Prologue

At age three, she managed to perform perfect fireball jutsu. The people applauded at her, but her parents did not say a word about it.

"You must be his shield." Was what she'd been hearing from her parents ever since her baby brother's born. Soon her parents put some genjutsu on her, which caused other people to regard her as a 'boy'.

At age six, she entered Academy and made top scores in every subject. At age seven, she graduated Academy. Her senseis appraised her, but her parents started to train her little brother instead of her.

At age eight, she activated her sharingan. Her relatives praised at her, but it was her brother who's trained even more harshly.

She always felt sorry for her brother, watching him suffering a hard training, half because of her, since their parents put a harsher training onto him everytime she performed something. Of course, her brother was supposed to be a clan heir, so it's natural for him to have such hard training, but still she felt guilty.

Her brother was a playful child at young age, and he often came back home with wounds, and everytime it happened, she was the one who's punished. She accepted it without a complain, since she always had been feeling guilty for her brother.

"Nii-san." Was what her brother called her. Not "Nee-chan", since everyone except for her parents and clan elders knew of her actual gender.

At age ten, she became ANBU. It was only then when her parents praised her and told her about clan's true purpose; Then they ordered her to be a spy of clan. Reluctant at first, she resisted to her parents for the first time in her life, thus gaining a nasty punishment.

At age eleven, she was approached by Shimura Danzo and other village elders. First they interrogated her testing her loyalty, then offered a suggestion: to be a double agent.

At age thirteen, she became ANBU squad captain, and was approached by Tobi who claimed himself to be Uchiha Madara. Then the elders of the village pulled a trigger, offering her alternative choices. They promised that they'd protect her brother in the end. She accepted it and slaughtered her clan, leaving her brother behind; She just followed what her parents had been telling her always: "Always protect your brother no matter what."

She then joined Akatsuki, and, surrounded by horny criminal males, she spent Seven years there, acting like one of the 'evil males'. Only Konan knew of her secret, since Itachi indeed needed someone to advice upon her first bleeding. The other guys never figured out that she was a girl, not even Leader-sama.

At age twenty, she let her brother kill her, as she'd promised herself. She died as a horrible man.

.

She'd never expected to open her eyes again. Anyway, if one could lift its eyelid, it meant it's alive, at least. However she found herself opening eyes, plus with a shocked-looking man in front of her_ who'd been her leader-sama during past years. The man wasn't in his ordinary figure, though: instead of his former sculpture-like face, the man had fluffy white hair with slacked jaw.

"What's going on?" Itachi mumbled in a slightly high voice.

"..Wow." Nagato blurted. "I'd never thought... That I'll see you again. Especially in this state."

"What happened?" She blinked confusedly. "I thought I'm-"

"Dead." The man finished instead, his rinnegan staring up and down at her. "Is this the reason why you've been spending time with Konan?"

Itachi blinked. "Uhm..."

"I never found it out," The man muttered, striding outside of the strange cave they'd been in. Itachi followed him suit, walking along the mountainside, seeing the full view of a forest below and open grass field far away. The geographic layout was similar to the plains of Hi no Kuni.

They sat together on the stools of crushed tree quietly.

"Maybe Madara-" She opened her mouth hesitantly.

"Guess so." Nodded Nagato. He then stared at her again. "But why did you deceive us?"

She sighed, with something like a sardonic smile hanging upon her lips. "It's a long story."

"No wonder that Orochimaru had been trying to get on you." He spat.

"Emme, I'm sorry anyway."

"No need to apologize now, I'm no longer your superior."

Silence resumed for a while.

They both perked up when they noticed something like a vortex coming up from downside of the mountain.

"Somebody's coming." The female mumbled.

"I think I recognize that spiral chakra." The male responded.

They both stood on their feet.

The vortex was coming up so fast, like a whirling wind, as if it's chasing something.

"Coming for us." She commented.

Soon the tornado reached the top of the mountain, and dashed toward the two living-deads. The clouded chakra wind diversed in front of them, revealing two males, one with blacktan skin and white hair, and the other with spiky golden hair and blue eyes.

"Naruto." Nagato winked to the blond boy.

Naruto and Bee seemed to be stunned at first. They gazed at the two aghastly for a while, before the blond broke the silence with shaking voice. "Nagato.. and.. you?" A perplexity rose upon his face as he stared at the dark-haired female.

Itachi merely looked away, letting Nagato to answer. "She's Itachi." He explained. "And I guess it's also your first time to see her true identity, eh?" He smiled wryly then.

"Whoa.. Hold a minute." Killer bee pressed his temple, still not letting go of his usual rapping tune in his speech. "What happened to you? And to that Uchiha?"

"I guess we've been revived by Edo tensei." The former Akatsuki leader responded.

