Naruto 1. Chapter 1

_**The Hidden Truth**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Naruto or it's characters, if I did, Sakura will be dead and Naruto woul__d be the ultimate Uke._

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_**Prologue:**_

_Konohagakure_

_Hokage's office_

Four masked figures stood stoically in front of the Hokage, postures straight and deadly intent rolling off of them in waves. The shortest of the four took a step forward, fistclenched at his side. "They can't do that! Why are you letting them have this much control? It isn't fair that _Karasu_-sama has to be banished for a mission that they assigned us to complete." Blue eyes glowed ominously, "Why did you give us this mission? Did we not suffer enough already? Why must _Karasu_-sama be force to suffer more?"

As the youngest ANBU continued to rant, Sarutobi Hiruzen bowed his head. He agreed with everything the young one said. He allowed _Hyou_ to speak freely. As the tirade came to an end, the elderly leader raised his head a bit and sighed at the sight that met his eyes. _Karasu_ was standing in front of _Hyou_ while _Ryuu_ and _Tora_ stood on either side of the small boy, each holding him, comforting him, as his body shook, sobs spilling free, muffled because of the mask he wore.

"_Hyou_." _Karasu_ whispered, arms tightening around the small, quivering form. "It'll be alright."

Not being able to stomach the sight of the boys in front of him, Sarutobi turned his attention towards the window. The words _Hyou_ spoke echoed within his mind, the truth behind each word piercing his heart like a thousand needles. _'It's time I take back control. I'm just sorry it had to come to this in order for me to act like the leader I am and not just a figurehead the elders would have me be.' _Glancing at the four, Sarutobi squared his shoulders. "Remove your mask. I have something I wish to say and I want to say it to your faces."

_Karasu_ took a step away from _Hyou_, turning on his heels, he turned to face the village leader. while _Ryuu_ and _Tora_ straightened themselves up and _Hyou_ sniffed. The four of them raised their arms, untied the knot binding the mask and pulled it from their face. With the mask removed, four young boys were revealed. Two of the males had ebony hair and eyes, the third had grayish-silver and gray eyes while the last was blond with red streaks and had iridescent colored eyes.

Uchiha Itachi, Miyamoto Sai, Miyamoto Shin, Namikaze Naruto, but to the public he was known as Uzumaki Naruto and the last to make up this team was Uchiha Shisui, who was killed in action a few weeks previous, something the team was still coping with. Together the five were known as, _Konoha no Gogyo Kijin. Konoha's Five element demons._ Each one was able to control a certain element with deadly force and the way they're able to combine elements and have them cooperate, even when they shouldn't, was what gave them the moniker.

"I'm sorry for the pain that you must be feeling." Sarutobi whispered, closing his eyes. "You four are so young yet you have suffered more then most seasoned shinobi's. First with the death of your friend and teammate." At the implied member, Naruto and Itachi stiffened. "Now your most recent mission and what Itachi had to do. Life hasn't been kind to you, but know that I'll make sure change happens." The four ANBU's glanced at their leader, seeing the light in his eyes, they stared at him, "It's about time I take back the mantle of Hokage. I'll be the leader Konoha needs and not the figurehead the elders want me to be. And I'm sorry it took me this long to stand up for you. Had I done something sooner, I could have prevented what you had to do."

Naruto bit his lips, quailing the quiver, as he stared at the elderly Hokage. "What's done can't be undone." the blond whispered, lowering his head. "I can't believe, even for a second, that they were planning a coup. I mean Itachi lives there and I spent most of my time at the compound, you'd think we'd be able to tell if they had been planning something. Especially a coup."

"I didn't want to believe it as well, Naruto-kun, but my ANBU's gave the evidence required, I'm just sorry it had to be you four to carry out the mission." The four lowered their heads. "Itachi, I must apologize for the weight I have to put on you. If there was another way, I would use it, but there isn't."

Naruto stiffened, while Sai and Shin grasped his shoulders and Itachi interlaced their fingers. "I understand Hokage-sama. I'm ready to accept any mission you give me, including this one." The ebony haired male glanced at the blond briefly before returning his attention towards the Sandaime. "I will communicate, via letters or summons, through Naruto and he will relate them to you."

Sarutobi nodded his head. "I'll give you a moment to say your goodbyes, after that you need to turn in your mask and to be out of the village before anyone finds out what happened." Itachi nodded his head and turned his attention towards his teammates. All three of them looked depressed and on the verge of doing something illegal.

"I want the both of you," Itachi started, glancing at Sai and Shin, "to watch yours, and, each others backs while you're with Danzo. There's no telling just how far he can sink to get what he wants. Also, watch Naruto for me as well. He's a trouble magnet after all." Sai and Shin smiled and nodded their heads while Naruto pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "As for you Naruto..."

