It's hard to perceive people and their reasoning. Humans are the most complicated creatures known to mankind, and will be for all of existence. One disagreement can break a whole world out in a war and cause people to destroy everything in their path. Everyone says they're tired of fighting but hold no truth to their words when at their last moments of breath, they're killing another human being while someone is behind them doing the same thing. If the world truly wanted peace then something would be done about it. Saying and doing are two very different things, and doing nothing will give you nothing. It's like asking a Kage how they got to such a high position. They worked at it and got the recognition they needed to make their village and the people living there happy and safe from the horrors of the world.

I've wasted over half my life trying to comprehend the thoughts of many people in the world, but feel there is no answer to the things that happen and the actions that are caused by such a group. We as humans are power hungry and wish for dominance. We want everything the world has to offer but we don't want to share with others when something is obtained. We are so boastful, claiming to be better and well endowed than other living species we share the earth with.

The truth is, is that we as humans are vulnerable to the world and to each other. We can't handle the sheer thought of being less capable than an animal lost in the middle of a storm. We can't handle the possibility of coming last, and would rather drown in a pool of water so not to be shamed to the face because, who could look down upon a dead man? Who is sadistic enough to humiliate someone when they are not walking among the living, but with the deceased instead?

I've come to the conclusion that there is no peace. Not even in the fairy tale stories that our parents read to us as children. I've been alive long enough to see the hatred in peoples eyes, and see the revenge soaked into a person from their very bones to each individual cell going through their body. I've seen how ruthless someone can be when they have a smirk on their face from seeing the clear discomfort they put you through. It's heartbreaking to feel the negative vibes rolling off of each person you pass; seeing their chakra darken at the core and sometimes seeing it lengthen farther than that. It is made that killing and harming others is essential and needed. Though we are not back in the Warring States period, we are still in the state of destruction that is not lifting up any time soon. We are going to destroy everything before we get the chance to appreciate each other and the things around us. And it's very sad when you come to that realization and knowing there is nothing you can do about it.

I was born some fifty years before Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju became clan leaders, and was able to witness some of the horrific sights that came along with the battles between the two clans. The gruesome bloodshed left both the clans angry and revengeful, keeping the battles up for years to come. I was thankful for seeing the peaceful mindset of Hashirama, if it wasn't for him the fighting might still be around today.

In the making of the Leaf Village, I was liked by many, but as the years went on, everyone's insightful behavior washed over themselves. They thought they knew me, and for that I was banished from many of the places around the village; I was considered an evil presence for not aging. It wasn't until the Third Hokage that people began to accept me but often still was wary over me. So not to stress families out more than it clearly showed when I was around, I stayed near the Hokage, doing any kind of personal needs that he may of acquired from me, and didn't venture out into the village unless completely necessary.

I wouldn't say I was living a sad life, but it was quite lonesome. Once I realized I would no longer age, and watched everyone I knew and loved die, I made it a rule to myself to never get close to another human being. Instead, I watched from a distance and payed more attention to how everyone communicated and related towards one another. It made me happy seeing friends smiling and laughing, it reminded me that not everyone felt the need to kill and fight. Children were my favorite. They were the definition of innocence; always going by with a smile on their face even at the roughest times.

;

It was October, and closing in on the six year anniversary of the Nine Tails attack on the village. It was rather dreary, the weather acting on as everyone's emotions and making it darker then it should've been. It became a habit of mine to venture outside at dusk; when everyone was retiring for the day and leaving the daylight to shut down slowly just like their tired, resting bodies.

The clouds hung heavy over top of the entire area and almost made me turn back around and go inside, but the faint smell of sweat coming from a nearby training grounds caught my attention. As I made my way down a trail to the new destination, I couldn't help but take in the subtle hints of life with every passing step I took. Birds flew soundlessly away from my approach, and a cat meowed out at the sight of me before jumping from a tree and running back in the direction I came from. Soon, after a bit of walking, I found myself behind a tree peering over at a young boy; his hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and wearing dark ninja clothing. I grabbed one of the tree's limbs and hoisted myself up on it, getting comfy while watching the boy's vigorous training. With his back to me, I could see the proud stitching of the Uchiha clans symbol etched in the middle of his shirt.

