The Masks we Wear

[mistress of yaoi]

warning - this fic will contain sasuke and sakura bashing


Chapter 1 – Secrets

This world is filled with so many secrets; no make that too many secrets. It’s just that kind of world really. In this world of secrets innocence is another thing that just doesn’t seem to last long enough, that night in Konaha it was painfully obvious as the third Hokage went over the medical reports on his desk.

Three men stood before him these three were the only ones who knew the full extent of what had happened within their village in the past week and all three were ashamed to be in a village with people capable of doing what had happened.

Not to far from the Hokage’s office a young boy laid in a hospital bed fighting for his life on a ventilator machine, his cheeks stained from tears. The heavy dark bags under his eyes, evidence of the lack of sleep he had endured. He had endured and survived; now he lied in a forced sleep and a dreamless sleep all hoped. They would let him sleep for as long as it would take for his bones to heal, for the scars to begin to fade or at least the physical ones, the state of his mind would not be known till he awoke.

Said boy was two weeks away from his fifth birthday, his name was Naruto Uzamaki.

As the Hokage read through the final pages of the document his was physically angry, his hands were shaking to such an extent that his old frame shook as well. He was angry and a lesser man would have wanted blood from the men that had put this child through this.

“Have the culprits of this act been caught?” he asked as he tried to keep his voice calm, looking at the youngest of the group in front of him, a young boy barely a teenager and already the top chunin in the village, in his eyes there too was anger and so much shame for what he had seen, this young man was the one that found the boy within his own clan’s compound and the very thought of what he now knew happening there was currently being cleaned up off the floor outside the office.

He seemed somewhat out of it, that was when the third called out his name to get his attention. “Itachi Uchiha, have the men been apprehended?”

Itachi looked up, the boy looked much paler than usual, this had gotten to him, and the reason behind it the boy had come to conclude was the fact the victim was the same age as his kin, his younger brother.

“Yes Hokage-sama me and Kakashi found their hideout when we found the boy this morning at O-four hundred hours” the boy paused before continuing “Hokage-sama if I may speak frankly for a minute, but I think I speak for my clan when I say that I just as much as everyone else am shocked that such an act would happened within our compound!” the boy was shaking and the silver haired Anbu next him placed a reassuring hand on the boys shoulder to try and ease his shaking.

“Unfortunately though Itachi, due to that fact of what the boy is…” Kakashi was quickly cut off by the young Uchiha. “What? Don’t you mean who sensei?”

The third looked at the raven boy and then the silver haired Anbu “Am I to understand that Itachi is unaware of the boys circumstances Kakashi?” he asked solemnly as he brought his hands to a rest atop the papers.

“That is correct Hokage, those were your orders.”

“Very well, it only seems fit that Itachi be told what the boy is.”

“Hokage-sama are you sure that is wise with the connection the Uchiha clan have with that incident!” spoke up the other man in the room who had stayed silent till then.

The Hokage raised his hand quickly cutting off the blonde man “Perhaps you should head home Inoichi, I am to understand your daughter Ino can be a hand full.” He then looked the man in the face solemnly “I have complete trust in Itachi the Yamanaka clan has nothing to worry about I assure you, also if you need someone to talk to after what you saw in the boys mind, feel free to talk to Ibiki.”

The man wanted to argue more, but… he could still hear the child’s screams in his head, begging them to stop begging them to let him go. He needed a stiff drink that was for sure, but all he wanted right now, was to hold his daughter and vow nothing like this would ever happened to her.

“Thankyou Hokage, I might take that offer.” was all the man said before leaving the office.

After the man left Kakashi turned to look at the Hokage “Not that it’s any of my business lord Hokage but, did he alter the boys memories?”

“To the best of his abilities yes, we won’t know the full result of it till the boy wakes up. But hopefully all he remember is being kidnapped beaten and starved, its best he forgets the rest.” The old man sounded tired, he felt like he had betrayed an old friend letting this happened to his son.

“Can he forget…..” once again Kakashi was cut off “We did as little as we could to his mind, we do not know the full extent of the seal we can not let what is inside him out under any circumstance.”

It was then that Itachi froze, ‘no it couldn’t be… that little boy was… the Jinchuuriki?

“That boy is the Kyuubi host?” the young man looked at both his sensei and the Hokage.

