moments later, Ibiki returned to where Sasuke was sitting and asked him, "Sasuke, before your parents were murdered that night, did you recall or hear anything that Itachi had said to the Hokage beforehand?"

Sasuke placed his hands over his head and thought about it for a moment and suddenly, he rememberd something. "Yeah, I do recall that Itachi was planning take care of Naruto and protect him from harm. However, Itachi never did say anything about killing his family or trying to get rid of him. I never would have imagined that he would have planned this from the start. Here I thought that Itachi would act as a big brother towards Naruto, but instead I found a flaw in his plan."

Ibiki looked at Sasuke for a minute and asked, "Wait a minute, you said that Itachi had a "flaw" in his plan? What did you mean by that? Was he lying about protecting Naruto from the villagers in order for him to gain more power for himself so that he can rule all of Konoha?"

"He did, he lied to the Hokage about protecting Naruto. However, when I saw what Itachi was doing to that kid, I knew that he was luring Naruto into my house to get rid of him so that the sharingan will solely belong to my elder brother and no one else. He is ensuring that no one else will get their hands on the sharingan. But like I said, since my father was grateful enough to give some of that power to that kid, I feel sorry that Naruto got dragged into this mess. Bro, if only I had been there sooner, I …., I could have saved my family and none of this would have happened." Said Sasuke while attempting to dry his eyes. He then pounded his fist against the wall knowing that his brother will pay dearly for tearing apart the family that Sasuke loved. It was time that Sasuke gets all the attention and not Itachi.

Ibiki then walked back to his desk and said, "Thank you, you can step down now Sasuke." The raven-haired boy stepped down from the stand and walked back to the audience and settled down next the anbu guards. Personally, Sasuke has been taking this hard ever since his beloved family was slaughtered and Naruto was nearly left for dead. As the Hokage looked at Sasuke in the audience, he felt saddened by the tragedy that has affected not only Sasuke, but the entire village as well. All the stress has been placed on the Hokage's head and it would take a while for him to recover from this. Even naruto and Sasuke would take a long time to recover from this personal tragedy as well since their lives are already at risk. At this point, the boys will have to adjust life without their parents around which will be difficult to do since they have to train hard to prepare for the upcoming battle against Itachi.

A few minutes later, naruto appeared in front of the Hokage and the audience. As he took the stand, he had a feeling of what Ibiki would ask him despite what happened to Sasuke's parents. And he would have the pleasure of letting Itachi taste his parents blood after the murders took place several weeks ago in the Uchiha compound. But as Sasuke watched from the audience, he knows that he will be the one to eliminate Itachi and avenge his parents since he took the murders personally and says that no one disrespects the Uchiha clan and gets away with it. "Naruto, I know what you are trying to do and I am afraid that there is not much you can do for me. I have to take care of that monster myself and I will rip his heart out if I have to. This way, you will be spared of any burdens that might incur on you." Thought Sasuke to himself.

As Ibiki approached Naruto, he asked him, "Naruto, where were you on the night that Sasuke's parents were murdered?'

Naruto paused for a moment to think about his where abouts, "I was at a nearby training field working on my moves. Once night had set in, I decided go home until Itachi's bodyguards stopped me." He said.

"What did they say to you? Did they say that they wanted Itachi to kill his brother's parents?" continued Ibiki while he looks at Sasuke in the crowd.

"They just told me to stay away from Sasuke and that I was not to train with him anymore. However, I don't remember them telling me that they wanted Sasuke's family to die. I wanted to continue training with Sasuke because we shared a powerful bond of friendship together." Continued Naruto. As he looked around, he could notice that everyone else in the room seems to think that he could be guilty of this incident, but without any proof of him actually committing the crime, Naruto could be exonerated from blame and this trial would be over in a heartbeat.

Ibiki was concerned about Naruto's safety when he said he was trainign with Sasuke, but decided to show him the gruesome pictures of the crime scene that was taken on the night of the murder. "I show you people's exhibits A-D. Do you remember these scenes from that night that you were at Uchiha Compound?"

As Naruto looked at the photos of the bloodied room and the corpses of Mr and Mrs. Uchiha, he started to remember that night, "I….. I do remember these scenes, but I also do remember that I was bound and gagged when I attemtped to save Sasuke's parents, I begged Itachi to stop what he was doing and he started beating me like crazy and knocking me out cold. After that… I don't remember anything else except seeing Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha dead right in front of my very eyes." He replied sadly. Suddenly, Naruto could feel a sharp pain in his head and started to remember how Itachi had used Tsukoyomi on him and put him into such brutal mental torture. "That day, I wil never forget how that monster used Tsukoyomi on me, its coming back to haunt me!" Before Ibiki could go on, he could see that Naruto was starting to feel some uneasy movements while he was on the stand and suddenly, he collapsed to the ground in pain. Not knowing what was going on, Ibiki started to feel his head and deduces that he still is suffering from the after-effects of Tsukoyomi. "Naruto, Are you okay? Wake up, buddy, wake up!" but not matter how hard he tried to wake Naruto up, there was no response from naruto after he collapsed on the ground out cold.

Everyone in the room was looking akwardly at what happened as the medical team arrives and took Naruto back to the hospital for observation. Moments later, the Hokage arrived and asked, "What the hell happened here? Did Naruto…." He began.

"Naruto had collapsed during the trial. I fear that he may still be suffering from the after-effects of Tsukoyomi. As I have checked in the notebook, that technique is very dangerous and people who are affected by it will suffer its after-effects. Now that I know what Itachi had done, we might have enough evidence to put that killer behind bars for good. We are pretty sure that Itachi is capable of using such power on an innocent child like this. I am afraid that we cannot interrogate him any further until he fully recovers." Finished Ibiki.

The Hokage looked at him and said, " Very well, Ibiki-san. But I am relieved that you had stopped the trial or else this place would be courtroom chaos. Anyway, now that we got enough evidence to prove that Itachi kiled his family, we should see if Naruto can make a full recovery. After all, we don't want to see him go through this nightmare again. I think Tsunade may have cured him of his injuries but she did mention that Tsukoyomi will permanently put him at risk if he doesn't fully recover from this. The visions of what happened that day are still affrecting Naruto emotionally, but it also left scars on him that may never heal. Right now, I am still worried about Naruto's future here since the entire Uchiha clan was slaughtered because this whole thing was my fault, I should never have sent him to Itachi because I never realized how dangerous he was. God forbid, I should have placed him with a better family like Shikamaru or Choji's relatives."

Ibiki looked at Sarutobi for a moment and placed a hand on his shoulder while saying, "Relax, Hokage-sama, none of this is your fault. You did the right thing by putting Naruto into a family that can understand him, but Itachi is the one to blame here because of how poorly he treated the child. You saw what happened to him and from what I can see, that child isn't fully protected. We need to come up with a plan of protection for Naruto-san immediately before anything else will happen. I think we konoha shinobi are fully committed to this. What if we tell the clan heads to have their sons and daughters look after him for a while? Their parents could also assist too because I think this way, Naruto will be less vulnerable from the threat of Itachi Uchiha for a while. This will also give him a chance to recuperate for a while."

"Are you sure about this? Okay then, assemble the clan heads into my office first thing tomorrow morning at 9:30 am so that we can discuss a plan of action to protect Naruto. Also I want to ensure that Naruto gets placed into a better family immediately following the meeting. Furthermore, I need the anbu guards to keep an eye on naruto in the infirmary for extra protection as well. I hope this plan of yours works, Ibiki-san because this is our last chance to protect Naruto from harm, if not, than I am afraid that there will be no other way to protect him from the threat of Akatsuki or Orochimaru for that matter." Replied the Hokage as he leaves the room but not before smiling at Ibiki and thought, "Naruto will be guaranteeed protection from any threat that comes after him. He is in good hands now."

Back in the hospital room, the doctors were working on getting him back into consciousness when Tsunade and Shizune arrived on the scene. "Tusnade-sama, how good of you to come. You saw what happened to Naruto and…" began the medical team.

"Yes, I know I saw the whole thing. I jjust don't get it: why is Naruto always having these nightmarish visions about Itachi murdering his whole family?"

"The effect of Tsukoyomi is still torturing him, my lady. This had happened during the trial in the courtroom. If we waited any longer, Naruto-san wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. We got to get him back into consciousness immediately!" ordered the medical team.

"Shizune, please hold Naruto steady while I apply some healing techniques on him to reverse the Tsukoyomi effects." Ordered Tsunade. She did so immeditealy while the team uses their genjutsu technniques on him so that he doesn't move around so much. " Hang in there Naruto, we will have you back to normal in no time!" she thought to herself while holding Naruto's hands. As the process went on, the Tsukoyomi starts to dissipate from Naruto's mind slowly, but he is in for a long recovery ahead of him. As Kakashi watched from outside of the room, he felt better knowing that the child will pull through as long as protection is there for him. But he knows that Uchiha Itachi is still out there looking for him since everyone has been warned about the potential danger going on in Konoha. But despite what happened, Naruto will never forgive Itachi for what he did and he swears that vengeance and justice will be served once Itachi is captured and sentenced to death.

Back in the office, the Hokage was busy writing his reports of everything that had happened today when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." he said. The door opened and Konohamaru shows up and said, " Ji-sama, Will Naruto be okay? Because I seem to see that he has been through a lot since the murders of his best friend's family. I can only give Naruto my blessing, but what's happened to him lately?"

The Hokage looked at his grandson and said, "Konohamaru, Naruto has been heavily affected by a technique called Tsukoyomi from a very bad man. Athough the guy had escaped the village after murdering his entire clan and leaving Naruto to die. I just cannot see him suffer for much longer. I've decided to put him up for adoption with a better family here in the village so that he wouldn't have to suffer anymore pain. So tomorrow I am going to hold a meeting to all the families of Naruto's friends and maybe one of them will keep an eye on him for a while until the Itachi incident is resolved."

" Really? Well, that's really great news, but can you please tell Naruto that I wish him for a full recovery? He is one of my closest friends that I have known for a while. I just cannot watch him suffer either." Replied Konohamaru sadly.

" I know how you feel about Naruto, but right now we are doing the best we can to protect the child from harm. The damage cannot be undone after what happened earlier. Naruto will be in good hands, I promise you that. Now you should get some rest, I can guarantee you that this whole nightmare will be over by tomorrow." Replied his grandfather while rubbing his head.

" All right, but promise me that Naruto will be out of harm's way," continued Konohamaru as he walked out of the door. As the door closed behind him the Hoakge thought to himself, "Naruto, I really wish this whole mess didn't hae to get you involved. You were innocent to begin with. But I can promise you this: Itachi will get what's coming to him soon!"

And with that, everyone of Naruto's friends got the message from the Hokage regarding the meeting tomorrow and many of their parents were notified about it as well. "Man, how troublesome. I was thinking for sure that the child would recover, but now I know that will not happen yet." Said Shikaku while he read the note sent to him by the Anbu guards. But he finally realized that this meeting was very important to him.

Kiba's mother and sister also got the message from the Hokage as well. "This is bad, Kuromaru. But we cannot allow a child like Naruto suffer. I think this meeting will definitely give the child a chance to recuperate and it will have us take a shot at Itachi and send him to his doom. We Inuzuka clans can definitely tear the Akaktsuki to shreds if they dare attack Naruto again." She said to her daughter and son.

"Let us hope so. I've already seen enough of Uchiha Itachi. That guy is bad to the bone and he must be stopped immediately. Naruto is also my friend, I will not allow him to die this easily. And I swear to god if any forces of evil dare to lay a hand on him, I will rip them to shreds aswell, right Akamaru?" said Kiba.

Akamaru barked with a smile on his face and was ready for action. By the next morning, all the clan heads were assembled in the meeting hall at the Hokage's office. They were prepared to defend Naruto from Itachi at any cost and will not make any false moves. Once Ibiki arrived, he orders the clan heads to sit down while he makes his announcement. " Ladies and gentlement of Konoha, as you may know, Naruto still hasn't fully recovered from the effects of Tsukoyomi and who knows how long his recovery operation will be in effect. With that being said, Itachi is still considered a threat to all of the people here in Konoha and he must be stopped at all costs. Also, I've already made a decision to the Hokage about how Naruto should be protected, that is all. So now I would like to direct your attention to the Hokage please. Thank you." Ibiki then stepped down from the podium to allow the Hokage to take over.

"Thank you for the announcement, Ibiki-san. Now then, everyone. You all saw what happened in the courtroom last nighty right? Since it was my idea to put Naruto up for adoption by the Uchiha clan, I never realized that Itachi would cause such shame and harm to his own people. But I am not going to make the same mistake again. Now I know this decision will be hard for you guys to swallow, but I've decided that Naruto should be placed under watch by you guys. I need all the clan heads to keep an eye on him and kep him protected from harm until the Itachi incident is resolved." Said the Hokage.

Everyone in the room was shocked upon hearing what the Hokage had announced, including Hiashi Hyuga. But he wasn't too impressed with what Itachi had done. Even Shikaku was rubbing his head when heard about the protection plan. Everyone's reaction will either keep Naruto out of harm or put him at risk of death. This time. Naruto could be looking at months of recovery and recuperation with the help of his friends and the family members.

**And stop… I think you've pretty much heard what the Hokage had said about Naruto wanting protection. But the question is will the clan heads approve of this? This question will definitely shake their entire village to its very foundations. But you will know forcertain about what everyone's reactions will be in the next chapter. Until then, tell me what you think of this one and I will see you all next time.**


	10. Chapter X: New Plan of Action

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter X: A New Plan of Action

_In the last chapter, we have witnessed the interrogation of both Naruto and Sasuke about the murder of the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, naruto has been deemed unconscious due to another recurrence of the Tsukoyomi and he hasn't woken up after the interrogation. Now the Hokage plans to settle him down with another family. The decision that he will make will shake an entire village to its very foundations. It will be a difficult decision but read it and enjoy._

Everyone in the room was pretty shocked to hear about what the Hokage had told them. "Are you serious about this? You already placed naruto in the safe hands of the Uchihas and now you are planning to put him in a different family? We don't need more bloodshed and violence here in konoha any longer." Shouted a villager.

"I understand your frustration, sir. But this is our only chance to save naruto from being hunted down by that serial killer Itachi. You already saw what happened to that child in the courtroom. I just don't want him to have to suffer the same nightmare that he had previously encountered." Replied the hokage.

Suddenly the entire office was boomed with the shouts of "Kill the demon murderer!" from every single one of the villagers. The guards tried their best to calm them down while Shikaku Nara covers his ears from having to hear all this noise in the morning. "Man, does everyone here have to be so noisy every single morning? Ugh!"

Also present in the office was Shibi Aburame, the leader of the Aburame clan. He decides now to send his kikaichu bugs directly on the villagers to keep them quiet before disaster strikes. Once the villagers were silenced, the hokage continued his message. "As I am sure you guys are aware, it was my fault when I placed him up for adoption by the Uchiha clan. But now, from what we can see in these reports, itachi still is considered a threat to Konoha and therefore must be captured and sentenced immediately for his crimes. However, we also know that the mysterious criminal organization known as the akatsuki are after Naruto as well because they are pretty active at this point with Uchiha Itachi as their member. It seems that Itachi is actually after the beast inside of Naruto for a long time now and that's why he used him to get what he wants."

Inoichi stood up from his seat and said, "I always thought that Itachi was a child prodigy and a great asset to this village as well, but with him a part of the Akatsuki, how did he end up getting away with murder this easily? Why does he want what's inside of a child like Naruto anyway?"

"He's right; Naruto has been through too much already. We cannot allow him to suffer anymore painful torments from a former child prodigy that betrayed his own village. Let's not lose hope on the child because we need to ease his pain. From what I can see, Itachi doesn't seem to show signs of respect for his own people. With him getting away with murder, who knows what sort of danger Konoha will be in. Hokage-sama, are you sure about putting Naruto under our care? Because if this happens, then we will be put under a lot of stress while looking after him." Hiashi spoke with a worried tone.

Everyone else in the room seems to agree with Hiashi on the question in point about taking care of Naruto after the murders of the Uchiha clan. Some of them fear that Naruto might be too much to handle and others feel that he will only get in everyone's way. The Hokage paused and looked at everyone in the room while saying, "I am sorry everyone, I don't have any other choice. I did the best I could to protect that child from all the obstacles that he had encountered. But give it some time, okay? Naruto will be in safe hands with you and I promise he will not be a burden. Please do me this favor; that child's life is more important to you than just me and the village itself, I hope you all can understand why I'm passing this responsibility down to you."

The scar-faced jounin, Nara Shikaku, thought for a moment while rubbing his forehead and said, "This village has seen its troublesome days since the defection of that child prodigy. But I do agree with you about Naruto's life important to us. After all, I cannot let that child lose hope if he plans to get through this nightmare. But if you really want us to take care of him then….. I don't seem to mind."

The leader of the Aburame clan spoke up as well, "I would also plan to look after him if my son Shino does the same thing. We cannot allow this nightmare to consume him any longer because his pain is our pain. But rest assured, that child prodigy will not escape a murder charge."

Finally, the leader of the Inuzuka clan stood up and added, "It pains me to say this, but I agree with Shikaku Nara and Hiashi Hyuga. Naruto has been through a lot, but for us to look after him will only put him in more danger. Now I am not saying that I will not take up on this offer, but are you sure you want me to do this, Hokage sama?"