The blond focused his attention on his best friend. Itachi smiled and reached a hand out, caressing the small boys face. "Itachi..."

"Watch out for Shin and Sai as well, but above all else, I'm placing my brothers protection in your hands, alright, Can you protect that foolish brat for me?" Naruto nodded his head. "I'm going to miss you Naruto." Pulling the child into his arms, Itachi hugged him, ignoring the wetness he could feel through his outfit along with the trembling of the boys body. "Take care of each other." he whispered. stepping away from the blond, he glanced at his teammates with a nod of his head. With a sigh, he approached the desk and gently sat his mask on the surface. "Watch over the four of them Hokage-sama. As well as Sasuke. I'm leaving them in your hands now." was the last thing he said before vanishing from the room.

Not being able to suppress his feelings anymore. Naruto collapsed in sobs, while Sai and Shin tried to comfort the boy. Glancing towards their leader, they asked if they could leave. Not being able to deny them there request, he nodded his head, watching as the youngest ANBU's in Konoha's history disappeared from the room. Lowering his head, Sarutobi felt nothing but grief and regret for the pain he'd bestowed upon four children, five if you included Itachi's younger brother. '_What would you have done, Minato?'_

–_-_

_**ANBU MASK**_

_**Naruto: Hyou**__: Panther_

_**Itachi: Karasu:**__ Crow_

_**Sai: Ryuu: **__Dragon_

_**Shin: Tora: **__Tiger_

_**Shisui: Washi: **__Eagle_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hidden from sight**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ If I owned Naruto. Ino would've been placed with Naruto and Sasuke. All the boys would be fighting for Naruto's affection. Akatsuki would be alive and taking orders from Naruto. And Sakura would've been killed by Gaara. So obviously, I don't own Naruto, nor the characters involved in this series. _

**_Notes: _**_For those of you who've read my original version, **'The Hidden Truth****' **there will be some changes done to it. Aside from events being added and changed around, I also took some things out of the story. A major change done is the pairings. I've changed the pairings and the relationships in which some people regarded each other. The first is, Itachi and Naruto, I love this pairing, but because of the direction I'm taking this story in now, they'll be close, yes, but their bond and the love they'll feel for each other will be platonic. _

_The more notable changes take affect in the next chapter. _

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_**Chapter 1**_

Naruto stood in front of the Hokage, dressed in a white kimono with _Jugatsuzakura _blossoms seemingly blowing across black checkerboard patterns. From where he sat, the Sandaime saw that the boy was also wearing a white _Nagajuban. _Around his waist, in the same Autumn color as the blossoms decorating his kimono, was an obi. On his feet were a pair of black geta sandals with reddish-orange straps. His long blond hair hung loosely down his back while red bangs caressed either side of his face and eyes emotionless, as they calmly observed him.

"I have a mission for you Naruto-kun." The elderly man placed his elbows on the table, placing his head upon the interlaced fingers as he stared at the boy in front of him. "This is in regard to Itachi's request." At the name. Naruto stared at Sarutobi with a flicker of surprise. "I'm sending you to the academy as an undercover student where you'll have a reason to be around the boy. And when you're not busy at the academy, you'll still be doing ANBU missions and such."

Naruto nodded his head. "Alright."

Sarutobi sighed. "Naruto, I'm very sorry for how things turned out, you do know that, don't you?" the elderly man could tell that the blond child was up to something, but what it was, he couldn't say, but whatever it is, he wouldn't object to it. He owed the blond that much.

The feminine boy lowered his head, eyes staring at the ground before turning his attention back towards the Hokage with a nod of his head. "I know, Hokage-sama. I forgive you." Offering the Sarutobi head a small smile, the blond folded his hands behind his back, "So, when are you planning on confronting the elders?"

"Soon."

Turning his head to the ground, Naruto frowned, "When you do confront them, I wish to be present." It wasn't a question, and he wasn't asking for permission, it was a statement, one that he wouldn't allow to be denied. Not bothering to wait for a response, Naruto bowed his head. "Hokage-sama." he murmured, before disappearing from the room.

Shaking his head, Sarutobi grabbed his pipe and lit it, "So much like your parents Naruto." with a fond smile the Sandaime placed the pipe in his mouth, inhaling several times. "You'd be proud of the boy your son is growing up to be, but he still has a ways to go." Chuckling, the elderly man picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. _'Miyasato-san wants a team to do her laundry.'_ With a scoff, Sarutobi grabbed a stamp and pressed it on the paper, a red '_Denied'_ was seen before it was flipped over and another paper was picked up. "I really need to find a new successor. I'm getting to old for this job." he grumbled.

