The Eyes of the Wicked

The first sign something was wrong was the stillness, something about the absolute silence of the forest around them should have clued them into something being off. They should have known better than to make a deal like this in the open in the first place, but when a new and quickly rising hidden village wants to make a lucrative deal with you, you take advantage. The second sign something was wrong was when the ninja they were meeting did not show up on time. Ninja were either on time for a meeting or something had delayed them while they were on their way, most of the time it was a much more permanent sort of delay than the kind a civilian would face. And lastly, the final and most obvious sign was when Yakushi’s head was suddenly and unceremoniously disconnected from his body.

A silent porcelain masked figure stood next to the headless corpse as it collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, hitting the ground with a thump that seemed to echo around them. The red blood dripping off the figure’s blade shone copper in the orange light of the lanterns they brought with them to the clearing.

“What are you doing?” Atsuchi gasped out as he stared at the motionless figure, shell-shocked by the death of a man he had known for years, “Why are you attacking us?”

The masked figure didn’t reply, instead its head quirked slightly to the side, as if they were eying something that had caught their interest. Something that made Atsushi have to hold back a shudder as he glanced around the clearing. There were still twelve of them and only one of the masked figures, but one thing he knew about them was that they always worked in teams.

To his right he saw Hideki tense, running forward in a short burst of speed, before he was intercepted near instantly by a second mask clad figure. This one's spikey white hair poked above his mask and shifted from the speed of his movement as he used a small kunai to deflect the katana that Hideki had drawn. Faster than Atsuchi could track, the small knife had been whipped across Hideki’s throat, a small line of red quickly turning into an overflow of blood coming from the new opening on his neck. Hideki dropped with a gurgle, his hands going to his throat as he tried to keep the blood in. Atsuchi could barely wrench his eyes away from the grizzly sight as he returned his gaze to the two masked figures.

“Why have you come here?” he rasped, his voice coming out rough after witnessing two people he had known for close to a decade die in a few minutes.

“You know why?” The newest masked figure answered, the light tone of the male’s voice sending tingles of rage through Atsuchi after what he had just done, “Did you really think you could make deals in our territory, with our enemies, without us knowing?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about” Atsuchi answered without even thinking, his tone only slightly convincing. He may have been more convincing had he not just witnessed two of his friends, men who he had seen kill before, be slaughtered like mere animals.

A soft muffled snort came from the first masked figure, who now that he saw them standing next to the second one, was decidedly feminine. The lantern light flared brighter and he could see for a moment that she had oddly colored hair.

“Even if that was true, you have now attacked us. We are within our rights to answer accordingly” The woman answered, her tone neutral yet a hint of humor still shining through.

Atsuchi grit his teeth at her answer, something that had rang similar with his companions as he saw at least four of them rush forward towards the two masked figures. He didn’t need to watch to see what the outcome would be and with nary a thought he broke out into a run bursting through the treeline and into the shelter of the forest. Behind him he heard the cracking of limbs and the rumbling of the earth as the ninja released untold horrors upon his former friends. His breathing quickly shortened to quick gasps as he ran with all his might. His head involuntarily whipped around to look behind him as he heard an agonized scream come from the clearing he had left. He forced himself to look back to his path, the adrenaline thrumming through his veins making him faster than before as he tried to escape the same fate. The sound of snapping branches next to him told him that at least one of the others had the same idea as him and was keeping up.

“Just keep running, Atsushi, if we make it to the border they won’t follow” his companion gasped out.

He gave his friend a silent nod, “I know, I just hope we make it in time” he replied gravely.

A sound like chirping birds followed by a muffled scream and a wet thump stopped his friend from responding. Astushi didn’t look back to see his friend's fate, his eyes locked in front of him, even as a lone tear slid from his eye. At least four of them had died now, and if he was being realistic he was likely the last one left. He burst from the forest, his pace increasing again as he laid eyes on the river in front of him that signified the border of the country. He almost didn’t notice the small masked figure standing at the edge of the river. His gaze shifted as he took in the sight of another of the masked ninja. His legs attempted to carry him away from the new nin, but it was too late, before he could react the figure blurred. Golden tendrils and red eyes of death were the last thing he saw before he felt a pain in his chest and his world went black.

