Salvation and Despair by SC-Jupe

Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto, which of course belongs to Kishimoto-sensei.

Summary - A romance/tragedy. Itachi was a handsome young shinobi living in Konoha before ANBU gave him the order to massacre his clan. Doesn't it seem unlikely that he didn't have at least one love interest? ItachiXKana.

Prologue

A dark-haired man trudged along a dusty path lined with desert weeds; with every step he took his burden seemed heavier. The unforgiving sun shone brightly in the pale blue sky. He wiped sweat from his brow and glanced back at the small girl he was carrying on his back - she had fallen asleep. He breathed a small sigh of relief; her weak pleas for water were painful for him to hear. No matter how much he wanted to, he could not provide it; not now, anyway.

Finally, they were approaching home. The man's thoughts turned to his wife. He could see her sparkling black eyes, hear her musical voice. She was probably already preparing for their return: getting cool baths ready, setting out their change of clothes, cooking dinner. Little Ayume would be begging to help in any way she could; she was always trying to emulate her mother. He smiled a bit at the thought, in spite of his exhaustion.

The two approached a small hill; their clan's little village would be just on the other side. However, when the man reached the summit, he stopped abruptly in his tracks. He stared in shocked silence at what was once his village. The modest desert houses in neat rows were dilapidated and charred. The villagers' intricate irrigation system had enabled them to plant several trees and small shrubs; the trees were now bare and ghostly. There was no evidence of any other plant life. He could see abandoned weapons strewn across the streets.

The pervasive odor of burned flesh reached the man. He felt nauseas, and his knees buckled. Slowly, he knelt down and gently took the girl off his back, waking her in the process. She yawned and tried to rub the sleepiness from her eyes. "Daddy, are we home yet?" she whined.

The man buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Curious, her little oval face turned in the direction he was facing. Seeing the calamity, her eyes grew wide in astonishment. "Daddy… where are we?" she asked, her voice small and worried. The man pulled her into a tight hug, still crying.

Chapter 1

The Uchiha clan may have seemed close knit to the citizens of Konoha, but the Uchihas within the walls of their secluded section of the village knew the truth differently. The clan's bloody history of brothers killing brothers driven by the lust for the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan had caused sharp divisions between the numerous small families that made up the clan. Cousins may have known their cousins, but relations stopped there. Second, third, fourth cousins were unknown to each other; these ninja felt virtually no kindred connections.

So, it was completely natural for Uchiha Itachi to feel some sort of physical attraction to Uchiha Kana. The closest relation that Kana could have been to him was fourth cousin, and even that was unlikely.

After leading a successful B-rank mission with ease, Kana led her three-man squad to the Hokage's office to report.

The Third Hokage leaned forward in his chair, his hands clasped on his desk. He peered at Team 4's squad leader from under his red wide brimmed hat, that infamous serious expression of his constricting his features. The sun shone in through the windows on either side of him, casting a pale yellow light across the wooden floorboards; it was still early in the afternoon.

"Reporting mission success," Kana stated evenly, flanked on both sides by her teammates, Makimi and Taijo. "The scrolls were retrieved with minimal interference." Kana placed two blue scrolls on the Hokage's desk before stepping back and respectfully clasping her hands behind her back.

Kana couldn't help smiling slightly, even though she usually concealed her emotions well. This was her first high ranking mission that was so successful that she and her teammates returned with almost no scratches to show for their troubles.

Unfortunately, Kana could recall missions that she led that hadn't ended so well. On her third mission as a chunin, Kana was assigned to an A-rank mission. She was leading a squad of three genin and one chunin even greener than herself on account of an extreme shortage in jonin. (Apparently there was some major political dissention with the Village Hidden in the Mist that threatened a Fourth Ninja War.) Her mission was barely a success at the cost of two of the lives of her squad members. She and the other two ninja didn't look so good either.

Kana sighed at the memory. She was only twelve years old at the time and had come a long way since then.

The Hokage nodded approval as he examined the scrolls. "Kana, this is your seventy-third successful B-rank mission. Are you planning on registering for the upcoming Jonin Exam?" He glanced over the scroll he was reading to see her reaction.

"I was contemplating it sir, but I haven't come to a decision yet," she answered honestly.

"Well, I suggest that you seriously consider the opportunity. You have proven yourself a fine squad leader these last three years as a chunin."

"Thank you, sir, I am honored," Kana said, bowing her head. "I will take your words into deep consideration."

He nodded once, satisfied with her answer. "Good work, all. Dismissed."

Kana was pleasantly surprised to hear that her talents as a ninja were being recognized, and a small smile played on her lips as she and her squad turned to leave. As they did, the Hokage called in his next visitor, and Uchiha Itachi walked through the doors. His dark eyes briefly made contact with hers as he walked toward the desk, and she made her way out of the office.

Later that afternoon, Kana was soaking in the hot springs at the bathhouse in southern Konoha, as she occasionally did after successful missions. Not much of a gossiper, she leaned her back against the side of the bath and closed her eyes, zoning out the chatty women's voices. She kept her long dark brown hair in its usual tight bun on the crown of her head to avoid getting the ends wet.

But she couldn't relax completely. An unusual predicament loomed in her near future. If Kana was to take the Jonin Exam two months from now, she would have to train vigorously when she was not on missions. More vigorously than usual, that is. In addition to that, Ayaki-sensei was away on an important S-ranked mission in the Land of Rice Paddies.