"Well, we predicted something like that, so we've been looking for you... Bu-but- what about him? I mean her?" Naruto pointed at Itachi, who was eyeing them mindlessly. "I thought Itachi's a-"

"Man." The three men muttered altogether. Then they all looked at the Uchiha.

"What's wrong?" The Uchiha asked nonchalantly.

"You're a woman that's what's wrong!" Naruto hissed, gazing piercingly at her with his aqua blue eyes.

"Now calm down..." The female Itachi sighed.

"Calm down?! I don't understand what's going on!" The blonde frantically yelled. As he looked closer at Itachi he saw many notable differences; She had visible curves shaped into the cloak she wore. Her face was gentler that still maintained its paleness. Her eyes were still black orbs, but her eyelashes were longer. And her hair, which had been always tied up in ponytail, was now put down, covering her whole back.

"You will never understand." Itachi said with something like venom in her voice. "It's a complicated story afterward... But anyway, I'm a female by birth."

Killer Bee shuddered, feeling his Gyuuki hollering from inside of him, shocked as well. "Oh, man..."

"But still, why did you disguise as a man?" Nagato questioned to his former subordinate. "It must have been a shitty deal."

Itachi gazed at the baffled males, chewing her lips thoughtfully. "..I'll explain." She mumbled, sitting on the scorch again. The males gathered around her.

With a bit of flush, but still maintaining her usual calm manner, she explained them about her life since her childhood, till the part Sasuke killed her. As soon as her demonstration ended, Naruto clutched his own head and yelled; "It's too cruel! Oh shit, shit!"

Itachi gulped, then exchanged glances with Nagato.

"So your parents forced you to be a boy." Nagato eyed her face carefully. "I should have found it out earlier... and the Uchiha massacre-"

"What's done is done." The Uchiha dropped her eyes.

"But wasn't it so inconvenience? I mean-" Bee scratched his ear. "-Why didn't you just live your own life after they died? Didn't you know how to remove the jutsu?"

"I don't understand it too." Consented Nagato.

She smiled faintly. "I don't know..."

"Your story made Gyuuki sad!" The tanned man rapped again, this time bursting into tears comically.

"Sad?" She tilted her head ironically."What makes you sad?"

Then Naruto looked at her, finally got out of his own shock. "Your life..." His blue eyes shook with a confusion. "You just lived for teme, for that stupid bastard!"

Suddenly Itachi sprang up, her eyes changed. Before Naruto could take any action, Nagato blew him good meters away, yelling; "Watch out!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A giant fireball crashed toward the blonde.

"Shit! They're being mobilized now!" Bee hollered, drawing Samehada to slice through the attack effectively saving both him and Naruto. Then in a second Itachi appeared behind Bee. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson technique!"

Bee countered with his transformed arm. He used the tentacle to grab Itachi, only for her to disappear in a flurry of crows.

"Don't look at me into the eyes!" The female warned, popping again.

"I can't..." Bee moaned, sweats breaking into his forehead. Fortunately soon Gyuuki broke Bee out of the genjutsu he had already been caught in.

Bee then charged Itachi using his seven swords. She retreated onto Nagato's summoned bird.

"I hate this part." Nagato grumbled as he helplessly summoned his bird and dog.

As Itachi activated her Mangekyō Sharingan, Bee tried to stop her by throwing his sword but then it was repelled by Nagato, who was being forced to attack them as well.

Amidst the chaos, all of sudden Naruto's mouth was opened and a crow came out from it, its one eye visibly red with sharingan.

"What the..?!" Naruto coughed harshly, feeling feathers inside his mouth.

Itachi made some handseal and rested in her place, her eyes turning back to black again. "You remember?" She smirked calmly at the blonde.

Nagato appeared behind Bee and tried to attack him, but Bee quickly countered Nagato's attack with a Lariat. Nagato used the Preta Path's ability to absorb B's chakra, causing him to regain a youthful appearance; red hair flamed like a fire, whilst Naruto was restrained by the invisible chameleon.

"Quick! Itachi!" Nagato shouted helplessly as he's forced to do another attack. Before Nagato could fatally injure B and remove Naruto's soul, they were rescued by Itachi's Susanoo. As Nagato used Chibaku Tensei in an effort to trap them, Itachi shouted: "Attack the center of the sphere!"

Soon, with the combined force of Bee's Tailed Beast Ball, Itachi's Yasaka Magatama and Naruto's Rasenshuriken, the sphere was dispelled.

Peaceful silence fell upon them, at last. Dust began to be settled around the panting males.

"Shit, finally." Nagato moaned. He then turned to the Uchiha, stretching his arm with a great difficulty, to grab her by wrist. "Sorry for that."

"It's ok." Itachi replied in a surprisingly affable tone. "I guess this is the only chance for you to be sealed."

Nagato nodded, then looked at Naruto, who was standing panting. "It's last good bye, finally."