A Few Years Earlier

Naruto woke with a start, his eyes darting around as he took in his surroundings. He rubbed his blue eyes blearily even as he realized he was still in his dingy apartment. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he flopped back down onto the mattress, he had been having the best dream. He had a family, at least the vaguest concept of one symbolized by blurs of red and gold that radiated affection. He didn’t know how he knew that they loved him, but in the haze of his sleep for a moment he had fooled himself into thinking he had a family, maybe even parents of some kind. Of course all of that was ruined by the gut clenching feeling of death. Something radiated inside him with the feeling, as if the shinigami was near. It was that feeling that had awoken him, as if a hundred souls had cried out in terror before their lives had been snuffed out.

He gazed at the ceiling, his breath slowly returning to normal as he calmed himself down, the sense of death had disappeared almost as swiftly as it had begun. Though now the uncomfortable feeling had changed to something else, it felt as if someone was watching him, the vaguest sense of someone familiar. He sat as still as he could, holding his breath so he wouldn’t move even a muscle. He sat there completely unmoving for a few moments before the smallest movement in the corner of his eye made him shoot up out of his bed, his hand wrapping around the kunai he kept under his pillow. He rocketed from the bed and towards the shadowy figure in the corner of his room, in a split second his trajectory was changed and his kunai was sent clattering to the floor as he was sent back onto the mattress. He landed with a huff quickly sitting up and looking closely at the figure that now stepped out from the shadows. Dark hair and red sharingan eyes made him out to be an Uchiha, while the black tactical uniform showed him to be an Anbu. Normally neither of these things would have bothered him much, if not for the blade the short man held which was dripping with blood.

Naruto eyed the figure nervously, their presence being vaguely familiar as he wracked his brain for who it could be. Suddenly the face clicked in his memory, bringing back times at the ninja academy of a dour classmate being escorted by his prodigious older brother.

“Itachi-san?” Naruto hedged, gripping the sheets tightly with his hands.

The young man quirked his head slightly, a glimmer of surprise in his red eyes before he nodded, “Yes, I am surprised you recognize me like this Naruto” he told him neutrally.

Naruto nodded faintly, his eyes fixed to the bloody blade clutched in his hand, his gaze slowly moved back up to Itachi’s face, “What do you mean?” he asked after a few moments, his brain finally catching up with what he said.

“Many of the times we have met I have been wearing a mask” he answered simply.

Naruto was taken aback by the answer and shifted uncomfortably atop his worn sheets. He racked his brain trying to figure out what he meant, and why he seemed so familiar. Something about his clothes and the dark black hair seemed very familiar, before the answer finally clicked.

“Weasel-sama?” he asked hesitantly, his eyes trailing back to the blade, his current look much different than that of the kind Anbu that had guarded him before.

A small almost invisible smile graced Itachi’s lips, “Quite right Naruto-Kun”

A grin spread across Naruto’s face as he finally had confirmation that this intruder was in fact one of his favorite protectors. The smile slowly turned back into an unsure frown as his gaze shifted back to the bloody blade in his right hand and for the first time he noticed that Itachi’s left hand was also covered in blood and was clenched around something.

“What happened, Itachi? Are other ninjas attacking the village?” he asked curiously, though a hint of excitement bled into his voice at the thought of a ninja fight.

A small frown tugged at the corner of the Uchiha’s lips, “Something like that, but that is no matter. I have to leave the village for a while” he answered.

Naruto gained a small frown at the response, “Oh, really?” he asked sadly, Weasel had always been one of his favorite Anbu. Since he was little a few had shadowed him everywhere he went, but only Weasel and a couple of others had ever interacted with him. And of those, only two of them were nice about it, sneaking him candy and other little gifts every few weeks. One of those nice Anbu had been Weasel, and Naruto would always be grateful for that.

“How long?” Naruto added a moment later.

Itachi hummed lowly before giving a ghost of a shrug, “For a long time” he answered and Naruto slumped slightly at the thought of him being gone. “Don’t worry Naruto-Kun, I have brought a gift for you before I go” Itachi told him.

Naruto straightened slightly, his gaze returning to Itachi, “Really what is it?” he asked, excitement creeping into his tone.

“Something that will make you a better ninja” he answered evasively.

Naruto’s brow furrowed, his eyes squinting in annoyance, a look that made him look like a cute, if unhappy, little baby fox. “What do you mean?” he asked.