"If Naruto can get through this nightmare, I am sure you will be more than happy to help him, Tsume-sama. Of course, everyone else is more than welcome to try it." Replied the Hokage with a smile.

While all the other council members and civilians looked on in disdain, the clan heads doesn't seem to mind about the decision that the Hokage has made. Once everyone agreed on what they need to do, they left the office and headed over to the hospital where Naruto was residing. Some of the parents had a little bit of fear inside of them about the child because it will take them a while to warm up to him, but for the rest of Naruto's friends, they don't seem to see him as a threat after all. Back in the office, Tsunade-sama arrived and said, "Sarutobi-sama, me and the medical team have stabilized the child for now, but we cannot allow this brutal torture to affect him for the rest of his life. How could a child prodigy like itachi have allowed this to go so far? I just couldn't imagine the hardship that naruto has led up until now, and now these crime scene photos of a cold-blooded killer won't bring peace to this village."

The Hokage looked up from his desk and said, "Tsunade-sama, you did what you could for the child. Naruto is the least of our worries now, but our primary concern is to keep him under observation by the other clan heads until we are certain that the child can look after himself. Furthermore, that traitor uchiha Itachi is still at large, which means the Akatsuki are going to be planning something big and none of us are going to be able to handle those thugs alone. We need all the help we can get."

"Are you saying we should ally with the other nations to fend off the akatsuki to keep naruto safe? That would be a big risk and we cannot afford to put everyone's lives on the line, especially not after what happened recently. To be honest, I don't think naruto's sharingan power will be enough to defeat the Akatsuki alone and I think he will need a lot more than just using his eyes and ears out in battle. I do believe that a special training regiment will be needed since you told Shikaku and the rest of the clan heirs to keep him under their wing, what do you think?"

"Let wait and see how his recovery goes, okay? Besides, I think Naruto will need to conserve his strength since he has been through too much already. If we think his recovery and strength is progressing well, then we can set up the training regiment to get him ready for upcoming battles against Itachi and the akatsuki. At this point, we should probably take a break from this work and get something to eat, what do you think?" replied Sarutobi while filing the papers back into his desk for later use.

"All right then, we will leave Naruto in the hands of his new found friends and family. We both need to have a drink and a break anyway." She said to him as they both headed out the door and went to a nearby restaurant to cool their jets.

Back in the hospital, things has been going smoothly for naruto, but still he didn't wake up after that interrogation from the Anbu commander. However, the cause of naruto's headaches was from the effect of Itachi's powerful attack. Although the effect has been dissipated for now, he still suffers from the after-effects of the technique and will take several months to recover. As he opens his eyes, he could see that he was still in the hospital and realized that someone must have sent him here for observation. While he attempts to get out of the bed, he still feels a little bit of pain in his head while trying to walk along the hospital hallway. But before he could set foot outside the hospital, he could see the clan heirs walking towards him from the entrance. He wondered why they were here and what their plans are. As naruto tries to walk back towards his room, he could feel someone's hand holding onto his arm as they headed back to the recovery area.

"I presume that the Hokage has sent you guys here to keep me under your watch for a while until I can make a full recovery right?" said naruto with a bored look on his face.

"How very perceptive of you, Naruto-san. I knew you would be expecting us to come here after the Itachi incident. But with that out of the way, how are you feeling?" asked Inoichi.

"Well, given the fact that I nearly had a seizure, the recovery process is still slow. However, the headaches are still coming and going. When I saw those gruesome photos, it just makes me sick to my stomach after witnessing what happened. I could never forgive that monster for what he did to his own parents and a family that Sasuke and I loved so much. That tragedy still haunts me as my life goes on without them. If only I had been there sooner, then Sasuke's parents wouldn't have died," replied Naruto.

Shikaku looked at him while trying to rub off his groans. "Listen to me kid; you've been through enough already. That tragedy will not bring Teiyaki and Fugaku back, and it's time that you learned to move on. I know it's hard, but trust me: you have to let it go. You can't just sit around and grieve over their loss because it's far too troublesome for you. They died as heroes and they will be remembered as heroes. Sure, we might not have known them to be our close friends, but we all want justice for them. So, try not to take this too hard on yourself okay?"

"Yes, he's right. Listen, we all understand that you want to get some payback, but now it's not the time. We need you to be at a hundred percent full strength if you want some action. Hokage-sama told us that the Akatsuki are planning something big against you. So he recommends us to keep an eye on you until you are able to regain your strength back. Don't lose your focus or your hope, because you will need them to keep yourself safe, do you understand?" said Hiashi while holding Naruto's hand.

"I do understand, Mr. Hiashi, but even if I am not at full strength, I can still go after Itachi Uchiha and make him suffer a horrible death just like what he did to me. I want to show him that no one disrespects the Uchiha clan and gets away with it!" said Naruto as he clenches his fists.

"Those are some brave and bold words coming from such a determined loudmouth like you, but you are not even CLOSE to being at full strength yet! Weren't you paying attention to us when you were told to conserve your strength? Itachi is far too powerful for you to handle on your own because the akatsuki could easily come after you right now with that host inside of your body!" barked Tsume. But then she looked at Naruto with a worried look on her face and continued, "When we first met you, we all thought you were a complete stranger, but now we know better. You've been like family to us ever since that lunatic took away everything that you loved so much. We don't want you to be burdened of any pain or suffering now, do we? You should probably head back to bed and get some rest okay?"

Naruto looked at them while wiping the tears from his eyes and said, "Gee, you guys really seem to care a lot about me. When Itachi was here, he never showed any signs of caring or any loyalty towards me. I thought for certain that he was planning to be like a brother to me but it never happened. But again, I really want to thank you guys for understanding the pain I went through, I really mean it."

"Well, you are welcome, but we will check back on you soon okay? Right now you need your rest, but you will be released from the hospital soon. Take good care of yourself, buddy." Replied Choza.

Once the clan heirs left the room, naruto went back to bed and thought about what they said to him. But he was pretty happy that people will look after him for a while until the threat of Itachi has been disposed of. "Maybe they are right, I'm pretty much a loner and I don't have anyone to look after me. But all of that will change soon. I will show Itachi what it means to have people showing their support and protection for those they love. Soon, he will regret ever setting foot into this village!" He then heard footsteps in the hall and dashed outside.

"Hey! Wait up! There was something else that I wanted to tell you guys." Naruto said as he followed the clan heads.

"What is it, Naruto?" asked Shikaku.

"Well, you see, I have a confession to make: I am a loner and I have no family. But you guys were right about me not ready to face Itachi yet, but still I want to thank you guys for the words of encouragement. I am trying to avoid thinking about what happened to me but I also want justice done for Sasuke's family. I will not allow Itachi to destroy the family that I love so much, not anymore. So is there a chance that I could move in with one of you guys until I am able to look after myself?" he asked convincingly.

Amazingly, a bunch of surprised looks appeared on their faces as the heirs looked at each other. Then they smiled at Naruto as he was being serious about his plan. "Are you sure about this Naruto? You should inform the Hokage about the plan first thing in the morning before we will approve it. In the meantime, please get some rest and we will check back on your soon okay?" called Choza as they continued their way out of the hospital. Naruto waves back at them and returned to his hospital room for the night.

By the next morning, Naruto was discharged from the hospital and went straight to the Hokage's office. He then knocked on the door of the office and the Hokage said, "Come in!" As Naruto opens the door, he walks over to the desk and said, "OJi-san, I wanted to tell you something important so please listen."

"I am kind of busy here but I'm all ears, Naruto-san. Go ahead." Said the Hokage while reading the paper.

I would like your permission for me to stay with one of the clan heirs for a while until I am able to keep myself safe. You did mention to them that they would take care of me until I am able to keep myself fully protected right? It's been really hard you know for me to see a family going through something like this and it never goes away. Really, it has been affecting me for the rest of my life. Although Sasuke and I both miss them dearly, they will be remembered for life and not be forgotten. Anyway, will you be able to let me stay with one of the clan heirs for a while?" asked Naruto with a look of nervousness on his face.

The Hokage looked up from his papers with a look of confusion on his face. He wondered why Naruto had asked for this strange request in the first place. "But I already had a meeting with the clan heirs yesterday and I talked to them about keeping an eye on you. Are you saying that you want one of them to be your temporary guardian? If so, you could have told me this sooner and I would have arranged it. However, my first priority is to keep you under watch until you are able to keep yourself safe. The reason why I did this was to keep you out of trouble by any means necessary. We all know you've been a loner ever since, but that will change soon. So, are you willing to handle this?"

"Of course Ji-san, if it's about keeping me alive in one piece, then by all means go for it. Besides, I am not about to let some cold-blooded serial killer take away what belongs to me and my friends. I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to keep myself out of danger. Now I know you want justice for the Uchiha clan, but no one is going to let you handle this on your own because you need all of our help to get rid of the Akatsuki threat once and for all." Replied Naruto as he sat down on the Hokage's desk while taking the papers from the old man's hands.

"Naruto-san, what are you doing with those papers? Give them to me because they are highly confidential, please?" said the Hokage.

"One moment please, Ji-san. I think these papers might peak an interest towards Ibiki Morino because he already knows about why that child prodigy did this. Besides, my question is this: why didn't the Anbu launch an investigation into Uchiha Itachi's past? Maybe that might help us understand why he slaughtered his entire clan and turning heel against his own village. This is not the Itachi that we know anymore from what we can see in these papers." Continued Naruto as he heads out the door.

"Wait, where are you going with those papers, Naruto? Come back here!" called the Hokage as he ran after the child into the streets.

"I am going to head over to the Anbu interrogation HQ immediately! There is something that we might have overlooked about Itachi Uchiha. In other words, we need to gather some information about his past here in Konoha, maybe it can shed some light on why he chose to join the akatsuki." Called Naruto after the Hokage as he jumped from rooftop after rooftop towards the Interogation tower. "I am getting too old to be chasing after you, Naruto. But if you really want to dig into Itachi's past, then go right ahead because given the circumstances beyond my control, I don't know what else we can find on Itachi." Thought the Hokage as he followed Naruto into the tower.

Once Naruto and The Hokage are in the tower, they could see tons of Anbu guards working in the labs here in the tower and some are watching suspects being questioned about where they were when someone is killed or goes missing. "So this is where every single person or witness gets questioned and then gets thrown into jail if they confess to a crime right?" asked Naruto.

"You are very observant and a funny little child, aren't you? What brings you here to my headquarters, Naruto?" asked Ibiki with an evil glint on his face.

"Well, according to these papers that the Hokage was studying, it shows that we might have overlooked something. We never figured out about Itachi's past maybe his past can help you, or shall I say we, to find out why he killed his entire clan. We might be able to gether more information about his dark past that could shed some light into his connection with the Akatsuki." Said Naruto as he handed the papers over to Ibiki.

"His past? What does his past have to do with him murdering his entire clan? We already asked everyone in the village about itachi and they all said that he was quiet and shy. He doesn't really talk much about his personal life because he kept to himself a lot. Why do you want to know about his personal life?" asked Ibiki with a confused look.

"Well, I think he might have been hiding something from his parents and he never said a thing to them about putting me in danger. Maybe he was being abused or tortured by his parents and they never cared much about what he does in life or his accomplishments. I am assuming that he never got any attention from his parents because they spent all their time with his little brother Sasuke because they put a lot of faith in him, hoping that he could inherit some of the most powerful techniques for his own clan and…" before Naruto could continue, Ibiki then asked him, "Are you saying that abuse and neglect caused Itachi to go beserk? That's it! That's the missing clue that I wanted to hear from you all along! Naruto, you just saved my men a lot of time searching for that missing piece of the puzzle. Thank you again for your help!" barked Ibiki with a smile on his face while shaking Naruto's hand.

Surprisingly, Naruto looked at him with a shocked look and said, "Well, there is no need to thank me but you are welcome. Ibiki-san, but did Itachi really get abused and neglected by his parents?"

"That is highly likely, but as this investigation continues, we might be one step closer to avenging the Uchiha clan, bring Itachi back to the village, and close this case once and for all. After all this time, we never did figure out about Itachi's past, but now we know why he deserted his own village. Once we notify the Anbu guards, we should be able to track down the whereabouts of that child prodigy. Thank you for letting me know about this. If we had waited any sooner, then it would be too late to stop that monster. Anyway I thyink you should go him eand rest up for a bit, if there is any other information, I will let you know, okay Naruto?" said ibiki with a smile on his face.

"All right then, keep me updated if you have anything new. I will see you later then Ibiki-san!" he then dashed out of the Interrogation tower and headed home with the Hokage following close behind him. "That kid never ceases to amaze me after figuring out a vital clue about Itachi Uchiha. First we find out that Itachi betrayed his village, now he is abused and neglected by his own parents? This is one hell of an investigation being conducted here in Konoha. I just can't believe we never figured out that one crucial piece of clue about Itachi the first time when I sent Naruto to be looked after by them. The entire council of konoha will be shocked to hear this news about the fateful life of that child prodigy. The clan heirs need to be informed of this as well," thought the Hokage as he returns to the office.

Elsewhere, Sasuke was back at his compound to clean up the mess left behind by Itachi after the recent events. "I should have stopped Itachi myself, I feel like a traitor myself for not saviung my family. But with what Naruto going through, it's my entire fault for putting him through this." He chided to himself while avoiding the visions of that horrible day.

"No, Sasuke-san, you are not to be blamed for this. It was the mental instability that drove Itachi into committing this heinous crime. Naruto ws only caught in the middle of it and Itachi referred to his near death experience as "Collateral Damage" because he wanted to test his power on an innocent child like him." Said a voice from behind him. As Sasuke turned, he was shocked to see the ghost figure of his father appearing right in front of him.

"Holy shit! It's the ghost of Christmas past!" shouted Sasuke as he tossed kunai knives and shurikens all over the compound and popping holes into the walls. The ghost sweat-dropped as he watched his son going crazy, but not before he calmed his son down with a hug.

"Sasuke, calm down, please! It's only me; now I can understand you are going crazy about what Itachi had done, but it won't bring me or your mom back, trust me. Anyway we've overhead what the Hokage had told the village about your brother joining a criminal organization trying to steal tailed beasts from other shinobis, so it's up to you to decide how to put an end to this. This whole village is counting on you to stop your former brother from getting what he wants." Said his father while in ghost form.

"But what if I make a mistake? What if I am not strong enough to defeat my brother? What will happen to the village then? What will Naruto-kun say to me if he finds out that I am going to fight Itachi?" protested Sasuke, but then, Fugaku laid his hand on the boy's head and said to him, "Son, don't worry, everything will be all right as long as you prove yourself to be as strong as your brother. We've taught you everything you know already so you should be in pretty good shape. As for Naruto, I am sure he will catch up to you soon. Also how is his recovery going at this point? I just hope that the Tsukoyomi hasn't caused permanent damage to his brain. We both fear that if anything bad happened to Naruto, then this village will be in danger as we know it."

"Well, from what Tsunade-sama said, his recovery is going well, and the Tsukoyomi hasn't damaged much in his head, but he still has visions of what Itachi did to you guys since then. He hasn't gotten over that nightmare. At this point he is both physically and mentally scarred for life. But other than that, I think he will make a full recovery. Thank you for your concern about him, tou-san. The Hokage is doing everything he can to ensure that Naruto is fully protected from danger." Replied Sasuke while breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness for the Hokage, that guy sure knows how to keep a child safe, doesn't he?" smiled Fugaku. Even Sasuke had a wink as well though he was more worried about what the future will hold for that innocent child. "I hope you will take very good care of Naruto while he's here and don't worry we will always be with you in your spirits, don't lose hope, okay?" said Teiyaki before disappearing.

"Wait! Don't leave me here all alone! Please, you have not told me how to deal with Itachi Uchiha yet! Come back!" barked Sasuke.

"We are sorry Sasuke, but we cannot stay here for much longer. Don't worry, as long as Naruto is safe with you, than we are both proud of you for taking good care of him. I know you will avenge us so please, do what you must to save Konoha!" called his father as the ghosts disappeared into thin air. Once they are gone, Sasuke sank to the ground while wiping his tears away, but soon, his tears turns to anger as he straps his ninja gear on and prepares himself to send the child prodigy and former brother to his doom. "You are going down Itachi nee-sama! I will show you what it feels like when you are given your own death sentence by my hands!" he thought to himself as he leaves the compound to prepare for his plan of attack.

Back in the tower, the Hokage was preparing for another meeting with the council members to discuss about Itachi's past and the neglect from his parents before the murders occurred. In the process, he was planning to keep all clan heads informed of the situation at hand. This time, everyone will make sure that the akatsuki threat will be disposed of immediately to ensure Konoha will be a safe place for all.

Moments later, the council members gathered with the Hokage at the tower and said, "Do you mind telling us why you called us here about Itachi Uchiha? He's already escaped the Anbu's grasp so why are you still going after him? After all, he did murder his family in order to test his powers."

"Yeah, but its more than just about this whole murder spree, my friends. Itachi also had a dark past and it involved his parents as well since they neglected him and not paid too much attention to him. Perhaps Itachi was jealous of the attention that his little brother has been getting all this time. I do believe that he must have taken his rage out on his parents because of it. Somehow, Sasuke never even knew what was going through the mind of his older brother when he attacked his own family on that fateful day. Frankly, Itachi never told us about his past and he claimed that he wasn't evil back then. But now, it was all a lie to get the power inside of Naruto and this was the vital clue that we missed while we investigated the death of the Uchiha clan." Commented the Hokage while reading the reports.

