A/N: First off, I would like to thank Kirity for letting me take over her story. With her permission I am rewriting it. It's the same story, it's just a different style. Really, it's like there are two writer's making a super writer for this story now.

Chibi-Naruto: Are we going to get to the story anytime soon?

Joryuu: Am I not allowed to thank Kirity?

Chibi-Naruto: You did, so can we get on with the story?

Joryuu: Fine…

Chibi-Naruto: Yay! Dattebayo!

Joryuu: (to Kirity) Does she always say that?

Kirity: *sighs* Yup. *puts a hand on Joryuu's shoulder* Take good care of her. *runs away as fast as she can*

Joryuu: I feel like I have just doomed myself…

Chapter 1

Naruto had been cornered by a couple of drunken villagers again. All she could do was sit and bare through the pain. It would be over quickly, she hoped. Naruto closed her eyes tight and waited for the villagers to strike. After an uncountable number of blows Naruto was knocked out.

An ANBU nearby saw what was happening and sent the villagers away with a warning/threat. The ANBU picked her up. Her hair looked cute in their ponytails, one on either side. They were a little messed up, but still cute and it was just as bright as the sun above.

Naruto woke up in an unfamiliar place. White sheets, white walls, white…everything. The smell of disinfectant was overpowering and it gave her a headache. Was she in a hospital? How'd she get there and why were they treating her? They never treated her before now. What was different?

She looked over and saw an ANBU in a cat mask talking with the doctor. It must have been that guy's doing, Naruto thought.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot treat her," the doctor said. He was sweating and obviously stressed.

"Why not? She's just a little girl," the ANBU said calmly.

Naruto sat up and looked at him. Somebody actually cared about her in the village. She felt an odd feeling well up inside of her. It was like when she first went into Ichiraku's. It was pure happiness. She smiled at the cat man. "It's okay. I'm a quick healer."

The ANBU removed his mask. He had pitch black eyes with scars underneath them and long raven colored hair. "Is that so?" He smiled.

Naruto nodded with a toothy grin. No one had ever smiled at her like that before. It felt…good. "Ne, ne, what's your name Nii-chan," she asked excitedly.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto threw her arms up and cheered, "Itachi-sama!"

Itachi laughed. "Please don't call me that."

"But I want to," Naruto pouted.

"Would you like some ramen?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. She jumped off of the bed and walked next to Itachi. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto."

"I know who you are. It's hard not to know you."

Naruto made a face. "That's because I'm famous in a bad way."

"I don't think so. From what I've seen, you're pretty well behaved. I think you are a hero."

"A hero? For pulling little pranks?"

Itachi chuckled. "Something like that."

Naruto stuck her tongue out and shrugged. "They deserve more than pranks for all the mean things they do."

"They just need someone to take their anger and frustrations out on."

"I won the lottery," Naruto said with fake excitement.

"Don't be too hard on them. They are all close minded."

"How do you open them?"

"Be yourself and don't go on a rampage to kill everyone."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Why would I do that? Is that what people think about me?"

"Some do."

"I wouldn't go that far," Naruto muttered. "Now I'm depressed…"

"That's nothing Ichiraku's can't fix."

"Got that right," Naruto shouted happily. "Ne, ne, Itachi-sama."

"Please stop using –sama."

"But I want to. Itachi-sama is the first person to really be nice to me. Everybody else is so mean, or they ignore me. Either way I don't like it," Naruto said as she folded her arms across her chest.

Itachi picked her up and put her on one of the stools in front of the counter.

"Miso please!"

"2 miso ramen," Itachi told the man who worked there. "What about the kids your age?"

"What about them?"

"Don't they talk to you at all?"

"Not really…well there are a few."

"See. It doesn't matter what the adults think because you don't have to grow up with them. And if the other children don't talk or play with you than it's their loss."

Naruto blushed. "You really think so?"

Itachi nodded and smiled at her. "In fact, I hear from my little brother that you all seem to be smiling."

"You have a brother? What's his name?"

"Sasuke. He's my precious little brother so don't be mean to him."

"I haven't met him so how can I possibly be mean to him?"

"By not meeting him." Especially since he likes you, Itachi added in thought.

"Huh? Why doesn't he just walk up to me and say 'Hi. I'm Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi-sama's brother.'?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe he is just shy."

"Whatever," Naruto scoffed as a bowl of ramen was placed in front of her. She broke her chopsticks and sang, "Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu," Itachi said quietly and he began to eat.

