The Kasai clan's activities were a complete mystery to Konoha. They were the first allies of the Senju which led them to peace. The Kasai clan is known for their powerful and terrifyingly strong fire kekkei genkai. It involved the summoning of fire to their fingertips. Some would say it was beautiful while others would comment on how dangerous it was. The head of the clan, Fudo Kasai, was a strict and proper man. His wife, Ayane Kasai, was originally from the land of sound but had the Kasai blood from her father. She was a princess who possessed a kekkei genkai of her very own. Her voice had the potential to kill anyone. The two had four children. However, the youngest one, Ellie, didn't look like the others in her clan. Instead of warm brown or red hair, she had a very light blue color. She inherited her mother's golden eyes like all of her older siblings. Her kekkei genkai told the entire story. Instead of the flames of red hatred, she had the calm crystal water. It was obvious she was not of the clan.

At the age of five, I knew three things. Everyone, but my oldest brother and mother, hates me. They want nothing but my death. I bet they'd celebrate when they end up killing me. The second thing was that singing was the only thing that made me feel better. I knew I was the only one other than mama that could use my voice as a weapon. Though, I'd only use it to attract the birds and other animals to me. The other thing I knew was war. It was horrible, but it also didn't bother me. I was told it was a necessary evil in the world. It's inevitable. To have peace, there needs to be war. In my eyes, it was beautiful. After all, people were like flowers. When people died, their blood scatters everywhere. The strong that survive only wait until they are killed or wilt.

Every day, I'd see clansmen walk back to the compound with little to no injuries. This is why my clan is feared. They're all strong and aren't allowed to become a genin until they're deemed perfect in my father's eyes. Father is forcing me to take specialized classes that are much harder than normal. It was because of my differences I have to suffer consequences. Father being the clan head made things worse for me. I was only there out of pity. One day, everything seemed to be calmer than usual. I took the opportunity to go take a walk in the woods. There was a small stream that held beautiful fish. I always liked going here to be alone. Before leaving, I made sure my light blue hair and clothing didn't have a single imperfection. I always wore a short, dark blue kimono with white tights and black slips. After I was happy with my appearance, I ventured off to the almost unknown.

At the stream, I crouched down and watched the fish. I was even humming a song mama taught me. They were white and orange with different patterns. Each of them was unique in their own way like people.

"Who are you?" A quiet voice asked. I looked up and saw a boy my age.

"Who are you?" I questioned back. He seemed to be a little flustered.

"I-I asked first." I stood up and tilted my head to the side.

"Why are you so flustered? Do you not know how to talk to a girl?" His cheeks turned a little pink. He looked adorable. I jumped over the small stream, surprising him. The mysterious boy took a few steps back.

"I'm not going to hurt you." "I…" I gave a giggle.

"My name is Ellie Kasai, one of the heirs to the Kasai clan."

He looked surprised. "I'm Itachi Uchiha."

"What are you doing all the way here?" I asked him.

"I needed to go on a walk." He looked awfully down and depressed. I took his hand and walked to the water. Crouching down, I instructed him to do the same. Once he was crouched, I pointed to the fish. "This is why I'm here."

"Fish?" He seemed confused.

"Aren't they pretty?"

He stared for a few seconds. "What's so great about the fish?"

"You mustn't get out much. Look at the colors and patterns."

"What about them?"

"They're all different. They're the same as humans. We're all the same, but with different colors and patterns." His eyes seem to have widened. "See? Sometimes all you need to do is sit back and observe. You'll make more connections with the world around you this way." I started humming the song again out of habit.

"What are you humming?"

"It's a song mama taught me."

"Can you...sing it for me?" I brightened up and stood straight up. I walked onto the water, surprising him even more.

"You can walk on water? I can't even do that." Itachi said with shock.

"I'll tell you a secret if you promise to keep it quiet, alright?" He gave a nod and got closer to me. "I'm not like the other Kasai. I'm affiliated with water instead of fire." I said in a whisper.

"Really?"

I nodded excitedly. "If I let anyone see, I'll get punished. You wouldn't want that to happen, right?" He shook his head. I gave a smile before singing. The song itself wasn't a children's song. It was the elegy of the world. As my hands and arms moved, water started to follow my fingertips like a puppet. Itachi was in pure awe as he watched. His eyes followed me whenever I moved. When I finished the song, a butterfly landed on my finger tip. I looked at Itachi with a smile.