"Are you serious? You mean all this time, itachi was jealous of his brother getting all the attention and he killed his parents because of that? What kind of a sick , twisted, psychopath would want to do this to his own parents? And also why did he have to drag Naruto into this mess as well since he didn't want to be a part of the fiasco?" called a villager from the council member. Everyone else in the room seems to agree that this plan could be far too dangerous to pursue.

"Man, you council members are very troublesome; the report gives detailed information about itachi wanting to test his powers on his parents, including Naruto so that he will gain enough strength to take away the host inside of that child. From what I read, the papers do not tell lies and believe me, I've had a talk with the child and he fears that his safety could still be jeopardized if that child prodigy is not caught. He was badly weakened by that monster and did his best to fight back, but that bastard proved to be far too strong for Naruto to handle alone." Called Shikaku as he entered into the room and taking a seat adjacent to the Hokage's desk.

"This is unbelievable, not only is Naruto our problem, but now Itachi Uchiha? This can't be right, that kid should have died in the hands of that traitor, but his life gets spared? Just wait though, that kid won't even be able to stand a chance of surviving when that former child prodigy returns. He will definitely put an end to that kid for good and we won't have to deal with him ourselves," Said a frustrated villager.

Shikaku wanted to strangle that villager for using that death threat remark, but he sighed. "Naruto, how am I going to keep you safe if these crazy-ass villagers keep coming after you? I know you are just an innocent bystander, but you don't deserve this." He then turned and walked towards the desk and asked, " Hokage-sama, how do you propose we bring Itachi back to let him answer for his crimes he committed against this village?"

"Well, I suppose that we can send out the Anbu guards to set him into a trap and then lure him back here, this way we won't have any problems putting that serial killer behind bars. We will call it Operation: Lone Assassin, which means that the former child prodigy isn't really that caring of anyone anymore, but now he has turned into something far more evil. Before I can personally put this into action, I need you to bring Naruto in here immediately so that we can get his opinion on apprehending that traitor." Said the Hokage.

However, the villagers didn't seem to like the idea of getting that child involved since he might get hurt a second time. They fear that he might still stir up more chaos for Konoha if he is going after Itachi.

"Wait, I object, why do you need to bring Naruto into this? This whole thing started between those blood brothers and now you want to put this kid through another round of torment? I don't think so!" chided the Council member.

The Hokage stood up from his desk and interjected, "There is no need for any objections and I am in no way to put Naruto through a torment. All I need from him is his approval on our plan to hunt down that lone assassin once and for all. But first, get off of Naruto's back already, he has been through enough." He then paced around the room for a bit before sipping on tea.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto will be glad to hear of your approval of capturing Itachi Uchiha, let's hope this plan works because this is our last shot at closing this case once and for all. As troublesome as it may be, I know Naruto will not have any objections." Said Shikaku before disappearing into a puff of smoke. And so, with the Hokage tempted to bring that missing-nin back, operation Lone assassin has officially begun.

**And Stop… I know this took me a while to write, but now I've added in some new ideas as to how itachi should be hunted down and brought back. Operation Lone assassin is a mission to track down all former ninjas that disappeared from various villages after they committed crimes against their own people. So since itachi is one of them, I would probably assume that this was more than just him being a lone killer. But this will be discussed in a later chapter. Anyway please read this and let me know what you think. This chapter took a while but more will be on the way. My question is: will konoha put an end to the Itachi case once and for all? You will see in the next few chapters. Till then read and enjoy.**


	11. Chapter XI: Itachi's Dark Past

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter XI: Itachi's Dark Past

_As said from the last chapter, we now discover Itachi's dark past when he was a shinobi of Konoha. Ever since his defection from his own home, he hasn't garnered any attention from people because his little brother always seems to be fully admired by everyone. Itachi's rage and jealousy has affected Sasuke for far too long and he wasn't about to let this traitor get away this time. Now the Hokage has issued Operation Lone Assassin against the child prodigy, but will Sasuke stop his brother before the mission is executed? On with the show_

It's been almost two months now since the entire Uchiha clan has been murdered by a child prodigy known as Itachi Uchiha. Everyone in the village seems to be affected by this tragedy while reflecting back on what happened that day. Now the Hokage is planning to get this lone assassin back to Konoha in order for him to be tried and sentenced for the largest mass murder in Konoha history. Although itachi showed a little remorse for his killing, his dark past has been revealed. It's been told that before the murders, Fugaku and Teiyaki Uchiha never cared much for Itachi's grades and his commendations back then because they were focused too much on Sasuke because of how much he had excelled in his ninja training and the good progress he made while at the academy. However, much to Itachi's displeasure, he also wanted to be just like his little brother, but far more dangerous.

Despite Sasuke's good grades and all, his parents make sure that he always get the job done and would do whatever it takes to please them. Due to Sasuke's hard work, dedication, and pledge to be a hero of this village, he has earned the respect of almost everyone here, including Naruto. However, Naruto didn't seem to care how good Sasuke got as long as he didn't end up dead last, but he cared deeply for that raven-haired kid and wanted to be just like him one day. The two of them had developed a rivalry for each other since then, but nonetheless, they both had a strong bond of friendship and brotherly love towards each other.

But Itachi on the other hand, hated how Sasuke and naruto had bonded together as friends and family and he would do anything to break that bond between them. And the only way to do that was to get rid of his own parents and the rest of the clan in order to ensure that the child prodigy deserves power and everything else. However, both Naruto and Sasuke never knew that Itachi had this much hatred towards his own village and his family since that dark day. No matter how bad Itachi wanted revenge, he needed more power in order to get himself stronger and make people fear him.

At the Akatsuki's hideout, Itachi and Kisame were waiting on news from the other members when Deidara shows up and said, "So, is it true that you took your revenge out on your own family because of the attention that your little brother has been getting? I wonder why you would go off and do such a thing towards your brother?"

"I have my own reasons of dealing with such situations like that, but my little brother doesn't matter to me now. His family was getting in my way and they spent far too much time with him instead of me. I am so sick of them always praising Sasuke of his hard work and not mine. Since when did my little brother have the potential of being a shinobi in Konoha? He doesn't have the qualifications or the credentials to be a hero." Protested Itachi while flinging a kunai knife onto a wall.

"I see, well you didn't have to go and get his entire clan killed. You parents cared about you as well and they would have done everything in their power to be proud of you. They had a heart and soul and they will always be there to support you no matter what happens. But now you took the love away from your brother, that would put the stain on almost every village and it would easily put our plans to capture the beasts in fruition." Put in Sasori while he continued hand carving his puppets.

Itachi then looked at Sasori in frustration and yelled, "What do you know about my family anyway? My life has been a waste since then and I would never forgive my mom and dad for what they did. It's always " Oh Sasuke, we are so proud of you for your achievement," and " Oh, Sasuke, I think you have what it takes to be a shinobi," Seriously I am so fed up with their consoling of my little brother. Why is it that he's the only one that gets all the attention around here? What about me? I've been in the ninja academy since I was around twelve years old and graduated at age thirteen. I was always at the top of my game and defeated anyone that fought me in combat. I always thought that I was the heir of my clan, but Sasuke took that dream away from me! He stole my spotlight and I will not have the honor to let him destroy what I have accomplished." He then got up and went to his quarters without saying another word.

"Wait, Itachi-san, come back, you haven't told us about your plan to attack Konoha and…." Began Sasori, but Deidara cut him off.

"Let him clear his head for a little bit, he needs some time to cool off. Besides, he already took care of business in Konoha so why should we attack now? We should have some time to gather up a plan of attack first before we do anything rash, Sasori-san." Replied Deidara. "And besides, my art of bombs will always shatter the calmness of any villager in sight." He then went off to his room to make some clay for himself in order to make his perfect creation.

Itachi's life has been turned upside down after he killed his parents, but everyone knows that he has gone rogue. But even he knows that Konoha has always been his home. However the memory of that place has already faded away from him. Everything that he worked so hard for was gone. He wanted to erase any trace of his past from his mind and focus on getting the power that rightfully belongs to him because he wants to live a life without anyone telling him what he needs to do.

Back in Konoha, Naruto was preparing for his rounds of training when there was a knock at the door, he then went to answer it, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Shikaku! I have to tell you something important." He called from the outside.

Naruto then opened the door to allow the man to come in. "Oh, Hi Mr. Shikaku. What can I do for you?"

"Well, The Hokage wishes to see you in his office because it's important. So, shall we go?" asked Shikaku.

"Sure, of course. But before we go, I need to stop by at Sasuke's compound for a bit because I need to pick up some journals that Itachi may have left behind before he defected from this place. I also have some new evidence regarding that traitor that the council would like to hear." Replied Naruto as he heads out the door with Shikaku following close behind.

As Naruto arrives at the Uchiha compound, he discovers the door was still open. Once inside, he heads over to Itachi's room and opened the desk drawer to discover journals and plans of attack against Konoha village. "This sure is a lot of stuff that Itachi has kept hidden here, no wonder he didn't want anyone else to see it. Would these be enough to bring that traitor back?" he asked.

"I don't know, Naruto. But keep your eyes peeled, you may never know what Itachi has kept stashed here." Said Shikaku while helping him with the search. But soon, Sasuke arrived and sees Naruto in itachi's room, "What are you doing here, Naruto? And why are you in itachi's room?"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun. I was just looking through your former brother's stuff. You would not believe what I found. Your brother has kept journals written about how much he hated this family and his plans to attack this village, this could be the break that we needed to finally closing this case once and for all. I wanted to ask you, why didn't Itachi tell you about what he was keeping here?"

"I…. I never knew what my brother was planning and those journals, I never seen them before. He must have written these before he left. To be honest, I don't know why he did this to me or to my family rather." Said Sasuke with a worried look.

Naruto then showed Sasuke a tape that was also found here. "Maybe this might tell in detail of what Itachi was planning beforehand. I've managed to record a conversation between him and the mysterious criminal organization. So if I show this to the Hokage and to the council, I think we might finally figure out Itachi's dark past and the truth behind his killing spree." He replied.

So, after some digging, Naruto and Sasuke gathered up all the evidence found at the Uchiha compound and headed straight towards the Hokage's office. Once there, they immediately knocked on the door with the Hokage calling, "Coming!" Once he opened the door to find Naruto and Sasuke, he lets them in.

"What's up guys? I didn't expect you would be coming this early. Here I thought that you would still be back in the hospital and … Whoa! What's all this? Where did you guys find this stuff?" asked the Hokage while noticing the stuff being placed on his desk.

"These are some of the journals that Itachi Uchiha wrote at his compound the day before the murders occurred. I do believe that a couple of pages tell you about his dark past and how he wanted the attention for himself instead of Sasuke. Also, you might find that he wrote down some plans about destroying Konoha and everyone inside it. Itachi never told us about these journals since he kept it a secret from me and Sasuke and we had no idea that he was planning to harm people. I also have a tape here of his conversation with that criminal organization that you and Tsunade were talking about." Said Naruto while handing the tape to the Hokage.

The rest of the council members went over to the desk, takes the journals and reads them while the Hokage plays the tape to reveal the true motives behind his murder. As the gang listened, they discovered that Itachi had made up accusations to frame his brother for the crime by saying how he shouldn't have garnered all that attention and the fact that the only true heir of the Uchiha clan shoudl be Itachi himself. Once Sasuke heard everything on the tape, he immediately grabbed the device and hurled it out the window with a loud crash sound. Everyone in the room had silent, shocked looks on their faces after seeing what Sasuke had done.

"OH, BE QUIET!" He then paused to take a deep breath. "How DARE he spew out such nonsense about his own clan like this? As I said before, no one disrespects my family and gets away with it! The nerve of that Itachi! He thinks he can frame me for murdering my own family? If this is the best he can do, I will have no choice but to make his life a living hell. The bottom line is this: I will be the next Uchiha clan successor, not Itachi! I will show him no remorse and I promise you, my former brother will pay for his betrayal." Shouted Sasuke as he got up and walked out of the office while closing the door behind him.

The Hokage could only groan after what he had witnessed in his office, but decided to brush it off afterwards. "Well, Naruto-san? You heard what Itachi had said on the tape. So, do you want me to initiate Operation Lone Assassin? According to the journals that Itachi had written, it will be enough to bring Itachi back while pinning the murder charges on him."

As Naruto looked at everyone around the room, he could see some winks and heads nodding regarding the capture of Itachi. "Well, since that monster has become a delusional psychopath, we all would want justice for the Uchiha clan. Yes Ji-san, go ahead, it's time that we put a price on Itachi's head after the incident here. Personally, I would like to see that guy suffer the consequences of his actions as Sasuke had put it. I wouldn't allow Itachi to disrespect everything that we worked so hard to achieve here in Konoha." Replied Naruto with a thumbs up.

The rest of the council members didn't seem to approve of Naruto's decision about dealing with Itachi. "Are you serious about this? If you allow Operation Lone assassin to move forward, you are only putting yourself in danger!" said one of the villagers.

"Relax, my friends. I think this plan will be of great help to our case against that ex-shinobi who is no longer a part of our lives. And besides, I agree with the Hokage's plan. This will be a great opportunity to show us our true strength against that killer." Said naruto with a smile on his face.

Just then, a villager grabbed Naruto hy his shirt collar and hollered, " Listen to me, you may think that Itachi has been ex-communicated from Konoha, but what makes you think you can come here and decide on how Itachi should be handled? Haven't you forgotten that everyone here hates you as well? You are nothing but a demo..." but before he could finish his sentence, Naruto activates his sharingan and placed a Kunai knife above the man's neck while warning him, "Try saying that again, punk, and you will be the next person to get ex-communicated from this village! Besides, this place already has its share of troubles with Itachi Uchiha, don't EVER put me in that bastard's position, you hear me?"

"Cry…Crystal clear, Naruto-san!" said the villager with a scared look on his face. The Clan heirs smiled as Naruto released the villager from his grip with a smile on his face. "Good! I am glad to see that we have this settled. Now then, I think we have enough evidence to build a murder case against Itachi Uchiha, don't you agree, Mr. Shikaku?"

"I guess so, but are you sure you want to put an end to him now? It would really be troublesome for this village at this point."

"Don't worry; I know what I am doing. And I promise you, this village will be at peace once Itachi is out of the picture. And furthermore, we might be able to deal with the remaining Akatsuki members without too much trouble." Continued Naruto while eating a pocky.

"Interesting, so what sort of plan did you have in mind, you little brat?" asked Tsume with an evil glint on her face.

"Well, we could have some Shinobi patrol the forest area and have the rest of the guards patrol the areas within the village, including the training field and the ninja academy. This way, we might get some leads to Itachi's whereabouts. If we follow his scent, it could lead us right to his trail. Also, would it be possible to let the Anbu guards do some digging within the outskirts of Konoha to see what they come up with? I think if Sasuke wants to get revenge against his brother, this plan of ours will be put into good use." Commented Naruto while drawing out the plans of attack.

"Now that sounds like one of the best plan of action from you, Naruto! You know, you really should go into strategizing here in Konoha since you know a lot about this place inside and out. I do believe that one of these days, you will become an excellent shinobi in combat operations." Replied Choza with a smile on his face.

"Well, this is just the beginning of letting Itachi Uchiha fess up for his crimes. So there is more to come, don't worry. That guy won't escape our grasp this time because when he does return to the village, I have a score to settle with him when his prison sentence is completed." Said naruto. Everyone else around the room now knows the seriousness of this situation so they decided to put their faith in the child as operation Lone assassin is officially set into motion. With that out of the way, the village can finally move on to other matters rather than spending all day thinking about what Itachi had done.

Naruto then shows his plans to the Hokage for approval since it could turn the tide of the battle in their favor. With Itachi still at large, Konoha and the rest of the great nations will have to be prepared for anything when it comes to facing the Akatsuki in battle. But their main goal is not known at this time since no one knows where their hideout is located. But Sasuke, on the other hand, knows what Itachi is planning since he and Kisame will be back for what's inside of Naruto.

As the Hokage reviews the plans, he seems pleased that the child was able to come up with this sort of idea. "You know, I like the way you think, naruto-san. Personally, not everyone has your aptitude for handling a case like this, so I would probably appoint you as my assistant in gathering intelligence and devising plans of attack, also known as strategizing. I think this will be a good chance for us to work together in order to keep this village safe, what do you think?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment and said, "Sure, of course we can work together, oJi-san. And also, I would be more than happy if the clan heirs joined in so that they can offer support for both of us when we face Itachi. We need to make sure that he gets the punishment he deserves."