Sasuke turned dull eyes towards the door and blinked at the person standing there. "Naru?" he whispered, shifting in the bed, he moved to sit up. "What are you doing here?"

"Sasuke." The blond murmured stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "I have something to tell you but it has to be kept a secret. Pretend that you don't know anything, it would be a lot safer for you until you become a genin at least." Running through several seals, he pulled out a sealed paper and slammed the glowing parchment onto the wall causing it to glow briefly before it was absorbed into the wall. He knew he would have to eventually let the Hokage know what he was up to, but he wouldn't until he had to.

"What was that?"

Waving an arm, the blond walked towards the bed and took a seat beside the taller boy, "Just a silencing seal. It would ensure that whatever we say in this room won't be heard by anyone outside these walls."

Sasuke nodded his head and leaned back against the pillow, dark eyes stared at the small blond boy. He met the younger boy by mistake. He returned home early and saw Naruto with his mom, at first he had mistaken the feminine boy for a girl; not that Naruto had bothered to correct him until months after their first meeting. He had been embarrassed and upset. He discovered soon after that the entire village, except for the elite shinobi's, thought he was a girl and he did nothing to correct them. "What did you want to ralk to me about?"

"Itachi..." Naruto stopped when the younger Uchiha male stiffened, narrowing his eyes at the name. He should have known this was about Itachi. Naruto and Itachi were close, always had been and he suppose, the younger will always care for his older brother no matter what he has done.

"He had a reason for what he did. Before I tell you anything else, you need to swear to secrecy Sasuke. What I'm about to tell you is top secret, rank S. Not even Hokage-sama is aware that I'm telling you this. He wanted to keep this from you, but I believe you have the right to know the truth. So promise." He flashed the older male a searching look, "Promise you won't speak a word of what I'm about to tell you. Not to anyone."

Knowing this was important, Sasuke nodded his head, "I promise, I won't speak a word of this to anyone. I swear it upon my Uchiha blood." The dark haired boy narrowed his eyes. Whatever Naruto was about to tell him, had to be important and for him, an ANBU, to go behind the Hokage's back to tell him whatever it is he was about to, warrant a vow by blood to keep.

"Itachi was ordered to eradicate the clan. Evidence were reported that the Uchiha clan was planning a coup against the village and in order to protect the village, Itachi did what any loyal shinobi would do." Closing his eyes, Naruto lowered his head, "He killed that threat."

Sasuke stared wide eye. "No." The boy shook his head. "They couldn't. Otou-san, Okaa-san, they would never..." tears welled up. Naruto leaned over and wrapped his arms around the older boy. "How could they?" the older boy nearly wailed in anguish. He couldn't understand how his clan, his family, would turn traitor to the very village that they wished to protect. They were the ones who hammered loyalty to the family but loyalty to the village above all else. How could a clan who believed in this wish to destroy the very place they wanted to protect.

Naruto hushed the boy, whispering words of comfort into the eight year old boys ears. After the dark haired boy calmed down, the blond told him everything else that he knew about the event that just took place. "I'm going to help you train alright? And, Sasuke, just remember, you have to act like you hate Itachi. He's the monster who killed your clan. You must not bring unneeded attention to yourself by acting nonchalant about what happened to your family."

"I'll try." Sasuke promised.

Naruto smiled, "That's good enough." the blond got to his feet. "Rest now Sasuke. Tomorrow your training begins." Sasuke nodded his head as he watched the blond deactivate the seals before leaving the room with a wave.

As soon as he was out of the room and the door closed, Naruto leaned against the wall, head lowered. "Koto-ba-chan, Gaku-ji-chan." Naruto mumbled, gnawing on his lower lips, "Why?" Soft sobs caused the blond to flinch, "Sasuke..." Blue eyes glanced at the door, After a few moments, the blond sighed, knowing not to disturb the boy. Pushing away from the wall, he made familiar hand seals before vanishing from the hall.

_**-00-**_

Ever since that hospital visit, Naruto had taken every possible free moment he could be spared, to help improve Sasuke's abilities. The only ones who knew about what he had done was Sai and Shin who had no objections with their leaders younger brother knowing the truth. Beside they needed at least one more person to complete their team, and out of anyone, they would prefer to have Sasuke.

"Good job, Sasuke." Naruto complimented, nodding his head towards the young Uchiha. "Good form and good endurance but you can do better then that." Crossing his arms over his chest, the blond gazed at the older male, "As far as your technique goes, it's good and I have no doubts that you'll improve on it as the years pass. All in all, for an academy student, I say you have enough skills to surpass most genin level shinobi. By the time your a genin I bet you'll be a match for most chunin and low leveled jounin."

