Author Notes: Here's is the first chapter of my first ever Naruto fic! You can expect a lot of Kiba (he is sooo cool), and Sasuke (when the time comes) from me...

Feel free to message and review. I'm open to anything that will help improve my writing. But if you just want to tell me how awesome the story is, that fine too! I'd really like to know how i'm doing so far...

In chapter 1, we find out a little something about an old friend of the Konoha chunin... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Other than Kitana Izanaki, I don't own anything...


Chapter 1 – Bittersweet Barbeque

"Naruto," Sakura Haruno whispered to her team mate, "pay attention. I will create a diversion, so you will have an opportunity to strike. When I give you the signal, make your move."

Naruto Uzumaki gave her a hardly noticeable nod and looked straight forward into the space ahead of him.

"Hey look!" Sakura suddenly called out. "That store across the street has potato chips for sale!" she exclaimed as she pointed through the open door. "What!" Chouji Akimichi yelled as he spun his head towards the window to behold the miracle himself.

"Now, Naruto!" Sakura instructed the number one knuckle-headed hyperactive ninja in the Hidden Leaf village. Naruto grabbed his chopsticks in one swift movement and swiped as much barbequed meat as he could get his hands on. "Nooooo!" Chouji screamed in horror once he had seen through their deception, just to witness his beloved meat being taken from him.

"Awesome! Now give me some of that," Sakura said as she high-fived her team mate.

Ino Yamanaka laughed loudly at the stupidity of her comrade.

"That will teach him to be a greedy bastard," Kiba Inuzuka chuckled.

Chouji huffed and crossed his arms as Naruto and Sakura indulged on the spoils of their conquest. The Hidden Leaf chunin had just returned from an exhausting mission and had decided to treat themselves to some well deserved delicacies at the barbeque restaurant and in the meanwhile spend some quality time together. And they did just that. They made jokes and laughed and ate and drank, as if the duties and responsibilities of being a Shinobi didn't exist, if only for a short while. Years ago, when they had just graduated the Academy and had become genin, it had all seemed so simple. They had thought merely skills were enough to make someone a successful Shinobi. But no training in the world could have thought them what really mattered, what really gave a Shinobi power. Each of them had to learn themselves that faith, loyalty, insight and bravery weren't merely ideals or vague concepts. For Shinobi they were invaluable assets.

"Hey guys," Shikamaru Nara interrupted his friends' frivolity, "look who's here."

The chunin turned their eyes towards the doorway just in time to see a girl enter the restaurant. Her long, dark hair waved behind her as she walked inside and her dark blue eyes scanned the room for a place to sit. For a moment her eyes landed on the table were the chunin were sitting, she studied them each intently for a while, turned around and sat down at a table close her with her back facing towards them.

"I'm telling you, after all these years I still don't know what the hell her problem is," Kiba said as he looked at the girl over his shoulder.

"She used to be our friend," Naruto stated sadly. Hinata Hyuuga let her head down. "To be honest, I kind of miss her sometimes. She used to be a lot of fun," she whispered in her tiny voice. "Yeah well, I say we're a lot better off without her bipolar ass," Kiba snarled. "Don't say that," Sakura scolded him, "you know she has been through a lot. If I had been through what she went through and had lost what she has lost, I might not have been a very cheerful person either," she defended the girl, who was now nipping on some tea.

"Oh believe me, she is plenty cheerful. Just not to anybody who calls himself a Shinobi," Kiba retorted, anger evident in his voice.

"You know, I used to think that out of all of us, you got along with her best, Kiba. So what's with all the hostility?" Shikamaru inquired. Kiba snorted. "Ever since it happened she hasn't said a word to me. I've tried to talk to her, comfort her, but she just gave me the cold shoulder. And eventually I grew cold," Kiba simply stated.

"What is everybody talking about? Who is she?" Sai asked with a confused expression on his face. His comrades went quiet until Sakura started talking.

"You honestly don't know who she is? That over there is Kitana Izanaki. She was the Third Hokage's pupil, his chance to redeem himself for ever training Orochimaru. She was the best this village had to offer, a true prodigy. Until tragedy struck that is. Ever since then she vowed never to complete her training, to never serve this village as a Shinobi. And she has despised all other Shinobi ever since."

"But what could've been so awful for her to take such extreme measures?" Sai pressed.

"Several things drove her to a point where she cracked. Her parents were Shinobi, elite jonin, but on an S-ranked mission they were both killed. Kita was destroyed, but she kept training. Back then she had considered it an honor to follow in her parents footsteps. But then tragedy struck again. Her best friend in this entire village betrayed the people of the Hidden Leaf, the Hokage, and Kita herself by wiping out his entire clan," Shikamaru explained.

Sai frowned. "And who was this best friend of hers?" he asked. "I think you already know," Sakura said quietly.

"It was Itachi Uchiha," Shino Aburame, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly spoke.

"Itachi… Uchiha?" Sai repeated.

Kiba nodded and glanced over his shoulder once more. "She hasn't been the same since Itachi left the village. But still, that wasn't what really changed her. The day we lost Kita for good, was the day Orochimaru attacked our village during the Chunin Exams and murdered the Third Hokage. That day Kitana cut off all bonds with the Shinobi world, and with us," Kiba concluded in a sad voice. Sai blinked a couple of times and looked at the girl who was peacefully nipping her tea.

"I see," he mumbled, "well, that was all years ago. Maybe she's over it now, but she's just afraid to approach you after all this time. Maybe if you just go say…" Sai started, but Kiba harshly cut him off.

"You don't get it, do you? She doesn't want anything to do with us! And that's fine with me!" Kiba exclaimed as he stood up and strode out of the restaurant.

"Don't mind him," Ino tried to lighten the mood, "he is just a little sensitive when it comes to her. As Shikamaru said, they were very good friends and I don't think he ever got over the fact the she tossed him like an old shoe." Sakura and Hinata nodded in agreement and Naruto looked sadly in Kitana's direction. "Well, I'm going to give it a try anyway," Sai stated stubbornly as he got up and walked to Kitana's table, his friend anxiously watching him.

"Hi there, my name is Sai," Sai said with a smile and cocked his head to the side as he stood in front of the dark haired girl.

He stood there waiting for a reply from her, but nothing came out. He watched as she drank the last bit of her tea, placed some money on the table, got up and turned to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going? I just wanted to know how you were doing," He called out to her.

His friends nervously followed the scene unfolding before them as Kitana suddenly stopped, slowly turned around and stood just inches away from Sai. Her cold dark blue eyes pierced Sai onyx ones as if she was trying to rip him apart just by looking at him.

"Listen carefully, whoever you are, because I am only going to say this once. I want you, and all other Shinobi for that matter, to stay the hell away from me. Come near me again and I will not be held accountable for what I will do to you. Next time you feel like acting friendly, don't. You would do well listening to your friends," she hissed in a cold, but menacing voice.

Sai just stood in front of her dumbfounded, not believing she was actually as cold as Kiba had said she was. Kitana once again turned around and made her way out of the restaurant. Sai sat back down with his friends defeated and Shikamaru gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"Look at it from the bright side," he said, "at least it wasn't about you. She would have burned anyone of us, you know." Sakura sighed. "It's a shame it has to be this way. It's a waste of talent if you ask me. She was an amazing Shinobi. And a great friend," she said quietly. Suddenly Naruto stood up. "Maybe Sai and Sakura are right," he mumbled, but his voice became stronger. "Maybe Kita isn't a lost cause. Maybe she just needs to be reminded of the good sides of being a Shinobi. Just like I haven't given up on Sasuke, I'm not giving up on Kitana. I believe that we can bring them back. Both of them."