"Yeah! Now you are talking, pup! And of course we will support you all the way when it's needed. Besides, the Hokage here has made it clear that we will be in charge of you for a while until the situation here is resolved. The only reason we are helping you is because we don't want you to relive those painful memories of what that child prodigy has done to his family since his life is wasted on committing crime and endangering the lives of civilians. We don't want you to end up like him because you are not capable of causing such terror and destruction. Our number one concern for you is safety since you seem to like doing dangerous things that none of us can handle, and that's the reason why we are putting you under our watch, do you understand?" said Tsume while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I know you guys are worried about my safety, and I do understand, but there are some things that even I cannot handle alone either. I know about Itachi's dark past, but his parents did everything they could to support him and they made sure that he would become a most successful shinobi to help us fight against any enemy that threatens this village, but now he has turned into something much more darker. I should have known Itachi had a secret that he never told us after he murdered his entire clan. He wasn't like this the first time I met him because I thought he was loving and caring of other people." Added Naruto

"You thought he was loving and caring? Well, see, that's where you are wrong. My brother has been anything but kind and gentle. You heard the conversation he had with his fellow henchmen, right? From the day you came to our life, Itachi lied to all of us about how he wanted to take good care of his family. He used you to get to me, Naruto, and you still think he is sweet and loving? I don't think so! You don't know much about my brother the way I do, kid. Let me tell you something right now, my brother will do anything to get his hands on your power, and I will do what it takes to destroy him to avenge my family. Once he is out of the picture, I will restore my clan to its former glory. And I can see that you guys are planning to use Operation Lone Assassin, so shall I join you in hunting down that traitor?" said Sasuke as he looks at the plans.

Naruto then turns to face Sasuke and said, "You are more than welcome to join me in our fight against that monster. Once we cut off our relationship with Itachi, he is no longer considered a family to this village. I think you and I will make a great team to track down your former brother and ensure that your family is avenged. Welcome to the battle, bro. Let's make it a good one!" he then shook Sasuke's hands and tapped fists with each other before arming themselves with ninja gear.

Everyone in the room had smiles on their faces knowing that these two brothers will work well together to defeat their rival. "Well, it looks like we can finally relax now that we got Naruto and Sasuke teaming up. I must say, the murders of the Uchiha Clan have changed their lives completely. This mission will not be easy for them since there will be a ton of obstacles along the way. All I can do is wish them luck and hope they will survive in one piece." Replied the Hokage. Even the clan heirs agreed with the old man because even though Naruto and Sasuke had a long history together, they will not stop until their goal is fulfilled. Although they may be rivals, they still love and care for each other no matter what happens. But their journey to being a successful shinobi will be a long one since they will learn about using intelligence, endure lots of training and combat skills, and perfecting their techniques to make sure they are at a hundred percent strength. Furthermore, their friends will also do what they can to make sure that these two brothers succeed on their mission.

As Naruto and Sasuke entered into the streets of Konoha, they could see their teammates waving at them, including Hyuga Hinata, who had already seen what both boys have gone through up until now. She fears for their safety as well because of how badly Itachi had treated them. But Naruto walked directly over to Hinata and said, "Everything will be fine, Hinata-san. Me and Sasuke will stop Itachi, we promise. And besides, we are not about to let the Akatsuki steal our glory. We will show Itachi Uchiha just what it really means to suffer pain and torture after what he did to us."

"Well…. Okay… But…. But please come back alive in one piece. I…. I really want… to … to see you guys succeed in bringing down that traitor." Stammered Hinata.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We will do what we can to win this. After all, we both have the support of the Hokage and the village to keep us alive. And we will not let anything happen to you while we are around. Yes, this mission will be difficult, but the Hokage and the clan heirs are full confident that we can handle it. In the meantime, we will not let this village suffer another nightmare just like what happened before. We made a promise to protect this place and we are not going to back down from it, and that's our ninja way." Replied Sasuke with a smile.

Hinata was relieved to hear those words from Sasuke and plans to put her faith in them since they have a lot of work ahead of them. But everyone here knows that Naruto and Sasuke will succeed as long as they don't get hurt because Konoha will never be the same without them. The Hokage also knows that if anyone can stop Itachi, it has to be Sasuke since he learned a lot from his training, but neither he nor Naruto will find Itachi to be an easy target since he has some surprises in store for our heroes. However, Sasuke already knows what Naruto had gone through when the Tsukoyomi was released on him so he wasn't about to fall for his former brother's trickery again. "Nee-sama, I am not planning to fall for your tricks this time so no matter what attacks you use on me, it will backfire on you. You can attack me all you like, but with what I have in store for you, there is no way you will survive my onslaught." He thought to himself.

"Sasuke's right, Itachi may be strong, but he has the ability to analyze his opponents' moves before they even make them. Sometimes I wonder how on earth Itachi can dodge so many attacks aimed at him. How can he possibly survive after I landed a couple of hits on him the first time around? I need to be careful because his genjutsu attacks can easily put people's minds elsewhere. Furthermore, I don't need to be reminded of that horrible nightmare again because I need to stay strong in order to defeat the man that killed the family we loved so much. I can't just stand around moping and complaining about what happened before so I will do whatever it takes to end this nightmare once and for all!" said Naruto while clenching his fists.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile at Naruto for trying to conquer his fear. But nonetheless, this was a personal matter that should be dealt with. No one in Konoha will let someone get away with murder, especially Naruto because he was the one affected the most by this tragedy, but he learned to accept it and move on. By putting their personal losses aside, Naruto and Sasuke would always look out for one another while protecting themselves. Failure isn't an option for them because they already know what's at stake.

As the duo arrived at the training field, a bunch of leaves blew right past them and at that moment, they knew who was coming. "I can tell that you guys are risking everything to keep yourselves alive for this mission, right?' said a voice from above them. Naruto recognized the figure out from above as Hatake Kakashi, the same shinobi that saved him from Itachi's assault.

"Yeah, this is our chance to put an end to that criminal once and for all. So we decided to come here and get some training done in order to get our strength back to a hundred percent. Although I was weakened by that criminal before, I am not going to back down from a challenge. If I can go through this training, I will be sure to prove to the world that I am ready to fight Itachi Uchiha!" said Naruto.

"I agree with Naruto, if I am willing to avenge my family, then so be it! I am also willing to take on this training regiment if I have to, and destroy that pathetic loser once and for all. I am not just doing this for my new best friend and brother; I am doing this for my parents and for the village of Konoha! Remember that, Kakashi-sensei." Put in Sasuke.

Kakashi was astonished to hear these words from Naruto and Sasuke, but nonetheless, he smiled at them and thought to himself, "Wow, after all this time, you are really starting to put your courage to the test. It amazes me to see that you two are finally working together as a team. I recently heard from the Hokage that he wants to make you his assistant in gathering intelligence and devising plans of attack, that's very good. But times have changed, my young friends. I hope you are prepared for this." He then placed his book into his pouch before turning his eyes to Naruto and Sasuke.

"All right boys, I will be more than happy to get you guys started on some training, but let me be fair to you: this will not be easy since there are a lot of missions to be performed, and also I recommend that you guys start the basics at the ninja academy for a while before we move on to more advanced training. Now, I know you guys are willing to do anything to protect the things that are precious to you, but are you able to handle this sort of task?"

"You bet, Kakashi-sensei, and I think the academy is always a great place to start working to get ourselves strong. What do you think nee-sama?" he said while turning his attention to Sasuke.

"Heh! If you are willing to go through this, than I am too. Just don't fall behind, okay? Besides, starting out at the academy will give me a good chance to perfect my combo attacks and substitution techniques. I want to make sure you will not become a drop-out because that would ruin all our hard work."

Naruto then cracked a smile back at Sasuke and shook his hand, "You are on, nee-san! And don't worry; I will be sure to give it my best shot, besides we have all the time we need to get ourselves stronger before we face that former failed brother of yours."

And with that, both Naruto and Sasuke prepared themselves for the test of their lives. But as long as they have the commitment and dedication, they will have no problems with the training at hand. As Kakashi watched them heading off into the sunset, he could only imagine what the village would be thinking. "Brace yourself, Itachi! Naruto and Sasuke are going to have a few surprises in store for you. So be prepared! And furthermore, you are not going to get the power inside of Naruto because as long as I am here, we will make you answer for the crimes you committed!"

Elsewhere, at an undisclosed location below the land of sound, a mysterious voice spoke up to his forces, "So, it appears that the Akatsuki are gathering up plans to steal the tailed beasts from other villages, eh? Very interesting, but no matter, their plans won't be in motion when I tear them apart. And then we have Uchiha Itachi, the former child prodigy of Konoha turning against his own people. Well, when the time comes, I will deal with itachi personally since I used to be a member of their criminal organization. And the, no one will be able to stop me from achieving my ultimate goal! Hahahahahahahaha!" The evil smile then fades into the darkness as no one had realized that another new evil has risen. But one thing is for certain, Naruto and Sasuke needs to tread lightly if they want to stop the forces of evil and darkness because who knows what new danger awaits them as they prepare for their training regiment.

**And stop... Okay that was a bit of a long chapter, but I think the Hokage has set a goal for our young heroes now that Operation Lone Assassin has been put into motion. Before the boys can battle their most hated rival, they must go through a series of basic training regiments in order to strengthen themselves. We also know that Naruto has been assigned to work as the Hokage's assistant in gathering intel and planning attacks, but will it be enough to put an end to Itachi? And who is that mysterious new evil foe lurking from his village? All the answers will be revealed in the next chapter. So in the meantime, read and review, and as always see you all next time. **


	12. Chapter XII: Academy Training Part I

Naruto the Sharingan Wielder

Chapter XII: Training Regiment Begins

_In the last chapter, Naruto and Sasuke are now teaming up to battle against Itachi since they both agreed that they will not rest until the former konohashinobi and brother they loved so much is defeated once and for all. Furthermore, both friends must go through a series of tough training tasks in order to accomplish their goal. So today, Naruto and Sasuke are refining their skills at the academy before they move on to more advanced skills later on. With their skills refined, it could prove helpful to them to defeat their foe, thus easing their village's suffering._

The next morning, Naruto and Sasuke gathered up their equipments as they prepared for the first day of training at the academy in order to show what they learned so far from their parents. But this was not going to be an easy task for them since Naruto was discharged from the hospital after having a major surgery to fix the broken bones inside of his body. Naruto's friends already know that the injuries he sustained were the work of ItachiUchiha, but they were glad that he survived that fateful massacre. Although Naruto still has a few scars on his body and some bruising, he was still able to walk like normal.

"Naruto, are you sure you're able to start your training now? I don't know if your body is able to handle it or not. I am sorry about what happened to you, but I really want you to take it easy since you are not ready for the heavy work yet. At this point, we might all be worried that you will not be able to pull through this." Said Sasuke. He was carrying Naruto by his arms as they headed toward the academy.

"Sasuke, don't worry I will be fine. These injuries are nothing. Besides, I didn't deserve this sort of harsh treatment from your former brother, I really don't. But I think I might start off easy for a while before moving on to the more advanced training regiments as Kakashi had said. I know it will be hard but trust me; I've been in tougher situations than this. If I can get through this training, I can survive anything." Commented Naruto as he continued his way to the academy doors with Sasuke following close behind him.

Once they entered, they are approached by a couple of jonin-level shinobi guarding the hallways. "Is there something I can help you with, gentlemen?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes, my name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I am here to do some training in the academy as instructed by the Hokage himself." Said the raven-haired boy.

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, am also here to do some basic training as well. Please show us to the training facility." The blonde added.

"Uh...… Yes, right this way, boys. Iruka-san is expecting you." Said the guard as he leads the boys down the hall to the training arena. Once they got there, the boys are pretty surprised at how the room was set up with the dummies, the weaponry and the like. "Wow! Now this is what I wanted to see: a large training room with state-of-the-art equipment, especially when it's this beautifully decorated and neatly cleaned. That's what I like about this place." Said Naruto while folding his arms.

"Well, I am glad to know that you are starting to like this place. Welcome to the academy training field, gentlemen. Didn't I meet you guys before?" asked a voice from behind them.

Naruto turned and he was surprised to see Iruka in the room. "Iruka-sensei! It's really good to see you again! I am just happy to be out of the hospital and getting back to my normal self."

"Yes, I can see that you are starting to make a full recovery now thanks to Tsunade-sama's healing abilities. I was so worried about you! I thought we had lost you forever! But anyway, how's your body doing?" said Iruka.

"Well, the healing process is slow, but the pain has been reduced though. Although my body is still a bit sore and tender, I will be able to pull through this. But to be honest, I am just lucky to be alive. Now that I am back, I should probably do something to speed up my recovery process to help keep my bones and muscles relaxed." Replied Naruto as he picks up some ninja tools and weapons from the room to start his training.

"Wait, Naruto! Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want you to get hurt or anything, but if you start this training now, you will not be able to speed up your recovery process." Warned Iruka.

"I am fairly certain that I can go through this. Although I know it's a risky move to take, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to get myself stronger. So let's get started with the training." Chided Naruto as he took his fighting stance while tossing out some shurikens and flung them at the dummies in front of him. The air inside the dummies started to hiss as holes pops up one by one in each of them. Soon, naruto took some Kunais and started ripping holes into the dummies as he goes into stealth mode. This surprises Iruka and Sasuke as they watched him beat the crap out of the dummies. Once the dummies were finished off, Naruto was about to unleash more attacks against the other dummies, but Iruka stopped him from exerting force inside of his body.

"Stop!Naruto, that's good enough. I don't want you to use full force just yet. You need to give some time for your body to recuperate. On the other hand, I am surprised that you are this persistent to get back into action. But I highly recommend that you take breaks in between your training so that your recovery can continue." Put in Iruka.

"Yeah, he's right. I wouldn't mind you train with me, but your health is far more important than your training right now. Besides, I've already seen how good you are when you trained with me for the first time. So why don't you take a rest and let me handle some of this stuff?" added sasuke while setting naruto down on the bench.

Naruto looked at them for a moment and said, 'All right then, but promise me something." He then paused to take a sip from his water bottle and continued. "As long as I don't exert too much force, will you promise me that no matter what happens;we will put an end to that Uchihaitachi together right? As I said before, his betrayal will cost him dearly if he does manage to return again. And somehow, some way we will settle the score with him."

"Naruto, I understand that you are frustrated about the recent events, but you have to let it go. I know how hard this must be for you and believe me; I don't want you to go through those horrible memories again because we are worried that if you exert too much force from your body, you won't be back to your normal self." Commented iruka with a look of nervousness in his eyes.

'Yes, I know that Iruka! This whole thing was my fault; it should have been me to take the fall, not Sasuke's parents. But it doesn't matter now. We'll deal with him when the time is right and besides, I can't stand around feeling hurt every day, can I? As far as I am concerned, I have one goal in mind: stop the Akatsuki and keep my own home safe from harm. Sasuke and I are doing this for our family and for the people we love. Therefore, we will not let some akatsuki creep stand in our way!" said naruto with a determined look on his face.

"That knucklehead is really persistent. I am starting to think that if he keeps this up, naruto will become a great asset to our village and I do believe he has what it takes to be a shinobi." Thought Iruka with a smile across his face while crossing his arms. At this point, Iruka would promise to give Naruto his blessing as he prepares to get himself stronger and take down the traitor of Konoha once and for all.

Elsewhere, in the Hokage's office, the medical teams are having a meeting with the leader to discuss about their autopsy report regarding Fugaku and teiyakiUchiha. From the report, it appears that the victims were brutally beaten first before being slaughtered like pigs. There were also indications that both victims were likely tortured on the day of the murder. But the killer was fully intact from the waist up except for the color eyes he had, especially the robe being the size of what Batman would wear during night patrol.

"These mug shots of UchihaItachi should give you a few leads on his whereabouts after the murders. From what we can gather on the crime scene photos, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The house wasn't robbed and the entire place was clean and quiet except for the victims' blood spatters. We have a lot of clues here and our hunch is that Itachi probably killed them for something else other than just lack of attention." Said the medical examiner.

The Hokage looked over at the mug shots. "Gentlemen, we have some very solid leads to this brutal crime." He then paused to take a sip of tea from his cup. "But we should leave the hunches to the anbu forces because they should be able to track down the traitor-we will follow the evidence to bring the killer to justice."

"Did Itachi ever have an alibi for the night of the murder?" asked the medical ninja.

"Well, from what UzumakiNaruto told us, Itachi didn't provide an alibi, he was home alone and didn't venture outside of konoha. Everyone said that he didn't even bother to stop by for food in the streets nor taking a walk. He didn't even go to the Ninja Academy to pick up weapons or any ninja tools either." Continued the Hokage. "It's strange that he does not go outside for some fresh air since this place is so huge. After all, there are so many sights to be seen here."

"That's beside the point, Hokage-sama! Of course Itachi could have visited everything around her but he chose to be lazy and prohibited himself from going outside. With that being said, Itachididn't even wantSasuke to visit Naruto at all just because of that thing inside of him. You can imagine how hard this must be for him and Naruto did mention time will heal all his wounds. However, he is still haunted by itachi's threats to this day. I am sure everyone feels sorry for what Itachi had put him and Sasuke through." Commented the medical shinobi.

"Yeah, but not everyone here feels sorry for what happened to the kid, some even thought that itachi had done the right thing for his own village by killing his family. But from my experience, I don't think Fugaku and TeiyakiUchiha posed any sort of threat to konoha and they are not an enemy to this village. But our case against itachi seems to be a lot better since we gained some new information regarding his dark past. Now we just need to convince the villagers to put away that culprit so that we do not have to worry about it anymore. This whole thing should never have happened. So therefore, it was itachi's own fault to put naruto and Sasuke through such a traumatic experience. I should figure out a way to help naruto get through this without putting him in harm's way." Said the Hokage as he stood up from the desk and heads over to the ninja academy.

