I'm so sorry, Naruto...

     There was only one person Itachi Uchiha actually loved in his whole life.

     It wasn't his little brother, Sasuke Uchiha.

     It wasn't his girlfriend, Izumi Uchiha.

     It wasn't his own mother, Mikoto Uchiha.

     It was a little blond boy with golden hair, sparkling cerulean eyes, pale skin, adorable whisker marks, and a bright smile that rivalled the sun.

     He was Itachi's world. The only one he would truely care for.

     His name was Naruto Uzumaki.

     Itachi knew little Naruto was an orphan. He knew that his parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, had died to protect and seal the Nine-tailed fox inside him.

     A foolish decision on the Yondaime's part, Itachi thought. The man couldn't have sealed the Kyuubi into his son and not known the villagers would hate him.

     And hate him they did. They called him demon, monster, murderer. They refused to let him into their shops, and anything they sold him was ridiculously overpriced. Some of them even went as far as to beat him physically.

     And they would pay for it. For the pain they inflicted onto the innocent little blonde. Every bruise they gave Naruto, they got it back ten times worse. Every time they refused to sell Naruto things, their shop and items would get burned or broken.

     Itachi made sure that they would regret laying a hand on the blonde. If people muttered about him, they would get subjected to a Sharingan-enhanced Uchiha Death glare. He memorised the faces everyone that hurt Naruto, and killed them quietly at night.

     Naruto had no parents, nor siblings. There was no one who acted like family to him sans the Third Hokage. And so, Itachi took the position of Naruto's older brother, being his guardian angel.

     Every night, when he returned to the Uchiha compound for dinner, he would tell his family about the day with Naruto.

     His mother always smiled at him and praised him for helping 'Kushina-chan's son'.

     His father always give a proud 'Hn' and laughed slightly at his older son's overprotective antics.

     Sasuke, well, his foolish little brother would hiss angrily because that Naruto person was stealing Itachi-nii from him.

     Naruto didn't know his real face, nor his real name. He just called him 'Weasel-nii.'

     To this day, he still didn't know how Naruto had been able to find him. Even the most accomplished sensor in the village couldn't find him if he was serious. And he was always serious while following Naruto.

     ( No, he was not stalking Naruto. Just following him and making sure the little blonde was safe. )

~~Flashback~~

     Itachi was following Naruto, keeping him safe. He was outraged, there had already been five assassination attempts on the little blonde! And all five of them were from Konoha ninja!

     Naruto veered off his original path and walked into a dark alleyway. Frowning slightly, Itachi followed him.

     Suddenly, Naruto seemingly disappeared. Itachi's eyes widened, caught off guard, and felt cold metal dig into the back of his neck while his arm was twisted to his back.

     "Why have you been following me the past six months?" Naruto's voice was as cold as ice.

     Itachi swallowed. He was not prepared for this. Usually, he would just catch the attacker in a genjutsu and kill him quietly. But this was Naruto! And despite what they say about ANBU, Itachi was above hurting children.