They stayed silent as Itachi clenched his fists and asked again “IS THE DEMON MADARA USED AGAINST HIS OWN VILLAGE IN THAT BOY?!”

This was a big mess indeed was all Kakashi could think, but how in the world did this young man know that information surely he did not remember that day? No impossible he was far too young…

The meeting ended not long after the Uchiha’s outburst and Kakashi escorted him back to the compound to inform the Uchiha council of what had happened, but upon the request of his student left out his outburst.

The first thing Itachi did when he entered his family home was find his younger brother, who was sitting inside with his mother who was reading to him. She looked up at her oldest son and smiled as Sasuke jumped out her lap and ran to his beloved big brother.

Itachi hugged him tight, to the point where his younger brother asked him to let go because he was squashing him. Not long after arriving home however Itachi changed into his street clothes and left the compound to walk.

It was then he realised, he was in too deep now.


To be continued…

[mistress of yaoi]

Chapter 2 – Rumours

To say the blonde was very confused after the tale Kyuubi had told him about being kidnapped as a child would be a gross understatement, he physically felt sick.

He always had wondered though why being touched by anyone intimately had made him feel sick. Even as a young boy while being looked after by Iruka he would push the man away anytime he got too close. That fear had slowly subsided overtime, but still lingered.

But those feelings had returned the first time Sasuke had touched him after he had seen his team mate use his sharigan for the first time, he had forced down the bile rising in his throat, and yet he had later wondered why he had not had the same reaction when he had seen both Kakashi’s and Itachi’s sharigan.

He also now understood the feeling of déjà vu when he had first came face to face with the man known as Itachi Uchiha, he had thought he had recognized him as Sasuke but thinking back now…no it wasn’t the same sick feeling as with Sasuke, it was a feeling like seeing an old friend.

He just laid there in his bed letting the breeze from the window waft over him. He felt sick like he had a fever after hearing the story, he always knew the villagers hated him but he never thought that any of them could be capable of such acts, especially those from the Uchiha clan.

He had learned about the many clans’ that inhabit Konaha during his time at the academy, even he had times where he paid attention in class. He had even raised his hand to ask about the Uzamaki clan. They had laughed at his question telling him that no such clan had existed in Konaha and was most likely a civilian name.

A knock on his front door brought the blonde back to his present reality, he groggily got out of bed pulled his pair of orange pants, but chose to leave the matching jumper off and went to the door in his pants and white undershirt.

Whoever was at the door seemed to be very impatient as the banging continued until the blonde yelled out for them to stop just before he opened the door to reveal a very upset Sakura standing there.

All that went through his head was ‘great what have I done now?’, in the back of his mind Kyuubi told him to just slam the door in her face and go back to bed. Good plan only the last time he did that he ended up spending half the day fixing his door. Damn training with Tsunade was defiantly progressing that was for sure.

He gave her a blank stare not even bothering to smile, before she began the barrage

“Naruto why are you still here you were suppose to meet up with the rest of the group at the training grounds over an hour ago! Everyone is waiting for you, you idiot!”

The last of the rookie nine and team Gai had been working behind there sensei’s and everyone else trying to gather as much as they could about Orochimaru and the sound village, though lately Naruto was just sick of every waking moment being about that snake and the Uchiha known as Sasuke.

“Naruto are you even listening to me?” growled Sakura, it was then that something in the back of Naruto’s brain just snapped, his hand clenched on the doorhandle before crushing it in a spike of red chakra.

He slowly looked up at Sakura, his eyes glowing red, she stared back realising too late what she was looking at as the blonde lunged forward grabbing her by her shirt his claw like hands digging into her throat almost tight enough to cut of her circulation. He held her there like that as she struggled and squirmed staring at her like he didn’t even recognize her, only to shove her out of the doorway.

He then glared at her and said “You can pass on a message to Kakashi for me,” his voice sounded primal like a beast “Tell him to meet me here tonight; I want to have a little talk with him, also I don’t ever want to see you here at my front door again. What I do in my down time is my business and my business only!” He then slammed the door shut so hard that hinges wobbled loose but not off.

***

Sakura was shaking when she arrived at the meeting place where the others were waiting a strong chill had settled mid way down her spine and just did not want to shift. Half an hour earlier she had found Kakashi and passed on Naruto’s message as well as telling her sensei of her team mate’s strange behaviour.