Back in the academy, Naruto was preparing for the next stage of his training involving hand to hand combat with rubber balloon dummies. While he was working his best not to exert too much force, he managed to pop several holes in the dummy while landing a few kicks to end the session. Meanwhile, Sasuke used speed and stealth to destroy the dummies which could help him improve his chance to take down his former brother once and for all. Iruka was pretty surprised that Sasuke had such powerful strength and knowing him, he can see hatred in the raven-haired boy's eyes, including a look of determination as well. "Sasuke must have been affected the most from this ordeal because from what I can see, he won't rest until his brother is completely defeated. He must be feeling the same way as I am when my parents were killed, but I would never blame naruto for that. Honestly, I just want both of them to live a normal life here in Konoha." He thought to himself while watching Sasuke continuing his kicks and punches on the dummies.

Minutes later, the Hokage arrives at the academy training grounds and sees sasuke training while narut was fine-tuning his weapons. "Master Iruka, I can see that your two pupils are already hard at work preparing for the fight of their lives. From this moment forward, I will leave you in charge of both Naruto and Sasuke since they seemed to have a strong student-teacher bond with you. Although I do wish that Itachi would show his brotherly bond with Sasuke but it seems that he never cared about his own brother. Do you get what I am saying?"

"Of course, hokage-sama! I am sure Naruto feels the same way about what Sasuke went through. After all, if this child is planning to get stronger, he has to endure a series of training maneuvers here in the academy. Now I know this may not be easy for him, but ever since he had sustained those injuries, I fear that the akatsuki will definitely be taking the power away from his body. There is no telling what might happen to him after the recent tragedy plaguing our village. Sometimes I even lose sleep thinking about it."Iruka looked crestfallen after that reply.

"When I make a mistake, I would lose sleep too. This will only bring more trouble to our village as we know it. If itachi is found not guilty of murder, he will only bring more pain and suffering to us. We cannot allow this treachery to go on any further and as the Hokage of Konoha, I will do everything in my power to keep Narutosafe. As long as I am still here, I will not allow some akatsuki scum to come and tear this place apart, not while the Anbu are here. If anything,Itachi should be admonished for the work he has done here. We cannot let him off the hook for the pain he caused to all of us. I was foolish to let naruto stay with itachi because none of us realized that he was turning into a homicidal maniac. But now, I must focus on how to keep naruto out of Itachi's reach." Said the Hokage with a dignified look.

"Hokage-sama, you are not to blame for what happened to Naruto-san. These things happen, people here sacrifice their lives to let us step up and keep the village safe. Life as we know it has been tough on all of us, but I don't want naruto to shoulder the burden all by himself. He has been through too much already and I think he has a hard time accepting the loss of a family. But I think I can help him get through this as best as possible. Besides, everyone already knows what's inside of this child and they are not helping him by just shunning him and putting his life in danger. Sometimes I just wish that this village will treat the kid with more respect rather than just tossing him out like a dog." Commented iruka while crossing his arms.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Iruka. But you already know the situation that Itachi brought upon us, don't you? Now, I know it's not in your nature to question my judgment, but how else can we keep Naruto safe from those thugs? This child has been extremely vulnerable by anyone that comes near him. As I said before, he doesn't pose any sort of threat to anyone. Some people need to realize that they should not fear a child just because his father sealed that thing inside of him. Sometimes I just wonder if putting him up for adoption will put him at risk? I am starting to feel that if any harm befalls upon our new hero, everything we've done up until now won't mean diddly squat." Continued the Hokage. He then turned around and heads back to the office, but not before Iruka stops him.

"Hokage-sama, I can understand what you are saying but you are not responsible for endangering the child. I am sure that some people here in the village are not used to him yet. But try not to worry about it too much, okay? As long as Naruto can regain his full strength as a shinobi, he should have no problems in combat skills, I can guarantee that. Why don't you save yourself the burden and let me look after him for a while? I think I can help Naruto get stronger and offer support when it's needed. Besides, you were right about one thing: Naruto needs to be respected more in this village. However, the child seems to be hated more than being loved. I just wish that the council members will gradually accept him as the hero he is and not treat him as a bad guy. This constant delay of him being placed up for adoption will only put more strain on us. Besides, I would like to see him being set up into a clan that respects him more and learning to put more faith in him." Finished Iruka.

"I will see what I can do, master Iruka! In the meantime, keep up the good work in getting Naruto stronger. I am already seeing some good results from that child, besides there is no need for us to worry about him since he is feeling well enough to start his training session with you. Personally I think that the child will be well suited to about one to two hour training sessions in the academy so that he is ready for the next step. Only time will tell if thfromthe at child is ready for the test of his life." With that, The Hokage returns to his office to finish up his paperwork.

As night falls, Naruto and Sasuke wraps up their training and placed everything back where it belongs without making a mess of things. Despite their hard work, most of the mannequins and other rubber items had holes in them from the kunai knives and the shurikens being tossed into them. "Looks like we made quite a big mess out of those dummies didn't we, nee-san?" said Naurto.

"With all those holes in there, it's a big mess that we won't have to clean up for the rest of our lives. As I said before, I expect no less from you. I want to see you get back in the game because I plan to beat any skilled shinobi that has less potential. Besides, you seem to fit the bill. Furthermore, I have the utmost respect for you based on your performance here so far." Said Sasuke.

"That is probably the most wanted compliment I heard from you thus far. I just wish that other people would say the same thing to me so that I would feel more appreciated. You are already a total power house, Sasuke. As long as you improve your speed and movement, I will no doubt catch up with you. This is my chance to improve myself and work my way to the top and become Hokage myself one day." Said Naruto with a proud look on his face.

"If you are going to be Hokage, you have to work hard to get to the top. Make sure you are fully prepared for the assigned tasks to improve your basic skills. I am confident that you can handle the tasks that are presented to you. Take your time with them and be sure to listen closely to what is being asked of you. I don't want you to rush through everything so be sure to think about the purpose of your training." Continued Sasuke.

"Of course, I will give it everything I got. Besides, I got plenty of time to prepare myself for the real thing. As long as Iruka teaches you, or shall I say we, the basic principles necessary to make us stronger, I am willing to take this test. Anyway we should get some rest, See you later Sasuke!" called Naruto as he heads over to his apartment to get some rest. His training had sufficiently paid off after the injuries, but he was being reminded not to overwork himself due to his body not being able to handle such force. However, Naruto has his own ways to conserve his strength to prepare for the upcoming battles ahead of him. At this point, All Naruto can do is take it easy on himself. After all, everything that the kid had done made him into what he is today. Without him, the village wouldn't be as normal as everyone thought it would be. His life had touched some, but worried other people.

Once Naruto was in bed, he had thought about what Iruka had told him and how it would help to improve his skills as a shinobi. "He wanted me to be strong, but after my sudden near death at the hands of that monster, I don't know if I will even get any stronger. But no matter; I will not need to disappoint anyone. Its my life that everyone keeps asking about all these years and it does tend to get annoying at time, but still, I like my life as it is, why should I change who I am?" he thought to himself before turning off his light for the night.

By the next morning, Naruto does his usual morning routine before going outside for his jog. He tries not to think about the near destruction of his own home at the hands of Itachi Uchihha, but the more he thought about it, the more he wants to plot his revenge against that traitor. But it is not known what prompted the murders to occur. At this point the Hokage can only pinpoint that Naruto's safety will be his concern since Itachi's doing was no longer an interest. After the events around here, everyone seems to be less interested in hearing about what the protégé had done since they don't want anything to do with him. Everyone knows that Itachi acted alone when he committed such atrocious crimes against his own people. But the blonde remembers little about the events since his mind went completely blank. At this point, all Naruto could think of was getting himself stronger as stated by Iruka.

Over at the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was also planning to make his former brother pay for his atrocities while the villagers are still searching for answers in this deadly massacre. But so far, no one knew where to look for answers since all the evidence leads to that protégé. It will be up to Naruto and Sasuke to hunt that guy down and avenge their family. Everyone knows that both of these kids have a huge responsibility ahead of them. They know what's at stake here despite thorough investigation being conducted here in Konoha. Both brothers are willing to put everything on the line to save whatever is left of heir precious village.

As Naruto and Sasuke finished their business, they decided to head over to the academy to practice what they have learned so far since their first day here. Although their rivalry remained vigilant, they still maintained a strong friendship bond together and would help each other when it's needed. The Hokage looked through his crystal ball and smiled. He was impressed at how well the boys had worked together after meeting each other face to face for the first time. "I am very happy at how well these two have progressed and I hope that they continue to improve their skills. I think the academy has become better suited for them." He thought to himself while reading the paper. Although he was still deeply affected by the tragedy, he didn't take it too hard as long as the perpetrator can be stopped.

"As long as I am the Hokage, Konoha is still my territory and I would oppose against any enemy that dares to step in here. I will take whatever drastic measures to defend this place. Only I have the free will to oppose any traitorous acts being committed here. And if anyone violates this, I have no choice but to send them to solitary confinement for the rest of their lives so that they can learn their lesson the hard way. How could I have let this serial killer to walk free? If I only could have let him surrender in peace, I would have prevented a large catastrophe here. But it does not matter to me now, that child is better off living with a family that acknowledges him more. It must have been a waste of time for me to send Naruto living with Itachi. But the bottom line is this: tracking down Itachi is far more important than any other matter encountered so far. The less we worry about Naruto's case, the better we can focus on capturing the protégé." He said to himself

Back in the academy, Iruka was going over Naruto and Sasuke's training records and was also impressed by how well both boys had worked together yesterday, but he was worried about Naruto using very little strength yesterday after his encounter with Itachi since there was little that he could do to help the child. "Naruto, after what you have been through, I honestly don't know how to help you, but I will try my best to make you stronger. Although this will not be easy, we will try to make it as simple as possible. Hang in there, buddy." He thought while looking over at the papers. Moments later, Mizuki, a long time friend of Iruka's, arrived in the classroom and sat down next to him.

"Iruka, I do believe that Naruto will get stronger as his training progresses. About Sasuke, I think he already met the requirements to be a strong shinobi, don't you agree? I am sure Naruto will catch up to him in due time. Besides, I think there is plenty of time for the child to do some additional work." Said Mizuki.

"Yes, I was considering that very possibility. But I would recommend starting Naruto off with something easy before moving on to more advanced stuff. We don't want to overwork him because he has not regained his full strength yet. I am sure you are already aware of his ordeal with Uchiha Itachi right? I am sure that you know what the traitor did to his own family recently?" replied Iruka honestly.

"I am well aware of what's happened to Sasuke's family, Iruka, but we cannot force ourselves to keep talking about this situation. We need to focus on getting Naruto back to full strength. Talking about that traitor won't bring his family back, and it won't ease the pain for Konoha either. Right now our job is to ensure that every single shinobi here get themselves well prepared for upcoming battles against other enemies that threaten Konoha. I sure hope that you understand why I am telling you this, old friend." Continued Mizuki.

"Well, if you put it that way, then okay. But you must know that Naruto-kun already has been through a lot after the recent events. However, my goal is to make him stronger as you suggested. But the Hokage requests that Naruto should be put under observation for while and as long as I am watching him, I think he should be fine. At this moment, I should probably go have a talk with him and see what he thinks of your plan. I will be back later." Replied iruka as he leaves the room.

Mizuke looks on while smiling at Iruka, but his evil glint starts to rise as he thought to himself, "You may have what it takes to save Naruto from the darkness, but I have a plan of my own to end his life. Just wait, I have a few surprises in store for you, kid. Once you are out of the picture, Iruka won't be able to help you at all. You are already being hated by everyone here so just give up on being respected. Besides, your attacks will not work against me. I already know your every more before you even make them." He then disappeared into a puff of smoke from the classroom.

Meanwhile, in another section of the academy, Naruto and Sasuke were busy reading up a book regarding their basic training when Iruka showed up and said, "Good to see you boys here once again, you guys did well on your first day here. Let's see if you can keep it up. Despite the difficulties you have encountered thus far, I don't think you both will have any trouble defeating real enemies after you pass your training here. Now I want you both to apply what you have learned so far since you first arrived here. You both know how to make replicas of yourselves right? Naruto, why don't you come up and try it just for practice. I think it will help you to improve your skills."

Naruto walked up to the front of the classroom and made a few hand signs before dispelling out a few clones. Iruka was pretty surprised, but he was not impressed at the clones he made. "Well, not a bad start Naruto, but you might need to work on the hair lines a bit more and the body needs to be stretched out a bit, but not too far. If you keep working at it, eventually you will become better and better at it. This technique isn't necessarily hard since almost everyone can do it, don't give up okay? As long as you practice enough, you should be in good shape. Go ahead, give it another go. I might keep one of these voodoo dolls as a souvenir." He then walked over and picked up the Naruto voodoo doll and placed it in a bag in his backpack. As Naruto continued working on making replicas of himself, he found out he wasn't making better progress, but he said he would continue working hard to make these clones perfect since he want to show the world his true skills as a shinobi. So he promised himself he would make himself stronger before fighting his true foe. All along, Naruto wanted to become the best of the best just like Sasuke since he refuses to be another one of those lackeys back in the orphanage.

"Iruka, what could you possibly want with a voodoo doll figure of me?" asked Naruto with a weird look.

"Well, I might keep this in memory of you, Naruto. After all, I need something to remember you by, don't I? You should go back to practice, I will be back in a little while, okay?" replied Iruka with a smile as he left the room.

"Why would he need a voodoo doll of me? That's not like Iruka at all." Through naruto as he continued his practice.

Elsewhere, in the hallway, Mizuki heard everything from Iruka and thought, "So you want to keep something from Naruto aren't you? It's a good sign because pretty soon, I will be erasing all traces of your bond with that child. The powers inside of him will be good as mine! Once you have been taken care of, Iruka, I will personally dispose of the demon child myself and no one, not even the Hokage can save him now!" He then laughed with an evil glint on his face as he preps for his plan of exterminating Konoha's hero. Unknown to Iruka, he fears that if Mizuki gets his hands on Naruto, all the things that he worked so hard to achieve will be destroyed.

Naruto's life rests solely in Iruka's hands now because he would never go anywhere without him and if anything happens to him or his teacher, the child will ensure that no one stands in his way and he would use whatever force necessary to eliminate any threat that occurs here, even if he or she is not from here. The Hokage was counting on Naruto to protect everything that is precious to him to ensure that no foe dares to step in. However the villagers could care less what they think of Naruto since he is still a threat to them. But Naruto was not about to be threatened as he continues his training. He still has a long way to go to reach his ultimate goal: become Hokage and eliminating Itachi Uchiha.

**Stop…. I do believe that's the end of this chpter. Although this one took a while to finish due to some repetitive lines, but it's not a problem, I had to get the plot of Mizuki introduced since he will be plotting something against Naruto very soon since Itachi tried to get rid of Naruto a while back, but he failed to do so. So in the next chapter, more of Naruto's training is introduced and we might see what Mizuki will have in store for the child. What will Naruto do to prevent Mizuki from destroying the bond between him and Iruka? Tune in next time to chapter 13. Untile then read and enjoy. **


	13. Chapter XIII: Academy Training Part II

**Naruto the Sharingan Wielder**

**Chapter 13: Training resumes and Advanced skills**

_Last time, we saw how Naruto was being sent to the Academy for some training. While there, he was being introduced into making replicas of himself. Although his clones weren't perfect, he pledged himself to continue practicing so that he can master the clone replica technique. Furthermore, we are being told that Mizuki, Iruka's long time friend is planning something to sever the bond between Naruto and his teacher for good in order to ensure his powers goes directly to the akatsuki. But how will Naruto be able to stop Mizuki from unleashing his plans? Tune in and see._

As Naruto continues his training regiment set up by the Hokage himself, he finally realizes that this is the only way for him to get stronger if he wants to put an end to his true foe_._ Although the child was reluctant at first about training in the academy, he decided to go through with this to show that he isn't a weak shinobi as everyone thought him to be. Even Iruka knows what this child had gone through because the Hokage went through a lot of trouble trying to keep the child out of danger. Even Mizuki felt sick to his stomach hearing about the child's strong bond with Iruka due to the fact that the instructor had been on a ton of missions with his old friend and rival. The anger inside of Mizuki was beginning to boil as he storms out of the academy to begin his plan.

Despite numerous amounts of attempts, Naruto refuses to give up on making replicas of himself as he continued making various hand signs and shouted, "Kage bushin no jutsu!" When the smoke cleared, Naruto was surrounded by the vast amounts of clones he created. He was shocked at this new revelation and shouted, "Yes! I finally did it! Now I finally figured out why Iruka wanted me to get stronger. With all this practice, I think it will pay off for me. As for Mizuki, I will decide his fate soon enough. He was a fool for us to trust and who does he think he is, trying to sever my bond with Iruka? I will teach him a thing or two about respect!" With that, Naruto dispelled the clones and headed home for the night.

That night, the street of Konoha was filled with people since many of them are either eating out or dancing the night away. It seems that there was a special occasion going on which would attract a lot of attention to many folks here, including Naruto. As the child went over to see what was going on, he could see many of his friends attending the party as well.

"Ino, Sakura, fancy meeting you guys here. I heard that there was some party going on here so I decided to check it out. Anyway, how are you ladies doing?" asked Naruto upon arrival.

"Oh, hey Naruto! Glad to see you here as well. I hope things are going well for you at the academy. Plus, we've heard that you mastered the Shadow clone technique. Your skills just amaze us a lot, but we honestly do want you to be careful since Mizuki just wans what's inside of you. Don't let him get the best of you, okay? Also as long as you keep up your training, you should have no problem with combat skills. Furthermore, we will do our best to offer you support. In the meantime, why don't you come join us for some food?" said Ino as she took Naruto's arm.