Sasuke smiled at the praise plopping down on the grassy hill. Dark eyes stared at the bright sky before dragging his attention towards his companion, "What do you suggest I do to improve my speed and endurance?"

Naruto glanced at the older boy with a small smile, "I can make you a gravity seal." Seeing the confused look he was getting, the blond smile widened, "The seal will be placed on your chest and when it's activated it will act like invisible weights. You'd be fighting against your own weight and once you are able to move, such as walking and running, we'll start training and once you're able to do that, I'll increase the number." Sasuke nodded his head, "Imagine, if you're fast with the seals on, you'll be even faster with them deactivated." The feminine male ran a finger through his hair, "Come on, let's go eat!"

_**A week and a half later**_

_With Naruto_

He couldn't believe this was actually happening. I mean don't get him wrong, he knew it was going to happen, but knowing about it and having it happen were two different things. Turning he glared at his two friends who were snickering at him. "Shut up." he demanded, lips forming a scowl at the two, which did nothing but cause Sai and Shin to coo at how cute the blond looked. "I can't believe I have to go to the academy, I mean, I didn't even attend the academy when I had to."

Sai and Shin smiled at their friends. Aside from Itachi, none of them had gone to the academy. Naruto had been taken to ANBU HQ when he was four after a particular bad beating. The female ANBU members had taken to the blond child and started dressing him up in female attire and taught him the kunoichi arts. When the males found out, they were horrified and started teaching him how to be a man, but by then it was too late. In compensation, Naruto combined the two arts into one. He was sinful, graceful and could seduce the pants off of anyone, male and female. He made for a deadly opponent when needed and if that wasn't enough, Ibiki and Inoichi had also got their hands on the blond and taught him the arts of interrogation.

"Hey," A chuckle escaped the gray haired boy, "At least you'll be unique." At the looks he was getting from his two friends, Shin smiled, "Bingo books feared B-class shinobi, Koganeirohyou, who can bring armies to their knees and seduce anyone despite their gender, is nothing but an academy student. Can you just imagine the faces your past foes will have. I can, and it's hilarious."

Sai snorted, shaking his head, a smile curling his lips while Naruto huffed, grabbing a pillow and throwing it towards Shin, who laughed and dodged. "Shut up." the blond crossed his arms, a pout forming on his face. "It's not funny." he whined, cutely, causing his two friends to smile at the sight. "How am I suppose to behave. The only person I've ever hung out with that wasn't part of the ANBU corps is Sasu, and he doesn't exactly act as a child, now does he?" Turning the blue eyed boy checked the time, and promptly had a panic attack. "I'm going to be late!" he screeched, running towards his desk, he slipped on a pair of white boots before grabbing his satchel from the chair. "I'll see you two later." he yelled, taking off.

"I guess it's back to root we go." Shin grunted. "I hate that stupid, not-so-secret, underground base, it's just plain creepy." Sai hummed his agreement as he got to his feet, holding out a hand for the smaller male to take. "Thanks."

Sai nodded, "Let's go." he stated, releasing Shin's hand. "The last thing we need, or want, is Danzo finding us suspicious and then placing trackers on us. Though Fu and Torune are alright as far as drones go. I think those two have more personality then the others."

"If only we could find a way to be alone with those two, we can find a way to bring that seal on them. Those two will be a big help in the long run, aside from the fact that Danzo trust those two above anyone else, even us."

Sai sighed, "I'm sure if we told Naruto, he would know of a way to free those two. We just have to remember to ask him about it." Giving a nod of his head in understanding, the two raised their hands in a familiar set of seals before vanishing from the room in a poof of smoke.

_**Shinobi Academy**_

Naruto sighed as he entered the building, ignoring the looks he received from the people around him. He wondered the halls until he came to the room he was told to report to. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. A soft 'enter' was heard through the wooden surface, and the blond trailed his hand across the door to the handle and slid it open. Peeking his head into the room, he stared at the brunet chunin standing at the chalkboard. "uh, Umino Iruka-sensei?"

At the sound of the voice, the class turned towards the speaker. Wolf whistles and cat calls were issued from the boys, well the more immature ones while most of the girls whispered to each other, shooting venomous glares towards the petite figure, while glancing towards Sasuke, hoping he wasn't interested in the new competition.

"Yes." the brunet nodded his head. "That's me. How can I help you?"

The blond smiled and stepped into the room. "I'm sure Sandaime-sama already informed you, but I'm the new student. Uzumaki Naruto." At hearing the name, the scarred chunin flushed in embarrassment, he had forgotten, but it was understandable. He knew how busy the young man was. "Would you like me to introduce myself to the class?"