"Nagato." Naruto's voice strained hard. "This world is... I... I already told you before, that I understand you, but now I understand you even more."

Nagato shook his head, smiling sadly. "Naruto... I'll be returning to where our master is, so I can see your story... If you ask me... You're the third part that concludes the series. Save them, save all the human sacrifices like me and this girl...!" Then he was pierced by sword of Totsuka.

Silence, silence.

Naruto was standing blankly, merely gazing at the dusts Nagato had left behind. His blue eyes were bit bluer now with thoughts flooding in his mind.

Bee slowly turned toward Itachi. "What are you going to do now?" He asked, breaking Naruto from his own reverie.

"I don't know." the Uchiha murmured, calmly looking down at her hands. "I'm tired."

Naruto abruptly whipped around and approached close to the Uchiha, studying her face with his unreadable blue orbs.

Itachi blinked. "What's wrong?"

"You..." Naruto slurred in somewhat hoarse voice. "You're... You..."

"I what?" She knitted her eyebrows.

""You're pathetic." The blonde finally managed to finish his sentence, causing Bee to drop his jaw. "Naru-kun! You're not gonna let us get murdered by this lady?!"

"Pathetic?" She tilted her head, almost naively, revealing her creamy neck. Naruto clenched his fists at this. He felt a shameful horror, though he did not understand his own reason. There could have been anger too but he wasn't sure.

"You're pathetic." He repeated in heated tone. "You made your own life so miserable, all because of your foolish little brother! Why didn't you just live your life?! Why did you just follow their order, even after their death?!"

A flash passed across the female's dark eyes. "What do you know?" Her voice filled with sarcasm. "You don't understand anything, little one. Stop suddenly acting like a wise man just because I'm a woman."

"Do you think teme would be happy for your sacrifice?!"

"He doesn't have to know anything!" Now she raised her tone.

"He already knows half of your secret! Now he wants to crush Konoha for your revenge!"

"Naruto!" Killer Bee yelled to the blonde. Naruto stopped with a flinch, realizing his blunder.

Itachi's eyes widened with a shock. "What?"

The blonde sighed, scolding himself inwardly. "I... I didn't mean to say that it's your fault..."

"I don't care about it. Tell me what happened to Sasuke." She demanded.

Naruto exchanged almost sheepish looks with Killer Bee. "Well.. uh, yeah, teme found out about your reason for Uchiha massacre, by the masked guy Tobi. Now he wants revenge."

"..." The Uchiha contemplated for a while with an unbelieving look on her face. Then biting her lips, she blurted. "It's my fault..."

"Why do you always try to take all the responsibility?" It was Killer Bee who questioned this time, staring at the female rather sympathetically.

"Do I?" She blinked. Strangely, she seemed to be somewhat confused at the accusation.

"You've just said you're tired." The vessel of Gyuuki continued, in his soft, rapping manner. "That means your subconscious already knows that you're sick of playing your role in this world."

"Yeah, yeah." Gyuuki agreed with his container.

She fell silent, dropping her head.

The males waited for a long while before she finally spoke again. "I don't know... It had been so... hard. I.. I can't count how many times I desired a final peace in my life." Her voice began to tremble. "But it's my destiny here in this pathetic world... My life... Ever since I was born, I'd been planned to protect Sasuke."

"That's not you. How pathetic-"Naruto's voice abruptly turned weird, his voice echoing like a thunder. His eyes morphing into crimson red of Fox's, the blonde jumped up indignantly. "Damn, Kyuubi! Do not interfere like this! If you want to join us, then tell me frankly that you want to join!"

"I want to join your stupid talks? What makes you so retarded to think like that?!" Kyuubi growled, like a thunder, giving his vessel a headache.

"Kyuubi, you suck!"

"What are you going to do, stupid brat?" The fox snorted, which made the blonde boil, causing Gyuuki and Bee to helplessly muffle their laughter. "You don't have any right to judge that Uchiha when you yourself is a stupid brat too! Tst! Humans!"

"Dammit! Kyuubi!" The blonde hollered, enraged. "I'm not judging her!"

"Oh? Then tell me what you're going to do. Still in 'I-will-bring-Sasuke-back-and-become-a-hero of Konoha-' Mantra?"

"You BULLY-"

"Hey, Uchiha-san!" Bee suddenly yelled, alerted, when Itachi abruptly whirled around and began to dart away. Naruto alerted at this as well.

"Itachi! Wait! Where are you going?!" He shouted, chasing after the Uchiha speedily. Bee followed him suit with Gyuuki.

"Oh damn, she's so fast!" Cursing under his breath, Naruto accelerated his speed, activating Kyuubi's tails. As he got closer to her, she suddenly slowed her speed, and by the next moment, she stopped at the end of the cliff and jumped down.

