Chapter Text
1. Prologue (work in progress)
Itachi blinked, as sunlight peaked in through the curtains. The window was open, and a cool, autumn breeze swept the room. Even a few leaves landed it's way into the sunlit room. To say the Uchiha was surprised would be an understatement. Squinting through the blinding light, he realized he wasn't anywhere close to the Akatsuki. How-why was he in this room? Whose house was he in?
He sighed, and stretched from his sleeping position on the bed. Looking down, it became clear to him that he was wearing pajamas that definitely weren't his. What the hell? He shook his head and stifled a yawn, as he heard yelling through the walls.
"NARUTOOOOOOOOOO! Wake up! You're late AGAIN! Come on out before I beat you up, Shannaro!"
Naruto? That name sounded familiar...
'Kami, what is this banshee?' He might as well find visit this intruder of his, whoever they were. He got out of bed lazily, and his legs gave way. He stood up again, but the weight of his body was unfamiliar to him. 'I almost feel...light. As if I'm young again. And my size is...surprisingly small?' It was quite the change. Considering he was supposed to be taller and...was he under a jutsu of some kind? Whatever it was, it could wait til later. He had a certain someone to meet.
With a spring to his steps, he sped out to the front door in the one room apartment. He had yet to figure out how he wound up here, but he'd piece it together soon. Soon.
The person kept on knocking his door repeatedly and he unlocked it immediately. He was greeted by a girl . "About time you woke up! I was wondering if you were gonna answer or not! Anyway, Kakashi-sensei is waiting for us. Hurry up!" Without another word, she ran off holding hands with the confused Itachi. Itachi had no idea who this girl was or why he was in Konoha and why his body felt…strange. This must be a dream or a genjutsu or something, he thought. It was the only logical conclusion to make, after all.
They were running around Konoha, Itachi noticing some details here and there. The village hadn’t changed. It was still the same as it had always been. They stopped at a bridge. But, then.
Itachi stopped dead in his tracks.
There, a few feet from him, was his little brother. Itachi held his breath as so many thoughts went through his head. Sasuke, sensing the stare, looked back at Itachi confused. "Oi, Naruto! What took you so long?"
Itachi’s eyes widened. Wait, Naruto... As in, Naruto Uzumaki? Wasn’t that the Nine Tailed container? The one he was supposed to capture a few days ago? And now...
Itachi finally realized. He IS the blonde boy. So that must mean...
The other is in his own body. What has the world come to?
Finally finding his voice, he spoke in a foreign voice unlike his own, "I- I was at home. Sleeping. Until now, I suppose." Itachi said, surprised to be talking to his brother. He stared at Sasuke in shock.
"Anyway, what's taking Kakashi-sensei so long?" Sakura asked, annoyed. All three stood waiting at the bridge. Itachi stood there in contemplation, glancing at Sasuke suspiciously.
'I'm supposed to be Itachi, his brother. Instead, I'm his jinchuriki teammate Naruto Uzumaki. My brother Sasuke…it’s been a long time since I called him that. I did not think I would have the chance to see him again so soon after our last battle. I defeated him easily and he wasn’t strong enough to beat me.’
Itachi remembered. Sasuke had lost the fight. He was just too weak. He had fallen unconscious and Itachi and Kisame left the village.
‘And I did not think that I would end up in Naruto’s body. It must be fate that brought us together again like this. Fate. Destiny. It’s both a blessing and a curse. When the time comes, we will have to fight one another. Until then, I suppose, I can be his teammate for the time being…'
"Yo!" a puff of smoke later, a familiar figure appeared and Itachi narrowed his eyes at the other Sharingan user. Itachi
"You're LATE!" Sakura yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi.
"Oh, well. I was busy reading the third volume of Icha ic-"
"-LIAR!" she shouted again, annoyed. "Honestly, and you call yourself our sensei."
"Now, now, Team Seven, settle down. We have another mission," he pauses, "and this time, it's a B rank." His one eye opens, expecting to see Naruto jumping with joy that the mission is not another D-rank. Instead, the boy just...frowns.
Itachi doesn't like the idea of masquerating as a simple genin student. He's seen hell already ten times and back. He's killed hundreds without a second thought, swept through S-rank missions as an assassin. This...this is nothing. And as for Danzo...he hopes Sasuke will seek him someday. Or not. He doesn't know whether his little brother should know the truth. He just wouldn't accept it...would he? That was for the future to decide. But, for now...
"You're being unusually quiet," Kakashi observed from behind his mask. "Wanna talk about it." Itachi glared daggers at him, which didn't look right on Naruto's usual happy mask. "It's nothing, Hatake-san."
Kakashi stilled, as if he sensed something unnatural about the blonde. He narrowed his eyes, but didn't question further. Good. This was all just getting out of hand anyway to the Uchiha.