"Did you like it?"

"I loved it. It was beautiful. I've never seen anything like it before."

"I'm glad." We heard someone call for Itachi. "I have to go. Will you be here tomorrow?" "I might."

Since then, the two of us have been secretly meeting at that same stream. We'd talk about random things on some days and on others, I'd watch Itachi practice.

"What do you think of war?" Itachi suddenly asked me out of the blue. He looked way too serious for his own good.

"Why?"

"Just answer the question."

I looked up at the sky and hummed. "War is terrifying. War is traumatizing. War is beautiful. War is necessary."

"Why?" He questioned quietly.

"You won't like my reasoning, Itachi. Do you really want to know?"

"Not really…" His voice was soft. He looked defeated.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have answered that way." I said sadly.

"It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize."

"It probably wasn't the answer you wanted, huh?" He got embarrassed and looked away. I stood up and stretched. "I have to leave soon. I won't be back for a while."

"Why?"

"My grandfather is coming."

"Are you visiting him then?" I gave a soft smile. Itachi didn't know of the horrors of my clan. It's for the best he didn't know. "It's something like that."

"Can you sing me something before you leave?"

"You're becoming rather demanding, aren't you?"

A week later, master, otherwise known as my grandfather, arrived. Almost everyone in the clan calls him such. He was the one that hated me more than anything in the world. His arrival was delayed because of the war. However, thanks to the war ending, he made it. It was the only time I wished for war to be longer. My family stood in line, waiting for father to come in with master. When they entered, we all felt master's overpowering aura. It made my three siblings flinch. They walked over to see us, mostly to see if master approved of us. None of us smiled. Master took one look at me and threw me into the wall. None of my siblings moved. Not even my own mother moved. It was too dangerous for anyone to move. His word is absolute and if he wanted any of us dead, no one could fight it. "I expect you gone by tonight. If not, I will have you killed. Be thankful I'm in a good mood." That night, I sat next to my pond with my legs in the water. Weird enough, I was given the house in the back of the compound which happened to be the largest. I was grateful for it since it had a good sized pond in the back.

"Is she here?" A voice in the distance startled me. It was one of master's men. I looked down and pushed myself into the water without a sound. I kept swimming deeper. I took a breath and hummed my song.

Itachi was infatuated with his new friend. Ellie was different from anyone he's ever met. It wasn't just her looks that made her unique. She looks at things in a strange way. Itachi has been using her way of seeing the world and has noticed a lot more. He saw everyone in a different light. He could see how some people in the village were evil. It was exactly like she said. Everyone is different despite looking the same. Everyone had something specific about them. At home, Itachi would get stressed from the constant pressure of his father's training. During those times, Itachi would think of Ellie's songs. They always calmed him down and brought him to a Zen like state. She was full of mysteries, but he'd keep her identity hidden. She was his first and only friend.

"What's the long look? Can't go see your girlfriend today?" Itachi's face turned red from his mother's words.

"She isn't my girlfriend." Itachi replied with shock.

"So you really are seeing a girl on your walks." Itachi gave a gasp. His mother caught him red handed.

"Who is it? Is she pretty? She must be if she caught your attention."

"She's just a friend. Nothing more." Itachi replied stubbornly.

"I still want to know who it is." Itachi shook his head.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

"You can tell me anything, Itachi. If you want, I can keep it a secret between us." He shook his head again. "Is she from a clan?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Why not?" His mother asked, worried for how her son was acting.

He looked down at his lap. "If I tell you, she'll get punished. I don't want that to happen." Makoto hugged her son, adoring his loyalty to his friend.

"I'm glad you made a friend, Itachi. I'm even happier you're protecting her even though you're defying me. I won't say anything. I just want to know the name of my son's friend."

"Ellie." Makoto's eyes widened, knowing exactly who Ellie was. That's when she saw just how terrified he was. He really cared for Ellie and didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She relaxed and smiled, squeezing her son even tighter. "That's wonderful. I'm happy you made a friend."