Both Naruto and Bee's eyes registered with a shock. "Itachi?!"

Naruto jumped down from the end of the cliff too, forming vortex chakra onto his palms and feet. The Uchiha was falling slowly to the abyss. He flied through the blowing wind and grabbed her by waist, and seconds later, they were both back on the top of the mountain.

"Damn you." Itachi muttered softly, rustling in his arms. "I was trying to do something for myself for the first time in this world."

"Trying to kill yourself like that is pathetic as well." The blonde replied rather calmly. "And beside, I don't think you can die in that way. You can only be sealed back."

"I know. I just wanted to try."

Then they both fell silent.

It was sundown on the forest. The light of dusk poured red, purple, and orange on the trees. A sea of green fire, burning far as the eyes could see. A fiery sunset. Up above, a hawk cried mid flight. The two mindlessly gazed, mesmerized by the beauty of nature.

Itachi merely stared, unable to do anything but stare. Her head was suddenly empty. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, standing there, leaning against the blonde boy, until a sensation broke through her blank reverie. A touch, a hot sensation, on her cheek. She blinked confusedly.

"You're crying."

Crying? She's crying? She brought her finger up to her face. It came down wet and trembling.

From a corner in her mind, a thought passed like a well-trained reaction; Stop sniveling, Shinobis never cry. But the voice was small and above it, there were a hundred others, all vying for her attention.

The trees beckoned, green with life. The evening of her old day, the only time which she'd felt truly alive for once;

Hidan, sprawled by riverside, wringing river water from his wet hair. He swore more than thousand times that he'd kill Kakuzu for shoving him into the river. Kisame was laughing at them from underwater. Sasori was throwing one of his wood pieces to Deidara, who was running away pathetically. Konan was gathering strange weeds from the ground, to whisper the Uchiha later, "It's good for period time.". Pein was watching them on the top of the temple, his eyes on Konan and the Uchiha rather interestingly.

They're dead. All dead. She had had a chance to save them. But she hadn't even looked back at the chance. She had been living for her own goal, the only goal, which'd been set by her parents. She hadn't even managed to apologize to Pein about it even when he'd just been beside her while ago.

With tremendous effort, she managed to pull herself back to reality. For a minute, they were silent until Naruto moved. He laid his hand on Itachi's face, wiping her tears away.

"Don't cry." He said softly, looking at her with sky blue eyes. Eyes like Deidara's, that blinked and glanced by the corners like Deidara's.

This jinchhuriki brat wasn't a brat anymore.

"I don't know what to do with a crying girl."

If she could, Itachi would have laughed right there. But for now, she was numb all over. Naruto was still speaking, voice soft and slow like he was speaking to a child.

"You must have been so tired..."

Tired? Yes, she was tired. Her whole life had been just so abused.

"Tell me what you want. I'll do anything to help you."

What she wanted...? She blinked. The voice flowed out from her mouth almost unconsciously.

"I.. I want to live new life, in new world."

Naruto became silent for a while. Then, he suddenly looked up to the sky, hollering like a thunderbolt; "You damn Gods, I hate you! You're gonna pay for this! Damn you, Fuck you!" Thick veins pulsed upon his neck by an uncontrollable rage, as he cursed both his and her fates.

It was then that things started to get strange. This wasn't the first time either of them had overlooked a forest, but it was certainly the first time they had been in one where it was this windy. Together they stared at the sky to see clouds part.

Naruto shouted something, but Itachi couldn't hear it due to the wind and she covered her eyes as the shards of shrapnel from the earth started to fly into the sky. she focused on the gust of powerful wind coming from the sky and, was surprised to see a small tornado appearing. She assumed it was a tornado since it was creating a violent whirlpool.

The clouds started to swirl around the eye of the tornado. Then the eye started to do something that even she did not anticipate; it started to spin like a cyclone, forcing everything around it to be sucked in.

She never remembered hitting the ground.

.

Naruto blinked his eyes and looked up to the blue sky and white fluffy clouds. Where had all the darkness gone? He looked around and saw tall trees and green grass. There was not a single hint of destruction anywhere. Had it all been a dream?

"You idiot!" His lifetime companion hollered from his mindscape.

He sat up and groaned, cradling his head in his hands and looking for Itachi. If she was here then it couldn't be a dream.

She's curled beside him on the grass.

He crawled toward her and shook her. Soon she opened her eyes, her dark depths staring back at him blankly. "What.. Happened?" She mumbled quizzically.

"I don't know." Then he called his companion. "Kyuubi?"

"You fools." The fox replied, angrily, though his voice somewhat sounded strangely amused. "We're screwed, very, very screwed."

Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto.

AN: Thanks for reading guys, if you think I should continue, send me a review! I'd love to hear what you think of this story. I don't even know if it is good or not.