His question was ignored however as Itatchi took a step towards him, his left hand opening slightly and revealing two white balls, “Even eyes of the wicked can be used for good.” Itachi answered neutrally.

“What are you talking about?” Naruto asked, exasperation creeping into his tone. What the heck does that mean? Is he crazy? He thought to himself but before he could speak up again Itachi formed a hand seal and his world went black.

XIXOIO

“Is it finished?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked from behind his desk. The smell of tobacco drifted from his lit pipe as he watched his former teammate intently.

“It is, the Uchiha have been wiped out, except for the sons of Fugaku” Danzo Shimura answered him cooly, his hands resting atop his cane as he sat calmly, not looking perturbed in the slightest that he had helped order the deaths of over 100 people.

Hiruzen sighed and leaned back in his chair, his hat casting a shadow across his face, he took a deep drag from his pipe before exhaling, the smoke wafting around his head.

“I see” he muttered softly, taking another long drag from his pipe, his eyes shifting to the portraits of the Hokage on the wall before drifting back to Danzo. “Is he still in the village?”

For the first time since he entered the room Danzo showed a hint of emotion, annoyance. “We lost him for almost 20 minutes but he was sighted outside the walls of Konoha 10 minutes ago”

Hiruzen nodded slowly, smirking internally at his former teammates' annoyance that his men couldn’t keep up with the child prodigy. Although his thoughts quickly sobered when he remembered the child prodigy they were thinking of had just slaughtered his entire clan.

A gust of wind was the only warning before a masked figure appeared in the center of the room to Danzo’s right. Silver hair poked from behind a dog mask as the ANBU stood silently.

“Inu? What is it?” Hiruzen asked, a hint of surprise creeping into his voice at the appearance of the elite ninja. The ANBU stood tensely in front of him, a stark difference from his usual laid back disposition.
The dog masked ANBU hesitated for a moment, “Lord Hokage” he began haltingly, “It’s Naruto Uzumaki, we found him when we got back from the Uchiha compound. It appears Itachi made one more stop before fleeing the village.”

Hiruzen felt his spine stiffen at the news, “Is he dead?” he asked after a few moments.

“No” the Anbu answered, “But there is something you need to see”

XIXOIO

Naruto awoke with a soft groan, he yawned blearily as he stretched his arms out wide, a clean sterile smell was in the air completely unlike his apartment. His eyes opened to survey his surroundings but to his surprise he wasn't greeted by the sight of his messy bedroom but instead the clean white surroundings of a hospital room. He pushed himself further up the bed to sit up more easily, his eyes scanning the room before falling on a masked figure perched on a chair next to his bed.

“Inu-san” he whispered as he quickly recognized the Anbu from his mask.

The ANBU eyed him for a moment, and Naruto suddenly felt a little uncertain. “Hello Naruto kun” the ninja responded after a few moments, “How do you feel?”

Naruto looked around the room in confusion before looking at his exposed arms, “I feel fine” he answered unsurely, “I feel pretty good really” he added.

The ANBU nodded slightly, “Good, let me go get the Hokage, he needs to speak to you” the dog masked ANBU told him before leaving abruptly.

Naruto watched him leave in surprise, he glanced around the room again, wracking his brain as he tried to remember what happened. He vaguely remembered waking up at night and talking to Uchiha Itachi but nothing else. Why am I here? He thought to himself looking back at his arms and finding no tubes or anything. He lifted the covers and saw his legs peeking from the bottom of his hospital gown, he kicked them slightly. Those still work, he thought and dropped the covers again. He didn't feel bad either, if anything he felt great, and the world seemed brighter and clearer than it had before. He looked back to the door as it opened again and in walked the dog masked ANBU and the Hokage. The Hokages steps faltered as they made eye contact, something Naruto didn't acknowledge since the man was old, and old people suck at walking. Especially that one shopkeeper who always sold him rotten fruit.

“Hello Naruto, how do you feel?” the old Hokage asked as he sat in the chair the ANBU had been occupying before, leaving the dog masked ninja to stand to his right.

Naruto squinted at him for a moment, “I’m fine Hokage-Jiji” He answered slowly before his head tilted in confusion, “Why am I in the hospital?”