“That does not sound anything like our youthful comrade” commented Lee after Sakura told them what had happened at Naruto’s apartment.

“It certainly does not sound like the Naruto we know.” Commented Neji

“Well maybe it wasn’t Naruto.”

Everyone stared and looked at Shikamaru who was reading a scroll he had been given by Temari a few weeks earlier, re reading it yet again.

“What do you mean not Naruto?” asked Hinata

“Well Naruto like Gaara has a demon sealed inside him we all know that right?” the rest of the group nodded, it wasn’t long after the Sasuke retrieval squad had gone after the sound five that Naruto had brought them all together and told them what they already knew, he was the Jinchuuriki with the nine tail beast inside him.

“You think it was Kyuubi?” asked Kiba trying to comfort a worried Hinata.

“From what Temari has told me, about Gaara who is the only other Jinchuuriki we know of, the host can’t keep control of the bijuu forever slowly over time the seal weakens.”

“I remember in the forest of death during the chunin exams, Naruto acted different when we were attacked by Orochimaru…” Sakura paused, she felt sick just saying that name. “His fighting style completely changed, then Orochimaru put some sort of seal on him and he went unconscious he didn’t wake up again until you guys found us”

“Was that the first time?” asked Shikamaru

“No, there was another time when we were on the mission in the land of waves and we were fighting against Zabuza, the fighting stopped at one point the was a strange chakra in the air it was so powerful it left even Kakashi scared. It was only for a few minutes though.”

“So in other words, up until now his chakra has only spiked during battle it seems, this is troublesome what could have happened to get him so upset?”

“I don’t know it was no different than any other time I’ve scolded him about…”

“About what Sakura!” butted in Ino

“About Sasuke...”

“Sasuke was there those two other times right?”

“Hang on” interrupted Neji “Are you saying Shikamaru that Sasuke is somehow the trigger for the Kyuubi?”

The brunette strategist sat there in thought, it was only rumour and never spoken out loud but was it a connection to that man? Damn why couldn’t he remember that name he had heard his father mention an Uchiha before the one that was responsible for the kyuubi’s attack.

“What’s wrong Shikamaru you figure something out?” asked Chouji sitting down next to his team mate.

“I think so, but I hope I’m wrong.”

To be continued

[Innocent]

Nice story! I love it! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! ^^

I hope you put out a chapter three out soon. I'm just all giggly and hyper now. I cant sit still.

xoxo

[mistress of yaoi]

Chapter – Uncle

It seemed the young mans life had become nothing more but a complex game of cat and mouse, where at times he was playing for both teams. On one side of the field he was the decorated young genius of Konaha many thought destined to become a great shinobi.

That part of his life he was proud of, Itachi liked he’s time outside the Uchiha compound. Outside he was treated normal by some and feared by others, he tried his best not to let the stares get to him but at times they did. That’s why the raven boy was so happy when his Anbu captain Kakashi had chosen to take the young boy under his wing.

He had become so much more than a sensei to the boy, he was a true friend. But the boy was always left wondering, if those outside the Uchiha knew the truth would they still see the clan as the villages heroes? Or would they run scared of a man with a god complex.

That was the sad fact however in this complex game of cat and mouse being an Anbu made him not only a mouse but a gopher and a spy for his own clan.

It was well known within the clan that Fugaku was nothing more than a figure head for the clan. No a puppet would be a better word. The true leader of the Uchiha clan, well Itachi did not know the man's true identity very few in the clan did he was simply called within the clan as ‘Uncle’. The truth was no-one outside the clan even knew of the existence of the man known only as Uncle.

But even to this day Itachi remembers the night his father had taken him to meet the man, it was the night that Itachi lost his innocent view on the world.

It was late at night and his father had awoken him from his sleep, he remembers that night well because it was the day he had graduated from the ninja academy.

“Wake up Itachi and get dressed Itachi, it time you learned the secret of our clan.” His father had told him, he had also told the boy to put on his best clothes. Trusting his father like any child would he did what he was told like a good boy and followed his father out of the house.

As his father stopped to light the lamp that would lead the way the boy turned around to see his pregnant mother standing at the door, he couldn’t read her expression, but he smiled at her.