"Sure, I am getting hungry anyway. Let's see what sort of food they have at the party." Said Naruto. He and the girls walked towards the crowd in the streets and headed over to the food area to get something to eat. Also present were Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba along with Akamaru eating as well.

"Fancy meeting you guys here. So I take it that you guys are also sent to the academy to do some training as well, right? I had a feeling that you had to start off with the basics as well in order to achieve your goals if I am not mistaken." Said Naruto with a serious look on his face.

"Man, it's troublesome that I was being forced to the academy. My dad wants me to work hard to reach the rank of Chunin. Honestly, I just want to spend my days watching the clouds, playing Shogi with Asuma, and taking care of the deers. Besides, the ninja academy stuff is for babies and now we are being treated like 5 year old brats. Come on, we should be treated like teenagers now." commented Shikamaru dryly.

"Yeah, I know what you mean; my mom also wanted me to work hard to reach my potential as well. But still, I can't argue with my mother or else she will beat the crap out of me. At least I am trying my best to keep up with Naruto. Anyway, good to see you as well old friend. Have a seat, I hope the academy is treating you well." Said Kiba as he pulled a chair in between him and Shikamaru.

"Thanks, Kiba. Well. So far, I've been able to get the shadow clone replica technique down pat, but earlier I was creating voodoo dolls of those replicas. Iruka even kept one of them as a souvenir and told me that he wanted something to remember me by. How he would keep a replica of me is beyond me, but no matter. As long as I am able to master other techniques we should have no problem graduating from the academy right?" commented Naruto. He was excited about the academy work be set for him and his friends.

"Even if you are excited about the academy stuff, you still cannot catch up to me. A dead-last shinobi like you making replicas? Ha! That's laughable! Do you seriously expect me to believe that you can pull off something like this? Those basic techniques are nothing to me now. If you want something more advanced, try learning the fireball technique because I can guarantee it will destroy anything within a 25 or 50 mile radius." Commented Sasuke as he took a seat next to Ino and Sakura,

"Oh Sasuke, I just knew that you would show up. You are getting quite strong these days after all that hard work. I would love to have you on my team after we graduate from the academy." Said Ino while blushing and holding on to the raven-haired boy.

"Hold, it right there, Ino-pig! Sasuke belongs to me! I am the one that truly loves him, not you!" boomed Sakura as she took Sasuke by the arm.

"In your dreams, billboard brow! Sasuke-kun is my boyfriend and I just want to hug him and kiss him. You don't deserve him, Sakura chan! At least not until I say so." Taunted Ino while taking Sasuke's other arm.

"Oh yeah? Who the hell asked you to marry Sasuke? I am the one that should marry him becuae I am the perfect kunoichi for the job!" ranted Sakura as she and Ino exchanged lightning strikes at each other. Sasuke and the others sweat-dropped and pretended not to hear them.

"Its always about women! Why do they always have to fight over this genius? So troublesome. I knew I should have stayed in bed today." sighed Shikamaru as he covered his head in disbelief. Kiba couldn't help but laugh at this little argument over a powerhouse shinobi, but decided not to get involved.

Naruto then walked over and activated his sharingan to stop the lightning glints from going onward. He then placed his hands on the girls' shoulders and separated them from Sasuke.

"Girls, please! This kid has been though enough today and you girls are fighting over who gets to marry him? That's just not right. You both have to wait until you are old enough to get married. For now, just treat my brother as your close friend, okay?" said Naruto as he deactivated his powers. The girls were shocked to hear thins but decided not to pursue this love affair any further. However, their anger started to bloom in their heads as they threw punches and kicks towards Naruto and tossed him over 100 yards directly into the air. Naruto then landed into a tree while tearing off several of the branches before dropping onto the ground with a giant thump.

"Who do you think you are telling us not to marry Sasuke, HUH? That guy is perfect for the both of us. I think you should stay out of our love affair for good. Besides, you know nothing about love!" shouted Sakura angrily. Her knuckles had turned red after that punch she sent to the blonde.

"Yeah, I agree with her. If you dare tell Sasuke that he does not belong to me, I will make your life a living hell. In fact, I would like to mind-switch your body and put it inside Sasuke's body while his mind goes into yours. Would you like that, Mr nobody?" threatened Ino while preparing her move.

Naruto knew what was coming next and decided not to interfere. He then walked back to his chair while waiting for the food to arrive at their table. Shiakmaru and Kiba couldn't hel but laugh after that little remark.

"Boy, Naruto. You really know how to piss those girls off! But I should warn you, Ino and Sakura are right, you should not mess with them. Give them time to settle their differences and eventually, you will get used to being their friend. But right now, we should focus on getting ourselves stronger to battle our true foe." Said Kiba convincingly.

Naruto was a bit reluctant at first but decided to trust Kiba anyway. He then returned to his seat and within moments, the food arrived and everyone sat down to enjoy their meal. The streets of Konoha had all been set up with music and the festivl for all to enjoy and having a good time before actual work begins. Each shinobi had been given a break by their instructors so that they would be able to know what to prepare for the next few weeks, meaning that their ninja training will be a lot harder as they go along.

"Kiba-san, it looks like we will have to go through weeks of training to get in I wonder if you are able to pull through this?" asked Naruto.

"Of course! If Akamaru can do it, so can I! Even if you don't get stronger like I am, we will all have to work hard to graduate and go on challenging missions. Given that everyone has different paths to go on, I assume you and I will have to fight in the preliminary rounds later on in the chunin exams. I wish you luck out there, buddy." Said Kiba as he prepared to shake Naruto's hand.

"Same to you, dog breath. But mark my words, I won't lose to you! This fight will determine who will be facing each other in the final round and become chunin." Replied Naruto as he shook Kiba's hand. Both of them had fire in their eyes as their rivalry starts. Its like these two hadn't fought each other for such a long time now. Both of them would put everything on the line in order to achieve their goal.

Shikamaru looked at them and smiled, but he also knows what he needs to do in order to get himself strong as well. However, he refuses to fight women because they can beat him too easily. He prefers to only fight men that are more suitable for him. As for Ino and sakura, they may be friends, but they are rivals and would do anything to get what they want, especially their true love, Sasuke Uchiha. But Sasuke had other things on his mind and he seems to find both girls to be very annoying. All he could think about was putting an end to Itachi Uchiha and restoring his clan to its former glory.

By the time the party ended, everyone returned to their homes except for Naruto. He decided to head over to Iruka's place for the night. Once he arrived, he knocked on the door to see if anyone was home, but no one answered the door. So the child sat down on the steps of Iruka's house to wait for him. While he waited, he could see a dark shadow approaching him from somewhere and followed it, but it disappeared shortly after. Naruto wondered where the shadow was approaching from and waited. Soon the shadow appeared again, this time it was on the rooftops. Thinking quickly, Naruto took out some shurikens and tossed them at the shadow, but it was blocked by a kunai knife and in return, the knife was tossed over to Naruto with a note hidden on it.

The child then took the note from the knife and read it and was surprised to hear that Mizuki wanted him to steal something for him and bring it to the forest at night without being seen. However, Naruto knows that this was a trap and decided to go through with it anyway, but what would Iruka say when he finds out about the item going missing? Would he suspect that it was Mizuki behind this thing? One thing was for certain, Naruto has to put an end to Mizuki before its too late.

By the next morning, Naruto and his friends woke up to the sound of bells ringing and they knew what that meant. As the gang all headed off towards the academy, they are now prepared for the toughest tasks of their lives. "Here we go; our chance to show everyone what we truly got. This training will determine who our assigned jonin instructors will be after graduation. We will sacrifice everything we have to make it perfect!" thought Naruto as they proceeded inside.

Once everyone took their seats in the classroom, Iruka arrives inside and said, "Good morning everyone, I hope that little break has made you rested up. But now, our real work has begun and we don't have much time. When Naruto and Sasuke were here last week, they immediately started warming up with their basic combat training skills, which I would assume that the rest of you have done many times before right?"

"Yes, sensei, we've done that numerous times and I seemed to find it boring doing it over and voer again. Its trouble some and I would rather move on to more advanced stuff here in the academy. After all, I've already mastered everything here and I am well prepared to face new challenges. Otherwise, I just want to lay back and relax. I will leave the rest of the easy work over to you guys." Said Shikamaru while laying his foot on the desk and stretching out his body on the chair.

"I agree with Shikamaru. Besides, I also mastered everything by the book as well. However, it does not hurt to review what we all learned so far. Also Naruto could use the time to review what he learned as well. Although I might not be an experienced shinobi like the rest of you are, I am also willing to do whatever it takes to be strong." Said Choji while he munched on some potato chips.

All the others nodded their heads and agreed on the same thing regarding a review on what they all learned here so far. Iruka then looked at them and smiled, "Well, since many of you wanted to do a review, then that's fine with me. Everyone please step forward to the front of the class room and do a transformation of me." With that, everyone filed a single line and stepped up. Once everyone performed a perfect transformation of their instructor, Naruto was a bit nervous about doing a transformation technique, but decided to do it anyway. Once he completed it, Iruka was impressed at how well the child had progressed and would recommend them all to do other techniques later on.

"Well done, everyone. I guess you guys might just have what it takes to be a shinobi after all. Keep up the good work guys. Now today, I wanted to show you about how to make replicas of yourselves. By that, I mean you should be able to make multiple copies of yourselves and use it in combat to distract the enemy. This technique is pretty much basic just like the transformation technique. Now, I want Uzumaki Naruto to demonstrate for us about creating replicas. Go ahead, show them what you have learned so far." Continued Iruka.

"All right, guys. I may not have improved on the replica technique but here goes nothing. Kage Bushin no jutsu!" called Naruto. Soon, the entire room was filled with clones of Naruto which surprised almost everyone, including the instructor.

"Wow, that's just…. Amazing！I just never knew that you could pull off such a technique like this. Very impressive Naruto, thank you for the demonstration. Now you see how the replicas are being made? By making a couple of hand signs, you will automatically allow an unlimited number of clones appear. But be warned; use this technique wisely because if you don't dispel them quickly, your enemy will create a distraction for you." Commented Iruka. This was the first time that the instructor had seen this massive number of clones that Naruto created because this technique could be very effective against any type of enemy in real combat. However, the effectiveness of this attack is very limited since the enemy can easily dispel the clones many times and the chances of finding the real one would be quite slim.

Once Naruto returned to his seat, everyone else was quite surprised that the child had actually pulled off something like this. But Sasuke wasn't too impressed at it since he was far stronger than the blonde. However, he was happy that Naruto had learned such an advanced technique and would possibly recommend him to keep on going if he wants to surpass everyone here.

"All right class, now that you've seen the demonstration of clone making, its time that you learned about how to sneak up on your enemy. There are a couple of ways that you can do this. First, get behind like a tree or a forest and take out your weapon. Before attacking, make sure to wait until someone has given you the signal to attack. The second approach to this is to grab your opponent by the neck and snap it. This sort of attack will instantly kill an enemy, but it can also knock them out unconscious if it's being used effectively. Use this attack on unsuspecting guards in other villages or towns without being detected. If you don't use this attack effectively, chances are you will be either captured or tortured by the guards during your missions. This technique is a little bit more advanced than the previous ones but take your time with it. The more you practice with the use of sneak attack, the better chances you will have at improving in infiltration." Finished Iruka.

Everyone in the room looked around at each other and thought about this for a second, but they didn't seem to object about using infiltration. "This is something that I wanted to try out myself. With my kikachi, bugs, I think I might be able to pull off a sneak attack on almost anyone here. I think my first unsuspecting victim should be Naruto. But not to worry, this is only a demonstration." Said Shino. He then disappeared into a puff of smoke with the bugs following him until he arrived face to face with Iruka。

"Iruka, do you mind if I try out this sneak attack demonstration on some of the students here? I think it would be good practice for me if I want to use it on real enemies later on." Commented Shino while preparing his bugs.

"Of course, Shino. Choose which classmate you want to use for the demonstration." Finished Iruka.

"I pick Naruto because he is probably an unsuspecting victim. Besides, I wanted him to learn more than just clone making and fireball attacks. This way, I can improve my infiltration skills on almost any enemy or guard depending on where I am." Replied Shino.

Iruka was a bit reluctant at first about Naruto being Shino's first choice, but he decided to allow it anyway. So, once Naruto was called upon, he arrived to the front of the class facing Shino while turning to his instructor, "You are not seriously thinking of letting me being bug-boy's unsuspecting victim, are you? This is totally not needed. Why are you letting me being the bait here?"

"Relax, Naruto. This won't hurt at all, okay? It's only a demonstration, we re only pretending that you are the enemy and Shino wanted to test out his powers on you. Hold still, okay? It will be over very quickly before you know it." Chided Iruka as he placed Shino's hand on the blonde's shoulder and the neck. Shino then used his bugs to hold Naruto down before placing one of his hands over Naruto's mouth. He then carefully knocked the child out cold after holding onto his mouth for a while. Afterwards, Shino removed the bugs from the body and dispelled the technique and woke the child up.

"There you go everyone, that's my method of using a sneak attack without being detected. I think that you all will understand about how to use this effectively as stated by the instructor. As for Naruto, I think he will be fine，I didn't do too much harm to his body since my bugs are practically harmless to him." Finished Shino as he took his seat next to Hinata.

"Thank you very much for that demonstration, Shino. Now everyone, do any of you understand about how to use the sneak attack? If so, I do believe that you guys will have no problems in defeating any enemy with the technique. After all, using a sneak attack is very important because it can help you find out where they are located or where they are hidden. Using some thoughts and critical thinking can help you flush out the enemy without making it a costly battle. You guys are going to be putting your lives on the line if you plan to use infiltration methods. Furthermore, use this attack wisely if you plan on partaking a search and rescue mission of your comrades is that clear?" continued Iruka while taking a sip of tea from his cup on the desk.

"Yes, sensei, we get it. Although I won't be planning to use sneak attacks, I prefer close combat attacks since if the enemy is weak and cannot fight back; I just attack them head on and put them out of action. However if they continue to persist and want to go on, I can always use alternative methods to put my foes down without breaking a sweat. Besides, me and Akamaru are ready for a challenge at any time." Said Kiba anxiously.

"You are persistent as always. Okay then, meet me outside at the training grounds and we shall discuss about close combat over there. I do believe that using close combat is always a wise choice and it would weaken the enemy severely." Said Iruka before leaving the room.

Once class was over, Naruto and his friends walked over to the training field and gathered around for a meeting regarding Itachi Uchiha. This was a chance for everyone to figure out a plan of attack to eliminate Itachi once and for all since he is still considered a threat to this village. However, everyone has already developed a good understanding of basic training and are prepared to put an end to that former protégé once and for all.

"If I was Itachi, I would sic my kikachi bugs on him to make sure he doesn't move. Then I can perform my sneak attack on him and break his neck while knocking him unconscious. I do believe that attack can render him harmless." Suggested Shino.

"That's a clever plan, Shino. Unfortunately, Itachi will only be able to escape from your sneak attack. He is too clever to fall for a trick like that. So, I think its best if we use close combat in order to render him weak first, then we can attack him head on. However, there is a chance that he might use other attacks to put all of us in harms way. When Naruto tried to fight back against Itachi with all his might, he couldn't finish that foe off. So its up to everyone of us to do our best to not to let our guard down when we fight that missing-nin." Replied Kiba.

"I agree with your idea, Kiba, but since Itachi has become twice as powerful, we won't find him to be an easy prey. Also, that guy could easily dispel all my clones and put me in a state of unconsciousness like he did before. Beware of his Tsukoyomi, it's a powerful weapon that can make people have nightmares and they can easily forget things as well. None of you should fall for his attack like I did. Anyway, I need to make sure that you guys don't suffer the same fate like me." Warned Naruto. His friends looked at him for a moment and knew the sort of danger that they would be in but they decided to brush it off.

"Naruto, don't worry about us, we will be able to take care of that clown easily. It's you that we are worried about right now, buddy. We all saw what happened to you first hand when you met that traitor face to face. However, we have our own ways to make sure he does not lay his grubby little hands on you. It's troublesome for us, but we have to do what's right for our home and our friends." Added Shikamaru.

Naruto felt confided when his friends offered him support. He was relieved to have reached this far, but he still had some ways to go before he becomes Hokage. Once everyone sat down for lunch, they must now figure out how to use their attacks quickly and effectively without being detected. It would be a difficult task for these guys, but as long as they work well together, they should have no problems. But these days, their lives in Konoha hasn't been very easy since they started their work in the academy.

Once lunch was over, Iruka arrived at the training field and said, "Well, I hope that you guys had a full meal because we are now going to talk about using close combat attacks. Now, as you may already know, close combat happens when you attack your foe head on using your fists and hands. But this involves speed and accuracy. When you guys use close combat, do not try to resist, instead, fight with all you've got to knock down your foe even if he or she doesn't have any scratches on their bodies. You may also use kicks and various jumping methods to dodge incoming blows. Once your enemy is distracted, you can then launch your attacks head on while your opponent is defending himself. Don't try to hold anything back when you fight head on. And also don't worry about any injuries because if one of your opponents would say, "I cannot continue any longer" that would mean they are defeated and therefore, they will be unable to continue battling. Does everyone here understand about how to use this attack effectively?"