Ever since the Nine Tails attack, everyone let their dislike and distrust be known to the Uchiha Clan since they were suspected to have something to do with the unleashing of the beast. Though it may be a terrible thing to think, it gave me a feeling of relief since I wasn't the main thing being disliked in this village. But it also made me terribly sad to see an innocent family get accused over something that was out of their control. The boy was brought back to my attention when he threw a kunai and hit the bark beside of my head. My eyes widened and I let out a breath of air. I didn't feel threatened, but it did startle me; I didn't see him take stance because of how deep in thought I was, and when I finally took notice of him turned to me, my mind didn't process the kunai whizzing past his fingertips. How... incredible. I was never one for fighting or training hours on end, my existence was purely fueled by saving lives, whenever the time actually came. It wasn't often. Many years ago I had a sensei that taught me the key points of my clans kekkei genkai, and it took months for me to perfect it. I succeeded and was soon known as one of the top healers to of ever come from my clan in over a century.

That information never left the main branch of the clan house, they didn't want the last Miyoko to have any kind of negative encounter with the shinobi lifestyle. Even though it wasn't completely unavoidable, I was hidden from powerful clans so not to of been kidnapped and used against my will. Once The Hidden Leaf was founded, I left in search of a happier, free life. Soon after, a disease quickly spread throughout the remaining homes of my clan, leaving me as the last Keiko.

The boy looked at me with his Sharingan blazing. I've never seen one so close to me before and I held amazement inside of my body at the sight before me. This wasn't the first time the boy has caught me watching his training, he usually looked my way and continued on, but this time was different as he bounded up the tree to me and stood in my line of sight. I got up from my crouched position and looked him in his eyes. He was young. Only around eleven years old, but had such raw talent that it lit a flame of pride in the pit of my stomach. I haven't seen anyone like this since I met Minato Namikaze years back.

"What's your name?" It made me smile at how innocent the question was when he could easily destroy me. I watched as he closed his eyes and opened them again to reveal dark, almost black irises.

"Sumiko Keiko." I replied with no hesitation. His eyes averted to my left, I was about to see what he was staring at before he raised his arm and grabbed a hold of the kunai embedded into the tree and jerked it out.

"Itachi Uchiha." He said back as he jumped to the ground below.

;

It's been a little over five months since Itachi and I became "friends". And every day since I spent any free time I had watching him train. It was magnificent seeing such a young person be so incredibly talented, and give their all through the tiring work they did.

"Father doesn't often give Sasuke the credibility he deserves. I mean, he's just a little kid.." Over the days we have spent together, I found it quite easy to get Itachi to talk about how he feels, except I have to do the same thing.

"But Itachi, you are, also. You may not see yourself as that, but despite your excellent performance, you're just a child. Barely even hitting the teenage mark."

"I know that, too. But it makes me feel like father doesn't see Sasuke as important as me. I don't want him thinking our dad doesn't love him. He's all the time trying to impress him but father just shoots him down in the end." At this point, Itachi relaxed his stance and let loose a deep sigh. "I feel like I'm not playing the big brother role right. I feel like I'm letting him down." The kunai slipped from his grasp as he took a seat near me.

"You don't need to think like that. Give your brother some time, and your father, too. Let Sasuke get where he needs to be at his own pace because in the end that's how progress is made. I sit out here with you sometimes for eight hours a day watching you train. And I've learned much about you just by seeing. You're very reserved. You don't communicate like the other kids your age does. But you're a genuinely good person. I can feel that when I gaze into your eyes." He picked at a particularly long grass leaf until it ended up being shredded, then dropped all the pieces to the ground. "You're very passionate and I admire that about you. I haven't met many people like you, Itachi. Feel proud of who you are and how you stand. You've got an amazing talent. Just don't let people take advantage over your good nature and power. It will be your down fall."