Iruka nodded his head. "Class, we have a new student joining us, as you can see. So I want you to be on your best behavior and not cause any trouble." Giving the class, what could only be described as 'the evil eye' he motioned to the blond to speak, shooting a warning look towards the occasional muttered curses the girls would utter towards their friends in regards to the new student.

Sasuke lowered his head, hiding the smile that threatened to blossom on his face at the sight of his friend. 'Only Naruto would come to school dressed like that.' The Uchiha thought fondly, glancing at the pretty blond standing by the door. Dressed in white hakama's and a white haori with the _Jugatsuzakura _pattern decorating the left collar and sleeves. Tied around his waist was a long. flowing, brunt orange obi. His long hair was pulled into a loose braid, falling over his right shoulder while iridescent colored eyes scanned the room. All in all, Naruto resembled an angel.

Sasuke shook his head. 'Yeah, an angel until you piss him off.' the brunet hid a smile. 'Then he's like a fallen angel. Or maybe the devil, depending how pissed he is.'

"Konnichiwa minna-san, hajimemashite. Watashi wa Uzumaki Naruto desu, dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu." the blond flashed a smile at the students causing all the boys to blush and most of the girls to glare. "Let's see my likes are training, fuinjutsu, kenjutsu and hanging out with friends. My dislikes are bullies, fan girls, and even fan boys, those who wish to hurt my friends and the people precious to me. As for hobbies, I like working on my kenjutsu style and making new seals. My dreams and future goals are presently unknown."

Iruka nodded his head, "Thank you for that lovely introduction Naruto, let's see where you can sit, shall we." Looking around the class, the chunin motioned towards the chair beside a stoic looking boy wearing black sunglasses. "Oh, you can take the empty seat beside Aburame Shino. Can you please raise your hand Shino?"

Doing as asked, the stoic male raised his hand ignoring the glares the other male students were giving him while observing the kimono clad new student. There was something off about this 'girl' his bugs told him so.

"Hi, Shino right?" the blond questioned

Nodding the Aburame heir adjusted his shades, "Yes." the stoic male inclined his head in greeting before returning his attention to the front of the class after all it wouldn't be a good idea to get caught talking to the new student with Mizuki eying them like he is.

Mizuki glared at the blond before turning his attention towards the rest of the class with a smile that would even have Sai cringing at how obviously fake it was, not that anyone could tell unless they could tell the difference between what's real and what's not. "Would someone please tell our new student what we were learning before her arrival?"

Hands shot up in the air and Mizuki randomly pointed to someone, who stood and flashed the 'girl' a wide smile, "We were going to learn about the different villages and countries, the leaders and some famous shinobi from said villages."

"Right Akio." Iruka smiled, "So let's start with the five major villages and the countries that said villages are in."

Sasuke turned and stared bored at the teachers, "Konohagakure in the land of fire, Kirigakure in the land of water, Sunagakure in the land of wind, Kumogakure in the land of lightning, Iwagakure in the land of earth."

Iruka nodded his head, "That's right. Very good Sasuke."

Squeals and female chatter broke out at that while the males either glared at the Uchiha muttering about a show off or rolling their eyes at the females reaction.

"Can some of you name the smaller countries surrounding the five major villages?" the brunet questioned and frowned when no one made any move to answer. "Anybody?" all the girls, and a few of the boys, glanced at their obsession.

Naruto wanted to roll his eyes but refrained from doing such a thing. He had to remember, despite majority of the people in the class being older then he is, they hadn't been raised in ANBU, and were just learning the geography of the Nations. Shooting a look towards Sasuke to see if the boy was going to speak, he was met by a discreet head shake from the older male. So with a sigh, he raised his hands.

Iruka blinked when he saw the new students hands in the air. He like the rest of the adults knew who the blond was but unlike everyone else who had seen him, he knew the blue eyes boy though feminine in appearance was in fact a boy, having been one of the boy's caretakers when he was a baby. He smiled, "Yes Naruto?"

"They're quite a few other countries that borders the major five shinobi countries, do you want me to name them all, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka blinked, "As much as you know." the chunin stated with a nod.

With one last glance towards Sasuke, who offered a small smile at him in encouragement, Naruto inhaled, "Takigakure, Kusagakure, Tanigakure, Yugakure, the former Uzushiogakure, Amegakure, Yukigakure, Yumegakure, Tsukigakure..." Naruto stopped when another voice started naming the countries he had yet to name, and turned in his seat to stare at the lazy looking student who was staring at him in interest.