Itachi wasn't the class favorite at the academy. None of the kids liked him because he was better than them. He sat in class and looked around. After giving a big sigh, he slouched in his chair. It's been a week since he hasn't seen Ellie. If his father knew how he felt, he'd tell Itachi it isn't shinobi-like to be depressed over a single girl. Even so, Itachi still felt lonely. Ellie was the only one that he could be himself with. She knew things that he wanted to learn about. Even in class, they were never told to look at things differently. Itachi wondered why Ellie didn't go to the academy. She could stand on water which was something that is taught when they're genin. She'd be able to graduate with ease. After class, his teacher kept him back.

"Is everything alright, Itachi? You've been looking really down lately."

"I'm fine, sensei." Itachi replied in a robotic tone.

The man stared at Itachi and shook his head. "You don't need to lie. What's bothering you?"

"Can…I speak honestly?"

"Of course you can."

"Why aren't we taught to look at things differently?"

This seemed to surprise his teacher. "This is the way shinobi of the leaf think, Itachi. Do you see something wrong with that?"

Itachi tensed up and regretted even asking. "Well…"

"I won't be mad. I'm curious about what you think."

"I'm confused about war." His teacher gave a warm smile.

"That's normal to be confused at your age. Even old men like me are confused about war. What do you find confusing about it?" His teacher figured it must be because of Itachi's relatives telling war stories. It was common that clan children knew about war, but they hardly questioned it like Itachi.

"Why do people fight if all it does is cause pain and suffering? It creates a never ending cycle."

His teacher was stunned with Itachi's word. He knew Itachi was always smart, but he never showed this kind of deep thinking before. "I'm not the best person to talk to. How about we go to the hokage? I'm sure he'd be able to explain this better than me."

Itachi held his head down. "Will I get in trouble?"

His teacher chuckled quietly. "You won't. I'm glad you came to me about this. It tells me you're thinking about the future."

Minato was surprised to have a visit from one of the academy's teachers and its student. "Forgive the intrusion, sir."

"That's alright. Is something wrong?" Minato looked at the Uchiha heir with confusion.

"He came to me and asked about war. I thought you'd be the best one to explain to him." The teacher explained the situation briefly.

Minato gave Itachi a smile to make him feel at ease. "I'd be glad to." Once the teacher left, Minato stood up. "Let's take a walk." Itachi gave a timid nod and followed Minato to the roof of the building.

"Do you not like war, Itachi?"

"Nothing about it makes sense. It makes a vicious cycle that will repeat over and over."

"I'm guessing you've seen the horrendous side of war, huh?" Itachi only nodded. He himself has seen his own family suffer and die from the war.

"Why have you been thinking of this?"

"Someone said something about war that I'm confused about."

"What did that person say?"

"War is beautiful and necessary. War is terrifying and traumatizing." Itachi repeated the words he was told by Ellie.

Minato looked almost stunned at the words. "In some ways, your friend is right. You see, I was in the war and lost a lot of comrades and even two from my genin team. It's terrifying and traumatizing. In order to have peace, war can be necessary. I wonder why your friend said it was beautiful."

Itachi stared at the entire village. Why would Ellie say war is beautiful? He saw a bird eat a bug and found it odd. Minato stared at the boy as he observed the bird. To Itachi, this was just the way life worked. Did that mean Ellie thought the same about war? Itachi's eyes widened slightly. This is how Ellie thought.

"Did you come to a conclusion?" Itachi gave a single nod. "War is the same as when that bird ate the bug."

"Why do you think that?" Minato asked, genuinely curious. This was his first interaction with the Uchiha heir after all. It was good to know how the future generation thought.

"Everyone who dies is replaced. It is part of the cycle of life which in some way is beautiful."

"That sounds a little cruel."

"It is but I know it's what my friend would say. I didn't want to hear the explanation because I thought their view would be the same as mine. I was scared. Maybe I was in the wrong." Itachi pondered.

"You're entitled to your own opinion. It's good to be able to see things in other views. It's also good to acknowledge your friend's view."

Itachi made a noise and furrowed his brows with confusion. "Sensei said we aren't taught to look at things differently because this is the way shinobi of the leaf learn."

Minato gave a gentle smile. "We don't teach it in the academy because you're all still too young to understand. Just because the academy doesn't teach it, doesn't mean you can't learn on your own. In fact, I encourage you to keep looking at things differently. Maybe you and your friend can do some exercises together."