“Father is mother coming too?” he asked looking up at his father.

At this his father frowned at the boy before looking up at his wife and telling her to go back inside “She is not allowed I’m afraid.”

‘Not allowed?’ Itachi didn’t quite understand his mother had come with them many times when his father had taken him to Konaha council chambers as well as the police station, how is any of this different from those times?

“Come Itachi” his father called.

The walk took them outside the compound and outside the city limits; the boy had never been this far out of Konaha before. As he turned around he could see the Hokage stone carvings from his vantage point on the hill, a cold breeze was in the air as they made there way up the hill and it seemed the higher they climbed the colder it became.

“Itachi keep up, we do not want to keep Uncle waiting.”

Itachi chose not to question his father over who uncle was, he had heard whispers within the clan over the last couple of months of his fellow clansmen mentioning the man known as Uncle and that it was soon the young Uchiha’s time.

As they got closer to the destination however, the boy could feel the chill in the air grow almost ice cold as he looked ahead at his father he could see that the man had stopped at the entrance way of a cave.

“Itachi! Itachi you there?” the call out from Kakashi brought the young man back to the present reality out front the Hokage’s office.

“Kakashi?” the boy just stared blankly at his higher up for a moment before blinking.

“You ok Itachi? You look like you were miles away.” Questioned the silver haired man, the expression that had been on the boys face just a few moments ago was of that of a frighten child.

“More like years in the past” came the mumbled reply.

Since that day, the day they had saved that young boy Itachi had found it harder and harder to sleep at night. He was filled with so many conflicting emotions on the subject that he had simply chosen to become numb to the situation. Unfortunately when he became numb bad memories always seemed to follow.

It had been a month now and they knew the boy was being released from the hospital later that day, still neither Anbu knew why the Hokage had summoned them.

Not long after there arrival a young medic ninja came out turned and smiled at the two men and told them the Hokage wished to see them now, before heading off in a hurry.

The two Anbu entered the Hokage’s office and waited for the man to speak.

“It would seem an attempt has been made on the life of Naruto Uzamaki while his been in hospital.”

Itachi clenched his fist at the thought, after everything they had gone through to save this blonde and now someone was trying to kill him? This young child’s life was worthless to these villagers?

“This is a worrying development” stated Kakashi putting away his ever present icha icha book.

The Hokage nodded his head at Kakashi then turned to Itachi. “It seems that you and Itachi are the only ones at the moment I can trust with the boy. That is why I am assigning both of the S rank mission of protecting Naruto Uzamaki.”


To Be Continued…

[Innocent]

yeah, i do love this story already! ^^ you're really good at writing. You should enter the contest thats coming up on yaoi-haven. anyways back to the story. I love it. I want to read more, so please if you have the time, write for it and update soon? thank you!

xoxo

[mistress of yaoi]

I'm currently working on the update at this very moment, and whats this i hear about a writting contest?

[Innocent]

yeah yeah, here's the thread: http://yaoi-haven.com/original-ficti...53.html?t=3253

and YAY! Updates! I <3 Updates!

[mistress of yaoi]

Warning: This chapter involves imagery of a very graphic nature, reader discretion is advised

Chapter 4 – Flowers Shop

Even the most beautiful rose has its thorns; beauty and danger are two things that seem to go together almost effortlessly in this world of ninja. You simply have to look at any koinichi to know this fact perhaps that was the reason behind one of Konaha’s biggest skirt chasers since the great sanin Jiraiya himself finally agreed to take over his family’s flower shop, when he realised who most their cliental were.

Needless to say a man like Kakashi Hatake was an unlikely customer; the man would only be there for one reason and one reason only. Inoichi had been waiting for this day for a long time now, though in all honesty he was expecting to see someone like the boys academy teacher Iruka at his door meaning he had expected this visit many years earlier he was in fact surprised the minds restraints had lasted as long as they did. Though on second thought Kakashi did make more sense, perhaps it was the man’s connection to that night the reason behind him insisting on being the squad leader for team 7.

***

The young boy lay on the hospital bed tossing and turning in his sleep, though it may have been hard to believe for those who had just arrived the boy was much calmer now than he had been a few hours ago.