"Shimogakure, Getsugakure, Ichigakure, Soragakure, Hoshigakure, and Moyagakure." Shikamaru finished. "Those are the minor hidden villages but there leaders are addressed as such and not a Kage. Aside from those there are the countries in which those villages reside in." his lazy drawl-like voice caused a tick to form on Naruto's forehead.

A beaming smile was flashed at Naruto and Shikamaru, "That's right, and like Shikamaru said, there are some minor countries can anyone name some of those?" the brunet faced the rest of the class with an expected look.

"Ta no kuni, Cha no kuni, Kawa no kuni and Tetsu no kuni." Shino replied adjusting his glasses.

Nodding Iruka asked if anyone else knew some.

Naruto shot a look towards Sasuke, who upon seeing it, inwardly sighed before speaking up, knowing if he didn't at least name a few, he'd never hear the end of it when they got together later for training. "Kuma no kuni, Kaze no kuni, Nami no kuni, Na no kuni and Shimo no kuni.

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru who rose an eyebrow as if he was silently challenging him and with a scowl, the blond faced the academy instructor, a voice in his head mocked him for being taunted by an academy student but he pushed that voice away, as he began naming some, "Uzu no kuni, Tori no kuni, Sora no kuni, Umi no kuni, Numa no kuni, Tsuki no kuni, ..." and like before Shikamaru cut him off with a hidden smirk at the glare the blond threw at him.

"Kuba no kuni, Oni no kuni, Tsume no kuni, Kiba no kuni, Yama no kuni,..."

Shikamaru flashed a smirked of interest towards the new student, this was the first time he ever felt challenged by another student and he wasn't about to be upstaged by anyone, let along someone younger then him. He may be lazy, but even he had his pride. "...Mori no kuni, Nami no kuni,..."

"Hayashi no kuni, Tanima no kuni, An no kuni Kagi no kuni..." He didn't care how childish this was, he wasn't about to lose to an academy student.

"... Mitsu no kuni" they shouted at the same time.

Silence rang out as the students glanced from the new student to the laziest student in the academy in shock. No one had ever seen Shikamaru that lively before he was either sleeping or watching clouds because he found everything too troublesome, some people had speculated that if eating wasn't a necessity then he'd find that to much work as well.

After getting over his surprise, Iruka smiled and nodded his head, "Shikamaru, I'm happy to see that you're actually paying attention today and getting answers right. Good for you!"

Shikamaru sighed and placed his head back on the table. He had no idea what came over him, but when he saw how smart this Naruto was, he thought that there would finally be someone who can push him to study harder. Not that he cared much for grades or the like it's just that he liked knowing things about the people around him encase he ever had to work with them in the future.

Naruto groaned and slid down in his seat. He couldn't believe he had just done something like that. He was an ANBU captain and here he was trying to out match an academy student. He inwardly glared when a chuckle was heard in the recesses of his mind and with held urge to scowl. It would seem that Kyuubi was awake from his nap.

_**"Now kit, I resent that. It sounds like you want nothing to do with me, and that hurts my feelings."**_

Naruto rolled his eyes inwardly, '_Kyuubi not now.'_

_**"But kit, this is positively great. I mean, how can an ANBU member get demoted all the way back to being in the academy. That's priceless. So whose idea was it? Itachi's I bet."**_

Blue eyes narrowed a bit, _'I'll talk to you later Kyuu alright. Right now isn't a good time'_

Naruto could practically feel the pout the feared demon fox was emitting and hid a smile. Sometimes it was hard to think of Kyuubi as evil when the demon in question was physically a few years older then Itachi and acted like a child most of the time.

"_**Fine kit, I see how it is. I sleep for a **__**little over a **__**week and when I'm finally awake and want to talk to my container, you ignore me and tell me it's not a good time." **_

The blond rolled his eyes, _'I'm sorry Kyuu, but I still can't talk to you right now. After class I'll tell you what you missed. And why I'm in the academy, okay.'_

"_**Sounds good kit, I'll talk to you later then." **_

Closing the mental connection he had with his inner demon, he tuned in to what his teacher was saying and groaned when he heard the gray haired chunin asking a history questions about the third great shinobi war. He tilted his head, eyes automatically searching for his only friend in the room, and rolled his eyes at the amusement that he felt emitting from the youngest Uchiha.

"...great shinobi war there was a bridge that had been vital to Iwagakure line of supply. Can any one tell me the name of this bridge? Where it's located? And what happened to it?"