Hiruzen watched him calmly, studying him as he laid there“What is the last thing you remember?”

Naruto scowled lightly at his question being ignored but shifted slightly on his bed before answering, “I remember waking up and talking to Itachi Uchiha and then I guess I went back to sleep” he answered hesitantly, struggling to remember the details of his interaction.

The Hokage nodded along, “And what did the two of you talk about?”

Naruto thought for a moment before his hand came up to scratch at his hair, “Why do you ask?”

“Just tell me” Hiruzen retorted, his eyes locked intently on Naruto.

The blonde boy huffed his eyes narrowing in annoyance, “He told me that he was Weasel, one of my favorite Anbu who used to guard me, and that he had to leave the village on a mission for a long time” he answered quickly, “Why?”

The Hokage leaned forward slightly, “Did you talk about anything else?”

Naruto nearly growled in annoyance but managed to hold himself back, “He said he had a gift for me, something that would make me a better ninja.” he told them before sighing, “Now can you tell me why you are asking?”

The Hokage sat back in his chair, his hand coming up to his chin to stroke his facial hair. Silence stretched for several moments before he answered, “Last night the Uchiha clan was slaughtered, Itachi killed them all, before fleeing the village. The only living Uchiha are him and his younger brother Sasuke who is only a year younger than you.”

Naruto’s mouth fell open in shock at the news, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two ninja as he tried to divine whether or not the Hokage was being serious. Both of them were blank slates though, and only watched him calmly.

“Are you serious?” he gasped.

The Hokage nodded but it was the ANBU who spoke, “Yes, he is being completely honest, there are only two Uchiha remaining after last night”

Naruto sat back against his pillow, his gaze shifting to the far wall. It wasn't as if he liked the Uchiha, as a matter of fact most of his encounters with them were negative, especially the ones with the military police. But they had been a constant around the village, and them not being around anymore would be odd.

He looked back to the two elite ninja, “Why would he kill his clan?”
The two ninja shifted slightly before the Hokage answered, “We aren’t sure, he may have just gone mad, or he was paid by another party to weaken our village, or something entirely different. Either way he is now considered a traitor to the village”

Naruto looked down uncomfortably, “Okay” he muttered before glancing up, “Why did he visit me before leaving”

The Hokage sighed tiredly, his eyes closing as he considered his next words, “When he told you that he had something that would make you a better ninja he wasn’t being entirely dishonest” Naruto eyed him in confusion and Hiruzen looked to the ANBU. The silver haired ninja disappeared for a few moments before reappearing with a mirror.

“See for yourself” he said as he handed the small mirror to Naruto.

Naruto squinted in confusion but took the mirror nonetheless, his eyes widening at his reflection. Rather than the clear blue eyes he was used to, a pair of red eyes gazed back at him. He nearly dropped the mirror in shock, 3 black shuriken like spines spinning counter clockwise in his eyes, a dot between each one of them. He looked back up at the two ninja who were watching him carefully.

“H-how?” he asked nervously.

The ANBU sighed, “Dojutsu can be transplanted, it is rare but it has happened before”

The Hokage nodded next to him, “When searching the Uchiha compound we found Fugaku Uchiha the former clan leader dead, his eyes missing”

Naruto felt his stomach turn at the thought of a dead man's eyes in his head. “Why, why would he do that?” he questioned nervously.

“We aren't completely sure, but after this you have a large target on your back” Hiruzen sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Naruto looked at him with a mixture of shock and fear, “With the Uchiha dead Sharingan are now in short supply, and a young, clanless, orphan like you is an easy target for anyone with bad intentions.”

Naruto shifted uneasily at the thought, “What about Sasuke?”

“Sasuke is different, he will have more protection as the sole survivor and heir of the Uchiha clan. The council will be more eager to protect him, than to protect a clanless orphan Naruto” He answered softly.

Naruto slumped his eyes watering, his life had never been fair before of course it wouldn’t start being fair now, “What does that mean for me?”

“Well there aren’t many options, but we have found one that will help keep you safe” Hiruzen answered carefully, “You finally get your wish, you are going to become a ninja”

Naruto’s eyes widened in surprise, “Really?!”
Hiruzen nodded, his lips quirking upwards for a moment at Naruto’s excitement before his expression returned to its calm neutral state, “Yes, although I can’t let you join the ninja academy. You are going to be fast tracked into ANBU for your own safety, you will disappear from the eyes of the village and be trained in the secure ANBU facilities. And hopefully by the time anyone finds out you have the Sharingan you will be strong enough to defend yourself from whatever threats may come after you.”

