Summary: The handful of meetings between Uchiha Itachi and Uzumaki Naruto were always intense. Who'd have thought there was an underlying reason for it? Yaoi, ItaNaru

Warnings: If you didn't see it already from the summary, this is yaoi, with lemony content. Also, spoilers for future manga chapters are included in this story.

'Italics' = Thoughts

The story will mostly be told as flashbacks. Each chapter will begin with narration and dialogue in Naruto's POV before the actual flashback in each chapter. I am explaining this now because I doubt any of you want to read italics for an entire chapter, nor do I want to write italics for an entire chapter.

Edited 6/26/09 - Since some can see the line breaks and others cannot, I decided to use an easier way to distinguish between the present and past. Present Day = Italics / Flashback = Normal font. I hope this helps.

TIME WILL TELL

Ch 1 - Red Eyes

Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away. – Marcus Aurelius

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I looked out at the large crowd standing before the hokage tower. There were people lined up as far as the eye could see. It was amazingly beautiful and colorful. And it only made my excitement grow to the point I was practically bouncing on my toes.

You see, today was a celebration...a coronation.

It had been a long long road...One full of challenges, heartache, pain, tears. Well, there were some smiles too...

But here I finally stood, about to reach the pinnacle...the highest goal that I had set for myself so many years ago. There were moments I felt like giving up, felt like giving in to the many whispers or not-so-whispers around me that told me I was weak, useless, a monster, a demon. I might have listened to the villagers and ninja of old, the council, anyone who felt I was too dangerous, too unpredictable.

But he wouldn't let me.

The hustle and bustle around the hokage's office continued around me. Shizune-nee-chan was running around frantically making sure everything was in order. She had to, because Kakashi-sensei sure wasn't paying any attention. Or maybe I should say Kakashi-sama. Eh, what does it matter, I never call him that anyway. He'll always be sensei to me. Anyways, he was too busy reading his stupid porn. Even as Rokudaime, he never stopped being a pervert. Heh, Ero-sennin would be proud. Baa-chan was on the couch, already having gone through two-thirds of her first bottle of sake. Heaven forbid she be completely drunk before I even get to my speech. Kami help us all...

I went back to staring out of the balcony window, attempting to ignore the buzz of activity around me. I glanced at the stone hokages that watched over a much more peaceful Konoha. Just think...I will have my face up there soon with so many of those I loved and idolized. I wonder sometimes what Sarutobi-jiji and my father would think if they could see me now. Would they be proud of me? I hope I've lived up to whatever expectations they had of me.

I turned back to the crowd and strained my enhanced eyesight to search for someone. Sure, you probably wonder how I could possibly think I would find one person in a crowd of thousands. Talk about a needle in a haystack... Well, having Kyuubi sealed inside me did have a few perks.

Anyways, I was searching for one man with long dark hair and dark eyes, probably dressed in black. Yes, I know that's a pretty common description. But he's different. I'd know him in a heartbeat. I'd recognize him anywhere, even in a sea of people. And he promised me that he would be here. Knowing him, he's probably got on some kind of cloak in an attempt to hide his identity, although his slate had been wiped clean a few years ago.

Uchiha Itachi.

Don't look so surprised. He and I have come a long way. If someone had told me back when I was 12 or 13, heck even 15, that Uchiha Itachi - S-class missing nin and member of Akatsuki - and I would become so close, I'd have Rasenganed him or her into oblivion.

I'll never forget the first day we encountered each other. Ero-sennin had gone off, most likely to conduct his perverted activities under the guise of looking for the slug sannin. I had been sitting in our room, bored to death, when they showed up at my door.

Akatsuki.

Before that day, I'd never heard of them. After that day, I never stopped hearing about them. It was the first time I realized that just by being a jinchuuriki, I had become a wanted individual.

-Knock, Knock -

Naruto grumbled as he made his way to the door, figuring it was the pervert coming back after being rejected or maybe pummelled by a group of females. Swinging the door wide open, he was met with red eyes. His eyes widened.

"S-Sasuke?" No...it wasn't him. He was too tall to be Sasuke. But his eyes...they were the same. 'Who is he?' He was so entranced by the man's eyes that he hardly noticed or heard the shark-like giant of a man standing next to him.