Everyone blinked and stared at Mizuki before glancing towards Sasuke who looked annoyed at the eyes boring into his body. From the corner of his eyes, Naruto looked at Shino, who he knew was smart and most likely knew what bridge the teacher was talking about but wasn't going to make an effort to say anything. Shaking his head, he knew it was a typical of an Aburame, they only talk when they feel like it. Turning in his seat he stared at the Nara who had his eyes closed. And scowled. That was typical for a male Nara as well. Sleeping.

"No one." Iruka looked around and sighed, these students really should study more. He glanced towards the pink haired girl who usually knew all the answers only to sigh when he saw that, like most of the females, she was to busy staring at the Uchiha to pay any attention to the questions that were being asked. "We talked about the third shinobi war a few weeks ago. You need to start paying attention or you won't pass the exam at the end of the year, which means you won't be promoted to the fourth year."

Mizuki opened his mouth to add something when Naruto decided he didn't want to listen to another lecture. He slanted a glare towards Sasuke knowing the reason he didn't answer the question, wasn't because he didn't know the answer, it was the irritation he felt from his peers and the way they always looked to him, as if he was their savior or something. "The Kannabi-kyo, the bridge where the gods do not help." At the sound of his voice, every eye was drawn towards him. "It was located somewhere in Kusagakure. During the third Shinobi war, this bridge was destroyed by the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his students."

With a pleased smile, Iruka nodded his head, "Thank you Naruto. I'm happy to see that some people take their studies seriously." At this, he shot disappointed stares at the rest of the class.

Sasuke snorted lightly at that, inwardly smirking at the look Naruto shot him having heard the sound. With a roll of his eyes, the blond turned towards the young academy teacher with a sheepish smile gracing plump lips, "I had to take my studies seriously. One of my friends, he's a real sadist, well I won't go into details about what he did, let's just say it made him very happy to do it and it pissed me off to the point where I buried my face in books to get him off my case."

At the response, the class wondered what the new student could possibly mean by his friend being a sadist. Iruka looked worried about what could have happened to the boy while Sasuke blinked, making a note to ask Naruto about that later.

Opening his mouth to ask something, Iruka promptly closed it when the bell rang. "Alright, it seems class is over. Your homework tonight is to read, _'Konoha: A history' _chapter one through chapter five. We will be having a quiz tomorrow to see whose read it and who hasn't., so make sure you read it." Slanting a stern look at his students, Iruka made sure they understood, "Alright, you can all go." With a cheer, the students got up, the female clambering towards Sasuke, while the boys headed in the direction Naruto was in. Seeing this Naruto ducked behind Shikamaru and Shino, and using his small stature, he made his way towards Sasuke.

"Come on Sasuke, let's get out of here." he whispered, dragging the older boy our, once out in the hallway, he glanced around, making sure the coast was clear, both he and Sasuke vanished from sight,

**With Itachi**

The young ANBU captain sat on a branch and sighed as he looked into the darkening sky. A snapping sound caused him to sit up and move into the shadow of the leaves so he could see who was entering the clearing but they couldn't see him.

Below him entered two people, both cloaked in a dark cloak with red clouds and an umbrella hat covered their heads. "I could of sworn he was in this clearing" the taller of the two replied, a hand raised towards his face.

"Are you sure?" a monotone voice intoned.

The taller one nodded his head, "I saw him enter the clearing and he never left unless he was under henge." a hissing voice insisted. "I'm never wrong, and you know it. So unless he left in disguise because he sensed us, he is still here somewhere."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. If he wasn't mistaken these two were members of that new organization no one knew anything about, and the very same one he was told to seek out and join up with in order to discover their objective. The Akatsuki.

"Uchiha Itachi. We're here under order from our leader. He heard about what you did and sent us out in hopes of recruiting you to our cause. My partner and myself mean you no harm unless you prove to be a threat to us." The shorter one called out, his soft was soft, light and lacked any emotions.

Itachi frowned and adjusted his position, "Identify yourself." he commanded, coolly. "You know my name, so it's only right to return the favor." He made sure he was hidden, not wanting to give away his position.

"Very well. My name is Sasori but most know me as Akasuna no Sasori; former shinobi of Sunagakure. My partner I believe you already know. He's Konoha's white snake, Orochimaru of the Sannin."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly and he stared at the two. Steeling his nerve and wiping his face free of any emotions, Itachi leaped down from his branch and stared at the two blankly, "Fine. It's not like I have anywhere to go, so I'll meet this leader of yours."

Orochimaru grinned, "Good. It'd be such a waste to kill something so pretty." the snake sannin stated, smirking at the look Itachi shot at him. A cross between disgust and indifferent. It was always fun to mess with the emotionally dead. Golden eyes glanced at his partner, and he had two to play with now.

"Let's go. We must not keep leader-sama waiting, Orochimaru." with that said, Sasori took off with his partner and Itachi at his heels.