We sat in complete silence, the only noise being the birds over our heads and the picking up of croaking frogs looking for mates.

"Why do people speak such mean things of you?"

I had to think, because not even I knew that answer. I shrugged before looking up into the blue sky. "They don't know how to accept who I am." Was my simple reply. How is it you tell an eleven year old you're much older than the village he lives in and that it's the result of everything?

"I've paid quite a lot of attention to you, Sumiko. And for awhile, too. You've looked the same since I graduated from the academy. It's been four, almost five, years. You would've matured in some features during that time. Is that why the village people are so unkind to you?"

"Yeah, Itachi." The corners of my mouth lifted up as I looked from the sky to into his eyes. "What do you think about it?" I was curious of his thoughts.

"I think you're immortal." There was no fear in that small sentence. Nor hate, only true curiosity.

"Well, not necessarily. I can still be killed."

"What do you mean?" Itachi's eyes momentarily lit up, but a poof resonated around our area and cut off our conversation, and immediately Itachi jumped up with his kunai tightly in his grasp again.

"Keiko, Lord Hokage has asked for you." I turned my head to look at a masked man dressed in complete black.

"Yes, okay," The ANBU nodded his head and disappeared in a heap of smoke, "I'll see you later, Itachi." I got up from my position and started to walk off.

"Will you tell me everything else when I see you again?" I smirked when I turned to face him.

"Little Itachi, you'll know one day. Don't rush yourself. Have a good day."

;

"Sumiko, I need you to go on a mission for me. A rogue ninja, utmost a B rank, has taken a scroll from a small neighboring village. The scroll holds the key to the village's secrets and they have asked for our help to retrieve it."

"May I say something, Lord Third? Why are you asking me to go on a mission? I'm not even a ninja." He looked at me with a gentle smile and held out a file containing a shinobi's profile.

"Itachi Uchiha has become quite attached to you. I think this is the first real relationship with someone other than his family." The Third stood up and walked to one of the many windows in the room. "He was originally suppose to go alone. He already knows of this mission. I've just decided to have you tag along. I want you to see how he truly is when on a mission."

"I understand what you're saying," I began, "but, don't you think it's a little rash to have an inexperienced person in the line of duty? What if I cause more problems than what is needed?"

"Please, Ms. Keiko. Itachi is more than capable enough to protect you along with himself." The Hokage moved from the window and walked straight back to me. He grabbed the file off the desk and opened it up."That's why I'm not having a team go out. If he passes this then it shows me that he could end up being in the ANBU in the near future. We need someone like him."

I softly chewed on my bottom lip and let loose a sigh. "Alright."

"Just be careful, Sumiko, and don't worry. I assure you nothing will happen. Itachi is a very capable young man."

;

It was at the break of dawn when Itachi and I met up at the main entrance gates. "Did you pack all of your things needed?" I questioned once we got a move on.

"Yes, have you?" He answered back. A nod of my head ended our early morning discussion, and we continued our trek. Since the arrival of our destination had no specific time, besides getting there within three days, we walked the majority of the day and sat up camp nearing dusk. Nothing had occurred getting this far, but one can never be too cautious.

"Do you want me to take first watch?" The moon light reflected off Itachi's eyes when he looked at me.

"No, you need your rest." I threw him a baggie of dried fruits and meats before grabbing my own from my pack. "Eat up, you need your nutrients, too."

"You're acting like a mother hen. Calm down, I can practically hear your heartbeat from here." I narrowed my eyes and huffed as I sat down. Leaving the safety of the village has made me quite nervous. Ever since coming to live there I have not left one time.

"Shut up and eat. After you've finished, go to sleep. I'll wake you up later for your watch."

Itachi took his time finishing up his meal, all the while staring into the flames of the small fire he built. Once he finished, he grabbed a thin blanket from his pack and covered himself, making the pack his pillow. Soon, he fell asleep with a soft snore. I made my position against a tree more comfortable, taking out my own blanket to put in between the rigid bark and my back. I tried to sense for any intruding chakra, and relaxed more when everything deemed safe. It was calm; the night sky was full of twinkling stars, and every once in a while I seen one shoot across my line of sight. If only life was as peaceful as this.