"Yes, Sensei!" everyone chided with confidence.

"Good! Now I want every one of you to find a partner and demonstrate your skills in close combat. Remember; do not hold anything back when you battle head to head. Use whatever force necessary to defeat your opponent. The goal of close combat is to test your courage and bravery. If you have both the courage and bravery, you will become successful close combat fighters. Fight back with everything you got and do not stop until an opponent has declared himself unable to fight or admitting defeat. Now go, and show me what you've got!" ordered Iruka.

Soon, everyone found their partners and prepared to take their fighting stances. This time, the clock is ticking and there is no turning back now. Once the signal was given, everyone charged forward with their attacks to prepare themselves for the biggest fight of their lives. At this point, Iruka was smiling because he had taught his students everything they know. All of them are getting ready to deal with real enemies after graduation. Everything that these kids had done would mean a lot to their family and to their village.

Elsewhere, Mizuki watched from the bushes as he sees the students training hard. "You've done well to make these brats strong, but I believe that Naruto wouldn't have that potential to defeat me. You make thins that he has friends to save his sorry hide, but that wouldn't stop me since I have ways to put you out of action. No one, not even Naruto will be able to save you now! Hahahahahahahahaha!" he thought evilly before disappearing like the wind. Naruto turned around and wondered what that noise was, but he wasn't too worried. From then on, Naruto will have to do everything by the book in order to keep himself strong. Personally, the blonde will have to work hard to end Itachi once and for all with the help of his friends.

**And stop. That would be the conclusion of academy training. At this point, the students have done well to get this far in their training so far. But now, Naruto****'s friends are going to have to use their wits and critical thinking to beat Mizuki before he severs the bond between Naruto and Iruka. This would mean that the child is not out of the woods yet, but what is Mizuki really planning and will Naruto's friends save him or will it be too late? Tune in next time. Read this and tell me if you like it. Hope to see you all next time.**


	14. Chapter XIV: Mizuki's Betrayal

**Naruto the Sharingan Wielder**

**Chapter 14: Mizuki's Plot**

_In the last chapter, Naruto and his friends are working hard to pass through their basic training before the graduation exams. Once they pass the graduation exams, they will officially become genin shinobi. However, word is that Mizuki has something planned for Naruto since he wants the powers inside of the kid's body. But Iruka knows that his old friend is not who he thinks he is and so there fore, he must put an end to whatever Mizuki is doing before its too late. Will he and Naruto succeed or will the child face the harsh truth about himself? Read and find out_

**Several months later…**

With everyone continuing their training to prepare for the graduation exams, it seems that many of them have mastered almost everything that Iruka had taught them since their first time in the academy. Almost all of them are making good progress so far because they passed through every single task assigned to them. As dawn approaches, Iruka gathers everyone around and makes one final announcement before concluding the training.

"All right my fellow students, based on your performance out there so far today and for the last several months, I have to say I am very pleased with the results you've done so far. With everything that we have covered so far, you guys are on your way to become excellent shinobi. Now, I have another announcement to make. The graduation exams are coming up and I want you all to be in tip top shape to prepare for them before you leave the academy to become true ninjas. The exams will cover almost everything that you've all learned so far and it can help you to prepare to face real foes in other villages. What I mean by foes is that, you will all be assigned a jonin shinobi and you will be given various high ranking missions outside of Konoha. Some of the missions will be easy, some are not going to be easy, but that will all depend on your strength and capabilities as genin. Don't worry, your instructors will help you out the best they can since they will be testing you as well after graduation. So I want you all to rest up, prepare for the graduation exams, and face new challenges. That is all for today." Announced Iruka. Afterwards, everyone jumped up and down with excitement about graduation and headed home to tell their parents about it.

Once everyone left the training field, Naruto was still there finalizing his training capabilities before heading over to where Iruka was. "Sensei, after all the hard work we've done so far, I think the graduation exams should pose no problems for me. After all, if I want a challenge, I will gladly do them with my friends by my side to assist me."

"You sure are a persistent little knucklehead. But the truth is, Naruto. You are not ready for the bigger challenges yet. The Hokage told me to start things off easy with you before we move on to the more difficult challenges. Besides, I know that these last few months of training hasn't been easy for you, but you've learned a lot so far, and I am very proud of you and your friends for that. Now you should get some rest, tomorrow you've got a big day ahead. Promise me that you will not fail, we are all counting on you to do your best, okay?" finished Iruka as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hai, Sensei! After all this hard work, I don't think there will be any problem in passing the graduation exams. Besides, I need to succeed because I cannot stay weak like this forever. Of course, your old friend Mizuki is still out there planning something big against us and I am going to be losing sleep tonight. But right now, I don't even want to think of the worst possibilities. I just want to focus on graduating from the academy and get team assignments as soon as possible. Finally, I want to thank you for teaching us to be strong and vigilant. I've got to run, see you tomorrow morning at the academy, Iruka!" called Naruto as he left the training field.

"You're welcome, Naruto! Don't be late for the graduation exams because they are going to help you a lot when you receive bigger challenges later on." Called Iruka after Naruto. But the child already disappeared into the distance as he heads home. "That child really amuses me after everything he has been through all these years. But still, that child is special to me and I will do whatever it takes to make him strong." He thought to himself as he gathers up his equipment before heading home.

Back in the Hokage's office, all the jonins were inside analyzing the progress reports from the students. Many of them were actually surprised that the students had pushed themselves over the limit to get this far, especially Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi. They were amazed at how well Naruto had done after his ordeal, but they don't want him to push his luck since the jonins have bigger things in store for their students and they know all about what Mizuki is planning.

"So, based on the students' performances, I can see that you guys are aware of how strong they are up until now. From what I can see, I think that Naruto's performance probably was the best, but I still think he should take it easy since we don't want him to exert too much force. Once all of the students graduate from the academy, Kakashi can take Naruto under his wing and make sure he gets stronger so that he can surpass his friends. Basically, I think this will be a test to see how well he does later on." Said the Hokage.

"The old man makes a good point. However, I think naruto could have room for a bit more in close combat. But still, what did you have in mind, Kakashi-san?" asked Kurenai as she continued to analyze Naruto's performance.

"I think I might test him to see if he can defeat me in a one-on-one close combat after he graduates from the academy. Right now, I don't think you should underestimate Naruto's abilities since he still has the sharingan power within him. After his ordeal with Itachi, Mizuki wouldn't be able to stand a chance against him. But as of now, let's see how well Naruto does in the graduation exams before we will make an example of him." Added Kakashi while reading his book. The silver-haired jonin seems to have full confidence in the blonde's abilities as a ninja, but the student that he wants to test the most is Uchiha Sasuke since he wants the kid to fight hard to defeat Itachi.

"Kakashi-san, if you are willing to train Naruto, than go for it. But for a lazy ass jonin like Shikamaru, I think I might be able to persuade him to work on his techniques a bit more since he always spends his time watching the clouds and sleeping. Although I am impressed that he is a great strategist and an expert shogi player, I want to test him to see if he can extend his shadow to a far greater length while using close combat. It's a challenge to see if he has what it takes to be a genin. What do you think, Hokage-sama?" asked Asuma.

"I think that would be an excellent plan, son. Shikamaru might not approve of this, but I think he might have the potential to succeed in the future. For now, I think you three have the strength and the expertise to make Naruto and his friends stronger. Besides, you all know what you need to do to fulfill your objectives. Once the genins have been assigned to you, you can then prepare them for some real intense training. That is all, jonins. Dismissed!" ordered the Hokage. With that, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai assembled out of the office and prepared their plans to make their students stronger.

Back in the office, the Hokage was about to read the papers when he heard sounds of yelling and screaming. This could only mean that Might Guy was making all that noise, but the old man didn't take too much notice until….

"Might guy of Konoha! Futon! Konoha Sempuu!" shouted Guy as he gave a swift kick directly at the door before entering the Hokage's office. Once he arrived, the Hokage sweat-dropped and buried his head in disappointment as the door was ripped off from its hinges.

"You know, you could have knocked on the door instead of breaking it down, you idiot! But anyway, let's put the pleasantries aside. What can I help you with, Guy?" asked the Hokage.

"Well, I've heard that Naruto and his friends are preparing to graduate from the academy. But I should warn you, my students are also pretty strong as well. If they are underestimated, chances are they will defeat any low level genins here and I can promise you that right now. But on the other hand, I've heard all about what Itachi had done here. Even if that mass murderer is still at large, we need to focus on getting ourselves stronger before we deal with the Akatsuki. They are a well prepared organization and will steal anything in their way." Said Guy.

"I can see that you have heard about that criminal organization, but there is much more that we don't know about them at this point, much that we are not told. As for Mizuki, I do think that he might turn against this village, but we have yet to know about his true motives and what his plans are. Right now, we are trying to focus on getting Naruto stronger since he had dealt with Itachi before. Although I cannot say for certain that he will surpass anyone else, but it's a possibility." Continued the Hokage

"I see. Okay then, if you see Naruto, tell him that I wish him luck on his future training. Plus, Hyuga Neji also wishes Naruto luck as he will be battling the child later on in the chunin exams. Plus I've also heard that Uchiha Sasuke is planning to execute his older brother for what he did to his own family, but I still feel that the kid should focus on other things instead of his revenge. It won't do this village any good if he plans to execute his brother. I've already known about Naruto's ordeal with itachi, but we are all relieved to see him making a full recovery. Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing you in the chunin exams. Hokage-sama. Rock Lee is destined to fight Sasuke when the time comes because he wants to prove to the world that he can get stronger than Naruto." Finished Guy as he dashed out of the window to prepare his students for the graduation exams.

The Hokage was having a look of shock and disgust after witnessing his door and window broken, but he wasn't worried since these can be replaced easily. "What is it with konoha shinobi always tearing up my office? I should probably have some Anbu guard my office in case anyone else tries to barge in here without knocking on the door. I just hoep that Naruto will be okay since he has been through far too much already." He thought to himself while observing the crystal ball and sees Mizuki following Naruto back to his apartment. This time, the old man senses danger for the child and immediately called for reinforcements.

Back in the streets of Konoha, Naruto could sense that someone had been following him after his training concluded. But he wasn't about to run so he crossed his arms and said indignantly, " You can come out now, Mizuki."

"You are a perceptive little brat aren't you? Do you know why I had followed you all the way back to your apartment?" asked Mizuki.

"I think you are planning to use me to steal something of utter importance, but I am not going to do it for you." Finished Naruto while crossing his arms.

Mizuki looked at him for a moment until his gentle side returned and continued, "I am not here to ask you to steal anything. Do you really think I am that stupid to let you commit a crime here in your own home? All I am doing is just to give you a heads up regarding the graduation exams. Are you sure you are prepared for this? The exams are going to be challenging and I doubt that you will pass them."

"Relax, Mizuki-san, I will have no problems with the graduation exams. And since all my training had paid off, I am assuming you will be at the academy to congratulate me? If so, then I am relieved to have worked hard to get this far. Furthermore, you should be happy that Sasuke and I have gotten to where we need to be. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get some rest, tomorrow I've got a big day ahead of me." Said Naruto as he headed inside.

"Wait a moment, even if you don't pass or graduate, you can still retake the test and start basic training again wouldn't you? If not, than I can maybe show you how to get stronger later on. Besides, I think Iruka has gone way too soft on you. He expects you to do well, but I think he has underestimated your skills as a ninja. So if he really wants you to succeed, I think its best if you listen to me and eventually I can guide you to success. This offer is something that you cannot refuse. Think about it." Said Mizuki before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked back and thought about the offer Mizuki told him, but decided against it since this might be a trick to play on his weakness. So he finished up his business before heading to bed to prepare for his exams, but unfortunately, he was planning to play a trick on Mizuki in order to reduce his anger and his revenge starting tomorrow morning. Things were starting to go his way as the graduation exams commences.

By the next morning, every student prepared themselves for the graduation exam, including Sasuke. As they headed towards the academy, they all waited for the big moment to arrive. But as Iruka entered the classroom, he discovers that one of his students was missing. "Where is Uzumaki Naruto? He was supposed to be here to prepare for the exams hours ago. Oh god, I hope he hasn't gone missing. I should probably go out and find him. Stay put class, the exams will commence once I find the kid and bring him here." Said Iruka as he dashed out of the classroom and into the streets. He could already hear noises outside and Naruto laughing like crazy with two unknown jonins chasing after him.

"Get your ass back here Naruto! When I get my hands on you, you will suffer severe punishment!" called the jonin.

"You've crossed the line this time, you little brat! If you set off those explosives, chances are you are only going to hurt yourself!" called the other shinobi as they chased after the child, but Naruto wasn't going to listen to them as he jumped from roof to roof while setting off the explosives and causing cracks to appear on the rooftops. He then moved towards the Uchiha compound while maintaining his cover. He discovers Itachi's room and decided to plant a couple of explosive tags there while shouting, "Uchiha Itachi! You traitorous monkey-loving serial killer! How would you like it if I blow your room sky high? Yeah that will show the world how powerful you really are. Come and get me if you dare! Soon, no one in Konoha will disrespect me anymore!" He then escaped from the Uchiha compound just in time to hear the loud boom. Within minutes, Itachi's room was reduced to a pile of smoldering debris, but the kid wasn't feeling any remorse after what he did. Soon he could hear footsteps of the jonins coming after him as he dashed away from the compound and headed towards safety.

"Naruto, you little loudmouthed brat, where the hell are you? You're supposed to be preparing for the graduation exams, not causing a ruckus in the village!" called Iruka as he continued the search for the kid.

Elsewhere, at the Inuzuka residence, Tsume was preparing her normal routine of feeding the dogs in the yard when she hears commotion on the streets and went to investigate, but as she looked above, she could hear loud banging sounds which forced the dogs to start barking. "Naruto-san, what have you gotten yourself into this time? I hope you are not planning anything dangerous." She thought to herself as she sent Kuromaru to bring the child over to safety.

As Naruto jumped off Kiba's rooftop, he could see dogs surrounding him, including Kuromaru coming towards him. "Oh, hey guys, thank goodness you're here. If I had gone any further, I would be dead for sure. Please let me hide until those guys are gone." Begged the child.

"You don't need to beg to hide from them, kid. Come with me. My owner is waiting for you." Said Kuromaru. The child was a bit reluctant about following the dog, but decided to sit on his back while keeping his head down. Once they arrived at the residence, naruto was playing with the dogs in the yard while the two men knocks on the door.

"Can I help you gentlemen with something?" asked Tsume as she opened the door.

"Of course, have you seen the demon child? I know he has been running around and…" before the Jonin could say anything else, he could feel the woman's hand grabbing fiercely at the guy's neck.

"Try saying that again; I'll tear your flesh and bones and feed them to my dogs." Boomed Tsume. Elsewhere, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the situation.

"I…. am…. Sorry!" called the jonin despite not being able to speak. The women released her hand from the man as he continued. "I was saying; have you seen Uzumaki Naruto running around here by any chance?"

"Nope, I was just preparing to feed my pets some food, but I didn't see that kid since he finished his academy training. So he probably should be somewhere around the training field finalizing his moves or something. Why don't you guys check over there?" finished Tsume before sending the guards out.

With that, the guards stormed off and continued their search for the child without letting them know where the kid was hidden. Tsume chuckled to herself before turning to where Kuromaru was and called out, "All right, kid! You can come out now, they are gone."

Breathing with a sigh of relief, Naruto came out of hiding and said, "Thank you for keeping my cover safe, Tsume oka-san. If it wasn't for you, I would be finished by now."

"Hey, no problem. But why were you setting off explosives in the streets? The villagers will be very upset if you continue to do this. Besides, this isn't the best way for you to seek revenge upon your true foe, you know?" continued Tsume with a worried look.

"Yes, I know that. But still, I want that serial killer to suffer the same fate like I did. And furthermore, I want people to stop disrespecting me and look up to me as a hero, not a killer. I've been down that road many times and I believe that almost everyone here has been underestimating my skills as a ninja, but I cannot let them get the best of me. Anyway, I am glad that I played a trick on those dumb shinobis. They really don't know how to find me in low places." Said Naruto.

"Oh, really? Did you really expect to slip past their grasp? Let me tell you something, you should not underestiamte a chunin or a jonin because they got powerful atacks that can easily defeat any foe when detected. Unfortunately, you won't find them to be an easy prey. I want you to be careful because you may never know what will happen, kid. Anyway I can see Iruka coming towards you now so you better head back to the academy." replied Tsume before sending Naruto to the front steps.

Within a few minutes, iruka appeared behind Naruto and said, "So this is where I find you! Did you relaly think you would escape my grasp? I think not! Anyway, what are you doing out here, kid? You are supposed to be in class preparing for the exams, not setting off bombs to scare people." He then turned to Tsume and said, "Lady Tsume, thank you for finding the kid. I better get him back to class before he throws this entire place into chaos."

"Of course, Iruka-san, glad I can help. After all, Naruto has the capability of becoming a strong shinobi so don't let anyone underestimate him. I want to wish him luck on the exams." Replied Tsume.

"I will do my best, oka-san. See you later!" called Naruto as he leaves the residence and headed over to the classroom. Once there, Iruka then sat him down next to the front of the class and said, "What were you thinking when you caused such a ruckus in Konoha? Do you really expect everyone to think you are a hero now? Don't be so naïve, okay? You've already caused enough trouble for us after what Itachi did to you. Anyway, I should expect you to do well on the exams, okay? Now then, everyone step forward and review the transformation technique." One by one, the students lined up for the first part of the exam.