Itachi glanced over his shoulder, in the direction of Konoha. Ebony colored eyes softened a bit, 'Stay safe Naruto, little brother. We'll meet again someday.' Facing his two escorts, black eyes hardened. Until that day though he had to observe Akatsuki and find out what their motive are and find out if they were a threat.

**With Naruto**

After leaving the school, Naruto appeared at the gates to training grounds 44, with Sasuke still in his arms. "Alright, now, this is where we'll be doing our training for today. I want to get you use to different environments. Your job is to navigate your way from here to there." Pointing towards the tower, "Now this won't be a walk in the park, or anything like that. This forest is known for his ravenous animals, poisonous insects, hidden traps and explosions. I heard some one say they actually saw a ghost once, but who knows if that is actually true or not."

Sasuke gulped as he eyed the forest. "Is it really that bad."

:Oh yeah." Naruto chuckled, "Training grounds 44 actually has a name that is known to the higher ups. Do you wish to know what it is?" Not really wanting to know, but being curious all the same, Sasuke nodded his head. "Training grounds 44, better known by the name, 'The forest of death.' for the many shinobi's who were killed inside, either by the wild animals, the poisonous insects or even enemy shinobi's during Chunin exam time."

Sasuke took a step backwards, "Are you sure we should really be going inside. It doesn't really sound all that safe. I mean..." The younger Uchiha paused in his speech when Naruto chuckled. "What?"

"Don't worry so much Sasuke. I'll be watching you. And if it looks like you won't be able to handle something, I'll help you. But this is some thing you should be prepared for. When I was first learning the shinobi arts, some of the more sadistic ANBU's would take me here and leave me to find my own way to the tower. If I got attacked, they wouldn't interfere at all. They said it was hands on training, and it would help me in the long run. They called it tough love."

Sasuke gaped, "They just left you? How old were you?"

"Five or so. Not that much younger then you. But enough about that. Let's get your survival training started." At the look Sasuke gave him, the blond laughed. "And no, this isn't going to be anything like the one the academy puts you guys through. This is the real deal. It would take maximum of five days to reach the tower, and if your lucky, you may reach it at the end of the day. But you have nothing to worry about, you'll only be inside the forest for one hour, whether you get to the tower today or not. You'll have a survival training once every week, where I'll leave you here to fend for yourself for an hour inside the forest, as the days pass though, and I see that you're making an improvement, then I'll up the hours."

Sasuke looked unsure about what Naruto just said, but gave a nod of his head anyways. He did want to get stronger, and by doing this, it would make him one step closer to his goal. "Naruto..."

The blond glanced at the older boy with a raised brow. "What is it, Sasuke? You can't back out right now. This is part of your training. I want you to succeed in everything you want to accomplish, and this will make you stronger. This training grounds will make you see what true survival training is suppose to be like. The real world is nothing like how the academy instructors say it is. I've seen a lot of fresh out of the school genins choke when their put into a life and death situation, it isn't pretty, so..."

Before Naruto could continue his speech, Sasuke shook his head, interrupting him. "No, that's not it at all, Naruto. I want to do it. I just have one thing to ask you."

"What is it then?"

Sasuke turned his attention towards the forest, "If it takes me days to get to the tower, what am I suppose to eat or drink when In there." Dark eyes regarded the younger boy in curiosity.

With a smile, Naruto glanced at Sasuke, "Usually I'd have you go hunt for your own food, but since it's your first time, and you probably can't tell good from poisonous, I'll be bringing you food and water every couple of hours. I'll even bring you a sleeping bag."

"Will I need it?"

Naruto smiled. "When we go on missions, I always make sure we have a tent and several sleeping bags sealed in a scroll for use. I'm not one to like sleeping on the dirty ground, nor do I appreciate trying to rest on a branch of a tree. I've done both before, and let me tell you, I'd prefer the branch in a high tree then the ground. At least the tree will offer you some protection from wild animals and rogue shinobi's, but if you move around too much, you might kill yourself without even knowing it. And..."

"Alright, I get it." Sasuke held up a hand. "Since you seem adamant that it'll be alright to have sleeping bags, I'll accept it." The young Uchiha stated. "Are we starting it now?"

With a sadistic smile, Naruto walked towards the gates, and unlocked the door, pushing it open, "It starts now. Remember I'll be watching you, so if I feel like you'll be killed or are in any danger of being hurt, I'll step in, but aside from that, you're on your own."

With a nod, Sasuke dashed inside the gates, glancing over his shoulders just in time to see them close behind him and a flash of gold as Naruto vanished from sight.


End file.

Naruto, Friendship