When the young boy had arrived his entire body was bruised and bleeding, even the child’s eyes wept blood. On closer examination by the medical core it became obvious that this child had suffered a great deal in the few short days he had been missing. His insides had been torn to shreds and he was bleeding quite badly from the rear, his inner thighs covered in deep gashes and dark bruises.

The child it seemed however possessed great strength and it took five very well built men just to hold him down for the examination. That being said they had lost there grip twice the first time when the boy had head butted the man taking blood from him and the second time when he had bitten another medical ninja.

Inoichi sat outside the boys room being checked over by the doctor, though the man had no physical injuries he had already thrown up twice in the bucket the medical core had given him.

“I wish I could say like many jobs you’ll get use to it” commented the doctor as he took the man’s blood pressure.

“The day I get use to sights I saw in that boys head will be the day I kill myself.” came the solemn reply.

“I can’t even imagine anything that bad; I became a medical ninja to help people I suppose though”

“I have told the Hokage before I cannot make people forget trauma it is impossible the best I can offer is filing it away somewhere deep in the brain and hope it is never found again…”

***

Inoichi had been serving a lovely young woman from the Hyuuga clan. Her name was Shisa Hyuuga and like Neji she was from the branch family. Her long dark hair was tied back in a pair of pattered pigtails. Like most the Hyuuga woman her clothing was very traditional but even in her simple pink kimono she was very pretty.

“Here they are Shisa your usual order of white tulips for the Hyuuga household.” smiled Inoichi handing her the bouquet,

“Thankyou very much” she smiled “It’s always nice to get some colour in the house besides oil paintings and scrolls.”

It was at that point of the conversation that the door to the store had opened.

“I’ll be with you in…” but Inoichi cut himself short when he saw the copy-nin standing in the entrance way. “It’s started we need to talk now.” was all Kakashi said.

It didn’t take long for the blonde to close up the store and invite the silver haired man upstairs for tea.

“How long?” asked Inoichi avoiding all small talk

“I’m not sure I haven’t been in contact with the boy for almost a month, but I had a frightened Sakura come to me this morning in tears. She said Naruto attacked her but it wasn’t Naruto.”

The blonde man got up and walked over to a bookshelf just behind them searching through the volumes for something before stopping at a book with a torn spine.

“In the past there have been times when a host has suffered so much trauma that the bijuu has taken over. The person is still inside but hides behind the demon. The most recent record of this was almost ten years ago in the sand, a young boy named Gaara lost control and his inner demon whipped out an entire army.”

“Where did you get this information?” asked Kakashi surprised at the skirt chasers intelligence

“Sorry that’s classified Anbu level stuff Kakashi I had a signed contract with the third that I to this day still will not break.”

“So you’re saying there’s a chance that we may not be dealing with Naruto anymore but Kyuubi?”

“If that is so what I don’t understand is how Sakura got away unharmed.”
Kakashi just stared into his tea cup trying to answer that same question. Then he remembered something he had witnessed while Naruto had been in hospital after Sasuke’s leaving.

“What if and I’m not saying that I myself believe this but what if the demon is trying to protect Naruto, what if they have some kind of bond…”

“I don’t follow you thinking Kakashi where the hell does this theory come from, you were there the day that monster attacked remember? That creature is nothing but hate.”

“When Naruto was in hospital I caught him talking to himself he was angry and yelling then all of a sudden there was a spike of chakra that wasn’t human then the boy calmed.”

“If what you’re saying is true and the demon does have a bond with its host it’s defiantly a first, there has been no record of it to date. I mean there was that rumour coming out of mist a few years back of that one that had tamed his but that was just a rumour.”

“I think we both need to go see Naruto and find out what’s happening I will go and if it’s ok with you I’d like you as my back up.”

“You are nuts if you think I would go into something like this on my own, we should at least bring Nara with us. Shadow possession is probably the best tactic for restraining the boy.”

“Then it’s settled you go get Nara and meet me in front of Naruto’s apartment in half an hour.”


~to be Continued~

(sorry for the late update enjoy and dont hate me!)

[mistress of yaoi]

Chapter 5 – Ramen Rebellion

He remembered everything he wished he could forget. He remembered the figures with their eyes sewn shut, the arms and legs shackled to the walls of the cave. The dim flicker of the lantern on their skin, perfect porcelain skin tainted with bruising and the obvious signs of gangrene fingers and toes hanging on by the thinnest layer of skin…but it was their silent cries that had stayed with him. Though there mouths were crudely sewn shut they still screamed, still begged for death.