I could train on my own, but having a sensei with experience would really help, she thought.

Then a thought occurred to her. Uchiha Itachi had just returned from a solo mission. (He almost never worked in a squad.) The Hokage would give him at least a three day rest before sending him out again. She knew Itachi as a young ninja with the potential to become the strongest Uchiha the clan had ever seen. Who better to help her train?

But Itachi never conversed with ninja his own age. His power and aloofness had isolated him from his comrades and intimidated others.

Kana, however, was not one to be intimidated by a boy two years her junior. She was also sure that she could teach him at least one new technique. She was a respectable ninja herself, and her record proved it. Kana had completed 12 A-rank missions, 73 B-rank missions, 58 C-rank missions, and 85 D-rank missions.

Strangely enough, Kana couldn't recall anyone saying that Itachi was cold or arrogant. Perhaps he was somewhat amiable.

She opened dark her eyes and squinted at the orange afternoon sun. Almost dinnertime. Well, there's only one way to find out… she thought, climbing out and wrapping a towel around herself.

Itachi awoke at four a.m. the next morning, took a cold shower, and put on his usual training outfit. It consisted of a simple black shirt with the Uchiha clan's insignia on the back, black shorts, and grey sandals. His long raven hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.

The sky was still dark when he left the house. He carefully closed the door behind him so as not to disturb his parents or brother. It was a most ordinary morning until Itachi saw a figure leaning against a tree near the training grounds where he usually practiced. Most ninja didn't start training until five, and even then no one would dare invade his practice area.

This is unusual… he thought to himself.

When Itachi was a fair distance away, he assessed the ninja who had apparently been waiting for him. It was a slim teenage girl, short for her age, and she appeared to be dressed for battle. She wore tight black shorts that ended just above the knee, a grey qipao dress that reached mid-thigh, and black sandals. She also had her forehead protector tied around her neck and a black belt around her waist, which her ninja tools were strapped to.

The girl had her arms crossed and seemed bored, but her coal eyes were calculating his every move. He had definitely seen her somewhere before, but he could not remember where.

"Can I help you?" Itachi asked as he approached the girl.

"Actually, you can," she said, uncrossing her arms and stepping toward him. "My name is Uchiha Kana and I would like to train with you." Kana stared at him hard to let him know that she was serious.

Itachi raised his brows. Apparently, they were part of the same clan. But that wasn't what surprised him; Itachi wasn't familiar with most members of the clan. It was the latter half of her statement that he found astonishing. "With me?" he stated. He couldn't have heard her correctly. Did she not know that he was one of Konoha's most elite ninja? He didn't have time to waste training chunin.

"Yes, you heard me correctly. I can assure you that this training will be mutually beneficial." Kana maintained her stern expression.

Itachi smirked. "I'm sorry, but I don't have the time," he said, continuing toward the training grounds. Kana grabbed his arm to stop him; he turned to her.

"How about we make a deal," she said, a sly smile beginning to cross her lips. "I'll show you my jutsu. If it's to your liking, then I will teach it to you. In exchange, you will train me for the upcoming Jonin Exam."

Itachi watched her intently. She was definitely persistent, and he wasn't in the mood for an argument. "Okay then," he said plainly.

Kana gave a triumphant smile and began to walk to the training area; Itachi followed. They walked through the forest a short ways and made it to the large dirt clearing where Itachi trained. By now, the sky was a light shade of gray, but the sun still was not visible. Itachi stopped at the edge of the clearing under the tall trees, now quite curious about the oddly bold girl.

This girl must know who I am, yet she still believes that her technique will impress me… he thought, shaking his head.

Itachi watched Kana stop in the middle of the clearing, but she did not turn to face him. The next moment, his surroundings vanished, including Kana, and he appeared to be floating in a bluish purple sky. Torrents of black crows with Sharingan eyes surrounded him, some diving at him.

"Genjutsu…" Itachi muttered, activating his Sharingan. He had missed the actual performance of the jutsu, so it was too late for him to know how to copy it, but he could try to see through it.

"Pretty good, huh?" he heard Kana's voice echo from somewhere, but he couldn't see her.

He continued to scan for her using his Sharingan, and finally spotted her purple chakra source several yards to his right. The next moment, the ground was beneath him and his surroundings returned. He stumbled forward before regaining his balance, and stood a little shakily. He looked down at Kana; the corners of her pink lips were turned slightly upward in a smug grin.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you trap me in a genjutsu without making eye contact?"

The smile left her face and she stared up at him with a wholly serious expression.

Damnit, conceal emotion, conceal emotion! How could I forget? she scolded herself inwardly.

"Does that mean that you agree to train me?"

Itachi slowly remembered that he had agreed to a deal earlier. At the time, he hadn't even considered the possibility of losing. Now he would have to train this chunin or be a complete ass - which he wasn't. I really don't have the time to, but… "That's right. We made a deal, didn't we?" he said tiredly.

Kana sensed his hesitation. "You won't regret it," she promised.

Author's Note – I'm formerly ablondegeek, so there is a small possibility that you've read this before. To clear up any confusion: I had issues with that account and was forced to start another. This story was posted first from that account, then removed, and now I'm re-posting it.

This was my first fanfic, and I would love it if you gave me some concrit on it. Btw, Kana finds out when/where Itachi trained by asking locals, which is what she was about to do at the end of the bath house scene. Also, Itachi uses Kana's technique on Naruto in Shippuden episode 126. He can't easily see through it because it is unfamiliar to him.