"Why involve my friend?"

Minato didn't know what to think. Who was this friend Itachi talked so highly of? Was this person in the academy? "From the way your friend thinks, I can deduce they go to the academy. It'll further you two for the future."

"My friend…isn't in the academy." Itachi admitted quietly.

"Do you know why?" "I don't." "Still, I'm sure you can complete the exercises."

When Itachi left with a few scrolls, Minato gave a small smile. That boy was a pacifist at heart despite his immense, raw skill. It almost worried him. The door opened and Kakashi walked in. This was another problem Minato had. Kakashi was as cold hearted as ever.

"I've completed the mission without any trouble, sir." Kakashi replied in a cold, monotone voice.

"That's good." Minato was handed the report and gave a small sigh after he read the report. "Kakashi, you can't just go attack the enemy like that. You'll end up getting yourself killed."

"I completed the mission." Minato pinched the bridge of his nose with slight frustration. "Sir?"

"Let's go take a walk." Kakashi stayed silent and followed his previous sensei.

"Where are we going?"

"I want to see something. I got a visit by the Uchiha heir. His thinking is that of someone of your level. Apparently, his friend has been showing him how to think that way."

"Do you think it could be an enemy?" Kakashi questioned.

"I'm not sure." Minto replied honestly.

The two walked until they heard Itachi. "The hokage spoke to me about what you taught me. He said it's good I'm thinking this way." The two men looked at each other and nodded. They quietly hid their chakra and watched from afar. "He gave us these exercises to complete."

"They're too easy." A girl's voice said. This intrigued the two hiding.

"Really?" Itachi sounded surprised.

"You'd have to be an idiot not to get it."

"Oh…"

"It's okay if you don't get it."

"Why do you get this easily when I struggle? You don't even go to the academy."

The girl giggled lightly. It was strangely melodic. "The academy takes up too much time drilling in rules."

"Huh?" This left not only Itachi confused, but Minato and Kakashi as well.

"They don't teach you how to look at the world. No matter how unfair things may be, it's all part of the cycle that we'll fall victim to. Even I will fall one day."

"Still…"

"You may be a skilled fighter, but you'll always be empty without understanding. Why do you think there are mindless shinobi ready to give up their life for their village? Nothing good will come out of that. They'll fight for their entire life for what? Because their leader told them to? They don't question if it's right of wrong. Soldiers get degraded to animals that way." The words were sharp, but had truth.

"Animals like wolfs follow the leader. What makes us different?" Itachi challenged the girl.

She chuckled and walked to Itachi. She poked his forehead. "Humans are superior because of our conscious and free will to think. It's also our free will that will lead to our fall ." Itachi's eyes widened. "You see, my dear friend, we're only numbers to be put in books. When you die on the battlefield, you won't be remembered as Itachi Uchiha. You'll be known as the one of the hundreds to die in a war."

Minato looked at the blue haired girl with shock. Her words were cruel and mature for her age. Minato looked at Kakashi and saw him tensed.

"Even so…" Itachi couldn't comprehend what his friend was saying

"Life is cruel. You end up remembering all the bad memories instead of the good. What do you think soldiers think of when they reflect on their life?"

"The war?" Itachi questioned with hardly any confidence.

The girl nodded with the smallest of smiles. "I guess you really do listen to me." Her chuckle made Itachi's cheeks turn red from embarrassment.

"You're my only friend. Of course I'd listen to you."

"You think of me as a friend?" She was surprised.

Itachi nodded. "Don't you have friends?" Itachi asked.

"I don't even really know what a friend is. I've only read about it in books." This surprised the three.

"Really?"

"My parents don't like me outside the compound so I'm naïve of the outside world."

"Why don't they let you out?"

In that instance, a large, booming voice echoed. "Trash! Where the hell are you?" Itachi looked a little shaken up.

"That would be my father. I have to go before I get punished. I might see you tomorrow, Itachi. Don't let them turn you into a blind bat." She gave a final smile before running away. Minato knew that booming voice was the Kasai clan leader. He didn't know they had a fourth child. There were rumors, but for them to be true meant the clan was hiding something from the entire village.

"Sir?" Kakashi questioned once Itachi left.

"Let's go back, Kakashi."