"Naruto-kun, we would like you to come with us." The red-eyed man said.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and focused on the two men. Why should he go with them? He didn't even know them. Who the hell were these people? Only when he was ordered to step out of the room did he notice the tall blue man.

"We don't need him running around. We should cut off a leg." The shark said.

'Wha-a-a? What the hell?' "What's going on? Who are you?" Naruto asked warily. He received no answer, but the red eyes were still staring down into his own. The answer he finally received wasn't directed toward him at all.

"It's been a while...Sasuke." Naruto gasped as he saw his best friend standing at the other end of the corridor.

"Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke replied, his head down. "I will KILL YOU!" Naruto looked from one to the other. Why did they have the same name?

The shark smirked with those pointed teeth. "Who is this guy?" he asked Itachi.

"He is my younger brother." Itachi replied.

'Brother?' Naruto gasped and stared in shock. They were brothers? And suddenly, he knew. The man Sasuke wanted to kill...this man in front of him was the one Sasuke meant to kill. His own brother. He didn't know much about the man. He knew he was in the bingo book, that he was a missing nin, and whatever he did was bad enough to make his own brother hate him. And considering the way the taller Uchiha seemed to exude power, he should've been afraid.

Actually, no, he was afraid. Terrified even. And yet, underneath all of that, he was fascinated. The red irises hypnotized him in a way that Sasuke's never had. It had nothing to do with the bloodline really...it was just because...

The orbs were deadly, but beautiful.

And just for a split second, the fear fled and all that was left was a freakish kind of fascination toward someone he should not only have feared and run from, but should have hated just on principle alone. He and Sasuke were best friends after all, so his enemies were Naruto's enemies. Right?

He watched an enraged Sasuke dash toward his brother, chidori flaring to life in his hand, going in for the kill.

Itachi caught his arm.

Naruto's mouth dropped open. Itachi had grabbed the lightning infused arm at just the right moment, remaining completely unscathed. And now he could only watch helplessly, hearing bones snap as Itachi quickly broke Sasuke's wrist.

While Sasuke screamed and fell to the floor in pain, Naruto began gathering his chakra. He had to help him somehow. However, his attempt to help was made useless with one wave of the shark man's weapon.

"My Samehada eats chakra." The man said with a self satisfied smirk. Damn him.

Naruto tried again and again, getting the same result with each wave of that damn weapon. Just when he thought it was all over for him, a toad appeared in front of him and a familar voice made itself known behind him.

Jiraiya, the toad sannin, aka super pervert.

"I, Jiraiya, this epitome of manliness! I will fall for no woman's feminine wiles! When you're someone like me you only have to flash that sexiness to have women fall at your feet!"

"..." Naruto, Itachi and the fish face sweatdropped.

Most of the talk afterward went way over his head, but there was one thing he didn't mistake hearing.

"So, you ARE after Naruto."

'Ehhh? Why would they be after me?'

"To abduct Naruto...those were the orders given to us by the higher echelons of our organization Akatsuki."

'Akatsuki? Who are they? And they're after me? Why?'

His mental queries were interrupted by Sasuke, who had gotten back up, yelling that Itachi was his. However, the older Uchiha didn't even give the younger one a chance, immediately kicking him into the wall and then grabbing him by the neck and holding him off the ground. He wanted to help but Sasuke refused to let anyone help him even though he was getting beaten badly.

With a growl, Naruto was about to run forward, no longer caring what Sasuke said. He needed help dammit!

And then the horrible screaming began. It sounded like Sasuke was being tortured and yet the two Uchiha's never moved an inch.

Jiraiya did something weird. The whole hallway suddenly turned squishy.

And before he knew it, the two Akatsuki members were gone leaving black flames behind.

But the memory of those eyes, the same as his friend's and yet so different, stayed with him forever.

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a/n: As you know, my muse goes in interesting directions when I least expect it. That's how this story came up out of nowhere. Plus I always love to exploit Itachi and Naruto for my own evil yaoi devices. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please feel free to leave a review. Thanks for reading!

Also, don't forget to check my profile for information and a link on the Itachi and Naruto fanfic contest being hosted by Agni, SOY, Yum2, and (Saniwa). Two of my stories have been nominated for awards: The Get Itachi Laid Challenge AND The Sun, The Moon & The Sea. I'm so excited!