"Itachi, wake up. It's your turn." I said, gently pushing his back with the tip of my toes. He rose up and let his eyes adjust to the blackness the woods around us permitted. It was well past midnight and I was beginning to really tire. I could hardly keep my eyes open, much less detect any kind of pending danger. He got in a crouched position before standing up and making his way to a low branched tree. I lied down in his warm spot and tried to get comfortable on the hard ground, and soon, I fell asleep.

;

The morning birds chirped continuously as we ventured further into the woods. Itachi had woken me up at dawn after he had packed most of our things. Once I actually got up, I doused the bright red wood pieces with water and watched as the steam rolled up after the sizzling noise reached my ears. I then buried the remains.

Running continuously for two straight hours was taking a huge toll on my body. Sweat was rolling down my face and my breathing was well passed the ragged stage. Itachi stopped suddenly and I, while not paying attention, smacked into his back.

"I think it's time for a break." He offered when he looked at my pathetic form.

"Oh, no. That's not necessary." I bent over as I tried to make the airflow to my lungs normal. I unstrapped my water bottle and gulped down over half of it. A few minutes later when I felt more composed, I apologized. "I'm so sorry. I told the Third it would be rash to bring me along. My body isn't endowed enough for this...exercise."

"It's okay, I understand." He said as he propped up against a tree. "Maybe we can walk the rest of the way, I'm sure the Hokage will understand concerning the predicament." I felt humiliated. I was over a hundred years old and I wasted all that time loafing around. My body should be more equipped for this haggard lifestyle. It's a shinobi world after all.

"No, no. Just give me a second."

"Or," Itachi began again, "I could just carry you. It'll be faster for me, and easier for you." The heat crept up my neck slowly and settled on my cheeks for a deep, pink blush. Itachi smirked and walked closer to me. "You want too?" I sucked in a breath of air and blew it out when I rammed into his shoulder to get passed him.

"Uh, n-no. That's completely absurd!" I hurriedly jumped up to a waiting branch and tried to calm the pink-turning-red blush down. "C'mon, let's go, Itachi! We don't have all day!" It was sad of me to say so, but I've never had any man, or in Itachi's case, boy, interactions besides mainly the Third Hokage. When I lived with my clan, I was only around women, for it was impure and unholy to converse with men before the "talking" stage. That was when the elders would pick your life partner and you'd have a couple of months to get to know one another before marrying. I never reached that part of my life, my kekkei genkai forbidding me doing so because of how long I would live.

We arrived at the neighboring village a day early; my embarrassment fueled my speed for over half of the journey.

"Sumiko, go to the inn and ask for a two bedded room, I'm going to go talk to the leader of this village. Rest up a bit and when I get back with any information we'll head out. The rogue could be heading towards the Sand Village's direction, which isn't looking too good for us if he is." I nodded and began to walk through the tiny village, Itachi seemingly disappearing.

I was in the hotel room by myself for a better part of the remaining day. I took a long, needed shower and then fell asleep. I woke up to Itachi shaking my shoulder with a box in his hand. The smell of food wafted through the air, and made me immediately sit up.

"I decided to pick up something small since we didn't eat this morning. We need to hurry though, the leader, Daichi, said that a messenger boy followed the rogue and sent a scroll of his current location. He's about a days worth away from reaching the border between the Leaf and Sand."

I allowed Itachi to carry me on his back, only because it was needed, and we arrived at the rogues camp in a short amount of time.

"I think there's someone residing with him." I murmured in his ear when I felt an extra chakra signature.

"Yes, it's the messenger boy."

He was hiding behind a rather large rock with a dove perched on his shoulder. A tiny note was tied around its leg. Itachi silently landed beside of the boy, who in return gasped.

"Relax." I heard Itachi whisper.