They continued talking for a while and eventually Itachi took her home. He wasn't surprised when he saw what a mess her apartment. She was a kid living alone so of course random stuff would be scattered on the floor.

"Can we do this again," Naruto asked sheepishly.

"Of course. I'll treat you next time too."

"Jackpot," Naruto cheered, arms tossed into the air like she was calling a touchdown.

A few weeks passed by and Naruto hadn't heard anything from Itachi, so naturally she wanted to make she he was okay and not dead or ignoring her like everybody else. Wait a minute…why should she have to wait for him to take her? "I'll just go to his house and pick him up."

The doorbell rang. Sasuke answered the door to reveal a very happy, excited and nervous blonde. His jaw almost dropped, but of course he was an Uchiha and Uchiha's don't let their jaws drop. What was Naruto, the only girl in the academy that didn't drool over him, the only girl in the academy that he could actually stand five minutes with, the only girl in the academy he had a crush on, at his house? What kind of dream was this?

"Um...Hi. Is Itachi home," she asked with a light blush.

Itachi? Why him, Sasuke thought. "I don't think so," Sasuke lied.

"Oh," Naruto said sadly.

Don't make that face Naru-chan, Sasuke thought. "You can come in and wait, I guess."

"Alright," Naruto sang.

"Sasuke, who's at the door," Mikoto asked. She walked into the room and stopped with a giggle. "Who's this little cutie?"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand before she could introduce herself and was dragged away. "She's just a friend from school mom. We'll be in my ro-" Sasuke bumped into Itachi in the hall.

"Itachi-sama," Naruto cheered.

"Naruto-chan," Itachi said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"You promised to treat me to ramen."

"Yes, but why are you here," he repeated.

Naruto shrugged. "You took too long." She'd never been in someone else's house before. She had only ever been inside her own apartment. This place was way different. It was huge! It even had a garden, with a pond!

Itachi saw Naruto's eyes light up as she looked into the garden. He scooped her up, which earned him a cute little scream, and carried her over to the little pond.

Sasuke watched as his crush sat on Itachi's lap. She seemed to take in every word told to her. He was happy to see her give such a nice smile, but he was mad that she wasn't smiling at him.

Itachi turned to look at his brother. "Would you take her to Ichiraku's for me?"

"But you promised," Naruto whined.

"I know, but I have to go on a mission."

Naruto pouted and muttered, "Fine. As long as I get free ramen."

Naruto slurped down her ramen. Sasuke watched as she devoured her first bowl in under a minute and requested another.

"Do you hang out with my brother a lot," he asked.

"Uh-uh. He told me a little bit about the Sharingan last time we met, not much though."

"You and my brother seem very close…"

"I guess," Naruto nodded and slurped some ramen.

"Why is that?"

"He looks at me nicely," Naruto answered honestly.

Sasuke twitched. "That's a stupid reason."

"It may be a stupid reason to you, but to me…" Naruto thought hard to find the right words. "It is something that I treasure."

"Something…you treasure?"

"It doesn't happen very often. There are only a select number of people who make me feel that way."

"And who are they," Sasuke asked with a little edge.

"Itachi, of course. Hinata doesn't seem to hate me. She helps me treat my wounds sometimes. Then there is Shikamaru. He has a very calm atmosphere and it's easy to relax around him. Choji is pretty cool. He shares his snacks with me a lot. Oh, and Kiba. He's really fun to play with."

"What about…Iruka-sensei?" He really wanted to say, what about me?

"He's our teacher, he doesn't count."

"In the entire village, those guys…and Hinata, are the only ones who make you feel that way?"

Naruto nodded. "The way all the adults look at me makes me want to disappear."

"I don't want you to disappear Naruto-chan. And I bet Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba don't want you to disappear either. Itachi, too."

"You really think so," Naruto said with hope shining in her eyes.

"Definitely," he smiled.

"Then just for you guys, I'll stick around for a while."

A/N: Is it okay that I stole that from chapter 15 of your story?

Kirity: Yup. I told you that you could use whatever I've done in my story for this one.

Joryuu: I'm just making sure. I changed the weather too. Dark and rainy…so cliché~

Kirity: You're such a kind hearted soul~

Joryuu: Whatever~

Kirity: Keep reading and leave a review.

Joryuu: ?

Kirity: Sorry. Force of habit.

Joryuu: I see…I like it. What she said!