He could feel the lump in his throat the painful tightness in his stomach, he didn’t want to be here he wanted to leave and run into the comforting warmth of his mothers arms. But his father just smiled proudly at his son and pushed him on “Do not worry my son…” he said “You will not end up like them you will pass the test I am sure of it.”

He woke to the sound of his own screaming voice, his face and back covered in a sticky hot sweat. He stared at his fringe hanging in his eyes the droplets of sweat still clung to a few strands of onyx hair. He tried to calm his breath and as it began to slow that’s when the tears began to fall as he sat there in his bed hugging his knees close to his face.

He had grown to hate the pain of life, but he hated the numbness of his own existence even more. He hated being used by his own family and clan. He hated that he betrayed his comrades every day by spying on them and giving there secret’s to that monster uncle.

Uncle…it was because of that monster his life was like this, and he was positive that that man was the one behind the blonde boys kidnapping and rape. But even knowing that there was no way he could prove it to the Hokage. How was he suppose to prove that monster was behind it when…when that man didn’t exist outside the Uchiha compound or clan.

He looked over at his alarm clock it read 4am. He had two options go back to sleep and face the nightmares or get up have a quick breakfast and completely avoid any contact with his father and go looking for Kakashi Hatake after all he had a pretty good idea where the man would be in about an hour.

Half an hour later with a cup of instant ramen in hand the Uchiha sat by the memorial waiting for the appearance of the man that he called sensei. In the time it had taken to walk over to the monument from the Uchiha clan grounds, his breakfast had gone cold but a quick burst of controlled chakra quickly reheated the meal.

He had to laugh at himself as he peeled back the cover and dug into the extra spicy noodles. He only ever got to eat like this out of the compound. His father hated the idea of him eating what he called ‘common food’. What a way to rebel, eating a bowl of instant ramen, he caught himself both laughing and snorting at the total idiocy of the whole thing.

He had happened about the like of the stuff by chance when Kakashi had offered to buy dinner after a very boring mission. They had stopped at a corner store because all the restaurants were already closed and Itachi wasn’t sure what he wanted so he just had what his sensei had.

The first time those noodles touched his lips he was in heaven; the flavour was so simple and so intoxicating.

The young man was so caught up in the happy memory that he didn’t even sense his sensei’s chakra. “What’s wrong Itachi?” asked the silver haired man not even looking up from the monument.

The young boy drank down the liquid broth, snapped his chopsticks in half threw them in the cup and wiped his chin before replying. “What makes you think something is wrong sensei?”

“It’s about an hour after sunrise and your eating ramen which I know for a fact you father hates you doing and you seem to be waiting for me.”

Itachi stared up at his sensei with tired eyes, “Just needed to get out of the compound for a while before our meeting with the Hokage, I walked with no particular destination in mind, stopped at the twenty four hour place grabbed something for breakfast and just followered my feet.” there was no emotion in the statement, like he was giving a report on a mission and nothing more.

“Itachi, how much sleep have you been getting?” asked Kakashi worried for his student.

“A couple of hours a night…” mumbled the boy

“That’s not very healthy.”

“Last time I checked neither was the life of a ninja.”

“Touché.” chuckled Kakashi, well at least the boy hadn’t lost that dry Uchiha humour he remembered an old friend who could be like that at times.

“Kakashi, do you ever get sick of being labelled as a genius? Don’t you ever wish you were like every other average person?” asked Itachi

The silver haired man sighed then smiled “Funny thing is I got asked the exact same question many years ago by an Uchiha….”

“You mean Obito right?”

“That I do on the outside he was a very happy young boy but I could always tell he held a dark secret and he took that secret to his grave. To have that much loyalty to ones cause to take a secret that courses that much pain to their grave, that’s true genius in my opinion.”

Itachi just sat there the rest of the morning thinking on Kakashi’s words even if they didn’t completely answer his question.

~to be Continued~

[Innocent]

I'm so sorry its taken me so long to read this~! I miss it so much *purrs* And I still love it ^^ Will you please update soon?! It would sure as heck make my year better getting to read another chapter of this! And I have to make sure I read the following update asap! *readdicted to it*