"Are you the ninja called here?" The boy asked. He stood up from his crouch and threw his bird into the air.

"Yes." Itachi said in return. The boy nodded and crouched back down to our level.

"He's alone, and from what I could tell he doesn't have many weapons on him. In the village he showed he could handle ninjustsu pretty well. I'm not certain on his genjutsu and taijutsu, though." Itachi put me down on the ground gently and activated his Sharingan.

"Thank you, I'll be back in a second." I stood up and followed him from around the rock. The rogue was large in size but short in height. He had no hair, and from what I could tell, hadn't took a shower in awhile or changed out of his rugged clothing. He hadn't realized we were here until Itachi purposefully stepped on a stick and caused it to crack. The man shot up quickly and eyed Itachi.

"And just who are you, Leaf scum?" He must not of noticed his Sharingan. "I said, you little bastard, who are you?" In a flash Itachi was in front of the man and was looking into his eyes. "U-Uchiha." Was all he muttered before looking around him. The man pulled out a kunai and threw it at him, but Itachi quickly moved out of the way. He then grabbed some shuriken out of his weapon pack and threw them, again watching as Itachi deflected them. "Enough!" He started to run, building up speed to barrel into Itachi.

"Agreed." Itachi muttered, sidestepping him at the last second. I watched as he twitched his finger, and seen how the rogue stopped while his body tightened up in fear. While the man was in his frozen like state, Itachi skillfully maneuvered himself and grabbed the scroll sticking out of his bag. Then, he walked back to the rogue and hit him in the back of his neck, knocking him out in the process.

"Aren't you gonna kill him?" The boy asked.

"No, I'm taking him back to your village and seeing what the leader wants to do with him. It's not my right to decide."

"Okay.." He said back hesitantly. Itachi nodded once and grabbed the man and threw him over his shoulder.

"Sumiko, walk with the messenger boy. I'm going to go ahead of you guys and wait for you."

"Be careful." I say with a smile. Again, Itachi nodded.

"So, are you a ninja? I noticed you don't have a headband." It's been about an hour of walking now and we still had a few more hours to go.

"No, I'm just an acquaintance of Itachi on this mission." The boy nodded his head and sighed. "What's your name?" I decided to ask after a couple minutes of silence.

"Makoto."

"How long have you been a messenger boy? You look pretty young." I felt slightly intrusive, but it was better than being in complete silence.

"I was fifteen when I started. I'm eighteen now. My father was one before me, and his father before him, I guess you could say it runs in the family. What about you? What do you do for a living?" He asked.

"I mostly just run errands for the Hokage, sometimes help him make decisions."

"Wow, must be pretty good pay." I smiled and nodded.

"It is, yes, but I do it because I owe it too him." The rest of the walk was met with continuous chatter of the things going on in our lives, and before we knew it, we were back in the village.

;

"How was the mission?" Hiruzen asked.

"It was very short... And very quick. There was hardly even a fight. Itachi just looked at him and it was basically over." I was astounded by how well Itachi could control genjutsu. He barely put any effort into it and he was finished.

"He's quite remarkable isn't he?"

"Yes, definitely. The rogue wasn't close to a B rank, though. Most likely a C." I reached over and handed him the report. As soon as we got into the Hokage building, the Third immediately sent him on another mission with a squad; him being the captain.

"Did he kill the rogue?" I shook my head and grabbed a nearby chair and sat across from him.

"No, he left it for the village to decide what they wanted. In the end they ended up killing him instead."

"Itachi is a kind soul. Very peace loving. He doesn't kill unless absolutely needed." Hiruzen read over the scroll and sat it on the table. He then grabbed a stamp and stamped it, afterwards putting it with another stack of documents that were also stamped.

"I know, I'm very fortunate to of met and befriended him. I'd be very devastated if something would happen to him." He nodded his head in agreement and sat back in his chair.

"I told you there was no need to worry." He spoke through his gravely voice.

"I know." I agreed with a smile.


Revised 10/24/16

No big changes, just a few errors fixed.