"Why is it that you always stir up trouble around here? Don't you ever give anyone a break?" grumbled Shikamaru.

"If my mom hadn't saved your hide, you would have been finished for sure. But I just can't believe that you would have the nerve to set off explosives. Shame on you!" mumbled Kiba.

"Yeah, I know, but still it was a wake up call for everyone here. I had no choice because this was my only chance to show itachi that I am not a coward anymore. I want him to face me like a man." Finished Naruto as he stepped forward facing Iruka. He then made a perfect transformation of him without a moment's hesitation. After everyone completed the first part of the exam, it was time for everyone to make replicas of themselves for the second part of the exam. So they all assembled into another room to prepare for the exam.

Almost an hour later, Mizuki arrived into the classroom and said, "I am also here to evaluate on how well the students did on the replicas of themselves. Do you mind if I join in, Iruka?"

"Of course! After all, these kids do want to graduate, don't they? Besides, you've already seen how strong they are getting up until now. I am just so proud of the hard work they've all done up until now. But there is no telling what the future will hold for them after this." Continued Iruka. Mizuki just smiled at him before facing the students.

"All right class, now that you passed the transformation techniques, let us see how well you have done with the replicas of yourselves. Relax; this test will be just like what you did in your first day at the academy. By creating enough replicas, you can block your opponent from escaping and you can easily finish them off without too much trouble. Okay then, Nara Shikamaru, you are up first." Called Iruka.

"Troublesome as usual. This technique has been far too easy for me and now I am asked to do this on the day of graduation? I should have stayed in bed today." Thought Shikamaru as he faced the teachers and made a few hand signs before multiple clones of himself popped up.

"Very good Shikamaru. I think you should have no problem with your future after you graduate from here. Next up, Kiba Inuzuka.

Once Shikamaru stepped out from the classroom, Kiba went up and performed the replica of himself perfectly without any mess-ups. After the other students finished their cloning of themselves, Naruto stepped up and tried to think of perfection as he prepared for the second part of this exam. He made a few hand signs and within minutes, he made perfect replications of himself right in front of Iruka's eyes. But Mizuki wasn't so pleased since his head was filled with anger and rage. He then stormed out of the classroom and closed the door behind him. Iruka then pondered about what Mizuki was actually planning after he stormed out of the classroom, but decided to wait until after the exams conclude.

Next, it was time for the students to prepare for the infiltration portion of the exams since this will require many of them to sneak up behind their foes before attacking. The students already did a couple of practice runs during their time in the academy and it was time for them to use what they learned. During the break, Naruto went off to find Mizuki and surely enough, he found him sitting on top of a house looking upset. So, the kid decided to have a little talk with the instructor.

"Why are you all the way up here, Mizuki? I thought you would be evaluating us on our performances so far. You can't just leave in the middle of an exam." Said naruto。

"Kid, you are proving to be even more tenacious than I thought, but I suppose that's because Iruka always thinks too much of you. He thinks you are his special student and all that. In my mind, I think he has belittled you." Continued Mizuki with a frown on his face.

"What are you talking about, sensei? Iruka would never doubt my abilities as a ninja nor belittle me. He knows that I can do better if I just practice more. Besides, I think these exams are pretty much a walk in the park, so what are you worried about anyway?" chided Naruto.

"Nothing really, but I think Iruka has truly underestimated your skills and that has me concerned. Why don't you do me a little favor, I want you to infiltrate the Hokage Tower and take a scroll without being seen. Once you've done that, bring it to me in the forest and I will reward you for your efforts. This is something that you cannot refuse as a shinobi. Once the exams conclude, take the scroll. I will be waiting for you in the forest." Advised Mizuki.

"What could you possibly want with a scroll anyway? If the guards find out I took that scroll, I don't think Iruka would be too happy about this." Said Naruto nervously.

"You don't have to worry about him, Naruto-san. Just focus on getting that scroll." Finished Mizuki.

With that, Naruto returns to the academy to wrap up his exams. But little does he know that Mizuki has definitely set up a trap for the child which will spell danger for him. As everyone arrives at the training field, everyone took their positions and readied their weapons before scrambling into nearby bushes waiting to attack. The blonde was up on a nearby tree while waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Once Iruka gave the signal, Naruto mistakenly snuck up behind his teacher and attacked without warning. The other students looked on awkwardly at what was going on while Kiba fell to the ground laughing like crazy. Shikamaru could only groan in disappointment and decided to release Naruto's grasp.

As Iruka woke up, he approached at everyone with a look of frustration, "All right, which one of you snuck up on me and attacked me?"

"Haha, you fell for it, Iruka-sensei! I had to do that in order to show how dumb you were when you stepped into trap I set for you. You were too easy to fool, sensei!" laughed Naruto.

Iruka was groaning in disbelief before tick marks started to appear on his head. "You idiot! You were supposed to be sneaking upon your friends, not me! Are you trying to make a mockery out of this exam?"

"I am so sorry about that, but its just that, well, I haven't been improving on my infiltration attacks so I mistakenly thought you were the target. Anyway, are we going to continue this or move on to the final stage of the exam?" asked Naruto.

"We are going to finish this exam first before I can decide on if you all are able to graduate. Now, let's put the pleasantries aside and get back into action. All right everyone, take your positions and let's see how well you've done with your infiltration skills. Go!" ordered Iruka. Once everyone returned to their positions in the trees and bushes, they armed themselves and jumped before grabbing their enemies and knocking them into the ground. The attack continues until one of them is unable to continue to battle. Finally, Iruka stopped them and said, "You've all done well so far, keep up the good work. Now its time for the final phase of this exam. You are all confident enough to handle this one before graduation so get moving. I want to see you all do your best out there." He then turned to Naruto and said, "As for you, well, even though you didn't pass the infiltration exam, you better not screw up this final phase of the exam or else you are not going to graduate. I want to see you do a clean fight out there, kid. Now go get them!"

With that, everyone lined up for the final phase of the exam and many of them took their fighting stances. Once Iruka gave the signal, they all charged towards each other and attacked. They fought with all their might and used whatever weapons they had in order to graduate because their future was now decided for each and every single one of them. The exams were to test the skills of the students in order to see if they have what it takes to face new difficult missions in other regions outside of konoha. So by the time the exams concluded, everyone gathered back in the academy for some rest and relaxation except for Naruto, who had gone off somewhere.

Iruka then paused for a moment and went outside to search for the kid, but no matter where he looked, he couldn't find naruto anywhere. So he decided to head over to the Hokage tower to see if he was there. Once Iruka arrives at the tower, he knocked on the door and entered, "Hokage-sama, have you seen naruto-san anywhere? He was supposed to show up for the graduation ceremony earlier this evening but I couldn't find him anywhere. I just hope that he isn't in any danger."

"Iruka, Naruto was here just a few minutes ago and took some sort of a scroll with him to the forest. I don't know why he wanted that thing but he did remember telling me that Mizuki wanted it for something important. At that moment, I knew something was up so I sent some reinforcements after Naruto. He should be somewhere in the forest." Said the Hokage with a look of worry on his face.

"Oh god! Naruto, what have you gotten yourself into this time? You know taking the scroll is strictly forbidden. Mizuki must not find out about your secrets since they are all in there. Hang on, kid. I am coming! Mizuki, what are you really planning? Have you seriously betrayed us in order to endanger that kid's life? Well, I am coming to put an end to your plans once and for all." Thought iruka as he dashed off into the forest to find Naruto.

As the kid travelled deep into the forest and into an abandoned house, he finds Mizuki waiting for him. At this point, there was no turning back now since the child wants to know what that man wants to know with the scroll.

"Nice of you to show up, you little brat! And I see you've brought the scroll with you. You are proving to be even more of a threat to me since I met you back in the academy. Now be a good little boy and hand that thing over to me." Said Mizuki with an evil glint on his face.

"First of all, tell me why you want this scroll. Wait, don't tell me you want to find out all the secrets about my past, aren't you? Well you can forget about it! There is no way you are revealing to everyone about my past. I had a feeling you would be playing a trick on me and Iruka was right, I shouldn't have trusted you." Replied naruto。

"Oh! You are pretty smart for an adolescent brat. But you are too late to do anything about it now. Besides, I already know about what your father did to you before he passed on. He wanted to ensure that you were the only person who could protect Konoha with your life, but it seems you failed at keeping that promise. You thought that your dad wanted you to become a hero in his place? Ha! He is even more of a fool than I thought because for a guy like him, he only wants you to endanger other people's lives for your own benefit; even Iruka was using you for his own benefit as well. You are the most feared out of all the people here in Konoha and everyone despises you a lot. Now hand the scroll over to me like a good little boy." Continued Mizuki. He already had that evil look on his face as he prepared to attack naruto.

"Forget it, if you want the scroll, come and get me you senile old fool!" yelled Naruto as he dashed out of the forest.

"I will make you regret those words, you little demon brat!" yelled Mizuki as he tossed a couple of kunai knives at the child, but naruto used his hands and stopped them from piercing him. Mizuki then flung a couple of shurikens at the child which injured him on his knee and his chest. As the child collapses in pain, the instructor charged towards him and landed some fatal punches and beatings on him, nearly knocking him out cold.

"You…. You will not get away with this, you filthy vermin! I will never let you have the scroll no matter what it takes. Just wait, you will get the punishment you deserve for betraying this village," shouted Naruto before he loses consciousness.

"Too late, Naruto. You've already fulfilled your end of the bargain. Now, prepare to die!" shouted Mizuki as he prepares to end Naruto's life. Before the blade strikes, Iruka suddenly jumped in and knocked his old friend away from the kid.

"What? Iruka, how did you get here? What exactly are you planning?" called Mizuki while he prepares his lethal weapon.

"I had a feeling you would betray us, Mizuki. The Hokage told me everything that has happened thus far. I don't know what kind of a sick game you are planning but you will never get the scroll away from here, not in a million years."said Iruka before taking his fighting stance.

"This doesn't concern you, Iruka! That child is the demon and you are defending him? You must be out of your mind protecting that brat. I think I should end your life right here and now." continued Mizuki as his evil smile continued to grow.

"Get away from here Naruto! Run as far as you can, and no matter what happens, don't give the scroll to him. I know that deep down you are not evil okay? You are just an innocent bystander who has suffered too much here already!" yelled iruka.

"Shut up, you pathetic loser!" shouted Mizuki as he tossed his weapons at his old friend causing many of them to injure him. With Iruka pinned down, Mizuki gave chase after the child while disguising himself as the old friend he knew for such a long time. This time, Naruto knew exactly what Mizuki told him but didn't want to believe it. Once he was out of the abandoned area, he could see the white haired chunin following him.

"Naruto, Mizuki is playing a trick on you since he only cares about himself and no one else. He already has figured out about your past. Now if you want to avoid further embarrassment, hand the scroll over to me and we can forget about this whole thing that has happened. I care about you a lot and I don't want you to take the fall for what that traitor is doing. Just give me the scroll and I promise that nothing will happen to you." Said Iruka.

"Nice try, faker! But I am not falling for your little tricks！You can fool me all you want but I can see right through your little lies." Shouted Naruto as he charged towards the teacher and attacked with brute force before he hits the trees.

"What? How….. How did you figure out I am not Iruka? How were you able to escape my trap?" said a weakened Mizuki after disabling his disguise.

"You thought you could try to stop me with that puny little trick? I always knew that you lie through your teeth and now I know better than to trust a sewer scum like you. This scroll stays with me and you are not getting your hands on it." Continued naruto while he activates his sharingan eye.

"He's right, naruto knows all your moves before you even make them. I doubt that you have the power to stop him this time since I know the kid when he first arrived at the academy. He is destined to be a hero and nothing will change his mind about his true goal. You can try and destroy his dreams of becoming hokage, Mizuki, but you will never ruin his reputation as a ninja. You've underestimated his skills already and there is no escape for you." Finished Iruka before he continues to fight his friend.

"How dare you! You still think your bond with him is strong? You think your friendship and courage will save him? You are even more naïve than I first though iruka!" yelled Mizuki as he continued attacking and dealing blows to his friend. Naruto watched with frustration as he watches his teacher being pummeled to the ground. He then sat down behind a tree bark and thought to himself. "Maybe Mizuki was right. Iruka has underestimated my skills and belittled me. Maybe I am just not cut out to be a shinobi right now. After everything that has happened to me, I am better off dead than alive,"

Mizuki then charged towards naruto face to face and prepared to take the scroll, but Iruka suddenly said, "naruto, you have what it takes to be a ninja and I would never underestimate you. You are truly something else all together since the first day I met you in the academy, but I don't think everyone hates you and your skills will lead you to a brighter future. I've seen how well you did at the academy because you've proven yourself to be an excellent shinobi. Futhermore, that child isn't the demon, he is Uzumaki naruto, the hero of Konoha!"

Tears started to drop from Naruto's face as he heard those words from his teacher. But Mizuki was disgusted at what his old childhood friend was saying and so he pulled out a giant shuriken. "I've had enough of your nonsense, Iruka. You may think that child is special, but he won't be after I end his life. Say goodbye, Naruto! You are going to die anyway, what's the point of letting you live?"

"Run naruto! Take cover immediately!" yelled Iruka. Naruto darted towards safety before the spinning blade could hit him. As Naruto covered his eyes, he could see his teacher shielding him from the attack while he took the hit.

"Iruka, why did you protect me?" asked Naruto.

As Iruka was gravely injured, he then looked at the child and said, "naruto, I am so sorry for not taking good care of you. I was too careless. I had been thinking about myself and not you. When I was younger, I also had been stubborn as well and didn't care about school work, but now I know better. It must be hurting for you not to have a family, right? I can understand that. But you should not take the burden for everything that has happened to you." He then carefully removed the giant shuriken off his back and tossed it aside before facing Mizuki.

"Hmm! You think you can save him? What a load of bull! This has become quite an amusement, but now its time to end this. Take this, you demon brat!" yelled Mizuki as he tossed another one of the giant shurikens towards him, but naruto activates his sharingan eye and used his hand to redirect the blade deep into the woods while shearing off a tree branch.

"If you dare lay a hand on my sensei and my father-figure. I will personally end your life right here and now!" yelled naruto in a fit of rage.

"Let's see you try, you little brat! Show me what you got!" boomed Mizuki while taking his fighting stance. Naruto then snuck behind Mizuki and then knocked him off the trees and onto the ground, hard. Iruka watched with amazement and thought, "This child truly is something else all together mastering the infiltration technique this quickly. I just never knew he had it in him."

Soon, Shikaku, Tsume, and her dogs arrived on the scene and sees iruka sitting down while injured. They then tend to his injuries while watching Naruto battling Mizuki.

"Iruka-san, we heard about what happened and came as quickly as we could. So Mizuki really wants that scroll eh? I had a feeling that this would happen sooner or later." Said Tsume.

"Thank goodness you guys showed up, if you didn't I would have been finished for sure." Said Iruka weakly.

"It's troublesome, but The Hokage sent us out here to bring naruto back to the village in one piece. As for Mizuki, I think that guy deserves a good beating after what he did to you." put in Shikaku.

Naruto then activates his most powerful attack which sends Mizuki into another realm bounded and tied up. He then unleashes his clones and prepared to end Mizuki' life. "No, don't do this to me! What is this? Let me out of this nightmare!" he pleaded. But there was no way for him to escape from this world as the clones charged towards Mizuki, he could only let out a loud scream as he took the beatings and fatal blows.

Afterwards, Naruto then carried the battered Mizuki towards Shikaku and Tsume before tending to his teacher and asked, "Are you okay, Iruka? I hope your injuries are not too serious."

"Naruto, I am fine, thank you for saving my life. I saw what you did out there and I think its time I give you something that you deserved for a long time." Said Iruka.

Back in the village, all the other shinobi were getting worried about Naruto and Iruka. So they wanted a search party to find him, but the Hokage approached them and said, "There is no need for worry, my friends. Naruto will be back for sure, I promise."

"Sensei, can I open my eyes now?" asked Naruto.

"Okay, now you can open them. Congratulations kid, you have officially graduated from the academy. Now to celebrate, I think we should all go out to eat tonight, my treat!" said Iruka.

Naruto was surprised after seeing the leaf headband on his forehead. But moreover, he was finally happy to be graduating from the academy and embraced his teacher in a hug. Iruka winced in pain after the kid jumped onto him but decided to hug him back in the same manner. Tsume and Shikaku watched with smiles on their faces and embraced Naruto in a hug as well. The Hokage watched with a smile on his face after seeing the kid graduate. With the leaf headband, the kid was officially ready to prepare himself for some dangerous missions, new tasks and of course, new foes to deal with. This is just the beginning of a new life for the child after his long term training so the roads are going to be tough for him. His true test officially begins now.

**And stop. Well, this chapter was a long one and it took me a while to tell about Mizuki's evil plans to steal the scroll. But now that he has been defeated, I do believe Naruto is out of danger and he is ready to be placed into teams now and get assigned a jonin instructor as well. Now that naruto has officially become a ninja, what new challenges and training regiments will he face with his friends? What sort of new danger awaits him? All the answers will be revealed in the next chapter. Please read and enjoy and I will see you all next time.**


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Naruto, Adventure, Drama