Naruto grinned ignoring anything after hearing he was going to be fast tracked into ANBU. Everyone in the village new about the ANBU, Konoha’s elite ninja black ops force, although not many of them ever actually saw one of the shadowy ninja in person. With a cheer he jumped up in his bed his fist pumping in the air.

“YATTA!” he cheered.

A flick on his forehead from the masked ninja sat him back down, his hand rubbing his forehead as he grumbled to himself.

“This isn’t a game Naruto” the Hokage told him seriously, “You are in danger and this is the only way to ensure your safety, do you understand that?”

Naruto sagged slightly at the old mans words his hand falling away from his forehead, “Yes, I’m just happy I finally get to become a ninja” he muttered.

Hiruzen gave him a sharp, serious, nod, “Good” he replied before gesturing to the ANBU next to him, who took of his mask.

Narutos eyes widened as he took in the sight of the unmasked elite ANBU What kind of weirdo wears a mask under his mask.

“This is Kakashi Hatake, you know him as Inu, he will be your squad leader and the one who is responsible for your training” Hiruzen introduced him.

Kakashi raised his hand in a lazy greeting, and Naruto’s eyes were finally drawn away from his face mask. To his surprise when he met his gaze a pair of mismatched eyes gazed back at him calmly, one black and one the red of a sharingan.

“Are you an Uchiha?” Naruto asked in confusion.

Kakashi’s eyes squinted and something about the mans change in posture made him think he was smiling, “No, nothing like that. As I said, Sharingan eyes have been transplanted before.”

Naruto nodded in dawning understanding, “Kakashi is one of the strongest ninja in the village, and the best person to teach you how to use your new eyes to their fullest advantage”

Naruto nodded in shock, “When can we start?” he asked excitedly.

The Hokage gave him a small, soft smile, “You have to stay here a couple more days to make sure everything is fine with you. Anbu security level healers will be checking up on you every few hours but after that Kakashi here will take you to a secret facility to begin your new training”

The blonde boy grinned in interest as the Hokage stood up and ruffled his hair, “I wouldn’t be too excited” came the voice of Kakashi, and Naruto looked over at him in interest, “We will have to make sure you can keep up within a couple of months, which means you will have to learn years worth of knowledge very quickly.”

Naruto’s mouth fell open in horror at what he was likely to be subjected to soon, the Hokage let out a huff of a laugh, “Get good rest the next couple of days, Naruto. I have a feeling you will need it”

Naruto gaped at the two elite ninja as they left the room with shaking shoulders, he stared at the closed door for a few moments before falling back into his soft covers. A small smile spread across his face at the thought of what was to come, it may be difficult but the upcoming training would make him stronger. One day I will be the strongest ninja in the village He thought to himself Then they will have to make me Hokage

XIXOIO

Kakashi sat in quiet reflection in front of the massive memorial stone of Konoha. A large stone monument engraved with the names of fallen shinobi of the leaf. His eyes locked on the name of his former sensei and mentor, his mind going back to the conversation he had just had with the third Hokage.

“You must train him hard” the old Hokage commanded sternly.

Kakashi quirked his head slightly in confusion, “I understand Lord Hokage, he will be good enough to not be a hindrance within a few months if all goes to plan”

The man who had been called the ‘God of Shinobi’ eyed him sternly before nodding, “Good I had to make sure that you wouldn’t take it easy on him just because of who his father is. If anything about him came out before we are ready every hidden village would be after him for one reason or the other. Whether it is because of his parents, his eyes, or what is inside of him, right now he is an invaluable target with almost no defence.”

Kakashi nodded slowly his resolve hardening, “I understand Lord Hokage, I will make sure he is ready”

The Hokage must have seen something in his eyes as he relaxed minutely, “Good, now go prepare your team for your new recruit”
Kakashi leaned forward his head bowing in reverence, “I promise Minato-Sensei, I promise I will keep your son safe, and train him to be a powerful ninja. Even if it costs me my life.” he whispered, before standing up and turning around, he needed to meet with his team.